San Francisco Bay Times - June 10, 2021

CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2021) June 10–23, 2021 http://sfbaytimes.com

Just Discovered: Lesbian Pioneers’ Desired Legacy

PHOTO BY JILL POSENER

in their their own words

Just Discovered: Lesbian Pioneers’ Desired Legacy

in their their own words

Memories of Life, Love, and Activism at the Lyon-Martin House

Photos courtesy of Kendra Mon

SF HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION/Y.A. STUDIO

When Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin as a couple purchased 651 Duncan Street in San Francisco in 1955, they both treasured the large front window that, on a clear day, offered a view that extended all the way to Alcatraz and even to the Campanile at UC Berkeley. Phyllis in the evenings nearly always sat closest to the window, with Del close by. The large window, however, posed concerns, since passersby could look inside the home and observe not only its lesbian occupants, but also houseguests who might include Black civil rights leaders, gay men, other lesbian activists, and any number of people whose very existence was threatened by laws at the time. For example, a “sexual perversion” executive order issued by President Dwight Eisenhower just two years earlier permitted the firing of homosexual federal workers. Arrests for sodomy then were common. One day, however, Phyllis decided to take the curtains down. “She and Del lived openly and stopped hiding behind the curtains,” Kendra Mon, Del’s daughter, told the San Francisco Bay Times. “Phyllis loved to tell that story—and she loved the view from that window. Both she and Del couldn’t imagine being away from San Francisco and the view for long.” Comforting Routines Mon recalled that her mother and Phyllis (whom she viewed with affection as mother, too) would enjoy breakfast together at a small kitchen banquette. Phyllis would sit on a bench and Del on a chair opposite her, where they would enjoy coffee, juice, and breakfast, read the newspaper, and talk about articles that interested them. The space was also used for card games like Solitaire. A pegboard rested between them where they kept track of who was winning. Books were important in the LyonMartin household. The couple authored several, such as the groundbreaking book Lesbian/Woman, and they read voraciously as well—everything from political-themed tomes to favorite mysteries. Cocktail hour was at 5 pm. Both enjoyed cooking: Del was famous for her potato salad, but Phyllis was the more frequent chef in residence. “I never had a fresh mushroom until I met her,” Mon said of Phyllis. “She followed recipes, learned French cooking, and had all sorts of cookbooks.” When You Look Out the Window, by Gayle E. Pitman, tells the story of how Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon enjoyed looking out their front window and how their activism transformed a community and changed the world. http://www.gaylepitman.com

For a quiet evening at home, the couple would sit together downstairs and read, watch television, or just snuggle and enjoy that aforementioned stellar view.

A Fondness for Felines and Names Cats Padishah and Ace became part of the family. “They [Del and Phyllis] took time to find the name ‘Padishah,’ which refers to an emperor,” Mon said. In Turkish, the word with a slightly different spelling denotes sultans of the Ottoman Empire. Padishah also was a name made famous years later in the science fiction novel Dune by Frank Herbert. Ace, in turn, was sleek and black. Later, Taurus and Purrpuss were brought into the feline fold. Del and Phyllis named their home “Habromania Haven.” The word habromania comes from the field of science and refers to “a form of delusional insanity in which the imaginings assume a cheerful or joyous character.” The couple had a rental house in Jenner that they also named: “Outer Sanctum.” They additionally over the years named their cars. Where Time Stood Still Mon fondly recalled holidays spent at the home. A mixture of community leaders, friends, neighbors, and family members might stop by for Phyllis’ delicious meals, drinks, and dancing. “I remember joy and dancing,” Mon said. At some point in the evening, the game Tripoli would be brought out in the living room. Both Del and Phyllis enjoyed the game and would try to outwit each other. (Tripoli is a contemporary version of the 500-year-old European game Poch.) “I never felt like time was an issue when I was at 651 Duncan,” Mon shared. “It always felt like we had plenty of time and were never pressured. We lived in the moment.”

Del Martin's daughter Kendra Mon recounts that Del and Phyllis' cats (Ace, Padishah, Taurus and Purrpuss) were important constant companions at their home.

She added, “I’ve begun to think of 651 Duncan as ‘The Little House that Could and Did.’ It nourished my moms, gave them great pleasure, hosted many events, connected them across generations, housed their many books and beloved cats, inspired a new care system, and provided the financial means to care for Phyllis [in her later years] so that she could continue to enjoy being there.”

First National Landmark of San Francisco Lesbian Activism Established On May 21, Mayor London Breed signed an ordinance establishing the landmark status of 651 Duncan Street in San Francisco. Lesbian and civil rights activists Del Martin (1921–2008) and Phyllis Lyon (1924–2020) purchased the home at the Noe Valley property in 1955 and lived there until they both passed away. The home is now the first piece of lesbian history to receive landmark status in the western U.S. All ordinances take legal effect 30 days after the Mayor’s signature, so 651 Duncan’s landmark status will be official and final on June 20. The ordinance holds that the house was deemed eligible for local designation “as it is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of San Francisco history and with persons significant to San Francisco history. Specifically, designation of Lyon-Martin House is proper[ly] given association with the history of development of homophile organizations in San Francisco, specifically the Daughters of 2

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Bilitis, the first lesbian-rights organization in the United States, and as the longtime home of pioneering lesbian-rights activists, Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin. The period of significance is 1955 to 2020.” Christina Morris, a Senior Field Director at the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the lead on the National Trust’s Where Women Made History campaign, explained to the organization Saving Places why the Lyon-Martin house has attracted widespread attention: “This house may be small, but it has outsized significance stretching far beyond San Francisco or California. Phyllis and Del’s lifetime of activism battling discrimination against the LGBTQ communities and violence against women has changed thousands of lives. This is a place where women had a national impact on LGBTQ civil rights on par with Stonewall, and it deserves that same level of respect and recognition.”

Beyond the home’s landmark status, its future remains in question since planning would have to take into account the current owner, who purchased the home on September 4, 2020, and many other considerations. Numerous ideas have been proposed, such as preserving the house for visitors interested in its history while keeping in mind that the home is located in a quiet, residential neighborhood. Another proposed idea is using the home as housing for a scholar, similar to temporary universityprovided housing, which would allow many individuals over the years to gain knowledge and inspiration of Martin and Lyon within such a personal, intimate setting. The San Francisco Bay Times will continue to follow this story and provide any updates as they become available. For more information about the significance of the Lyon-Martin house: https://tinyurl.com/sjb84upj

Newly Discovered Memo Handwritten by Del Martin Reveals Her and Phyllis Lyon’s Desired Legacy During the first week of Pride Month for 2021, a memo of significance to LGBTQ history, and particularly that of lesbian history, was discovered. While Kendra Mon, the daughter of lesbian and civil rights activist Del Martin, was sorting through her late mother’s papers in boxes, she came across a handwritten memo that she had never seen before. “My moms saved nearly everything,” Mon said of Del and her longtime partner and later wife, Phyllis Lyon. “The memo was handwritten by my mother.” It reads: “The best way to honor us is to carry on the work that has been done— help combat ageism [,] recognize & promote visibility of elders and support their issues in the broad GLBT agenda. Perseverance. In every loss are the seeds of success [.] Patience. Education never ending. Continue to work with youth, but tell them about our history.” The words were written on a Disneyland Pacific Hotel notepad sometime before 2000, as during that year, the vacation destination became Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel. Del died in 2008, and the message clearly reflects her and Phyllis’ own advanced ages at the time, as well as their interest in supporting LGBTQ elders. The couple attended and spoke at many conferences and events over the years, so it is likely that they were in Anaheim for such a reason. It seems fitting that Del’s words have come to new light during Pride Month and at a time when Openhouse—an organization dedicated to LGBT senior housing, community, and services—has just announced new housing and a new Executive Director. Del and Phyllis were close friends with Openhouse co-founder and San Francisco Bay Times columnist Dr. Marcy Adelman and her late partner, fellow co-founder, Jeanette Gurevitch. Both Del and Phyllis were founding contributors to the Bay Times. To learn more about the trailblazing couple, check out these prior issues of the Bay Times:

April 9, 2020: https://issuu.com/sfbt/docs/bay_times_04.09.19 November 14, 2019: https://issuu.com/sfbt/docs/bay_times_11.14.19.birthday_2 November 13, 2014: https://issuu.com/sfbt/docs/revisedbt11.13pp1-32.issu February 21, 2014: https://issuu.com/sfbt/docs/2013-06-27 We also recommend viewing the short documentary One Wedding and a Revolution by the late Debra Chasnoff. It is available via Kanopy with a public library card or university login. https://www.kanopy.com/product/one-wedding-and-revolution Making Gay History additionally brings Del and Phyllis’ voices to life. https://makinggayhistory.com/podcast/phyllis-lyon-del-martin/ Whichever of these or other sources that you choose, we hope that you will take time to learn more about these remarkable women—forever proud lesbians—and will, as Del had hoped, tell younger generations about their history.

Friends of Phyllis Group

PHOTOS BY YUNFEI REN/USED BY PERMISSION

Caregiver Deb Svoboda with Phyllis' vintage Wonder Woman tissue box

Caregivers Carrie, Lacey, Jerry, Mel, and Deb gathered in front of Phyllis and Del's home two months after Phyllis' passing.

Caregiver Jerry Lee with a LyonMartin handkerchief that was gifted to him. Caregiver Carrie Schell holding Phyllis' coffee mug

In addition to her caregiving team, the Friends of Phyllis group visited Lyon regularly and worked behind the scenes to maintain her home and provide support as needed. They included Diane McCarney, Pauline Schulman, Pan Haskins, Margie Adam, Kate Kendell, Joyce Newstat, Diane Sabin, and others.

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JUNE 10 , 2021

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The ‘Mother of Pride’

Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History Louise “Lou” Fischer Happy Pride Month; what used to be only a day is now a whole month! We’re almost done with this pesky pandemic, so wrap yourself in a rainbow flag and celebrate the 52nd anniversary of Stonewall. While there is no full-blown Pride parade of 270+ contingents crawling up Market Street followed by the blowout party in the Civic Center, San Francisco Pride, the official organizer of the Pride March, announced they will be holding smaller in-person events. One of my new favorite events, completely unaffiliated with San Francisco Pride, is the People’s March and Rally organized by Alex U. Inn and Juanita MORE! from Polk Street to City Hall—the original route of the first gay parade in 1970. G-d bless these two iconic San Francisco activists for taking a stand against the over-corporatization of Pride and bringing the march back to its roots while also shining a light on the Black Lives Matter movement. My partner Amy and I attended last year’s inaugural event, and while we

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were nervous about getting too close to crowds and therefore stretched the “social distance” paradigm from 6 feet to 100 feet (when we could), we were close enough to hear Alex, my longtime buddy (from the 1980s, yikes!), speak up for change and the importance of advocating for Black people and other people of color.

Are We Really Recovering? Here’s an example of this peculiar dichotomy that most of us can relate to. Wall Street is at record levels, and so is the unhoused population setting up homeless encampments on many of our city streets in the Bay Area. The evidence is all around us. So, what’s holding us back in bridging this divide after all that we learned in 2020?

Brenda Howard (left)

Social Philanthropreneur Derek Barnes

Thinking about the roots of the LGBTQ movement got me wondering about the history of Pride celebrations, marches, and how we surreptitiously managed to wrangle a whole month from what started out as a single day. The short story is that Pride commemorates the June 1969, Stonewall Uprising in Greenwich Village where a group of fearless fairies, drag queens, queers, trans people, and gendernonconformers had finally had enough and fought back against police brutality and the endless raids of queer establishments.

One fundamental question many people are asking themselves these days is, “Have we turned the corner yet in this recovery?” I’ve asked myself the same question, but it often leads to other questions like, “Which recovery?” or “Recovery for whom?” It’s a provocative question when you think about it and one that needs further examination.

What is less known is that a Jewish bisexual woman, Brenda Howard, known as the “Mother of Pride,” coordinated the first LGBT rally one month after the Stonewall uprising, and a year later, led the committee that planned Gay Pride Week and the Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade. Howard’s event evolved into the annual New York City Pride march and Pride celebrations that are now held around the world.

We continue to regain lost ground from some challenges of 2020 as many U.S. markets continue gaining strength, especially here in California. However, our California community can be a tale of two cities relative to some people experiencing continued success and unprecedented gains, while others have not.

If you put 1000 LGBTQ people in a room and mentioned Brenda Howard’s name, you’d probably have 999 people say, “Brenda who?” Howard (1946– 2005) was a radical feminist, anti-war and AIDS activist throughout her life, and an active participant in gay and lesbian organizations such as the Gay Liberation Front and Gay Activists’ Alliance.

There are opposing perspectives in analyzing current market conditions, and context is truly everything. Economic uncertainty and unabating health concerns keep unemployment high for women and communities of color versus speculation for a roaring comeback and pent-up consumer spending driving the demand for certain products/services way up. But both things can be true—a hot market and lots of uncertainty and suffering.

Along with other committee members, she is credited with popularizing the word “Pride” that is associated with LGBTQ marches and celebrations. She was unabashedly open about her bisexuality, poly(continued on page 28)

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A continued slowdown in administering several well-tested COVID-19 vaccines may not fully immunize us from the ongoing threat of the coronavirus and any new strain variations. More vaccines administered will inoculate us from future threats, thus minimizing the risk of losing more lives and shutting down the economy again. If we get more people vaccinated, we can get closer to business as usual and prepandemic interactions sooner. “Inoculate” is a fascinating word that traces back to “oculus,” the Latin word for “eye.” To “inoculate” is to introduce an agent into a system that produces immunity through a response against a disease. Beyond the world of medicine, an “agent” can be a metaphor for many things, and so can “disease.” More broadly put, the “agent” could be information, knowledge, activity, resources, or even philanthropy. What if the “disease” was a damaging mindset like lack of empathy, exclusion, inhumanity, racism, injustice, or a scarcity mentality? All these viral attacks impede progress in building durable markets and growing economies that work for everyone. Let’s challenge ourselves, hold each other more accountable, and help one another find ways to inoculate the most vulnerable communities from market inequities, social injustice, and economic instability. Today, too many communities still need equitable opportunities and access to resources to build a strong foundation for future generations. California is poised to come back stronger than ever. The Bay Area will lead the way with innovation and immeasurable opportunities for those significantly impacted by an inequitable economy—providing needed resources to thrive in a new and different world in the wake of COVID-19. Our collective mission is to find those “agents” that prepare and inoculate against dangerous diseases of any form while ridding the body of underlying persistent symptoms: low wages, poverty, homelessness, inadequate healthcare, substandard education, and bad legislative policy. Derek Barnes is CEO of East Bay Rental Housing Association ( www.EBRHA.com ). He currently serves on the boards of Horizons Foundation and Homebridge CA. Follow him on Twitter @DerekBarnesSF or on Instagram at DerekBarnes.SF

Stuart Gaffney and John Lewis Stanley, Rodolfo, Antonio, Darryl, Angel, Luis, Cory, Tevin, Deonka, Simon, Leroy, Mercedez, Peter, Juan, Paul, Frank, Miguel, Javier, Jason, Eddie, Anthony, Christopher, Alejandro, Brenda, Gilberto, Juan, Akyra, Luis, Geraldo, Eric, Joel, Jean Carlos, Enrique, Jean, Xavier, Christopher, Yilmary, Edward, Shane, Martin, Jonathan, Juan, Luis, Franky, Jerry. These are the names of the 49, mostly Latinx, members of the LGBTIQ community who were senselessly murdered in the early morning hours of June 12, 2016, at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando. When we visited the Pulse memorial 18 months ago, we saw beautiful photos of all these cherished members of our community. They were out on a Saturday night at Pulse, a place they thought was safe to relax, dance, and simply be themselves, when a lone shooter armed with a SIG Sauer MCX semi-automatic rifle and a 9mm Glock 17 semiautomatic pistol opened fire, killing them and wounding 53 others. This

These are the names of just a few of the hundreds of transgender people, mostly people of color, who were murdered last year alone. They came from places as far and wide as Arkansas, Brazil, France, India, Mexico, Pakistan, Ohio, Puerto Rico, and New York City. They lost their lives because they had the bravery to live true to themselves.

A sundrenched and faded trans rainbow flag at the Pulse Memorial reads: “Bullets Cannot Break Our Pride. More Love, Less Hate.”

We remember Harvey Milk’s famous words he recorded in 1978 on a tape to be played in the event of his assassination: “If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door in the country.”

Since the 2015 nationwide marriage equality victory, Republican and other anti-LGBTIQ political forces have carried out a cynical and unprecedented attack on the rights and freedoms of transgender people for their own political gain. They have turned to exploiting Americans’ relative lack of familiarity with and understanding of trans and gender nonbinary people because their previous attacks on LGB people no longer resonate with most of the country. This orchestrated vilification and stigmatization of trans people is having deadly effects as evidenced by record numbers of murders of trans people, especially trans women of color. And the grim data show that transphobia is a worldwide epidemic.

