San Francisco Bay Times - September 7, 2023

Reframing THE DOOM LOOP Narrative

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Reframing THE DOOM LOOP Narrative About Our Cover

“San Francisco’s changed. The things that spell San Francisco to me are disappearing fast.”

John “Scottie” Ferguson, the character played by Jimmy Stewart in Vertigo, was told this by “Gavin Elster” during the 1958 film. Even then, many people were bemoaning the loss of what they felt was once great—the 1950s version of MAGA.

San Francisco City Guides now offers a “Boom & Bust” tour, which has the description: “Since the days of the Gold Rush, San Francisco has had the reputation of being a city of booms and busts. This has been a place where you could strike it rich, but it’s also been a place where you could lose it all. On this tour you will follow the development of San Francisco from a remote trading outpost to a global hub for technology and finance. Along the way you’ll hear stories about bold ventures and ill-fated schemes, banking panics and stock market antics, all as we walk through San Francisco’s financial district.” http://tinyurl.com/2p8xban8

It is the world of finance that gave us the phrase “doom loop” that we now hear so often. Popularized in the 2001 business management book Good to Great by Jim Collins, the term, according to Investopedia, “describes a situation in which one negative economic condition creates a second negative condition, which in turn creates a third negative condition or reinforces the first, resulting in a self-reinforcing downward spiral.”

Looking up and down the streets of San Francisco, as Scottie did in Vertigo (albeit in a Hollywood stylized version of the city), it is not hard to see evidence of the doom loop or bust side of things: open air drug markets, homelessness, crime, smashed car windows, refuse, and more. The problems spill over to other parts of the Bay Area. Just a few days ago, for example, a member of our team in the East Bay went to a favorite neighborhood store and learned it had recently been ransacked to the point of near destruction. Driving out of the area, she got stuck in heavy traffic due to yet another shooting on Interstate 580 that shut down all westbound lanes. Upon returning home, she learned that a neighbor’s house had just been burglarized, with the coordinated team of thieves all caught on security cameras robbing the home and showing no fear of arrest. The police did show up—several hours later.

Earlier this year, the San Francisco Chronicle ran the story “Cities are struggling. San Francisco could be in for the biggest ‘doom loop’ of all” ( http://tinyurl.com/2a8hy2s7 ). It presents various scenarios, but many experts remain optimistic. As Ted Egan, the Chief Economist of the City and County of San Francisco, said: “We need an element of modesty here. In San Francisco, there’s a tradition of grand ambitions. And I think we need, rather than promoting a grand vision, we should ... let nature take its course while not going off the rails.”

Former President Donald Trump, himself in a doom loop of criminal charges, seems to love to go off the rails. He animatedly spins one narrative after another, from citizenship conspiracy theories surrounding fellow former President Barack Obama to relentless attacks on Hillary Clinton to claims of election fraud. The mob of Trump supporters who attacked the

‘Is San Francisco Okay?’

When the customer service agent I had called heard I was from San Francisco, she told me she had been raised there. “Is it okay?” she asked, sounding on the verge of tears. “Everything I see about San Francisco in the news is so awful. It sounds like everything is leaving, and there’s nothing good left.” It’s something I hear all the time from outsiders who only know what they see on the news. And the media has been having a field day these past few months, gleefully piling on our city as if there was nothing left worth fighting for. Remember the old newspaper adage: If it bleeds, it leads. There is no money in good news and sunny skies. So, the national press has been gleefully turning every challenge our city faces into cynical clickbait, and people fear what they have been told to fear. And yet San Francisco is still one of the most popular destinations in the world. Tourists are coming back in droves, eager to experience the natural beauty, the culture, the magic of our legendary town. Sometimes I work at conventions and conferences, where much of my time is spent answering questions about San Francisco: where to go and what to see when you only have a few hours, or one day. How to take public transportation. Where to eat. The hospitality I provide spills out onto the street; when I see visitors looking lost and confused, I often stop to offer help—a courtesy I appreciate when I am lost in other cities. Each of us is an ambassador for our city: we can all do our part to make visitors feel welcome, safe, comfortable. Ten years ago, I set out to walk every street in the city. While I haven’t completed the task yet, I learned that every street has a story. I spent years exploring neighborhoods I had never seen before, and was excited to find enchanting gardens and parks, quiet residential neighborhoods, historic monuments, stunning vistas, quirky

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Some Praise for San Francisco

Capitol Building on January 6, 2021, believed the spin and both literally and figuratively went off the rails.

When Scottie found himself spinning out of control, he elected over time not to believe the false narratives after being led astray. The ending of the movie, though, forces viewers to draw their own conclusions about the situation. So it is that the state of San Francisco now remains an open question. We perhaps can all agree, however, that it is better to exist in the “optimism spiral”—a phrase used by Donna Sachet at the end of Sunday’s a Drag than to get caught up in the vertigo-inducing doom loop.

Donna Sachet and the Optimism Spiral

(Editor’s Note: Sunday’s a Drag, a 15-year-old drag brunch tradition in San Francisco, recently relaunched at Club Fugazi for a limited run that hopefully will start up again in 2024. Hosted by San Francisco Bay Times columnist and drag legend Donna Sachet, the event series in August concluded with the following words shared by Sachet.)

“That brings us to the end of our show ... but not to the end of the history of Drag or of San Francisco, home to the Castro neighborhood, the first Transgender District, the Leather District, the Pink Triangle, Oasis, the first Drag Laureate, the Rainbow Honor Walk, the largest Pride Parade in the country, and rainbow Pride flags across all neighborhoods.

San Francisco continues to embrace Drag as the beautiful self-expression you’ve seen here today. This city represents hope in the face of sometimes overwhelming odds. Doom Loop? I think not. With every colorful mural, every volunteer project, every new business, every successful drag show, I see an Optimism Spiral, inch-by-inch and day-by-day, residents rising above the pessimism of pundits and seeking solutions.

As we draw on the strength of our rich past—José Sarria, Gilbert Baker, Sister Boom Boom, Sylvester, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Grand Dukes and Duchesses, Emperors and Empresses, we sparkle, we shine, and we entertain, and as the late Tony Bennett often sang, we find our heart right back here in San Francisco.”

There’s been a lot of French to overhear in the Haight Ashbury for the last few weeks. Grandpere’s busy trying to prove to a teenaged grandson that the world was once much cooler than it is now and that he was once cool. The traditional influx of tourists from la belle France made their appearance in August.

For all the national media bad-mouthing San Francisco, the world still wants to come to visit us. A few are frightened because they’ve been told to be frightened. Most are just happy to be here—families, retired couples, the young, and the restless are coming to see San Francisco in all her ragged glory.

As a tour guide, I meet them all. It even surprises me how many people tell me that they find the city so clean, but I’m glad they feel that way. I’m happy for any praise for this city I love.

There is so much to show the world. To begin, there is the extraordinary physical beauty of the city: All the stunning views offered by our 53 hills: the sweep of the bay, the heroic skyline of downtown, the small army of Victorian houses that manage to be both stately and playful, and, of course, the bracelet of bridges that holds the whole area together.

My tour takes people on public transportation, and the visitors are all impressed. Of course, we ride cable cars (the California line is a bargain right now, with its $5 all-day pass). We hop on the streetcars running down Market Street, noting the empty storefronts as well as the newly opening ones. We ride the 22 Fillmore to the breathtaking sight of the bay and the bridge from the top of Pacific Heights, and walk past the Mrs. Doubtfire house before catching the 45 Union for a walk down the crooked street.

Visitors miss out if they don’t get out into the neighborhoods—to the Castro, always lively and colorful, the Haight, Nob Hill, Dolores Heights, and Dolores Park. Of course, North Beach and Chinatown are as bright and alive as ever.

Then there are the monuments that make up our Civic Center—the War Memorial Veterans Building and Opera House—not to mention the moving War Memorial itself and the gilded dome of City Hall glowing across Van Ness. Visitors are impressed by the building’s façade, but the inside takes their breath away. On a good day you might see ten or more wedding parties along with two or three young women showing off their quinceañera dresses on the grand stairway.

And San Francisco has stories to tell, from the Gold Rush 49ers to the Super Bowl-winning 49ers. It’s not all happy, but it is riveting. It helps that you can draw on sources like Mark Twain,

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‘I Really Want to Visit Your City!’

from all around the globe see this permanent installation at SFO on a daily basis.

6/26 and Beyond

The lyrics of the iconic 1936 song “San Francisco” conclude with the grand proclamation: “San Francisco, welcome me home again. I’m coming home to go roaming no more.” Although we don’t promise never to “roam” again overseas to support the global marriage equality and LGBTIQ rights movement and for other travel adventures as well, we’ve never felt the City by the Bay’s welcome more warmly than when Stuart returned home last week from Japan.

As he looked up on his way to customs and immigration at SFO, he was greeted by the enormous image of a powerful and passionate queer rights activist with their fist raised high in the air in front of a huge pink triangle with the words “NEVER AGAIN” and “FIGHT BACK” in huge letters. The poster was flanked by images of LGBTIQ street protestors, one featuring Harvey Milk and the other with marchers holding signs reading “March for Gay Rights.” Indeed, countless travelers

“I really want to visit your city!” That was the response from a courageous Chinese LGBTIQ activist friend when Stuart shared a photo of the image with him on social media. Despite the challenges San Francisco currently faces, the city remains a beacon of hope and inspiration to myriad queer people around the world, especially people who face formidable obstacles simply being themselves in their home countries. Indeed, over the last decade that we’ve spoken about marriage equality and LGBTIQ rights in Japan and other parts of Asia, countless people have been greatly inspired when they hear us tell the story of the magic of San Francisco’s 2004 “Winter of Love.”

An LGBTIQ Chinese university student who comes from a remote part of China recently visited San Francisco this summer as part of a 10-day training program.

“Empowering” is the word he used to describe what he felt when he visited the Castro for the first time.

As he walked past bookstore windows openly displaying LGBTIQ books—something that is currently unthinkable in China—he told us that he finally found a place where he felt as if he truly belonged. He had the epiphany: “This is what straight people get to feel all of the time.”

This student, a self-described introvert, had not asked the other participants in his program to take photos of him as they spent a day visiting

the city. But when he saw the enormous rainbow flag waving in the sunshine at Castro and Market, he told them that there was one photo he had to have—standing proudly in Harvey Milk Plaza in front of the flag. And after dancing at the Sundance Saloon one evening and receiving a warm welcome from strangers, he exclaimed, “I wish I could come here every week.”

More than anything else, gun violence is what we’ve found gives foreigners pause about coming to the U.S. Of course, gun violence is a national problem caused by the powerful gun lobby and horrific rulings from the extremely conservative and out of step Republicandominated U.S. Supreme Court. Gun violence in many parts of the U.S. is much worse than in San Francisco. And San Francisco has sent strong gun control advocates to Washington, D.C., including Vice President Kamala Harris, House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, and Senator Dianne Feinstein. If San Francisco set national gun policy, the entire country would be a much safer place to live.

And if one seriously considers the claim that San Francisco is in a “doom loop,” we must remember that during the last three years of the COVID19 pandemic, San Francisco was indisputably a leading American city in saving the lives of its residents.

According to the news outlet Governing, the COVID-19 death rate in San Francisco was approximately onethird that of the nation as a whole.

Indeed, Robert Wachter, Chair of the UCSF Department of Medicine and a leading global public health expert, explained to Governing:

“If the country mirrored San Francisco’s death rate, 600,000 or 700,000 people we lost would be alive today.”

Those are staggering statistics. Hundreds of thousands of lives would have been saved if only the

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San Francisco’s Back: Mecca Beckons Again

Ambrose Bierce, Jack Kerouac, and Allen Ginsberg. Then there’s the fine cast of characters that runs from the Emperor Norton to Frank Chu.

Is everything perfect? No, of course not. San Francisco is a real city, a living entity. Things have never been perfect. I always tell tourists that ever since I arrived in the city 45 years ago, every mayor has promised to clean up Market Street and to solve the homeless problem. None of them have, showing that it may not be easy to do, but we try.

Then there are San Franciscans themselves. We have always pulled together in dire straits, from earthquakes to fires to influxes of hippie wannabes in 1967, to recent days of deep orange skies. The best recent example is the viral car crash from a few weeks ago on the Sanchez steps. The car came barreling down those stairs, hit a tree, flipped over, and landed on its roof. All the people walking along 19th Street ran to see if they could help, while the carjacking driver and passengers emerged unhurt and ran away. The important thing is that everyone came to help.

On any given leg of my daily journeys on public transport, San Franciscans spot tourists with me, and share their stories about what we’re passing. They’ll tell people what shouldn’t be missed, where they should eat, or about what is happening in the park that evening; the things I might have missed. San Franciscans love sharing about their city. We tend to be proud of her most of the time.

Even after all these years, even after all the changes, good and bad, San Francisco is a beautiful place and one of the great places to live in this country. I’ll always agree with Herb Caen who said, “One day I’ll die and maybe I’ll go to heaven. I’ll look around and say, ‘It’s not bad, but it ain’t San Francisco.’”

If you want to take a tour like the one Mark J. Mitchell described, go to https://www.realsanfranciscotours.com/

(Editor’s Note: While the majority of Bay Times readers are locals, here is an article by journalist Bill Malcolm that is directed toward those outside of the Bay Area. Many of the ideas that he suggests could also inspire a staycation for those of us who call San Francisco home.)

The demise of San Francisco in the mainstream press has been wildly exaggerated. The City by the Bay is back and better than ever. It’s ground central for the LGBTQ+ movement. New destinations and activities to check out include taking the Central Subway to Chinatown, visiting the Salesforce (rooftop) Park and the Presidio Tunnel Tops with its stunning view of the Golden Gate Bridge, and more. The homeless situation is much improved. Best of all, the drought is over. Plus, housing prices have fallen.

Getting There

I took Southwest Airlines both ways without incident through Denver. Fares were reasonable and there were no annoying fees and charges. I flew into OAK (Oakland) and out of San Francisco (SFO). Both are served by BART rapid transit. They use the Harvey Milk Terminal One at SFO that is full of displays of the history of the slain San Francisco Supervisor, killed by Supervisor Dan White who also murdered the Mayor, George Moscone. It’s a fascinating history display entitled Harvey Milk: Messenger of Hope that is detailed at the exhibits in the terminal. Don’t buy any hot food, though. They slap on a surprise 5% airport surcharge. (I don’t pay resort fees much less junk charges like this.) But do check out the gay souvenir section in the shops in the airport and their food to go is surcharge free.

Where to Stay and Eat

I always stay at the Beck’s Motor Lodge, 2222 Market between Noe and Sanchez. It’s a family run business that is close to the Castro and Upper Market neighborhoods. You can walk everywhere, and they offer free parking if you have a car. Rates are reasonable and you can stumble home from the bars. Peet’s Coffee is across the street as is the sports bar Hi Tops (try the nachos). Lookout Bar and Beaux bar are just steps away as is the La Méditerranée on Noe Street. Grab an It’s It ice cream sandwich (on graham crackers) at the Noe Valley Market or walk over to Courtney’s Produce on 14th Street and Castro for fresh juices and low-priced home-made sandwiches. Splurge for great French cuisine at L’ardoise Bistro on Noe Street. The new Hotel Castro on 18th Street across from Molly Stone’s Market is another option. The Lobby Bar in the hotel has a fun happy hour.

What to Do

Where do I start? There’s so much but I will focus on the new and extra fun stuff.

• Explore the Castro and enjoy the sidewalk panels that highlight the famous LGBTQ pioneers. Then head over to the GLBT Historical Society Museum on 18th Street.

• Walk up to nearby Corona Heights, Twin Peaks, and Buena Vista Park for the stunning views.

MITCHELL (continued from page 4) (continued on page 17)

try are a treat. The Ferry Building has great restaurants. Try the empanadas. Take the new Central Subway from Powell Street Station north to Chinatown or south to Mission Bay and the new Mission Rock neighborhood. Explore the new Chase Center or catch a show there.

• Take the Muni Metro subway west to West Portal Station. Have lunch at Squat & Gobble. Try the salmon salad.

• Sign up for a ride on Cruise or Waymo, the new driverless cars. You will see them everywhere on the street.

• Take the J Church up to Duboce Park for magnificent views of downtown and then over to the Noe Valley for Chinese cuisine at Eric’s Restaurant.

Hike with the San Francisco Hiking Club, which goes to nearby parks in the region: https://www.sfhiking.com/

• Take a walk or run with the Frontrunners. They meet at the Stowe Lake Boat House in Golden Gate Park at 9 am on Saturdays. Then walk along the car free JFK Drive or take the free shuttle to the museums.

• Take the Historic F Street Car to the Ferry Building and Fisherman’s Wharf. Restored street cars from around the coun-

TLC: Tears, Laughs and Conversation

We hear a great deal these days about our divided country. The fact that we are in an election cycle where one of the candidates has multiple indictments against him certainly does not help. The division has been a long time coming; a very long time. It’s often hard to see any light at the end of that tunnel without simply assuming it is an oncoming train.

Sadly, our very own LGBTQQIP2SA+ community is divided as well. That division often shows itself in competition or arguments between the various letters that describe our community. Everyone seems to be fighting for his/ her/their own piece of the pie— often to the detriment of others.

