August 31, 2023 edition of the Bay Area Reporter

Queer orgs grateful for Stop the Hate state funding

by John Ferrannini

Anumber of nonprofits representing minority groups, including the LGBTQ community, are grateful for grants from the state aimed at fighting prejudice.

Governor Gavin Newsom’s office announced the $91.4 million in funding to 173 local organizations on August 23 as part of the Stop the Hate campaign of the California Department of Social Services.

The announcement also comes on the heels of a sobering 2022 hate crimes report from Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office, which the Bay Area Reporter previously reported (https://www.ebar.com/story. php?ch=news&sc=anti_hate&id=326493). It showed reported hate crime events rose 20.2% last year, including increases in crimes reported against gay men, lesbians, and trans people.

“An attack on any of our communities is an attack on everything we stand for as Californians,” Newsom stated in a news release announcing the funding awards. “As hate-fueled rhetoric drives increasing acts of bigotry and violence, California is taking action to protect those who are targeted just for being who they are. We’re bolstering our support for victims and anti-hate programs and tackling ignorance and intolerance through education to prevent hate from taking hold in our communities.”

The grants were announced shortly after the August 18 shooting death of straight ally Laura Ann Carleton, 66, who was gunned down by a man after he confronted her about a Pride flag she had displayed outside her Mag.Pi clothing store in Cedar Grove, near Lake Arrowhead in Southern California. The suspect, identified by authorities as Travis Ikeguchi, 27, fled the scene but was located by authorities and killed by police after he refused to drop his weapon.

Westside San Francisco Assemblymember Phil Ting (D) invoked the hate crimes numbers in his statement on the funding, noting that reported hate crimes against Asian Americans did decline after a precipitous spike during the beginning of the COVID pandemic.

See page 9 >>

Measures targeting trans students eyed for CA ballot

by Matthew S. Bajko

Unable to pass their anti-transgender agenda through the state Legislature, conservative parent groups are working to put a trio of ballot measures restricting the rights of trans youth before California voters next year. It comes amid intensifying legal

and legislative actions over protecting LGBTQ youth in the Golden State.

One proposed ballot measure would restrict trans girls from playing on female athletic teams at school. A second measure would ban gender-affirming care for trans, nonbinary, and other gender-nonconforming youth.

The third proposed ballot measure would

explicitly say that school districts can forcibly out transgender students to their parents or legal guardians without their permission. Several Southern California school boards have either already adopted such a policy this year or are looking to do so.

See page 9 >>

New trans district EDs excited to build community power

by John Ferrannini

The new co-executive directors of San Francisco’s Transgender District said the conditions in the neighborhood, and in the country at large, are the biggest challenges the world’s only cultural district of its kind faces.

“It’s a very reactionary climate,” said Carlo Gomez Arteaga, a 50-year-old trans man who has been leading the district alongside Breonna McCree, a 50-year-old woman of trans experience, for the past month. “Our task as a cultural district is to be a beacon in San Francisco, and the world actually. People see us as a leader in cultural production and self-determination –building political, social and cultural power for trans people.”

McCree talked about the challenges of homelessness. LGBTQ people, and especially transgender and gender-nonconforming people, are overrepresented among the unhoused, and the Tenderloin – where most of the district is located – has long had a population living in poverty.

In addition to the Tenderloin, the trans district includes two blocks of Sixth Street (to Howard Street) South of Market, according to a map on the district’s website.

“I think the biggest challenge we all know is our unhoused population, so what we are trying to do right now is build out our rent stabi -

lization to keep our trans and nonbinary folks that are housed in their homes without adding to the abject poverty we see in the Tenderloin,” McCree said.

Since its establishment in 2017, the district has navigated and even thrived in the midst of these challenges, first with Honey Mahogany, a Black queer trans person, and then Aria Sa’id, a Black

trans woman, at the helm. Both were co-founders of the cultural district. Gomez Arteaga and McCree will be the district’s first leaders who were not among its co-founders.

Sa’id, who recently stepped down after six years leading the district, stated the new duo “couldn’t be any more iconic.”

See page 10 >>

Governor Gavin Newsom

Breonna McCree, left, and Carlo Gomez Arteaga are the new co-executive directors of the Transgender District.

Karen Santos Photography

A person holds a version of the Pride flag under a giant trans flag at the 2016 San Francisco Trans March. A parental rights group is aiming to place three anti-trans initiatives on the California ballot next year.

Courtesy Governor’s Office

Rick Gerharter

SF Wikimedian honored

Trans identity of Wikimedia awardee Gethen steers their work

by J.L. Odom

It’s been the go-to hub of information for many since the early aughts, serving as an online, easily accessible encyclopedia.

But what if the information on Wikipedia’s reference pages is erroneous, lacking credible sources, minimal, or altogether absent?

Cue volunteer “Wikimedians” like Pax Ahimsa Gethen, who edits and adds to pages to ensure their accuracy and detail. Gethen, a resident of San Francisco, is a longtime contributor to Wikipedia and other Wikiprojects, namely the open-source photo repository Wikimedia Commons.

In addition to their volunteer work for Wikipedia, Gethen said they make a little money from their posts on Medium and from sponsors on Patreon.

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales recently recognized Gethen’s efforts, bestowing the title of “2023 Media Contributor of the Year” to them as part of the annual Wikimedian of the Year Awards.

During their tenure as a contributor, Gethen – who identifies as queer, agender and transmasculine – has worked to improve the representation of nonbinary, transgender, queer, and Black leaders and activists on Wikipedia.

Wikipedia, founded in 2001 and operated by the nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation, is an open-source platform, meaning that anyone can edit its reference pages, though people are not supposed to edit their own pages. Gethen first gave this feature a try in 2008, editing rock group Led Zeppelin’s page. And while they were a routine reader of Wikipedia entries in the years that followed, it wasn’t until their personal identity changed that they became a more active and consistent contributor.

In a phone interview, they explained, “I transitioned in the year 2013 … [a]nd after that, I started getting more interested in gender and transgender issues and social justice issues in general ... I ended up concentrating particularly on the biographies of marginalized people, especially transgender folks, nonbinary folks and Black folks – that’s what I spent the most time on.”

They’ve edited the pages of notable Bay Area queer and trans figures, such as Transgender District co-founder and former president Aria Sa’id.

“We love Pax!!!” shared Sa’id in an Instagram message to the Bay Area Reporter.

She added, “[I’m] always grateful for Pax and their commitment to sharing

my work and other amazing trans and nonbinary changemakers’ work to the world in all the ways they do.”

Other Gethen-edited pages include that of late trans activist Felicia Elizondo, current National Center for Lesbian Rights Executive Director Imani RupertGordon, Transgender Gender-Variant & Intersex Justice Project Executive Director Janetta Johnson and first openly trans Lutheran minister Megan Rohrer.

NCLR and Johnson did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Rohrer, a former bishop in the Protestant denomination, resigned in June 2022 amid accusations of racism over his firing of a Latino pastor. In March, he filed a federal lawsuit against the Sierra Pacific Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, as the B.A.R. has previously reported.

More recently, Rohrer was removed from the ministry of the ELCA, as the San Francisco Chronicle reported. (https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/ article/megan-rohrer-transgender-bishop-lutheran-removed-18182974.php)

It’s all on his Wikipedia page.

In a phone interview, Rohrer said he’s run into Gethen at a couple of events.

“It was lovely to hear a little bit of their story of wanting to make trans visibility a thing … and being really proud of people who are out moving and shaking and wanting to find ways to celebrate activists who are getting cool stuff done in the world,” Rohrer said. “So I thought that was kind of neat. I was like, ‘I didn’t even know you could do that [i.e., recognizing trans people on Wikipedia] as an advocacy justice option.’”

Rohrer specifically touched up the significance of Gethen’s Wikipedia contributions when speaking with the B.A.R.

“Especially in a time where people are only being recognized after their death when they’re trans, this is really life-saving, important work to help people imagine futures and have heroes,” he said. “Even if it’s the full life of someone, and it’s the ups and downs of what they went through in their work life, helping trans people imagine living to what happens next is life-saving work. So I’m so grateful that they do it.”

Gethen has also edited the pages of people who reside outside of the Bay Area, such as actress Ivory Aquino and Raquel Willis, a Black trans activist. They’ve branched out internationally as well, contributing to the pages of LGBTQ individuals in other countries.

They’ve established a straightforward process for selecting candidates; they then add to the individuals’ preexisting Wikipedia pages or create new ones from scratch.

Explained Gethen, “Basically, I just read things on social media or wherever, and if I see an interesting person, I look them up on Wikipedia. And if they don’t have an article, and I think they should, then I’ll write one. … And if they do have an article and it’s not in good shape, then I’ll try to update it.”

Since anyone can edit the site’s pages, Gethen has actively monitored the pages of those who are gender-nonconforming, as they are particularly at risk for inappropriate or inaccurate content, they noted.

“For transgender issues, the first thing I look at is vandalism. People are very often misgendering trans folks, especially nonbinary folks. We get a lot of vandalism on those,” they said.

In general, Gethen’s page content reviews consist of verifying information and links and ensuring the use of credible sources.

Working to verify info

When it comes to confirming a person’s gender identity, Gethen shared that they look at verified social media accounts to determine that information, seeking the person’s self-identification on platforms such as Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

It’s not always a foolproof method though due to the relative ease with which verification is possible for some social media profiles.

“It’s become more of a challenge lately now that verified accounts on X [formerly Twitter] are pretty meaningless. So that’s something else that we need to figure out how to deal with as a community,” Gethen said.

What they don’t do is reach out directly to LGBTQ individuals whose pages they are editing, as they’ve found in the past that people then attempt to direct the content.

“Sometimes I’ve mentioned to somebody, ‘Hey, by the way, I took a photo of you’ or ‘Hey, by the way, I worked on your Wikipedia page,’ but I don’t allow anybody to dictate to me how they are portrayed on Wikipedia. I’ve had some people attempt to do that; it’s very uncomfortable. I want to make it clear to them this is not your page; it’s a page about you.”

If there is any content on a person’s page that requires adjusting, it’s important to take the right steps when it comes to requesting revisions.

Said Gethen, “I tell them, ‘If there’s any inaccuracies or vandalism, you should speak up. But if it’s just something you want to update, you should leave a note on the talk page of the article rather than edit it yourself or try to contact me directly.’ That’s the appropriate way to handle it.”

In addition to writing, editing and keeping an eye out for instances of vandalism on Wikipedia pages, Gethen adds photographs they’ve personally taken. The “2023 Media Contributor of the Year” award that Gethen received specifically acknowledges their photo contributions to Wikipedia pages and Wikimedia Commons, a media repository.

Gethen’s to thank for photos of the late Bay Area gay Black singer-songwriter and activist Blackberri, trans actor and LGBTQ advocate Laverne Cox and trans activist Gavin Grimm.

“Whenever possible, if I get a photo of a trans person who already has a biography, or I think should have a biography, then I can use my own photos to illustrate that biography. So that’s what I really like to do, because it’s difficult to get freely licensed photos of notable people from Wikipedia.”

They’re also responsible for adding photos of important LGBTQ historical moments and celebrations, like the Trans History Month flag raising at City Hall and Transgender Day of Visibility.

Gethen shared they’ve been a photographer for many years and have taken numerous photos, primarily in the Bay Area, while at social justice events, protests and rallies – especially after Trump’s election in 2016.

Their own trans identity, coupled with the vast amount of work they’ve put into the Wikipedia pages of various trans and nonbinary individuals, have inevitably positioned Gethen in an educator role.

Notably, they’ve participated in conversations with other Wikipedia editors about the coverage of marginalized individuals, especially those who are trans.

“As I’m sure you’re familiar with, there’s a lot of controversy about us. So I’ve engaged in discussions with fellow Wikimedians on respectful and appropriate coverage of transgender subjects,” they told the B.A.R.

At the TransTech Summit in April 2023, Gethen presented “Countering Transphobia on Wikipedia.” Their talk honed in on trans biographies on the site.

“I’ve given several talks for Wikipedia editors on trans coverage. This was the opposite – giving a talk to trans folks who are not familiar with Wikipedia about how Wikipedia works,” they said.

This month, Gethen celebrated the 10th anniversary of their gender transition and their name day – two significant and joy-filled life events for anyone in the trans community. Going forward, they’d like to see more queer, trans and nonbinary folks become Wikipedians and contribute to LGBTQ-centering conversations and pages.

As Gethen noted, “There’s a well known gender gap on Wikipedia, where overwhelmingly men edit Wikipedia, but there’s even more of a transgender gap. It’s not just that very few trans people edit because there are very few trans people in society … there’s [also] a gap in knowledge. So whenever there is a discussion about something that impacts us, very few of us are available to participate in it.” t

ALRP’s Hirsh honored by SFAF

Pax Ahimsa Gethen was recognized by Wikipedia for their contributions to the site.

Gwen Park

Ande Stone, left, senior community mobilization manager at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, presented the Catalyst of Change Award to outgoing AIDS Legal Referral Panel Executive Director Bill Hirsh August 21 at the foundation’s Strut health clinic in the LGBTQ Castro neighborhood. The award was given by SFAF’s HIV Advocacy Network, which mobilizes the HIV community to advocate for public policies to address their needs. Hirsh

stated in a news release that he was “thrilled” to receive the award. “I believe the recognition stems from the work I have done to ensure that the city’s budget reflects the needs of some of the most vulnerable residents of our community and my efforts over many years to address the affordable housing crisis experienced by people living with HIV,” he added. Hirsh will be stepping down from leading ALRP at the end of the year.

Courtesy ALRP

Prelim hearing set in gay Oakland murder case

by John Ferrannini

The attorney defending the UC Berkeley employee charged in the killing of a gay Black man in Oakland earlier this year said his problems receiving evidence from prosecutors are getting resolved.

“I got a lot of it and there’s more coming,” attorney David J. Briggs told the Bay Area Reporter August 25. “I’m confident I’m going to have what I need in a short time.”

During a court appearance Briggs and Alameda County Deputy District Attorney Jake O’Malley asked Alameda County Superior Court Judge Kimberly E. Colwell to set a preliminary hearing in the case for October 17.

Briggs is representing defendant Sweven Waterman, 38, of Oakland, who has been charged with homicide in the March 4 stabbing death of Curtis Marsh, 53, also of Oakland. Waterman has pleaded not guilty and remains in custody at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. In a previous interview,

Briggs demurred when asked about his client’s sexual orientation. Waterman is on administrative leave from his job as a senior custodian at UC Berkeley.

Marsh, who was also known as drag artist Touri Monroe, was a hair stylist and a Miss Gay Oakland emeritus who used to sing with the Oakland Gay Men’s Chorus. Originally from Iowa, friends described him as fun, helpful, and active in his church.

Briggs waived Waterman’s appearance in Colwell’s courtroom at the Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse in downtown Oakland. During the hearing, Briggs told Colwell that “Mr. O’Malley and I have made significant progress on our discovery issues,” but that an initial preliminary hearing date for September 19 would be too soon, and that both he and the DA’s office agreed to move the hearing to October.

At the preliminary hearing, the Alameda County District Attorney’s office will present witnesses and evidence, and the judge will decide if there’s sufficient evidence to proceed with the charges against Waterman at trial. The DA’s office did not immediately return a request for comment.

Briggs has told the B.A.R. in past

reports that Waterman did not know Marsh, as far as he knew.

Police responded to Marsh’s home on Vernon Street in the Adams Point neighborhood just before 8 a.m. March 4 after a report of a disturbance, Oakland Police Officer Darryl Rodgers stated in an email to the B.A.R.

The “disturbance” consisted of “reports of an individual screaming,” stated Paul Chambers, the strategic communication manager for the Oakland Police Department.

When officers arrived, Oakland firefighters were on the scene extinguishing a fire.

“Upon arrival, officers located an Oakland resident with multiple lacerations,” Oakland Police Officer Darryl Rodgers stated. “The victim succumbed to their injuries and medical units pronounced the victim deceased on scene. Investigators from the OPD Homicide Section responded to the scene to begin the follow-up investigation into the circumstances surrounding the homicide.”

Man charged with hate crime in Emeryville senior housing incident

by John Ferrannini

T he Alameda County District Attorney’s office has charged a 64-year-old man with hate crime vandalism alleged to have happened in the lobby of a senior housing facility.

Ayman Badr was charged with one count of vandalism under $400 and another of “violation of civil rights,” according to Patti Lee, a spokesperson for Alameda County DA Pamela Price.