Pride Month is a celebration of destroying closet doors, whether we smash them down in one fell swoop or close them quietly behind us as

This new attention makes trans people particularly vulnerable right now, and together we must advocate strongly for transgender rights

We could add another name to the list of LGBTIQ people who died at the hands of hatred and gun violence: Harvey.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN LEWIS AND STUART GAFFNEY

6/26 and Beyond

Jennifer, Serena, Dustin, Brenda, Giselle, Tamara, Michelle, Fabiola, Hilary, Leticia, Shakira, Felycya, Isabelle, Samantha, Sabrina, Nicole, Mateus, Francesca, Monique, Maria, Alexa, Ali, Vanessa, Isadora, Stephanie, Valeria, Anushka, Paloma, Kelly, Daniela, Naomi, Lexi, Dominique, Mira, Sasha, Natasha, Juliana, Katherine, Melody, Manuela, Rhyanna, Leona, Tiffany, Marilyn, Eduarda, Márcia, Brandy, Mateus, Pablo, Britany.

we liberate ourselves. For us, it’s about being loud, strong, and joyful, from the relative security of San Francisco and other places where we can speak out and be ourselves. For those of us who live in homes or communities where doing so publicly is unsafe, Pride may manifest through a powerful inner strength and sense of well-being that refuses to lock the beauty of our sexuality and gender expression in an internal closet. We resist becoming figuratively our own internal assassin, forsaking our inner happiness, and surrendering hope.

PHOTO BY STEPHEN ROBERTS

week marks the fifth anniversary of the massacre. It remains the deadliest hate crime perpetrated by a single individual in American history.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN LEWIS AND STUART GAFFNEY

Juan, Kimberly, Oscar, Amanda

and support trans people. But as we have seen with marriage equality and the broader LGBTIQ movement, breaking down closet doors over time produces more love, dignity, and respect—and civil rights. Even though this year, like last, the COVID-19 pandemic prevents us from showing up millions strong on Market Street as usual, Pride remains a time for us to delight together in the beauty and joy of being LGBTIQ and to dedicate ourselves to doing everything we

can to stop hate violence from taking any more lives of our community. Happy Pride Month—let’s keep changing the world! Stuart Gaffney and John Lewis, together for over three decades, were plaintiffs in the California case for equal marriage rights decided by the California Supreme Court in 2008. Their leadership in the grassroots organization Marriage Equality USA contributed in 2015 to making same-sex marriage legal nationwide.

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JUNE 10 , 2021

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GLBT Fortnight in Review Double Trouble for Second City’s Gay Cat On Monday, June 7, I strolled into the SCOTUSblog livestream to await the 10 am release of High Court opinions. Surely our longawaited ruling in Fulton v City of Philadelphia will be handed down today, I thought wrongly. It was argued in early November, for God’s sake. I know it’s a difficult case—although it shouldn’t be—but still, we only have two weeks left in the session. If not now, when? (Um, maybe any one of the several remaining announcement dates?) The result, whether for good or for ill, will have a major impact on our community’s legal posture going forward, ergo, when it eventually appears, my column will basically write itself. This week would have been convenient timing for such a scenario since I’m here in Connecticut visiting my adorable grandchildren and their lovely parents so I’m distracted. And plus, I don’t see a whole hell of a lot of other stuff to write about. No scandals, no political shenanigans, or discrimination lawsuits. No crazed lesbians running amok forcing their partners to drive them down the M5 at knife-point. No, it’s all anti-trans lawmakers, Pride this, Pride that, and things happening overseas where we’ll probably never set foot again thanks to mutant strains of Covid that will break through our vaccine defenses and kill us all before we have a chance to book our tickets to paradise. So, it seems I might have no choice but to rely on random subjects with no particular connection to our shared struggle for equality and human rights. Then, to my horror, I checked my last column and noticed that it too was filled with inane anecdotes that had nothing to do with gay law or politics, like the story about the cat who jumped out of the fifth floor Chicago apartment or the one about the calico lobster rescued from a Virginia restaurant. Is it possible that I will now have to offer my readers two intellectually lightweight efforts in a row? Not only is it possible, but it is happening. And to kick it off, I’d like to report that the cat who jumped out of the Chicago apartment in mid-May, “Hennessy,” was an indoor feline who was escaping a fire. Hennessy was seen on video landing safely in a bush and running off, but as far as I can tell this cat has never been seen again. Someone else out there with time to burn, please dig a little deeper and find out if Hennessy ever returned home. If not, this feel-good news item (“Miracle Cat Survives Hundred Foot Fall”) is going to turn very dark, very fast. (Lost On Chi-

cago’s Mean Streets, Pet Cat Fades From Headlines.) Maybe Hennessy was gay or bi or questioning. If so, we’re back on topic. What Does Winning Look Like? You know, of course, why we’re all waiting anxiously for Fulton v City of Philadelphia. The GLBT battle of this decade will be the fight over religious “freedom” versus gay and trans civil rights, and I use the word freedom advisedly because nobody is actually preventing Jane or Joe Christian from going to church or believing in the resurrection. They are trying to prevent said Christians from running a public business or organization that illegally discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. No one would allow a proprietor to insist that their faith requires racist business practices based on, I don’t know, the “Curse of Ham” or something. Yet the exact same principle is at stake in the Philadelphia foster care case and all those bakery and florist cases that we see down the line. Tell me, why should racebased civil rights laws (rightly) be sacrosanct, while gay-based laws are optional to people of so-called faith? I won’t belabor the point, I’m just anxious to see what transpires and particularly interested to see what Amy Coney Barrett does with her first GLBT decision. Meanwhile, there’s a big new book out on my favorite subject, marriage equality, called The Engagement: America’s Quarter-Century Struggle Over SameSex Marriage, by Sasha Issenberg. I think it’s 900 pages, so no, I haven’t read it yet. Writing in the Washington Post, Issenberg argues that marriage equality was a relatively easy civil rights lift because giving marriage rights to gay couples didn’t take anything away from other people. And unlike the conflicts over abortion or even race, once the matter was settled by the High Court, the subject was more or less closed. The sky did not fall, as marriage attorney Evan Wolfson put it, and life went on. “Ultimately,” wrote Issemberg, marriage equality “doesn’t create any losers, which may be one reason those who lost the battle over marriage rights have flocked to religious-liberty cases championing people who claim that being forced to acknowledge the change in law violates their beliefs. In cake bakers and fostercare agencies, gay-marriage opponents finally found people who felt they had something to lose.” I would agree were it not for the fact that Monday morning legal analysis is just as tempting and erroneous as replaying the proverbial football game from Sunday afternoon. Marriage equality is profoundly in

By Ann Rostow line with deep social values of family, love, commitment, and respect. Abortion, by contrast, is disliked by all of us, including those who support a woman’s right to choose how to conduct her pregnancy. No one “likes” abortion. Quite aside from any religious thoughts on the matter, the practice terminates what would otherwise likely become a specific individual. The question is not whether abortion is good or bad, the question is who makes the hard decision whether to have an unplanned child, the mother or some religious mucky mucks? It’s no wonder this fraught social issue continues to plague us, yet those who oppose abortion rights don’t have any more “to lose” than those who opposed marriage equality. No one is forcing them to have abortions; they are only disturbed by their own judgments much as antigay activists felt the same. Again, it’s because marriage equality is a sweet lovely dream while abortion is a sad necessity that the former is more or less settled law and the latter continues to rile our society. Get That Child Off My Bridge What else is new? Do you remember Wil Wheaton from Star Trek Next Generation? I hated the obnoxious Wesley Crusher, but grew to admire the actor Wheaton, who has dined out on his precocious teenaged character for several decades. While Wheaton is straight, there was something a little gay about Wesley, particularly when he wore those super swishy sweaters. “Over the years, I’ve met several men who have told me that their childhood crush on Wesley Crusher was a big part of them coming out and living their lives with joy and love and pride,” Wheaton wrote recently. “I cannot even begin to tell you how much this means to me. I love it so much that I, and some of my work, were there for people ... who needed a safe place.” I know I’m only writing to a select few of you now, those that watched Star Trek Next Generation. But I have to wonder which of you guys out there actually saw know-it-all Wesley as crush-worthy. Really? That said, I applaud Wheaton for his generous outreach for Pride. Come sit in the captain’s chair, Wil. Lake Woah Be Gone Let’s see. You probably saw the video of the motorboat that was flying the rainbow colors out on a lake somewhere in Washington state. Another boat circled around them five or six times, yelling antigay things and giving them the finger. A few minutes later, the mean boat left, burst into flames for reasons unclear, started to sink, and the gay boat had to rescue

A Day of Tribute and Remembrance Photos by Rink The National AIDS Memorial Grove hosted “A Day of Tribute and Remembrance” ceremony on Saturday, June 5. Speakers included Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; and Mayor London Breed. Additional featured guests included activist Cleve Jones, longterm survivor Lonnie Payne, and word performers Ima Diawara and Antwan Matthews, who also spoke.

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all the unpleasant people from the mean boat.

lovers of cookies and happiness are welcome here.”

Usually, I would actually check a few things out before reporting this incident. I only saw the gay side of the story in a video. Was the other boat antigay? Or was there a secondary altercation on the water that had nothing to do with sexual orientation? Who shot the finger, and was it actually sent as a homophobic gesture? What did the crew of the burning boat say when they were rescued? Did these people know each other beforehand?

In their next post, the bakers said they had lost an order for five dozen cookies that they had just finished icing, and that they had received angry feedback. And you can guess the happy ending, right? Orders came in from all over the country and Confections had a line around the block of customers showing their solidarity. The entire store was quickly sold out and donations flowed in from other contributors. It’s the classic Pride season story, and the moral is: for every one of Them, there are ten of Us, “Us” being our community and our allies.

That’s just to say that I have not checked any of this out, but the story is so neat and moralistic that I send it along without further research. I will also note that someone close to me who will remain nameless suggested that the burning boat people should have been left to swim ashore. I disagreed. (Did I really marry this person?) Cookie Monsters Unite Do you recall from earlier in this column that, in theory, I could be discussing anti-transgender state lawmakers, Pride news, and a range of international GLBT subjects? That’s true, but for one thing, I’ve lost track of the anti-transgender state laws. All I know now is that this session is the worst in many years for our community and that transgender Americans, specifically transgender women and girls, are getting the worst of it. Sasha Issenberg is correct that the antigay right has ceded the battle for marriage equality. But they are all in when it comes to transgender kids and antigay bakeries. Basically, they’re looking for any simplistic cultural trigger on which to fundraise. The country is now filled with happy gay and lesbian married couples who don’t seem that different from anyone else. So instead, let’s raise the alarm on men in ladies’ bathrooms, boys dominating girls’ sports teams, or devout Christians forced to celebrate gay sex. You get the picture. As for Pride, some of it is still virtual, but I don’t feel like determining what’s happening where. I’ve already complained about the politically correct New York Pride organizers who have disinvited the gay and lesbian police group from marching in the parade. Ridiculous and counter-productive. I won’t repeat myself. There are also several Pride-related stories just because it’s June. For example, there’s a bakery in Lufkin, Texas, that created a little rainbow Pride cookie. “Confections” bakery drew a far-right backlash after posting photos of the cookies and writing: “More LOVE. Less hate. Happy Pride to all our LGBTQ friends! All

A Prayer for Meridian And speaking of a ten-to-one ratio of friend versus foe, I enjoyed the video of a recent ex-gay “rally” in Washington, D.C., the other Saturday, because it looked as if there were about a dozen people in attendance. “Join our diverse group of former LGBTQ individuals in worshipping, sharing our testimonies, and celebrating freedom in Christ publicly on the Mall in Washington,” urged something called the “Changed Movement” in an Instagram post. Well, good luck with that, everyone. And in other antigay religious news, you’ll be pleased to hear that the Family Policy Alliance has sent around a prayer so that all of our loving, but disapproving, straight friends and family can bow their heads on our behalf. Called “A Prayer for our LGBT Neighbors,” the group hopes that we can spontaneously reject our own faiths and identities and embrace the alternatives they are proposing. “As Christians, we are saddened by the celebrations of this month, because not only do we know that Pride Month is a celebration of sin, but we also know that we will never be free until we find our identity, salvation, and hope in Jesus Christ,” the group warns piously. In Pride month, they pray that “our hearts are heavy for those who identify as LGBT. Your Word is clear about both sin and salvation—and our own consciences testify to this truth—yet so many live with the hope that they will find their ‘true self’ or even their worldly salvation in a broken identity.” It goes on in that vein, until we reach a childish scrawl signed: “Meridian.” You know what, Meridian? In the spirit of Pride month, we pray back at you. Here’s hoping that your Christian faith, or whatever, opens your heart to other people who don’t think exactly like you, and gives them a little credit. Amen. arostow@aol.com

26th Annual Pink Triangle Ceremony Karl the Fog brought a chilling wind, but U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi made the journey to Twin Peaks to join Pink Triangle founder Patrick Carney, Illuminate’s Ben Davis, Mayor London Breed, and a host of notables and special guests for the lighting ceremony of the Pink Triangle on Tuesday, June 1. The San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band provided music along with singer Leanne Borghesi. The annual ceremony began with the arrival of the Pink Triangle Torch, delivered by Dykes on Bikes, upon their completion of the ceremonial ride from Oakland where Mayor Libby Schaff had launched the ride on its way earlier at Oakland City Center. San Francisco Bay Times columnist and entertainer Donna Sachet was at the ceremony and shares more about it on page 19 of this issue. You can also see the Pink Triangle via Camera 2 of the 24/7 live-streaming Castro Street Cam: http://sfbaytimes.com/castro-street-cam/ Photos courtesy of Patrick Carney, Gareth Gooch, and Larry Nelson. https://www.thepinktriangle.com/

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LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area

CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2020)

Message from Leadership

Importance of Celebrating Pride

By Michael Gunther Every June we have the opportunity to come together, as a community, to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride to commemorate our community, advocate for our rights, and to gain recognition of our individualism. I feel, however, that over the years we have lost the core roots of the Pride celebrations. Pride began as a form of advocacy, but seems to have evolved over time to be a corporate marketing and partying celebration. Now, don’t get me wrong; the events surrounding Pride are always fun and energetic, but we shouldn’t lose the core elements of how it started. My belief is that advocacy needs to be the foundation of our Pride events. Over the years we have had to fight for healthcare needs during the AIDS crisis. We have had to fight to serve openly in the military. We have had to fight for marrying the people we love. We are continuing to fight for equal protections in employment, housing, and equally important, trans rights. As business leaders, we must ensure that we are advocating for our community beyond Pride. We can instill non-discrimination polices at our offices along with requiring the purchase of goods & services from diverse suppliers. We can be out and open about who we are at work and home as well as support our community through organizations like the Golden Gate Business Association along with a plethora of nonprofits supporting our community. Lastly, we can become advocates on policy with our elected officials on a local, state, and federal level.

GGBA Member Spotlight

We know from the statistics that, even though we are living in 2021, discrimination against our community still is an ongoing concern. Therefore, I implore you to evaluate how you can celebrate Pride, not just this month but every month throughout the year. Through your active intention to celebrate who you are and advocating for our community, you can impact those in our community who aren’t comfortable being their authentic self or who are feeling alone in unwelcoming home/work environments. Our community is stronger today than it was 60 years ago when the Stonewall riots began the LGBTQ+ movement, but we have an obligation as busines leaders to carry the Pride torch forward through our influence and activism. The rights and privileges we have today were a gift to us from those who, for decades, stood up and died for our rights and fought to be heard while driving for equal rights. Our resilience and strength as a community will be elevated if we all come together to celebrate where we have come and where we want to go. Consequently, I ask you to assess how you can become a champion of our community through advocacy so that future generations of all colors and creeds will be better off than we are today while attending their future Pride events. Michael Gunther is a Board Member and President of the Golden Gate Business Association as well as the managing partner at Collaboration Business Consulting, which is a team of highly skilled business professionals who are dedicated to assisting proactive individuals build scalable, profitable businesses.

Scott Gatz of Q.Digital, Inc. Photos courtesy of Scott Gatz

For Pride we are proud to highlight Scott Gatz of Q.Digital, whose brands include Queerty, GayCities, LGBTQ Nation, and INTO. The company has been a trusted voice for the LGBTQ community for over a decade. GGBA: Please tell us more about Q.Digital. Scott Gatz: Q.Digital is the nation’s largest LGBTQ media company with a reach of over 9 million people each month. Our popular sites include Queerty (culture and entertainment), LGBTQ Nation (news), GayCities (travel), and INTO (targeting GenZ and BIPOC communities). We want to help every LGBTQ person live their lives to the fullest and we’re proud to be LGBTQ owned and operated and an NGLCC certified LGBTBE. GGBA: Why did you decide to create Q.Digital? Scott Gatz: Our company was founded 13 years ago at a time when there were very few online LGBTQ media companies. We knew that we could connect, inform, and entertain our community better than what existed, and we’re humbled by the way that people have followed us over the years. To be able to uplift the voices and stories that matter, and for so many millions of people to engage with that content, is a true honor. GGBA: Who are some of your role models, and especially those who helped to inf luence your business? Scott Gatz: So many people along the way have offered advice, connections, and research and I’m forever grateful for their assistance. Community Marketing,

Inc. (a fellow NGLCC LGBTBE), publishes research about the LGBTQ community, which deeply influenced our work; and its leader Tom Roth generously connected me with people who helped shape who we are today. Tom’s kindness and mentorship was a gift. If you need custom research, please consider reaching out to Community Marketing. GGBA: How long have you been a member and how has being a member of GGBA helped your business so far?
 Scott Gatz: We joined GGBA many years ago, but became more involved as we sought our NGLCC certification. It was important for us to showcase that we are LGBTQ owned and differentiate ourselves from our well-known, but nonLGBTQ owned, competitors. Since then, the GGBA Accelerator program helped us

Kathy Griffin and Scott Gatz

improve business processes and we have made lasting connections through GGBA as we’ve met inspiring business owners. GGBA: What other advice would you give to someone who is thinking of starting their own business? Scott Gatz: There is never a “right time” to start, so just start. You’ll meet lots of well-meaning people along the way who will share concerns or doubts. Take heed and course correct if it’s warranted, but don’t let them discourage you. The hardest thing is pushing past your own fears (and perhaps the fears of those well-meaning people). And as the old saying goes, change is the only constant. Be prepared to take twists and turns along the way and chase opportunities—you never know what you’ll find.