We see the age-old circular firing squad brought on by disagreements and discounting anyone who is “other” because they are not our kind of “other.” The specific letters can divide our queer community into smaller tribes to the exclusion of others. The challenge, of course, is to bring them together under one umbrella of understanding and support while still honoring the important differences.

The noise is getting louder every day. Many of us turn to music to calm us. Many of us turn to our animals for unconditional acceptance. I turn to music and Tater Tot. He helps calm me down. I also watch a lot of reels about puppies being rescued. Others watch cats do almost anything. But the background noise is still there and impossible to escape. Speaking of music, allow me to go there.

“People argue and hurt one another. People kill one another and hurt the earth.”

These words are in the news every hour of every day. But these words are not from the news, but from an extraordinary children’s book. When all is said and done, it is perhaps more for adults than children. I have lived with and loved this book for almost three decades. Its words literally haunt me, yet there is hope in the book as well. The words are from a book titled Old Turtle by Douglas Wood.

A few months ago, I highlighted the 50th Anniversary of the iconic book for our community, The Best Little Boy in the World. Later, I celebrated the 40th Anniversary of the song “Everything Possible.” This month, I am highlighting an amazing children’s book now celebrating its 30th Anniversary.

The book has been hailed as a “uniquely satisfying, beautifully imagined fable about ecology, peace, and the interconnectedness of all beings.” It has sold 2

Old Turtle to the Rescue

½ million copies and won a raft of national literary awards. The book itself includes remarkable watercolors by Cheng-Khee Chee. It poignantly describes much of where we are today.

The one thing that may hinder many from embracing the book is the reference to God. I have found that, in our community, there are many definitions and substitutions for that word. Knowing the author and the goal of the book, I believe that the reference is not to the old white ZZ Top lookalike who rains down plagues and floods and death (oh my). So, if you can get beyond that, you’ll be touched by the story. In a bit of irony, the book and author were blasted by the religious right for two reasons. The first is that God is portrayed without gender—sometimes he, other times

After a long and scary time, they began to see God in one another and in the beauty of all the earth. And Old Turtle smiled.”

Not long after the book was released some 30 years ago, a friend of mine in Dallas, Cece Cox, gifted me with a copy. She thought it would be of interest since I was then the conductor of the Turtle Creek Chorale, Dallas’ gay men’s chorus. I let it sit on my desk for many months before reading it. I jokingly said that I already knew enough old turtles. One day, I picked it up. The words literally leapt off the page—begging to be sung. I began hunting down the author through his publisher. When we finally connected, he was thrilled and felt a gay chorus had the perfect diverse voice and mission that would carry the message of the book perfectly.

she. The other is the that the division was solved when humans began to see God in one another. That doesn’t sit well with fundies.

The story begins with the idyllic, peaceful existence of all animals in nature. Consider the Garden of Eden before the naked people arrived. For the fish, God was in the ocean. For the birds, she was in the clouds. For the butterflies, he whispered, and for the lion, she roared. The argument about who God was got louder until finally Old Turtle, who rarely said anything, stepped in with a thundering “Stop!” She had news of a new species arriving on Earth:

“There will soon be a new family of beings in the world. They will come in many colors and shapes, with different faces and different ways of speaking.

They will possess many powers. They will be strong, yet tender, a message of love from God to the earth, and a prayer from the earth back to God.”

As you might imagine, once the people came, it did not take long for them to forget they were love and a message and a prayer.

“They began to argue about who knew God, who did not, where God was and was not and whether God was or was not. The people hurt one another or killed one another. And they hurt the earth until finally even the forests began to die and the rivers and the oceans and the earth itself.

Until one day there came a voice. Please, Stop!

Who could compose such a massive work? There was only one composer up to the task: Joseph Martin. We had sung many pieces by Joseph, including the world premiere of his mixed chorus voicing of The Awakening. Thus began a two-year process of commissioning the musical version: Song of Wisdom of Old Turtle. Joseph’s compositional style was the perfect mixture of sweeping, expressive, challenging, yet intimate music this story needed. It was obvious that the book needed to be performed by a chorus of men and women, so we included our sister chorus, The Women’s Chorus of Dallas, a full orchestra, and narrator. By the way, the Song of Wisdom of Old Turtle also represents one of the highlights of my music commissioning career.

Who would narrate? Because of the healing message of the book, someone suggested perhaps actress Marlo Thomas (That Girl ) would consider narrating. We contacted her, she said, “Yes,” and we made St. Jude Children’s Hospital the beneficiary of the proceeds. What a thrill it was. My assistant and I flew to New York and met Ms. Thomas at a recording studio to record the narration. She was an absolute dream and a consummate professional. She literally recorded the 30-minute piece straight through in one take. We were thrilled and thought it was perfection. She did not. She asked to listen back, took a few notes. When it was over, we were in tears. She asked if she could record five spots again. Her perfect was obviously more perfect than ours! At that point, we hugged and the recording was a wrap (as they say in the

business). She proved to be That Girl after all!

It all came together with the world premiere in Dallas. The publisher gave us 1,000 books to give away to children who attended. Tickets were “One adult free when accompanied by a child.” From our position on the stage, we could see the hundreds of children turn the pages as the narrator spoke. We could see the delight on their faces as the story being sung sprang to life with each of the beautiful watercolors. It has now been sung all over North America and I had the honor of conducting it at Lincoln Center.

The book is available everywhere. You can hear the recording on Spotify or on the Turtle Creek Chorale’s YouTube channel. It is the Song of Wisdom from Old Turtle. On YouTube, it is divided into five movements.

The other reason Old Turtle is top of mind is that I will be conducting it at the end of this month for the Plymouth Music Festival in Wichita, Kansas. I am beyond excited.

As mentioned in the beginning, the story is a fable. While this book is intended for children and perhaps more suitable for adults, it has important messages for those of us in the queer community. As Old Turtle said, humans come in “many colors and shapes, with different faces and different ways of speaking.” Those of us considered “other” certainly come in a wide variety of

everything. What is heartbreaking is to see the arguments break out among those we should be communing, supporting, and loving.

The argument about who knew God or didn’t comes to us in the form of who is right, who is wrong, who is woker, and who is not. “I have the right answer because my feet are on solid ground.” “No, I have the right answer because my head is in the clouds, and I can see so much more from up here.” We sometimes can’t see the good in each other because we have disagreed about things that really don’t matter in the end. We choose to focus on the bad and the difference.

We need an Old Turtle to whisper with the voice of thunder, “Stop!” I still have hope that one exists in our world. We are just waiting for them to show up. Along with that hope, my prayer is that someday, there might also be a reason for her to smile. Until then, I’ll snuggle up with Tater Tot and listen to the Song of Wisdom from Old Turtle

Dr. Tim Seelig is the Conductor Laureate of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus.

http://www.timseelig.com/

September Is Bay Area Public Transit Month

flexible, allowing them to use it for capital or operations. As Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, I support helping out MUNI, BART, and others, but I also didn’t want to just hand over a blank check without some accountability.

Transit’s biggest problem lately has been the lack of ridership, which has been slowly increasing, but nowhere near pre-pandemic levels. Customers have said they’re reluctant to come back because of safety, cleanliness, and reliability. I want to be assured those issues are addressed. We can’t hand over money just to maintain the status quo. Transit agencies must improve and bring riders back.

To address my concerns, I’m happy to report the $5.1 billion funding does come with conditions:

SF Pride Executive Director Among Those

Trapped at Burning Man

Heavy rains left thousands of Burning Man 2023 participants, including SF Pride Executive Director Suzanne Ford, stranded at the annual event’s desert site. While still at the temporary community location called Black Rock City in northwestern Nevada, Ford told the San Francisco Bay Times : “It’s been difficult but so rewarding. Watching people take care of each other is so refreshing. The art is incredible. I will always treasure this experience.”

Last month we celebrated the 150th anniversary of San Francisco’s beloved cable cars, an iconic and vital part of the Bay Area’s transportation infrastructure. Indeed, many residents rely on cable cars, buses, trains, or ferries to get to school, medical appointments, work, fun activities, and more. For the month of September, we recognize the vital role all modes of public transportation have in our lives and our economy for Bay Area Transit Month. This year’s commemorations are worth noting because the state Legislature stepped up to save the Bay Area’s transit agencies, as they faced a “fiscal cliff”—a situation in which declining fare revenue and the end of pandemic funding from the federal government could have resulted in significant operational cuts as early as this summer. Measures to stay afloat could have meant reducing hours and/or cutting back frequency of service, largely impacting commuters and lower income Californians who don’t own a car. But all that was avoided for now because we allocated $5.1 billion in state funding to cover the transit systems over four years. The money is

• transit operators must submit a short-term financial plan and data;

• there will be no additional funding after four years, unless the Transportation Agency approves a long-term financial plan;

• and a Transit Transformation Task Force shall develop policy recommendations by the end of 2025 on ways to grow ridership and improve the customer experience, including seamless transfers between the Bay Area’s 27 transit agencies.

Transit agencies foresaw this funding gap coming and sought our help. Twenty-six years ago, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission received authorization from the state Legislature to ask voters to approve a regional gas tax to help fund public transportation. They have yet to pursue it. Our agencies need to get that Bay Area-wide measure on the ballot, if they want to stay in business.

In the meantime, our short-term efforts buy us time, and transit services are running. We can enjoy the many events scheduled to celebrate Bay Area Transit Month, including rides, hikes, and daytrips organized by San Francisco Transit Riders. Their website ( http://tinyurl.com/y4cd3977 ) lists where and when you can join the fun.

Safe, reliable, and clean public transportation must continue to be part of our lives, especially since it keeps our economy strong and helps us meet our climate goals by providing carfree options to travel.

Phil Ting represents the 19th Assembly District, which includes the west side of San Francisco along with the communities of Broadmoor, Colma, and Daly City, as well as part of South San Francisco and San Bruno.

She later told KRON4 News, while gearing up to leave, “I’ll say I survived the 2023 Burning Man flood.”

On Facebook, Ford posted a photo from the Fernley First Baptist Church declaring, “Hell is the ultimate Burning Man.” https://burningman.org/

Pride Around the Bay and Beyond

September 23

Martinez Pride Martinez will be holding its inaugural pride celebration along the waterfront.

https://tinyurl.com/MartinezPride

October 13–15

Petaluma Pride

The second annual Petaluma Pride will feature a weekend of events, with their main events being held on Saturday, October 14.

https://petalumapride.org/

In Case You Missed It

Whatever else may be going on around the country, the local LGBTQ+ community continues to prove its strength and resilience, proudly shining brightly in a number of Pride celebrations that continue to blossom. Since late spring, Pride celebrations have been popping up throughout the greater Bay Area and beyond. From Santa Cruz to Half Moon Bay, to Pinole, Port Costa, Castro Valley, Walnut Creek, Concord, Clayton, Sausalito, San Rafael, Santa Rosa, San Jose, and more, cities and towns are making Pride celebrations a visible and vibrant part of their local communities.

While many of the celebrations took place earlier in the season, late summer still holds some celebrations ahead:

September 9–10

Oakland Pride

This year, Oakland Pride and Pridefest Oakland are joining together to celebrate and support the cultures and diversity of the LGBTQ+ community.

https://oaklandpride.org/

October 13–15

Russian River Pride

The Russian River community is tightknit and resilient, having survived fires, floods, COVID-19, and more these past few years. It’s time to party, and they are celebrating this year with their biggest Pride celebration ever. The Russian River Alliance is coordinating a full weekend of events, including a tea dance on Johnson’s Beach, a parade on Sunday, October 15, and a number of ancillary events; more details in my next column. For info, or to sign up as a vendor or volunteer:

https://tinyurl.com/RRAPride

The Data Is In: Connecting Is Good for Your Health

During the pandemic, one of the major hurdles that many people faced was not being able to access inperson healthcare for their ongoing non-COVID needs. At UCSF/SF General’s famous HIV Clinic—Ward 86—the clinic’s Director, Dr. Monica Gandhi, saw the danger this would pose for her patients, and decided that people were more important than protocols. Throughout the lockdown, she made sure the clinic’s patients could access the healthcare they needed. Many of her patients

are long-term survivors, the first-ever generation aging with HIV.

After the lockdown was lifted, what she discovered is that she didn’t lose a single patient to COVID. Instead, patients who had been isolated throughout the lockdown fell prey to depression, substance abuse, and suicide. In many cases, isolation and loneliness turned out to be more deadly than COVID, especially for older people, and those living alone.

Meanwhile, at the Shanti Project, Health Counselor and founder of Honoring Our Experience Gregg Cassin saw the dangers of pandemicinduced isolation as well. As a longterm HIV survivor himself, and as someone who has been facilitating HIV retreats and events for almost 40 years, Gregg immediately set to work to build bridges to link people virtually throughout the lockdown. He coordinated online retreats, social gatherings, a writing group, and any other way he could contrive to bring people together safely, and build welcoming spaces where people could gather for community and support.

Naturally, during this time Dr. Gandhi and Gregg Cassin found each other, and built a powerful alliance, often working together to strengthen the physical and mental health of the community. And it turns out the work they are doing is on the cutting edge of public health policy. In May 2023, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released a Surgeon General Advisory sounding the alarm on the public health crisis of loneliness, isolation, and lack of connection in our country. According to this advisory, even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately half of U.S. adults reported

experiencing measurable levels of loneliness. In fact, loneliness and isolation increase the risk for individuals to develop mental health challenges in their lives, and lacking connection can increase the risk for premature death to levels comparable to smoking daily. Bottom line: Disconnection fundamentally and negatively impacts our mental, physical, and societal health.

The advisory lays out a framework for a national strategy to advance social connection—something that has never before been implemented in the U.S. Recommendations are outlined for individuals, governments, workplaces, health systems, and community organizations to work toward increasing connection and improving health. Dr. Murthy said, “Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation has been an underap -

preciated public health crisis that has harmed individual and societal health. Our relationships are a source of healing and well-being hiding in plain sight—one that can help us live healthier, more fulfilled, and more productive lives. Given the significant health consequences of loneliness and isolation, we must prioritize building social connection the same way we have prioritized other critical public health issues such as tobacco, obesity, and substance use disorders. Together, we can build a country that’s healthier, more resilient, less lonely, and more connected.”

Knowing that people living with HIV/AIDS, especially long-term survivors, face additional challenges including social isolation, stigma, low self-esteem, PTSD, and

(continued on page 17)

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GLBT Fortnight in Review

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

Before we begin, a quick update from police in North Wales around Broughton. Apparently, people have been noticing “Christmas gnomes” abandoned in their front yards. According to an “urgent warning” from detectives, this is a nefarious plot to determine whether or not homeowners are out of town. Those who ignore the gnomes might be giving criminals a signal that the coast is clear for breaking and entering and all the hanky-panky one can imagine would follow such an intrusion.

Personally, I might leave the gnome in place, given that it’s a quirky decoration—much like a pink flamingo—that could add some cachet to my wife’s beautifully tended front garden. More interestingly, who thinks of a ploy like this? Does a gang leader buy up several dozen Christmas gnomes and instruct his underlings to plant them around town? How did he or she come up with such a strategy? Is this something we may have to worry about here in the U.S.? And wouldn’t it be more appropriate to dump some Halloween items in view of the fact that Americans are all supposed to wait until after Thanksgiving before we install Christmassy things? Indeed, given that it’s only September, why not use regular gnomes in the first place?

Much to think about here.

And I have one more irrelevant news item, namely the death of a 74-year-old Italian cheesemaker, Giacomo Chiapparini, who died under the weight of heavy parmesan-style cheese wheels that fell when shelving collapsed at his warehouse in northern Lombardy. This is actually not funny at all, of course. The man was a father and grandfather who had been running his dairy and cheese factory as a family business. It took firefighters 12 hours to get to his body, laboriously removing 100-pound wheels of cheese one at a time.

It caught my eye, however, because Mel and I are fond of Midsomer Murders and often laugh at the absurd fatalities devised by the writing team. One woman was killed in exactly this manner, buried in giant wheels of cheddar, although in her case it wasn’t an accident (cue: Midsomer theme song and slo-mo blood soaking title image).

Wilted Celery

I found the cheese story in a large news file I created on July 25, but apparently forgot about. Given that it’s early September, the contents of that file are stale but not completely useless, much like the remains in the bottom of your vegetable bin, some of which can still be chopped up for stir fry or broth or one of those dinners where you have to make do with random ingredients and leftovers because you haven’t been to the store in two weeks.

I covered some of those items in recent columns, but did not tell you, for example, about a woman who died from drinking too much water. I gravitate towards counter-intuitive health stories about, say, someone who lived to 110 by drinking martinis and smoking two cigarettes a day, or someone who suffered from too much exercise.

I also skipped the fact that British rowing has banned transgender women altogether, even though they were already required to lower their testosterone to female levels. That

was because I was covering many other transgender stories, but I have also not mentioned in this column that the International Chess Federation has banned transwomen from women’s competitions while they study the issue for two years. I didn’t realize that chess was played according to gender to begin with. Why? And why on earth would transgender women be singled out for a game that requires only intelligence and forethought?