Shortly before Lee confirmed the charges, Emeryville Police Department Sergeant Andrew Cassianos of the criminal investigative section stated to the Bay Area Reporter that the DA’s office was reviewing the case.  Badr is not in custody, according to the Alameda County Sheriff’s office’s inmate locator; his arraignment is set for September 8 at 9 a.m. in front of Judge Sharon Djemal in Department 108 at the Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse in downtown Oakland.

The Alameda County Public Defender’s office stated to the B.A.R. that it is not presently rep -

resenting Badr. He could not be reached for comment.

“With regards to the investigation you are referencing, there was no arrest made,” Cassianos stated.

“The Emeryville Police Department responded to a call for ser-

vice and conducted an investigation. Once our investigation was complete, the case was forwarded to the Alameda County DA’s office for review. That is where the case is now, with the DA’s office pending review.”

More information was provided by Emeryville Police Service Manager Dutchess Z. Booze, which stated the incident – the date for which was not given – was first reported June 22 at the Avalon Senior Housing on San Pablo Avenue.

The facility did not return a request for comment.

A neighbor, believed to be Badr, “became verbally aggressive” toward a woman who put up flyers for the Juneteenth holiday, leaving her “afraid,” according to the computer-aided dispatch, or CAD, call narrative search report, which Booze sent to the B.A.R.

Subsequently, the CAD report states, “the victim, who’s part of a housing committee, placed proLBGTQ+ Pride posters in the lobby on behalf of the committee. Without provocation, an aggressive suspect verbally attacked the victim while going on an anti-gay tirade (hate speech). The suspect was interviewed and admitted to ripping down the posters. The theft of the posters was also captured on [closed-circuit television]. The victim indicated she fears for her

Neighbors told KTVU-TV (https:// www.ktvu.com/news/oakland-gaymens-chorus-member-stabbed-andkilled-in-his-home) that the perpetrator set the fire and left the front door and gate open when running away. No motive has been given, nor the circumstances of if – or how – the two men knew one another.

Waterman has six prior convictions dating back to 2002, including felony evasion, forgery, robbery, and vehicle theft, according to Berkeley Scanner.

A memorial for Marsh was held March 11 at the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center where friends remembered him.

Marsh is one of two gay Black men who were killed in Oakland this year. But, so far, no suspect has been found in the March 12 shooting death of Devonte Davis, police told the B.A.R. July 7. Oakland police didn’t return a request for comment on the Davis case by press time August 25. The two incidents are unrelated. t

safety due to the suspect’s threatening behavior, and she will be seeking a stay-away order.”

It is unclear if the housing committee was at Avalon Senior Housing.

Emeryville Mayor John J. Bauters, a gay man, told the B.A.R. that the resident “contacted the police when this happened, they did a report, and the police department did a good job gathering evidence and submitting it to the DA.” t

The State of California offers help for victims or witnesses to a hate crime or hate incident. This resource is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to https://www. cavshate.org/.

Curtis Marsh was stabbed to death in March at his Oakland home.

Courtesy Oakland LGBTQ Community Center

A 64-year-old man has been charged with a hate crime for an incident that allegedly occurred at Avalon Senior Housing in Emeryville.

Courtesy Apartments.com

2 LGBTQ SF groups seek funds for Maui fire victims

compiled by Cynthia Laird

Two San Francisco LGBTQ organizations are seeking funds to help victims of the recent wildfires in Maui, Hawaii.

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will hold “Ohana” Thursday, August 31, at 9 p.m. at the Lookout bar, 3600 Market Street in San Francisco’s LGBTQ Castro neighborhood.

Hosted by Sister Roma of the drag nun philanthropic group and Honey Mahogany, a trans person and chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party, the evening will feature the city’s storied hula dance company Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu and DJ Bugie, along with pop-up drag performances and other surprises.

According to a news release, all funds raised will go to the Maui AIDS Foundation’s Fire Relief Fund, which is currently working to help many people who lost so much in the fires.

The wildfire broke out earlier this month and, on August 8, destroyed the historic town of Lahaina on Maui’s western side. Hundreds of people died and more are still reported missing, according to news re-

ports. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden visited the island August 21 and pledged help from the federal government, which is already on the scene.

The fundraiser is the brainchild of longtime Sisters (and partners) Saki Tumi and Penny Costal, the release stated. “We lived on Maui shortly after we met in San Francisco,” stated Tumi.

“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!”

Crosby did not return a Facebook message seeking comment, and no one answered the phone at the Lookout Monday afternoon.

Another nonprofit, the Rainbow World Fund, is soliciting donations to help with wildfire relief efforts. The all-volunteer LGBTQ humanitarian organization generally responds to natural and other disasters across the globe.

In an email to supporters, Jeff Cotter,

a gay man who is the executive director of RWF, wrote, “Besides the loss of human lives, animal lives, housing, businesses, and infrastructure, the impact on Hawaiian cultural legacy is devastating.

“The fire has destroyed hundreds of artifacts, thousands of historical records, and many culturally and spiritually important sites. Many of the victims were elders and leaders in their families and communities,” Cotter added.

Cotter explained that RWF is helping on a micro level.

“On a macro level, Maui’s challenges are enormous. It is easy to look at Lahaina and feel overwhelmed. But on a micro level, progress is already being made – and that is where you find the hope,” he stated. “There has been an outpouring of support from around the world. People are opening up their homes to the survivors. Visitors are changing their plans to avoid getting in the way and to allow all resources to be dedicated to the survivors. At Rainbow World Fund, we have learned that the foundation for

change and long-term recovery after a natural disaster is always on the micro level. One-to-one. Community by community.”

RWF is also sending supplies to the Maui AIDS Foundation, and Cotter noted that the best way for people to help is to make a donation. One hundred percent of people’s donations will fund lifesaving and improving actions, Cotter stated.

People can donate online by going to https://tinyurl.com/3w9jw47j and selecting “Hawaii Fire Emergency.” Checks can be sent to Rainbow World Fund, 4111 18th Street, San Francisco, CA 94114. Write Hawaii Fire Emergency in the memo line.

Older adults can take CA survey

The first-ever needs assessment for Californians aged 55 years and older has launched, and the California Department of Aging urges older adults to fill it out online before the September 4 expiration date.

A news release noted that the Community Assessment Survey for Older Adults is not just another survey; it’s a chance for participants to shape the future. “Designed by experts and backed by solid statistical validity, CASOA empowers you to voice your needs and preferences,” the release stated.

The aging department added that responses will remain confidential. It noted that the survey also provides the department with “a significant opportunity” to gather information about sexual orientation and gender identity, ensuring that health care remains patient-centered and of the highest quality across the state.

The survey is available in multiple languages. If people have questions they can call (916) 970-9948. To take the survey, go to https://tinyurl.com/495jnkrk.

The survey takes about five minutes. Castro mural restoration seeks donations

The Eureka Valley Neighborhood Association is seeking donations so it can complete restoration of “The Chant of the Earth, the Voice of the Land” mural on upper Market Street near the intersection of 18th Street. Acclaimed muralist Betsie MillerKusz painted the mural in 1981, and she has been restoring the mural with the help of assistants and volunteers.

In its newsletter, EVNA President Alex Lemberg stated that the group hit a snag. “We ran out of money,” they wrote, “and the project isn’t done.”

Lemberg added that the Castro Community Benefit District has posted a fundraising link and is the fiscal sponsor of the project.

“The mural theme features an abstract, brilliantly colored depiction of the landforms behind the retaining wall, located on Market Street at 19th Street,” the CBD explained on the fundraising page. “The site is at almost the exact geographic center of San Francisco. The forms sweep along at the street level, portraying flows and fissures, uplifts and earth forces, a counterpoint to the downtown skyline visible from the site,” the CBD page stated.

The CBD noted that the mural has been restored three times, “and although it was not intended as a political statement in 1981, the crises in our lands have made it so today. After its restoration, it will be coated with a varnish intended to last another 40 years, hopefully impervious to rising sea levels or earthquakes.”

Lemberg said the goal is to raise $10,000 so that the restoration can be finished. All donations are tax-deductible and donors’ names will be included in the mural, they added.

To donate, go to https://tinyurl. com/5brwnm8a. t

This resource is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to

https://www.cavshate.org/.

President Joe Biden spoke with residents affected by the wildfires in Maui during a visit to the island August 21.

Courtesy the White House

Future murky after St. James announces closure

by John Ferrannini

Two weeks after San Francisco’s only medical and social service organization built by and for sex workers quietly announced that it’s shutting its doors, questions about how this hole in the city’s safety net will be filled are still unanswered.

But officials from both the city and St. James Infirmary, which will pass into history just months from now, assured the Bay Area Reporter that they’re working on it.

“I can tell you as of this morning it looks like both of our housing programs are going to have really great new homes, but I can’t say who those are,” Dana Hopkins, the chair of St. James’ board, told the B.A.R. on August 29. “You can circle back and we can share about one or another of them by the next day or two. We’re looking for orgs that share our values, housing in particular, that are trans knowledgeable, have trans staff, and are trans competent.”

Pau Crego, a trans man who is the executive director of the city’s Office of Transgender Initiatives, stated as much August 25. As the B.A.R. has extensively reported, in 2019 the mayor’s office awarded over a million dollars to two nonprofits – St. James and Larkin Street Youth Services – to provide case management and disbursement of funds, respectively, for the city’s first rental subsidy for transgender people.

“MOHCD is in the process of identifying an organization that would have the capacity and expertise to deliver these life-saving services without interruption, but at this time a selection has not been made,” Crego stated, referring to the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development that funds the program. “OTI [Office of Transgender Initiatives] has been working closely with MOHCD and SJI [St. James Infirmary] to ensure a seamless transfer of this program.”

Crego referred “questions about SJI’s sunsetting timeline, and other questions related to SJI as an organization” to Hopkins.

When asked about how St. James’ demise affects Larkin Street, as well as where St. James’ current clients should go, Sherilyn Adams, the CEO of Larkin Street Youth Services, responded with a brief statement.

“Larkin Street Youth Services is deeply appreciative of the St. James Infirmary’s decades of service to our community,” Adams stated. “We are committed to supporting St. James Infirmary as they work to transition their programs, including Our Trans Home subsidy, to other providers over the next six to 12 months.”

‘Painful decision’

Hopkins called the decision to close a difficult one and said that as a result, St. James will close definitively over the next six to nine months.

“It was a really painful decision,” Hopkins said. “It was made with the board and the board emeritus. The decision was reached only days before there was any kind of announcement; we weren’t working on this for months without telling anyone. It’s heartbreaking, but it’s also the nature of nonprofits.”

St. James first opened in June 1999 as a health and safety clinic to provide non-judgmental services to current and former sex workers. It came about after an agreement between the late Margo St. James, a longtime advocate for sex workers, and the San Francisco Department of Public Health, whereby the city would stop nonconsensual tests for sexually transmitted infections in jails, but the sex workers themselves would run their own clinic.

Its offices are in the city’s South of Market neighborhood, once a hotspot for the city’s sex clubs, now represented by gay Supervisor Matt Dorsey.

“I was really saddened to hear the news,” Dorsey stated to the B.A.R. “I’ve always had tremendous respect for the organization, and I actually stopped by

its new location on Mission Street shortly after I joined the Board of Supervisors to introduce myself and get an early tour.

“I think the closure is also sad because it was part of the legacy of Margo St. James, who passed away just a few years ago,” Dorsey added. “Margo was such a groundbreaking advocate for sex workers and a colorful San Francisco character for many years. That mostly preceded my time here, and I didn’t know Margo personally. But I have reached out to a couple of our mutual friends to see if

there is anything the city should do to ensure that Margo St. James’ legacy endures in some way.”

St. James died in 2021, as the B.A.R. previously reported.

Recent woes

Bay Area Workers Support, which advocates for sex worker rights and safety, issued its own statement demanding accountability and transparency.

“St. James was more than just a clinic; it was a place of acceptance, a commu-

nity space, and a source of life-changing care,” the statement reads. “Regrettably, we must address that these peer-based essential programs, such as mental health support and medical care, have already been dissolved without warning or reassigning clients to other services. The repercussions of this decision have caused harm to our community members and service providers, and they underscore the necessity for further accountability throughout the closure process.”

BAWS enumerated three specific demands: that the St. James board provide “comprehensive explanation for the closure of this cherished institution and an end to any practices that suppress current employees from speaking to the media or other stakeholders;” that it “be proactive in transitioning its programs to other community organizations that can ensure the same level of dedication and compassion for staff and participants;” and that it respond to allegations of “unsafe and unreasonable labor conditions” levied against it by Our Trans Home SF staff.

“So far, the only public response from SJI has given is to shut down entirely,” BAWS stated. “The OTH staff bravely put their jobs on the line to call out the mistreatment of themselves and the homeless trans community, and the

silence they’ve gotten in return speaks volumes.”

As the B.A.R. reported earlier this year, St. James staffers were accused of sexual retaliation against a trans woman living at the Bobbie Jean Baker House. The city instructed St. James to pause evicting the tenant while her claims that she was being evicted because she wouldn’t accompany two staffers to a sex club were investigated.

That tenant, Blanche Kriege, told the B.A.R. that she is “saddened but not at all surprised” at St. James’ demise.

“The city (mayor’s office) bears the lion’s share of this blame,” Kriege stated. “The indicators of SJI’s demise were public and well known to them and the BOS [Board of Supervisors]. It would appear that rather than guiding a shiftless pack of hyper-triggered juveniles (management) to practicality, they opted to enable pettiness and tantrums.”

Kriege continued that “on paper these programs do work and they do save lives. The affected parties would be well-advised to restructure the affected programs under Larkin Street Youth’s [Services] more solid track record.”

A spokesperson for Mayor London Breed did not return a request for comment for this report by press time.

Alameda County Behavioral Health Care (ACBH) Pride Coalition (Health Equity Division) would like to invite you to a panel discussion to acknowledge the disheartening and dangerous impact of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.

Thursday, September 7th 2023 12-1:30 pm

OUR PANEL MEMBERS WILL:

• Discuss their work advocating for our LGBTQ+ family.

• Share why this topic is important and how anti-LGBTQ+ legislation is impacting them personally.

• Offer support and advocacy moving forward.

SPEAKERS:

Poem by LaMar Mitchell

Arneta Rogers Esq.

Gender, Sexuality, and Reproductive Justice Program Director

ACLU of Northern California

Kate Jones RN, MS, MSN Director, Adult and Older Adult System of Care

Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services

Lillith Rudeen

Student panelist

EVENT IS OFFERED ON ZOOM: REGISTER HERE

For more information contact OfficeOfEthnicServices@acgov.org

Over 540 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced as legislation across the US in 2023

Many of the bills negatively impact the LGBTQ+ community’s mental health conditions.

St. James Infirmary, which provided services to sex workers and their families and was part of the Our Trans Home program, is expected to soon close its doors for good.

John Ferrannini

See page 8 >>

Volume 53, Number 35

August 31-September 6, 2023

www.ebar.com

PUBLISHER

Michael M. Yamashita

Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013)

Publisher (2003 – 2013)

Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003)

NEWS EDITOR

Cynthia Laird

ARTS & NIGHTLIFE EDITOR

Jim Provenzano

ASSISTANT EDITORS

Matthew S. Bajko • John Ferrannini

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Christopher J. Beale • Robert Brokl

Brian Bromberger • Victoria A. Brownworth

Philip Campbell • Heather Cassell

Michael Flanagan •Jim Gladstone

Liz Highleyman • Brandon Judell • Lisa Keen

Philip Mayard • Laura Moreno

David-Elijah Nahmod • Paul Parish • Tim Pfaff

Jim Piechota • Adam Sandel

Jason Serinus • Gregg Shapiro

Gwendolyn Smith • Charlie Wagner

Ed Walsh • Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood

ART DIRECTION

Max Leger

PRODUCTION/DESIGN

Ernesto Sopprani

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Jane Philomen Cleland

Rick Gerharter • Gooch

Jose A. Guzman-Colon • Rudy K. Lawidjaja

Georg Lester • Rich Stadtmiller

Christopher Robledo • Fred Rowe

Shot in the City • Steven Underhill • Bill Wilson

ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS

Christine Smith

VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING

Scott Wazlowski – 415.829.8937

NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE

Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

LEGAL COUNSEL

Paul H. Melbostad, Esq.

