November 24, 2022 edition of the Bay Area Reporter

On 4th try, gay SF supe candidate Engardio wins

by Matthew S. Bajko

It may have taken him four attempts, but gay former journalist Joel Engardio can now call himself a supervisor-elect. In a stunning upset, he has ousted from office Dis trict 4 San Francisco Supervisor Gordon Mar. His victory means, for the first time in the city’s history, three gay men will be serving as supervisors at the same time. It also marks the first time in a decade that there will be a trio of LGBTQ supervisors on the board.

In a November 17 statement to the Bay Area Reporter, Engardio said his campaign “was a movement of parents and residents who helped me win this historic election. They want a city that works and I look for ward to getting to work so we can create our best San Francisco.”

He also thanked “the Department of Elec tions for a transparent and trustworthy count ing process. I also want to thank every District 4 voter for participating in our democracy.”

In a November 16 email to his supporters Engardio wrote, “It’s an honor to be given the opportunity to lead the next steps as a newly elected city supervisor.”

He had lost his three prior bids for the Board of Supervisors’ District 7 seat. But his Lakeside neighborhood, where he shares a home with husband Lionel Hsu, was redis tricted out of it this year and combined with the Sunset in Mar’s supervisorial district.

It provided Engardio the opening to once again seek election to the board. He had con tinued to lay the groundwork for another su pervisorial bid following his defeat in 2020.

He took on leadership roles in communi ty groups focused on public safety and crime issues. Engardio was also a vocal supporter of the successful recall campaigns earlier this year against three of the city’s elected school board members and former district attorney Chesa Boudin.

page 14 >>

SF LGBTQs mourn victims in Colorado Springs shooting

by Cynthia Laird

Harvey Milk Plaza in San Francisco’s LGBTQ Castro district was filled with mourners Sunday night, grieving the loss of life following a mass shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs Saturday that left five people dead.

Officers were dispatched to Club Q, an LGBTQ nightclub located at 3430 North Academy, at 11:57 p.m. Mountain time

Saturday, November 19, after receiving a 911 call seconds earlier, at 11:56:57 p.m., according to the release.

“Multiple firearms were found at the scene,” according to the release from the po lice department. Authorities were still work ing to identify who the firearms belonged to, but stated that a long rifle was used during the shooting.

Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez noted that Club Q “is a safe haven for

our LGBTQ citizens. ... I am so terribly sad dened and heartbroken.”

The Colorado Springs Police Department released the names and pronoun preferences of the victims Monday. They are: Kelly Lov ing (she/her), Daniel Aston (he/him), Derrick Rump (he/him), Ashley Paugh (she/her), and Raymond Green Vance (he/him). Media re ports indicated that Aston, 28, who was a bar tender at the club, identified as a trans man and Loving, 40, was a trans woman. See page 10 >>

World AIDS Day draws attention to the epidemic

by Eric Burkett

As they have for the past 34 years, AIDS ac tivists along with LGBTQ and health orga nizations will be gathering at events around the Bay Area Thursday, December 1, to mark World AIDS Day.

Founded by the World Health Organization and the joint United Nations Programme on AIDS, World AIDS Day seeks to call attention to the global epidemic that has killed 36 million people since it was first discovered 41 years ago in 1981. The WHO’s theme this year is “Equalize.”

According to figures from WHO, HIV contin ues to be a major worldwide health crisis, having killed 40.1 million people, so far, and infecting 1.5 million people each year.

“There were an estimated 38.4 million (33.943.8 million) people living with HIV at the end of 2021, two-thirds of whom (25.6 million) are in the WHO African Region,” WHO stated.

In California, 138,000 people are living with HIV while, in San Francisco, there are an estimat ed 16,000 people living with the virus, one of the largest populations in the United States, accord ing to San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

The 31st anniversary of the National AIDS Memorial Grove will be celebrated at its Light in the Grove benefit Wednesday, November 30, at 6 p.m. at the tranquil dell in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Tickets are available online at EventBrite, (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lightin-the-grove-re-imagined-magical-experience2021-tickets-173866849427) starting at $300.

This year, according to the grove’s website, “we are honoring our very own Cleve Jones with our Lifetime of Commitment Award as we gather

with our community on this beautiful evening in the Grove.”

Jones, a gay man and longtime AIDS survi vor, co-founded the AIDS Memorial Quilt that is now overseen by the AIDS grove. Since the quilt has returned to the Bay Area in early 2020 (after spending several years in Atlanta under the control of the now-dissolved Names Proj ect), Jones has been more involved in the or ganization. In June, there was a

of

The following day, the public is invited to participate in the World AIDS Day National Observance, a two-hour event at the grove from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Admission is free. More than 500 people are expected, according to the grove’s website, which also has information on Light in the Grove. (https://www.aidsmemorial.org/)

Carol Leigh dies Holiday Happenings

Joel Engardio is the District 4 supervisor-elect on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

Matthew S. Bajko

Alex U. Inn speaks at a vigil for the Club Q victims that was held in San Francisco’s Castro LGBTQ district Sunday, November 20.

Christopher Robledo

massive display

quilt panels in San Francisco’s Golden Gate

Park that featured remarks by Jones and quilt co-founders Mike Smith, a gay man, and Gert McMullin, a straight ally.

Carolyn Kauli’i, right, discussed a panel of the AIDS Memorial Quilt remembering Marty Lynn Prairie, an Oglala Lakota Sioux from the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, during a small, private ceremony on March 20, 2021 to commemorate National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day in the National AIDS Memorial Grove. The grove will hold its annual World AIDS Day public ceremony December 1.

Rick Gerharter

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Application process opens for SF drag laureate post

by Matthew S. Bajko

S an Francisco is now accepting applications for its inaugural drag laureate position. The may oral appointee is to be selected early next year.

The person will be one of two such honorary officials in the country, as West Hollywood is also working on naming its own first drag laureate. It had hoped to do so this month, but the search process announced in September resulted in a disappoint ing number of applicants so the city is retooling its requirements.

Drag performers in San Francisco will have until January 16 to submit an application. They must be fulltime residents of the city and county and at least 21 years old.

A vetting committee of commu nity leaders will recommend up to five applicants for San Francisco Mayor London Breed to choose from, and she is supposed to an nounce her decision sometime in February. The drag laureate will serve for 18 months and receive an honorarium of $55,000 to help cover the costs of performing their duties.

“San Francisco’s commitment to inclusivity and the arts are the foun dation for who we are as a city,” said Breed in a statement shared with the Bay Area Reporter. “Drag art ists have helped pave the way for LGBTQ rights and representation across our city, and they are a part of what makes our city so special. Investing in programs that continue their legacies and create opportuni ties for the next generation of drag performers to thrive help us to cele brate our city and this community.”

Helping to advise the city on launching the drag laureate pro gram has been gay attorney Michael Nguyen, a member of the San Fran cisco Human Rights Commission LGBTQIA+ Advisory Committee. Nguyen also performs under his drag persona of Juicy Liu.

“As a drag performer myself, I know the transformative nature of this art form, unlocking power through finding a voice as an artist and mobilizing our LGBTQI+ com munity as an activist,” stated Nguy en who, as a member of the vetting committee, will not be applying for the position. “San Francisco has long been a place where queerdos have used drag as a platform to cre ate international movements, from the International Imperial Court System and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. I am proud we are able to pay homage to our past, recog nize a drag performer for their tal ents and impact, and build a future

for even more drag activist spaces throughout San Francisco.”

In addition to representatives from the HRC, other vetting com mittee members are coming from the city’s public library, Entertain ment Commission, Arts Com mission, Grants for the Arts, and Office of Transgender Initiatives. Community members for the panel have been recruited from the Trans gender District, Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Castro LGBTQ Cultural District, Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits, Grand Ducal Council of San Francisco, Imperial Court of San Francisco, Drag Story Hour, Rebel Kings of Oakland, and the GLBTQ+ Asian Pacific Alliance.

“I can’t think of any other city with a drag community more tal ented, diverse, inclusive, and ex citing than San Francisco,” stated Sister Roma, a member of Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the infa mous drag nun philanthropic orga nization. “As a member of the drag laureate vetting committee I’m re lying on my 35 years of experience as a drag activist, fundraiser, public speaker, event producer, and enter tainer to present Mayor Breed with the very best candidates to represent our city.”

Funding increased

As the B.A.R. previously report ed, Breed this year sought funding in her two-year budget proposal to launch a drag laureate position for

the city. The position is being mod eled after the city’s poet laureates, who have served between two to four years in the position.

Initially, the drag laureate was to receive $35,000, similar to what the poet laureate receives for serving 12 months. But the vetting committee for the drag position recommend ed that the person receive $20,000 more and serve an extra six months.

Breed’s office agreed to the chang es. The money is coming through the San Francisco Public Library, the city agency that also oversees the poet laureate program.

“I am excited to see this plan move forward to proclaim a drag laureate for San Francisco, an im portant recognition for our entire community, akin to our city’s poet laureate,” stated City Librarian Mi chael Lambert.

San Francisco was the second city in California to initiate a drag laureate program. In 2020, West Hollywood was the first known city anywhere in the world to approve the creation of a drag laureate for the LGBTQ haven in Los Angeles County.

Last August, as the Bay Area Re porter noted at the time, the West Hollywood City Council approved a plan for selecting a person for the position by Thanksgiving. But an other wave of COVID-19 last fall delayed that timeline.

Feedback that City Councilmem ber Lauren Meister, now serving as mayor, received from one local drag performer about the laureate post led her to ask city staff to further refine the scope of the position. She had initially worked with gay for mer city councilmember John Du ran two years ago to push for West Hollywood to name a drag laureate.

Their two-year reign was to begin this month and run through Octo ber 2024, with the person to have received a $5,000 honorarium each year. But the application process is currently on hold as city staff come up with a revised proposal.

West Hollywood city spokesper son Sheri A. Lunn told the B.A.R. November 16 that the City Council will need to again vote on approv ing the program before the new drag laureate selection process is

announced. The timeline for doing so has not been set, added Lunn.

Meister told the B.A.R. Wednes day, November 16, that her city is committed to establishing the posi tion and wants to ensure it has the details correct.