I have been intending to look into this matter further, because it’s mystifying, and when I’m mystified it usually means I don’t know what the hell I’m writing about and should probably do some basic research. But surely the Chess People don’t think men are inherently smarter than women, right?

In other old vegetable news, I left out a nasty antigay demonstration by neo-Nazis at a pride parade in Wisconsin, along with a couple of lawsuits in Texas that are in the early stages. There’s also an interesting lawsuit out of Massachusetts, where a middle-school kid, Liam Morrison, has been banned from wearing an anti-trans T-shirt that says “There Are Two Genders.”

The rightwing Alliance Defending Freedom is asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit to weigh in on the case after a lower court declined to issue an injunction against the school.

According to school authorities, the shirt violates the dress code, which reads that: “Clothing must not state, imply, or depict hate speech or imagery that targets groups based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious affiliation, or any other classification.” Of course, as we all recall, students don’t leave their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse gates. On the other hand, the free speech rights of public school students are limited by the overall constitutional rights of the student body, and the school itself, acting as substitute parents during the school day, has the right to protect the kids against violence, threats, or fear. A student can protest a war with a black armband. They can’t wear a swastika or gang colors.

What we face, again, is the question of whether anti-GLBT ideas and speech fall into the category of discriminatory threats, or whether such notions are simply one side of a perfectly reasonable debate over religion or morality. This infuriating way of seeing the issue diminishes our community more than any particular T-shirt or slogan.

Trials and Tribulations

I was just reading a piece in The Advocate about a California mother who settled a lawsuit against her child’s middle school for $100,000. The mother claimed that the school “forced” her daughter to identify as a bisexual transboy after the Equality Club used pressure tactics to intimidate her. Once COVID19 shut down the school, the story goes, the daughter reverted to being female but remained confused and depressed—ergo the hundred K, I’m assuming. The school denied the gaslighting, but (again I assume) paid the mother some cash to get her lawsuit dropped.

I’m reporting this to give you a perfect example of my weekly news feeds. At the bottom of the story, The Advocate links to: “Pence Rails Against Trans Kids, Pronouns During Midwest Speaking Swing,”

“Wisconsin School District Bans Preferred Pronouns & Pride Symbols,” “Transgender Students Could Be Outed by Florida School District’s Plan,” “California School District Will Make Staff Out Trans Students to Their Parents,”

“Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin Declares War on Transgender Kids,” “Virginia House Advances Anti-Trans Sports, Outing Bills,”

“Anti-LGBTQ+ Bills Allowing Outing, Pronoun Bans Advance Around Nation.”

Any one of these links could generate a lengthy segment in our column, with several stories left to percolate until next issue. It’s unending, relentless, and dispiriting. Is it any wonder I’m drawn to manatee sexcapades or people killed by cheese?

Or how about the city bros caught in a bar fight in the London financial district the other night?

According to what I can piece together from The Daily Mail, lawyer Barnaby Gush, 30, was dancing “flamboyantly” in a popular nightclub, when banker Jonathan Luke started deliberately running into him and his partner. Luke, 32, who had been drinking all evening and was reportedly going from group to group bothering people on the dance floor. After Gush told him to get lost, Luke replied “f off you little “p---,” which is some British gay slur—I’m guessing “poof.” Gush then turned around and belted Luke, fracturing his jaw in two places with one punch.

Why do I like this story? I’m not a big fan of violence, and I’m disgusted by the mostly male habit of hitting people and smashing things in a rage like a small child. But it’s nonetheless satisfying when the stereotypical gay victim bashes the basher. Please note that there’s no evidence that Gush was in fact gay, with the possible exception of the flamboyant dance.

Don’t

Write Gay

By the way, am I the only person who finds it hard to sympathize with the Burning Man crowd who got stuck in the mud? We just watched thousands of people lose their homes and loved ones in Maui, followed by a pretty bad hurricane in western Florida. These Burning Man folks reportedly enjoy being self-sufficient and going with the flow, even when the flow is brown sludge. To give them credit, many of them did not complain to interviewers, calling the wet conditions just another Burning Man experience. So why did we have to hear about this seeming emergency for days? It rained, it got muddy, and people were stranded for several days. After that, it dried out and people were able to leave. It’s Burning Man, for God’s sake.

I feel like continuing the non-GLBT news topics. Which sculptor taught us that a masterpiece was made by starting with a piece of marble and chipping away everything that was not the beautiful figure hidden beneath? Perhaps I can write my way into a brilliant GLBT news column by talking about everything not gay and letting our community emerge from the emptiness that remains.

With that in mind, I read a fascinating op-ed in The New York Times about the increasing difficulty of maintaining our standard theory of the universe as anomalies and controversies continue to eat away at

the underlying structures astrophysicists have long taken for granted.

“The Story of Our Universe May Be Starting to Unravel,” by Adam Frank and Marcelo Gleiser, is a fascinating piece. “We may be at a point,” they suggest, “where we need a radical departure from the standard model, one that may even require us to change how we think of the elemental components of the universe, possibly even the nature of space and time.”

We imagine what the denizens of the early 1900s would think of us with our cars, smart phones, helicopters, moon rovers and social media. Imagine what the world of 2150 will think of us too. We see ourselves as so advanced, yet we have no idea how the universe operates, how quantum particles interact, what dark matter and dark energy represent. We tremble at artificial intelligence without the slightest idea how it will evolve and how it will be used. As for global warming, it may destroy all our major cities or we might find a way to capture carbon out of the atmosphere. Who knows? Wouldn’t you like to time travel for a day?

I can tell you one thing for sure. No one will think twice about having a gay or trans relative or neighbor. Okay, two things. We won’t be raising and killing animals for food, and I say this as a contented meat eater, although I have to compartmentalize in order to enjoy it. Compartment One notices pigs are quite intelligent and treated inhumanely. Compartment Two sees bacon crisping on a paper towel for breakfast. Yum!

Oh, Wait

There’s actually an important legal development out of the Eleventh Circuit, where as you recall from our last column, a three-judge panel reinstated Alabama’s law against transgender health care for minors. The plaintiffs have now asked the full Eleventh Circuit to review the case, and last month’s anti-transgender ruling will be suspended while the court decides whether to accept review. That means Alabama’s law remains on hold for now and transkids will still be able to access care. It also delays action on cases out of Florida and Georgia, where antitrans groups are trying to get laws enforced against kids in their states as well. Those laws are on hold as well for the time being.

If the full appellate court agrees to review the matter of the injunction, that will take some time. And if they decline, our side can appeal to the Supreme Court, which will take more time. This is all just to say that we are in the midst of a delaying tactic that provides breathing room for a desperate population in these three southern states.

I should add that despite the to-hellwith-everything attitude of today’s column, there are a number of major cases and rulings ahead that will provide nonstop legal fodder for many columns to come. Plus, the Supreme Court returns to action at the end of this month, with a conference in advance of the start of the 2023/24 session. I promise not to leave you high and dry with nothing but dead sea cows and gay penguins.

arostow@aol.com

Reviving San Francisco - Civic Center

Photos by Rink and Juan R. Davila

San Francisco Bay Times lead photographer Rink and volunteer coordinator Juan R. Davila made their way to U.N. Plaza to observe and participate in the three-day Civic Center Carnival held August 25–27 at Fulton Street between the Main Library and the Asian Art Museum.

The carnival was a precursor to a series of special events being rolled out, starting this month, by the San Francisco Department of Recreation and Parks in a pilot program designed to transform the U.N. Plaza. Inspired by similar initiatives held in other cities, including Philadelphia, PA, and international municipalities such as Paris and Madrid, the plans include installation of facilities for multiple recreation activities.

Among civic leaders lending their support to the project are City Librarian Michael Lambert, Park Department General Manager Phil Ginsburg, Supervisor Dean Preston, and Asian Art Museum CEO Barbara Bass Bakar.

Mayor London Breed described the plans as “one of many ways we are creating joy and celebrating in the heart of our city. Creating vibrant, lively public spaces with activities people of all ages can enjoy is how we create stronger, safer communities.”

The Mayor’s recently approved budget includes resources for new park rangers in a coordinated effort to focus law enforcement and cleaning resources around the Tenderloin, Mid-Market, and South of Market areas in addition to Civic Center and U.N. Plaza.

‘Emperor Norton Place’ Celebration to Honor the Legacy of a San Francisco Folk Hero

San Francisco, known for its rich history and colorful characters, is set to celebrate the enduring legacy of one of its most iconic figures, Joshua Abraham Norton, better known as Emperor Norton I. In a special commemoration, Supervisor Peskin invites the public to the “Emperor Norton Place” Celebration on Sunday, September 17, from 1–4 pm.

Emperor Norton’s remarkable journey began in 1849 when he arrived in San Francisco as an English Jew seeking fortune. He established himself as a successful merchant and investor in commodities and real estate but faced financial setbacks leading to bankruptcy in August 1856. On September 17, 1859, Norton declared himself “Norton I, Emperor of the United States,” later adding the title “Protector of Mexico.”

Over two decades, Emperor Norton became a beloved champion of fairness, tolerance, self-determination, and the common good—values deeply associated with San Francisco. He remains a cherished folk hero of the city.

Emperor Norton resided in the Eureka Lodgings at 624 Commercial Street from 1865 until his passing in January 1880. Although the building was lost in the earthquake and fires of April 1906, the site now hosts a 4-story building at 650/652/654 Commercial Street, adjacent to the serene Empire Park.

Earlier this year, the City and County of San Francisco honored Emperor Norton’s memory by designating the 600 block of Commercial as “Emperor Norton Place” and installing a commemorative street sign at the north-

west corner of Montgomery and Commercial Streets.

The upcoming celebration will commemorate the 164th anniversary of Emperor Norton’s public reign. The formal dedication will commence at 1 pm at the NW corner of Montgomery and Commercial Streets then exhibits and tours will be offered in Empire Park.

During the afternoon, attendees will also be able to explore the San Francisco Historical Society Museum, located at 608 Commercial Street, with a special Sunday opening. The museum will feature an exhibit showcasing original Norton ephemera, including cabinet card photographs of the Emperor and Norton “bonds” signed by him. Additionally, there will be educational activities for children centered around the beloved Emperor Norton.

https://www.sfhistory.org/

Writing a regularly published column is no easy feat, as we are sure the majority of esteemed columnists of this paper will tell you; but the San Francisco Bay Times has consistently been so supportive of our presence in this paper and of our many endeavors in the community, that writing “Donna’s Chronicles” has been an absolute pleasure. We respect their deadlines, just as they respect our many obligations. We write an ostensibly social column, but Betty Sullivan & Jennifer Viegas, Co-Publishers of the Bay Times, have been very flexible, allowing us great liberty to cover political topics, newsworthy events, and especially personal stories that resonate in our community. For that and for all the powerful moral support they have given us over the years, we are extremely grateful.

This column’s deadline looms around the horizon as we enjoy an unusual two-week vacation with friends in Croatia. CoCo Butter, a name familiar to many in our community, planned to celebrate his upcoming birthday in this storied land and invited a small group of good friends to join him. The formal name for such an event is evidently “destination birthday party.” Whatever the nomenclature, we saw this as an opportunity to spend time with good friends in an exotic locale, perfectly timed to coincide with the successful conclusion of four weeks of Sunday’s a Drag at Club Fugazi, so successful, in fact, that

we are now in conversation about a Spring 2024 renewal.

Western Europe has always been a favorite destination of ours, since we have long admired and studied that part of the world. But Eastern Europe is something of a mystery and Croatia combines those two distinct cultures. Nestled along the Dalmatian Coast, Croatia boasts seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites and has recently been included in many lists of must-see locations. What better time to expend our horizons and embrace the Croatian culture?

Along for the journey would be several people close to CoCo, but relatively unfamiliar to us, including Lori Bivens Ramirez, Michell Egan, Brian Gipson & Shigeo Nakatani, and Billy Vanderland & Niko Preovolos, but others with whom we have forged a meaningful relationship, including Kevin Lisle & Dustin Lee, Khmera Rouge, and Evan Wright & John Hershey As the successful run at Club Fugazi ended, we quickly packed our bags for a European adventure!

Flying with Lufthansa Airlines for the very first time, we flew from San Francisco to Frankfurt and on to Split, Croatia. We have never been one to travel to or within a country without doing due diligence, familiarizing ourselves with the culture, history, and geography, and sometimes the language involved. Please note, we did not learn a new language in a few months, as did Cabinet Member Pete Buttigieg, but we merely memorized a few key phrases to ingratiate ourselves with the locals. This remains, nevertheless, a social column, so we will not bore our readers with copious details of our trip. Included were sojourns to the Island of Hvar, the city of Dubrovnik, and a quick stop in Paris, France. More importantly, we want our readers to reflect on the value of travel in general.

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page,” said Saint Augustine, an unlikely source for a quote for this column, but a snippet of wisdom, nevertheless. Travel opens our eyes to the rich diversity of the world around us, the fact that even the most mundane activities may be done differently in different cultures. Indeed, not everyone pays for transactions in dollars, not every driver drives on the right side of the street, and not every individual actively participates in the government of their nation. And even if travel is limited to the United States, one will witness a broad spectrum of regional differences, presenting valid alternatives to the way we do the most basic things. We often reflect on how much the world would benefit from sharing ideas and exposing everyone to the world around them, introducing new ideas, questioning old concepts, and presenting behaviors and traditions, both unfamiliar and intriguing. The more one travels, the more one recognizes the commonalities

of the human race, the many things we all share in common, thus opening up doors to joint efforts for a common cause. It is so easy to get bogged down in the negative news of every day, but travel puts things into a new perspective. Families want to protect their members from injustice, friends want to spend more time with each other, and there is a basic goodness in humanity that produces sometimes surprising acts of incredible kindness and resounding compassion.

A side benefit of travel with friends is the deepening of friendships. This trip was no exception. Sharing stories over regional cuisine, opening up in new ways to enrich relationships, and discovering new things about ourselves are all common occurrences during travel, away from day-to-day concerns and daily challenges. We encourage you to take every opportunity to travel and to join others on this adventure. If not now, when?

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

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”

Saint Augustine

The Court Systems of San Francisco

Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1961, he placed fifth among 29 candidates. Sarria also co-founded the Society for Individual Rights, a gay advocacy and community building group.

In 1963, Sarria co-founded the Tavern Guild of San Francisco that organized club owners and patrons to stand united to fight against growing police corruption, raids, and arrests of gay club owners and patrons.

The Imperial Court System is the second largest LGBT organization in the world, surpassed only by the Metropolitan Community Church. It is a grassroots network that works to build community relationships for equality and to raise money for charitable causes.

Another influential nonprofit is the Grand Ducal Council. The method by which monarchs are selected varies from chapter to chapter and court organization, ranging from elections by voting among the active membership in closed sessions to elections by open voting. The office of monarch is taken very seriously within the court system and requires a large commitment of the holder’s time and money. Accordingly, while the presence of an “imperial couple” is the norm, it is not uncommon for an emperor or empress to reign alone to fulfill the requirements of a one-year reign.

The Imperial Court System founder was José Julio Sarria, affectionately known as “Mama José.” He was born on December 12, 1922, in San Francisco and was the first openly gay candidate for public office in the U.S. When he ran for the San

The Imperial Court of San Francisco, Inc., is a nonprofit 501(c) (3) public benefit cor poration founded in 1965. Its purpose is to collect charitable contributions from individuals and organizations to distribute to other not-for profit 501c-3 public benefit orga nizations and to have fun while doing so. As the oldest chapter in the organization, it is considered the “Mother Court” of the Imperial Court System. The term “Mother Court” is also used to refer to a court chapter that grants the recognition and establishment of a new court. For example, the Imperial Court of New York is the Mother Court of the Imperial Court of Rhode Island at Providence.

The Grand Ducal Council of San Francisco is also a 501c-3 nonprofit fundraising organization. It

was formed in 1973 by H.L. Perry, who reigned as the Court’s Grand Duchess I as a more camp-oriented response to San Francisco’s Imperial Court System.

As San Francisco Bay Times columnist Kippy Marks has been sharing these past several months, the Grand Ducal Council of San Francisco will celebrate its 50th Anniversary Gala this year entitled 50 Years of Camp and Royalty. The event will take place on September 22, 2023, at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. The evening will culminate in a ceremony where the new monarchs, namely the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, will be crowned.

The term Ducal Court is typically used in the rare situation when one chapter’s area overlaps with the territory of an already established chapter, as is the case with the Grand Ducal Council of San Francisco and the Grand Ducal Council of Alameda/Contra Costa County.

The Grand Ducal Council raises money for a wide array of charity organizations through well-attended annual costume balls and various other, smaller fundraisers throughout the year.

The Grand Ducal Council of San Francisco inspired similar such organizations to be founded around the country. In 1998, the Grand Ducal Council of Alameda/Contra Costa County was formed and is a 501(c) (3) organization promoting social functions for fundraising. While composed primarily of LGBT people, each court is open to all. Gay, bisexual, transgender, and straight people have all served as monarchs and court members.

Both the Imperial Court and the Grand Ducal Council of San Francisco are built using roughly similar organizational and title structures. “Monarchs” are elected, as previously mentioned, and the nonprofit 501(c) (3) side is run by a board of directors or trustees.