Bonta has more school districts to sue

California Attorney General Rob Bonta this week filed a lawsuit against the Chino Valley Unified School District because its board voted last month to adopt a mandatory gender identity disclosure policy. But Chino Valley is just the first school district to have such a policy, and we expect Bonta to soon file similar lawsuits against the Murrieta Valley Unified School District and the Temecula Valley Unified School District, as their school boards adopted similar forced outing policies this month. These policies require schools to inform parents, with minimal exceptions, whenever a student requests to use a name or pronoun different from that on their birth certificate or official records, even without the student’s permission.

In Chino Valley’s case, since that lawsuit was filed August 28, the policy also requires notification if a student requests to use facilities or participates in programs that don’t align with their sex on official records, Bonta’s office stated in a news release accompanying the lawsuit.

Bonta is challenging that policy, which he says violates the California Constitution and state laws safeguarding civil rights. It has “already caused and is threatening to cause LGBTQ+ students with further mental, emotional, psychological, and potential physical harm,” the release stated.

Specifically, Bonta’s lawsuit maintains that the Chino Valley forced outing policy violates the state’s equal protection clause because it unlawfully discriminates and singles out students who request to identify with or use other names or pronouns. The district is also in violation of California’s education and Government codes, the lawsuit stated. Education Code Sections 200 and 220 and Government Code Section 11135 ensure equal rights and opportunities for every student and prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity and gender expression. Finally, Bonta’s lawsuit charges that Chino Valley is in violation of the state’s constitutional right to privacy. The constitution expressly protects the right to “privacy,” including both “informational privacy” and “au-

tonomy privacy.” The Chino Valley policy mandate to out trans and gender-nonconforming students against their wishes or without their consent violates that right, the lawsuit stated.

It’s true that all students should feel safe at school, both LGBTQ and straight. District policies should reflect that. The problem with Chino Valley, Murrieta Valley, and Temecula Valley is that these school boards are specifically targeting trans and gender-nonconforming students, many of whom may not feel safe at home and, as a result, schools become their primary safe space. That goes away with these forced outing policies. It’s also the case that school staff may tell a student’s parents about changes in their gender identity or gender expression with the student’s permission when the student is ready. Unfortunately, this latest wave of forced outing policies does not do that.

It’s also true that parents and guardians often know what’s best for their kids. But when transphobic parents threaten their trans or gendernonconforming kids with kicking them out of

Why CBD works

by Ali Stoddard

There are many, many reasons why CBD, or cannabidiol, works, and a few reasons why CBD might not work for you.

Bay area reporter

44 Gough Street, Suite 302 San Francisco, CA 94103 415.861.5019 • www.ebar.com

A division of BAR Media, Inc. © 2022

President: Michael M. Yamashita

Director: Scott Wazlowski

News Editor • news@ebar.com

Arts Editor • arts@ebar.com

Out & About listings • jim@ebar.com

Advertising • scott@ebar.com

Letters • letters@ebar.com

Published weekly. Bay Area Reporter reserves the right to edit or reject any advertisement which the publisher believes is in poor taste or which advertises illegal items which might result in legal action against Bay Area Reporter. Ads will not be rejected solely on the basis of politics, philosophy, religion, race, age, or sexual orientation.

Advertising rates available upon request.

Our list of subscribers and advertisers is confidential and is not sold. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, and writers published herein is neither inferred nor implied. We are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or artwork.

CBD comes from a plant, a weed that is indigenous to every continent on this earth. The CBD molecule that is extracted from the cannabis plant acts just like the CBD molecule that we already produce in our body. That’s right, we make a CBDlike molecule and a THC-like molecule through an amazing system called the Endocannabinoid System. The CBD-like molecule is called 2-AG and the THC-like molecule we produce is called anandamide. The cannabis plant produces phytocannabinoids called CBD and THC.

So, the answer to “Where Does CBD Come From?” is twofold – we make it in the body, and it is extracted from the oils of two different plants.

Both the marijuana plant and the hemp plant contain CBD. The difference is, the marijuana plant has THC in it and is regulated by the state, and only available through dispensaries. (THC is the part of the marijuana plant that creates the euphoria and paranoia; but also acts as an anti-inflammatory).

Because dispensary CBD contains THC, it will fail a drug test, cannot be taken out of the state, and is considered a Schedule 1 drug.

Conversely, the hemp plant contains virtually no THC, and is considered a dietary supplement or a vitamin, and can be sold and distributed online and through stores like CVS.

Besides legislation, it is all so confusing because the hemp plant looks exactly like the marijuana plant, smells and smokes like the marijuana plant, but cannot get you high or paranoid or dizzy because of the absence of THC. Historically, the hemp plant was used for its fiber, and only in the last two decades, has it been grown specifically for its medicinal benefits.

CBD is readily absorbed through the skin and by CBD receptors located throughout the body, including CBD receptors in the brain, the immune cells, and every organ in the body. In fact, there are more Endocannabinoid receptors in the brain than all the other brain receptors combined. The Endocannabinoid’s system of receptors, neurotransmitters, ligands, and pathways, are woefully under researched, and yet make up the most powerful,

magical system in the human body.

On a minute-by- minute, hour-by-hour basis, this powerful system is dedicated toward producing balance, or homeostasis, within the body. Meaning, if we have anxiety, the Endocannabinoid System is trying to keep the neurons in the brain from over-firing. If we sustain an injury, it is the Endocannabinoid System that is attempting to send out anti-inflammatory cytokines or molecules to help contain and protect and heal. But most people’s Endocannabinoid System is dysfunctional or not working at all.

It is the CBD molecule that can awaken or jumpstart this very complicated system. CBD is one of only a few molecules or super nutrients that can awaken this system. Therefore, we see that CBD can, through the Endocannabinoid System, reverse disease states, downregulate negative gene expressions, and quell a host of conditions, ranging from ADHD, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder, to seizures, chronic pain, and autoimmune issues.

CBD feeds and strengthens this complicated system in our body that oversees perception, such as to pain, mood, inflammation and a thousand other subtle, yet important, functions in the body.

the house, or worse, it’s no wonder that some of these students would have great hesitation in coming out to them.

These parental rights groups don’t have students’ best interest in mind. On the contrary, as we report this week, Protect Kids California has started the process to qualify three anti-trans initiatives on next year’s state ballot. One would prohibit trans girls from playing on female athletic teams, another would ban gender-affirming care for trans, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming youth, and the third – you guessed it – would explicitly state that school districts can adopt forced outing policies. With several polls showing support for the subjects of the proposed ballot measures, if one or more qualify, California will be front and center in the culture wars again. To top it off, the anti-trans measures would compete with the constitutional amendment in which voters will decide whether to remove the “zombie” Proposition 8 language from the state’s governing document. (Prop 8, of course, was found to be unconstitutional but its language defining marriage as between a man and a woman remains in the constitution.)

Put all of this together and it’s easy to see that LGBTQ rights, particularly those of trans people, are going to be the subject of angry debate and underhanded tactics designed to persuade straight people that trans people are not deserving of equal rights. It’s a sorry state of affairs.

In the meantime, we urge Bonta to file similar lawsuits against Murrieta Valley and Temecula Valley school districts. Legal action, it seems, will be the only way for these school districts to respect students and not cause them harm by disclosing private information to their parents. Bonta has been a steadfast ally to the LGBTQ community, and these efforts by conservative school boards are wrong and unconscionable. These board members don’t care about the physical and mental well-being of students and are using the “parents rights” trope as a hammer. That a bunch of adults want to endanger students by taking away their privacy rights is breathtaking and frightening. t

The short answer as to why CBD may not work for you is that your Endocannabinoid System needs to be awakened or strengthened; or perhaps the CBD strain you tried was not grown under organic conditions; or was extracted with toxic solvents; or formulated with chemicals.

For most of us, the CBD molecule needs to come from the plant and should be grown under organic conditions and third-party tested for heavy metals and toxins like pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides. Since this plant contains over 800 bioactive nutrients like omega 3s, vitamins, and polyphenols – it is best to ingest a full spectrum, whole plant, cold-processed, emulsion, tincture, capsule, or beverage. And remember, since your skin is your largest organ, make sure CBD cream has gone through the same rigorous testing.

Safety

Using a clean, plant-based CBD product ensures you will not see side effects. There has never been a reported death from an overdose of CBD or THC, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. This is because when one overdoses from chemicals or opioids, the respiration, located in the brain stem, shuts off. There are no endocannabinoid receptors in the brain stem, therefore the respiration will not shut off during an overdose. The Endocannabinoid System excretes the THC and CBD naturally and easily. The human body is wired to accept and use CBD, and there does not seem to be a toxic level for CBD. This, however, is not true for THC, and research is showing that aggressive, daily use of highly concentrated THC products are causing digestive pain, dysbiosis, and more.

CBD seems to be the safest, most natural drug on the planet and is worth a try. t

Ali Stoddard spent 25 years in orthopedics and pain management before learning about nutrition and plant medicine. She offers free consults, in-depth health consults, supplements, and CBD on her website: GreenAlleyWellness.com. This column is not intended as medical advice.

Ali Stoddard

Courtesy Ali Stoddard

California Attorney General Rob Bonta AP/file

Gay educator Hale seeks open San Jose college board seat

by Matthew S. Bajko

Due to the election last November of gay San Jose City Councilmember Omar Torres, the District 7 seat he had held on the seven-person board that oversees the San José-Evergreen Community College District has been vacant this year. Voters in the downtown-centered district will be voting this November in a special election for one of five candidates seeking to serve out the remainder of Torres’ term through the end of next year.

Thus, the winner will need to seek a full four-year term on the fall 2024 ballot and have a leg up as the incumbent against any opponents who also file. Aiming to hold that frontrunner status is gay educator Clay Hale, who works for the East Side Union High School District.

“I know this is a very down ballot race and I know it is in a weird election cycle,” Hale told the Bay Area Reporter during a recent video interview about his campaign. (https://www.voteclayhale.com/) “We are trying to outreach to our voters to make sure they understand how important it is to vote in this election and what is at stake.”

Hale, 28, teaches AP government and politics at the district’s Yerba Buena High School. But two days a week he works at the campus of Evergreen Valley College assisting students from his high school who are enrolled in classes at the community college through a special program that prepares them to seek a college degree.

“I am the only candidate who spends time at the San José-Evergreen district,” said Hale, who lives in San Jose’s Japantown district with his partner of eight years, Jonathan Cruz Ishii, a former teacher who now works in the ed tech sector.

Endorsed by the national LGBTQ Victory Fund, Hale has attracted support from a number of South Bay leaders, including gay Cupertino City Councilmember JR Fruen and gay former Santa Clara County supervisor Ken Yeager, who became the first out person elected in the county with his winning a seat on the college board in 1992.

“I want to be an advocate for our students, staff, and faculty on this board,” said Hale. “I feel so often that teachers, who are in the trenches every single day of the week advocating for our students, so often our voices are not elevated to these elected boards. I think it is time we have teachers in these elected spaces to advocate for our fellow educators, our students, and our staff, and to make sure teachers get the respect they deserve, and get the pay and benefits they need to successfully thrive in our Bay Area.”

As a first-time candidate for public office who has little name recognition with voters, Hale faces a tough campaign for the seat. He also finds himself

running against another candidate, Lisanna Dominguez, with strong ties to the South Bay’s political and education circles.

Dominguez, chief of staff and strategy officer for the Silicon Valley Education Foundation, has the endorsement of Torres in the race, along with gay Oak Grove School District Trustee Jorge Pacheco Jr. Most of San Jose’s city councilmembers and its county supervisors are supporting Dominguez, a former community college student who had served as executive vice president of the Latino Education Advancement Foundation.

Also on the ballot is Santa Clara County Airport Land-Use Commissioner Diego Barragan, (https://www. diegobarragan.com/blank-3) a San Jose native who lives downtown with his wife and two kids, plus former candidates for seats on the college board educator Stephen Eckstone and Anthony Macias, a gay Republican in law school.

With five candidates in what is likely to be a low-turnout election, the victor likely will only need a slight vote advantage to win. Hale told the B.A.R. he believes he can attract a winning margin of voters if he has a strong get-out-the-vote effort.

“I feel very confident come November 7 on our chances in this election,” said Hale. “Definitely, we need to do a lot of voter education to make sure voters know what the community college is, what responsibility we have as trustees, and the impact they have as voters in this election.”

Attended community college

Hale grew up in Sacramento and entered a nearby community college, Sierra College, after he graduated high school. He eventually transferred to UC Berkeley and earned a history degree, becoming the first person in his family to graduate college.

He then landed a teaching job with his school district and moved to San Jose. He established a requirement at the school that students needed to complete a civic engagement project in order to earn their diploma.

“One of my very big passions is getting students civically engaged,” said Hale. “We are making sure our students

have the tools to be civically engaged in our communities. When they graduate high school, they have a tool chest of different civic engagement tools to address inequalities they see in Santa Clara County, the Bay Area, and our nation.”

With most of his students also the first ones in their families to attend college, Hale said he decided to seek the college board seat as a way to ensure his pupils and others like them can succeed if they enroll at one of the district’s two main campuses. It also operates San Jose City College.

“They face a lot of challenges, like having college classes being canceled so they don’t have the classes they need to fulfill major requirements. They are not always aware about the opportunities community college offers for them,” said Hale. “Also, all of our students face housing insecurities.”

The college doesn’t currently offer housing, something Hale said he wants to help explore if elected to the board. The district, which has nearly 16,000 students, is also searching for a new chancellor, so the winner of the race will likely play a part in selecting the person for the job, as the search is to begin this fall.

Another issue Hale said he wants to address if elected to the board seat is pay for the college’s faculty, who also face housing constraints due to the high cost of living in the area.

“The Bay Area is expensive; San Jose is expensive,” said Hale. “Educators can not afford to save for a down payment in the Bay Area. I feel very passionate about the needs of fellow educators.”

With LGBTQ issues in schools increasingly under attack, even in California, Hale said he also entered the race to ensure LGBTQ students, faculty, and staff feel they have a voice on the college board.

“I firmly believe, now more than ever, it is important we have LGBTQ individuals elected to boards of education,” Hale told the B.A.R. “We need to be represented throughout our boards of education to make sure we are advancing policies for our community, now more than ever. I am ready to be that advocate in San Jose.”

Should he win the race, Hale also pledged to be a vocal advocate campaigning against any anti-LGBTQ ballot measures that conservatives are able to place before California voters. There is a move to put three such initiatives on next fall’s ballot, including one that would allow school districts to forcibly out transgender students to their parents and one that would restrict the school athletic teams that trans female students can play on. (See story Page 1.)

“As an elected official I would also be an advocate for our community at the Bay Area and state level to push back against any of those ballot propositions that might be on the ballot in years to come,” said Hale. “We need to take a stand, a strong and loud stand. Part of being an elected official is to be an advocate for our community as well. I think our Bay Area community understands the intentionality behind these ballot initiatives is to harm our students.”t

Dancing through South Bay Pride

Planning Ahead is Simple

Planning Ahead is Simple

The benefits are immense.

Planning Ahead is Simple

The benefits are immense.

When you plan your life celebration and lasting remembrance in advance, you can design every detail of your own unique memorial and provide your loved ones with true peace of mind. Planning ahead protects your loved ones from unnecessary stress and financial burden, allowing them to focus on what will matter most at that time—you.

The benefits are immense.

When you plan your life celebration and lasting remembrance in advance, you can design every detail of your own unique memorial and provide your loved ones with true peace of mind. Planning ahead protects your loved ones from unnecessary stress and financial burden, allowing them to focus on what will matter most at that time—you.

When you plan your life celebration and lasting remembrance in advance, you can design every detail of your own unique memorial and provide your loved ones with true peace of mind. Planning ahead protects your loved ones from unnecessary stress and financial burden, allowing them to focus on what will matter most at that time—you. Contact

Gay educator Clay Hale is running in a special election for a South Bay community college board seat.

Courtesy Hale’s FB page

Members of Ensamble Folclórico Colibrí danced along the route at the Silicon Valley Pride parade Sunday, August 27, in San Jose. The weekend festival drew thousands of people and featured headliner Frenchie Davis. Next up is Oakland Pride September 10.

Jane Philomen Cleland

Expert panel recommends all types of PrEP

by Liz Highleyman

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released a recommendation this week calling on health care providers to prescribe all approved PrEP options for people at increased risk for HIV.

The new recommendation adds tenofovir alafenamide/emtricitabine pills (Descovy) and long-acting injectable cabotegravir (Apretude) to its 2019 recommendation of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine pills (Truvada and generic equivalents).

The recommendation, released August 22, received an “A” grade, meaning it is well supported by scientific evidence.