“My motto is get it right. Don’t do it just to say we did it. Trying to get it right,” she replied in a text.

New York City leaders have called for establishing a drag laureate posi tion. The latest to do was queer City Councilmember Kristin Richardson Jordan, who in May submitted a proposal to establish a drag laure ate for the Big Apple. It is awaiting a committee hearing.

A boost for nightlife

As the B.A.R. has previously noted, the concept of having an ambassador for the local drag com munity was first proposed in the draft version of San Francisco’s groundbreaking LGBTQ+ Cultural Heritage Strategy released in 2018.

It was reading about the drag laure ate suggestion in the B.A.R. that led gay West Hollywood resident Scott Schmidt to first bring it to the atten tion of Meister.

City leaders in all three jurisdic tions see it as a way to boost local nightlife venues and drag perform ers whose revenues have been im pacted by the pandemic over the last two and half years. San Francisco’s drag laureate will be expected to participate in and host community events while serving as an ambas sador for the city’s LGBTQ, arts, nightlife, and entertainment com munities.

“San Francisco would not be the beacon for LGBTQ rights it is with out drag artists,” stated gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who represents the city’s LGBTQ Castro district. “This program is an appropriate recognition of the es sential role drag plays in our queer culture, and I look forward to see ing who will be named our first drag laureate.”

Those interested in applying to be San Francisco’s drag laureate can do so online via the website at https:// bit.ly/3EFkOrj t

SF mayor’s trans basic income program accepting applicants

by Eric Burkett

More than a year after Mayor London Breed announced a program guaranteeing basic income for trans people, the program is up and finally accepting applicants. The program, one of several in San Fran cisco, began taking applications this week and will continue doing so until December 15.

The pilot Guaranteed Income for Trans People, or GIFT, program will provide 55 low-income transgender San Franciscans with $1,200 each month, for up to 18 months, to help them improve their financial secu rity. The program is different from the similar sounding guaranteed basic universal income scheme – a larger goal sought by many of the idea’s supporters – in that it targets specific populations. While a basic universal income, should it ever be instituted, would provide payments to the gen eral public, guaranteed income pro grams benefit specific communities. In San Francisco, similar efforts pro vide support to artists disproportion ately affected by the COVID-19 pan demic, and Black and Pacific Islander persons who are pregnant. Similar pilot programs have been launched in cities around the country, according to the website Mayors for

a Guaranteed Income. In California alone, 11 cities have launched pilot programs, including San Francisco and Oakland. The mayors of numer ous other communities in the state have also expressed support for these programs.

The idea for a trans-oriented pro gram, according to Pau Crego, ex ecutive director of the city’s Office of Transgender Initiatives, “was original ly advocated for by OTI’s Transgender Advisory Committee as part of their Trans Advocacy Week in April, 2021.”

The following June 1, the mayor’s office announced plans for a program including up to 150 participants, who each would receive $1,000 each month for up to a year under the

guaranteed income pilot project, as the Bay Area Reporter previously re ported. The program would cost $2 million over two years, the paper re ported at the time.

Over the subsequent year, the plan for the pilot program changed, how ever. After officials determined they would be able to glean more informa tion about the impact of the program by lengthening the test period to 18 months, the proposal was altered to the version now open for applicants.

Basic income, while an idea that has been around for quite some time, re ally gained wider recognition after the city of Stockton, under the tutelage of then-mayor Michael Tubbs, initiated the first-of-its-kind program in 2019. Chosen randomly, 125 Stocktonians were given $500 a month for two years, with no strings attached. The money was theirs to do with as they wished. The results, as published in a white paper following the program’s first year, February 2019 through Feb ruary 2020, were very encouraging.

Key findings included “that the unconditional cash reduced the month-to-month income fluctua tions that households face, increased recipients’ full-time employment by

San Francisco Mayor London Breed, at left, has announced that the application process for the city’s first drag laureate position is now open.

Rick Gerharter

Mayor London Breed has announced that applications are being accepted for the city’s basic income pilot program for trans residents.

Rick Gerharter

Oakland tattoo artist starts pansy fundraiser

by Matthew S. Bajko

Six months ago, amid a flurry of anti-transgender legislation being passed across the country, nonbinary Oakland tattoo artist Cedre Csillagi first contemplated launching some thing to bring awareness to trans is sues. Raised in Austin, Texas, they also wanted it to somehow benefit LGBTQ people in Southern states where the bulk of the transphobic bills were be ing adopted.

They hit upon using their own skill set as a way to not only raise funds for an LGBTQ nonprofit in Alabama but also foster a sense of community. For a $500 donation directly made to The Knights and Orchids Society, (LINK: https://www.tkosociety.org/) a Blackled LGBTQ services provider based in Selma, people can sign up for a limited number of sessions Csillagi is offering each month to ink them with a special pansy tattoo they designed.

“The idea is to be spreading soli darity and love, and everyone has the same one,” Csillagi explained in a recent phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter. “I am hoping it be comes an icon or imagery for queers and allies to wear.”

The initiative has been dubbed A Thousand Pansies. Their goal is to reach 1,000 pansy tattoos and they plan to share the design with other tattoo artists by the end of the year so they can help reach that number.

By early December Csillagi will have inked 13 people with the pansy tattoo, which includes the one they have on their left shin, their first time giving themself a tattoo in that area.

Already, more than $5,200 has been raised, said Csillagi, from people get ting a tattoo or deciding to contribute money toward the campaign even if they don’t want to be inked.

“The thousand is a big number, but it feels attainable if doing it together

and if there is a lot of us,” said Csillagi.

Embraced quickly

Their pansy tattoo campaign offi cially began in September and imme diately was embraced by people who get tattoos. One of the first to sign on was author and activist feminist Kate Schatz, 44, a queer and lesbian resi dent of Alameda.

Schatz already had Csillagi tattoo her years ago and had them add the pansy tattoo to the inside of her right arm on the bicep. Her wife, Lauren Pari ani, also wants to get the tattoo, which would be the first time the couple has gotten the same one, said Schatz.

“Why wouldn’t I? It kind of aligned with so many things I care about,” said Schatz, who co-authored, along with W. Kamau Bell, “Do The Work: An Antiracist Activity Book.” “One, I love Cedre’s work. It is an honor to have Cedre’s work on my body. Also, tattooing is personal. I like my tattoos to have a lot of meaning.”

Unaware of a similar tattoo cam paign, Schatz said she also loved the

idea of having a collective tattoo in solidarity with others. The design also “is beautiful,” she added.

“There is something about getting a tattoo both personally significant and also part of a collective effort and also tied into doing really meaningful mutual aid fundraising,” said Schatz. “It just brings together all these things I think is so important.”

With a film crew from London vis iting the TKO Society this month on top of a hectic schedule for the staff, spokesperson Christina Nicholson told the B.A.R. no one was avail able for a phone interview. But in an emailed reply, she said the nonprofit was thrilled when Csillagi contacted it about their fundraising proposal.

“We are always grateful for those who fundraise on behalf of our clients and our ability to meet their needs. This particular fundraiser has been different because Cedre has been so involved and in constant communi cation with us, which we appreciate so much,” wrote Nicholson. “It really feels good to know how much they really care about helping us to accom plish this goal.”

The nonprofit’s name is an acro nym its co-founders came up with that means Knowledgeable Noble Independent Gifted Honorable Tena cious Soldiers (Knights) and Over coming Racism Classism Heteronor mativity and Injustice Down South (Orchids). It is aiming to purchase its Selma building for $90,000 this December and, perhaps in 2024, the building that houses its Montgomery office for $250,000.

According to Jennine Bell, TKO’s finance director, another $500,000 is needed for the planned renovations to the Selma property. It has set a three-

year timeline for the project, with a re opening eyed in May or June of 2024.

In the meantime, a number of Alabama families have sued to block enforcement of a state law that would criminalize doctors and parents for providing their transgender children with access to necessary medical care. The lawsuit, of which the San Francis co-based National Center for Lesbian Rights is helping to litigate, is current ly before the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals after a federal district court judge blocked the law in May.

Csillagi picked the TKO Society as a beneficiary of the tattoo campaign partly because of the myriad health and wellness services it provides to its local LGBTQ community. Its wanting to purchase its building also felt like a goal that could benefit from the fund raising aspect of their initiative.

“It felt super goal-focused and they were very responsive. They were one of two places I reached out to and they were excited to work with what I was doing with my project,” said Csillagi.

“They are super underfunded. There just needs to be more money funnel ing into places like Alabama.”

They plan to have the initiative benefit additional agencies focused on the transgender community. Csil lagi initially had looked at donating to a Texas-based agency but couldn’t find one they felt would be a good fit. Either it was a nonprofit already well funded or was too small.

“I would really like to do a place in Texas because of the intense legis lation happening with trans people there right now,” said Csillagi. “My siblings and friends who have kids who are trans, they are leaving the state because they don’t feel safe.”

Until seeing Csillagi’s initiative Schatz had never heard of the Ala bama nonprofit. It prompted her to look into it and what programs and services it offers.

“A lot of people often are asking me who to donate to and now I have another organization on my list,” said Schatz, who also liked the fact her do nation was going to a smaller, com munity-based nonprofit rather than a national group that likely has ties to major donors.

“In a time like this, when people feel so overwhelmed and at a loss for what to do in the world when everything can seem pretty bleak and hopeless, I really appreciate Cedre figuring out a way to bring together the tattoo world and support this organization and really get people involved,” said Schatz.

Also now sporting the pansy tat too is chef Preeti Mistry, 46, a queer,

lesbian, and gender-nonconforming resident of Sebastopol in the North Bay. The former Oakland restaurant owner on November 1 got their tattoo on the elbow of their right arm.

It is right above a curry leaf plant tattoo they had previously had Csil lagi give them on their right forearm. When the tattoo artist reached out in the fall regarding the pansy tattoo idea, Mistry didn’t hesitate to take part in it, they told the B.A.R.

“I thought it was really beautiful,” said Mistry. “I felt like it speaks to their talent, and I think that is the thing about movements and resistance. We all have a place. None of us can fix ev erything, but we can all do something.”