GGBA CALENDAR TransNational Cabaret Takes the Virtual Stage Thursday, June 10 Tickets are pay-what-you-wish starting at $5 Featuring a diverse array of Trans artists from across the country including Polly Amber Ross, Kimiyah Prescott, Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi, StormMiguel Florez, Zad Gravebone, and Ezra Reaves. Transcultural. Transformative. Transcendent. Artists from across the country unite to unearth the joy, power, and magic of being Trans in this effervescent celebration. Register: https://www.nctcsf.org/TransNational-Cabaret EOS - It’s Time to Go on Offense - with Nancy J. Geenen Tuesday, June 15 10 am–11:30 am via Zoom Are you running your business? Or is it running you? The Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) can help you navigate common business frustrations such as not enough profit, problematic people, control issues, and more. Nancy J. Geenen is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Flexability, an employment inclusion firm and their mission is “equity at work.” Come attend and let Nancy help you put your business on offense. She will offer a book, Traction - Get A Grip on Your Business, to everyone who attends. Register: https://tinyurl.com/sm8wfcv4 Equality California and Weedmaps Present ‘Proud Together’ Thursday, June 17 Join Equality California and Weedmaps this month as we celebrate Pride with our first inperson event in over a year! Proud Together will bring our community together to celebrate with special guests and performances in West Hollywood. Safety measures and guidelines will be strictly adhered to. 6 pm to 9 pm The Chapel at The Abbey 696 N Robertson Blvd. West Hollywood, CA 90069 Music & Hosted by DJ Asha Lineup TBA! Limited Capacity Tickets $50 - includes hosted cocktails and appetizers, 21+ 100% of proceeds benefit Equality California. Register: https://go.eqca.org/a/%20proud-together-2021

GGBA: Is there anything else that you would like to share? Scott Gatz: We’re all so lucky to live in the Bay Area with such amazing, innovative LGBTQ business owners. I encourage all of us to support our fellow LGBTQ business owners. We all have choices about where to spend our personal and our business’ dollars and I hope we can all choose LGBTQ-owned businesses and help each other thrive. And lastly, I hope you’ll visit our sites and follow us on social: Queerty, LGBTQ Nation, GayCities, and INTO. https://www.q.digital/#

Power Pitch! GGBA’s Power Lunch included a unique element for 2021 wherein members had the opportunity to give a “pitch” for their businesses. See a selection of these on the GGBA YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3gfudZ2 S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY   T IM ES

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A Financial Lesson to Take from the Pandemic The common thread here is that budgets are not chiseled in stone. Far from it. Rather than a static, predetermined thing, how you spend your money is something that can— and probably should—change over time. After all, your income and expenses will fluctuate throughout your life.

Money Matters Brandon Miller, CFP This Pride Month, let’s pat ourselves on the back for how well the Bay Area has handled the pandemic. We can be proud of following prevailing wisdom—even as it changed—wearing our masks, keeping our distance, and getting our shots. Consequently, our densely populated region has some of the lowest death rates in the country. Our willingness to band together and protect each other might be one of the lessons learned from the scourge of AIDS. Which makes me wonder, what will we learn from COVID-19? I can already see some financial lessons starting to take shape. Of course, what was learned depends on what was experienced. Not all of us weathered this storm evenly. Some were able to carry on business as usual (almost), albeit tucked away in makeshift home offices that the cat insisted on visiting whenever it was time for a video call. Paychecks continued to arrive, savings accounts swelled since there was nowhere to spend money, and Wall Street rewarded investors handsomely. Financial upheaval was not the issue here. Others, however, watched their work—and paychecks—stop abruptly. Savings accounts that once seemed robust enough shrank alarmingly while Congress decided who was worthy of assistance. Money worries made a tumultuous time even worse. So, while we all might be sharing a “you just never know” feeling, pandemic “haves” and “have-nots” will likely react differently. “Haves” might be ready to spend, spend, spend, practicing carpe diem because life is short. “Have-nots” may want to clutch every penny to dig out of a financial hole or build up depleted savings.

Some financial detours may be beyond your control, but you still have a choice of how you spend your money each day. Viewing money as the way to pay for your dreams— whether they involve world travel or financial stability—motivates you to alter spending and saving habits when circumstances, needs, and desires change. That may seem obvious right now, but it’s amazing how quickly humans fall back into old patterns. So, instead of reverting to money habits that may not be appropriate postpandemic, I suggest devising a plan that works for the current you and injecting some discipline into that new routine. For example, if you want to save more, try automating your savings. Have the money taken out of your paycheck and deposited into your 401(k) or other account before you ever see it. Another tip is to pay attention to little things that drain money away. For example, if you have Netflix and Hulu, alternating them every few months keeps you current on your shows without paying for more than you can consume. If you’re in spend mode, discipline can help you do the things that are most meaningful without sabotaging your financial independence. Prioritize what you really want, then create a financial plan to make it happen. Perhaps the new you is less interested in making extra mortgage payments and more into using that money to enjoy life today. Also, be realistic. You might have a newfound commitment to taking that African safari, touring Iceland’s volcanoes, and mingling with the wildlife in the Galapagos, but cramming those experiences into a single year might be overdoing it. Planning one trip a year not only lets you savor each experience, but also it is easier on your savings. This might additionally be an ideal time to consult with a financial pro-

fessional. Even if you don’t want an ongoing advisor relationship, having someone help you develop a plan for your new goals or new approach to life can be more valuable than what you’ll pay for the service. Professionals are also good at helping you instill the aforementioned discipline. Whatever financial lessons you gleaned during this year of upheaval, remember that this is likely not the first or last time that your plans will change. What should be unwavering is using your money to accomplish what you want at any given point in your life. If you can do that, you deserve another pat on the back for turning this lousy pandemic into something that makes your life better and happier. Brio does not provide tax or legal advice, and nothing contained in these materials should be taken as such. The opinions expressed in this article are for general informational purposes only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual or on any specific security. It is only intended to provide education about the financial industry. To determine which investments may be appropriate for you, consult your financial advisor prior to investing. Any past performance discussed during this program is no guarantee of future results. Any indices referenced for comparison are unmanaged and cannot be invested into directly. As always, please remember that investing involves risk and possible loss of principal capital; please seek advice from a licensed professional. Brio Financial Group is a registered investment adviser. SEC Registration does not constitute an endorsement of Brio by the SEC, nor does it indicate that Brio has attained a particular level of skill or ability. Advisory services are only offered to clients or prospective clients where Brio Financial Group and its representatives are properly licensed or exempt from licensure. No advice may be rendered by Brio Financial Group unless a client service agreement is in place. Brandon Miller, CFP®, is a financial consultant at Brio Financial Group in San Francisco, specializing in helping LGBT individuals and families plan and achieve their financial goals.

Size Matters with Trucks look to trucks to satiate their dimensional appetites. Ford is an authority on the subject, as its F-series in 2019 racked up almost one million sales and produced more than $40 billion in sales. Yep, that’s billion with a “b.” I recently drove two Fords—an Expedition Max King Ranch 4x4, and a Ranger SuperCrew Lariat 4x4—and they reminded me of the tempting appeal of tricked-out trucks.

Auto Philip Ruth “Keep it small, and make sure it fits my garage.” That’s usually among the first things I hear from clients looking for a new ride. San Francisco’s tight parking and narrow driveways make a manageable size the first priority. Size is important for most of the rest of the country, though the needle typically swings to the other extreme, with an eye on securing a maximum footprint. Now that cars have fallen out of favor, particularly large ones like the Caprice Classics and Crown Victorias of yore, buyers 12

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The Expedition is based on the F-150, and so it is a full-sized SUV while the Ranger is smaller, though still quite large. My four-door tester had 126 inches between the wheels and 211 inches between the bumpers. That length puts it within an inch of a Crown Vic. The Expedition Max I drove ratchets up the already-massive Expedition with a 132-inch wheelbase and a 222-inch overall length. That’s about 12 inches longer than a standard Expedition, and it just about matches the beastly Country Squires from the 1970s. The extra length is devoted to expanding the all-seats-down cargo capacity to more than 120 cubic feet, which is about 25 more than the ‘70s wagon.

Ford Expedition King Ranch

Ford Ranger Lariat

Fortunately, the Expedition Max is not beastly to drive. The long distance between the wheels forces you to be extra-aware when turning tight corners, as you want to confirm you’ve left enough space for the rear wheels to skirt the curbs. The suspension is biased toward firmness, and it gives this truck a levelheaded bearing that keeps it from feeling ponderous, though the ride can seem busy at times. (continued on page 28)

Richard Barnfield: For the Love of Ganymede Fild full of grapes, of mulberries, and cherries: Then shouldst thou be my waspe or else my bee, I would thy hive, and thou my honey, bee.

Faces from Our LGBT Past Dr. Bill Lipsky When 20-year-old Richard Barnfield published The Affectionate Shepherd in 1594, he scandalized and outraged public propriety with his explicitly homosexual versifying. With exquisite poetic detail, his work described the deep feelings of love that Daphnis had for Ganymede, “that faire boy that had my hart intangled,” convention, morality and the law be damned. “If it be sinne to love a lovely lad,” he wrote, “Oh then sinne I, for whom my soule is sad.” Although he was following the traditions of Greek and Roman pastoral poetry, including its celebration of handsome young men, Barnfield was neither subtle nor coy about the subject of The Affectionate Shepherd. He not only states on the title page that his is a work “containing the complaint of Daphnis,” whom he later identifies as himself, “for the loue [love] of Ganymede,” but he also makes clear that he is attracted to Ganymede not by his spiritual perfection, but by his physical beauty: Whose amber locks trust up in golden tramels Dangle adowne his lovely cheekes with joy, When pearle and flowers his faire haire enamels. Ganymede does not respond to Daphnis’ ardent courtship, not because he disapproves of same-sex intimacy, but because unrequited love is part of the pastoral literary tradition. Even so, his disinterest does not a happy poet make: Oh would to God he would but pitty mee, That love him more than any mortall wight! Should his readers have any doubt about Daphnis’ true feelings and desires, Barnfield uses specific and frankly erotic language to describe his great passion—and his intentions—as more than merely affectionate: O would to God, so I might have my fee,

Is someone else’s drug use making you crazy?

My lips were honey, and thy mouth a bee! Then shouldst thou sucke my sweete and my faire flower, That now is ripe and full of honey-berries; Then would I leade thee to my pleasant bower,

Barnfield’s audience would have understood both his intent and his meaning. In addition to the metaphor of bees gathering honey and the offer to “sucke my sweete and my faire flower,” any educated middle or upperclass Englishman would have known who Daphnis and

Ganymede and Zeus

explained that he merely was paying homage to the second Eclogue of Virgil, another pastoral poem where Daphnis wept for his unrequited love of a young man.

Pan teaching Daphnis the pipes, 16th century

Ganymede were and what they symbolized. As boys they received a classical education that included Latin, the language of Europe’s educated, and the works of the great Greek and Latin authors. In the old myths and legends they studied, Daphnis, the son Hermes, was a handsome Sicilian shepherd renowned as the inventor of pastoral poetry. He was beloved by Apollo and romanced by Pan, who taught him to play the pipes. Although he was said to be involved in a love triangle with the nymph Nomia and her rival Chimaera, the daughter of a king, writers and artists often described and depicted him as an eromenos, the younger lover of an older man.

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Still have I wisht, but never could obtaine it; Rather than all the world (if I might gaine it) Would I desire my love’s sweet precious gaine.

The Affection Shepard, for all the archaic Elizabethan vernacular it uses to describe the passion of one man for his adored, tells a universal truth: heartache comes to anyone infatuated with another whose feelings are not returned. We may yearn to live with our beloved in a condo in the suburbs, not a laurel grove in a sylvan glade, but desire is as strongly felt today as it was in Barnfield’s England—or anywhere and during any era—and unrequited love is still a universal complaint.

For more information, please visit: 14

Long have I long’d to see my love againe,

Very little is known about either Barnfield’s life or his career. The son a country gentleman, he was born at Norbury, Staffordshire, England, where he was baptized on June Ganymede had an even 13, 1574. When he was closer association with 15, he entered Brasemen who loved men. nose College, Oxford, Taken up to Mount founded in 1509, gradOlympus by Zeus, he uating with a Bachelors served the gods as their of Arts degree in 1592. cupbearer during the By 1594, he had moved to day and serviced the king London, where he became of the gods at night. Known a member of a literary world as Catamitus to the Romans, Image attributed to that included Edmund SpensBritish royal portrait during Barnfield’s lifetime artist Nicholas er, Michael Drayton, and and for many years after, acHilliard (c. 1600) William Shakespeare, whom cording to the Glossographia he greatly admired. Anglicana Nova, first published in 1707, both “Ganymede” and “catamite” With the publication of his first three signified “any Boy loved for Carnal books between February 1594 and Abuse, or hired to be used contrary January 1595, Barnfield became the to Nature.” first Elizabethan to address love poems to another man. (Shakespeare With its explicit content and apparwas the second.) In his writings, he ent endorsement of male-male love, also became the first to openly idenBarnfield’s work may have aroused tify himself as a man who loved men. the pleasure of some of his readAfter his fourth and final work apers, but it also angered the keepers of peared in 1598, he returned to Stafother people’s morality. In the preffordshire, where he died in 1620. No ace to his next book, Cynthia, with cerone knows why he stopped writing tain Sonnets, and the legend of Cassanor whether he ever found his Ganydra, published in January 1595, he mede.

Nar-Anon family groups are 12-step support groups for friends and loved ones of addicts. Our San Francisco group meets virtually every week: Tuesdays, 7:00–8:15 pm.

www.gganfg.org/~sfbt2106

Barnfield regretted that some readers “did interpret The Affectionate Shepherd otherwise than in truth I meant, touching the subject thereof, to wit, the love of a shepherd to a boy.” Even so, he then presented them with even more explicitly homoerotic poems praising the emotional and physical intimacy two men could know with each other:

Daphnis or The Sleeping Faun by Harriet Goodhue Hosmer, 1864

Bill Lipsky, Ph.D., author of “Gay and Lesbian San Francisco” (2006), is a member of the Rainbow Honor Walk board of directors.

Original Rainbow Flag Fragment, Thought Lost, Now at the GLBT Historical Society Museum Photos by Rink

On June 4, The GLBT Historical Society Museum and Archives in San Francisco unveiled a historic artifact, thought to be lost forever. It is a fragment of one of the two original Rainbow Flags from 1978, recently discovered. Envisioned by Gilbert Baker (1951–2017), it measures 10 feet by 28 feet. The San Francisco Bay Times first published in 1978, and Baker was often featured in its pages. For Pink Triangle project creator Patrick Carney, he did his last major interview, which was an exclusive for the Bay Times.

Back in ‘78, Baker designed and created the first LGBTQ A recently discovered fragment of Gilbert Baker's original rainbow flag, first used at the 1978 Pride Parade, was unveiled on June 4 in its new home at the GLBT History Museum. Rainbow Flag and companion flags with the help of Lynn sessions that were Segerblom, James McNamara, and given to his sister more than 30 volunteers. The flags Ardonna Cook. flew proudly during the 1978 San Francisco Gay Freedom Day celebra- Two years later, the Gilbert Baker tions at United Nations Plaza. Foundation was In June of 1979, Baker planned to looking for a large retrieve the original flags from storflag to carry in the age at the San Francisco Gay ComJune 2019 Stonemunity Center. He discovered that wall 50 Pride the flags, stored under a leaky roof, Parade in New were badly mildewed. Baker manYork City. Founaged to salvage a portion of one of dation Presithe original eight-color flags. This dent Charles Beal fragment remained in his possession, asked Cook if she secretly, for decades. When Baker could loan a large died unexpectedly in 2017, this origiflag from Baker’s nal flag piece was among boxed posbelongings. She mailed the Foundation the 1978 flag fragment, not knowing its provenance.

Mayor London Breed spoke at the ceremony unveiling the original rainbow flag fragment now on display at the GLBT History Museum.