The national Affordable Care Act requires private insurers to fully cover USPSTF-recommended prevention services with an “A” or “B” grade and provides financial incentives for state Medicaid programs to do so. This requirement will apply to the additional forms of PrEP in early 2025.

Public health officials and advocates hope the expanded USPSTF recommendation will help increase PrEP uptake, but the coverage requirement is jeopardized by an ongoing lawsuit by conservative business owners who claim it violates their religious freedom. As the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, a Texas judge blocked the requirement in March, but it remains in effect while the U.S. government appeals the decision.

“Expanding PrEP is a priority if we are to end the HIV epidemic,” Dr. Carlos del Rio, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and Dr. Michelle Cespedes, chair of the HIV Medicine Association, said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the current court challenge to the preventive services coverage requirement, if successful, would put more people at risk for HIV and other serious infectious diseases and would be

From page 5

Hopkins said that the departure of Anita O’Shea as interim executive director on August 15 – the day staff learned St. James would be shutting its doors –“has nothing to do with our sunsetting” and that reports that the board is “scaling back” staff is “absolutely not” true.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that no reason was given for St. James’ demise – only that “Despite everybody’s best intentions, we don’t quite have the capacity to do this,” the paper reported

a major setback to efforts to end HIV as an epidemic.”

The task force recommended daily Truvada or Descovy pills or Apretude injections administered every other month; it did not address on-demand PrEP taken before and after sex. All three PrEP options are highly effective, reducing the risk of HIV acquisition by more than 99% if used consistently. All are generally well tolerated, but Truvada can cause kidney and bone problems in susceptible people, while Descovy has been linked to weight gain and elevated cholesterol.

Truvada and Apretude are approved for all individuals at risk for HIV. However, due to a lack of evidence from clinical trials, Descovy is not approved for people who are at risk for acquiring the virus via vaginal sex, such as cisgender women and transgender men.

Based on a review of medical studies, published this week in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, the expert panel concluded “with high certainty” that all three PrEP options offer “substantial net benefit” in reducing HIV acquisition for adolescents and adults at increased risk.

To determine whether people are at increased risk, the task force advises providers to talk with patients about their sexual history and injection drug use “in an open and nonjudgmental manner.” Factors that increase risk include having sex with a person who has HIV, having a recent sexually transmitted infection, not using condoms consistently, engaging in transactional sex, and sharing needles to inject drugs. Transgender women are at especially high risk for HIV acquisition, the panel noted.

“PrEP is an essential tool to help reduce rates of HIV in our nation,” task force member Dr. John Wong of Tufts University School of Medicine said in a statement. “To prevent HIV, it’s impor-

Hopkins as saying – but multiple anonymous sources said that the nonprofit buckled amid mismanagement.

The B.A.R. reported on the rapid and opaque changes at St. James firsthand. In 2020 – just weeks before the COVID pandemic lockdown – Executive Director Toni Newman announced she was departing, effective the same day, to move to Los Angeles.

Then, St. James staff and board members wouldn’t say who was in charge – going so far as to shut its doors on a B.A.R. reporter March 2, 2020 after first denying, then confirming, that there was an interim executive director.

DISPLAY OBITUARIES & IN MEMORIAMS

tant that healthcare professionals prescribe PrEP to patients at increased risk and discuss which form of this medication would be best for them.”

Cost and access

More than 36,000 people were newly diagnosed with HIV in 2021, most of them gay and bisexual men, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While white gay and bisexual men in San Francisco and other cities have eagerly adopted PrEP, uptake has been slow among gay men of color and cisgender women. The CDC estimates that about a third of the 1.2 million people who could benefit from PrEP are using it, but this ranges from just 11% of Black people and 21% of Latino people to nearly 80% of White people. Uptake of injectable PrEP has been particularly low.

“We’re still seeing that many people who could benefit from PrEP aren’t receiving this highly effective medication,

The next year, St. James announced it wouldn’t be having an executive director but would be having a co-directorship.

“We discerned we’d been running as a co-directorship, and decided to go forward with that new leadership style,” O’Shea, then operations director, said at the time. “We are taking in a lot of philosophies talking about communication and the advice process [and] conflict engagement.”

But earlier this year St. James changed tact again. Hopkins said that “fundraisers wanted to see a more traditional leadership structure,” and that O’Shea stepped in as interim executive director, but was always going to leave August 15 and “did on very, very good terms.” O’Shea could

Obituaries >>

Aldo Arias

July 3, 1965 – August 15, 2023

The Bay Area Reporter can help members of the community reach more than 120,000 LGBT area residents each week with their display of Obituary* & In Memoriam messages.

RATES: $21.20 per column inch (black & white)

$29.15 per column inch (full color)

DEADLINES: Friday 12noon for space reservations Monday 12noon for copy & images

TO PLACE: Call 415-829-8937 or email advertising@ebar.com

* Non-display Obituaries of 200-words or less are FREE to place. Please email obituary@ebar.com for more information.

Aldo Arias, 58, passed away in his sleep on the morning of August 15, 2023, at his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Aldo was born on July 3, 1965, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico to Arturo and Raquel Arias. He grew up in Guadalajara, along with his brother, Arturo, and sister, Adriana. Aldo worked as a hair stylist/beautician for most of his professional career, which started in Guadalajara and continued in the United States when he immigrated in the late 1980s. He resided in San Francisco from the late 1980s until the end of 2017, when he moved to Albuquerque with his husband, Stan Wonn. Aldo had many interests, including music, dancing, art, crochet, Mexican cuisine, plants, and pets. He was very sociable, loved to laugh, and made friends easily and for life.

In addition to his husband, Aldo is survived by his brother and sister, both of Guadalajara. He also leaves behind many other family members in Mexico, along with many other

particularly in Black, Hispanic, and Latino communities,” said task force member Dr. James Stevermer of the University of Missouri. “It’s critical for health care professionals to keep these disparities in mind and to have conversations with patients who are at risk about proven ways to prevent HIV, including taking PrEP.”

Truvada was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in July 2012, and generic versions have been available since 2020. But Descovy (approved in October 2019) and Apretude (approved in December 2021) are still under patent, and the cost – approximately $23,000 per year for each – can be prohibitive. Gilead Sciences Inc., which makes Descovy, and ViiV Healthcare, which makes Apretude, offer patient assistance programs and copay cards for people with private insurance, but they do not always fully cover out-of-pocket costs for the medications and associated care, which includes regular lab tests.

not be reached for comment.

Future of services murky

St. James administrative assistant Trille Galli stated to the B.A.R. that there is not yet an “official end date.”

“Fortunately our remaining programs will be absorbed and carried out through new community non-profits,”

Galli stated.

This was confirmed by Anne Stanley, communications manager for the mayoral housing office, who stated that “MOHCD is in the process of identifying an organization to take over the contract [for the housing subsidy] with minimal interruption to services.” But like others contacted for this story, Stan-

friends he made throughout his life. At Aldo’s request, no memorial service or funeral will be held. At a future date, his ashes will be scattered in the San Francisco Bay.

Stephen Merrell

Jull-Patterson

January 2, 1958 – July 30, 2023

Stephen Merrell Jull-Patterson was born in Chicago on January 2, 1958. He died at age 65 on July 30, 2023 in Sacramento, California from complications of neck cancer and pneumonia. He moved to New York City in 1981, where he performed with the First Amendment Improvisation Troupe and wrote and performed in his own one-man shows. In 2001, Stephen moved to Oceanside, California with his partner James DeMaiolo and their son Brandon DeMaiolo Patterson. Two years later, Stephen and Brandon moved to Alameda, California, adding to their family Stephen’s nieces and nephew TC Smith, Brittany Reed, and Marcus Reed-Quinn.

It was in Alameda that David Jull-Johnson joined the family, and

“The USPSTF recommendation and coverage requirement will mean that long-acting injectable PrEP clients will not have to depend on pharmaceutical copay assistance,” Reina Hernandez, associate director of navigation services at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, told the B.A.R. “Because oral PrEP’s effectiveness depends on daily adherence, it is critical that we have affordable injectable options for folks who may struggle with adherence. We know that people affected by mental health issues, housing instability, anti-Black racism, transphobia, and lack of access to employment or other resources may have more difficulty with adherence. That is why ensuring equitable access to all PrEP options is a matter of racial and health justice.”

In California, Medi-Cal already covers all approved PrEP, a new state law requires most commercial health plans to cover PrEP without prior authorization, and the state has a PrEP Assistance Program as a payer of last resort. But people seeking PrEP often need patient navigators to help them negotiate the complex payment system, and those living in other states have fewer options.

“It is critical to address medication cost and insurance coverage, especially for the recently approved long-acting injectable cabotegravir and in states that have not adopted Medicaid expansion,” Drs. Albert Liu, Hyman Scott, and Susan Buchbinder of the San Francisco Department of Public Health wrote in a JAMA editorial accompanying the recommendation.

“Several groups have advocated for a National PrEP Program that provides nationwide coverage for PrEP medication, follow-up visits, and laboratory costs,” they added. “Such a comprehensive, federally funded program would be transformative in eliminating PrEP access barriers and ensuring access to PrEP for all who need it.” t

ley was not more forthcoming about specifics.

Crego did state, however, that there are many clinics in the area that have experience with the sex worker community, including Lyon Martin, City Clinic, the Berkeley Free Clinic, and Planned Parenthood. These agencies did not return requests for comment as of press time.

San Francisco Community Health Center was also contacted but did not respond to a request for comment. In March, the nonprofit opened the city’s first stand-alone facility dedicated exclusively to serving San Francisco’s transgender and gender-nonconforming communities.t

Stephen and David married in 2005 and changed their last names to Jull-Patterson. The six-member family settled into life with their grandmothers, gathering each week for a boisterous and humor-filled Sunday dinner.

Stephen and David moved to Woodland, California in 2017 to take care of David’s mother. Stephen’s greatest joys remained, making his Ma laugh and spending time with David sharing their lives and their deep abiding love for each other.

Stephen is survived by his mother Katheryn L. Patterson; sister Tiffany Reed, husband David; brother-inlaw Michael Johnson; daughters TC (Valentina) and Brittany, son Marcus; daughter-of-the-heart Jazmin NeVille (Garrett); and grandchildren Josiah and Zariah Anderson. He was predeceased by his grandparents, father, parents-in-law, two brothers, a sister, and his beloved son Brandon. Information about the memorial service is available through W. F. Gormley & Sons Funeral Chapel in Sacramento.

[Editor’s note: The Bay Area Reporter is reprinting this obit because the date of death was incorrect in the subhead last week. The online version has been corrected.]

A new recommendation by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force adds PrEP medications Descovy, left, and long-acting Apretude to its 2019 recommendation for Truvada and generic versions of the drug for people at risk for HIV.

Courtesy Gilead Sciences Inc. and ViiV Healthcare

<< St. James

t From the Cover >>

It led Attorney General Rob Bonta to file suit this week against the Chino Valley Unified School District’s adoption of its mandatory gender identity disclosure policy. It came after Bonta’s denouncements of such policies and repeated promises to uphold the privacy rights of transgender students failed to stop other school districts from enacting them.

“We’re in court challenging Chino Valley Unified’s forced outing policy for wrongfully and unconstitutionally discriminating against and violating the privacy rights of LGBTQ+ students,” stated Bonta in announcing the lawsuit. “The forced outing policy wrongfully endangers the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of nonconforming students who lack an accepting environment in the classroom and at home.”

Along with Governor Gavin Newsom, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond has also taken a forceful stand against the antitrans policies being adopted by conservative school board members. In a recent video interview with the Bay Area Reporter, Thurmond said one of his biggest concerns is how such actions are impacting the environment in those districts’ schools for LGBTQ students.

“I am very worried about the tenor and anger it is creating in school communities, the actions of these board majorities,” said Thurmond, a former state legislator from the East Bay. “We have put out guidance to school districts that we believe students have a right to privacy as it relates to their sexual identity.”

Meanwhile, state legislators are working with Newsom and LGBTQ advocates to draft a bill that would ban such outing policies from being adopted by school boards. Gay Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego), a married father, was expected to officially introduce the legislation this week but decided to push back doing so until sometime in 2024 in order to have more time to craft its language.

“Recognizing the nuance and complexity of this work, we are continuing to refine our legislative approach in this two-year session, including working with the governor and key stakeholders, to ensure the most comprehensive and responsible legislation is proposed,” stated Ward. “Our LGBTQ caucus is fully committed to assuring that every student feels safe and supported in their school environment and that

<< State funding

From page 1

“The latest statewide numbers show a decrease in hate crimes against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community last year, indicating our investments are paying off,” Ting stated. “But we must continue building upon our work. The latest round of grants ensures victim resources and services remain available, while educational and cultural initiatives that foster greater understanding forge ahead. I remain hopeful acceptance and inclusion will win out over hate.”

Forty-five recipients, for a total of $27,107,800 in funds, are headquartered in the Bay Area or the Central Coast, which are counted together by the California Health and Human Services Agency in its table of grantees. These include San Francisco’s Community United Against Violence ($750,000), PRC ($620,000), the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center ($800,000), and Santa Barbara County’s Pacific Pride Foundation ($475,000).

Pablo Espinoza, a co-executive director of Community United Against Violence, stated to the B.A.R. that “with these funds we will build up our capacity to provide the services and programs we currently provide.”

These include emergency victim assistance, arts-based support groups, and leadership development for survi-

Assemblymember Chris Ward plans to introduce legislation next year that would prohibit school boards from adopting forced outing policies.

teachers aren’t forced into policing and outing students. We know that lives and careers are at stake here and will be in a stronger position soon for the hard work ahead.”

When the B.A.R. spoke to Thurmond last Friday, he had yet to be apprised about Ward’s bill proposal. He said he hoped any new legislation brought forward in the Legislature would “create full clarity with the law as it relates to the privacy of students and as it relates to their privacy around their gender identity.”

Bonta’s litigation and the proposed ballot measure could also impact what language is needed in any bill that Ward decides to introduce next year. Should the ballot measure end up being adopted by voters, it would likely supersede any bill that state lawmakers end up passing.

Proponents of the three ballot measures have come together under the banner of Protect Kids California. They submitted them to Bonta’s office Monday, as it will be up to the attorney general to issue a title and summary for each one.

At that point the group can begin to collect the 546,651 certified signatures from registered California voters per initiative to qualify them for next November’s ballot. It plans to release the exact language of the petitions for people to sign in support of the trio of initiatives in October.

Although it doesn’t expect to begin the signature drive until November, the group is already raising funds to support the on-the-ground efforts that will be needed for it to succeed in putting the measures before voters.

“Even though the supermajority in the Capitol is against us, the people of

vors of violence, Espinoza explained.

“We will also continue our work with and training of organizations that provide other services to LGBTQ+ survivors, such as housing, legal and medical/mental health, among others, to build their capacity to listen to and properly refer LGBTQ+ survivors who disclose violence, and connect them with CUAV, and thus maintain and strengthen a network so survivors of violence receive culturally relevant and competent services,” Espinoza stated. “CUAV can in turn refer survivors out to these organizations when our clients need their assistance.”

PRC provides opportunities and services to people living with HIV/ AIDS and/or mental health conditions. Tasha Henneman, PRC’s chief of policy and government affairs, stated to the B.A.R. that the nonprofit plans to use the money to create a film “featuring some of PRC’s Black transgender clients.”

“Our hope for the film is to bring awareness of our clients’ health journeys, including as victims and survivors of hate crimes and bias,” Henneman stated. “We intend the film to be used as a tool to elevate, center, and amplify their voices and experiences, through screenings, online distribution, and in-person discussions, creating broader and greater understanding and cross-cultural dialogue, that will help to facilitate acceptance, healing, and tolerance.”

California are on our side,” said Jonathan Zachreson, co-founder of Protect Kids California.

Daylong seminar

Elected to the Roseville City School Board last November, Zachreson plugged the ballot measures during a daylong “Parental Rights Virtual Open House” that the conservative California Policy Center held this month. Also taking part in it and supportive of the ballot effort is Assemblymember Bill Essayli (R-Riverside), who co-authored a bill this year that would have forced the outing of trans students but saw the legislation be killed in committee in the spring, as the B.A.R. reported at the time.

“If you are going to transition a kid, at least let the parents in on it and know what is going on so they can decide what is best for their kids,” said Essayli.