The morning the B.A.R. spoke to Mistry, they had just seen news cov erage about Texas officials moving to implement their own law that makes it illegal for parents to allow their transgender children to have genderaffirming care. It is why Mistry is us ing their platform as a celebrated chef to help spread the word about the pansy tattoo campaign.

“I feel one thing that has been a very important item in my life and my professional life is always using my platform and my space, and not even that, just the meaning in my work and my life is impor tant to me. I think we are in quite dangerous times in our world,” said Mistry, who added they don’t want to take the privileges they have ac quired for granted. “I am going to use the privilege I have to try to do better for the so-many people who continue to be hurt by these ridicu lous laws.”

Csillagi, 44, who was born in Hous ton, has lived in Oakland since 1999. They opened their Diving Swallow Tattoo business in the East Bay city in 2005 and three years later brought on as a co-owner Rocio “Wolf” Arteaga, who is queer and nonbinary.

The business partners had first met at Black and Blue Tattoo in San Francisco, where Csillagi had appren ticed in 2001. Since then Csillagi has become a coveted tattoo artist who is booked through 2024 for their regular tattoo clients.

They landed on the pansy concept for the special tattoo campaign be cause they wanted an image already known to people as being a queer symbol. The word pansy had been used as a derogatory term for gay men, in particular, but then was re claimed by the LGBTQ community, perhaps most famously by the San Francisco rock band Pansy Division.

official state proclama

declaring the day as Transgender Remembrance Day after Governor Gavin Newsom in June signed Assembly Bill 1741,

authored by gay Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Campbell). It adds California to the list of states that annually proclaim November 20 as Transgender Day of Remembrance. The law re quires the governor to officially recognize the date each year as a day of special remembrance in the Golden State. Since Newsom was out of state on Sunday, Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounala kis issued the proclamation in her capacity as acting governor.

Oakland tattoo artist Cedre Csillagi, holding an image of the pansy tattoo, has launched A Thousand Pansies to help benefit an LGBTQ organization in Selma, Alabama.

Jane Philomen Cleland

Rick Gerharter

44 years after his death, Milk continues to make waves

by Matthew S. Bajko

His life may have been cut short 44 years ago, but the late gay civil rights leader Harvey Milk con tinues to make waves. Honoring his memory stirs passionate debate not just in San Francisco but also across the country.

In June, during Pride Month, the local library in rural Logan, Iowa, displayed Rob Sanders’ 2018 picture book “Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag.” Soon after library and city officials began receiving homophobic letters and de mands that books about LGBTQ peo ple be pulled from the shelves. They were followed by calls for a ban on drag queen story hours, even though the public library hadn’t scheduled such events.

“It has been in our collection since 2018, with no noted objection until it was displayed for Pride Month,” library director Kate Simmons told ABC affiliate KETV based in Omaha.

Marshall University, a public re search university in Huntington, West Virginia, which proudly proclaims that it “does not ban books” on its website, noted in an August post that the Murray City School District in Utah this year suspended its Eq uity Book Bundle Program and Eq uity Council, which included Sand ers’ book, in February due to parent complaints about another book that addressed transgender issues and was not part of the program.

It included a quote from Mur ray City District 1 Councilmember Kat Martinez, who said the deci sion “sends a terrible message to the LGBTQ+ community to pause this council for an incident that has noth ing to do with them.”

Milk, who after several failed prior attempts to win elective office became San Francisco’s first elected out super

visor in 1977 at the age of 47, was a vocal advocate against government officials meddling in the personal lives of individuals and for elected leaders to respect the rights and humanity of all people.

In a September 10, 1973 address he gave to the Joint International Longshoremen and Warehousemen’s Union of San Francisco, a copy of which the San Francisco Public Li brary digitized and posted on its web site, Milk railed against political lead ers “trying to legislate morality.”

“The Constitution calls for the separation of the church and the state ... and, yet we find that our legislators end up spending millions of dollars and years of their lives legislating mo rality ... that money, that time, that energy should be spent in making the city a place for all people,” said Milk,

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UCSF is deeply committed to providing care for LGBTQ+ people and their families that isn’t just equitable as crucial as equity is.

We’re committed to giving you care that’s warm, welcoming, and knowledgeable, too.

That’s why we’re a longtime Equality Leader in HRC’s Healthcare Equality Index and why we offer a uniquely wide range of support for our LGBTQ+ patients and employees.

We look forward to warmly welcoming you and offering the great, supportive care that you and your family deserve.

ucsfhealth.org/lgbtq-care

according to the archival document that includes spelling mistakes and handwritten edits to the speech.

Tragically, disgruntled former San Francisco supervisor Dan White as sassinated Milk and then-mayor George Moscone inside City Hall on November 27, 1978. Since then Milk has become a global inspiration for the LGBTQ community, honored by cities around the world.

In the Castro neighborhood Milk called home, owned a camera store in and represented at City Hall, discus sions over how to appropriately me morialize the gay icon’s memory and achievements have stirred passionate arguments for years. More recently, a group of residents and community leaders have been pushing to revamp the public plaza above the Castro Muni Station entrance named in hon

or of Milk so that it is a true tribute to him and becomes a must-see stop for overseas tourists and other visitors to the city.

But an equally ardent group, which includes the gay man who designed the plaza and subway station at the intersection of Castro and Market streets, opposes any major demoli tion of the structure and wants to see it become a city landmark. They have argued changes can be made to the current plaza for far less money that would provide a stronger celebration of Milk’s life and legacy.

What the two sides do agree on is that the existing photomontage hung on a fence and the nearby bronze plaque honoring Milk are lacking and not enough of a tourist draw as should be found at the site.

“Anyone familiar with what exists

there today and what is called Harvey Milk Plaza can agree it doesn’t repre sent what Harvey Milk was and what he stood for. It doesn’t significantly rep resent his impact to the city and world,” Brian Springfield, a gay man who leads the Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza group, told the city’s Historic Preserva tion Commission at its November 16 meeting. “For over two decades there have been conversations about doing something at this site so Harvey Milk is celebrated as he should be.”

Milk and Moscone will be remem bered and honored at the plaza dur ing the 2022 Milk-Moscone Vigil or ganized by the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club. The annual obser vance of their murders will begin at 7 p.m. Sunday, November 27, and will be followed by a candlelight proces sion to the location of Milk’s former campaign headquarters and business at 575 Castro Street.

“Harvey Milk and George Moscone were victims of political violence, anti-LGBTQ hate, and the politics of weaponized grievance that is as deeply rooted in our life today as it was then,” Milk club president Edward Wright told the Bay Area Reporter. “Dan White snuck into City Hall through a window. The insurrectionists on Jan uary 6th entered the Capitol through the front door, at the invitation of the president. We gather every year in re membrance of Milk and Moscone’s lives and legacy, but also in commit ment to continue their fight.

“It’s critical, here and now, for us to come together and stand united against the forces of hate and division, and for our rights to privacy, equal ity, and collective liberation,” added Wright, a gay man who has led the progressive political group since 2021. For more information about this year’s march, visit its Facebook event page at https://fb.me/e/31ooafxCZ t

A photographer from the Associated Press in 1977 captured this iconic image of Supervisor Harvey Milk, left, and Mayor George Moscone inside San Francisco City Hall.

Courtesy of Holt-Atherton Special Collections, University of the Pacific Library

We are angry and grieving

We are angry and grieving after another senseless mass shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub – a venue that is supposed to be a safe space where we can be ourselves with our queer and allied friends, family and lovers. Like other communities that have fallen victim to hatefilled action and murder, the LGBTQ commu nity has been subjected to violence inspired by vile speech and irrational scapegoating. We’re tired of the unrelenting trampling of our rights with laws that prohibit teachers from mentioning sexual orientation or gender identity; the crimi nalization of gender-affirming health care; the banning of trans students from playing on sports teams that correspond with their gender; and the poisonous rhetoric that is overflowing from anti-LGBTQ politicians, religious leaders, and right-wing extremists. All of that hate has real-life consequences, as the world saw over the weekend with the November 19 mass shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs, where five people were killed and 17 others injured. Six years ago, it was the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, where 49 people lost their lives and 53 were injured.

As we wrote in June 2016 after the Pulse massa cre, we will not be diminished by this senseless vio lence. While there is much that we don’t yet know about the Club Q shooting, me dia outlets reported that the accused suspect, Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, has been charged with five counts of suspicion of murder and five counts of bias-motivated crime causing bodily injury. This crime was doubly cruel in that it occurred on the eve of the Transgender Day of Remembrance. Club Q promoted a drag show and a punk and alternative show on Sat urday night. Drag artists have been under attack for months, with some states seeking to ban drag shows under the pretense of trying to protect and prevent kids from attending them, as well as attempting to classify the artists as sex of fenders. In the liberal Bay Area in June, members of the far-right Proud Boys barged into the San Lorenzo public library and harassed a drag queen reading stories to kids.

The anti-LGBTQ rhetoric espoused by con servative leaders fuels hatred and contributes to incidents like the one in Colorado Springs. Yet, it’s not these leaders who are arrested and face charges because they’re not pulling the trigger –

it’s their proxies who hear their lies and then have acted upon them by targeting minority commu nities in mass shooting events across the country. Colorado Springs follows a series of massacres that include Sikhs in Oak Creek, Wis consin, in 2012; Jews in Pittsburgh, in 2018; Asians in Atlanta, in 2021; and Blacks in Buffalo, New York, in 2022. LGBTQ bars and clubs are our community institutions because, in many ways, they are among the few places where we can leave the straight world and its pressures at the door and create our own world. When it wasn’t safe to hold hands with our partners in public, we’d find love on the dancefloor. When it was risky to be out at work –and it still is in many places in the U.S. – we’d meet friends there for a drink. We used the safe space of LGBTQ bars to live defiantly against the oppres sion outside, as we noted in 2016. In other words, we could be freely ourselves, as queer Washington Post contributing columnist Brian Broome wrote in a November 21 piece about the Club Q tragedy. “Already, queer people feel less safe in the United States now,” he wrote. “I guarantee that those spaces where we feel at home in the world, the bars, the coffee shops, the clubs, will be emp tier this weekend.”