The Foundation carried the fragment proudly in the Stonewall 50 parade, also oblivious to its identity. Rink's historical photo shows Gilbert Baker's original rainbow flag atop a After the parade, flagpole at San Francisco Civic Center during the 1978 Pride celebration. the flag fragment When Ferrigan described the flag, was folded up and Beal suddenly realized this artifact stored in Beal’s Greenwich Village was gathering dust in his closet. Beal Manhattan home. It was a chance began playing detective. He reached phone call from a stranger that out to people who worked with Baker alerted Beal to the amazing backin 1978 and learned from two differstory to this ragged piece of cloth. ent sources, including veteran activIn late August of 2019, Beal was conist Lee Mentley, about the damaged tacted by James Ferrigan, a worldflags in the community center. renowned flag expert who had The next task for Beal was to authenworked with Baker in the late seventicate the fragment. He traveled ties at the Paramount Flag Company in February of 2020 to San Franin San Francisco. During a lively cisco, where he was scheduled to join conversation, Ferrigan mentioned a panel discussion about the Rainthe fragment of the original 1978 flag, asking where it now resides. The bow Flag with Ferrigan at the GLBT Historical Society Museum. Beal last time he had seen it was in Bakbrought the fragment with him. er’s San Francisco apartment in the early eighties.

Prior to the event, he invited Ferrigan to his hotel to inspect the piece. The veteran vexillologist identified the stitching and grommets done by Paramount. He declared without doubt that the Foundation was in possession of the original 1978 LGBTQ+ Rainbow Flag and prepared an official vexillological report confirming the provenance of the fragment. This historic artifact has been added to the Gilbert Baker Collection that resides at the GLBT Historical Society Museum and Archives in San Francisco. It is the centerpiece of the exhibition entitled “Performance, Protest and Politics: The Art of Baker Baker.” https://www.glbthistory.org/

San Francisco Bay Times columnist Donna Sachet welcomed the Gilbert Baker Foundation's Vincent Guzzone and Charley Beal on June 4 at the GLBT History Museum. S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY   T IM ES

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Frameline45

Film

What to Watch at Frameline45 By Gary M. Kramer ting naked on stage and doing drag helped him to be more authentic are particularly heartfelt. The documentary also features fabulous rehearsal and performance clips along with engaging profiles of the troupe’s members. This fun film will satisfy fans and surely win over new admirers.

Film Gary M. Kramer The 45th edition of the Frameline Film Festival will take place June 10–27 both in theaters—at the Fort Mason Flix Drive-in, the Castro, and the Roxie—as well as online with films streaming June 17–27. In addition, there are screenings of In the Heights on June 11 and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie on June 12, at Oracle Park. This year’s festival offers dozens of features, documentaries, and shorts, by, for, and about LGBTQ moviegoers. Here (in alphabetical order) is a rundown of what to watch. Ailey (June 19, 9 pm; Fort Mason Flix Drive-in only) is a joyful documentary on the choreographer and founder of the American Dance Theater. It may skimp on the biographical details—there are a few brief discussions of his sexuality—but it more than compensates as a showcase for his work. Performance clips from productions of his key works, “Blues Suit,” “Revelations,” “Cry,” and more, illustrate the graceful, fluid, sensuous dance. Moreover, director Jamila Wignot presents a rehearsal of a piece honoring the company’s 60th anniversary. In between, there are discussions of the impact of Ailey’s work and life from Judith Jamison, George Faison, Bill T. Jones, and other luminaries. Ailey explains in the film that, as a youth, “dancing started to pull at me,” and this celebratory documentary honors Ailey’s legacy. Baloney (June 20, 6 pm; Roxie only) is an affectionate documentary about the gay, all-male review (that includes one woman and a straight guy or two). Michael Phillis, who directs, and his partner Rory Davis, who choreographs, talk about how they celebrate gay and queer life experience and promote sex positivity though dance and burlesque. Phillis’ discussions about how get-

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Being Thunder (streaming June 17–27) is a respectable documentary about Sherente Harris, a genderqueer Indigenous teenager in the Narragansett tribe. Director Stéphanie Lamorré observes Sherente’s courage to live authentically while seeking to gain the acceptance of others. Sherente’s family is remarkably supportive, and scenes of them together show their collective strength and resilience—especially when Sherente faces discrimination at Powwows, or recounts stories of racism and homophobia in Rhode Island. The film chronicles Sherente’s efforts to get into college and observes family and tribal ceremonies. It is a drawback that Being Thunder is crudely filmed and edited, but Sherente’s spirit still comes across clearly. Boy Meets Boy (streaming June 17–27) is a charming, low-budget romance about Johannes (Alexandros Koutsoulis) and Harry (Matthew J. Morrison), who meet and kiss in a Berlin club. Johannes, a dancer, has lost his wallet, and Harry, a doctor, has a plane to catch back to Britain that night. They spend the day together walking around the city and talking about everything from being gay, to sex, happiness, love, work, and relationships. The attractive leads have a terrific rapport; they are especially affectionate riding a bicycle or dancing in a park. Boy Meets Boy may be slight—it runs a scant 69 minutes— but it is appealing as the guys determine if their relationship will last more than a day. Boy Meets Boy will screen with It’s Just in My Head, a sweet and sentimental short from Italy about Andreas (Claudio Segaluscio), a young man who is crushed on his buddy Alessandro (Carmine Fabbricatore). When Andreas makes his feelings known, he also worries how Alessandro will react. Encounters (streaming June 17–27) is an international shorts program with five moody entries that depict LGBTQ characters in various tenuous relationships. In the French entry, Dustin, the nonbinary title character (Dustin Muchuvitz), attends a party where they see their boyfriend Félix (Félix Maritaud) kissing another guy. After they get thrown out of the party, Dustin and their friends head to an apartment for an afterparty where Dustin’s gender identity is questioned. The film immerses viewers in Dustin’s world and depicts their experiences with sensitivity and candor. Panthers, from Spain, follows Joana (Laia CapdevJ U NE 1 0, 2 0 2 1

ila) and her best friend Nina (Rimé Kopoboru) as they navigate their teenage bodies. Writer/director Erika Sánchez’s film is a bit formless—and therefore frustrating— but it captures the dynamic between these two girls well. Also from France is the engaging drama Plaisir about Eleanore (Eleanore Pienta), who arrives at a retreat where she meets Sophie (Sophie Amieva) and develops a crush. Although the women have trouble communicating—Eleanore doesn’t speak French Boy Meets Boy and Sophie doesn’t know English—they bond by dancing and hanging out. However, when Eleanore acts on her desires, the relaxed vibe between the women changes. The stylish short Pompeii, from the UK, unfolds largely in social media clips as Tam (Otamere Guobadia) reflects on his evening that started out promisingly, only to hit various snags and he has trouble getting into a club, and

Are You Still Watching

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Metamorphosis

then his friend Dave (David Shields) ditches him for another guy. Rounding out the program is the touching Brazilian film Private Photos, which has Rafa (Lucas Galvino) and Matheus (Vinicius Neri) coordinating a threesome with Felipe (Antonio Miano). The sex among the men is erotic, but what happens after has a profound impact on the couple. Fun in Shorts (Castro Theater, June 26, 11 am and streaming June 17–27) is a collection of nine comic shorts with gay or lesbian characters. Early to Rise: Space Waste is a slight vignette about a trio of trapped astronauts on a mission who seek pleasure after an unfortunate turn of events. How Moving has gay couple Owen (writer/director Owen Thiele) and Jared (Richard Ellis) relocating to a new home together only to run into a conflict—“It’s not going to work out”—before they unpack. Will their relationship survive? This poignant short features cameos by John McEnroe and Bob Balaban. As amiable as it is aggressive, Sunday Dinner has the children of an Italian family meet for a traditional meal only to have one sibling

drop a bombshell— and it’s not that he’s gay. The Test, arguably the most amusing short in the program, depicts the lesbian couple Jo (Michala Balas) and Sarah (Christie Whelan Browne) as they wait for some hopeful test results. To say more would spoil this clever film. The fun and funny Thanks for Being Here also involves a test—of wills—when Jude (Nick Pugliese) discovers his roommate Michelle (Danielle Kay) cheated on her girlfriend (though she prefers another word), which gives rise to the film’s biggest laugh. The Israeli import Virgin My Ass has Ophir (Tom Chodorov) ask his friend Harel (Avi Sarussi) for a very delicate, sex-themed favor. “This is such a mistake,” Harel says, as (continued on page 30)

Unliveable

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LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area

CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2021)

Frameline Reopens the Castro

PHOTO BY WILL ZANG

J&R: What excites you about this year?

Out of Left Field Robert Holgate & Jennifer Kroot We’re longtime fans and friends of San Francisco’s legendary Frameline Film Festival. The magical festival and its passionate audiences are particularly beloved by Jennifer, who has screened four films there, including her documentary The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin, which opened Frameline41 in 2017. Frameline45 begins June 10. We wondered how they’ve dealt with the challenges of the pandemic, and wanted to hear their plans for this year’s festival, so we called Executive Director James Woolley, and the new Director of Programming, Allegra Madsen. J&R: So, Frameline is “hybrid” this year? What does that mean? Allegra Madsen: Last year, everybody had to quickly learn how to do everything online for a virtual festival. This year we're going to do it all—virtual and live, or hybrid. It's difficult to juggle so many moving parts, but we’re ready. James Woolley: We have something for everyone: for those who want to stay home, for those who live across the country, for those comfortable with the outdoor experience, and for those ready to get back into a cinema. We’ve got it all!

James Woolley: Frameline’s going national for the first time with our streaming. It’s an exciting prospect for us to reach audiences across the country that have never been able to attend the festival. In particular, we’re looking at large cities without queer film festivals. Another big moment is that we’re reopening the Castro Theatre! This was not something, even in March, that I would have thought we’d be doing, but the world has just changed so quickly. We’ll be at The Castro for the final two days of the festival. Frameline will open that historic venue, and afterwards The Castro will remain open with their regular programming. Allegra Madsen: I’m super excited about the Juneteenth celebration screening of Ailey at Fort Mason Flix. Of course, Juneteenth celebrates the official end of slavery in the United States, and it’s also a celebration of the constantly evolving struggle for freedom. Being able to screen this documentary about choreographer Alvin Ailey, the queer, Black legend, feels really powerful for me. J&R: Have you communicated with other festivals about how to navigate the festival landscape during the pandemic? James Woolley: I speak to the executive directors of other Bay Area festivals every few weeks, as a group. And once a month I speak with many of the queer film festivals in North America. There’s actually been a lot more collaboration and passing on insights than previously, like how to make a streaming program work. It’s definitely harder to make a streaming program as large as an in-person program, because people just become overwhelmed if the program is too large. Allegra Madsen: Our program is focused and tight this year, and, yes,

it is new territory. There have also been conversations around how we can make a virtual premiere special and add that extra layer of excitement that a film festival normally brings. J&R: Frameline always screens some great local films. Who is being featured this year? James Woolley: There are eight local, feature length films, all of which will screen in a venue, not just online. Allegra Madsen: When we decided to go ahead with the inperson screenings, we had to decide which films would get these very limited spots. I decided Allegra Madsen on U.S. premieres and San Francisco films. We have the documentary Baloney about San Francisco's all male burlesque revue. We have Genderation that is technically a German documentary, but it’s a beautiful portrait of San Francisco’s trans elders. We’re closing the festival with No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics by local director Vivian Kleiman. J&R: Are there elements of the virtual festival that you may keep post pandemic? James Woolley: Streaming will absolutely stay. We’ll just work out the best way for it to fit into our festival. That’s something we’ll really map out after the festival. One of the great things about doing this hybrid approach is seeing what works and what people gravitate towards. We’ll learn from that. J&R: We’re thrilled that Frameline will reopen the Castro Theatre. Will there be safety protocols? Allegra Madsen: Yes. It’ll be a smaller audience, and everyone will wear masks. We will socially dis-

Filmmaker Will Zang's Impossible Choice Women's Revenge

Will Zang has an impossible choice to make in his new film The Leaf, a first-person, poetic, short documentary with a vulnerable tone that may bring you to tears. The Leaf is streaming at this year’s Frameline Film Festival. While The Leaf is only four minutes long, it movingly captures the anxiety and hopelessness of 2020 that everyone will recognize. In the film, Will confronts a profound and unwinnable conflict concerning his identity as an Asian immigrant and as a gay man during the Covid shutdown. Much of the audio in The Leaf is from worried voicemail messages that Will received from his Chinese friends and family, who suggest that Will might be safer in China. This is not only because, at the time, the virus was spiraling out of control in the U.S., but also because anti-Asian violence and racism were increas-

ing. Will understandably considers returning to China, especially since he’s also unable to find work during the pandemic. But going back to China poses its own threats. Will is a gay man, and therefore can’t be himself back home. As a result, he’s trapped between two countries and cultures, and unable to feel at home, anywhere. According to Will, while it’s technically legal to be queer in China, there’s immense pressure to conform to what’s “normal”, which means being heterosexual and married, at his age, in a nuclear family. In addition, in China, it’s still common for openly LGBTQ people to be fired from jobs. While The Leaf is an audio driven film, the visuals are equally striking. Will films life around him as the world shuts down, which looks just as claustrophobic and stark as you

James Woolley

tance inside the theatre, so not every seat will be full. Obviously, there won’t be concessions, so it’ll be a different moviegoing experience, but we’re back at the Castro! It’s a full circle moment for me. Being inside the Castro again will be the moment when I’ll feel like we're coming out the other side. Frameline45 is June 10–27. For information on streaming, screenings and events: https://www.frameline.org/ Jennifer Kroot is a filmmaker, known for her award-winning LGBTQ themed documentaries, including "The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin" and "To Be Takei." She studied filmmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute, where she has also taught. She is a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. A humanitarian, as well as a designer, Robert Holgate is dedicated to critical social issues. With his hands-on approach to philanthropy and social justice, he supports the advancement of local and national social causes. For more information: https://www.rhdsf.com/

By Jennifer Kroot

will remember. Shots of his quiet life at home doing simple, ordinary things are woven with shots of San Francisco neighborhoods, bizarrely empty, seemingly dead. The film captures the eerie descent of the pandemic when businesses were first shutting down and boarded up, prior to the parklets. The result is a desolate and sad San Francisco. Whether or not Will can overcome this situation is to be seen, but he’s made a winning and profound film that is resonating. In addition to Frameline, The Leaf screened at CAAMFest here in SF, and upcoming screenings include Portland Pride Pics, the Korea Queer Film Festival, and Out Film CT Festival. The Leaf is Will’s second film to screen at Frameline. In 2019, his short documentary Dress Up Like Mrs. Doubtfire was featured in the festival and was about the influence of the 1993 Hollywood feature film Mrs. Doubtfire on local drag queens including Peaches Christ and Donna Sachet, who is also a San Francisco Bay Times columnist. I met Will in 2014 when I was teaching Documentary Filmmaking at

the San Francisco Art Institute. He was a student of mine and we’ve stayed in touch and become friends. As someone who saw an early edit of The Leaf, I’m credited as “consulting producer.” However, the truth is that, when I first saw The Leaf, it was already a stunningly, thought-provoking film that broke my heart. I’m not sure of Will’s long-term plans, but I’m glad that he’s staying in America for now. The Leaf streams in Frameline’s “Up Close and Personal” program of short films, June 17–June 27: https://tinyurl.com/abbw2ctc Note: Frameline suggests watching this program on Sunday, June 20, at 9 pm. Jennifer Kroot is a filmmaker, known for her award-winning LGBTQ themed documentaries, including "The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin" and "To Be Takei." She studied filmmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute, where she has also taught. She is a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY   T IM ES

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Donna’s Chronicles

“If we in the LGBTQ+ Community don’t write our own history, it won’t be written ... or it will be written incorrectly.”

By Donna Sachet

hen this forcibly idled drag queen finds herself on the job three times in one week, we can assure you that the long-awaited end of this interminable pandemic is closer than ever!