While there has already been speculation that the initiative effort won’t have the resources required to collect enough signatures to place them on next fall’s ballot – its political action committee A Students First California Committee in Support of Measures to Protect Kids has yet to report any fundraising figures – the issue has been animating conservative leaders and anti-LGBTQ lawmakers across the country for several years now. As the B.A.R.’s online Political Notes column reported August 28, the freedom of expression advocacy group PEN America detailed in a new report about what it calls “intimidation bills” that nearly 400 such legislation touted as advancing the rights of parents with school-age children have been introduced since 2021.

Among such legislation are those requiring teachers to police students’ gender expression. Of the bills submitted by lawmakers in 2023 that PEN America included in its report, 45% have an anti-LGBTQ+ provision, including the forced outing of students.

“I really believe this is going to be the issues of the next election in 2024. It is all about parental rights,” predicted Essayli.

School board actions sought

A number of conservative groups aren’t waiting for next year’s election to take action. They have joined together as the Coalition For Parental Rights to push for more school boards to adopt so-called parental rights policies. They created the website caparentalrights. com to assist parents specifically wishing to bring forward a parental notification policy in their school district.

As for the ballot measure proponents, they point to various polling

Other grantees

Other nonprofits also received state funding.

Kristin Flickinger, executive director of the Pacific Pride Foundation, told the B.A.R. that Santa Barbara just had its Pride festival on August 26.

“With Stop the Hate funding, Pacific Pride Foundation will develop a series of trainings for the Central Coast community designed to raise awareness regarding issues facing the LGBTQ+ community, including: Pronoun usage, the importance of connection for LGBTQ+ youth and for LGBTQ+ elders, anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and the harm to LGBTQ+ youth mental health, how to be a good ally, history of drag and its use today,” Flickinger stated.

“Funds will also be used for planning and facilitating the Pacific Pride Festival, including security planning, and to offset booth fees for community partners, as well as activation expenses for organizations co-creating the festival,” Flickinger added. “We will also work with Black and Latineserving organizations to cross-train organization staff, and to co-create events specifically for LGBTQ+ Black and Latine community members.”

The Oakland LGBTQ Community Center did not return a request for comment for this report by press time.

Other queer-oriented beneficiaries include the Imperial Valley LGBT Resource Center ($300,000), the North

conducted on transgender issues to argue the public is on their side when it comes to the three policy areas. For instance, they point to a Gallup poll released in June that found support for restricting transgender youth to playing on athletic teams based on the sex they were assigned at birth had increased to 69%, a jump of seven points in two years with support increasing among both Democrats and independents.

That same month polling from the more conservative Rasmussen Reports and Real Impact found 62% of California voters would be more likely to support a law if it included notifying parents of a child identifying, requesting to identify, or being treated as a gender that doesn’t align with their biological sex.

“The data clearly shows that California parents support transparency and accountable policies, making it mandatory for the school administrations to inform parents if their child is facing any of these challenges or lifestyle changes,” stated Gina Gleason, executive director of Real Impact. “Parents are attending school board meetings in droves to show that despite what the education establishment thinks, children, their well-being, and upbringing are not the responsibility of the school or state, it’s the responsibility of the parents.”

Also bolstering the ballot measure effort, contend proponents, are the findings of a Harvard Harris poll in June where 82% said they favor state legislation strengthening parental rights over their children and that 78% only support surgery to change gender and puberty blockers for people age 18 and older.

“Let’s play offense here,” said Zachreson about the decision to take the three issues regarding transgender youth rights “directly to the people of California.”

Thurmond told the B.A.R. that he agrees parents have a right to know what is occurring in their children’s schools. But he insists there are better options to address their concerns than through the anti-LGBTQ policies school boards are adopting or via the ballot box.

“I support parental rights, and parents should be involved in what their students learn in school. There are ways to do that,” he said. “Parents should be involved in all things when it comes to their children. When it comes to conversations about students’ sexual orientation or gender identity, those should take place within the family. It should not be taking place because of being forced to by a school district or mandated by a school district policy.”

County LGBTQ Resource Center ($565,000), the San Diego LGBT Community Center ($640,000), San Diego Pride ($550,000), the Los Angeles LGBT Center ($800,000), and the Equality California Institute ($630,000), the educational arm of the statewide LGBTQ rights organization.

“Equality California Institute is incredibly proud to receive generous funding from the Governor’s office and the California Department of Social Services to continue our existing Stop the Hate programming, which consists of resource development for LGBTQ+ survivors of hate crimes and hate incidents, as well as engaging community organizations and partners in dialogue on suggested policy changes to combat amplified hate against the LGBTQ+ community,” stated EQCA spokesperson Jorge Reyes Salinas.  Reyes Salinas also pointed to the uptick in reported hate crimes.

“With hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people on the rise – including here in the Golden State – this work is more important than ever,” he added.

Roger A. Coggan, the director of legal services for the LA center, told the B.A.R. that “we are absolutely delighted” and that it’s “something that will change the way we think about our anti-violence project.”

“This money will be used to fight hate crimes against our entire community,” Coggan said. “There’ll be a

Various LGBTQ and straight allied leaders are already sounding the alarm about the ballot measures or are taking preemptive stances on the specific issues they target. Transgender Assembly candidate Evan Minton, a onetime legislative aide for Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) who is seeking an open legislative seat in Sacramento next year, issued a strong denouncement of the “extremist” backed initiatives and asked his supporters to share it via their social media platforms.

“Let’s be clear: these proposed initiatives are rooted in anti-trans and misogynistic beliefs,” stated Minton, who filed a lawsuit to ensure he received necessary medical care from his providers. “They’re pushed by those who deny the reality that thousands of Californians are trans and that we live in every community. They cynically exploit LGBTQ+ children as pawns to advance their narrow agenda. This manipulation is sickening and must end.”

At its meeting August 29, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors reaffirmed its commitment to genderaffirming health care for all individuals, especially youth who are transgender, nonbinary, or gender-diverse. In 2019, the county established the first health clinic in the South Bay focused on providing care to such individuals and is now working to open a Transgender Wellness Center.

“The County of Santa Clara will not sit on our collective hands while fearmongering and legislative bullying around gender-affirming care slithers across the country. These policies inflict direct harm on our children, their families, and their future,” stated District 4 Supervisor Susan Ellenberg, the board’s president who brought forward the resolution. “Gender-affirming care is health care. Santa Clara County is committed to improving the quality and accessibility of care for all residents, including all transgender and genderexpansive children.”

District 2 Supervisor Cindy Chavez, a longtime advocate for the LGBTQ community, noted the politicization around trans youth issues taking place even in the Golden State as a reason for her support for the resolution.

“I am proud that the Board of Supervisors has reaffirmed Santa Clara County’s support of gender-affirming care and LGBTQ+ rights,” stated Chavez. “The lawsuit filed this week by the state attorney general against the Chino Valley Unified School District shows that the LGBTQ+ community is under legal attack, even here in California.” t

special focus on the transgender and nonbinary communities, and we will be able to vastly increase our services at our trans wellness center in Koreatown, our south LA site, our Mi Centro site.”

San Diego Pride did not return multiple requests for comment for this report.

This is the third and largest round of Stop the Hate grants – the first, for $14.3 million, was announced in March 2022 and the second, for $30.3 million, was announced in July of that year.

Last month, the B.A.R. was awarded $100,000 through the California State Library as part of an $8.1 million grant to ethnic media outlets and media collaboratives serving communities impacted by hate incidents and hate crimes. t

The State of California offers help for victims or witnesses to a hate crime or hate incident. This resource is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to https://www.cavshate.org/.

Courtesy Assemblymember Ward’s office

VOTE TO WIN

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE PLACES, PEOPLE AND THINGS TO DO IN SAN FRANCISCO AND THE BAY AREA AND THE CHANCE TO WIN $500 IN A RANDOM DRAWING.

Thank you for taking the time to complete this reader survey by the Bay Area Reporter. Your opinions are important to us. For this twelfth annual readers’ poll we’re including nominees for each category, along with a write-in designation. This year’s nominees are a mix of previous winners, runners-up from last year, and new entries.

The survey should only take 10-15 minutes. Your identity and answers are completely confidential and will be used to contact the winner of a random drawing for $500. You must complete at least 75 percent of the survey to qualify for the prize drawing. Entrants will be added to our newsletter recipients. One survey per person/email is allowed and must be submitted by midnight (Pacific Time) October 1, 2023. Survey results will be published in the October 26 issue of the B.A.R. If you have any questions about the survey, please contact our office at (415) 861-5019.

Arts & Culture

Best Art Museum

 Asian Art Museum

 Contemporary Jewish Museum

 de Young Museum

 GLBT Historical Society Museum

 Legion of Honor

 Museum of Craft and Design

 Museum of the African Diaspora

 Oakland Museum of California

 Pacific Pinball Museum

 San Jose Museum of Art

 SF MOMA

 Walt Disney Family Museum

✎

Best Live Music Venue

 The Chapel

 The Fillmore

 Fox Oakland

 Great American Music Hall

 Greek Theatre, Berkeley

 Masonic Hall

 Paramount Theatre

 Regency Center

 SF Jazz

 The Warfield

✎

Best Nature or Science Museum

 California Academy of Sciences

 Exploratorium

 SF Botanical Gardens

 SF Conservatory of Flowers

✎

Best Small Music Venue

 Café du Nord

 The Lost Church

 The New Parish

 Thee Parkside

 Rickshaw Stop

 El Rio

✎

Best Ballet Company

 Alonzo King Lines Ballet

 Ballet22

 Ballet San Jose

 Diablo Ballet

 Oakland Ballet

 Post:ballet

 San Francisco Ballet

 Smuin Contemporary Ballet

✎

Best Theatre Company

 American Conservatory Theater

 Aurora Theatre

 Berkeley Repertory Theatre

 New Conservatory Theatre Center

 Ray of Light Theatre

 Shotgun Players

 Theatre Rhinoceros

✎

Best Modern Dance Company

 Amy Siewert’s Imagery

 AXIS Dance Company

 David Herrera Performance Company

 Epiphany Dance Theatre

 Joe Goode Performance Group

 ODC Dance

 PUSH Dance Company

 RAWdance

 Robert Moses’ Kin

 Sean Dorsey Dance

 Zaccho Dance Theatre

✎

Best Choral Group

 Chanticleer

 East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus

 Lesbian/Gay Chorus of SF

 Rainbow Women’s Chorus (San Jose)

 SF Gay Men’s Chorus

✎

Best LGBTQ Nonprofit

 Bay Area American Indian TwoSpirits

 GLBTQ+ Asian Pacific Alliance

 Horizons Foundation

 LGBT Asylum Project

 Project Open Hand

 Transgender Law Center

✎

Best LGBTQ Community Center

 Billy DeFrank LGBTQ Center (San Jose)

 Coast Pride (Half Moon Bay)

 Oakland LGBTQ Community Center

 Pacific Center for Human Growth (Berkeley)

 Rainbow Community Center (Concord)

 San Francisco LGBT Community Center

 San Mateo County Pride Center

 Solano Pride Center

 The Spahr Center (Marin)

✎

Best LGBTQ Sports League

 SF Fog Rugby Club

 SF FrontRunners

 SF Gay Basketball Association

 SF Gay Softball League

 SF Pool Association

 SF Tsunami Water Polo

✎

Community

Best LGBTQ Event

 Folsom Street Fair

 Imperial Court of SF Coronation

 Juanita MORE!’s Pride Party

 SF Pride Parade and Celebration

 SF Drag King Contest

 Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Easter Celebration

Best Ethnic/International Dance Company

 Abhinaya Dance Company

 Barangay Dance Company

 Chitresh Das Dance Company

 Likha-Pilipino Folk Ensemble

 Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu

 Ong Dance Company

 Theatre Flamenco of San Francisco

✎

Best Classical Venue

 Davies Symphony Hall

 Herbst Theatre, Veteran’s Building

 War Memorial Opera House

 Old First Church

 SF Conservatory of Music

✎

✎

Best Pro Sports Team

 Golden State Warriors

 Oakland Roots (soccer)

 San Francisco 49ers

 San Francisco Giants

 San Jose Earthquakes

 San Jose Sharks

✎

Best SF LGBTQ Cultural District

 Castro LGBTQ Cultural District

 San Francisco Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District

 Transgender District

✎

Nightlife

Best Comic

 Wonder Dave

 Lisa Geduldig

 Marga Gomez

 Jesus U Betta Work

 Nick Leonard

 Justin Lucas

 Sampson McCormick

 Natasha Muse

 Ronn Vigh

✎

Best LGBTQ Fundraiser

 Compassion (Shanti)

 Light in the Grove (AIDS Memorial Grove)

 National Center for Lesbian Rights

gala

 Santa Skivvies Run (SFAF)

 Soiree (LGBT center)

 Reunion (GLBT Historical Society)

✎

Best DJ

 Carrie on Disco

 Siobhan Aluvalot

 Don Baird

 Blackstone

 Brown Amy

 Bus Station John

 Hawthorne

 Steve Fabus

 Sergio Fedasz

 Paul Goodyear

 David Harness

 Page Hodel

 Mohammad

 Olga T

 Russ Rich

 Lady Ryan

 Brian Urmanita

✎

Best Bartender

 Andy Anderson, 440 Castro

 Michael Breshears, Lookout

 Robbie Cheah, Oasis

 Miguel Chavez, Hole in the Wall

 Steve Dalton, SF Eagle

 David Delgado, The Cinch

Best Drag Queen

 Au Jus

 Ava LaShay

 Bebe Sweetbriar

 Black Betty Towers

 Carnie Asada

 D’Arcy Drollinger

 Donna Sachet

 Elsa Touche

 Evian

 Glamamore

 God’s Lil Princess

 Grace Towers

 Holotta Tymes

 Intensive Claire

 Joie de Vivre

 Juanita MORE!

 Jubilee

 Landa Lakes

 LOL McFiercen

 Mama Celeste

 Mercedez Munro

 Mutha Chucka

 Nicki Jizz

 Peaches Christ

 Rahni NothingMore

 Raya Light

 Rock M. Sakura

 Rosie Petals

 Sister Roma

 Sue Casa

 Sugah Betes

 Suppositori Spelling

 Trangela Lansbury

 U-Phoria

✎

 Heather Dunham, Wild Side West

 Lauren Eggen, Beaux

 Charlie Evans, Lone Star Saloon

 Captain Ficcardi, White Horse

 Gage Fisher, SF Eagle

 Jeffrey Green, Twin Peaks Tavern

 Kurtis Janitch, Beaux

 Erick Lopez, The Edge

 Johnnie Wartella, Pilsner Inn ✎

Best Live Nightlife/Cabaret

Performer

 Connie Champagne

 Spencer Day

 Russell Deason

 Sony Holland

 Barry Lloyd

 Kippy Marks

 Kim Nalley

 Carly Ozard

 Suzanne “Kitten on the Keys” Ramsey

 Katya Smirnoff-Skyy

 Paula West

✎

Best Drag King

 Alex U. Inn

 Arty Fishal

 Chester Vanderbox

 Chico Suave

 Clammy Faye

 Dicky Love

 Fudgie Frottage

 Kegel Kater

 Kit Tapata

 Leigh Crow

 Madd Dogg 20/20

 Mason Dixon Jars

 Mickey Finn

 Pepe Pan

 Vegas Jake

✎

Best Live Band

 Commando

 Gravy Train  Homobiles

 The Klipptones  Lipstick Conspiracy  Lolly Gaggers  Middle-Aged Queers  Planet Booty

 Secret Emchy Society  Velvetta ✎

Best Gogo Dancer

 Connor Hochleutner

 James Kindle

 Emerson Silva

 Chad Stewart

 Koji Tare

 Colin Stack-Troost

 Michael Tempesta

 Paul William



Lucy Dorado



Jella Gogo

 Chloe Rainwater

✎

Best Faux Queen

 Alotta Boutté

 Black Benatar

 Bruja Palmiero

 Crème Fatale

 Fauxnique

 Miss Shugana

 Trixxie Carr

 Scarlet Astrid

✎

Best Nightlife Photographer

 Marques Daniels

 Gooch

 Kid With a Camera

 Fred Rowe



Darryl Pelletier

 Tom Schmidt/Dot

 Shot in the City

 Steven Underhill

✎

Fall Arts Preview

By Philip Campbell

We’re back in business, back to school and it’s time to plan your autumn concertgoing. Single tickets and subscriptions are on sale now. So, grab a pumpkin spice latté and look at some tempting offerings of the new season.

San Francisco Opera

SFO is first out of the gate with a 101st season designed for diverse tastes. Get in the mood with the annual free “Opera in the Park” on Sunday, September 10 at 1:30pm, featuring artists from the fall season in Golden Gate Park Robin Williams Meadow.