Colorado Springs is not the Bay Area. It’s been home to a sizable evangelical Christian commu nity for decades. Focus on the Family, one of the premiere anti-LGBTQ organizations, is based there. Of course, now that there’s been a shoot ing at an LGBTQ club in their backyard, Focus on the Family President Jim Daly quickly put out a self-serving statement on the organization’s website. “Saturday night’s horrific shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs exposes the evil and wickedness inside the human heart,” he stated. “We must condemn in the strongest terms possible the taking of innocent life.” But we can’t forget that Focus on the Family once ran Love Won Out, an ex-gay ministry that it sold to Exodus International, another anti-LGBTQ or ganization, in 2009. It vehemently opposes samesex marriage and even civil unions and domestic partnerships in the most vicious terms and cam paigns. It consistently targets the LGBTQ com munity with odious lies, speech, and action. It is no friend to the LGBTQ community.

Gun violence, of course, is not limited to LG BTQ nightclubs. School shootings occur with dizzying regularity even in conservative states where lawmakers and political leaders write “thoughts and prayers” tweets then go back to verbally bashing LGBTQs and other minor ity groups. Even jurisdictions with gun laws do not eliminate the problem. In Colorado Springs, Aldrich reportedly evaded that state’s red-flag law last year when he allegedly threatened his mother with a homemade bomb and crisis ne gotiators talked him into surrendering, accord ing to an NPR report. There’s no public record that prosecutors ever moved forward with felony kidnapping and menacing charges, or that police or relatives tried to trigger the state’s red-flag law that would have allowed authorities to seize his weapons, the outlet reported.

There won’t be an end to these horrific shootings until there’s enough political will to do so. We don’t see that happening anytime soon, which only underscores the urgency re quired of all of us to respond by creating the world we want to live in outside of our bars. So after we mourn the loss of life and care for the people who were injured, we must commit to continue fighting for a more just country where people are celebrated for who they are, not denigrated because they don’t fit some one’s definition of who they should be. t

by Joyce Newstat and Scott Wiener

Every year, at the beginning of Pride Month, we put on our parkas and wool caps and head up to Twin Peaks to light the incredible pink triangle installation. Visible for 20 miles on a clear day, the pink triangle both stands as a symbol of Pride and educates us about the in tolerance the LGBTQ community faced in the Holocaust. During the Nazi era, an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 men accused of being gay were imprisoned in concentration camps and forced to wear a pink triangle patch. Many were sub jected to horrendous medical experiments, and most of these prisoners died in the camps.

The pink triangle reminds us all of what can happen when bigotry becomes law. One of us is a child of a Holocaust survivor, and we are both members of the LGBTQ+ and Jewish communities. The im pacts of hatred, antisemitism, and bias are personal for us; we have witnessed and experienced their effects first-hand. Stories of loved ones who were murdered have been passed down to us.

We are not the only ones fac ing the recent rise of hateful rhetoric and violent extremism, however. The Anti-Defamation League report ed a 34% increase nationwide in antisemitic incidents from 2020 to 2021. In California, the Stop AAPI Hate coalition documented more than 4,000 discriminatory incidents and attacks against people who identify as Asian American or Pacific Islander over the past two years. The number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced and passed in state legislatures has spiked. Social media channels are filled with images and mes sages intended to seed divisions and create fear.

We could go on. Our most vulnerable communities are being targeted. So many feel afraid as they go about their daily lives. Death threats are now commonplace on the internet.

That is why Governor Gavin Newsom’s groundbreaking deci sion to establish the Governor’s Council on Holocaust and Genocide Education is so timely and important. Co-chaired by state Senator Henry Stern (DCalabasas), Attorney General Rob Bonta, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, and Anita Friedman, Ph.D., executive director of Jewish Family and Children’s Services, the governor’s council is tasked with promoting Holocaust and genocide education through out California to provide young people with the tools necessary to recognize and respond to hate-based bullying or discrimination on campus. We are deeply honored to have been appointed by Governor Newsom to serve on the council.

We are proud that our state is leading the

way in standing up against extremism by in vesting in anti-hate programs and educating our public school students. Education has proved itself to be the most effective way to develop empathy and stop hate.

Results of a nationwide survey released in 2020 by Echoes & Reflections, a partner ship program of USC Shoah Foundation, the Anti-Defamation League, and Yad Vashem (the World Holocaust Remembrance Center), found that college students who had received Holocaust education in middle or high school are more open to differing viewpoints, more likely to challenge intolerant behavior in oth ers, and more willing to stand up to negative stereotyping. Surveyed students demonstrated higher critical thinking skills and a greater sense of social responsibility if survivor tes timony was part of their learning experience. Jewish Family and Children’s Services’ Holo caust Center has learned this from practice for years through its educational programs in Northern California.

From survivors of the Holocaust and other genocides comes the crucial lesson to never for get. The message of these words is much more than the act of remembering. It requires that we speak up whenever hate and prejudice surface.

Though the pink triangle is taken down at the end of Pride Month, it is our collective re sponsibility to continue showing our pride all year long, and always to stand and speak out against hate in all its forms. Together, our ac tions will create a more just and compassion ate world for everyone. t

Joyce Newstat, a lesbian, and state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), a gay man, were both recently appointed to the Gover nor’s Council on Holocaust and Genocide Education.

Joyce Newstat, left, and state Senator Scott Wiener

Courtesy Joyce Newstat, Sen. Wiener’s office

A crowd gathered in the Castro Sunday, November 20, to mourn those killed and injured at the Q Club in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Christopher Robledo

At San Francisco Friendsgiving event, attendees give thanks

by Matthew S. Bajko

At a drag-themed Friendsgiving co-hosted by 21Seeds Tequila and famed San Francisco drag personality Juanita MORE!, attendees gave thanks for the past year and the outcome of the midterm elections. Leaders of the Mama G’s Thanksgiving Street Dinner also expressed gratitude for the event resulting in a donation that covered the cost of nearly 500 meals they gave out to unhoused individuals November 20.

The charity for 14 years has handed out free food ahead of the annual Thanksgiving holiday to people liv ing on the streets of San Francisco’s Civic Center and Tenderloin neigh borhoods. At roughly $10 a meal, the tequila company’s contribution to Mama G’s totaled around $5,000, said Peter Gallotta, a gay man who found ed the nonprofit.

“One of our guests said they hadn’t had a Thanksgiving dinner in years. Many of our guests hadn’t had a warm meal in days,” Gallotta noted in a Facebook post Monday thanking volunteers and donors who supported this year’s meal. “This would all not be possible without Cory Alexander Armenta who has served as our execu tive chef for the past 14 years and who makes the high quality, delicious food we serve happen.”

This year 650 meals were served at a pop-up distribution point in the Civic Center. Two years ago, due to COVID, the nonprofit’s volunteers delivered more than 1,000 packaged meals direct ly to people on the streets throughout the city, but they were back in United Nations Plaza last year with their usual buffet setup and fed 555 people.

At the drag fundraiser last week, held in the backyard patio of Case ments bar in the city’s Mission district, Gallotta told the Bay Area Reporter that he is thankful this year that the lo cal community is able to gather again amid the ongoing health crisis.

“There is a sense of resiliency this year,” he said. “We have been through two really tough years.”

The third vice chair on the com mittee that oversees the San Francisco Democratic Party, Gallotta also pointed to a number of political wins in the No vember 8 general election that buoyed his faith in the electoral process amid widespread concerns about the strength of the country’s democracy. In particular, he hailed the elections in Oregon and Massachusetts of the first two lesbians as governors of their states and Democrats beating back a predicted red wave to hold the U.S. Senate and keep Republicans to a slim majority in the House.

“We have been through four elec tions this year,” noted Gallotta, refer ring to San Franciscans casting ballots in two special elections on top of the June primary and this month’s fall races. “It points to our politics being so divided and makes people feel a lot of uncertainty. But I am choosing hope and gratitude.”

MORE! told the B.A.R. she, too, is grateful that nightlife events and other community gatherings are back. She donated her usual appearance fee from the Drag Friendsgiving Extravaganza toward Mama G’s, which she has rou tinely raised funds for throughout the years and has cooked up “gallons of cranberry sauce” for its dinners.

“I am still thankful for my commu nity, which still supports anything I ask it to raise money for,” said MORE!, who had just found out that day that her dogs, Jackson and Macho, are featured in Castro-based hospice Maitri’s Mutts and Meows charity calendars for 2023.

Johannah Goldstein, a straight ally who chairs Mama G’s board and has volunteered with it since 2012, told the B.A.R. she was grateful to be living in “a still functioning democracy” following the results of the election. And she said she “is grateful for the community do nation to Mama G’s and the volunteers

who help out every year. I am so grate ful for the people who give their time, money and effort.”

Pointing out that the nonprofit is all volunteer-run and has no office expenses, Goldstein noted, “Every dol lar we receive in donations, we turn around and put into feeding the com munity.”

Anthony Luna, a gay San Fran cisco resident who serves on the non profit’s board, has been helping out with Mama G’s the past four years. He told the B.A.R. he was thankful for the ongoing support the organization re ceives from the community.

“I am also thankful to be out doing what we do in the city, in the Tender loin,” said Luna, adding of last week’s election results, “it was great to see young people voted. They turned the tide for us.”

Another board member, Clayton Bishop, a gay man who began volun teering with Mama G’s five years ago, told the B.A.R. he is most grateful this year that his decision to pivot his career in 2021 is paying off. He went from working in the hotel industry to being employed by an interior design business.

“That is going really well,” said Bishop, now the brand manager for HEWN San Francisco.

In March, global com pany Diageo acquired for an undisclosed amount 21Seeds from its straight co-founders, sisters Kat Hantas and Nicole Emanuel and their friend, Sarika Singh. Hantas had begun making her own tequila at home and enlisted Emanuel and Singh to launch the tequila brand in 2019.

Longtime friends with MORE!, who is featured in a mural on the side of Hantas’ home at the corner of Steiner and Grove streets near Alamo Square Park and the adjacent famous Painted Ladies Victorian houses, Hantas had bonded with MORE! over their shared love of cooking. The two teamed up together three years ago to feature 21Seeds’ tequilas at MORE!’s annual Pride party that doubles as a fundraiser for a local LGBTQ nonprofit.