The court systems are powerful, longstanding, social support organizations for the LGBTQI+ community and its allies. They are historic and important institutions with members who are very talented, dedicated, and welcoming. Over the years, San Francisco court organizations have donated millions of dollars to fund a wide range of nonprofit organizations. You will find a strong comradery among those who attend their various gatherings as you enjoy their company.

Eduardo Morales, Ph.D. is a Professor Emeritus, retired Distinguished Professor, and current adjunct professor at Alliant International University. He is also a licensed psychologist and a founder and current Executive Director of AGUILAS, an awardwinning program for Latinx LGBTQ+. Of Puerto Rican decent, he has received numerous distinguished awards and citations, including being named a Fellow of 12 divisions of the American Psychological Association.

JUSTER (continued from pg 4)

GAFFNEY/LEWIS (continued from pg 5)

MALCOLM (continued from pg 5) architecture, and art in surprising places. I met friendly shopkeepers, stumbled upon vibrant community events, and sampled food from all over the world. I fell more and more in love with the city I had loved all my life.

Recently, a man from a small town in Ohio wrote a letter to the San Francisco Chronicle. He was alarmed by all the news stories that made San Francisco sound like a hotbed of unchecked crime. He did a little digging, and found that his bucolic little town actually had a far higher crime rate than San Francisco, but it didn’t make the news because people don’t plan their vacations around his town.

There is no question that San Francisco is facing serious challenges, from the lack of affordable housing to empty storefronts, to crime, to the legions of people on our streets grappling with drug and mental health problems. As a city, we have much soul-searching and problem-solving to do. But just because we’re facing such challenges doesn’t mean we should turn our backs and give up on our city.

I’ve written this before, and I’ll say it again. It is up to each of us, and all of us together, to make San Francisco a city we can be proud to live in, and to share with the world. It begins with caring enough to do something. It begins with kindness. San Francisco is a stunningly beautiful city, but it’s the people who make it really shine.

Joanie Juster is a long-time community volunteer, activist, and ally.

JUSTER (continued from pg 8)

grief, Cassin and his Shanti colleagues Liliana Talero and Derrick Mapp are presenting an experiential workshop in Washington, D.C., on September 8 at the U.S. Conference on HIV & AIDS (USCHA), called “Harnessing the Healing Power of Community Through Honoring Our Experience.” The workshop description adds, “Data shows that personal relationships and social support networks play a fundamental role in one’s well-being, happiness, and even longevity. (This) experiential workshop will share how essential and transformative community-building programs are for our HIV community.”

Gandhi and Cassin will also be sharing some of the wisdom they have gained in a conversation at Manny’s on September 12, “Belonging in Health, Well-Being, and Survivorship.” Free tickets and info: https://tinyurl.com/HealingCass

More HIV & AIDS Conference

News

The annual U.S. Conference on HIV & AIDS (USCHA) is taking place in Washington, D.C., through September 9 (it started on 9/6). In addition to the contingent from Shanti listed above, Ebony Gordon, Program Director of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation’s HUES program, will be co-moderating a panel, “Stories of Triumph: Black Women Overcoming HIV,” a subject perfectly aligned with the theme of this year’s conference, “A Love Letter to Black Women.”

HUES is SFAF’s first-ever Black woman-centered program. The name was co-created by the program’s actual participants, who chose to call it HUES: Healing & Uniting Every Sista. The stated mission for HUES is “eradicating the HIV/ AIDS epidemic in Black women, girls, and femmes through direct service, education, and advocacy.”

Also on the panel is 79-year-old HIV activist Hulda Brown. She has been living with HIV since 1991, a time when most services were designed for gay men. Services for women— and particularly Black women— were few and far between. Over the years, Hulda has learned the importance of sharing her story, especially as a woman of color, and as a woman aging with HIV—the first generation to do so.

The issues faced by people aging with HIV & AIDS are finally gaining traction. At this time, over half of the people living with HIV are aged 50 or older—and that number is going to rise dramatically soon. It

nation had conducted itself as San Francisco and its people did. We are deeply grateful to have lived during the height of the pandemic in San Francisco, where the city and its people undertook whatever was necessary to save precious lives.

We have lived in San Francisco for decades, and this is not the first time San Francisco has risen to face an overwhelming challenge. If ever there was a time that a feeling of gloom pervaded the city, it was not today but in the 1980s and early 1990s when thousands of beloved members of our communities lost their lives to HIV/AIDS. But even in the darkest times, San Francisco always answered Harvey Milk’s call that we “gotta give ‘em hope,” creating grassroots and community models of care that became an international model. We will never forget all those lost to HIV/AIDS, and all that San Francisco and its people did to meet the challenge with compassion and wisdom. We are confident that together we San Franciscans will do so again and again no matter what confronts us.

John Lewis and Stuart Gaffney, together for over three decades, were plaintiffs in the California case for equal marriage rights decided by the California Supreme Court in 2008. Their leadership in the grassroots organization Marriage Equality USA contributed in 2015 to making same-sex marriage legal nationwide.

is estimated that more than 70% of those with HIV will be over age 50 by 2030. This is a population that experiences more aging complications, both physical and neurocognitive, than the general population, as well as facing stigma, isolation, depression, and poor treatment outcomes. Clearly there is a lot of work to be done to help them. Fortunately, two important conferences are coming up that address these issues.

On September 18 & 19, a free event in Sacramento, the Collaboration in Care Conference, will address the special clinical, mental health, and social support services needed by people aging with HIV. The conference welcomes direct service providers from all disciplines across the Western U.S., including mental health, service navigation, clinical care, social services, and other specialties. Continuing education units will be available for select sessions. Registration and info: https://tinyurl.com/HIVSacto

The 14th International Workshop on HIV & Aging will take place October 26–27 in Washington, D.C.

Billed as the only platform worldwide for international, cross-disciplinary exchange on issues of persons aging with HIV, the workshop will include researchers, healthcare professionals, and community advocates to address the problems facing this specific aging population. More info: https://tinyurl.com/HIVConf23

Meet the Authors: Local Book Signings

For four decades, Mark King has been chronicling his life and, in particular, his life as a gay man living with HIV, in stories, articles, and his groundbreaking, influential, wildly popular blog, My Fabulous Disease His writing ranges from profound to hilarious, touching to provocative, but always deeply human, and well worth reading. His new book, also titled My Fabulous Disease, is an anthology of many of his blog posts, as well as other writings.

My Fabulous Disease was published on September 1, and Mark is celebrating in San Francisco with two public events on Saturday, September 16. From 10 am to noon, there will be a meet-and greet at the SF AIDS Foundation’s Elizabeth Taylor 50-Plus Network weekly coffee meeting at Maxfield’s House of Caffeine (Dolores & 17th Street). Then at 6:30 that evening, there will be a community event at SFAF’s Strut (470 Castro Street), where you can buy the book, and where Mark and members of San Francisco’s longterm survivor community will read

• Explore the Presidio. Take a hike or check out the museum in the Officers’ Club that also features a great Mexican restaurant. Enjoy the views of the Golden Gate Bridge in this huge former military reserve and the new Tunnel Tops and Visitor Center. Then take the free shuttle around the park or to the Embarcadero to explore the Salesforce Tower Transbay Terminal rooftop gardens with Mediterranean plants from around the world that thrive in the moderate climate that lacks rain for much of the year.

Take the Powell Street Cable Car from the Powell Street Station on Market up to Russian Hill for stunning views of Angel Island and Alcatraz.

Nightlife

The bars in the Castro are busier than ever. Beaux has many events as well as a Sunday drag brunch. The Midnight Sun on 18th Street is going strong as is Moby Dick.

Hi Tops on Market Street across the street from Beck’s is fun and has outdoor seating. Toad Hall is another option on 18th Street. The Twin Peaks at Market and Castro is always fun and back in the day was known for its big windows. The Castro Theatre on Castro has shows and is a historic gem.

In Conclusion

You cannot beat a vacation in San Francisco. With so much to do, a year-round mild climate, and tons of new stuff, you owe it to yourself to make a pilgrimage to the original LGBTQ mecca. The homeless won’t bother you although the driverless cars might! And check out the artwork at the stations at the brandnew Central Subway.

Bill Malcolm lived in San Francisco for 12 years and founded the San Francisco Hiking Club, which is still going strong today. He is a graduate of UC Santa Cruz.

excerpts from My Fabulous Disease and invite discussion. For more information, plus an insightful interview with Mark King by Hank Trout, go to: https://tinyurl.com/MKfabdis

And on September 28, Oakland’s own Jeopardy! superchampion-turnedauthor Amy Schneider will be talking about her newly-released memoir, In the Form of a Question: The Joys and Rewards of a Curious Life, at the Commonwealth Club. The program is from 6-7 pm, followed by a book signing. Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/Jeopardamy

LeatherWalk Returns on September 17

The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District has announced that LeatherWalk 2023 will return on Sunday, September 17. LeatherWalk is San Francisco’s annual celebratory march through SOMA, stopping at favorite spots for entertainment and beverages. The event creates leather/fetish community and visibility while kicking off Leather Week. Participants can opt to fundraise and compete for the Kinky Boot Award. All are welcome to walk whether fundraising or not.

The Walk begins at City Hall (Polk Street) at 11 am, with Senator Scott Wiener and Supervisor Matt Dorsey speaking during opening remarks. At the Ringold Leather History Alley, The Sisters will conduct a Blessing of the Leathers. A Leather Pride Flagraising ends the walk at the SF Eagle Bar’s Leather Pride Festival. Donations benefit the District’s work keeping SOMA kinky and queer, by supporting fetish art, artists, performers, makers, events, murals, and more. Info:

https://sfleatherdistrict.org/lw

Entrepreneur Training

Program

More news from the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District: They offer a nine-week Entrepreneur Training Program, where up to ten entrepreneurs from new or existing businesses serving the San Francisco leather and kink communities will work as a cohort in a mutually supportive environment to develop their respective businesses from the ground up. Twenty-five current and future businesspeople have graduated from the program. The next cohort begins on September 14. For more information or to apply: https://tinyurl.com/SFLDBus

Save the Dates

September 23–24: Join the Grand Ducal Council in celebrating their 50th anniversary at a gala on September 23, followed by their

Coronation on September 24. Tickets

& info: https://tinyurl.com/Ducal50

October 7–8: While extremists whipped into a frenzy by conservative fearmongers are busy lobbing death threats at librarians and school board leaders, here in San Francisco a bookstore is fighting for free speech. Fabulosa Books is holding a 24-hour celebration of queer literature in the Castro. It will include a 24-hour reading marathon, and is a fundraiser for BOOKS NOT BANS, their program to send queer books to LGBTQ+ centers and groups in red states. More details in our next issue. Info: into@fabulosabooks.com

October 13–15: The Second Annual Drag & Spirituality Summit, created by Bonni33 Viol3t, will take place over three days. Apply now to be a keynote speaker or headlining act, facilitate/speak on a panel, host a workshop, perform in spiritual drag, or as a spiritual care practitioner. More info: https://tinyurl.com/DSSBV

Until next time, go out and help make our city shine.

Joanie Juster is a long-time community volunteer, activist, and ally.

When a candidate campaigns to become a Grand Duke or Grand Duchess, there is always a representation of colors that allows voters to know whom they are voting for. In most cases, candidates will also have a “catchphrase” and a coronation theme for their step-down.

We have taken a look at the last 46 Royal Houses and have gotten to know a little about each of them.

Now, I am featuring the remaining Royal Houses with each leading us to the current Reigning Monarchs and to the candidates of The Grand Ducal Council’s 50th Reign. Here is a spotlight on the 47th and 48th Royal Houses:

2019–2020

The 47th Royal House of the Court of The Leather Rose of Sensuality and Strength

Grand Duke XLVI: The Glittering and Bare-Chested Leather Blue Bunny of Hope and Pleasure

Timothy Valdivia

Colors: red, blue, black, white

Symbol: leather blue bunny

Catchphrase: “Spill the tea.”

Grand Duchess XLVII: The Garnet Mistress of Love, Unity, Service, and Tenacity Katherine Magdalene Rose

Colors: red, blue, black, white

Symbol: red pussy cat

Catchphrase: “Spill the tea.”

The 47th and 48th Royal Houses

Coronation Theme: “Bordello at St.

Basil Cathedral”

Their Court consisted of:

• Royal Crown Prince: Joseph

Adams

• Royal Crown Princess: Ecléctrica

Michelle

• Prince Royal: Markus Barsanti

• Princess Royale: Sabrina Slayer (2019) Khristal Khandalier (2020)

• Miss Debutante: Nolin Nicolas

• Royal Rainbow Knight: Jeffery Wayne

• Royal Rainbow Knight: Eric Panatta

• Mr. Royal Baby: Ivormir Kolev

• Miss Royal Baby: Chancy Rose

• Royal Baby: Jungle Babesité Smith

• Royal King of Hearts: Kelly

Rivera Hart

• Royal King of Hearts: Vera Kunnush

• Royal Queen of Hearts: Dark

Amethyst

• Royal Queen of Hearts: Lilith

LeQueen

• Royal Jack of Hearts: Seanny

“Boy” Phoenix

• Royal Jill of Hearts: Delilah B.

Fierce

• Mr. Royal Bunny: Anthony

Hydron

• Mr. Royal Bunny: Soul’d Out

• Mx Royal Bunny: Militia Towers

• Royal Daddy: Element Eclipse

• Royal Daddy’s Boy: Jeffry Arcam

• Royal Dominatrix: Menorah

Manischevitz

• Miss California Gold: Bobby Friday

• Mr. California King: Jota

Mercury

This Royal House continued in the tradition of setting records within the Grand Ducal Council. The first was that Katherine Magdalene Rose would be the first ever elected openly transgender Grand Duchess. The second is that their reign would last for 2 years. And who could have guessed that six months

into their first reign the world would suddenly shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic?

When this unexpected shutdown happened, the Court of The Leather Rose of Sensuality and Strength confronted this situation head-on and transformed themselves and their court into a force of community action. The third point to note is that this Court, through both online and eventually in-person efforts, raised $146,000!

The Court was so strong thanks to the attributes of both the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess. They were prominent figures throughout their reign. They advocated for unequivocal sex positivity, a celebration of kink and fetish, and a desire to advocate strongly for sex workers, gender variant folks, and others marginalized within our own LGBTQI+communities.

I spoke with Grand Duchess Katherine for the San Francisco Bay Times about their historical reign. She said, “I was inspired by the dedication and camp attitude of the Ducal Council and their strong leadership in the community. Some of the past monarchs are some of the best known and strongest leaders in the community and I consider myself privileged to serve among them as the first openly transgender GD in our Council’s history.” She added, “I love my Grand Duke Timothy and am so thrilled we got to work together. The biggest memories, however, were serving for two years due to the pandemic—especially the creative ways we discovered to be a presence in the community during the shutdown. Online fundraisers, packing lunches for SIP hotels, delivering pantry foods to queens and artists out of work due to the pandemic were all powerful ways to show up and provide for our community. I also loved the Dukes of the Bay weekly variety show hosted by my Grand Duke Timothy and the GD of Alameda, Manny Santos. It was pure comedic gold.”

2021–2022

The 48th Royal House of The

Panthers of Pride, Power, and Ferocity.

Grand Duke XVII Scott Rice, The Steadfast Steed of Serenity

Colors: black and red

Symbol: steadfast steed

Catchphrase: “Stay steady.”

Grand Duchess XLVIII: Bobby Friday, The Fierce Glittering Diamond and the Hologram

Colors: purple, black, magenta

Symbol: glittering diamond holo -

gram

Catchphrase: “Sparkle everyday like it’s Friday.”

Coronation Theme: “The Black and White Ball at Grand Peterhof”

Their Court consisted of:

• Royal Crown Prince: Victor Sanchez

• Royal Crown Princess: Elsa Touche

• Prince Royal: DC. Sands

• Princess Royale: Linda Summers

• Miss Debutante: Luz Lips

• Royal Rainbow Knight: Greg

Starr

• Royal Mx Baby: Ashlé Blow

• Royal Baby Boy: Michael

Carpenito

• Royal King of Hearts: Jesse Rogel

• Royal Queen of Hearts: Christina

Ashton

• Royal Jack of Hearts: Jeffery

Wayne

• Royal Jill of Hearts: Candi Mint

• Mr. Royal Bunny: Ray Ray

• Miss Royal Bunny: Lady Bird

• Mx Royal Bunny: Helixir Jynder

• Royal Daddy: Andre Steens

• Royal Daddy’s Boy: Woodcock

Johnson

• Royal Dominatrix: La Rosa de Los Gallos

• Miss California Gold: Aurora

Forte

• Mr. California King: Jota

Mercury

PPF (Pride, Power, Ferocity), coined by Grand Duchess Bobby Friday, is how we enter and

remember this Royal House. The Panthers of PPF, led by their Grand Duchess and Grand Duke, raised over 100K during their reign. I spoke with Grand Duchess Bobby on behalf of the Bay Times about her motivation in running for Grand Duchess. She said, “I was inspired to get involved with the GDC after winning California Gold and becoming Miss Castro Country Club in 2020. I started my journey in drag by being of service in the community and with my experience as a titleholder becoming Grand Duchess would allow me to give back to my community in San Francisco that I love in a much larger way.”