“Il Trovatore” by Giuseppe Verdi September 12–October 1. David McVicar’s bold production returns. Inspired by the art of Francisco Goya, his powerful vision of the saga of revenge and thwarted love includes some famous tunes, including the “Anvil Chorus.” Angel Blue (SFO’s “Porgy and Bess”) and Arturo Chacón-Cruz star.

“The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs” September 22-October 7. SF Composer (and DJ) Mason Bates and Pulitzer-winning writer Mark Campbell bring their co-commissioned work back to where it all began. Bates fuses ‘classical’ music with the world of electronica with a deft blend of lyricism and innovation. And really, who could resist a singing Steve Wozniak? SFO favorite Sasha Cooke is Laurene Powell Jobs.

October 15-November 1 “Lohengrin” by Richard Wagner. New Zealand tenor Simon O’Neill tackles the daunting title role, the answer to a maiden’s prayer. Former SFO Adler Fellow soprano Julie Adams is his damsel in distress Elsa.

“Omar” music by Rhiannon Giddens (and libretto) and Michael Abels. November 5–21, 2023. Another co-commissioned Bay Area premiere, “Omar”

Back to classics

fall music preview

chronicles Islamic scholar Omar Ibn Said’s journey from West Africa to enslavement in South Carolina. Imprisoned after an attempted escape he records his transcendent story in Arabic. As a founding member of The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Rhiannon Giddons has impressively expanded a major career; winning a few Grammy’s, a MacArthur Fellowship, and a Pulitzer Prize (for “Omar”) along the way.

“The Elixir of Love” November 19-December 9: Donizetti’s sunny, funny cavalcade of dazzling vocal pyrotechnics ends the fall season with jovial tenor Pene Pati (SFO Adler Fellow 2016-2017) in the lead with soprano Slávka Zámečníková, making her SFO debut as the object of his affection Adina. War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Ave. www. sfopera.com

SF Performances

San Francisco Performances opens its 44th season Friday, September 29 with a gala and concert

celebrating the Alexander String Quartet’s 35th Anniversary as SFP’s Quartet-in-Residence. The organization offers many high caliber chamber concerts, but there are intimate vocal recitals as well.

Top of the list for fall is renowned British tenor

Ian Bostridge’s appearance with pianist Wenwen Du on Saturday, October 21, 7:30pm. They begin SFP’s “Art of Song Series,” which continues in January 2024, with an evening devoted to Schubert’s deeply reflective song cycle “Wintereisse.” Bostridge has even written an award-winning book on the piece, “Schubert’s Winter Journey: Anatomy of an Obsession.” Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave. www.sfperformances.org

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) recently announced its fall concert series, which includes artist residencies, visiting guest art-

Fall into dance concerts

by Philip Mayard

Over the past few years, the Bay Area’s dance community has demonstrated remarkable resilience through innovative virtual performances, outdoor showcases, and hybrid formats that prioritized safety without sacrificing artistic expression. Collaborations among dancers, choreographers, and organizations have not only sustained the community but also fostered a spirit of unity that continues to fuel its evolution and growth in the post-pandemic era.

This fall you can experience the vibrant pulse of San Francisco through dance performances that showcase a diverse array of styles and cultures. From site-specific contemporary works to traditional staged performances that celebrate a spectrum of rich international heritages, these programs offer a unique opportunity to be moved by the passion and talent of our community during this season of dance.

BALLET

“The White Feather, A Persian Ballet Tale”

As part of a highly successful national tour, artistic director Tara Ghassemieh, former San Francisco Ballet principal dancer Vitor Luiz, and a full company of international ballet dancers present “The White Feather, A Persian Ballet Tale,” commemorating the first anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s arrest and death in Iran, an event that provoked an international women-led uprising. Amini was a 22-year-old woman who died under suspicious circumstances in Tehran, following her arrest for allegedly not wearing a hijab.

The ballet explores the rich history of Iranian art and the untold story of the Iranian National Ballet, the country’s only state dance company that was closed down during the Islamic revolution in 1979. Hailed as “extraordinarily beautiful, powerful, and informative,” (Los Angeles Dance Chronicle), “The White Feather” looks to be an inspiring launch to the Bay Area’s fall dance season.

$35-$195. September 9, Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave. www.cityboxoffice.com

Smuin Contemporary Ballet

Smuin Contemporary Ballet’s 30th anniversary season kicks off in grand style with, “Salsa ‘til Dawn,” a world premiere work by one of America’s most sought-after dancemakers, Darrell Grand Moultrie, whose resumé includes choreography for American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Beyoncé, and Savion Glover.

The program also features the return of James Kudelka’s riveting ballet in cowboy boots, “The Man in Black,” set to the music of Johnny Cash, and “Tutto Eccetto il Lavandino (everything but the kitchen sink),” a dynamic neoclassical work by internationally acclaimed choreographer Val Caniparoli.

$25-$89. September 15-October 7; Lesher Center for the Arts, Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, Cowell Theatre at Fort Mason. www.smuinballet.org

ists, and faculty and student concerts. More than 90 percent of are free and open to the public.

Ian Bostridge’s concert at SF Performances in October is in partnership with his residency and master class at SFCM Friday, October 20, 7:30 PM in the Barbro Osher Recital Hall, 200 Van Ness Avenue. If you want to binge on Bostridge and Schubert, here’s your chance. 50 Oak St. www.sfcm.edu

San Francisco Symphony

The San Francisco Symphony’s (SFS) Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen enters his fourth season with programming characteristic of his brand as an exceptional composer himself and enthusiastic collaborator with other groundbreaking musicians.

From the Opening Night Gala on September 22 and annual “All San Francisco Concert” on September 23, which honors local social service and neigh-

See page 15 >>

Petipa Awards Gala: World Ballet Stars

For one night only, San Francisco will be the center of the ballet universe, with a star-studded gala performance by some of the world’s most renowned dancers, and a celebration of the winners of this year’s Petipa Awards: iconic prima ballerina and choreographer Natalia Makarova and the late Pierre Lacotte, a revered French ballet choreographer and historian, perhaps best known for his role in helping Rudolf Nureyev defect from the Soviet Union.

Dancers from Paris Opera Ballet, Staatsballett Berlin, Teatro alla Scala, Dutch National Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Compañía Nacional de Danza, and Astana Opera Ballet will perform a diverse range of classical and contemporary works, including the U.S. premiere of “Grand Pas Electrique” from Petipa’s long-forgotten ballet “Bluebeard.” $180-$1240. September 23, Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave. www.cityboxoffice.com

CONTEMPORARY DANCE

Bellwether Dance Project

Founded by Bay Area dance luminary Amy Foley in 2015, Bellwether Dance Project took a big step forward last year with its first home season at ODC Theatre. Bellwether returns to ODC for its second home season with two world premieres: “Aurora Sad Magic,” a work inspired by an old legend that explained the aurora borealis as the dancing souls of lost loved ones, and “Whether or Knot,” a solo work set to a poem by Meriweather Campbell, a lifelong friend of Foley’s.

The program also includes the revival of the company’s popular “Let Slip the Witches,” a dance for five women responding to the archetype of the witch, which Foley notes, is both ancient and timely. She says, “The witch is by turns both magical and mundane, frightening and nurturing, a powerful figure of both exile and desire.”

$25-$75. September 14-16, ODC Theatre, 3153 17th St. www.odc.dance

RAWdance

Since 2004, San Francisco’s award-winning RAWdance has pushed the boundaries of contemporary dance through a mix of performance, curation, and collaboration. The company’s newest project, the world premiere of “Loving Still,”

See page 16 >>

San Francisco Opera will perform “Omar”

Cory Weaver

Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu dance company

is inspired by Huge Nini and Neal Treadwell’s stunning 2020 book, “Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love, 1850s-1950s,” which features over 300 previously unpublished photos of men representing “the love that dare not speak its name.”

In response to the collection, ten male dancers will perform a series of intimate duets that aim to bring these extraordinary photographs to life. A selection of the images, which span members of the military to heirs of high society, will be reproduced in large format and displayed in the gallery throughout a two-month residency. Additionally, the company will explore the queer roots of the venue’s historic Jackson Square neighborhood.

Ticket price TBA, December 8-10, 836M Gallery, 836 Montgomery St. www.rawdance.org

Sean Dorsey Dance

Emmy Award-winning trans artist Sean Dorsey returns to San Francisco with his namesake company as part of a ten-city international tour of “The Lost Art of Dreaming,” a powerful amalgamation of heartstopping dance, intimate storytelling, and elegant queer partnering. The work is performed by an ensemble of five

Fall Arts Preview: Dance

trans, queer, and gender-nonconforming dancers, with an original sound score and commissioned music.

The performance is followed by an interactive lobby experience of visual artworks entitled “Postcards from the Future” and “The Futurist Pledge,” a self-declaration of each audience members’ commitment to a life filled with joy, pleasure, love, and well-being.

$15-$50. September 29-October 1, Z Space, 450 Florida St. www.seandorseydance.com

PUSH Dance Company

PUSH Dance Company kicks off its 18th home season with a celebratory grand opening performance event at its new BIPOC Artists Sanctuary home in downtown San Francisco. The program will encompass site-specific performances on all four floors of the building, as well as on the outdoor stage in a neighboring park.

The centerpiece of the evening will be the world premiere of “Performable Posthumanism” by PUSH Artistic Director Raissa Simpson, a multidisciplinary work exploring the potential outcomes of AI technology in the judicial system for people of African descent.

$15-$50. October 15, PUSH Artists Sanctuary, 447 Minna St. www.pushdance.org

San Francisco Trolley Dances

For 20 years, Epiphany Dance Theatre has presented its enormously popular San Francisco Trolley Dances program in, on and around the city’s public transit system, free of charge. The program, which draws hundreds of dance fans and curious MUNI riders, is a communal experience bringing together a diverse group of dance artists, encouraging people see dance in new ways, while connecting neighborhoods and participants to San Francisco’s history, culture, architecture, natural environment, and social fabric.

This year’s Trolley Dances highlight San Francisco’s downtown district, the Exploratorium and Fisherman’s Wharf. Performances include sitespecific works by Nava Dance Theatre, Blind Tiger Society, Jean Isaacs, Kinetech Arts, Jennifer Perfilio Movement Works, Loco Bloco, and Epiphany Dance Theatre.

Free. Oct 21-22, various San Francisco locations. www.epiphanydance.org

Urban Bush Women

It’s been many years since the remarkable Brooklyn-based performance ensemble Urban Bush Women has performed in the Bay Area. So it’s exciting that Cal Performances will welcome them back to the intimate Zellerbach Playhouse with “Hair & Other Stories,” a full-length dance-theater work exploring race, identity, and beauty through the lens of Black women’s hair.

A participatory performance work of activism and engagement, audience members are encouraged to move, com- ment, reflect, and bear witness to this highly engaging work, rooted in personal stories gathered from participants at “Hair Parties” the company hosted with women across the country.

$36-$72. December 1-3, Zellerbach Playhouse, 2413 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. www.calperformances.org

INTERNATIONAL

David Herrera

Performance Company

Órale! – a common interjection in Mexican Spanish slang expressing approval or encouragement – brings to the Z Space stage a joyful evening of contemporary dance in celebration of the Latinx/e experience. The evening features ten Bay Area dancers performing choreography by artists from across the U.S., who will explore the vibrancy, complexity and richness that their communities bring to American culture.

$20-$40. September 7-9, Z Space, 450 Florida St. dhperformance.org www.zspace.org

World Arts West Dance Fest San Francisco’s World Arts West Dance Festival returns to the Presidio with a remarkable lineup of artists presenting dances from Mexico, India, Nicaragua, Brazil, West African, Spain, Tahiti and more, set against the beautiful backdrop of the Bay in the new Presidio Tunnel Tops park, all for free.

Dance groups include Calpulli

Tonalehqueh, Diamano Coura West African Dance Company, Melissa Cruz Flamenco, Mona Khan Company, Nicaragua Dance Ensemble, Ruth Asawa SF School of the Arts world dance group, and Te Pura O Te Rahura’a. Join in interactive demos with artists, enjoy international food offerings from the Presidio Pop Up food trucks, and revel in the power of dance.

Free/register. September 10, Presidio Tunnel Tops, 210 Lincoln Blvd. www.worldartswest.org

Yerba Buena Gardens

ChoreoFest

One of the city’s most popular outdoor performing arts festivals returns with two weekends of dance, spotlighting the creativity and diversity of the Bay Area community. Pack a picnic and sunscreen and get ready for a truly international dance experience.

The first weekend of ChoreoFest showcases contemporary works by Fullstop Dance; dances fusing classical Chinese movement, modern, and ballet by Lily Cai Chinese Dance Company; “queer creation stories” by Seeds and Sequins; and eye-popping, contortionistic, TURF (Taking Up Room on the Floor) dance moves by Oakland’s original turf dancing crew Turf Feinz.

The second weekend spotlights contemporary works by PUSH Dance Company; multi-ethic, multi-genre dances

PRODUCERS Michael Golden & Michael Levy Robert Holgate Lowell Kimble Ted Tucker

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS David Meders Eve & Niall Lynch

PRODUCERS Laurence Brenner & Angelo Figone Maurice Kelly & Eric Jansen

RAWdance’s Yebel Gallegos and Ryan T. Smith in ‘Loving Still’

David Herrera Performance Company

Smuin Contemporary Ballet

Chris-Hardy

Helena Palazzi

Alexa Treviño

EVERYTHING YOU LOVE ABOUT THE ACADEMY. AND TONS MORE.

Sauropods were Mesozoic marvels, measuring up to 60 feet tall and weighing up to 80 tons. Discover the world’s largest dinosaurs at the world’s only aquarium + planetarium + rainforest + natural history museum. With life-size models, fossil replicas, and more.

Now open | Get tickets at calacademy.org

Every visit supports our mission to regenerate the natural world.

Engage with the stage curtains up

by Jim Gladstone

“Ithink differently after seeing this play,” said Elizabeth Carter of “Wolf Play,” which she’s directing for Berkeley’s Shotgun Players in a much-anticipated production that opens this weekend.

What more could one wish for from a night at the theater?

The best plays and musicals not only entertain us, they make us see the world afresh.

Whether by revealing unsung delights of everyday life, provoking us to examine the nuances of human psychology, or exposing us to new modes of storytelling, they ask us not to sit back and relax, but to lean in and engage.

Our attendance and engagement are critical at this moment. Over the last few years, local and regional theaters have struggled mightily. The pandemic changed habits, hitting the performing arts particularly hard.

From now through the end of the year, Bay Area companies are mounting a remarkable variety of productions, wildly varied in style and content. If you’ve allowed yourself to slip into streaming somnolence, it’s time to rise up, get out and support local theater. Here are some of the season’s most intriguing offerings.

‘Wolf Play’ and ‘Hedwig’ at Shotgun Players

“As the queer mother of a middle-

schooler, one of the things that resonates with me most about this show,” said director Carter of Korean-American playwright Hansol Jung’s script, “is the sense of helplessness that young people can feel in a system that’s not well designed to support them.”

This multi-layered, tonally quirky piece, which incorporates puppetry and allegory in telling the story of an adop-

for fall arts theater

Take that wig down from a shelf as John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask’s hit Broadway musical “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” returns to the Bay Area in a new production directed by Richard Mosqueda. The Tony-winning trans rock favorite plays Oct. 28 through Dec. 3 ($34-$50).

Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., Berkeley. www.shotgunplayers.org

‘Nollywood Dreams’ at San Francisco Playhouse

There’s sudsy fun in store at this soapoperatic, sit-com silly delight by the Ghanian-American writer Jocelyn Bioh (“School Girls: The African Mean Girls Play”). Set in Lagos, amidst the titular Nigerian feature film industry, which produces around 1000 movies a year,

To paraphrase Mame: Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are eating McNuggets. $35-$80. Nov. 2-19. $35-$80. Gateway Theater. 215 Jackson St. www.42ndstmoon.org

‘Harry Clarke’ at Berkeley Rep Hollywood and Broadway star Billy Crudup, winner of an Emmy for “The Morning Show” and a Tony for Tom Stoppard’s “The Coast of Utopia,” plays 19 different characters over the course of David Cale’s trickily plotted oneman drama, being remounted here after acclaimed New York runs in 2017 and 2018.

Form and function dovetail beautifully here. The title character is himself a chameleon, a midwestern American who inveigles his way into posh society and dangerous situations by taking on an alternate persona. Depending on how you interpret the play, Clarke is gay or bisexual; some queer audiences may take umbrage at the connection of bisexuality and an unstable personality.

tion gone wrong, won acclaim in its recent Off Broadway debut.