On June 1, we joined Gary Virginia at the invitation of Patrick Carney to participate in the lighting ceremony for the Pink Triangle atop Twin Peaks, which this year, in collaboration with Illuminate, will be lit at night with pink LED lights throughout the month of June. As we neared the location for the lighting ceremony, the fog grew thicker and the temperature continued to drop. Park Rangers and SF Police directed us up the final winding path, joining a small group on foot. Fluttering pink flags and the jubilant sounds of the Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band and songstress Leanne Borghesi met us at a clearing marked off with pink fabric, a smattering of folding chairs, and a podium. The small group slowly grew, huddled in the wet cold, clad in Pink Triangle logo t-shirts (generously provided by the Bob Ross Foundation and Tom Horn), and anxiously waited for the final players to arrive. Suddenly a fleet of cars emerged from the fog and out appeared Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Mayor London Breed, quickly joined by State Senator Scott Wiener, City Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, City Treasurer Jose Cisneros, BART Board member Bevan Dufty, and SF Community College Board Vice- President Tom Temprano. The program began with personal remarks from Patrick Carney, the creator of this amazing project, joined by his husband Hossein. With Gary we related the historical significance of the Pink Triangle and how it has been reclaimed as an emblem of unity, perseverance, and hope for the LGBTQ+ Community. All the elected officials spoke, some with humor and all with gravity, as well as Ben Davis of Illuminate. And at just the right moment, members of the Dykes on Bikes came roaring up the hill with the Olympic-style torches that were created last year and carried from Oakland across the Bay, down Market Street, and up to the Pink Triangle. Finally, after a short countdown, Mayor Breed and Speaker Pelosi pushed the button and the huge Pink Triangle, now in its 26th year and outlined in fabric, sparkled with light, blazing down to the City and some say up to the universe. What an amazing way to kick off SF Pride month! Friday saw us in the Castro at the GLBT History Museum on 18th Street at the invitation of Terry Beswick, Executive Director of the GLBT Historical Society, for a very private unveiling of the original rainbow flag that flew above Civic Center in 1978. After much research, this historic creation of Gilbert Baker was relocated and returned to San Francisco, thanks to Charlie Bean and the Gilbert Baker Foundation. Many of the same elected officials were present and offered speeches on the sidewalk in significantly warmer weather. Organizer David Perry then ushered everyone inside the museum to see the flag draped inside a glass case, where photo flashes raged. Another piece of our vital history is safe and sound and in its rightful place. And on Saturday, we joined a long list of volunteers at the invitation of Joanie Juster in the AIDS Memorial Grove of Golden Gate Park to read names from the AIDS Project Memorial Quilt. Sparkling sunshine and a display of quilts filled the Grove for this moving and meaningful ceremony from midday until early evening. It is hard to describe the mix of emotions everywhere in sight, but there were many hugs, some tears, and some laughter. As you may know, the AIDS Memorial Quilt has a long history and most historically was displayed on the Mall in Washington, D.C., eventually finding a temporary home in Atlanta. A group of determined people, including Cleve Jones and Mike Smith, worked tirelessly to bring it home to San Francisco, where it now resides in partnership with the AIDS Memorial Grove. Some 4000 names were read as they had been memorialized on quilts, some famous, some unknown, but all remembered again on that day. We ended our day at the beautiful Artists’ Portal, part of the Grove created by the SF Gay Men’s Chorus a few years ago. We love the story of its evolution. The leadership of the chorus was determined to have such a place where the many members of the chorus lost to AIDS could be remembered, as well as others in the performing arts world, but it made sense to introduce an auditory element. Within the Grove, sound had always been limited to special occasions in an attempt to preserve the quiet reflective nature of a memorial grove. Remarkably, a solution was found and today one can sit on a bench in this sunshine dappled corner of the grove and strike a long bell with a hammer, evoking a haunting, lingering gong in memory of a loved one. We did so. As Pride month rushes upon us, take time to organize your schedule! Plan for those events you always enjoy, support the causes you believe in, and try something new for a change. This may not yet be the Pride Celebration San Francisco is known for, but the resilience of our LGBTQ+ Community guarantees that you will find plenty to see, do, and love. Happy Pride!

PHOTO COURTESY OF GARY VIRGINIA

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

PHOTO BY SHAWN NORTHCUTT

–Donna Sachet

Calendar

a/la Sachet Friday–Saturday, June 11–12 Pride Movie Nights at Oracle Park In the Heights ( June 11) and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie ( June 12). Watch a film on the giant scoreboard at the ballpark with friends. 6:30 pm $19 & up www.sfpride.org Saturday, June 12 Golden Hour: Sunset Drag Show Baker Beach @ Lobos Creek 6:30 pm Free! www.juanitamore.com Sunday, June 13 Nob Hill’s Queens on Top Drag brunch hosted by Sister Roma Fairmont Hotel, 950 Mason Street Noon $95 www.sfpride.org Tuesday, June 22 Williams Sonoma 4th Annual Drag Queen Cook-Off Juanita MORE!, Sister Roma, Brita Filter, Shuga Cain Online benefiting the Trevor Project 5–6 pm Free! www.juanitamore.com Thursday, June 24 Divas & Drinks at the Academy With Donna Sachet, DJ Rockaway, Heather Freyer of Bacardi, Anna Chase of Olivia & Kelly Gilliam of Mecca 2.0 The Academy, 2166 Market Street 6–10 pm $20 www.theacademy-sf.com Friday, June 25 An Evening with Donna Sachet Cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, music, blackjack The Academy, 2166 Market Street $65 www.theacademy-sf.com Saturday, June 26 Gary Virginia & Donna Sachet’s 23rd annual Pride Brunch Online event featuring A Taste of San Francisco Pride with Grand Marshals of SF Pride & others Silent auction, delivered brunch & gift bags Benefits PRC Noon–1:30 pm $50 & up www.prcsf.org Sunday, June 27 Juanita MORE!’s Pride Party Benefits SF Bay Area Queer Nightlife Fund & Imperial Council of SF 620 Jones Noon–10:30 pm $85 & up www.juanitamore.com

Atop Twin Peaks for the 26th annual Pink Triangle Ceremony. Donna Sachet and Gary Virginia braved the wind to join Patrick Carney, Ben Davis, and other notables to launch a full month for the Pink Triangle display throughout June. S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY   T IM ES

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More LGBTQ Welcoming Senior Housing Coming to San Francisco

525 Bellevue Avenue Oakland CA 94610 E-mail: editor@sfbaytimes.com www.sfbaytimes.com The Bay Times was the first newspaper in California, and among the first in the world, to be jointly and equally produced by lesbians and gay men. We honor our history and the paper’s ability to build and strengthen unity in our community. The Bay Times is proud to be the only newspaper for the LGBT community in San Francisco that has always been 100% owned and operated by LGBT individuals. Dr. Betty L. Sullivan Jennifer L. Viegas Co-Publishers & Co-Editors

Beth Greene, Michael Delgado, John Signer, Abby Zimberg Design & Production

Kate Laws Business Manager Blake Dillon Calendar Editor

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Poet-In-Residence

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Volunteer Coordinator

CONTRIBUTORS Writers Rink, Sister Dana Van Iquity, Ann Rostow, Patrick Carney, Kate Kendell, Heidi Beeler, Gary M. Kramer, Julie Peri, Jennifer Kroot, Robert Holgate, 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, Karin Jaffie, Brett Andrews, Karen E. Bardsley, David Landis, Photographers Rink, Phyllis Costa, Jane Higgins Paul Margolis, Chloe Jackman, Bill Wilson, Jo-Lynn Otto, Sandy Morris, Abby Zimberg, Deborah Svoboda, Devlin Shand, Kristopher Acevedo, Darryl Pelletier, Morgan Shidler, JP Lor ADVERTISING Display Advertising Standard Rate Cards http://sfbaytimes.com/ or 415-503-1375 Custom ad sizes are available. Ads are reviewed by the publishers. National Advertising: Contact Bay Times / San Francisco. Represented by Rivendell Media: 908-232-2021 Circulation is verified by an independent agency Reprints by permission only. CALENDAR Submit events for consideration by e-mail to: calendar@sfbaytimes.com © 2021 Bay Times Media Company Co-owned by Betty L. Sullivan & Jennifer L. Viegas

Aging in Community Dr. Marcy Adelman San Francisco is building more affordable housing welcoming to LGBTQ+ seniors. The San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development has selected Openhouse, the city’s LGBTQ+ senior housing and service agency, and their co-partner, affordable housing developer Mercy Housing, to develop the property at 1939 Market Street for affordable senior housing. The housing will be affordable to low-income seniors and financed by a combination of city, state, and private funding. Construction of the more than 100 apartments is slated for some time in 2023. The new building on Market Street will only be a block away from the Openhouse community campus on Laguna Street. The opportunity to build more LGBTQ+ welcoming affordable senior housing so close to the Openhouse community campus on Laguna Street will establish San Francisco as home to one of the largest LGBTQ+ senior housing and service centers in the country. The city acquired the District 8 site in 2020 as part of Mayor Breed’s affordable housing plan. “We need more affordable housing throughout San Francisco so that our low- and middle-income resident can continue to live here and I’m looking forward to seeing this housing development in the Upper Market area provide new, affordable homes so that our seniors can continue to live in San Francisco and age with dignity,” said Mayor Breed.

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The Supervisor continued, “District 8 has experienced the second highest level of displacement of all districts over the last decade. We know there is a huge need for affordable housing in San Francisco. Queer people of all ages have housing needs. The need for affordable senior housing is acute. Queer folks live in terror that, if they lose their apartment, they will have to leave the city they consider home. Organizations that serve everyone don’t do a good job of serving LGBTQ+ folks. It is really important we target housing for particular communities, such as the LGBTQ+ community. The acquisition of the Market Street site will allow us to build desperately needed affordable senior housing units in Upper Market. I am grateful to Mayor Breed for her commitment to ensuring that LGBTQ seniors, at high risk of eviction, can remain in the Castro.” The Market Street housing site is located just one block from the Openhouse Community campus

The new building on Market Street, similar to the two existing Openhouse residences, will be subject to the city’s Neighborhood Preference program, in which the lottery gives preference for 25% to 40% of the apartments to older adults living in the neighborhood, in this case District 8 or within one mile of the property. Another 10% of the apartments will be set aside for people living with HIV. It is expected that, similar to the existing Openhouse buildings, LGBTQ people will be in the majority at the Market Street location. The Preferred Neighborhood program, created in 2015, was established to protect people from longstanding San Francisco neighborhoods from being forced out of their homes and communities by gentrification and escalating housing costs. San Francisco is a city that prides itself on its diversity. The neighborhood program makes it possible for diverse communities, such as the LGBTQ community, to continue to remain in San Francisco and to contribute to life in city. Still, San Francisco is well behind in building enough affordable housing for all that need it. Openhouse Executive Director Karyn Skultety said, “While Openhouse and Mercy Housing celebrate our strong communities of residents at 55 and 95

Laguna Street, our heart breaks every day for the thousands of seniors caught in the housing crisis. We know that almost 3,000 remain on our waitlists alone, that people walk through the door every day facing eviction or living on the streets, and that many LGBTQ seniors feel pushed out of a city they helped to build. We look forward to working closely with the city to create a San Francisco that centers seniors in communities they can trust.” 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 CoFounder 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.

Kathleen Sullivan, Newly Named Openhouse Executive Director, Shares Vision for the Groundbreaking Nonprofit Openhouse on June 9 announced the hiring of Kathleen Sullivan, Ph.D., as its new Executive Director. Sullivan, who has 20 years of experience in creative community design, will be relocating from Portland, Oregon, where she has earned a reputation as a tireless advocate for elders, the LGBTQ+ community, and affordable housing. Openhouse provides housing, direct services, and community programs to LGBTQ+ seniors in the San Francisco Bay Area. “We are delighted and fortunate to find someone with Kathleen’s direct experience, proven expertise, and deep passion in the area of affordable housing and services for LGBT elders,” says Openhouse Board Cochair Tim Sweeney. “Given her background of advocacy, management, coalition building, and fundraising, we know she is immensely capable of leading the Openhouse community as we step into this next phase of our development.” Sullivan’s educational background includes a doctorate in urban studies and planning with a focus on housing for LGBTQ mid-life and older adults. She served as Director of the Senior Services Department for the Los Angeles LGBT Center, which provides a comprehensive suite of services for LGBTQ older adults including healthcare,

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Supervisor Mandelman’s district is the San Francisco district with the highest concentration of LGBTQ people. As San Francisco became an increasingly expensive city to live in with few affordable housing options, rents skyrocketed and waves of LGBTQ seniors were forced to leave the city. Mandelman saw countless LGBTQ seniors being evicted and forced to leave their community of friends and extended family not knowing if they would be able to relocate to a place where they would be respected and included.

on Laguna Street. The campus includes two buildings of senior housing totaling 121 apartments welcoming to LGBTQ seniors, Openhouse’s offices, and a new community center. Collectively, they are the city’s first and only LGBTQ welcoming affordable senior hous- 1939 Market Street ing buildings.

42FLOOR.COM

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

District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, a gay man and longtime advocate for affordable housing, told me for the San Francisco Bay Times: “One of my priorities over the last 18 months has been to work closely with the Mayor and the Mayor’s Office of Community Development. District 8 has significantly fewer affordable housing developments than other districts. I told the Mayor I wanted to see more LGBTQ+ welcoming affordable housing. I am grateful to Mayor Breed for finding the resources and working closely with me and my office to bring more affordable housing to District 8.”

COURTESY OF CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD

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

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housing, and social serSullivan is slated vices. She also served as to take the reins of Executive Director of Openhouse on July 19, Generations Aging with just several weeks after PRIDE in Seattle, WA. the Mayor’s Office of As Regional Director of Housing and ComEngAGE NW, she was munity Development instrumental in bringtapped Mercy Housing 1,100 new units of ing and Openhouse intergenerational affordto construct and manable housing to the Portage 120+ units of new land metro area and rural affordable senior housKathleen Sullivan ing on a city-owned lot Oregon. In addition, she teaches two courses at 1939 Market Street. in Social Gerontology and FamiThe building site is located directly lies & Aging as an Adjunct Professor across the street from the existat Oregon Health Sciences/Porting Openhouse campus on Laguna land State University School of PubStreet that includes 119 units of lic Health. LGBT-welcoming affordable housing for seniors, the Bob Ross LGBT “San Francisco’s LGBTQ elders led Senior Center, and the Openhousea revolution for civil rights in this On Lok Community Day Center, city and country. Having the opporwhich was completed in Spring 2019. tunity to work with the community Upon opening, the Center will house is the highest honor I can imagCommunity Day Services, one of the ine,” says Sullivan. “Carrying on the nation’s first community-based adult work, with a focus on serving those day programs co-designed for and in our community who are most vulwith the LGBTQ+ community. nerable due to institutional racism, transphobia, and discrimination, and The San Francisco Bay Times recently looking for new ways to further serve spoke with Sullivan about her vision LGBTQ older adults, is an opporfor Openhouse, anticipated chaltunity I am very grateful to have. I lenges, and more. look forward to learning from them San Francisco Bay Times: What and marching forward together, as are your initial thoughts about we further the ambitious mission of Openhouse.” taking the reins at Openhouse

and the significance of this particular organization? Kathleen Sullivan: First, I am very excited to work for Openhouse. The organization is at the forefront of providing high impact services and programs to LGBTQ seniors in San Francisco and that work has national implications—the partnership with On Lok is one example of innovation and a commitment to raising the bar on service provision. I also feel grateful to Marcy Adelman and Jeanette Gurevitch for having the vision to create an organization like Openhouse. I remember reading an article Marcy wrote in 1978 about the aging of gay men, demonstrating that the homophobic negative imagery is simply not true. Flash forward all these years and Openhouse continues to innovate and grow. In particular, the commitment to work with intentionality to provide programs, service, and a safe space to transgender and BIPOC seniors who continue to be marginalized and disadvantaged is a priority for the organization and me personally. San Francisco Bay Times: With your prior experience in mind, what do you envision will be the similar—but also perhaps (continued on page 28)

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Coming Out Stories

In a speech a few weeks before he was assassinated, and a few months after I was born, Harvey Milk said: “Every gay person must come out. As difficult as it is, you must tell your immediate family. You must tell your relatives. You must tell your friends if indeed they are your friends. You must tell your neighbors. You must tell the people you work with. You must tell the people

I saw that speech in a documentary early on in my college years, but didn’t realize at the time what it would mean personally to me. Sure, I came out to my immediate friends, and went to college groups centered on being queer and the coming out process, in spaces designed for people to be “safely queer.” But I struggled to find my community, as being gay was the only thing many of us had in common. I quickly found myself, as a physics and music double major, living a double life. In my music classes, where being a gay man was almost normative, there were many role models and it was easy to be my more authentic self. But in the physics department, the classic heteronormative and straight-male dominated environment kept me in the closet. Depression hit in, and I began to doubt whether I could be a physics major.

About that time, I joined the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band, as a horn player, and I found a chosen family. Playing music with the first openlygay musical organization in the world gave me a confidence in my identity that had been sorely lacking. Here was a group of queer people from all walks of life, coming together once a week to cultivate their inner band-geek. This gave me the resolve to continue pursuing my passions, because I had a safe space that supported me. At this point, it would have been easy to drop the physics major. My physics grades began to suffer, as I self-segregated myself from the toxic masculinity rampant in the study groups of my peers in the physics department, to the point where I dropped out of the major. This turned around when I came out, as a would-be physicist, to one of my gay friends. He remarked, “Wow, having you as a physicist totally makes me break my idea of who could be a physicist.” As I became surer of myself, I began to push

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Mike Wong (left) with his brother Carlos (1984)

By Mike Wong

in the stores you shop in. And once they realize that we are indeed everywhere, every myth, every lie, every innuendo will be destroyed once and for all. And once you do, you will feel so much better.”

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Boldly Marching with the SF Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band Through Chinatown Having grown up with a gay older brother in the Bay Area, I have an immediate family that fairly quickly embraced my identity as a gay man, though I had reservations with coming out to my mother’s Catholic family and my father’s conservative Chinese family. I remember having crushes on other boys back in 1984 as a 6-year-old, but I didn’t begin to realize what that meant until I was in sixth grade, and didn’t identify it for myself until I was in high school. I first came out to my best friend in high school, and eventually outed myself to my immediate family and my friends as I started college at UC Berkeley in 1996. This is when my coming out story truly begins.