She then reflected on her reign. “I have so many wonderful memories from my reign,” she said, “from Scott and I first walking together in Las Vegas, to the wonderful girls’ trip that my princesses Elsa Touche, Linda Summers, and I took to New York where we enjoyed Broadway shows, to being in full regalia in Times Square and getting to be a backup dancer in a rare performance by Queen Mother 1 Nicole the Great at the legendary Stonewall Inn.”

She added, “Pride was a very special memory for me, as our entire court worked so beautifully together to present our ‘Neon Jungle Rave’ themed float in the first Pride Parade in San Francisco coming back from a two-year break due to the pandemic. The energy and vibe were electric and our court really pulled together to create a really special moment I will always cherish. Everyone in our court had something to offer and they put their whole heart into what we were doing because, ultimately, we wanted to make a difference, have fun, and carry on the legacy of The Grand Ducal Council. We also did it with a touch of fabulous, fierce ferocity!”

Grand Duchess Bobby Friday can currently be seen hosting the Pop Up Drag Brunch at Beaux every second

(continued on page 19)

(continued from page 18)

Saturday, Glamatron at the Lookout every third Thursday, and a Drag Brunch at 620 Jones every third Saturday.

The Steadfast Steed of Serenity and Grand Duke of the PPF Panther’s is Scott Rice. Scott began his journey with the GDC in 2017, when he was a Royal Baby in the 45th Royal House. Then he became Prince Royale in the 46th Royal House, then Royal Bunny in the 47th Royal House.

Regarding his inspiration for running for Grand Duke, he said, “Being involved during Jodi and Tressa’s year was amazing for me; it actually changed the trajectory of my life. But it was being Prince Royale to Grand Duchess MGM Grande and Grand Duke Ken Harper that really inspired me to run for Grand Duke. I wanted to take the opportunity to help out my community on a much larger scale than what was previously available to me.”

In terms of his reign experience, he shared, “No matter what was happening, good or bad, I could always count on Bobby to say what needed to be said or do what needed to be done to get us through to the next event. We really worked well as a team and we were able to create a powerhouse of a court/family together and really conquer the year. Thank you, Grand Duchess Bobby Friday, for not only being one of my best friends, but also for being a stellar partner as Grand Duchess.”

On September 22, 2023, from 6 pm–11 pm, the Grand Ducal Council of San Francisco will celebrate 50 years of Camp and Fundraising. The celebration will take place at the Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.

https://www.sfducal.org/

Kippy Marks is Grand Duke XL of The Grand Ducal Council of San Francisco. He is the first ever elected African-American Grand Duke.

Welcome to Oakland Pride 2023: Celebrating Unity and Diversity!

Dear Readers and Beloved Community,

As the vibrant City of Oakland gears up for an extraordinary weekend of love, acceptance, and pride, we extend a warm welcome to all of you to join us in this momentous celebration. Oakland Pride, now in its 13th year, promises to be bigger, bolder, and more impactful than ever before, and it all kicks off on Saturday, September 9th, and Sunday, September 10th.

Get ready to strut your stuff and show your support at the Oakland Pride Parade on Sunday, September 10th, at 11 am. We are thrilled to announce that our broadcast sponsor, ABC7, will be bringing you live coverage of this spectacular event starting at 11 am. The parade route will take you from 14th & Broadway to the grand finale at 20th & Broadway. Best of all, this celebration is not just for ticket holders; it’s absolutely free to the public and will be streaming live for everyone to enjoy at www.abc7news.com/Pride

This year, we are thrilled to announce an exciting partnership between Oakland Pride and Pridefest Oakland, bringing together two influential LGBTQ+ organizations with a shared mission: to celebrate and support the beautiful tapestry of cultures and identities that make up our community. In a world that often seeks to divide, we stand united, ready to amplify marginalized voices and advocate for love, unity, and diversity.

We also want to thank our amazing sponsors and community partners that include Amazon, Kaiser, iHeartMedia, Blue Shield, Alameda County Public Health Department, AIDS Health Foundation, PG&E, Soul of Pride, San Francisco Pride, Oakland LGBTQ Community Center, Fluid nightclub, Que Rico Nightclub, Clear Channel, Teuscher Chocolates in San Francisco, and the City of Oakland. These are just a few of the many who have shown so much support and love for our amazing community event.

Attorney Michel René Huff, President of Oakland Pride 2023, beautifully sums up the spirit of this partnership: “I envisioned a united Oakland. It starts with unity and solidarity within our LGBTQI community. I am proud that Oakland Pride and Pridefest Oakland have joined forces to provide unified support for each other, the LGBTQ+ community, and the City of Oakland we all love.”

Oakland Pride 2023 has even more to offer. We are thrilled to announce A2Z Media Group as the official event producer. A2Z, a woman-owned and minority-owned event production company, brings creativity, expertise, and passion to the table, ensuring that this year’s celebration will be truly unforgettable.

As this extraordinary weekend approaches, Oakland Pride invites everyone to join hands in celebration, guided by the powerful performance of our headliner Deborah Cox! The Latin Stage at Oakland Pride is also set to dazzle with the headlining performance by Diana Reyes, a celebrated artist in the Latin music scene. Alongside her, a talented lineup including Regina Voce from RuPaul’s Drag Race Mexico, local drag performers, and the Latin Drag Race performer Cynthia Lee Fonta will grace the stage, promising a showstopper of an event. Also, don’t forget about our Community Stage hosted by Miss Tasty, featuring DJ Moscone. We even have an area just for the little ones, so make sure to drop by the kids' zone!

As we prepare to paint the town with the colors of love, acceptance, and pride, we invite each of you to join hands with us in celebrating unity and diversity. Let’s come together, promote unity, and create a world that not only embraces but also celebrates the diversity and vibrancy of the LGBTQ+ community.

Stay tuned for more updates and information by visiting the official website of Oakland Pride ( www.oaklandpride.org ). Let’s make Oakland Pride 2023 an event to remember, a testament to the power of love, acceptance, and unity.

With love and pride,

The Oakland Pride Team

Oakland City Council Declares September Oakland Pride Month

lesbian elected to the Oakland City Council, along with Councilmember Janani Ramachandran, who herself is openly queer, are co-authoring a resolution declaring September 2023 as Oakland Pride Month in the City of Oakland. Each council office has been asked to choose an LGBTQ+ individual or organization to be honored at the September 19th Council Meeting. My office, the At Large Council District representing the entire city of Oakland, has chosen the Transgender Law Center.

Out of the Closet and into City Hall

Oakland City Councilmember At-Large, Rebecca Kaplan

September is the month that Pride comes to Oakland. It is the month when Oakland gets to focus and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community in solidarity and joy.

The festivities start with Oakland Pride, which takes place on September 9–10. This year, Oakland Pride and Pridefest Oakland have joined forces to create a partnership of strength and respect while elevating our unified mission to celebrate and support the cultures and diversity of the LGBTQ+ community in Oakland and the surrounding Bay Area. Oakland Pride will feature vendors, performers, and a parade on Sunday, September 10, which begins at 11 am in downtown Oakland.

In the spirit of the festivities at Oakland Pride, I, the first openly

The Transgender Law Center (TLC) changes law, policy, and attitudes so that all people can live safely, authentically, and free from discrimination regardless of their gender identity or expression. The TLC, which was originally founded in Oakland, is the largest national trans-led organization advocating for a world in which all people are free to define themselves and their futures. Grounded in legal expertise and committed to racial justice, the TLC employs a variety of community-driven strategies to keep transgender and gender nonconforming people alive, thriving, and fighting for liberation.

Founded in 2002, the TLC’s advocacy and precedent-setting litigation victories—in areas including employment, prison conditions, education, immigration, and healthcare—protect and advance the rights of transgender and gender nonconforming people across the county.

Join us in September in celebrating Oakland Pride, the TLC, and the LGBTQ+ community throughout Oakland and the Bay Area.

Councilmember At-Large and Council President Rebecca Kaplan, who is the Vice Mayor of Oakland, was elected in 2008 to serve as Oakland’s citywide Councilmember; she was re-elected in 2016 and 2020. She also serves on the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC). Follow Councilmember Kaplan on Twitter @ Kaplan4Oakland ( https://tinyurl.com/2dtjmazc ) and Facebook ( https://tinyurl.com/2p9dd5ta ).

DIVAS & DRINKS @ The Academy

August 2023 Divas & Drinks @ The Academy - Celebration of Transgender History Month

Transgender community members along with friends and allies gathered for Divas & Drinks @ The Academy in the Market Street venue’s Outdoor Garden Terrace on Friday, August 25, for an evening of celebration near the close of the City of San Francisco’s Transgender History Month.

Emcee Donna Sachet and DJ Page Hodel presented by Olivia Travel welcomed guests, thanked sponsors, and led a birthday celebration for San Francisco Bay Times volunteer coordinator Leticia Lopezz.

AsiaSF, presenting sponsor, was represented by President and Chief Operating Officer Aaron Nelson. Nelson joined AsiaSF shortly after its inception in 2000, becoming a visionary pioneer in supporting the transgender community. He spoke eloquently about the mission of the now world-famous restaurant, cabaret, and nightclub at 201 9th Street that was founded by Larry Hashbarger and Skip Young.

Ongoing sponsors of Divas & Drinks, including representatives from Olivia Travel, Extreme Pizza, Bacard í, and the SF Federal Credit Union, were also in the house providing hospitality, entertainment, and additional assistance.

Community leaders serving as speakers during the inspiring program included Gina Grahame, former President of the Golden Gate Business Association; Maceo Persson of San Francisco Pride; and Jupiter Peraza, Co-Founder of the San Francisco Transgender District.

The District’s Co-Chair, Breonna McCree, gave a rousing overview of events and achievements that occurred during Transgender History Month 2023.

Participants were delighted by the surprise appearance of two groundbreaking activists, Cecilia Chung— now Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives and Evaluation at the Transgender Law Center—and renowned historian Susan Stryker. Both shared powerful memories and remarks, connecting the early days of the transgender movement to recent developments and milestones as well as current issues and challenges.

The Klipptones helped to launch the Divas & Drinks concert series, continuing through October, with soulful vocals by Joshua Klipp and skilled musicianship from Jesse on keyboards and Kevin on bass. Their set was followed by tunes spun by DJ Page Hodel that brought attendees to their feet, dancing until closing For this month, Divas & Drinks on September 29 will include recognition of the San Francisco Bay Times Pride Parade contingent and a program featuring multiple Women’s Music stars in a benefit for legendary singer and activist Linda Tillery. Check out The Academy SF calendar for more information about this and other events, and also to learn about The Academy’s new Spa.

https://www.academy-sf.com/

DIVAS & DRINKS @ The Academy

A veritable galaxy of Women’s Music stars including Melanie DeMore, Shelley Doty, Barbara Higbie, Sharon Washington, and many others will be in the house to celebrate music legend Linda Tillery during her birthday month and return to performing after a health hiatus.

As the lead singer of the psychedelic rock band The Loading Zone in the 1960s, Tillery was at the heart of San Francisco’s Summer of Love. She co-founded The Cultural Heritage Choir, performed with Santana & other greats, and much more.

Your emcee—additionally celebrating the Bay Times Pride Parade contingent volunteers and participants—will be yet another legend, Donna Sachet. And after bringing her music to international dance floors, DJ Rockaway presented by Olivia Travel will make her Divas & Drinks return. Also back by popular demand will be the Bacardí team of mixologists spotlighting award-winning mocktails and custom cocktails to toast to Tillery!

The San Francisco Bay Times and The Academy SF are proud to support this event to benefit the healthcare needs of Tillery. A raffle, live auction, and collection of contributions of any amount will be included. For more information, please contact 415-601-2113 or Publisher@sfbaytimes.com

Trans Filmmaker Talks About Adapting Aristotle

and Dante for the Big

sensitivity is in every frame as the film traces the emotional ups and downs of these teens in ways that are poignant without being cloying. As this wonderful film delivers all the feels in its conclusion, it is hard not to cry happy tears.

The filmmaker spoke with me for the San Francisco Bay Times about making Aristotle and Dante.

Gary M. Kramer: It took you 9 years to make this film. Why was Aristotle and Dante your passion project for your directorial debut?

Screen

I would not compromise on telling a story that celebrated the nuance about everything they are. There is a void of [Latinx] filmmakers, because generationally, we didn’t know this was an option for us. Our families and parents immigrated to this country with a small view of what it was to make it in the United States. That was manual labor, and following the trajectory of becoming a lawyer, or a doctor. That is the immigrant mindset. The arts in general were not an option, so there is a big void in our existence and representation and diversity.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, opening September 8 in the Bay Area, is trans writer/ director Aitch Alberto’s superb adaptation of the award-winning YA novel by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. The title characters are two Mexican American teenagers in 1987 El Paso—cue ‘80s music needle drops—who first meet at a swimming pool. Introverted Aristotle aka Ari (magnetic newcomer Max Pelayo) learns to swim with the assistance of the outgoing Dante (Reese Gonzales). The two teens develop a close friendship that becomes a kind of bromance. However, the art and poetry loving Dante drops a bombshell when his family moves to Chicago for a year—and then another, when he comes out as gay. Will the teens’ relationship be the same when Dante returns? Alberto’s

Aitch Alberto: There were points where I didn’t think it would ever become a reality, but there was a nagging thing inside me that would never leave me alone. It goes back to reading Ben’s book for the first time in one sitting and having this visceral reaction to it. It was his approach to these characters that we don’t often read books about—or much less see films about—that was moving beyond a narrative that I’m so tired of seeing. It was a very gentle, nuanced approach to queer and Latin people in a way we haven’t seen before—which is, ironically, what made it a long journey to get made. The industry is so fear-based. It is hard for people making decisions to see value in stories that we have not seen before. As much as it was my mission, it was also my biggest challenge. I compromised a lot, but

Gary M. Kramer: What can you say about depicting the bromance between Ari and Dante?

Aitch Alberto: It was building a trust between Max and Reese. They were these characters innately, spiritually, and fundamentally. It was making sure they trusted me and each other and how we were using the camera. And then I could easily guide them through their natural instincts.

Ari never says he’s gay. He always says he loves Dante. That is what it is about—love transcending sexuality. That was at the root of this story. Both boys North Star while going through this. It was an undeniable connection found with an unexpected person and in an unexpected place, devoid of whatever identity you claim.

In my life, pre-transition, these boys would fall in love with me, and it would confuse them, because they really saw me. It didn’t change their sexuality. They just fell in love with me, and I think that’s similar to what’s happening with Ari and Dante.

Gary M. Kramer: As a trans filmmaker, why did you choose not to make a trans film?

Aitch Alberto: I think it is a trans film. I am a trans filmmaker, so my lens will always be trans. But I don’t think it has to be overtly about transness. My journey mirrors that of Aristotle. It’s me not allowing myself to feel the love for myself and the love around me. And missing that and taking so long to step into truth and not having people see me and say, “You’re allowed to be this person.” It mirrors my experience, even though it isn’t one to one.

Gary M. Kramer: I love the character of Tia Ophelia (Marlene Forte), who gives Ari so much love and support, but he doesn’t quite know it yet. What can you say about who or what influenced your selfacceptance?

Aitch Alberto: Non-queer folks don’t recognize who Tia is in the story—that she sees him. She is not as prominent in the book as in the film. Someone had to make it OK for him to be himself, even if she was never able to say it out loud. Queer people are the only ones who recognize that. My self-love took a long time. I pretended to be many versions, but there was a moment where it came to me not wanting to die living a lie and realizing that I had love and support around me. Despite my family’s ideas of who I should be, I knew that they would love me no matter what. But it was me fearlessly having that conversation with myself and being willing to lose those people in order to live truthfully.

© 2023 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.” He teaches Short Attention Span Cinema at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute and is the moderator for Cinema Salon, a weekly film discussion group. Follow him on Twitter @garymkramer

The Forties and the Fifties: Fascinating and Freaky

Off the Wahl

Oppenheimer joins Barbie as they take the box office by storm. Nobody expected the movie about America’s blonde doll and her hunky boyfriend Ken to join up with the physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer to breathe life back into our movie theatres. I loved both films. One is a smart, feminist satire. The other is a powerful biopic of the troubled life of the scientist who co-developed and designed the atom bomb.

Cillian Murphy (Peaky Blinders, Breakfast on Pluto) stars as Oppenheimer, the leader of the Manhattan Project that led to the creation of the atom bomb. Director Christopher Nolan based the film on the biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J.

Looking Back at the Fifties

One of the finest books on American film history is The Bad and the Beautiful: Hollywood in the Fifties by Sam Kashner and Jennifer MacNair. This is the definitive take on the moral vacuity, sex, paranoia, stars, and scandals of this decade. From the great Marilyn Monroe’s twangy version of “That Old Black Magic” from Bus Stop to Novak and Holden dancing sensuously in Picnic, from Tony Curtis and Lancaster spitting poison at each other in the Sweet Smell of Success to the tragedy of the Hollywood blacklist, this is one juicy read.

tonight, but one at a time.”) West had declined Billy Wilder’s offer for her to play Norma Desmond in Sunset Blvd. so the role went to fifty-year-old Gloria Swanson. (I’m still angry that Swanson didn’t win Best Actress for that amazing performance, but I digress.)