“Allow yourself to go for the ride,” encouraged Carter, “The emotions in this play can catch you off guard. You’re asked to root for the supposed Bad Guy.” $15-$36. Sept. 2-Oct. 1.

‘Before the Sword’ at New Conservatory Theatre Center

NCTC kicks off their season with an exciting world premiere commission. “Before the Sword” is an imaginative exploration of events that may have inspired “The Sword in the Stone” and other Arthurian tales by acclaimed author T.H. White, who few readers realize was gay. Andrew Alty’s stage adaptation plays Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. More on that in next week’s issue.

Also this fall, NCTC brings us Harrison Rivers’ mother-son coming out drama, “We Are Continuous” (Oct. 20–Nov. 26) and some wickedly Grinchy holiday counter-programming in “Ruthless,” a backstage musical with bitchy bite (Dec. 1–Jan. 7). $25-$45. 25 Van Ness Ave. www.nctcsf.org

‘Adventures with Alice’ at Montalvo Arts Center

It’s rare for We Players to remount one of their elaborate interactive outdoor productions. So if you didn’t get a chance to catch this linguistically delicious, snappily-costumed spin on Lewis Carrol’s classics when it frolicked through Golden Gate Park last spring, make haste to chase the white rabbit on the peninsula.

7am (last seating 9:45pm)

Proudly serving the community since 1977.

3991-A 17th Street, Market & Castro 415-864-9795

Actors and audiences are on the move throughout the two-hour production, following that rushing rabbit around the grounds of Montalvo and stumbling upon witty storybook scenarios. While youngsters aged six and older are welcome, this is truly a show for all ages. A tip for the grown-ups: That bunny goes great with a gummy.

$25-$55. Sept. 28-Oct. 8. Montalvo Arts Center, 15400 Montalvo Road, Saratoga. www.weplayers.org

significantly outpacing Hollywood.

The play employs a feather-light touch in pointing out the global influence of American media while simultaneously celebrating Nigerian culture.

The production is a showcase for a pair of multi-faceted local theater dynamos. Fresh off her comedic coup playing the lead role in Magic Theater’s hit “Josephine’s Feast,” local legend Margo Hall directs. And rising Bay Area theatermaker Tanika Baptiste plays one of the leads here before taking the directorial reins at Theatre Rhinoceros’ “Group Therapy” (see below).

$30-$125. Sept. 28-Nov. 4. 450 Post St. www.sfplayhouse.org

‘Mame’ at Gateway Theater

While some might argue that “La Cage Aux Folles” is the only Jerry Herman musical about gay family dynamics, I beg to differ. While the too-frequently produced and latelyshowing-its-age “Cage” takes the subject on directly, Herman’s earlier, less frequently revived “Mame” is a barelyveiled celebration of the lesbian aunts and guncles who help introduce their proto-queer nephews and nieces to all things worldly and fabulous.

After last year’s knockout 42nd Street Moon production of “Merrily We Roll Along,” I’m looking forward to the company’s refurbishment of this classic with a hummable score featuring “We Need a Little Christmas” and “Bosom Buddies.”

Fun fact: Patrick Dennis, the sexually fluid author of the 1955 comic novel that “Mame” is based on, gave up his writing career in the early 1970s, eventually finding work as a butler for Ray Croc, the CEO of McDonald’s.

If you’re fascinated by the craft of acting, “Harry Clarke” provides a unique opportunity.

The 2018 New York production was recorded for Audible, so you can listen to Crudup perform the entire play before seeing it live. It should be fascinating to consider his techniques for switching characters vocally in advance of watching his physical transformations on stage.

Single tickets avail. Sept. 13. Nov. 15-23. 2015 Addison St. www.berkeleyrep.org

‘Group Therapy’ at Theatre Rhinoceros

Oakland playwright Kheven LaGrone (“The Legend of Pink,” “Pillow Talk,” “A Little Miracle”) returns to the Rhino with a seriocomic piece that’s perfectly scaled for the company’s intimate new home in the heart of the Castro. It consists of a series of therapy sessions among a group of Black men at odds with the fact that they’re turning 40.

The freedom of youth and the responsibility of adulthood are juxtaposed as each of the quintet briefly takes the spotlight to share the details of his own story.

“I think these guys are all faced with the question of whether life is something that’s behind them or that’s ahead of them,” said Rhino Artistic Director John Fisher, who says that reading the script evoked memories of watching “The Bob Newhart Show” as a kid.

“As a person who’s never been in therapy,” he said, “I find it fascinating to get a sense of the process.”

$17.50-$35. Nov. 9–Dec. 3. 4229 18th St. www.therhino.org t

Adam Kuve Niemann and Henry Halkyard in ‘Before the Sword’ at New Conservatory Theatre Center.

Lois Tema

Gabby Momah and Mikee Loria in ‘Wolf Play’ at Shotgun Players

Robbie Sweeny

‘Nollywood Dreams’ at San Francisco Playhouse

Billy Crudup in ‘Harry Clarke’ at Berkeley Rep

Playwright Kheven LaGrone’s ‘Group Therapy’ at Theatre Rhinoceros

Arts Preview: Pop Music

Quirky queer pop & comedy

by Jim Gladstone

A n esoteric collection of pop acts and comedians with distinct queer appeal will make their way through the Bay Area this season. Here are some of the most intriguing.

Todrick Hall at The Curran

Between controversies, kerfuffles and reality TV debacles (“The Real Friends of WeHo” anyone?), dancer, rapper and choreographer Hall puts his head down and werks. Regularly recording new music and constantly touring, Hall is an admirably industrious booster of queer pride and visibility. His effort shows. The last time he played the Bay Area, at the UC Theatre in Berkeley, Hall and a phalanx of dancers put on a ferociously energetic twohour spectacle, with polished video, pointed lyrics and fantastic costuming. After his “Velvet Rage Tour,” Hall, who has done several past stints on Broadway, says he’s putting a moratorium on pop shows for a few years. So catch him while you can. $36-$66. Sept. 12. 445 Geary St. www.sfcurran.com

Ryan Beatty at The Independent Beatty, who grew up outside of Fresno, deserves your attention. The 27-year-old gay singer-songwriter has been releasing music since 2012, but his early material was polished pop, featured on Radio Disney and

pointedly marketed to young girls. After a burst of bubblegum success, he fired his management, leading to legal hassles which keep him from putting out new music until 2016. When he did so, it was as an openly gay 20-year-old whose electronically augmented, gently psychedelic ballads are a far cry from his sheeny teen beginnings. He’s collaborated with hip-hop collective Brockhampton and Tyler the Creator as well as releasing three compelling solo albums, the latest of which is the dreamy Laurel Canyon-leaning “Calico.” $22. Sept. 13. 628 Divisadero St. www.theindependentsf.com

Noah Reid at August Hall

The name sounds familiar, huh? In all likelihood you’ve only heard him sing one song though: the gentle, acoustic version of Tina Turner’s “The Best” with which his character, Patrick Brewer, serenaded David Rose, played by Dan Levy, in “Schitt’s Creek.”

Ohhhh, that cutie patootie?! Affection for the series may be enough to draw curious listeners to hear cuts from his three strummy, affable, albums. Just a reminder; he’s straight. Oct. 11. $40. 420 Mason St. www. augusthallsf.com

Jessie Ware at the Regency Ballroom

“What’s Your Pleasure?” “That! Feels! Good!” Asked and answered. The two latest albums from this UK star –who has never quite cracked the American market– are lush dance floor gems evocative of Chic.

Provocative MovingUnpredictable

This is soulful, grown-up music that will make the perfect soundtrack for a great date night. Not a first date though; maybe a third. $39.50$54.50. Oct. 11. 1300 Van Ness. www.theregencyballroom.com

one-night-only acts to catch

“They Wanna Fuck” and “Throat Goat” pretty much establish a new genre: Blissphamy. $59.50-$69.50. Oct. 29. 99 Grove St. www.billgrahamcivic.co

John Cameron Mitchell with Amber Martin @ Zellerbach Hall

prised to be watching him through binoculars from the stands of an arena. You’ll be happy to say you saw him early on.

And hey, while Kesha’s latest album “Gag Order” has performed

Samantha Bee at the Palace of the Fine Arts

The presence of former “Daily Show” correspondent and “Full Frontal” star Bee has been much missed. Sharp, smart and bracingly feminist, Bee brings back her sting on a new comedy tour called “Your Favorite Woman” that she’s written to “celebrate the fact that women are fully f*cking cool, despite what six Supreme Court Justices and her Instagram feed seem to think.” $39.50$79.50. Oct. 14. 3601 Lyon St. www. palaceoffinearts.com

Kim Petras at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

Mitchell, the original Hedwig (The angry inch one, not Harry Potter’s owl), put on a long, deep and genuinely thrilling show when he last played a Cal Performances show three years ago. Martin was singing backup that evening, but has since played two solo gigs at Oasis, channeling Bette Midler and Janis Joplin. She blew the roof off, like some fiery, wiry version of cabaret-era Brigitte Everett. This co-headlining show is the best blast of ’90s New York the Bay Area has hosted since Kiki and Herb swung by last Christmas. $40-$110. Nov. 4. Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley. www.calperformances.org

pretty much per its title, there’s no denying the stupid joy in singing along to the banger choruses of “TiK ToK,” “Die Young,” and “We R Who We R.” $55-$75. Nov. 17. 1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. www. thefoxoakland.com

Josh Thomas at the Castro Theater

He’s queer, he’s autistic and Australian. He’s not Hannah Gadsby and he doesn’t have a pouch. Thomas, whose two streaming sitcom series, “Please Like Me” and “Everything’s Gonna be Ok” deserve to be seen by much broader audiences is a singular talent. If Adam Sandler’s stage persona is aptly described as a manchild; Thomas’ is a manchild

Among the characters in this new collection of stories, we meet a men‘s sexual abuse therapy group; one of its members and his aging father; a 96-year old gay writer confronting a young queer interviewer; a little boy terrified of his Barbies at night; a retired man at a Las Vegas roulette table with a drunken college student; a teenager in 1971 introduced to gay life by watching The Boys in the Band. Some find peace within the warring elements of themselves, some do not. But all are embraced with insight and compassion.

In these stories we meet, among others, a men’s sexual abuse therapy group; one of its members and his aging father; a 96-year-old gay writer confronting a young queer interviewer; a little boy terrified of his Barbies at night; a teenager introduced to gay life watching The Boys in the Band. Some find peace within themselves, some do not. But all are embraced with fierce insight and compassion.

“Westerfield’s characters live in the gray spaces that have become so difficult to talk about in our absolutist culture. Each is drawn with brave complexity and weary resiliency.”—Jeff

Goes On, Without the World

Sam Smith swept through the Bay Area earlier this week, but autumn brings the opportunity to catch his co-Grammy-winner for their gleefully sleazy earworm duet, “Unholy.” If that song was a surprise coming from smoothie Smith, whose slow walk away from his heartbroken choir boy origins has never fully taken, it’s par for the coarse from Petras, the subject of a “New Yorker” profile earlier this year.

That the 30-year-old, Germanborn Pop Tart (Pop Strudel?) is a transwoman feels largely immaterial at this point. That she records some of the catchiest, trashiest Europop around is what matters most. Let’s hope that along with cuts from her new album, “Feed the Beast,” she pays plenty of attention to the craziness of her prior release, “Slut Pop,” which was the centerpiece of her bonkers 2022 Outside Lands set.

Kesha & Jake Wesley Rogers at the Fox Theater

She may almost be over, but he’s only just begun. With the face of an angel, the wardrobe of Elton John and songwriting talent that bridges rock, pop and country, the gay 26-year-old Missouri-born superstar-in-the-making is not to be missed. Last time he was in town, Rogers had Bimbo’s in the palm of his hand.

This time, it’s the Fox. And a few years from now, I wouldn’t be sur-

prodigy. Oversensitive, immature, extraordinarily witty and slyly intelligent, he makes you want to cuddle him and pummel him in quick alternation. To pre-game, check out Thomas’ semi-sincere podcast “How To Be Gay.” $35-$55. Nov. 18. Castro Theater. www.apeconcerts.com

Rufus Byrd, Performance Artist

Thomas Westerfield 2x5.indd

Todrick Hall

Clockwise from UL: Ryan Beatty, Jessie Ware, Kim Petras, Noah Reid, John Cameron Mitchell with Amber Martin

Kesha and Jake Wesley Rogers

Samantha Bee

Josh Thomas

Fall Arts Preview: Arts

Picture this museum and gallery highlights for fall

by Robert Brokl

Art exhibits to look forward to this

Fall run the gamut from spectacles to the more scholarly.

Art viewers inclined toward Barbieheimer blockbusters will flock to the Yayoi Kasuma exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, opening Oct. 14, featuring her popular Infinity Mirrored Rooms. Kasuma emerged as a transgressive Bad Girl artist, getting attention for soft stuffed phallus sculpture and nude happenings at unlikely locations like the sculpture garden at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, like her impromptu 1969 event entitled “Grand Orgy to Awaken the Dead.”

She checked herself into a psychiatric hospital in Japan, where she lived for years. Now, at 94, her mirrored rooms and obsession with colorful polka dots and forever-young persona has made her a Blue Chip art world darling, with worldwide museum shows. Kasuma’s Infinity Rooms join the roster of immersive productions of work by Dali, Matisse, Dali, even Hockney most recently, that have proven major draws. Expect crowds and ticketing competition.

Also at SFMOMA, the Wolfgang Tilmans exhibit, “To Look Without Fear” is a comprehensive exhibition of the influential artist’s work to date, charting the development of his practice from the 1980s through the present, across multiple genres of photography. From early experiments with a photocopier to ecstatic nightlife images, intimate sometimes homoerotic portraits, incisive documentation of social movements. Nov. 11- March 3, 2024.

151 3rd St. www.sfmoma.org

Other local venues feature work just as exciting, without the circus, for those with a preference for more “traditional” artwork.

There’s still time to catch the “The Tudors: Art and Majesty in Renaissance England” exhibit at the Legion of Honor, through Sept. 24, at its only West Coast venue. The monarchs used art to “project royal gravitas,” soft power. The trip would be worth it just for the Hans Holbein portraits, including his much-reproduced, stunning Henry VIII painting, from Rome’s Palazzo Barberini. Another rare painting of a monarch depicts Queen Elizabeth I, just as resplendent but less rotund, by Nicholas Hiliard.

Visit for the paintings, but stay for the tapestries and textiles, sculpture and jewelry, and other treasures. Potentates need not be philistines, too.

100 34th Ave. www.famsf.org

The ongoing exhibit “What Has Been and What Could Be” at Berkeley’s University Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive continues into 2024. Ignore the odd title, and welcome the opportunity to see more of the museum’ permanent collection. The BAM/PFA’s distinctive Brutalist museum on campus was vacated for this repurposed but unfortunately smaller structure downtown, with no permanent collection display.

This sprawling show attempts to correct that deficit, with fine examples of early curatorial efforts to promote African-American artists, and devotes a room to East Bay artists.

(Jay DeFeo’s work always a delight, but in this category?)

Some gems, tucked away in the “Still Life” section, include an especially elegant Paul Wonner piece, and a rather somber, green Richard Diebenkorn painting, a riposte to Matisse’s exuberant monochromatic “Red Studio.”

The late gay collector extraordinaire, Eli Leon, who stuffed his Oakland cottage with quilts by female, mostly East Bay, African-Americans (most of

which were donated to the BAM/PFA by his estate), gets his due, with a wall label and rotating examples from his collection. On view now is a vibrant Rosie Lee Tompkins quilt. Other extraordinary pieces include the iconic, small but potent, portrait of an armed Aunt Jemima by Betye Saar, and an arresting photograph of the abolitionist and former slave Sojourner Truth, a cartes-de-virite cardboard postcard marketed by Truth herself to fund her efforts.

2155 Center St., Berkeley. www.bampfa.org

The Oakland Museum of California presents “Por El Pueblo: The Legacy and Influence of Malaquias Montoya,” opening Oct. 6, in the Great Hall. Montoya’s posters and prints reflect his long legacy as an activist artist, founder of the Mexican-American Liberation Front, and professor at UC-Davis, in the Department of Art and Chicana/o Studies.