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Drum Major Mike Wong conducted the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band during their performance at the 2021 Pink Triangle Lighting ceremony held on Twin Peaks, Tuesday, June 1.

back in those physics’ spaces. When someone would say, “That’s so gay!” I would respond, “Thanks!” As my career in the department developed, I became a respected physics student-teacher, and my being an out gay man became part of a culture shift within the department. By the time I graduated, many other gay physicists came out, and we even had a department chair who was a gay man. My coming out story continues after graduation. Having moved up the ranks to become Drum Major in

the Freedom Band, I found myself at another crossroads. My conservative Chinese family had no clue about me being gay, and my first parade as Drum Major was the Chinese New Year Parade. Apprehensive that my father’s cousin, the Rev. Norman Fong, emcees the viewing stand at the parade, I decided to look him in the eye, perform my salute, and boldly march by the viewing stand.

I admittedly don’t know if he recognized me then, but after that, I decided that the Band was the perfect way to come out to the rest of my family. I began to arrange traditional Chinese music for the parade, and prominently put my name in the script for the emcees to read. One of the proudest moments came the next year, when Norman, who energetically read the script, excitedly pronounced, “That’s my relative! Mike Wong, leading the San (continued on page 30)

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Leslie Sbrocco’s Recommendations for Rosés for Summer Sipping With summer kicking into high gear, there’s no better time to enjoy a glass (or three) of pink perfection. Try these recommendations from Check, Please! Bay Area’s host and wine expert, Leslie Sbrocco. www.LeslieSbrocco.com

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CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2021)

2020 Benovia Rosé of Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, California $32 One of California’s premier producers of Pinot Noir, this complex pink is at home with a picnic, a party, or a poolside lounge chair. With a kiss of French oak barrel-aging, it sports subtle richness.

Leslie Sbrocco

2020 Bricoleur ‘Flying by the Seat of our Pants’ Rosé, Sonoma County, California $29 In French, bricoleur refers to one who starts something with no clear path, which gives this wine its whimsical name. Made with Grenache grapes, it’s fun and refreshing.

A Taste of France Provence is the birthplace of rosé and worldwide wine lovers have embraced the rosé trend. Here are three wines that bring the spirit of France to the Bay Area:

2020 Argyle Rosé of Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon $20 As a fan of Willamette Valley wines, I adore this rosé grown in the high elevations of the Eola-Amity Hills. A powerful pink that pairs with grilled fish or barbeque chicken and ribs. Make this your summer staple.

2020 Berne ‘Romance’ Rosé, IGP Mediterannee, France $15 A juicy, fruit-forward pink with flavors of strawberries and peaches. Fresh and fruity, it’s a wine to pair with a picnic or poolside.

Southern Comfort For value and high quality, look south to Chile when pink wines are on your radar:

2020 Berne ‘Inspiration’ Rosé, Côtes-de-Provence, France $19 A succulent Provençal rosé that is both refreshing and regal. Dry and delicious with berry-scented aromas, its square bottle pays homage to the beautiful Château de Berne property in the heart of Provence.

2020 Los Vascos Rosé, Valle de Colchagua, Chile $15 Chile is home to many wine wonders. Usually, pink wine is not what comes to mind in this country of big reds. But this delicate rosé made from mostly Syrah is a delight to sip. From the family of Les Domaines Barons de Rothschild, it’s a fantastic wine to buy by the case (trust me ... you’ll drink it all!).

2020 Ultimate Rosé, Côtes-deProvence, France $22 Take a virtual visit to France while imbibing in this classy sipper. This wine’s birthplace is a stunning estate surrounded by organic grape vines including Syrah, Cinsault, and Rolle. This beauty’s bottle evokes images of a fine perfume. Born in the USA From California to Oregon, these pinks are proudly bold and beautiful:

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2020 Apaltagua Reserva Carmenere Rosé, Maule Valley, Chile $13 Favorites of mine from Chile year in and out are the wines from Apaltagua. Their dry rosé is pretty in pink. Made with the country’s signature red grape, Carmenere, its flavors of red fruit and spice make it the perfect partner with al fresco dining. Pink & Bubbly Fantastic fizz can be had whether it’s a daily drink or a special occasion splurge: Berne Ultimate Provence Rosé

Berne Inspiration Rosé

Charles Heidsieck, Rosé Reserve Champagne, France $80 When elegance and style are on the menu, make sure to pop this stunning Champagne. Comprised of reserve wines (both red and white) that give the rosé its opulent, creamy quality, this is a splurge-worthy indulgence. Chandon Brut Rosé, California $25 Cheer and joy are what comes to mind when imbibing this sparkler. It’s a fruit bowl of flavor that makes for an ideal partner to sushi with ginger, grilled tuna, and piquant curries. Find out more: http://www.LeslieSbrocco.com

This Month at the Castro Farmers’ Market Summer Stone Fruits

By Debra Morris

The fruits of summer—juicy melons, sweet cherries, luscious berries, plump figs, and succulent grapes—are what we wait for all year long, but it all begins with the utter bliss of biting into a sweet, juicy peach or nectarine. In their infinite variety and their mouthwatering flavors, stone fruits serve as a glorious introduction to the hot days of summer. Arriving this month at your Castro Farmers’ Market, and for the next few months, are peaches, nectarines, plums, pluots, apricots, apriums, and other varieties of stone fruits. These fruits, so named because they all have large “stones,” come in all shapes, sizes, and flavor profiles. Some are the cling variety, meaning the flesh adheres to the pit, while others are freestone, where the flesh is easily separated from the stone. There are even new varieties like the plumcot, nectaplum, golden plum, and others making their way to your farmers’ market. So now that you’ve picked up a nice big bag of stone fruits, here is what to do with them, besides eating them out of hand—which is a very good way to enjoy them! Grill: Toss some peach and nectarine halves on the grill. The heat intensifies the sweetness and caramelizes their natural sugars. Salsa: Chop up peaches and/or nectarines, add a finely chopped jalapeño, some lime juice, fresh cilantro, chopped tomato, chopped onion, and a bit of salt and pepper. Serve on fish, pork, or add some tortilla chips. Preserve: Get out the canning jars and can sliced fruit in light syrup, or make jam. Canned summer peaches in the middle of winter? Divine! Sauces: Cook down the fruit with either brown sugar or white sugar, water, and butter, until desired consistency and serve over pork, chicken, or even over ice cream. Salads: Slice them and add to a plate of fresh summer greens, goat cheese or feta, and a fruity vinaigrette. Dessert: Make a mixed stone fruit cobbler, galette, or crisp. Just add ice cream! Bruschetta: Top toasted baguette slices with chopped fruit, goat cheese, and fresh mint. When preparing stone fruits, use the freshest fruits for the best results. At the Castro Farmers’ Market, you’ll find only the finest stone fruits from Allard Farms from Westley, which has a nice variety of delicious apricots, a nectaplum variety, a dozen different nectarine and peach varieties, pluots, and plumcots. Ken’s Top Notch out of Reedley has a wide variety of peaches, nectarines, plums, and pluots from which to choose. Rodin Farms in Oakdale offers lovely apricots, both white and yellow nectarines, plums, and peaches. The summer season of stone fruits in California is highly anticipated each year, so take advantage of its relatively short appearance and drop by your Castro Farmers’ Market for a bag or two of the market’s excellent stone fruits. Look for great summer recipes at the website listed in my bio! Debra Morris is a spokesperson for the Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association (PCFMA). Check out the PCFMA website for recipes, information about farmers’ markets throughout the region and for much more: https://www.pcfma.org/ 22

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Sister Dana Sez: Words of Wisdumb from a Fun Nun

By Sister Dana Van Iquity Sister Dana sez, “May I be the first to wish a very Happy Father’s Day (June 20) to all you fathers, leather daddies, and drag king daddies! You raised some real fine folx!” It was not the usual affair as we “celebrated” HARVEY MILK DAY by helping our community take its next steps out of the pandemic. The event was held May 22, between 10 am–6 pm in the Castro. Participating were the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District along with Castro Merchants, LYRIC, The GLBT Historical Society, Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, Openhouse, Strut, SF Office of Transgender Initiatives, Castro Community On Patrol, Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza, Castro/Upper Market CBD, and Supervisor Rafael Mandelman. This broad coalition provided community access to free testing, vaccinations, services, and support of local businesses. There was also a stage for speakers and performers in Jane Warner Plaza. SAN FRANCISCO GAY MEN’S CHORUS (SFGMC) Artistic Director Dr. Timothy Seelig and Executive Director Chris Verdugo will present WIRED, an all-virtual showcase celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride month. Packed

So sorry to hear that White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has announced she will step down at the end of 2021. She has been the only remarkable one with integrity in four years. Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has become the first gay woman to lead White House press briefings and the second Black woman to do so. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki praised Jean-Pierre, saying she is doing full briefings from the podium “making history in her own right.” Psaki added, “But doing her real justice means also recognizing her talent, her brilliance, and her wonderful spirit.” Not to alarm anyone, but EQUALITY CALIFORNIA (EQCA) says, "We’ve seen a shocking and unprecedented flood of antiLGBTQ+ legislation nationwide, with over 250 discriminatory bills introduced in just the past 5 months. 17 of these bills have already become law, and 11 more bills are poised to join them in the next few weeks. This is an emergency." Update: as of May, the count has grown to 404!!! Sister Dana sez, “I heard it during Pride Month: We gotta outlove hate!” LEGO has announced its firstever rainbow set, just in time for

Pride month. The Danish toymaker announced a new set called “EVERYONE IS AWESOME,” which will feature 11 monochromatic, non-gendered figurines that come together to form a rainbow with black and brown stripes and the transgender flag colors. The people in the set don’t come with faces or clothes painted on them and they aren’t being assigned genders by the company. Except for the purple one, where she is “a clear nod to all the fabulous drag queens out there.” The figures stand on a rainbow platform that forms an arch. SAN FRANCISCO GAY MEN’S CHORUS for the first time in over a year sang live. Together. IN PERSON! on HARVEY MILK DAY, May 22, from outside Mission Dolores Basilica. They performed “Give ‘Em Hope” from 2012’s Unplugged and "Tired of the Silence" from 2016's GALA Choruses Festival in Denver. JAMES C. HORMEL LGBTQIA CENTER is back with a lineup of virtual programs for LGBTQIA Pride Month. To see updates on the library’s current, limited, in-person services, visit https://sfpl.org/events The LEATHER & LGBTQ CULTURAL DISTRICT is proud to have partnered with OASIS SF and artist Josh Katz to bring a new mural to SOMA on the Folsom side of the Oasis building. This is a glorious rendering of iconic SF disco diva SYLVESTER! A festive ceremony was held on May 24 with a welcome by District Vice President Bob Brown and remarks by District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney; D’Arcy Drollinger, owner of Oasis; and artist Josh Katz. There was a blessing by Honey Mahogany, District 6 Legislative Aide and Saint of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and by Reverend Mar-

tin K. White from Glide Memorial. We just love all these queer murals appearing! As part of the OPENHOUSE HERO SERIES, there was a celebration on May 26 dedicating the Openhouse balcony as BOWTIE BALCONY for Sister Dana is always decked out and ready for the Pride Parade but won't be making a Parade appearance this year. So, just for the fun of then soon-toit, we thought we would revisit his "look" from the 2017 Pride Parade! retire Executive Director Karen Prom at Openhouse to the song of Skultety. After “When I Get Older”! Good times! more than four years of fierce leadership as Openhouse Executive DirecROCK THE YARD! Celebrating tor, Skultety left the organization at PRIDE MONTH is Saturday, June the end of May and relocated her 12, 3–5 pm in Belmont in person and family to Denver. The Openhouse also online. Live singing with Carly Community, Board of Directors, Ozard, Maria Konner, Katya and Staff (many wearing ceremonial Smirnoff Skyy, and Alotta bowties) said they were grateful for Boutte. Karyn’s visionary service and invaluhttps://tinyurl.com/5hbp8snw able contributions over the past four years. Thanks to Karyn’s leadership, ARTSAVESLIVES presents SIDEOpenhouse is a nationally recogWALK SALON SUNDAY SLOW nized leader in services to LGBTQ+ STREETS every other Sunday from seniors in the Bay Area. For this and 11 am to 5 pm on Noe and Market the innumerable other ways that Streets—thanks to benefactor/curaKaryn has contributed to the overtor/artist Thomasina DeMaio. all success of Openhouse, the balcony On June 13, look for the followat the new community center at 75 ing extremely talented artists in perLaguna Street will be forever known son accompanying their pieces: Billy as the DR. KARYN SKULTETY Douglas, Ed Terpening, BALCONY—lovingly nicknamed Suzanne Cowen, Matt Pipes, the “Bowtie Balcony” in recogniAlan Beckstead, Donna DeMattion of Karyn’s signature sartorial teo, Dale Wittig, Jeff Desira, style. Supervisor Rafael MandelAlex Presia, Denise Flowerday, man presented Karyn a Certificate DeMaio, and Michael Lownie. of Honor from the Board of Supervisors. Senator Scott Wiener sent a Sister Dana sez, “A recent poll video of gratitude and framed Cershowed that 28% of Republicans tificate of Honor. And what a suragree ‘because things have prise in the video slide show, when I gotten so far off track, true glimpsed a photo of Karyn and me gaily dancing together at a Senior’s (continued on page 29)

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with exciting performances, “WIRED” will also feature uplifting videos from Chorus members and SFGMC friends, special guests, and more. WIRED will stream on SFGMC’s YouTube and Facebook pages on Thursday, June 24, at 6 pm. “WIRED” is an official event of SAN FRANCISCO PRIDE. To register, visit https://www.sfgmc.org/pride-2021

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

‘Molten Connections’ Make for Merry Community at the 17th Annual Queer Women of Color Film Festival

Photos courtesy of Queer Women of Color Film Festival.

There are connections so profound, so molten that they alter our very understanding of the world, and move us all to act. In its 17-year history, the free, annual international Queer Women of Color Film Festival has always focused on the core issues that fracture our daily lives. It empowers the creativity and leadership of LBTQIA+ Black/African descent, Native American/American Indian, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander, First Nations/Indigenous, Asian, South Asian, Southwest Asian, North African, Arab & Muslim, and Latinx—including AfroLatinx and Indígena—(BIPOC) filmmakers and audiences from around the world. It layers joy and compassion across fissures caused by bigotry. And it solidifies safety, welcome, and belonging for these communities with plenty of humor. Presented by Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (QWOCMAP), the Film Festival screens June 11–13. It is accessible around the world and completely free to all. Screenings have open captions/subtitles for the Deaf & Hard-of-Hearing, and CART/live captions and ASL interpreters. Among films from Germany, Colombia, and Canada, the Film Festival features BIPOC filmmakers from the U.S. and the San Francisco Bay Area. Opening Night begins with the film Indigenous Astronomy: Beyond the Chumash Arborglyph. The documentary offers a glittering glimpse into astronomy and provides crucial context for important cultural days in contemporary practice. Elders connect ancient rock paintings, carvings to map Native American science and technology, in the traditional unceded territory of the Chumash and Tataviam people, which is in and around Los Angeles. Director Sabine Talaugon’s Chumash identity anchors the film’s content and aesthetic. Sabine is also an Alum of QWOCMAP’s award-winning Filmmaker Training Program, which is grounded in the queer feminism of color ethics of equipping communities to tell their own stories.

Film still from We Make This City by Narissa Lee

The Centerpiece Screening includes La Amante by Pati Cruz, a beautiful short about two queer Puerto Rican elders, one an AfroBoricua mother, who reopen a geode of love. The Film Festival offers assistance with technology to elder cisgender and transgender women of color. Community Partners for this screening include Old Lesbians Organizing for Change, Openhouse, and Lavender Seniors of the East Bay. They are among the 30+ organizations this year that helped to produce the Film Festival, making it a true community event. Additional festival highlights include just and representative films, because how the world sees us affects how it treats us. To Ma: A Dedication to Frontliners by MK Veniegas dives into the COVID-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the struggles of frontline workers. The documentary exposes the edges of social justice issues that concern BIPOC communities. LBTQIA+ people of color are still disproportionally affected by the pandemic, as well as police violence against Black, Brown, and Sick & Disabled people, and anti-Asian violence.