“We didn’t know anything,” about launching a beverage company, re called Hantas in her brief remarks at the event.

She thanked MORE! for giving them some pointers as a longtime nightlife promoter and entrepreneur who had opened their own eatery in the Tenderloin. “It all worked out amazingly,” added Hantas.

Speaking to the B.A.R. Hantas said, this year, she is “most thankful for my community. You can’t save the world, but you can save your block.”

She joked that the mural of MORE!

“is our eighth Painted Lady!” Hantas had it created as a way to deal with the constant break-ins of cars, many those of tourists, parked in her historic neighborhood. “I was in Portugal and saw the artworks there all over on the city streets. It may not have stopped people breaking into cars, but it sure

has made our block a little more beau tiful. I haven’t given up hope.”

Emanuel, who converted to Juda ism a decade ago, told the B.A.R. that coming out of the pandemic and wit nessing the rise of antisemitism and other hateful rhetoric has made her realize the importance of speaking up for what you believe in and to cherish who is there to support you during rough times.

“I am thankful, honestly, we are do ing this. It’s times like this that make you realize who your allies are,” she said.

Casements co-owner Chris Hast ings, a gay man who also owns the Castro gay bar The Lookout and coowns Mission eatery WesBurger N’ More, also told the B.A.R. he is thank ful to be able to host events like the Friendsgiving benefit.

“People need spaces to meet new people and see old friends,” said Hast ings, who opened Casements at 2351 Mission Street roughly six weeks be fore COVID led San Fran cisco officials to shut down non-essential businesses.

Hastings and coowners Gillian Fitzger ald, who is queer, and Sean O’Donovan, who is straight, quickly pivoted to delivering cocktail orders to customers around the city. It allowed them to pay their bills and maintain their lease.

The bar, known for its extensive Irish whiskey selection, is named af ter an Irish merchant marine, Rob ert Casement, who exposed colonial atrocities in the Belgian Congo and in South America. In the 1920s he joined the Irish liberation movement and, accused of being a homosexual, was executed. Some scholars contend, however, a diary reputed to be Case ment’s that detailed his gay exploits was a forgery.

“He was written out of the history books,” said Hastings, adding that only in recent decades did the Irish govern ment recognize Casement.

As for their business when the city allowed bars to reopen, Hastings and his co-owners took over several park ing lots behind Casements to provide an outdoor area for their customers who were not ready to gather indoors. It has since become a coveted feature of the bar that they are seeking to make a permanent fixture of Casements.

Planning Ahead is Simple

Planning Ahead is Simple

The benefits are immense.

Planning Ahead is Simple

The benefits are immense.

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.

But, because the outdoor area is privately owned by California Park ing Company, it is unclear if the bar can secure a permit for it under the city’s Shared Spaces program that has allowed businesses to take over street parking spots to erect parklets for their customers, said Hastings.

“We are hopeful we can get a permit. Right now we are trying to continue it,” said Hastings.

For Thanksgiving this year he and his husband are hosting Hastings’ par ents, brother and sister-in-law, “and a couple strays,” joked Hastings, who is cooking a turkey for the very first time. “I am thankful we can do that.” t

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 us today about the beautiful ways to create a lasting legacy at the San Francisco Columbarium.

Contact us today about the beautiful ways to create a lasting legacy at the San Francisco Columbarium.

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Drag personality Juanita MORE!, left, joined with sisters Kat Hantas and Nicole Emanuel and their friend, Sarika Singh, at a benefit for Mama G’s Thanksgiving Street Dinner.

21Seeds Infused Tequila

Castro holiday tree lighting coming up

compiled by Cynthia Laird

The Castro Merchants Association will hold its holiday tree lighting ceremony Monday, November 28, at 6 p.m. at Castro and 18th streets, in front of the Bank of America building.

David Karraker and Terrance Al len, co-presidents of the merchants’ group, stated in the organization’s newsletter that San Francisco Mayor London Breed will lead the lighting countdown. She will be joined by gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, and others. Santa will be on hand, along with drag artist Donna Sachet, the San Francisco Les bian/Gay Freedom Band (the city’s official band), and much more.

The event is meant to kick off the holiday shopping season in the LG BTQ neighborhood.

The Castro Art Mart will be held Sunday, December 4, from noon to 5 p.m. at Noe and Market streets. The art mart features the work of local artists as well as live perfor mances, including some of the Castro’s top drag talent. It’s free and fun for the whole family for an amazing time in San Francisco’s most famous neighborhood, the announcement stated.

The merchants’ group will hold its second annual Winter Wonder land block party Sunday, Decem ber 18, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Noe and Market streets, using the group’s Shared Spaces permit and grant funds. Santa will be on hand for free photos, along with a pet

Springs

ting zoo, and drag performances and story time.

The block party, which is free, will also include LGBTQ artists and other surprises, the newsletter stated. Karraker and Allen noted these tent pole events help bring foot traffic to the area.

Post office’s Operation Santa is underway

The United States Postal Service has once again started its Operation Santa program whereby people sign up online to “adopt” letters and fulfill holiday wishes. The program relies on random acts of kindness and the generosity of strangers, a news release stated. For 100 years, the program has provided some extra magic to those in need during the holiday season.

People interested in adopting letters must sign up and have their identity

verified. Even if they have participated in the past, a new account is needed, the release stated.

Beginning November 28, letter adopters can visit the website at https://www. uspsoperationsanta.com/ and read through the posted letters, choosing one or more to fulfill. Once the letters are chosen, adopters must follow the direc tions included in their welcome email to fulfill the holiday wishes. Letter adopters are responsible for all postage costs to ship the gift packages.

People writing letters through the program do not need to register, the release stated.

Businesses and other organizations can get into the spirit of the season by creating teams to adopt letters, though all participants will need to complete the verification process.

Letters will be available for adop tion through December 19.

For more information, visit the above website.

Closing party for Moth Belly fundraiser

Moth Belly Gallery will have its clos ing reception for its third annual fun draising auction Saturday, November 26, from 5 to 8 p.m. at 912 Larkin Street in San Francisco. The auction features exclusive works by over 60 Bay Area, national, and international artists, ac cording to a news release.

Moth Belly is a nonprofit that is fis cally sponsored by Intersection for the Arts, the release stated. It operates on a volunteer basis and pays a consider

ably higher percentage to its exhib ited artists, officials said. It was founded in the fall of 2020 and has been open to the public with monthly exhibits since October 2021.

The auction itself is on line until 8 p.m. November 26, which is Small Business Saturday. For more infor mation, go to https://www. mothbelly.org/.

Sin City Classic returns to Vegas in January

The Greater Los Angeles Softball As sociation has announced that pickleball and sand volleyball will be added to the Sin City Classic LGBTQ+ sports festival set for January 12-15 in Las Vegas.

Hosted by the Flamingo Las Ve gas, the Sin City Classic will feature a total of 24 sports and expects 10,000 queer athletes and allies to attend from around the world, a news release stated.

“Now in our 16th year, the Sin City Classic continues to grow and evolve,” stated GLASA Commissioner and Sin City Classic co-Executive Director Jason Peplinski. “This year we see the addition of pickleball, one of the fast est growing sports in the world, and sand volleyball, adding to the diverse lineup of competitions and events the festival offers.”

Organizers also announced that nominations are now open for the second annual Ken Scearce Leader ship Award. It was created in 2022 to honor the memory and legacy of Scearce, the former executive director of the festival who died in 2021, as the

Bay Area Reporter previously reported. The award recognizes athletes, leaders, coaches, referees, and other volunteers. To nominate someone, go to https:// bit.ly/3Au6iQt

For more information about Sin City Classic and to register teams, go to https://www.sincityclassic.org/.

Last chance to take trans survey

The National Center for Transgen der Equality has announced that the deadline for people to take the U.S. Trans Survey has been extended to Monday, December 5.

“Good news! So far, tens of thou sands of people have taken the U.S. Trans Survey,” NCTE officials stated in an email announcement. “Wow! That’s a great number, but we know that our community is strong and there are even more trans people around the country. That’s where you come in. If you haven’t taken the survey yet, this is your chance. If you’ve taken the survey already, thank you!”

The survey, which launched Octo ber 19, is being conducted by NCTE in partnership with the National Black Trans Advocacy Coalition, the TransL atin@ Coalition, and the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance.

NCTE’s last national trans survey was taken in 2015 and, as the website noted, “a lot has happened since then.”

For that survey, NCTE stated that more than 27,000 people responded. Orga nizers hope that more people will take the survey this year.

To take the survey, go to www.ustranssurvey.org/ t

From page 1

Police stated that the victims’ fami lies did not wish to do interviews. Loving’s sister, Tiffany, issued a state ment: “My condolences go out to all the families who lost someone in this tragic event, and to everyone struggling to be accepted in this world. My sister was a good person. She was loving and caring and sweet. Everyone loved her.”

Vance’s family issued a statement saying that the 22-year-old had gone to Club Q to enjoy a show with his long time girlfriend. His family stated that while he was supportive of the LGBTQ community he was not a member of it. Vance had just gotten a job at a FedEx distribution center and was thrilled to have received his first paycheck, the statement read.

Paugh’s husband, Kurt Paugh, also issued a statement.

“Ashley was a loving wife – she was my high school sweetheart – and she was just an amazing mother,” Kurt Paugh stated. “Her daughter was her whole world, and she was so proud of Ryleigh, who is a championship swim mer. She loved her dad, her sister, and her family; Ashley was a loving aunt, with many nieces and nephews who are devastated by her loss.”

She worked at Kids Crossing, a non profit that helps find homes for foster children, her husband stated.

Authorities issued an updated re lease Monday that stated 17 people were injured because of a gunshot wound; one person who was injured, but not because of a gunshot wound; and one person who was a victim with no visible injuries.

The Colorado Springs Police De partment said in a November 20 news release that a suspect, identified as An derson Lee Aldrich, 22, had been taken into custody. He was also injured, au thorities said.

Aldrich was charged Monday with five counts of suspicion of murder and five counts of bias-motivated crime causing bodily injury, the New York Times reported.