Montoya’s enormous impact upon succeeding generations of artists is documented with examples of their work. Photographs and other more personal material will enlighten viewers about this titular Chicano artist, the son of a migrant farmworker family. A timely exhibit, on the heels of the OMCA’s popular Angela Davis exhibit, in the midst of the ongoing demagoguery over immigration.

1000 Oak St. www.museumca.org

“See You Space Cowboy … From Hokusai to Hiphop,” at the Fine Arts Gallery, San Francisco State University, should be an important contribution to the documentation of the outsized role in visual culture Japanese art, from ukiyo-e woodblock prints to anime and manga, has played over the centuries, “recurring motifs that crossed lines of art, fashion,

memes, international animation, and popular culture in general.”

Sublime Hokusai woodblock prints on loan from the Sutro Library headline the show, reflecting his major contribution to Western artists who seized upon his innovations. The contemporary artist Sylvia Solochek Walters, SF State professor emerita, takes woodblock printing, using exacting reduction printing techniques, in a

more personal direction. Craig Nagasawa references Godzilla, from the 1954 Japanese horror movie. Anime-inspired skate decks reflect the democratic, something-for-everyone, worth the trek with no advance booking and timed entry, even. 1600 Holloway Ave. www.gallery.sfsu.edu

See

TICKETS

ODC/Dance and ODC Theater

Winter 23/24 Season

December 2, 2023 - March 31, 2024 Explore

Yayoi Kusama at SFMOMA

The Wolfgang Tilmans exhibit, “To Look Without Fear” at SFMOMA

“Portrait of Henry VII of England,” by Hans Holbein the Younger, “The Tudors,” at the Legion of Honor

‘What Has Been and What Could Be’ at the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive

Malaquias Montoya poster at the Oakland Museum of California Art

Whit Forrester

Autumn reads, part 1

by Jim Piechota

Here we are once again with another fall round-up of books coming to shelves near you. The range is diverse and effortlessly intriguing, running from a lesbian love affair gone awry to exquisite body horrors with worms, and onward through Podunk drag queens, kink aficionados, Golden Girls, and even a “Jeopardy” winner! Happy Autumn. Enjoy this first installment of fascinating fall reads.

FICTION

‘Bloom’ by Delilah S. Dawson, $22.99 (Titan) October

Behind this gorgeously rendered Sapphic love story lies menace, manipulation, and so much more. At 27, Ro is a bookish, awkward academic pining for connection when she meets Ash, a seemingly gentle, sensual beauty who runs a booth at the local farmers’ market. Ash inherited the farmland from a relative and is reveling in the many benefits of living off land surrounded by bucolic splendor.

Dawson describes all these details (including the idyllic lesbian romance) impeccably, as the suspense and the dread is expertly ratcheted up page by page. Dawson’s 2022 dystopian sci-fi novel “The Violence” horrifically depicted a physical syndrome whereby random people experienced “storms” of murderous behavior. Here, she focuses in on two women enamored with each other, but one harbors insanely skewed intentions. Perfect for reading by a Jack-o’-lantern’s light, this slow-burning, exquisitely squirmy exercise in queer psychological terror will leave you unsettled.

‘Family Meal’ by Bryan Washington, $28 (Riverhead) October

This latest from award-winning author Washington comes on the heels of the stunning novel “Memorial” and features Cam, a man grieving the death of his partner Kai, who returns to his Houston birthplace to enter rehab and collect himself. A dead-end bar job leads him to old friend TJ’s family bakery to work and keep afloat.

The story shifts perspective several

times from Cam to Kai, then to TJ’s multiple, complicated affairs at the bakery. All these shifts are jarring initially, but then everything begins to gel into a sophisticated story about grief, community, love, and the fragility and preciousness of life. This is another winner from a writer who spins gold from the lives of his gritty queer characters.

‘Brainwyrms’ by Alison Rumfitt, $17.99 (Nightfire) October

The award for queer gross-out novel of the season goes to trans woman author Rumfitt, whose 2021 debut “Tell Me I’m Worthless” shocked readers with the story of a British transgender girl who returns to a haunted house to face her worst fears. Here, in her novel’s futuristic U.K. setting, she excels yet again by piling worms on top of open wounds, in mouths, in eyes, and into sex rituals as well.

Frankie, a spirited trans woman, is dismayed by the area’s sharp increase in violent transphobia, some of it encouraged by a children’s author who strikes an uncanny resemblance to another popular Brit writer who lost favor with her readership after vocalizing her transphobic viewpoints. When Frankie meets nonbinary Vanya, all rules for sex and parasites, or sex with parasitic worms, go out the window as the story delves into body horror with the kind of gore that requires a strong stomach.

Even so, author Rumfitt has a point to make and she makes it clearly, even though her perspective is covered in abrasive dialogue, taboo sex, blood, sexual violence, and guts. This is transgressive, hardcore, queer grotesque storytelling that even comes with an opening disclaimer.

YA FICTION

‘Dragging Mason County’ by Curtis Campbell, $19.99 (Annick press) October

As an openly gay kid in high school, Peter Thompkins just wants to get through it and survive. But his big bad mouth tends to get him into trouble, which is exactly the case after one such verbal tussle with another gay schoolmate. What’s worse: the ordeal was memorialized on video and uploaded onto the socials, and now everyone hates him. Nothing like teaming up with drag bestie “Aggie Culture” to produce Mason County’s first queen-size drag show to save his tarnished reputation. This is a character-driven tale, so the

drag queens lead with spicy one-liners while the others contribute defensive quips where they can. This is sassy fiction for queer teen readers who identify with the show scene, the drag scene, the high school melodrama scene, or with the defiant outcast scene. There’s something for every high-schooler here.

MEMOIR

‘Congratulations, the Best Is Over!’ by R. Eric Thomas; $26.99 (Ballantine) August Thomas’ memoir-in-essays movingly reflects on the author’s 2017 return to his Baltimore hometown with his minister husband in tow. There’s lots of “toxic relationship with the city” rhetoric to parse through with his therapist, but in other essays, suburbia is analyzed from a gay male point of view, as are being Black and gay in America, and how depression has the power to pivot a life from sunny to cloudy over the course of a few minutes. It’s all about the “shock of life,” he writes, and with grace, humor, and immense wisdom, Thomas’ confessions show us how to live despite the bumps and the bruises.

NON-FICTION

‘The Golden Girls: A Cultural History’ by Bernadette Giacomazzo, $36 (Rowman and Littlefield)

This fascinating and illuminating analysis of the television classic that never seems to grow old is the creation of author Bernadette Giacomazzo, who gifted the 1980s comedy program “In Living Color” with the same treatment a few months back in early 2023. Here, she describes “The Golden Girls” series as groundbreaking in its unvarnished depiction of the aging community represented by these four dynamically “complete, full women” who pulled no punches with dialogue, theme, and mood, though they got their points across with humor and class.

In these ladies’ new definition of friends-as-family, viewers were immediately hooked and remained so season after season. Show fans are in for a treat

as the book deep dives into each character’s personality, their best lines, and most iconic traits. Giacomazzo’s cultural consideration of this iconic series is not to be missed.

‘Superfreaks: Kink, Pleasure, and the Pursuit of Happiness’ by Arielle Greenberg, $28.95 (Beacon Press) August

Kinksters rejoice! This imminently accessible, nonjudgmental tour of erotic fetishism by noted BDSM authority Greenberg delves into the risqué subject of kink with the piercing pinch of a patent leather spiked heel. Sections feature the histories of several kinky trailblazers, the dynamics behind the psychological exchanges of partner power and privilege, a compatibility quiz for couples, and a reference glossary for every piece of kinky gear imaginable.

Whether you enjoy your sex liberally seasoned with safe words and raunchy role play or altogether stuffed into a skin-tight zentai suit, this just-published tour of sexual diversity will become your new go-to guide.

‘In The Form of a Question’ by Amy Schneider, $28 (Avid Reader Press) October

While transgender author Schneider is best known for holding the “Jeopardy” two-month, 40 consecutive-game championship run which snagged her a staggering $1.3 million, she is also an engaging writer in this winning autobiography. She discusses her childhood growing up inquisitive and increasingly intelligent, right into her advanced schooling where she received a doctorate in computer science.

She writes about her vocal advocacy on trans rights, her opinions on restroom controversies, and how having ADD aided her in becoming such a stellar gameshow contestant. There are chapters on love, drugs, and politics, yet only a closing chapter on the actual “Jeopardy” episodes that garnered her fame, and that’s just fine. Schneider is a fascinating personality and well worth reading about with or without the game show cred. t

by the female-identified artists of Mix’d Ingrdnts; South Asian Kathak dance by Noorani Dance Company; and an eclectic mix of works by David Herrera Performance Company, one of only a few predominantly Latinx-focused modern dance companies in the U.S. Free. September 23 and 30, Yerba Buena Gardens, Mission St. at Third. www. ybgfestival.org

Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu

Founded in 1985, Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu is known for its unique contemporary style called “hula mua” or “hula that evolves,” blending traditional movements with non-Hawaiian music including opera, electronic, alternative, and pop. Through chant, movement, song, and dance, “Ritual,” the company’s world premiere production, is an exploration of the role that rituals play in Hawaiian culture. Given the recent devastating fires in Maui, there has perhaps never been a more important time for audiences and performers to gather and feel the aloha spirit, and to rediscover the power of ritual, reaffirming how it creates meaning, binds us together, and invigorates our lives.

From page 21

“Staying Power: Women Artists Through the Decades” runs at SHOH Gallery through Sept. 23. Prominent, primarily East Bay artists including Jam Wurm, Livia Stein, Hilda Robinson, and Kim Anno will be represented by their current work, alongside work from the 1980s, usually an intriguing premise for a show. 700 Gilman, Berkeley. www.shohgallery.com

Gallery Wendy Norris showcases Pakistani-American artist Ambreen Butt, with her solo exhibit, Nov. 9 through Dec. 23, entitled “Lay Bare My Arms.” She “explores the complexities of contemporary global politics, female identity and living as a Muslim in the United States,” combining her training in traditional Indian and Persian miniature painting in Lahore, Pakistan, with topical themes and more contemporary techniques and scale.

436 Jackson St. www.gallerywendinorris.com

Any visit to the Castro district

$35-$55. September 23-24, Presidio Theatre, 99 Moraga Avenue. www.naleihulu.org

San Francisco International Hip hop DanceFest

Celebrating its 25th anniversary under the direction of legendary San Francisco dance artist Micaya, the SF International Hip Hop DanceFest is the first-ever festival dedicated to the artistry and diversity of the hip hop dance form in a professionally curated, non-competitive environment. The festival

has become a global phenomenon, drawing performers and fans from around the globe.

This year’s festival showcases work that draws from b-boying, breaking, popping, locking, whacking, boogaloo, clubbing, house, and urban dance, in addition to other styles such as modern, salsa, merengue, and Afro-Cuban. In addition to the vast array of performances, a number of special 25th anniversary events will be held, including

freestyle sessions for kids, a “Soul Train”-style onstage contest, and an anniversary gala.

www.sfhiphopdancefest.com t

should include stops at the small galleries that mostly showcase LGBTQ contemporary artists. Each of these galleries are part of the first Fridays Castro Art Walk. Read our coverage in last week’s issue, and visit www.castroartwalk.com

2358 MRKT, 2358 Market St. www.2358mrkt.com

The GLBT History Museum, 4127 18th St. www.glbthistory.org

MAG Galleries, 18th St. www. mag-galleries.com

Schlomer Haus Gallery, 2128 Market St. www.schlomerhaus.com

Strut SF 470 Castro St. www.sfaf. org/locations/strut

Queer Arts Featured 575 Castro St. www.queerartsfeatured.com

On August 24 at 5pm, Queer Arts

Featured will transform its gallery space into the interactive two-month project, “Wet Paint: A Work in Progress.” Curator Devlin Shand describes it as “a living, collaborative group art piece.”

“We hope to give everyone the opportunity to try something new, something bold, and something beautiful together!” he said. “Come as you are. All skills levels and creative expressions are welcome. There will also be Queer A.F. artists in the gallery to encourage, guide, and connect!” t

Going Out

If our fall arts features aren’t providing enough arts options to amuse, then check out our expansive online listings, also with nightlife fun

every

Ticket prices TBA. November 1112, Palace of Fine Arts, 3601 Lyon St.

like Disco Daddy at the SF Eagle (see photo); this week and

week on www.ebar.com.

Gooch

Sean Dorsey Dance

Urban Bush Women’s Hair & Other Stories

Noorani Dance Company at Yerba Buena Gardens ChoreoFest

“See You Space Cowboy…From Hokusai to Hiphop” Hokusai woodblock prints at San Francisco State University

Castro Art Walk

Lydia Daniller Hayim Heron

Hayim Heron

Jackson Karlenzig

Ai Weiwei with Peter Sellars and Orville Schell

Ai Weiwei’s World of Art Lost and Found: A Conversation About Life, Art, and Politics

Returning to the Berkeley campus for the first time in 15 years, renowned artist and human rights activist Ai Weiwei discusses issues of exile, imprisonment, repression, and advocacy.

Ezra Klein

A Liberalism That Builds

Incisive New York Times columnist and hugely popular podcast host Ezra Klein reflects on “liberal governance that routinely fails to achieve liberal outcomes” in a talk that explores the difficulties Democratic governments encounter when working to build real things in the real world.

The Triplets of Belleville Cine-Concert

Benoît Charest, composer and conductor

Le Terrible Orchestre de Belleville

Composer Benoît Charest leads his eightpiece orchestra in a live version of his Oscarnominated score from the charming animated French feature film The Triplets of Belleville

BAY AREA PREMIERE Los Angeles

Master Chorale

Music to Accompany a Departure

A Cal Performances

Co-commission

Grant Gershon, conductor

Peter Sellars, director

Peter Sellars, Grant Gershon, and singers of the Los Angeles Master Chorale reunite to perform Heinrich Schütz’s Music to Accompany a Departure, a deeply personal meditation on what it means to say goodbye during times of struggle.

San Francisco Symphony

Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor Carey Bell, clarinet

The dynamic and versatile San Francisco Symphony returns to Berkeley with music director Esa-Pekka Salonen in a oneof-a-kind program showcasing the world premiere of a new work by Jens Ibsen, Salonen’s own Kínēma, and Stravinsky’s cinematic and propulsive Symphony in Three Movements.

American Railroad Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens

The Grammy-winning, genre-defying Silkroad Ensemble embarks on a new initiative that explores the creation of the Transcontinental Railroad through the contributions of African American, Chinese, Irish, Indigenous, and other communities, their cultures, and their music.

Sheku Kanneh-Mason, cello

British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason returns to Berkeley with a program that includes staples by Bach, Britten, and Cassadó, alongside works composed especially for him by Welsh composer Gwilym Simcock, English composer Edmund Finnis, and Cuban composer Leo Brouwer.

John Cameron Mitchell and Amber Martin in Cassette

Roulette

Tony Award-winning star of stage and screen John Cameron Mitchell teams up with international cabaret powerhouse Amber Martin for Cassette Roulette, an irreverent and hilarious evening of songs and stories—all chosen by the hand of fate and the artists’ unpredictable game of “cassette roulette.”

Brad Mehldau Trio

Brad Mehldau, piano Larry Grenadier, bass Jeff Ballard, drums Grammy-winning jazz pianist Brad Mehldau has entered the canon of great jazz piano trio leaders, and here is joined by longtime bandmates, bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard, for an evening of probing original compositions and expertly reimagined jazz standards.

The English Concert Handel’s Rodelinda

Harry Bicket, conductor

Lucy Crowe (Rodelinda), soprano

Iestyn Davies (Bertarido), countertenor

Eric Ferring (Grimoaldo), tenor

Christine Rice (Eduige), mezzo-soprano

Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen (Unulfo), countertenor

Brandon Cedel (Garibaldo), bass-baritone

Britain’s premier early-music ensemble returns, performing Handel’s masterwork Rodelinda—a story of enduring marital love that remains steadfast through every adversity.

Kristin Chenoweth For the Girls

Musical comedy diva and winner of Emmy and Tony Awards for both her singing and acting, Kristin Chenoweth presents an evening of unforgettable songs made famous by great women singers who have inspired her, from Doris Day’s “When I Fall In Love” to Barbra Streisand’s “The Way We Were,” Peggy Lee’s “I'm a Woman,” and Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.”

BAY AREA PREMIERE Urban Bush Women Hair & Other Stories

The formidable Brooklyn-based performance ensemble Urban Bush Women visits with Hair & Other Stories, a full-length dance-theater work exploring race, identity, and concepts of beauty through the lens of Black women’s hair.