Melodramas like Peyton Place, Suddenly Last Summer, Imitation of Life, Written on the Wind, and Rebel Without a Cause kept the fifties sizzling hot, with audiences loving the work of Sirk, Wilder, Inge, Tennessee Williams, and the creativity of Gene Kelly. The Bad and the Beautiful: Hollywood in the Fifties is a great page turner that will also have you revisiting the works of the fascinating and freaky fifties.

Sherwood. Nolan is a remarkably visual auteur filmmaker, proven in films such as The Dark Knight, Interstellar, Inception, and Dunkirk Oppenheimer is an ambitious narrative, taking us on a three-hour journey that I never left so that I wouldn’t miss anything. Use the restroom first!

This epic, though deeply contemplative, film costars Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Rami Malek, Emily Blunt, and Florence Pugh. Oppenheimer oversaw the construction of the Los Alamos Laboratory, gathering the best minds in physics to create the bomb ahead of the Germans and the Russians. UC Berkeley is a large part of the story, as is the McCarthy hearings that put an end to Oppenheimer’s career. Oscar nominations should be across the board for this film, one that deserves to be shown to universities and students of history, science, and politics everywhere.

This year we saw the fine documentary Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed. In the book All That Heaven Allows: A Biography of Rock Hudson, we delve deeply into Rock’s marriage to Phyllis Gates and her sad life after their union.

Gossip was big business in the fifties, from Parsons and Hopper to sleaze magazines determined to destroy careers. Going back to The Bad and the Beautiful—it takes us into the scandals of not only Rock, but also Liberace, Lana Turner, Errol Flynn, and Robert Mitchum.

Musicals were huge at this time, and the tome takes us behind the scenes of An American in Paris, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and even Mae West’s Las Vegas debut (“I feel like a million

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

Leave Signs

A lot of attention has been showered on the film Barbie, and deservedly so. It’s a lot like its director Greta Gerwig: smart, funny, and feminist. I’ve thought a lot about how the fire of the speech given by America Ferrera’s character lit up the movie audience. I hoped someone was writing it down ... someone was, to share it with those who didn’t see the movie so we can remember revolution:

http://tinyurl.com/2s48ubmc

But the thing is, we keep getting this message about how contradictory demands make it “literally impossible to be a woman” and each generation forgets once we’ve washed the popcorn butter from our hands.

In 1992, I reviewed the film Buffy the Vampire Slayer, directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui. More than thirty years ago I was

Jewelle Gomez

Hug the World

surprised to see that message front in center in the teen/action/comedy/thriller starring the underrated Kristy Swanson. It even sparked a successful television series that didn’t totally cop out on the premise. Still, the importance of empowering young women always seems like a surprise when it pops up.

Staying in a hotel recently, I rewatched Buffy and remembered how funny and powerful a director can make women when she tries.

The bitchiness of teenagers— male and female—is biting

and the sexualization of teen girls by adults (we know who picks cheerleader costumes) is blatant and repulsive even when you know the young women playing the teens are probably ten years older.

The story includes many of the traditions of teen movies: the outsider girl (Buffy) and biker boy (Pike, played by Luke Perry), and the queen bees on campus (led by Hilary Swank). Then it stirs in the mysterious elder

played by Donald Sutherland, whose slyness makes a perfect counterpoint to Buffy’s innocence. In many ways, the story feels old fashioned, and that may have been the director’s intention.

The ultimate message, however, is one that always needs repeating. Females are, in fact, human beings— not objects, not dolls. When Pike sees Buffy decimate a gang of vamps he tells her, “You’re not like other girls.” However, her response is, “Yes, I am.” And therein lies the key to the feminist heart of the movie. Buffy has extraordinary talents and at

the same time she is an ordinary teen girl. And any of her girlfriends might find some powers within themselves if they weren’t perpetually crushed. Okay, what’s the queer (not just feminist) aspect to the movie? The late, beloved Paul Reubens, as a vampire, has an endless and hysterical death scene. And famed news woman Liz Smith (bisexual) makes a cameo appearance reporting the local catastrophe when the vamps overrun the high school prom. A teen who survived the attack screams when interviewed: “They were biting people. They were cold. They had this look in their eyes. I think they were young Republicans!”

The theme of the ill-fated senior prom is “Hug the World,” which might someday be possible when women break the stranglehold on our human rights. (See Spanish soccer star Jenni Hermoso’s response to an unwanted kiss from a male official.)

Sometimes I like my polemics subtle; other times I like them hard core. As Buffy and Pike ride off into the sunset, we hear the song “Man Smart (Woman Smarter)” credited to King Radio. Viva hard core.

Jewelle Gomez is a lesbian/feminist activist, novelist, poet, and playwright. She’s written for “The Advocate,” “Ms. Magazine,” “Black Scholar,” “The San Francisco Chronicle,” “The New York Times,” and “The Village Voice.” Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @VampyreVamp

Late Summer Adventures, Including a Ride Through Tropical Storm Hilary

Dykes on Bikes ®

Tales From Two Wheels

It’s hard to imagine that Summer 2023 is almost at a close. In August, some members of Dykes on Bikes, as well as friends from other queer motorcycle clubs, went on an amazing ride up the California and Oregon coast for two days. Traversing the coast

via U.S. Route 101 gave us the opportunity to admire the majestic coastline with riding weather that couldn’t have been more perfect. After three days of camping at the Dream Roll, a moto camping retreat in Shelton, WA, we headed back to the Bay Area via I-5. The last day of our six-day trip had us gripping our handlebars as we rode through the remnants of Tropical Storm Hilary. The ride through the storm had us drenched, cold, and thankful for good communication headsets so we could look out for each other in the low vis -

ibility. Not surprisingly, everyone thought the tradeoff for the previous five days of fantastic riding was well worth it.

A new bike purchase prompted a quick ride over Labor Day weekend, including lunch at Alice’s, then back up the coast via Half Moon Bay and to San Francisco. I am pretty sure we know which motorcycle was at the front of the pack for those twisties!

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The Lede to Our Undoing

Words

Michele Karlsberg: In The Lede to Our Undoing, Donald Mengay takes us to 1970s rust-belt America. It was the era of civil rights, women’s rights, and gay rights, and saw the birth of the modern environmental movement. In the book, twins Jake and Wren are raised in the white-flight suburb of Laurentine, not far from an industrial town ironically named

the Forest City. The twins’ parents, Harry and Florrie, do their best to keep their offspring on the straight and narrow, according to principles common today in MAGA America, before it got the name. But the two are not good at coloring inside the lines. Wren falls in love with an African American youth named Donald, and Jake falls in love first with Romeo and then Peacoat, with traumatic results. Their story is told by the family mutt, Molly, whose outsider status offers the reader a unique view on human culture.

Michele Karlsberg: When did you start working on The Lede to Our Undoing?

Donald Mengay: The process took decades really. In a sense, I began writing it in the early 1990s. I’d

studied creative writing in college and had a desire to go back to it, and I met a poet named Lynn McGee, who became my writing partner for a time. Each week we traded our work and critiqued it. At one point, I sent her a short story about a person who was speaking from the grave—I came up with the idea after helping a friend bury her cat in the traffic circle near a park in Brooklyn. When we were finished, I couldn’t help thinking the cat had landed in the opposite of a peaceful resting place

Lit Snax

Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma

This is a smart, nuanced exploration for those of us still trying to reconcile our love of geniuses who are legit terrible people.

P.S. Burn This Letter Please by Craig Olsen Olsen weaves a cultural history of 1950s queer New York using a cache of letters written by drag queens who were living there at the time.

https://www.fabulosabooks.com/

Thrust by Lidia Yuknavitch

Here is a novel about America, as told through the eyes of a girl who uses objects to travel through time. It is wildly imaginative with stunning prose.

Top of your stack

RECOMMENDATIONS FROM BOOK PASSAGE

Only This Beautiful Moment (fiction - hardbound) by

From the Stonewall Honorwinning author of Like a Love Story comes a sweeping tale of three generations of boys: an out queer son in 2019 visiting Iran for the first time, his father fleeing Tehran in his youth, and the grandfather who experienced the underground queer culture of golden-era Hollywood. Set against the backdrop of Tehran and Los Angeles, Only This Beautiful Moment weaves a tale of intergenerational trauma and love that is an ode to the fragile bonds of family, the hidden secrets of history, and all the beautiful moments that make us who we are today.

The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons (fiction/ mystery - hardbound) by Karin

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is back! Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist are here in the series’ latest rendition, The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons. Additionally, in this, the first installment by a female writer, there is a fantastic new take-no-prisoners heroine— Lisbeth’s teenage niece, Svala—and some chilling new villains. Author Karin Smirnoff has put her own stamp on the series, which makes the novel feel fresh and familiar all at once.

The Queer Bible (essays - hardbound) edited by Jack Guinness

The Queer Bible is a collection of 22 essays by contemporary queer trailblazers celebrating their heroes, and with gorgeous accompanying illustrations by queer artists. Contributors include figures like Queer Eye’s Tan France, Olympic athlete Gus Kenworthy, and Vogue ’s first trans columnist Paris Lees, writing on icons like Susan Sontag, George Michael, and Edward Enninful. This beautifully packaged collection, with full color illustrations throughout, makes for a wonderful gift.

Upcoming Events

Sunday, September 17 @ 1 pm (free - Corte Madera store) MariNaomi and Julia Wertz, authors of Turning Japanese and Impossible People

Turning Japanese is a comics memoir that chronicles MariNaomi’s experiences working in illegal hostess bars in San Jose and Tokyo while attempting to connect with a culture that had eluded her since childhood. In her keenly observed graphic memoir, Impossible People, celebrated cartoonist Julia Wertz chronicles her haphazard attempts at sobriety and the relentlessly

(continued on page 40)

Community Treasures from the GLBT Historical Society Archives

SPECIAL THANKS TO ANDREW SHAFFER

A Time Capsule of Joy

Lorraine Hurdle (1922–2014) was a lesbian who served in the U.S. Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC) in Germany during World War II. She served in the military for many years, eventually working as a recruiter, and the WAAC formed a core of her chosen family. Her collection in our archives provides a glimpse into the role queer people played in WWII, the importance of chosen family, and why keeping our history alive is so important. Even for those

of us who will never become household names, the people of the future will want to know how we lived.

Lorraine’s collection is a beautiful time capsule of a life that was full of joy even during periods—from the Lavender Scare to the Anita Bryant era—when it can be hard to imagine much joy being possible.

Our archives contain a significant number of holdings that document the varied experiences of LGBTQ people during WWII, from being incarcerated in a prison camp, dishonorably discharged from military service, to serving with pride.

Lorraine’s collection was recently added to our “Adopt a Collection” initiative, which allows GLBT

Historical Society members to claim a sense of ownership over one of 10 selected archival collections, and supports their continued preservation. To learn more, visit https://tinyurl.com/37665ura

These photos are drawn from one of the more than 1,000 individual archival collections held by the GLBT Historical Society that reveal a vast array of LGBTQ life, history, and culture. We make these community treasures available to all at our archives downtown and our museum in the Castro district. To book your visit, or to make a contribution to support our work, visit https://www.glbthistory.org/

This Month at the Farmers’ Market

Apple Season Is Upon Us

Apples are some of the first fall fruits to arrive for the season—with some varieties arriving as early as August. However, farmers say that the wet winter has delayed their harvests, so we can expect them to begin harvesting a bit later than last year. But that doesn’t mean we can’t start getting excited about the tempting aroma of baked apples or apple pie! There are so many varieties of apples to choose from at your farmers’ market—many more than you’ll find at any grocery store. And with many farmers returning to growing traditional heirloom varieties, you’ll discover that these fruits have better flavor than the hybrids we’re used to. The Gravenstein, Arkansas Black, and Pink Lady are just a few of the old varieties that farmers have returned to growing, There are apples best for baking, apples that are best for applesauce, and many that are best for eating out of hand. So, talk with your local farmer to find the perfect match for your cooking and eating needs.

EASY SLOW COOKER APPLE BUTTER

6 pounds apples such as Pink Lady or Braeburn

2 cups white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

4 tablespoons maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Core and peel apples. Fill large slow cooker with apples. Pour in remaining ingredients. Cook on high for 1 hour; stir. Cook on low for about 9 to 10 hours or overnight until the apples are soft. Remove the lid, stir, then cook on high for 1 hour to allow for thickening to desired consistency. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. While the mixture is still hot, fill sterilized jars, then add lids and rings; refrigerate for up to two weeks or can in a water bath canner. Process for 20 minutes.

Allard Farms, based in Westley, grows a nice variety of heirloom apples such as Arkansas Black, Braeburn, Cameo, Empire, and many others. His family has been farming since 1909 and now has 100 varieties of fruit trees on over 100 acres.

Starting with only 20 acres, Ken’s Top Notch now has over 250 acres of fruit trees in Fresno. They are certified organic as well. You’ll find the Red Fuji variety of apple at their stall. It is large, sweet, and has a great crunch. Be sure to stop by and try some for your lunch boxes.

Rainbow Orchards and their mountain-grown apple orchards sit at an elevation of 3,400 feet in the hills of Camino. They grow heirloom varieties like Braeburn, Pippin, Fuji, Honey Crisp, Arkansas Black, and many standard hybrids. Available beginning in early September are Gala, Red Delicious & Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Jonathon, and Macintosh apples.

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/

Anomaly SF, Where Culinary Innovation Reigns

is “An egg ... sort of,” which translates to a smoked, whipped potato with an egg yolk “jam” and puffed rice. It’s a tantalizing combination that awakens the tastebuds. How to top that? With a Dirty Girl carrot soup spiced by cumin and peanut, capped with lime snow! A smoky, spongy cheese bread is the intermezzo—subtly sparing with the smoke.

The dictionary definition of the word “anomaly” is “something different, abnormal, peculiar, or not easily classified.” That’s an apt description for the culinary inventiveness on display at Anomaly SF, a new must-visit destination restaurant from young Chef Mike Lanham (an alumnus of Spruce and Commis) and his youthful team in lower Presidio Heights. This innovation doesn’t come cheap. While the advertised fixed price is $132/person, by the time you add in a wine pairing, and, of course, a caviar tasting, the bill climbs to about $300/person including tax and tip. But it’s worth it. Anomaly SF may be one of the best new high-end restaurants not just in the Bay Area, but in the country—and is well on its way to earning a coveted Michelin star. Chef Mike perfected his execution at numerous pop-ups, the most recent of which was at The Mansion on Sutter. The experience starts when you walk in the door. You’re welcomed into the chic, intimate two-room space with a glass of bubbly rosé crémant before you even sit down (now, that’s my kind of restaurant!). The sophisticated surroundings feel more like New York than San Francisco, which is a good thing: modern, contemporary, and inviting. If you sit in the second room, it’s open directly to the kitchen where you can see the camaraderie of kitchen staff, working together like a well-oiled machine. It’s also fun that customers at Anomaly dress up for the special occasion that this kind of night on the town is.

Dining at Anomaly is like participating in a quiet, well-choreographed dance set: everything has its place and time, and courses arrive with artistry and aplomb. Delightfully, the chef delivers and describes every morsel personally. Even though it’s an advertised eleven courses (with a few desserts and some supplements, if you choose), you don’t leave feeling overstuffed since portions are apportioned properly. Plus, unlike some top-notch restaurants in town, the inventive food actually tastes heavenly!

As you sit, your server brings you a fresh hot towel, with the accompanying jazz playlist adding just the right touch. The first bites, served on blown-glass plates, are a French toast with crème fraiche and Kaluga caviar, which provides a contrasting salty offset to the sweetness of the confection. Following that, the chef serves a palate cleanser of compressed watermelon with curry avocado and sesame seeds. The next course, a signature,

Another plus? Unlike some other fancy schmancy restaurants, when you order the wine pairing, they keep the wine flowing—well worth the price. For the next course, the sommelier serves a Yamahai (a wilder, gamier version) sake from the south of Japan, which is both earthy and fermented. The sake accompanies Early Girl tomatoes, which unfortunately weren’t quite in season yet, with basil and tomato essence. A second tomato dish features

ripe, fabulous small Sun Gold tomatoes, topped with cypress seed with seaweed, croutons, and sour cream aioli. The dish is a smart; the surprising clash of tastes complement each other well.

For the next course, the wine is a Savignin (not Sauvignon) from France—dry and clean, with a hint of butterscotch. This pairs with a delicious corn custard punctuated by tarragon, crème fraiche, buck tamarind, and caviar, and sports a surprising but tasty burnt sugar top!

A brut style cider from Normandy adjoins a perfectly-cooked halibut in a champagne, cream, and scallion sauce with compressed celtuce (a kind of celery lettuce).

For the next course, the chef was kind enough to accommodate my eggplant allergy with “not ratatouille,” a bit saltier than usual red pepper and zucchini mousse with morel mushrooms and crispy cabbage, paired with a Bandol Syrah from France. For the next main, the chef served juicy pork ribs with daikon, plum, and pork skin crisps; the accompanying Syrah from Pismo Beach brought out all the natural sweetness.