One or more patrons of the club “heroically intervened to subdue” Al drich, Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers stated in the release. News re

ports indicated that the patron pistolwhipped Aldrich with one of his own guns. Suthers told the New York Times that when police arrived, a patron was still on top of Aldrich.

Police on Monday identified the people who subdued the suspect as Thomas James and Richard Fierro and said they had permission from the two to do so.

At a vigil at Harvey Milk Plaza in San Francisco’s LGBTQ Castro district Sunday evening, people grieved and many recalled the 2016 mass shoot ing at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, in which 43 people were killed and 52 injured.

Gay state Senator Scott Wiener (DSan Francisco), who attended the vigil, stated earlier Sunday that the mass shooting “is yet another nightmarish reminder that LGBTQ people are not safe in this country.”

“It’s hard to overstate how devastat ing this shooting is for our commu nity,” he stated. “LGBTQ nightclubs are sacred safe spaces – where we gather, connect, and build community. This mass murder is a horrific reminder of how much work lies ahead. As we re member and pray for the dead, their families, and their friends and com munity, we must continue to fight against this hate and violence and the violent rhetoric online and in politics that fuels it.”

Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D), a gay man who just won reelection to a second term, tweeted Sunday morning that he was sickened by the incident.

“This is horrific, sickening, and dev

astating,” he wrote. “My heart breaks for the family and friends of those lost, injured, and traumatized by this ter rible shooting.”

Polis added that he had spoken with Suthers and told him that “every state resource is available to local law en forcement in Colorado Springs.”

“We are eternally grateful for the brave individuals who blocked the gunman, likely saving lives in the process, and for the first responders who responded swiftly to this hor rific shooting,” Polis wrote. “Colorado stands with out LGBTQ community and everyone impacted by this tragedy as we mourn.”

Later Sunday, Polis retweeted that the Colorado Healing Fund has been activated to accept donations to help the victims and families of the attack.

In a news release issued through GLAAD, Club Q expressed its grief. The club remains closed until further notice, according to its website.

“Club Q is in shock, and deep mourning, with the family and friends who had loved ones senselessly taken from them,” the release stated. “We condemn the horrific violence that shattered an evening of celebration for all in the LGBTQ community of Colorado Springs and our allies. Club Q offers our greatest gratitude to those who moved immediately to stop the gunman and prevent more loss of life and injury. Club Q has always provided a space for LGBTQ people and our ally friends to celebrate together.”

The Los Angeles Times reported that the club had featured a “Drag Diva

Drag Show” Saturday night. Its Face book page had promoted a punk and alternative show Saturday night, fol lowed by an all-ages drag brunch that had been set for Sunday.

President Joe Biden issued a state ment Sunday condemning gun vio lence.

“While no motive in this attack is yet clear, we know that the LGBTQI+ community has been subjected to horrific hate violence in recent years,” Biden stated. “Gun violence contin ues to have a devastating and particu lar impact on LGBTQI+ communities across our nation and threats of vio lence are increasing. We saw it six years ago in Orlando, when our nation suf fered the deadliest attack affecting the LGBTQI+ community in American history. We continue to see it in the epi demic of violence and murder against transgender women – especially trans gender women of color. And tragically, we saw it last night in this devastating attack by a gunman wielding a long ri fle at an LGBTQI+ nightclub in Colo rado Springs.

“Places that are supposed to be safe spaces of acceptance and celebration should never be turned into places of terror and violence,” the president added. “Yet it happens far too often. We must drive out the inequities that con tribute to violence against LGBTQI+ people. We cannot and must not toler ate hate.”

Outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) also issued a statement Sunday morning.

“Americans awoke this morning to

horrific news: a brutal attack on an LG BTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs,” she stated, Our hearts break at the senseless slaughter of least five beauti ful souls and the many more injured or forever traumatized, at what was a sanctuary of safety and solidarity.

“The attack on Club Q, which fell on the eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance, is despicable – further shattering the sense of safety of LG BTQ Americans across the country,” Pelosi stated. “While Democrats have taken important steps to combat gun violence this Congress, this deadly at tack is a challenge to our conscience and a reminder that we must keep fighting to do more.”

California Governor Gavin New som (D) stated that “once again, the LGBTQ community has been a victim of a horrifying attack.”

“Our hearts are with Colorado, and all those affected by this tragedy,” New som stated. “Hate is taught. Words mat ter. California stands with the LGBTQ community and their right to live freely.”

The LA Times noted that Colorado Springs has long been a center for evan gelical organizations. The anti-LGBTQ Focus on the Family is based there. The city has a population of about 480,000 and is located in east-central Colorado, about 70 miles south of Denver.

The shooting is the latest to occur in the U.S. at LGBTQ venues. On June 12, 2016, a gunman killed 49 people and injured 53 at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. That gunman, Omar Mateen, was killed in a shootout with police. t

<< Colorado

The victims in the Club Q shooting were identified by Colorado Springs police as Kelly Loving, left, Daniel Aston, Derrick Rump, Ashley Paugh, and Raymond Green Vance.

Courtesy CSPD

Santa

stopped by the annual lighting of the Castro Merchants’ holiday tree in 2018 to pass out candy canes to the children who were there.

Rick Gerharter

Sex worker advocate Carol Leigh dies

by Liz Highleyman

C arol Leigh, a bisexual sex worker activist and artist also known as Scarlot Harlot, died November 16 at her home in San Francisco after a long battle with cancer. She was 71. An advocate for decriminalization of prostitution, she is credited with coining the term “sex work.”

“Carol Leigh was the sexy redheaded harlot with the heart of gold, the soul of an artist-poet, and the brain of a scholar,” said An nie Sprinkle, an artist, former sex worker, and friend of Ms. Leigh for more than four decades. “She knew more about sex worker issues than anyone, and she inspired and empowered legions of sex workers around the world who continue to carry her torch.”

Carol Queen, an author, sex edu cator, and co-director of the Center for Sex and Culture, also comment ed on Ms. Leigh’s legacy.

“Carol knew everyone, con nected people whenever possible, saw the big picture, was a fierce feminist, and a gentle soul who had the biggest heart,” Queen said. “She stands right there with Margo St. James as the other powerhouse of sex worker organizing, and I just don’t think it’s possible to overstate how much space she made for us.”

Ms. Leigh, who chose her name as an adult and kept her given name private, was born in New York City on January 11,1951, and raised in Jackson Heights, Queens, by parents she once described as “disenchanted ex-socialists.” She later said, “I grew up with three strikes against me: I was poor, I was big, and I was smart.”

A self-described “flower-child hippie,” Ms. Leigh attended Suf folk Community College, Empire State College, and Boston Univer sity’s creative writing program, where she studied with the poet Anne Sexton shortly before her death by suicide. While in college, she became a feminist and started a women’s writing group that in cluded both a stripper and an antipornography activist.

After moving to San Francisco in 1977, Ms. Leigh took a job at the Hong Kong Massage Parlor on O’Farrell Street. She soon joined COYOTE (Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics), the first sex workers’ rights group in the United States, found ed by St. James, whom Ms. Leigh first met when her mother invited

St. James to speak at a National Organization for Women meeting. (St. James died in January 2021.)

Ms. Leigh later said that she did not feel exploited by voluntary sex ual transactions with clients, but when she was raped by two men at the sex parlor where she worked, she could not report the crime to police because prostitution was criminalized and she feared the business would be shut down.

Ms. Leigh became enmeshed in the feminist “sex wars” of the 1970s and 1980s. As described in Jill Na gle’s 1997 anthology “Whores and Other Feminists,” while attending a conference organized by Women Against Violence in Pornography and Media, she suggested that a panel on the “sex use industry” should be renamed the “sex work industry,” coining a phrase that be came widely used as an umbrella term for all types of sexual and erotic labor.

AIDS activism and sex workers rights

As the AIDS crisis exploded in the 1980s, Ms. Leigh intended to move to Texas, thinking she could educate people less aware of the threat, but her car broke down in Arizona and she ended up living in Tucson for two years.

Returning to San Francisco, she joined Citizens for Medical Jus tice, which later became ACT UP/ San Francisco. She advocated for safer sex, opposed mandatory HIV

testing of prostitutes, volunteered with the Prevention Point needle exchange, and did outreach to prostitutes working the streets. She was among the hundreds of activ ists arrested during the week of action surrounding the Sixth Inter national AIDS Conference in San Francisco. In 2017, she described those years in a video for the GLBT Historical Society’s San Francisco ACT UP Oral History Project.

“Carol was the fairy godmother of the early AIDS direct action groups of San Francisco. She was a character, always injecting an ele ment of over-the-top satire into our protests and deliberations, with a devilish grin and a wink in her eye.

Her sex-positive safer sex messages were way ahead of their time and were a blast of fun amidst all the doom and gloom,” recalled former ACT UP/SF member and longtime LGBTQ community activist Terry Beswick. “But she was also deadly serious about her causes. It was not always easy to get us middle-class gay boys to care about things like prostitutes and prisoners rights when so many of us were dying on the streets of the Castro, but she genuinely loved our boys who were dying, and we loved her back.”

Over the years, Ms. Leigh could often be seen doing political street theater and civil disobedience, col laborating with artist-activists such as the late rainbow flag co-creator Gilbert Baker and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

“Gilbert designed a number of costumes for Carol Leigh’s drag persona, Scarlot Harlot, and they frequently collaborated on all sorts of scandalous shenanigans. I also remember her sitting at pot dealer Dennis Peron’s kitchen table on 17th Street, regaling us with the in timate details of various elected of ficials’ kinks,” longtime gay activist Cleve Jones told the Bay Area Re porter. “I hope she will be remem bered as a true pioneer in the effort to decriminalize, destigmatize, and defend sex workers.” (Peron died in 2018.)

In 1990, Ms. Leigh co-found ed BAYSWAN, the Bay Area Sex Worker Advocacy Network. The group provided support for the Exotic Dancers Alliance, which or ganized for better working condi tions for strippers, and helped es tablish the St. James Infirmary, the first occupational health and safety clinic run by and for sex workers. She later helped start the Sex Work ers Outreach Project in 2003 and worked with Queen and partner Robert Lawrence to establish the Center for Sex and Culture.