Indigenous Astronomy Beyond the Chumash Arborglyph by Sabine Talaugon

Closing Night world premieres We Make This City, a brandnew documentary by San Francisco-based filmmaker Narissa Lee, another QWOCMAP Alum. Weaving interviews with local Bay Area

Divining Home - To Ma A Dedication to Frontliners by MK Veniegas

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artists and activists, this film glows with the stories, spaces, and histories that are the bedrock of San Francisco, despite gentrification and displacement. QWOCMAP supports filmmakers like Lee, who has served as a Film Mentor for its awardwinning Filmmaker Training Program. The organization also supports LBTQIA+ people of color filmmakers through employment in QWOCMAP Productions, its Filmmaker Grant, and its 20-year-old boutique Film Distribution Program. With its catalog of 452 LBTQIA+ BIPOC films, it’s one of few such distributors in the world. According to Yvonne Welbon, award-winning filmmaker, producer, and QWOCMAP Advisory Board member, QWOCMAP is directly responsible for 50% of the queer Black women working in film today.

years, it has been hailed as the “platinum standard for disability access.” Last year, it quickly adapted to the turbulence of the pandemic and moved its Film Festival completely online. Without changing its dates since the Film Festival first began in 2005 (held 2 weekends before Pride Sunday), it livestreamed to 3000 households around the world. With the Festival Focus “Molten Connections,” this year’s 17th annual event forges deep relationships, cements bonds across diasporas, and sparkles with a multi-faceted love that withstands time. To register for a FREE ticket, visit https://festival2021.qwocmap.org/

QWOCMAP has always been grounded in care, respect, and community. Founded over 20 years ago by Madeleine Lim, an immigrant queer Asian woman, QWOCMAP is the first film and media arts organization in the world by, for, and about LBTQIA+ people of color. Instead of buzzwords, justice and equity sculpt all of QWOCMAP’s every day practices. The Film Festival has always been free because of QWOCMAP’s commitment to economic justice. Attendees aren’t forced to pick and choose which films they can afford to see. As a result, the Film Festival is buttressed by loyal audiences that are the “most diverse of any arts event in the Bay Area.” Over the

Love That Endures - La Amante by Pati Cruz

PRESIDENTS FOR PRIDE Which of the following U.S. presidents did not officially recognize Pride Month? A) Bill Clinton B) Barack Obama C) George W. Bush D) A and C

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20th Anniversary FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL Is an Online Extravaganza of Trans and Queer Performance

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CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2021)

Photos courtesy of Fresh Meat Festival

Founding Artistic Director Sean Dorsey says, “We’re celebrating our 20th Anniversary festival in a BIG way! We’ve expanded the festival to two weeks, commissioned all-new work especially for our Anniversary, scoured the archives to bring audiences gorgeous past performances, and are offering the entire festival for FREE this year.” Dorsey adds that all festival programs are closed-captioned for Deaf and Hard-of-hearing audiences. While tickets are free, audiences must register in advance (there is an option to add an optional donation during the registration process).

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One of the great highlights of Pride season is the annual FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL of transgender and queer performance. The festival is known for its superb artists, innovation, sold-out crowds, and high energy. And this June 18–27, the FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL will present an expanded 20th Anniversary festival online.

Tailer Bombalele Detour Dance

Sean Dorsey

DANDY

Two Weeks of Artistry

Mark Travis Rivera created and choreographed a solo for dancer Tajh Stallworth called “Yearning,” and shares that “‘Yearning’ is a special piece created during an unprecedented time of isolation, grief, and unrest. Creating this piece for the 20th anniversary FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL was both a privilege and an honor. As a Latinx, queer, disabled, gender nonconforming choreographer, I am so appreciative of Sean Dorsey using his platform to uplift voices of those who are even more marginalized. This Festival isn’t just highlighting the talents of queer and trans people, it is leading the way of how the greater arts sector should act.” Award-winning poet J Mase III created a new commissioned piece that integrates his original poetry with digital animation. He shares, “Creating art during the pandemic has been difficult to imagine at times. NEVE

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Especially exciting are the world premieres that have been commissioned by Fresh Meat Productions especially for this anniversary. Commissioned artists include: queer bachata dance champions Jahaira Fajardo & Angelica Medina (Bay Area); DANDY (performance duo Randy Ford and David Rue; Seattle); poet-storyteller J Mase III (Seattle); Black, Deaf dance trailblazer Antoine Hunter/Purple Fire Crow (Bay Area); trans writer and performer Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi (Washington, D.C.); and acclaimed integrated dance choreographer Mark Travis Rivera (Bay Area).

PHOTO BY LYDIA DANILLER

The online FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL features two weeks of exquisite, inspiring dance, theater, and live music—featuring more than 40 artists and ensembles performing bachata, blues, bomba, hula, hiphop, jaw-dropping vogue, trans and queer mariachi, contemporary R&B, queer dance-theater ... along with award-winning wordsmith poets, disabled dance pioneers, world champion queer ballroom, and more.

Janpi Star

J Mase III

The FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL has given me time to create art in a new way that doesn’t see the digital space as a deficit, but as an asset. I am proud of all the art we have created for the festival and of the ways that Trans & Queer folks manifest work that is going to be seen as both brilliant and stunning for years to come.” Acclaimed transwoman singer-songwriter Shawna Virago is featured in several festival programs, and is debuting a new music video. Virago says, “Given the past year with both the COVID-19 lockdown, and the increase of legislative attacks against trans people, I am still so grateful the FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL is happening, presenting so many gifted trans and queer performers, and that our audiences can gather safely online to enjoy this artistry!”

Lady Dane Figueroa

Live and On-Demand Programs The festival’s Opening Weekend ( June 18–20) programs will feature world premieres and new work, and will stream on YouTube Live; Week Two of the festival ( June 21–27) will feature past performances and exclusive archival footage from the last 20 years of FRESH MEAT FESTIVALS, available on Vimeo on-demand. All programs are closed-captioned for Deaf and Hardof-hearing audiences. The festival will also present new and recent work by a stunning lineup of artists including: Gabe Christian (movement and poetics artist); lafemmebear (acclaimed Black trans woman musician, music producer, and sound engineer); Luis Gutierrez-Mock & Ngoc Huynh (award-winning bachata dance duo); Mya Byrne (transwoman folk/country singer-songwriter); Mariachi Arcoiris de Los Angeles (billed as the world’s first LGBTQ mariachi band); NEVE (disabled trans

Nubian American choreographer and enchantrexx); Rotimi Agbabiaka (solo multidisciplinary theater artist); Sean Dorsey Dance (modern dance ensemble directed by trans choreographer and Fresh Meat Productions’ founding Artistic Director Sean Dorsey); Shawna Virago (pioneering transwoman singer-songwriter); The Monarchs (all-femme salsa dance ensemble); Toby MacNutt (queer, nonbinary trans, disabled dancer/choreographer); and Vanessa Sanchez & La Mezcla (polyrhythmic dance and music ensemble rooted in Chicana, Latina and Indigenous traditions). Looking Back Over 20 Years The festival is presented by SF-based arts organization Fresh Meat Pro-

ductions. Fresh Meat Productions invests in the creative expression and cultural leadership of transgender and gender-nonconforming communities through its year-round programs. Fresh Meat’s programs include the annual FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL; FRESH WORKS! artist commissions; resident dance company Sean Dorsey Dance’s performances, touring and teaching; its signature national education program TRANSform Dance; and national LGBTQ community residencies. Fresh Meat Productions invests in trans, gender-nonconforming, and queer artists as powerful agents of change; builds community, audiences, and opportunities for transgender and queer artists; promotes dialogue and understanding through the arts; and fights for racial, trans, and disability justice for trans and gender-nonconforming communities. Founded in 2002 (at a time when almost no one would present trans artists), Fresh Meat Productions has made history, broken down barriers facing trans and non-binary artists, launched careers, and built a whole community around itself. When asked what it feels like to be celebrating 20 years, Dorsey answers, “I feel so emotional when I think about that question! 20 years ago, I couldn’t imagine almost any of this

would be possible. I was told again and again that my trans body didn’t belong in Dance, in the Arts. When we fight to pave the way for our communities to be onstage and in the audience, we are providing a mirror and an affirmation of the beauty, power, and wisdom of our communities. I feel incredibly blessed to be part of a team of brilliant humans who make all of this possible.” The Fresh Meat Family team Dorsey refers to includes: General Manager Shawna Virago, Production and Communications Manager Eric Garcia, Online Programs Coordinator Gwen Park, Krista Smith, Den Legaspie, StormMiguel Florez, and Ezra Unterseher, plus many talented technical crew folks who work on productions and performances. The FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL plans to return to an in-person festival at its venue Z Space in June 2022; in the meantime, make sure to register for your free tickets in order to enjoy this special event. 20th ANNIVERSARY FRESH MEAT FESTIVAL of trans & queer performance June 18–27 June 18–20 @ 5 pm PDT June 21–27: on-demand Advance online registration is required to reserve a virtual ticket: https://tinyurl.com/3v8jafw8

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

Wild Characters Living Again! drinking problem from the early 60s but it never affected her professionalism. Her bad choices in her life and career made you want to shake her.” As with all of Eve’s books, the context and details of the times will be as exciting as the subjects themselves.

Off the Wahl Jan Wahl From Vito Russo’s The Celluloid Closet to Emily Leider’s Becoming Mae West to the recent He’s Got Rhythm: Gene Kelly by Cynthia and Sara Brideson, my life has been informed and inspired by stories of fascinating showbiz characters. So, when I had an opportunity to interview one of my favorite authors of books about the wild, wacky, and often weird people and times of Hollywood, I was there! Eve Golden’s latest book is Jayne Mansfield: The Girl Couldn’t Help It. I will devour this one, with a personal interest since I attended Warner Avenue Elementary School with one of Jayne Mansfield’s daughters and my mother knew Jayne herself in the PTA. Mom loved Jayne, and amazingly, so did the other moms! “Everyone loved Jayne,” says astute biographer Golden, “even if they didn’t respect her talent or career choices. I begin the book with the famous Sophia Loren party. Jayne was very intelligent. She had a

She continues to tell me for the San Francisco Bay Times: “My first book was on Jean Harlow (Platinum Girl: The Life and Legends of Jean Harlow). I was young and stupid, but got a good publisher and access to wonderful photos. I always put fabulous photos in my books, so if people think the writing sucks, I have great pictures. In this book I was able to disprove a lot of the nonsense about how she died ... I had her medical records. She had certain taste in men, liking father figures and balding, paunchy guys. But William Powell was different. Once my friend Anita Page found Jean sobbing and asked why. Jean replied, ‘Anita, would you waste three years on a man?’ Anita replied, ‘Honey, I wouldn’t waste three days on a man.’ Jean was known as one of the nicest people in Hollywood, along with Marion Davies and Barbara Stanwyck.” Eve adds, “People say I write about the tragic lives, and yes, early deaths do make for good reading. People love that s--t. But the irony is my best-selling book is on a person with a long, successful life, Vamp (The Rise and Fall of Theda Bara). My Goth Girls like Theda, and her life was of a nice, Jewish girl who reinvented herself into an exotic superstar. From the

beginning, it was the studio system that allowed people to make it; I wish we had it today. The stars are just as talented and good looking today, but there’s no studio system backing them.” I mentioned to Eve that Joan Fontaine told me the same thing, except for Nancy Reagan, who Joan thought was in it to meet and marry Ronnie. The divine Joan and I were discussing Kitty Kelley’s book on Nancy, and Joan referred to her as “knees Nancy.” “Makes sense,” she says. “I always thought Nancy was a Pez dispenser. If you tilt her head back, Pez comes out.” Eve is funny, whether in her books or to chat with. She loves Classic Hollywood and tells wonderful Tallulah Bankhead stories. She tells of Tallulah at church and the priest comes down the aisle with robes and swinging burning incense. “‘Darling,’ says Tallulah, ‘love the drag but your purse is on fire.’” She agrees that Elizabeth Taylor had a point when she famously said that there would be no Hollywood without gays and lesbians. Eve adds, “And Jews.” She is unafraid of controversy. “My thought is that Garbo could have been Trans. She called herself a man, preferred men’s clothing and was secretive and guarded. There’s no proving it, but it is what I think.” There are laughs and high drama in my newest favorite of Eve’s books, The Brief, Madcap Life of Kay Kendall. Eve confirmed what I always heard about Professor

‘I Am VAXXY R U?’ Liam’s LGBTQI List Liam P. Mayclem “I am VAXXY r u?” This is what friend and artist Jason Dilley said to me in a phone call in February of this year. What transpired from that conversation was the design and production of a pin celebrating the global vaccination of all people everywhere against COVID-19. The word VAXXY, explains Jason, is a play on the word sexy. For most, there is a sense of freedom once vaccinated and indeed, for many, a feeling of sexiness. The Bay Area is leading the way in terms of how many people per capita have been vaccinated. The impressive turnout for jabs in arms has led to a near return to normal and it feels so good. California is one of only two states considered to have low levels of community coronavirus transmission, a designation that underscores its continued progress toward extinguishing the pandemic a week ahead of the planned reopening on June 15th. VAXXY pin designer Jason wants to celebrate the frontline workers, 26

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caregivers, doctors, nurses, and everyday folk who were there keeping us healthy and safe during the 15-month lockdown. Via his website he invites you to purchase a pin for yourself and perhaps buy a few for family, friends, or simply a gift for someone like the bus driver, mail person, or shop worker in your community.

Higgins. “Her husband, Rex Harrison, was such an a--hole. A complete, total a--hole. Nobody I could find had a

nice word to say about him. But they loved sharpening their wits on each other. They made each other laugh. Kay had many gay friends, but it was a challenging time for them. Dirk Bogarde was so far in the closet that he was in the next apartment.” Eve also knows how to have perspective. Her fascinating book Anna Held and the Birth of Ziegfeld’s Broadway explains why we are lucky enough to have Billie Burke in The Wizard of Oz, Topper and Dinner at Eight. Eve says, “Billie Burke was tough as nails, but was left with huge gambling debts when Ziegfeld died. She had to go back to work them off, and aren’t we lucky to have her performances?”

And aren’t we lucky to have Eve Golden, a writer of wit and wisdom? Her other books include Vernon and Irene Castle’s Ragtime Revolution, Golden Images: 41 Essays on Silent Film Stars, and John Gilbert: The Last of the Silent Film Stars. She’s my new best friend. For more information about Eve Golden: http://evegolden.com/ 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

Photos courtesy of Liam Mayclem Joy, Clinician, JumpstartMD

Marcy, Owner, WINK store

“It’s a fun and lighthearted way to show the world you are vaccinated for COVID-19,” says Jason. Personally, I wear the VAXXY pin with pride, knowing we did overcome this together and to make a statement—to get vaccinated means we are protecting ourselves and others. I carry a few with me at all times to pass on to people I encounter. So, if you see me out and about, please ask me for a VAXXY pin. There are also plans in the works for a Spanish version of the pin reading: “Estoy VAXXY, tu tambien?” Orders (or interest) can be placed via the VAXXY site. Ten percent of sales from the $10 pins go to @covax, the United Nations vaccination program vaccinating people in third world countries. “I am VAXXY r u?” I do hope so! https://iamvaxxy.com/ J U NE 1 0 , 2 0 2 1

David, Meals on Wheels

Liam, San Francisco Bay Times

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/

FISCHER (continued from page 6) amory, and affiliation with the BDSM community, and worked for decades to increase understanding and visibility related to what were then considered “taboo subjects” even within the queer community. She co-chaired the leather contingent of the Second National March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights in 1987, and was instrumental in getting “Bi” added to the title of the 1993 March on Washington so it would become the “March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi Equal Rights.” Howard died of colon cancer at the age of 58 on June 28, 2005, the 36th anniversary of the start of the 6-day Stonewall Uprising. That year, the Queens, New York, branch of PFLAG created an award in her honor. The Brenda Howard Award ( https://tinyurl.com/buak4bc4 ) recognizes “an individual or organization that best exemplifies the vision, principals and community service exemplified by the late LGBT rights activist Brenda Howard and who serves as a positive and visible role model for the Bisexual Community.” At the time, it was the first award given by a major U.S. LGBTQ organization that was named after an out bisexual person. The winner of the 2005 award, Larry Nelson, Howard’s surviving partner, noted that “[if ] you needed some kind of help organizing some type of protest or something in social justice, all you had to do was call her and she’ll just say when and where.” In 2014 he described Howard as “an in-your-face activist, she fought for anyone who had their rights trampled on.” Her unquestionable legacy within the LGBTQ and feminist movements was best expressed by her longtime friend, activist and author Tom Limoncelli: “[T]he next time someone asks you why LGBT Pride marches exist or why Gay Pride Month is June tell them, a bisexual woman named Brenda Howard thought it should be.” Happy Pride, everyone, and stay safe and get vaccinated if you haven’t done so already! Louise (Lou) Fischer is a Former Co-Chair of the Board of Directors of the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club and has served as an appointed and elected Delegate for the State Democratic Party. She is a proud graduate of the Emerge California Women’s Democratic Leadership program, was a San Francisco Commissioner, and has served in leadership positions in multiple nonprofit and community-based organizations.

RUTH (continued from page 12) The Ranger tester had the same firmness and required similar care in navigating small spaces. Its ride was also jaggier than you would find in a car, even as sharp impacts were generally rounded off. Both the Expedition Max and Ranger stand apart from the “car-like” dynamics that are so desired in crossovers; these are trucks, all the way through. The butch aesthetic continues inside. My Expedition Max was the King Ranch trim level, which checked out at a stupefying $81,680. (Remember all those billions Ford is making from this platform? Here’s how.) It’s a tribute to a Texas ranch that harkens back to 1852, and its logo is carved into the thick center armrest padding, as well as all the outboard seats. The $47,305 Ranger’s “Medium Stone” leather seating surfaces were more muted, and the lighter tone and shiny trim brightened the space. Ford knows the truck market, and both this Expedition Max and Ranger SuperCrew deliver the goods. Philip Ruth is a Castro-based automotive photojournalist and consultant with an automotive staging service.