A parade of desserts followed: a mango coconut white chocolate and finger lime concoction that looks like an egg—and tastes divine; a tonga bean custard with black sesame cake topped with raspberry; an olive oil cake in a floating presentation; and finally, fruit gels and chocolates, to boot! A Commandaria sweet dessert wine from Cyprus brought the meal to a grand finale.

One pet peeve: Anomaly SF does something that quite a few

,

restaurants in San Francisco have started doing. I understand why, but I’m not a fan of it. You have to reserve through Tock, and you have to pre-pay the full amount (plus tax and a 20% tip) up front. On top of that, according to Tock, the reservation is “final and non-refundable. You can always transfer your reservation to another person.”

Tock, unlike SevenRooms, doesn’t allow Anomaly’s customers to identify allergies on the reservation, and asks then that you also send a separate email to the restaurant— which, in my case, bounced back. I find this whole policy a bit annoying, especially at a high-priced restaurant like Anomaly. What if you wake up with COVID-19 in the morning and need to cancel or want to go another time? Also, does the restaurant really want to encourage people who are sick to attend? I humbly suggest that restaurants use judgment in accommodating those of us diners who don’t take advantage and may have real reasons for cancelling. (And please fix the email/allergy notice situation.)

That aside, Anomaly proves that culinary innovation can still taste great, and that fancy can be glamorous, but doesn’t have to be fussy. Go now, before that Michelin star makes reservations impossible to snag!

Bits and Bites

I hadn’t been to the Marin French Cheese Company in years, but recently tasted a sampling of their marvelous cheeses (including my favorite, the Golden Gate washed rind triple crème cheese). The company offers sandwiches, salads, wine, beer, cider, and all

of the Marin French cheeses. As they say, “the historic creamery is more than just a place to pick up a wheel of cheese. Nestled in between Marin and Sonoma, Marin French Cheese is a destination for cheese lovers and foodies to relax, picnic, and feast on the way up the coast or towards wine country”—or you can just enjoy the grounds for the day and head back to the city easily. Earlier this month, the company joined Robert Ferry Gourmet for a sampling of Marin French Cheese Company’s cheeses, paired

with popcorn, nuts, dried fruit, and more.

Erika Hazel, The Bizerkeley Vegan , recently hosted the third annual Bizerkeley Food Festival at Sports Basement Berkeley. The largest vegan food festival in the Bay Area featured more than 75 new and returning vendors from all over the country, with free samples, $5 food offerings, live entertainment, games, prizes, and giveaways. Complimentary

Bay Times Dines

swag was available and proceeds from the festival benefited the Herd And Flock Animal Sanctuary

Pastry chef Serena Chow Fisher, who along with her husband David Fisher, earned a Michelin star for their nowclosed Bernal Heights restaurant, Marlena, has partnered with Hi Neighbor Hospitality Group to launch a new ice cream brand, Jack & Remi. Named after Serena and David’s beloved dogs, the line “will blend playfulness with sophisticated technique.” The imaginative flavors include: sourdough toast & jam, pistachio ice cream with rhubarb jam, shiso mint chip, strawberry szn (with white chocolate), FUVanilla, and 4XChocolate. The ice cream will be available at select Bay Area restaurants. Follow them on Instagram (@scoopjackandremi) and visit their website for where to find these delicious scoops.

The team behind The Snug recently opened Little Shucker —a playful neighborhood spot for fresh oysters and low-ABV beverages. Located in the heart of the Fillmore Street corridor in the Pacific Heights neighborhood, Little Shucker’s all-day menu features “a selection of seafood classics and raw bar offerings with a modern California twist.”

Kendall Jackson Wine Estate & Gardens welcomes back their limited garden dinner series with featured dinners September 9

(Asian fusion featuring Liberty Farms duck); and October 7 (with Chef Kim Alter, spotlighting Snake River Farms).

The Culinary Institute of America at Copia is adding a new late-night destination to the Napa community: The Haven , the Culinary Institute of America’s first cocktail-focused bar across all of its campuses. Using The Grove’s kitchen elevator, guests will arrive at the second-floor entrance, greeted by a retro floor-to-ceiling cocktailinspired mural to set the tone. The Haven’s balcony is the place to relax in open air and take in the views of the CIA at Copia’s beautiful gardens and Napa skyline. The Haven will be open Fridays and Saturdays from 8 pm until midnight.

San Rafael is getting its first downtown hotel destination with the recently opened AC Hotel® San Rafael by Marriott. Located at 1201 Fifth Avenue on the corner of 5th Avenue and B Street, the hotel features 140 guest rooms, indoor and outdoor meeting space, and several food and beverage outlets, including the city’s first rooftop bar, Above Fifth.

Seattle-based Piroshky

Piroshky’s Eastern European bakery is coming to the Bay Area September 12–14. You can preorder pies by visiting their website.

Laura and Sayat Ozyilmaz, the duo behind beloved pop-up Istanbul Modern , have just opened their first restaurant as chefowners, Dalida , in the Presidio.

The full-service restaurant showcases the hospitality, fresh ingredients, memorable flavors, and rich culture of the Eastern Mediterranean.

Paseo in Mill Valley is celebrating its 75th anniversary and on Wine Wednesdays, customers can select from the restaurant’s wine cellar for half price specials. The restaurant serves New American cuisine from Chef Sylvain Montassier using seasonal, naturally harvested, and locally sourced ingredients from the area’s best artisans, growers, and producers. Montassier, a French native, has almost 30 years of professional experience that stretches from France and England to San Francisco and Chicago. He graduated from the Culinary School of Saumur and subsequently staged at two and three Michelin star restaurants in Europe.

Local distillery Hotaling and Company (formerly Anchor Distilling), makers of Junipero Gin , is celebrating 30 years this year. Congratulations!

And, Jonathan Vargas and Ramsey Garcia , who run the popular Fable restaurant in the Castro, applied for an on-site beer and wine license for the new Boa’s restaurant in the Outer Richmond at 3951 Balboa Street, which according to the SF Standard, aims to be a new brunch spot.

Anomaly SF: https://anomalysf.com/

Marin French Cheese Company: https://marinfrenchcheese.com/ Bizerkeley Food Festival: https://tinyurl.com/w85xnwue

Jack and Remi ice cream: www.scoopjackandremi.com

Little Shucker:

http://www.littleshucker.com/

Kendall Jackson Wine Estate & Gardens: https://www.kj.com/visit

The Culinary Institute of America at Copia: https://www.ciaatcopia.com/

The Haven:

https://tinyurl.com/3tsmnjuv

AC Hotel San Rafael by Marriott and Above Fifth: https://tinyurl.com/c4zheks4

Dalida: https://www.dalidasf.com/ Paseo: https://paseobistro.com/ Fable: https://www.fablesf.com/ Hotaling and Company: https://www.hotalingandco.com/

David Landis, aka “The Gay Gourmet,” is a foodie, a freelance writer, and a retired PR maven. Follow him on Instagram @GayGourmetSF or email him at: davidlandissf@gmail.com Or visit him online at: www.gaygourmetsf.com

Speaking to Your Soul

ARIES (March 21–April 19)

As you are an agent of the release of power, and you have a tendency toward impulsiveness, it becomes urgent that you purify your channel. Your impulse, if it is to be trusted, must be pure in its origin. Take this time to sift out emotional debris that clouds your perception.

TAURUS (April 20–May 20)

Your voice is your superpower. Channel your appreciation for beauty through words, ideas, thoughts, speech, and/or singing. More than ever you’re able to tap into collective feeling and express it into forms that can have a positive impact.

Astrology

Currently we might be more vulnerable to selfdeception; to escaping from the present into substances, compulsive behaviors, and fantasies. But our soul knows there is more beyond this dense, physical reality, and so rather than turn away from it by numbing our consciousness, we are called to create the outpourings of the imagination in tangible form; to express the inexpressible. At the same time, there are also very supportive planetary energies clearing the path for us to achieve excellence. We are strongly encouraged to apply determination and self-discipline toward sharpening our skills and sacrificing the mediocre for the great. A cosmic wind is at our back and to the degree we commit to slow, steady work that is meaningful to us, we can manifest our creative aims with unusual success. Applying persistent effort toward our highest ideal is the cosmic order of the days ahead.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20)

It’s an excellent time for typically whimsical Gemini to practice being more analytical, sort out extraneous distractions, and explore more practical ideas. Ground yourself at home for a change to achieve results and to avoid overstimulation that could steer you off course.

CANCER (June 21–July 22)

If possible, avoid making major decisions or signing deals for now, as your perception might not be entirely accurate. It serves you to take time to observe and wait. Building a habit of journaling your thoughts is a good method of getting honest with yourself, which, in turn, helps you avoid deceiving and being deceived by others.

LEO (July 23–August 22)

While it’s wise to avoid taking financial risks for now, as well as putting all your eggs in any one basket, it’s an excellent time to make effort toward a heart-centered goal. There’s great potential for future financial gain as you cultivate diligence by taking consistent action on a daily basis while maintaining faith in an abundant universe.

VIRGO (August 23–September 22)

This birthday gifts you with a powerful start to a new solar cycle. Everything is possible for you as you strive toward becoming your best. Success is measured not only by results, but also by the sense of self-worth you gain by showing up each day, and accepting yourself exactly where you are on the path. You are the sign of selfimprovement, but the answer to the riddle of your life is that you’ll never get to the end. So, kick perfectionism out of the room to make space for self-esteem.

LIBRA (September 23–October 22)

Take the initiative to cut ties with dead weight. You are clearing the decks in anticipation of a new cycle. Devoting yourself to a meditation practice or other spiritual discipline can bring rich benefits and refine your aesthetic values.

SCORPIO (October 23–November 21)

The planets encourage you to take stock of who you’ve been surrounding yourself with, and to be more discerning. In order to manifest your goals, you need support to get there. First clarify a vision for your future, then join a network or group of likeminded souls who align with who you are becoming.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22–December 21)

Hold off for the moment on making any big career changes, but definitely be working legitimately behind the scenes at furthering your position in the world. Plan for future moves by persevering toward the dream you want to most manifest. Patience and persistence will pay off, but be sure you’re aiming for your ideal and not settling for a paycheck only.

CAPRICORN (December 22–January 19)

Communication could be a bit jumbled but your higher mind is primed for intuitive understanding now. Rather than relying on the usual channels of learning, you could receive downloads of information in sudden bursts of insight and realization. Progress is not linear but a process of unfoldment as in the peeling back of layers that had previously veiled truths.

AQUARIUS (January 20–February 18)

What has been unknown is ready to come into clearer focus now. Apply effort to deep analysis of your psyche to access power you haven’t known before. There is real opportunity through depth of research to make significant discoveries and contributions to humanity based on your personal journeying.

PISCES (February 19–March 20)

You have all of the universe backing you in achieving your soul’s purpose of bringing universal principles into material form. Though typically challenging for you, Pisces, the stoic principles of self-discipline and perseverance are not only necessary for you to cultivate, but also are more readily accessible at this time. Integrating such principles into your daily practice is the secret to the fulfillment and the freedom that have alluded you.

Elisa Quinzi is a certified professional astrologer who brings a strong spiritual perspective, as well as over 20 years of experience, to her work with clients. Contact her at futureselfnow@gmail.com or at 818-530-3366

Take Me Home with You!

“My name is Hippo!

I am a two-year-old, male pit bull terrier who arrived at SF SPCA from Fresno, CA. I am very excitable—but in a good way!—and am learning to enjoy calm outings and interactions. I just can’t help myself and I can’t get enough of people! I love affection, treats, and playing with toys of all shapes and sizes. Foster pawrent Natalia said of me: ‘Hippo has been such a chill boy here. His favorite place is the couch and his favorite activities are pets.’ If you think we might be a match, come say hello!”

Special offer for a special dog!

You can foster Hippo to find out if he’s your canine soulmate! If you’d like to do a week-long foster trial period with Hippo, with the end goal of adopting him, please come check him out!

Hippo is presented to San Francisco Bay Times readers by Dr. Jennifer Scarlett, the SF SPCA’s CEO. Our thanks also go to Paradise Osorio for helping to get the word out about lovable pets like Hippo.

To meet Hippo in person, visit the SF SPCA Mission Campus @ 201 Alabama Street. It is open for appointments from 10 am–6 pm (Monday–Wednesday, Friday–Sunday) and 1 pm–6 pm on Thursdays.

For more information: https://www.sfspca.org/adoptions/

Fitness SF Trainer Tip of the Month

Dara and Ashley at Fitness SF Fillmore

“It’s super important to wear comfortable clothes while at the gym. This increases the likelihood that you will come back and stick to a solid routine. Change up your apparel every 6 months to keep things fresh.”

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

Sister Dana Sez: Words of Wisdumb from a Fun Nun

exhorted State Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco).

Sister Dana sez, “LeatherWalk is coming! You don’t HAVE to wear leather—but you will be happy you did.”

LEATHERWALK 2023 is Sunday, September 17, 11 am to 2:30 pm, starting at City Hall (Polk Street side) and parading to South of Market leather bars—behind the official black, blue, and white with red heart banner leading the way. This is the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District ’s annual SOMA celebration and march. We walk together to celebrate leather, kink, family, and community—all while raising funds for the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District. The march makes brief stops at these leather-themed spots: Oasis, Hole in the Wall, Powerhouse, Azúcar Lounge, Folsom Street Community Center, Leather Etc., Mr. S Leather, Ringold Leather History Alley, Lone Star Saloon, Eagle Plaza, and SF Eagle. The Walk culminates at the SF Eagle’s Leather Pride Fest and the raising of the Leather Pride Flag launching LEATHER WEEK 2023 https://sfleatherdistrict.org

BEARRISON STREET FAIR is back! Join us at the SF Eagle beer bust on September 10, 3–7 pm, 398 12th Street and help support the fair! Bearrison Street Fair will be held Saturday, October 14, 2023. Grrrrrr!!! https://www.bearrison.org

Sister Dana sez, “At the Presidential Debate, I was shocked to find that I actually agreed with crazy Nikki Haley, that Trump is ‘the most disliked politician in America.’”

Democratic lawmakers joined LGBTQ rights organizations and activists on the steps of the Capitol for their annual LGBTQ ADVOCACY DAY RALLY. The demonstration was held on August 29 as the battle over the rights of transgender students and parents continues to escalate. “We are on the right side of history, and we will not back down until all students feel safe and supported when they’re at school,” said Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego). Lawmakers discussed proposed legislation to protect members of the LGBTQ community, especially transgender youth. “This community, time and time again, when we’ve been under attack, we have stood up and said no, not on our watch!”

Meanwhile, on those same steps of the Capitol the Monday before, a group of conservative parents, calling themselves “Protect Kids California,” and a few Republican lawmakers held their own “special” news conference. The group announced three proposed ballot initiatives they want to take to voters. They include: blocking transgender girls from competing in girls’ sports programs, blocking transgender minors from gender-affirming medical care, and requiring school officials to notify parents if their child changes their gender identity.

The dueling rallies follow the filing of a lawsuit by Attorney General Rob Bonta , who is suing the Chino Valley Unified School District over its own parental notification policy.

“This policy is destructive, it’s discriminatory, and it’s downright dangerous,” said Bonta. “We are going to put these ballot measures where they belong—in the garbage bin of history,” added Senator Wiener.

Sister Dana sez, “Trump should not be out on bail, because he could easily flee the country, hop his jet over to Russia, and live happily ever after with his lover, Putin!”

We Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

presented ‘OHANA , a fundraiser for the MAUI AIDS FOUNDATION (MAF)’s wildfire relief effort at the Lookout bar in the Castro on August 31. “‘Ohana” in Hawaiian means “family.” Emceed by Honey Mahogany & Sister Roma , the evening featured DJ Bugie, Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu National Hula Dance Company, Kitten on the Keys, delightful drag performances by Royal Grand Duchess 28 of Alameda and Contra Costa Vicky Sparkle Titz and Miss Linda Summers, Royal Crown Prinx with the Grand Ducal Council of SF.

The lovely Tongo LeLe, Reigning Miss Castro Club 7, gave us some gorgeous hula dancing. Suggested donations of $5–$100 let 100% of the benefit’s proceeds go towards wildfire relief. MAF representative Cory Hall spoke passionately about the Maui fire. The fundraiser was the brainchild of longtime Sisters (and partners) Saki Tumi and Penny Costal. “We lived on Maui shortly after we met in San Francisco,” said Sister Saki. “We were greeted with open arms and made many lifelong friendships. When we heard of the unbelievable destruction and loss of life, we knew this was a chance for the Sisters to channel our community’s love to help out. We’re especially grateful to Gregg Crosby, general manager of the Lookout, for offering this terrific venue. Mahalo!”

Maui Aids Foundation Fire Relief Fund has stepped up and is providing assistance to all of those in Maui who were affected by the fire. They are seeking to provide everything from diapers and formula to sleeping

bags and clothing to displaced residents and families. You can help fulfill their Amazon wish list and make cash donations directly at https://www.mauiaids.org/

On September 1 and 2, ART WALK SF AND CASTRO ART MART combined forces for a supersized Castro Art Walk and Castro Art Mart. The Castro Art Mart usually runs every first Sunday, except for this one special first Saturday mash-up with Art Walk SF.