In the mid-1990s, Ms. Leigh was among the leaders of the San Francisco Task Force on Prostitu tion, which issued a report sup porting decriminalization of sex work. A decade later, she helped organize ballot campaigns for de criminalization in Berkeley and San Francisco. Although these did not pass, they laid the groundwork

for state laws that bar sex workers from being arrested when they re port crimes and stop police from arresting people for loitering for prostitution.

Ms. Leigh was an accomplished artist, writer, and filmmaker. Her early 1980s one-woman show, “The Adventures of Scarlot Har lot,” argued for the inclusion of sex workers in the feminist move ment. She contributed a chapter in Frédérique Delacoste and Priscilla Alexander’s classic 1987 anthology “Sex Work: Writings by Women in the Sex Industry.” Her own book “Unrepentant Whore: The Col lected Works of Scarlot Harlot” was published in 2004.

“For me, as a teenage peep show girl, discovering the writing and ac tivism of Carol Leigh was a revela tion,” author Lily Burana told the B.A.R. “Her work, always centering sex worker needs and perspectives, helped me feel less alone.”

Ms. Leigh directed and produced film and video including feminist erotica for House O’Chicks, col laborations with Sprinkle and Jo seph Kramer, and the documentary “Blind Eye to Justice: HIV+ Wom en in California Prisons,” narrated by Black lesbian activist Angela Davis. She received awards from the American Film Institute for videos including “Outlaw Poverty, Not Prostitutes” and “Yes Means Yes. No Means No.” She started the San Francisco Sex Worker Film and Arts Festival in 1999.

Openly bisexual, Ms. Leigh had relationships with both men and women, but she did not marry or establish a household with a part ner. After Ms. Leigh was diagnosed with cancer, she moved in with her mother, Augusta – also a feminist and artist – who died this summer at age 100.

During her final months, Ms. Leigh established a trust, funded by her and her mother’s savings, to benefit friends and sex worker activists; did a final video interview with Sprinkle and her spouse, UC Santa Cruz art professor Beth Ste phens; and prepared her archives for donation to the Schlesinger Li brary on the History of Women in America at Harvard University.

Ms. Leigh is survived by her brother, Phillip, and many friends and admirers around the world. Plans for a memorial service will be announced when they are finalized.t

Carol Leigh, left, wearing a dress designed by Gilbert Baker, right, and hundreds of other activists took part in a June 19, 1990 march targeting the immigration service and anti-HIV immigration policies.

Rick Gerharter

Those efforts paid off with vot ers in the more suburban neighbor hoods on the city’s westside. Since election night Engardio had led in the vote count, a strong position right out of the gate that seemed to startle even him when the first vote count was posted roughly 45 minutes after the polls closed on November 8.

His first-place finish never slipped away as additional voting took place over the last week and a half. On November 16, elections of ficials posted another count, show ing Engardio remaining the winner with 50.91% of the vote.

“My campaign activated and en

ergized many residents who volun teered their skills and talents to ef fect change,” Engardio wrote in his email declaring victory. “This large ly parent-powered effort is about ensuring our city is a safe and joyful place for everyone.”

Even though Mar was behind by only 489 votes, the supervisor called Engardio to concede the race and con gratulate him on his win. In a tweet, Mar acknowledged there wasn’t a path for him to win a second term with just 5,800 ballots left to be counted.

“While there are still ballots left to count, it’s increasingly unlikely there are enough to change the out come in our D4 race. A few minutes ago, I called Joel Engardio to con cede and offer my congratulations,”

wrote Mar, part of the board’s pro gressive majority.

Once he is sworn into office Janu ary 8, Engardio will serve alongside gay Supervisors Rafael Mandelman and Matt Dorsey, who are moder ates like Engardio. They both won election to full four-year terms, Mandelman in District 8 and Dors ey in District 6.

Dorsey is the city’s first HIVpositive elected supervisor. When Mandelman first won election to his seat that covers the LGBTQ Castro district in a June special election in 2018, he defeated gay District 8 Su pervisor Jeff Sheehy, a longtime sur vivor of HIV who had been appoint ed to fill a vacancy. In the November general election that fall, Mandelman

easily won a full four-year term.

Dorsey became the second known person living with HIV to serve on the board when Mayor London Breed appointed him last spring to the vacant District 6 seat.

Former supervisor Matt Haney re signed when he was elected to a va cant state Assembly seat.

His chief of staff at City Hall, Honey Mahogany, had sought to be appointed to succeed her boss then ran against Dorsey in last week’s election. She was vying to become the city’s first transgender and first Black LGBTQ supervisor.

But Dorsey defeated Mahogany with 53.22% of the vote, according to the unofficial returns. Mahogany conceded their contest November 14.

District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton, president of the board, and District 2 Supervisor Catherine Ste fani, who was unopposed, both easi ly won second terms on the Novem ber 8 ballot. The real political fight for Walton will be if he can find a majority of votes on the 11-member board to remain holding the gavel next year.

The progressive is expected to face a challenge for the presidency from District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, seen as more of a moderate. And with Engardio’s win, Mandelman is very likely to also be nominated for the position when the supervisors meet to swear-in the winners of the even-numbered supervisorial races in early January. t

12 percentage points and decreased their measurable feelings of anxiety and depression, compared with their control-group counterparts,” NPR re ported in March 2021.

That meshes well with the needs of the city’s trans community, of ficials said.

“Our guaranteed income programs allow us to help our residents when they need it most as part of our city’s economic recovery and our commit ment to creating a more just city for all,” Breed stated in a news release.

“Transgender communities experi ence poverty and economic instability at disproportionate rates,” according to a statement from Breed’s office announcing the program. “In 2015, when the U.S. Trans Survey was last conducted, 33% of trans Californians

<< Pansy fundraiser

From page 6

As Csillagi researched the word’s history, they learned of the Pansy Craze in the 1920s and 1930s cen tered on underground drag balls. It also tied into their being known for horticultural inspired tattoo designs.

“I specialize in realistic botani cals,” explained Csillagi. “I do flow ers a lot. It felt natural to land on an image of a flower.”

They also see it as a nod to the guerrilla art project undertaken by Paul Harfleet. Known as the Pansy

were living in poverty, compared to 12% of people in the general popu lation. The percentage among trans people who are also Black, Indigenous and people of color is even higher.”

Lyon-Martin Community Health, which provides health care services for trans and cisgender women, as well as nonbinary persons, will be handling the applications as well as providing subsequent wraparound services, such as full-scope health care, case manage ment, therapies, psychiatry, and other gender-affirming services in-house.

Two coordinators and one case manager will be on hand to help people with the application process, according to information from the clinic. Officials hope to let applicants know whether they’ve been accepted by the end of the year.

Program participants will be asked to take part in quarterly surveys, which will be used to study the pro

gram’s impacts. It’s not required but the information provided could prove enormously helpful, particularly as organizers try to determine the im pact of poverty on health.

Previous studies, most notably fol lowing the Stockton pilot program, found that guaranteed income also plays a role in improving overall health by decreasing levels of anxiety and de pression that often accompany poverty.

“Guaranteed income falls in line with all of the studies we’ve seen for over 100 years that suggest that as people’s economic standing improves, their health also improves,” stated Lorraine T. Dean, doctor of science and an associate professor in epide miology at Johns Hopkins University, in an article about the effects of guar anteed income on health.

Concerns that accepting the pay ments might undermine benefits people are already receiving are worth

pansies as the site of homophobic attacks in his hometown of Man chester, England and has since done so in numerous cities around the world.

“That really solidified that the pansy was right,” said Csillagi. “Anytime I see a pansy in the world, art-wise or otherwise, it just feels right.”

Project, at https://thepansypro ject.com/, Harfleet began planting

In addition to Jones, Tyler TerMeer, Ph.D., a gay man living with HIV who is CEO of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, will be attending, along with Dr. Diane Havlir, chief of infec tious diseases at UCSF.

The event will be streamed on the AIDS grove’s website beginning at 5 p.m. Pacific time.

A free shuttle service, operated by Muni, will be available every 30 minutes between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. to take participants from the Castro to the site of the National AIDS Me morial Grove in Golden Gate Park. Pick-up in the Castro will be in front of the former Pottery Barn, 2390 Mar ket Street. Shuttles will depart on the hour and half hour.

Other San Francisco events

The San Francisco AIDS Founda tion will hold a march and candlelight vigil that starts at SFAF’s headquarters at 1035 Market Street at 4:30 p.m. and ends at City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place. Participants are encouraged to wear red; signs and candles will be provided.

In addition, two days before, on November 29, SFAF will host a World AIDS Day Art Build Workshop from 7 to 9 p.m. at Strut, its health center located at 470 Castro Street.

“Join us as we learn more about what makes protest art effective and explore historical examples from the HIV/AIDS movement and from fa

mous movements in San Francisco,” according to a statement from the organization. “Then create your own posters for World AIDS Day through a hands-on screen printing work shop.”

Materials and food will be provid ed. Both the march and the workshop are free. Masks are encouraged.

The eighth annual Inscribe, a side walk art event organized by HIV ac tivist George Kelly, will be held on the 400 and 500 blocks of Castro Street from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. December 1.

“The public is invited to reflect and remember the friends, loved ones and neighbors lost to AIDS and inscribe their names on the sidewalks of Cas tro Street from 17th to 19th Streets

Every person receives the exact same pansy tattoo design. It is only to be done in black and grey ink, said Csillagi, to keep the cost down and to make it easier for other tat too artists to also begin using it. “I can’t wait to be in some ran

looking into, said Amanda Fried, chief of policy and communications with the San Francisco Office of Treasurer and Tax Collector. Those receiving Social Security could be affected. Medi-Cal, however, presents no problems, she said.

“In general, there’s much less of an impact on benefits than people fear,” Fried said. “These grants are treated as gifts, not as income.”

The program is being welcomed by leaders in the city’s trans community.