SULLIVAN (continued from page 20) different—in your new role here at Openhouse? What particular challenges do you anticipate you will face in the Bay Area? Kathleen Sullivan: The first challenge is simply getting to know people in a variety of arenas, whether that be creating a relationship with political leaders like Supervisor Mandelman and Director of Disability and Aging Services Kelly Dearman, or people in the media like yourself. I think in terms of what will be similar—there are several things including working in affordable housing for LGBTQ adults, providing social and program services, training to the broader community, and working with a diverse staff who care deeply about the community members the organization serves. The PACE model is something I know as an academic, so working in an organization that has a partnership with On Lok is exciting and new to me. San Francisco Bay Times: Are there any goals that you have in mind for your work in the coming years here in San Francisco that you could tell us about? Kathleen Sullivan: I believe the organization has strong momentum in service provision and housing as well as the start of the PACE program. As things open up more in the coming months, we will have more opportunity to help people heal from the impact of isolation associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also important that the staff is given space to heal as well; it can be wearing on service providers in times of crisis. Finally, there is a great opportunity to expand the reach of Openhouse. Having the opportunity to work with Mercy Housing on the 1939 Market Street project is something I am really looking forward to and seeing if it is possible to integrate some intergenerational space in that building. San Francisco Bay Times: Based on what you know about what the Bay Area has to offer culturally and otherwise, are there any things that you are looking forward to experiencing? Kathleen Sullivan: So much. There is outdoor space I am so excited to explore like the Presidio, Marin Headlands, and perhaps a dip in the Bay. I have missed seeing live performances and music, and my wife and I will definitely take advantage of the great venues like The Strand. I have visited a couple of times in the last month, and it is also just fun to be back in the Castro, walking down Market, and getting the beat of the community again. San Francisco Bay Times: Is there anything else, personally or professionally, that you would like for our readers to know about you? Kathleen Sullivan: I am fortunate to have a wonderful wife, Dr. Rebecca Levison, who is an educator and was the President of the teachers’ union in Portland. We have a young dog in our life named JoJo, who is a doll. Finally, as we are in Pride Month, I want to acknowledge that we have made great strides, often due to the work and sacrifice of LGBTQ older adults. It is important to continue to honor and celebrate those who came before us. https://www.openhousesf.org/

QUEER POP QUIZ ANSWER (Question on pg 24)

C) George W. Bush Bill Clinton was actually the first U.S. president to declare June as Pride Month (specifically, Gay & Lesbian Pride Month). That happened in 1999. While George W. Bush failed to do so, going along his party’s lines, he did defy other Republicans by endorsing same-sex civil unions in 2004.

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SISTER DANA (continued from page 23) American patriots may have to resort to VIOLENCE in order to save our country.’ Did we really think January 6 was the last insurrection? As if.” FRESH MEAT PRODUCTIONS is celebrating their 20TH ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL in a big way, expanding the festival to TWO weeks, commissioned all-new work to bring you gorgeous past performances for free of transgender and queer dance performance online June 18–27. https://tinyurl.com/3v8jafw8

is produced by San Francisco comedian Lisa Geduldig from her mother’s retirement community home in Florida. The June 17, 6 pm (Pacific time) show features Kate Willett (NY), Rabbi Bob Alper (Vermont), Sammy Obeid (LA), and The Geduldigs (Florida). https://bit.ly/3500kqn I highly recommend SWAN SONG, the outlandish true story of “the Liberace of Sandusky, Ohio!” When retired hairdresser Pat Pitsenbarger is offered $25,000 to style an estranged friend (remember Crystal from TV’s soapy Dynasty?!) for her funeral, he escapes his nursing home and hitchhikes into town. As Pat makes his way through his hometown shoplifting beauty supplies, he finds himself reconnecting with friends, confronting old rivals, and facing the demons of his past. This is one of many fabulous FRAMELINE45 flicks to enjoy. https://bit.ly/3pAhOTZ

Mayor London Breed has announced that the City is awarding 28 music and entertainment venues in San Francisco with a total of $1 million in grants from its MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT VENUE RECOVERY FUND. Each of the venues will receive an award of $35,720 to prevent their permanent closure due to the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Our music and entertainment venues are part of what makes San Francisco such a special place to live in and visit, and I’m glad we’re able to provide this local support to help them make it through this challenging time,” said Mayor Breed.

Sister Dana sez, “How is it possible that only six Republican Senators want to know the truth about the January 6 insurrection, and the rest are just plain scared of bully Senator Mitch McConnell?!”

LOCKDOWN COMEDY has been taking place on Zoom every 3rd Thursday of the month since July of last year. The show

The GLBT HISTORICAL SOCIETY recently received an archival donation of an extraordinary, unique piece of history that was

officially unveiled during Pride month, June 4: a fragment of one of the two monumental rainbow flags first raised on June 25, 1978, in San Francisco’s United Nations Plaza at the SAN FRANCISCO GAY FREEDOM DAY PARADE. Displaying the original design’s eight colored stripes, it was created by Gilbert Baker and hand-stitched and dyed with the help of volunteers and friends. It remains on display in the Castro museum to the public. https://bit.ly/3gjUZiX Meanwhile, in a surprise announcement, Mayor London Breed has called for the inclusion of $12 million in the City budget to fund acquiring a permanent building for The GLBT Historical Society Museum and Archives. On June 7, Mayor Breed, Senator Scott Wiener, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, Treasurer José Cisneros, and representatives from SF Pride gloriously raised the PRIDE FLAG on the balcony at SF City Hall. Sister Dana sez, “Mitch the B*tch says, ‘100% of my focus is on stopping this new administration.’ So, yeah, for sure, let’s keep trying to remain nonpartisan at the expense of our ideals!”

Dykes

With Drills Tip of the Week By Julie Peri

When to Use a Jigsaw

Artshot Abby Zimberg

Chalk drawings by youth, Douglas Street Playground in Noe Valley Abby Zimberg is a licensed California Marriage Family Therapist with training in art therapy. She formerly worked as a graphic designer and has always been a photographer. https://theartoftherapysf.com/

Take Me Home with You!

Learn more about woodworking with us in person or online. Check out what we have coming up next!

“Hello, my name is Cliff! I’m just two months old and I’m so excited to learn about this big new world. I’m very curious and I’m looking for an adopter who will help me learn—I’d love to attend the SF SPCA’s Kitten Kindergarten class so I can learn clicker training and how to walk on a leash! Most importantly, though, I’m looking for a home where I’ll get lots of snuggles, playtime, and kitten-love.”

Introduction to Tools, June 12, 19 & July 10 (Bay Area) Introduction to Wood Veneer, June 12 (online) Advanced Wood Veneer, June 19 (online) Wood Burning Basics, June 26 (online)

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

A jigsaw is a great tool to use for making intricate cuts and curves. The thin blade and variable speed allow you to pivot and make incredibly tight turns. Jigsaws are also great to use when making notch cuts. To use a jigsaw, start the blade before you connect with the piece of wood you are cutting. This prevents any kickback. Also, slow down if you feel a lot of resistance from the saw. Always use two hands, and wear safety glasses and ear plugs.

Advanced Wood Burning, June 27 (online) For more information about these and other events, go to: https://www.dykeswithdrills.com/workshops

Dr. Jennifer Scarlett and Pup

Julie Peri is the Founder and Director of Dykes With Drills. https://www.dykeswithdrills.com/ S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY   T IM ES

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COMING OUT (continued from page 21) Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band,” further pronouncing to the conservative Chinatown crowd how being gay is nothing to be ashamed of, and that he was honored to have the Band under my leadership representing the intersection of our communities. Now, as Director of the Mathematics and Statistics Program at UC Berkeley’s Student Learning Center, I see how important it is to be my authentic self, to serve as a role model for students coming to the university and exploring their passions and their identities. And, as Artistic Director of the Freedom Band’s Marching and Pep Programs, I find it so important to bring our message to communities that have not as traditionally embraced the LGBTQ+ community. This culminated in participating in Choy Sun Doe Day in Chinatown in 2020, where an older Chinese gentleman, with tears in his eyes, came up to me and remarked how he never thought a gay group would be so prominent in Chinatown. It’s why it is so important for me to be out and gay in every aspect of my life, because you never know when being your authentic self can be so important to the lives of others. Mike Wong is the Director of the Mathematics and Statistics Program at UC Berkeley’s Student Learning Center and is the Artistic Director of the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band’s Marching and Pep Programs.

KRAMER/FRAMELINE (continued from page 16) things get a bit awkward. But is there something more going on here? Writer director Adar Sigler’s film is more bittersweet than comic, but it’s terrific. Lastly, The Wash (in Love) from Spain is a sweet, wordless, and color-coded short about two female neighbors who keep meeting up—deliberately?—on laundry day. Fun in Shorts also includes two films, Coming Out and From A to Q , which were not available for preview. Instructions for Survival (streaming June 17–27) is an illuminating documentary set in Tbilisi, Georgia, where Sasha, a transman, and his wife Marie live “carefully and quietly.” Sasha recounts the relentless tension he experiences being on the street where he can be targeted and killed for being trans. He has difficulties obtaining an ID card for work and refuses to see doctors after having had a bad experience at a military hospital. While his parents do not accept Sasha, he does have a strong network of friends and supporters. However, his situation is not tenable, and Marie becomes a surrogate to seek asylum in Belgium. Their story is told with compassion by director Yana Ugrekhelidze, and it is hard not to hope that Sasha and Marie not just survive, but also thrive. Frameline gives viewers another chance to catch the intoxicating romance, Ma Belle, My Beauty (streaming June 17–27). Lane (Hannah PepperCunningham) is visiting her former lovers Bertie (Idella Johnson) and Fred (Lucien Guignard), who are now married to each other. Lane hopes to win Bertie back, but she also hooks up with Noa (Sivan Noam Shimon). The magic of writer-director Marion Hill’s charming film is that everyone’s desires and motivations are clear. Hill also offers some keen insights about relationships along with beautiful people in a beautiful setting. Milkwater (streaming June 17–27) is an amiable comedy about Milo (Molly Bernard), a young woman in New York, and what happens when she becomes a surrogate for Roger (Patrick Breen), a 50-something gay man who has long wanted a child. Milo’s decision is seen as impulsive by her friends Noor (Ava Eisenson), a pregnant lesbian, and her gay roommate George (Robin de Jesus). Bernard, who plays Milo with the right mix of spunk and insecurity, is ingratiating as she makes a big, snap decision that she may not be equipped to handle. But as Milkwater boxes its protagonist into a corner, Milo becomes self-destructive and sabotages her relationships. Bernard’s quicksilver performance makes viewers feel her every shifting mood, yet viewers will root for Milo even as her behavior becomes increasingly more erratic. The affectionate documentary No Straight Lines (At the Castro June 27, 6:30 pm and streaming June 17–27) traces the careers of five groundbreaking gay and lesbian comic book artists and how they defined themselves and took risks to create a queer comics scene that is in full bloom today. There are charming anecdotes and illustrations as No Straight Lines shows how these artists “drew themselves as they wanted to be represented.” In doing so, they changed the landscape and formed a strong sense of community. This is a fun and at times touching film that should inspire viewers to seek out these artists’ work. The provocative documentary North by Current (streaming June 17–27) opens by asking, “How did you become who you became?” Trans filmmaker Angelo Madsen Minax takes a reflexive approach to answering this question about identity-formation by investigating his own family. However, they are reeling from the death of his niece, Kalla. Both Madsen’s sister Jesse and her partner David are suspected of child abuse in a case that was initially ruled a tragic accident. But North by Current is not a true crime story. Instead, the film parses out information—about the case, and about the family history—to examine the truth and lies people tell in order to cope with a difficult reality. Madsen grapples with some painful remarks regarding his transition. But it is Jesse’s relationship with Madsen that forms the core of the film. Scenes of them talking honestly and openly about 30

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events in their lives, or recreating a scene from their childhood, are affecting. This is an intimate, personal, and quietly powerful film. Potato Dreams of America, (June 15, 9 pm at Fort Mason Drive-In; and streaming June 17–27) written and directed by Wes Hurley, is the fabulous feature film version of his fabulous 2017 documentary short Potato Dreams. Based on his life as a closeted youth growing up in the USSR, the visually stylish and dryly comic film recounts Potato (Hersh Powers in Russia; Tyler Bocock in America), coming to terms with his sexuality. He and his mother Lena (Sera Barbieri in Russia; Marya Sea Kaminski in America) emigrate when she marries a man (Dan Lauria) in Seattle who may not be what he seems. Prognosis: Notes on Living (Livestreaming and post-screening Q&A June 19 at 4 pm, with an encore presentation June 26 at 4 pm; both free with reservation) is a heartfelt documentary that chronicles the progress and process of Oscar-winning San Francisco-based filmmaker Debra Chasnoff as she is diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. “Chas,” as she is known, wanted to make a film about her experiences, and she—along with her co-director, Kate Stilley Steiner, who completed the film after Chas’ passing—take viewers along to her doctor appointments, a healing retreat (that Chas resists), cannabis regimes, and medical treatments. Prognosis also depicts Chas’ relationship with her partner Nancy, and her deteriorating mental and physical health as her reality, behavior, and cognition undergo dramatic changes. The film is life-affirming as it provides revealing moments such as a birthday party that show how Chas wants to prolong her life even as the inevitable happens. This film is highly personal, but it also speaks to more universal experiences. That does not make it any easier to watch, but it is ultimately gratifying. Summer of 85 (June 16, 9 pm, Fort Mason Drive-In) is writer/director François Ozon’s nifty adaptation of Aidan Chambers’ novel, set in a seaside community in Normandy. The film, which bills itself as a story about death, opens with Alex (Félix Lefebvre), a baby-faced teen, being taken in handcuffs by the police. He narrates this story of his loss of innocence and how he met David (Benjamin Voisin), who—spoiler alert—becomes the corpse in the story. Flashbacks reveal how Alex’s boat capsized one afternoon, only to have David save him. The two youths quickly become fast friends, spending as much time as they can together. Alex also takes a job in David’s family’s store, much to the delight of David’s mother (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi). Things only seem to improve when the two youths begin a romantic relationship. But Alex is provoked by jealousy as easily as he is seduced by the handsome and charming David, and that may be why he ends up dead. Summer of 85 is a lively tale of heartbreak and death, well-acted by the attractive leads and well told by Ozon. (If you miss it, Summer of ’85 opens June 18 in the Bay Area.) Swan Song, (streaming June 17–27) the third entry in director Todd Stephens’ “Sandusky” trilogy, is based on an iconic man Stephens knew in his hometown. Mr. Pat (Udo Kier) is a retired hairdresser asked to style a dead woman (Linda Evans) for her funeral. As he escapes his nursing home and travels across town, Pat reflects on his life. The film costars Jennifer Coolidge and out gay actor Michael Urie, and features cameos by Stephens’ regulars Stephanie McVay and Jonah Blechman. Stephens coaxes a phenomenal performance out of Kier, who captures Mr. Pat’s pathos with aplomb. https://www.frameline.org/ © 2021 Gary M. Kramer Gary M. Kramer is the author of “Independent Queer Cinema: Reviews and Interviews,” and the co-editor of “Directory of World Cinema: Argentina.” Follow him on Twitter @garymkramer

Round About - Rainbow Flags Everywhere! Photos by Rink

CASTRO STREETCAM presented by

We know it’s Pride Month when each year in June the rainbow flags go up on the historic lamp posts on Market Street and other light poles all over the Castro neighborhood.

http://sfbaytimes.com/

The front windows at Cliff’s Variety are filled with rainbow colors signaling “It’s Pride!”

Moby Dick bar has its full display of rainbow flags. On the outdoor side wall you will see Serge Gay Jr’s mural of a leather jacket and the red scarf tied to emulate the look of an AIDS ribbon. Buttons on the jacket include ones featuring images of Harvey Milk, James Baldwin, and many more.

In the window of the former HRC store on Castro Street you can read about the creative inspiration and meaning of the rainbow and leather flags.

Nothing says welcome to the yellow tier like thigh-high sequin boots. These Adore Boots for $126.99 are available in sizes 11 through 14.

This little plastic sleeve doesn’t look like much, but it fits your wallet and protects your vaccine card perfectly. $1.99 Rainbow flags go up during June on the Victorian housing local merchants on 19th Street at Castro.

A light pole decked out with rainbow flags sits on the sidewalk adjacent to Anchor Oyster Bar’s parklet and outdoor seating area.

A poster at the Levi’s store features the rainbow flag muscle shirt.

Dog Eared Books has in its window display books related to Pride.

s the world opens up more, we are feeling cautiously optimistic. Most of our staff is fully vaccinated. Tourists are returning. And we have a had a few days of sunshine. The ever changing guidance on masks has required that we make decisions about what we feel is right for our staff and the community. We will continue to require everyone to wear masks in our store for the foreseeable future. We hope you all understand.

As Heard on the Street . . . What film, series, or show had a positive impact on you in the past year? compiled by Rink

Jes Deville

Sister Celine

Sophoan Som

Troy Brunet

Morningstar Vancil

“Nomadland”

“Watching Gottnik on Ru Paul’s Drag Race because of the natural performances.”

“Sisters Apart, the opening night film of the Berlin & Beyond Film Festival, since it is about the importance of family—even in the face of danger.”

“Ru Paul’s Drag Race is fantastic fun. Joyous, and it’s always a hoot. It makes me happy.”

“The film Magnificent with Angelina Jolie. She is a much nicer character than the one in the publicity picture.”

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