Every year from September 15 to October 15, Americans celebrate NATIONAL LATINO AND HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH by appreciating the community’s history, heritage, and contributions of the ancestors of American citizens who came from Mexico, Spain, the Caribbean, and South & Central America. Hispanic Heritage Month originally started with one week of commemoration when it was first introduced by Congressman George E. Brown in June 1968. With the civil rights movement, the need to recognize the contributions of the Latin community gained traction in the 1960s. Awareness of the multicultural groups living in the United States was also gradually growing. September 15 is set as the start date for the month as it is important for many reasons. It is the independence anniversary for Latin American countries El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras. From here onwards, the independence days of Mexico and Chile fall on September 16 and September 18, respectively. DÍA DE LA RAZA or Columbus Day also falls within this month, on October 12. Hispanic and Latinx populations have been integral to the prosperity of the U.S. Their contributions to the nation are immeasurable, and they embody the best of American values. The Hispanic-American Latina community has left an indelible mark on the U.S. culture and economy. Celebrate Hispanic & Latina/e/o/x Heritage Month with a special Drag Lotería! OPENHOUSE will have two new drag performers, food, several rounds of Bingo, and prizes. It’ll be an afternoon of fun and friends! September 27, 1:30–3 pm, 75 Laguna. RSVP at rsvp@openhousesf.org or 415-2315871

Sister Dana sez, “I was not at all surprised that at the Presidential Debate, Mike Pence came off as his usual sanctimonious, holier-thanthou self.”

The September installment of LOCKDOWN COMEDY on Zoom takes place on Thursday, September 21, 7 pm. It features Ophira Eisenberg (NY), Cynthia Levin (NY), Eve Meyer (SF), Lisa Geduldig and her 92-years-young mom, Arline Geduldig (Florida). https://www.koshercomedy.com/

(continued on page 40)

given all the cars whipping mad-dash around the circle. I wondered what the cat would say if she were sentient and able to speak. When I gave the story to Lynn, she remarked that the voice in that story was truly unique, and new for me. It became a seed in the back of my mind over the next decade and a half. Clearly a long germination!

Michele Karlsberg: Why choose a dog for a narrator? Wouldn’t a human narrator have been just as effective––or more so?

Donald Mengay: Well, a human narrator wouldn’t have given me the chance to analyze human foibles nearly as easily because a human narrator would have been too close to the problem, so to speak. As a nonhuman animal, Molly has a perspective no human “animal” does. What’s more, because Molly belongs to the family at the heart of the story––a family that serves as an allegory of humans generally––she has an insider’s view. Which is why a donkey or a horse would not have served the purpose as well.

BOOK PASSAGE (continued from pg 31)

challenging, surprisingly funny, and occasionally absurd cycle of addiction and recovery.

Wednesday, September 20 @ 4 pm (ticketed - Ferry Building store) Cody Rigsby, author of The XOXO

Come join us for an exciting meet & greet with Peloton superstar Cody Rigsby! The beloved Peloton instructor chronicles his journey from small-town North Carolina to New York City stardom in an empowering story that reveals his secret to success: not taking yourself—or life— too seriously. In XOXO, Cody, he opens up about his journey toward accepting himself, from growing up gay and poor in the South to his migration to New York City, where he went from broke-ass dancer to fitness icon. He intimately details what it was like to lose both his father and

Dogs and cats, and some birds, live with humans and know them intimately. They observe us and know our strengths and weaknesses. What sets a dog apart is it lives, in part, on the end of a leash, or as the English say, a lead––hence the play on words in The Lede to Our Undoing. I wanted to play with the notion of a leash or lead as a metaphor for the way all of nature is tethered, or leashed, to the actions of human beings. In that way, Molly herself is allegorical. She even remarks a couple times, “Nature and I are one.” That she is abused by the family in the story references the way we’re abusing nature and the environment, and have been for many centuries.

For more information on Donald Mengay and his work: https://www.donaldmengay.com

Michele Karlsberg Marketing and Management specializes in publicity for the LGBTQ+ community. This year, Karlsberg celebrates 34 years of successful marketing campaigns.

For more information: https://www.michelekarlsberg.com

We look forward to events this month. You will find SF Dykes on Bikes at the Oakland Pride Parade. And for those who attend the Folsom Street Fair, Dykes on Bikes will once again be staffing motorcycle parking and a helmet/gear check booth on Sunday, September 24. If you are on a motorcycle and planning on attending, the parking will be at 9th and Harrison (enter from Harrison).

Kate Brown, Ph.D., is the President of San Francisco Dykes on Bikes® Women’s Motorcycle Contingent. https://www.dykesonbikes.org/

SISTER DANA (continued from pg 39)

Sister Dana sez, “Asa Hutchinson, former Arkansas Governor, at the Presidential Debate deserved a standing ovation (certainly not getting booed) for reminding us that the 14th Amendment would disqualify Trump in office as an insurrectionist!”

Sunday, September 10, 11 am is the annual OAKLAND PRIDE PARADE down Broadway from 14th to 21st. Free to the public. Noon–6 pm is OAKLAND PRIDE FESTIVAL + CELEBRATION https://oaklandpride.org/

demands that accompany being assigned to protect the most powerful people in the world.

Sister Dana sez, “Since Southern California got a horrible storm named Hilary, shouldn’t Florida have gotten a storm named Ivanca?!”

best friend to addiction and how he began to repair his relationship with his mom as an adult.

Saturday, September 23 @ 4 pm (freeCorte Madera store) Susan Bauer-Wu, author of A Future We Can Love

A Future We Can Love shares the words of the Dalai Lama and Greta Thunberg, regarding our climate crisis and climate justice. These two great figures, generations apart , are featured in dialogue with cutting-edge climate scientists, activists, and spiritual leaders to start a worldchanging conversation. Readers embark on a four-part journey toward active hope in the face of the climate crisis: from knowledge of climate science through the capacity for change, to the will that is needed and the actions we can take.

https://www.bookpassage.com/

The Stud Is Set to Reopen in Spring 2024 at 1123–1125

Folsom Street

Both city and state officials, including Senator Scott Wiener, Mayor London Breed, and Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, along with members of The Stud co-op, were present at a September 5, 2023, event announcing that The Stud has secured a new home at 1123–1125 Folsom Street. The South of Market site most recently was the location for the pop-up Golden Girls Kitchen and previously housed the Trademark sports bar and Julie’s Supper Club.

The Stud, started by associates George Matson and Alexis Muir on May 27, 1966, is said by the present owners to be “San Francisco’s oldest queer bar.”

It was originally at 1535 Folsom, so the new location—set to open in Spring 2024—will be very close to the original landmark site. (The Stud in 1987 moved to Ninth and Harrison Streets before closing in May 2020.)

A new video about The Stud includes a “thank you to all the members of The Stud co-op that have kept The Stud alive.” The listed members are: Jerry Lee Abram, Nate Allbee, Marke Bieschke, John Foster Cartwright, Cornelius (VivvyAnneFoeverMORE), Maria Davis, Paul Dillinger, Bernadette Fons, Houston Gilbert, Terra Haywood, Logan Jonas, Honey Mahogany, Oscar Pineda, Rachel Ryan, Neven Raja Samara, and David Schnur.

The video adds “a very special thank you to all the Studettes out there. You make The Stud the special place that it is.”

In a related piece called “The Return of The Stud,” the organizers share: “The new location will be double the size of our notoriously crowded old space, we’ll have two bars, a new stage and sound system ... and best of all, multiple working toilets (no more having to squat in the piss trough, ladies). And we’re definitely bringing back the crazy collections of queer chotchkies that made the design of The Stud so awesome.”

This was also added in a pitch for monetary support, under the subhead “Why Should I Help?” The answer? “Because you love The Stud. And you love our vibrant Queer Community. And you love this city. There’s a lot of talk about how San Francisco is over, or we’re falling into a doom loop (which might be the name of our new goth night). And look, we know we got some problems, but our community has thrived during much worse (I mean, the city literally burned to the ground, girl). The Stud has been there through wars, and plagues, and good times and bad. We just want to make sure that it’s here for the next generation of San Francisco weirdos.”

To join the already hundreds who have chipped in to donate toward the goal of $500,000, go to: https://tinyurl.com/459e3ucs

Sister Dana sez, “It was rather refreshing to NOT have Trump present at the Debate—the way he stomped all over Hillary Clinton when they had THEIR Presidential Debate!”

Author Edward Cahill will be in conversation with KM Soehnlein about his new novel, DISORDERLY MEN. Cahill’s debut novel is about three gay men in preStonewall NYC who find their fates thrown together in the police raid of a Village bar. Fabulosa Books is hosting this reading at 489 Castro Street, September 20, 7 pm. But wait ... there’s more at Fabulosa. On September 21, 7 pm, Cory Allen will be there to talk about his memoir, BREAKING FREE: A Saga of Self-discovery by a Gay Secret Service Agent. This is a deeply personal yet candid saga of a gay Secret Service Agent in the Obama era; an agent who was struggling with his own identity, marriage, discrimination, and balancing the

The 44th annual HAIGHT STREET FAIR brings thousands of people to Haight Street between Stanyan and Masonic to shop over 200 outdoor vendors including food, green businesses, local artists, clothing, crafts, nonprofits, and more. The Fair is Sunday, September 17, 11 am to 5:30 pm. https://tinyurl.com/357saycc

Sister Dana sez, “I know it is just wrong to root for the San Diego Padres over our beloved SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS—and I would NEVER; but I WAS a bit titillated by SD’s gay hot pink trimmed uniforms! Also, ‘SD’ is my monogram.”

MAGNET’S 20 YEAR

ANNIVERSARY Art Show is having its reception at Strut on September 8, 8 pm, 470 Castro Street. Note: not on the usual first Friday, (because of the holiday weekend); they are having it on the second Friday.

Sister Dana sez, “We can now call Trump by his prison name: Inmate Number P01135809!”

Sister Dana sez, “Donald Trump facing 91 criminal charges is punishable by 713 YEARS in prison! Lock him up!”

Sports

For this final installment of my summer clothing optional beach series, I would like to introduce three more beautiful beaches in our Golden State: Black Sands Beach in Northern California, Pirate’s Cove in Central California, and Blacks Beach in Southern California. Please refer to my feature in the July 27, 2023, issue of the San Francisco Bay Times ( https://tinyurl com/3ncpmrhs ) for several important “know beforeyou-go” recommendations and advisories.

Black Sands Beach

Black Sands Beach is a spectacular west-facing secluded beach in the southern part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area below the Marin Headlands. This is truly a unique beach because the sand is not the typical white or tan, but a dark charcoal that sparkles under direct sunlight. According to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s National Ocean Service, “black sand comes from eroded volcanic material such as lava, basalt rocks, and other darkcolored rocks and minerals, and is typically found on beaches near volcanic activity.”

The beach is accessible via steep, but manageable, steps and a trail with breathtaking views of the western Presidio, Sea Cliff, and Lands End right across the Golden Gate strait. Unfortunately, due to the angle, topography, and position of Black Sands Beach, sunbathers will not be able to see the San Francisco skyline and the Golden Gate Bridge, giving the beach an even more far, far away feel.

At the bottom of the trail, turn right or head west, where the nude sun worshippers congregate and set up shop, sometimes beyond and over the giant rocks. You are more than welcome to turn left as long as you don’t mind sharing the space with families

End of Summer Fun at Clothing Optional Beaches: Black Sands, Pirate’s Cove, and Black’s

and tourists. Once on the beach, you will immediately be awestruck by the glimmering dark colored sand and the coarseness beneath your feet. Be forewarned: the black sand does get much hotter than light colored sand so be certain to have appropriate footwear.

Pirate’s Cove

Pirate’s Cove Beach is located in between Avila and Pismo Beach along the Central California coastline. Originally, the cove was where “liquor was smuggled into the area on ships headed to Port San Luis Harbor” as stated on the San Luis Obispo official visitors site ( https://www.slocal.com/ ). “Over

steep steps ending on the sand. The cove is south facing and therefore somewhat protected from the elements, making it a suitable spot to bare it all.

More than just a beach, the location includes several sea caves that are on Cave Landing, a bluff high above the beach. The most visited cave and also the easiest to reach is the Pirate’s Cave, which is really a tunnel that leads to stunning views of the Pacific and the nearby San Luis Bay. Be careful, however, because at the other side of the tunnel is a steep drop onto jagged rocks masking several hidden caves below and within the bluff.

the years it’s become a local’s favorite and clothing optional beach.” This “hidden” beach is at the end of a clearly marked trail with rather

Black’s Beach

Perhaps the most well-known LGBTQ+ frequented beach in Southern California, Black’s Beach is the “go-to” nude beach for naked sunbathers from Santa Barbara through Los Angeles and into San Diego. Although there are other “clothing optional” beaches such as San Onofre, Black’s is where beachgoers can play volleyball in the buff, watch surfers riding waves, and gawk at paragliders sweeping across the sky high above the cliffs.

Located just south of La Jolla in north San Diego, Black’s Beach attracts mostly adventure seekers because the journey to the beach from the parking area is no joke. In fact, the official San Diego tourism

website ( https://www.sandiego.org/ )

penned the following description:

“Discover Black’ s Beach. Some of the best waves in San Diego, but not for the faint of heart ... [Black’s] is better known to the rest of the world as San Diego’s nude beach. Although nudism is unlawful in San Diego, it has persisted at Black’s for decades with the only real deterrent being the hike to get there. The nudists (or ‘nakes’ as surfers call them) tend to hang out north of the Glider Port Trail ... . For the most part, surfers and nakes are the only people motivated enough to make the hike to Black’s.”

Earlier this summer, my buddy Eric Morrie and I made the arduous trek to Black’s Beach and let me tell you firsthand, the hike was definitely not for the faint of heart. On our way down, we passed numerous “tourists” who huffed and puffed their way back up while making multiple resting stops. I’ll spare you the glorious details of our climb back up. Thanks to Google, I found the descend/ascend is nearly 400 feet and practically vertical! That’s climbing nearly 40 stories! Yikes!

Despite such challenges, the lure of baring it all, to see and be seen, and to be one with nature is motivation enough for my buddy and I, as well as scores and scores of LGBTQ+ nude sunbathers, to persevere and forge downward and then upward.

John Chen, a UCLA alumnus and an avid sports fan, has competed as well as coached tennis, volleyball, softball, and football teams.

Sisters Host ‘Ohana Benefit for Maui

On Thursday, August 31, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence hosted a fundraiser, ‘Ohana, held in the Castro at the Lookout. Organized by former Maui residents Sisters Saki Tumi and Penny Costal, the event benefited the Maui AIDS Foundation’s Fire Relief Fund.

Among the favorite items available for purchase were the Hawaiian hummingbird cupcakes. Also available were artisan candies created by Spirited Sweets Chocolates.

The emcees were Sister Roma and Honey Mahogany, who welcomed guests and introduced Maui AIDS Foundation’s representative, Cory Michelle Hall. Live entertainment was provided by several artists, including DJ Bugie, Kitten on the Keys, the Nā Lei Hulu i ka Wēkiu dance company directed by Kumu Hula Patrick Makuakāne ( https://www.naleihulu.org/ ), and others.

https://www.thesisters.org/

Transgender Immigrant Symposium

The 3rd Transgender Immigrant Symposium, organized by the San Francisco Transgender District, was held at Strut on Friday, August 25. Serving as event coordinators were activists Amit Patel and Jupiter Peraza.

Parivar Bay Area (Our Queer Trans South Asian Family), represented by Anjali Rimi, was a major sponsor for the event, along with the LGBT Asylum Project and more than 50 others.

Bamby Salcedo, a nationally recognized Latina transgender leader and founder of Trans Latin@Coalition, presented the keynote speech. Participants included civic and elected leaders.

Guests enjoyed networking with organizational representatives staffing information tables, including those from the Association for India’s Development, Catholic Charities of the East Bay, Strut, The Transgender District, and others.

https://www.transgenderdistrictsf.com/

Round About - All Over Town

http://sfbaytimes.com/

Picnic Time Vista Outdoor Picnic Blanket & Tote

This rugged camping picnic blanket is fully machine washable and you can even put it in the dryer. Measuring 59 by 51 inches when open, it folds up into an easy to carry 12.8 by 16.5-inch tote with adjustable carrying strap and extra-large pocket to hold other items. $33.99

Tom of Finland Pool Float Nothing says summer like floating in the pool on this sexy Tom of Finland Pool Float for $44.99.

Happy Summer 2023 from all of us at Cliff’s Variety! https://cliffsvariety.com/

Since our founding in 1936, Cliff’s Variety has been constantly growing and evolving in response to the needs of our customers. Our buyers strive to keep our selection fresh, on-trend, and competitive. We carry the best of everything from hardware & tools to cookware, garden supplies, toys, crafts, and gifts. We also offer re-keying and lock repair, knife sharpening, glass, acrylic & wood cutting. Light fabrication, pipe threading, and cable crimping are among the many other services we offer at Cliff’s Variety. If your project has gone a little beyond your abilities, we’re here to help.