“I’m thrilled that the city is part nering with two amazing communi ty-based and trans-led organizations to implement this much-needed program,” Crego told the B.A.R. “My hope is that this is only the begin ning, and that once we document the positive outcomes of supporting those most impacted by poverty, we can expand on this and other strate gies to improve economic and health outcomes for trans San Franciscans.”

dom place on vacation somewhere and see one,” said Schatz. “To spot it in the wild, that is going to be so much fun. Even on Instagram to see people getting them has been fun.”

As for Csillagi, they told the B.A.R. they have a particular trans celebrity they would love to see join the community of people with the pansy tattoo.

“I have lofty goals of tattooing Elliot Page,” they said. “They are one of the notable trans nonbinary people that are just really putting their bodies in the line of violence, essentially to be in the public eye.”

survived the COVID pandemic, al though now without the students, as COVID protocols have been in place for the past few years.

Kelly, 62 and HIV-positive, still remembers that first year, though, when, after the students had finished their chalk drawings on the sidewalks, he looked at the colorful walkway and realized “The sidewalks looked – oh, my god – like the AIDS quilt.”

The drawings persisted for a couple of days after, he said, but on the third night “it kind of rained,” and the chalk began to melt together and wash away. It was, Kelly said, “a spiritual” experience.

Aria Sa’id, president and chief strat egist of the Transgender District, said the program would help trans San Franciscans become independent.

“The GIFT program is a historic program that will build economic stability and self-sufficiency for San Francisco’s most impacted trans resi dents,” Sa’id stated in the release. “By giving low-income trans people the resources to cover the expenses they deem most immediate and important given each person’s unique situation, we are implementing a truly commu nity-centered intervention to combat poverty. The Transgender District is thrilled to partner with Lyon-Martin Community Health Services and the city on this pilot program.”

People interested in applying for San Francisco’s Guaranteed Income Program for Trans People can apply online at https://www.giftincome. org/. t

Csillagi is posting updates and photos of the people receiving the pansy tattoo to the Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/ a1000pansies/ with the hashtags #a1000pansies, #athousandpansies and #pansytattoo.

They also created a website at http://cedreink.com/athousand pansies/ where people can get in formation about the campaign and sign up for emailed updates on how to make an appointment to be tattooed with a pansy, as Csillagi releases new dates and times for each month. t

encouraged to bring offerings such as flowers and names for the altar. Food and beverages will be provided. The Oakland LGBTQ center is located at 3207 Lakeshore Avenue (use the Rand Avenue entrance around the corner). The event is free.

in brightly colored chalk, among the bronze plaques of the Rainbow Hon or Walk that are affixed to the side walks, honoring gay and civil rights leaders,” according to a statement from organizers. Kelly promoted the event at the December 3 meeting of the Castro Merchants Association and said the chalk is being donated by Cliff’s Variety.

Kelly started the event following the death of his friend from AIDS, Tom Ryan, a much-loved teacher at the Harvey Milk Civil Rights Acad emy where Kelly volunteers, he told the Bay Area Reporter in a phone in terview.

Originally started with the help of the school’s students, the event has

At 2 p.m. the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will conduct a blessing at the southeast corner of the Castro and 18th streets intersection, the fa cade of the Bank of America building where the community posts memori als. Michael Chu, a well-known San Francisco DJ who performs as MC2, will spin disco hits from the 1980s to celebrate “the lost generation,” orga nizers stated.

Around the Bay Area

The Oakland LGBTQ Community Center will hold an observance from 3 to 7 p.m., December 1, featuring an “altar of faith, love, and hope,” accord ing to information from the center, as well as an opportunity for participants to “share stories, hear poems, listen to music, play games, have fun, and pro vide information about the services we provide for people living with HIV and those who are at risk.” People are

“It is no secret that the LGBTQ+ community has been hardest hit by the HIV epidemic since the very be ginning,” said gay Oakland LGBTQ center co-founder and CEO Joe Hawkins in a statement. “Although there have been many advances to successfully treat people living with HIV, allowing people to live long and healthy lives, the rates of new HIV in fections among Black and Latinx men who have sex with men and transgen der individuals, remain dispropor tionately and unacceptably high. We invite our community to join us at our World AIDS Day event where we will remember those we have lost and celebrate the resilience of those who are living with HIV in our LGBTQ+ community.”

In Half Moon Bay, Coast Pride will host “Art & AIDS: The Unlikely Intersection of Beauty and Tragedy,” a talk and art presentation by Susan Zolla-Pazner, Ph.D., about the inter national artistic response to the AIDS pandemic, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Odd Fellows Hall, 526 Main Street. The event is free but participants are encouraged to register in advance at https://bit.ly/3XoK5gw

“Presenter Susan Zolla-Pazner is

An image of the pansy tattoo that Cedre Csillagi has designed.

Courtesy Cedre Csillagi

George Kelly, the founder of Inscribe, finished up a red ribbon at the intersection of Castro and 18th Streets as part of last year’s commemoration of World AIDS Day.

Rick Gerharter

an immunologist whose research career has focused on the intersec tion of basic science and translational medicine,” according to a release from Coast Pride. “Her primary interest is the human immune response to infectious diseases such as HIV, tu berculosis and SARS-CoV-2. Susan was among the first scientists in 1981 to study the immune abnormalities in young adults with a new disease, AIDS. Her most recent work has fo

Legals>>

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF

NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22557524

In the matter of the application of NICHOLAS COLLACO, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner NICHOLAS COLLACO is requesting that the name NICHOLAS COLLACO be changed to NICHOLAS ORLOFF. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 13th of DECEMBER 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

NOV 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF

NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22557534

In the matter of the application of RUSHIL PRAKASH, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner RUSHIL PRAKASH is requesting that the name RUSHIL PRAKASH be changed to RUSHIL MANN. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 13th of DECEMBER 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

NOV 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22557536

In the matter of the application of PAUL JOSEPH BLOUNT JR, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner PAUL JOSEPH BLOUNT JR is requesting that the name PAUL JOSEPH BLOUNT JR be changed to YUNUS ABDUR-RAHMAN. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 13th of DECEMBER 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

NOV 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0398542

The following person(s) is/are doing business as HOMEWARD ASSOCIATES, 891 BEACH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SHAWN KUNKLER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/21/22.

NOV 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0398593

The following person(s) is/are doing business as Y NOT UNITE FOR PEACE, 1704 LASALLE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TONI HUNT HINES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ficti tious business name or names on 09/26/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/27/22.

NOV 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT

FILE A-0398576

The following person(s) is/are doing business as IT’S SIMPLE SF, 540 LEAVENWORTH ST #107, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LUKE JOSEPH STROMBERG. The registrant(s) com menced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/26/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/26/22.

NOV 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS

cused on designing and testing HIV vaccines and developing diagnostic tests for COVID-19 antibodies. She has received funding for her stud ies from the National Institutes of Health, the US Departments of De fense and Veterans Affairs, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.”

Several events are planned, begin ning November 29, in Santa Clara County.

Observances will kick off with a flag raising ceremony from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Tuesday, November 29, at 70 W. Hedding Street, San Jose, spon

sored by the Santa Clara County Of fice of LGBTQ Affairs and Santa Clara County Department of Public Health.

On Thursday, December 1, there will be a screening of the 2012 docu mentary “United in Anger: A History of ACT UP” followed by a panel dis cussion titled “Past, Present, and Fu ture of HIV.” This event runs from 6 to 9 p.m. at San Jose State University Student Union, Meeting Room 3, 2nd level (1 Washington Square, San Jose) and is sponsored by Pride Center at San Jose State University, Bay Area Community Health Clinic, the Health

FILE A-0398575

The following person(s) is/are doing business as ESTHETICS BY ROXANNE, 1728 UNION ST #211, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ROX ANNE MARIE CHESNUTT. The registrant(s) com menced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/28/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/26/22.

NOV 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT

FILE A-0398496

The following person(s) is/are doing busi ness as BOBBI’S ON HAIGHT, 1669 HAIGHT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KEVIN TEVIS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ficti tious business name or names on 10/13/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/14/22.

NOV 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0398600

The following person(s) is/are doing busi ness as CHANCERE, 2309 NORIEGA ST #78, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed COOCRR INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/28/22.

NOV 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0398601

The following person(s) is/are doing business as FRESH HOMES; HOUSEVERYTHING; 2309 NORIEGA ST #78, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BUILD AN IDEA INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/28/22.

NOV 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0398598

The following person(s) is/are doing business as GYRO KING, 25 GROVE ST #4072, SAN FRAN CISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed KING CUISINES INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious busi ness name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/28/22.

NOV 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0398603

The following person(s) is/are doing business as 380 MANAGEMENT INC., 850 OAK ST #3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed 380 MANAGEMENT INC. (CA). The registrant(s) com menced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/28/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/28/22.

NOV 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0398569

The following person(s) is/are doing business as PROFESSIONAL APPRAISERS CO, 587 39TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed IGOR KRIVENKO & MARINA KRIVENKO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/06/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/26/22.

NOV 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT

FILE A-0398577

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0398546

The following person(s) is/are doing business as MES LOCATOR, 3311 MISSION ST #110, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed MES LIFE SKILLS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/21/22.

NOV 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-0394458

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as MARINA SUBMARINE, 2299 UNION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business was conducted by a married couple and signed by JUNG S. JO & KYU C. JO. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/05/21.

NOV 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-0378919

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as PROFESSIONAL APPRAISERS CO, 1819 40TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business was conducted by a married couple and signed by IGOR KRIVENKO & MARINA KRIVENKO. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/11/17.

NOV 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22557540

In the matter of the application of ERIN ELIZABETH LYDON, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner ERIN ELIZABETH LYDON is requesting that the name ERIN ELIZA BETH LYDON be changed to ERIN WILSON. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 15th of DECEMBER 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

NOV 10, 17, 24, DEC 01, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22557542

In the matter of the application of JOHN TYRELL NALLS, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner JOHN TYRELL NALLS is requesting that the name JOHN TYRELL NALLS be changed to JOHN ALLEN TYRELL NALLS. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 15th of DECEMBER 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

NOV 10, 17, 24, DEC 01, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22557535

Trust, Asian Americans for Com munity Involvement, and Partners in AIDS Care and Education (PACE) Clinic. Admission is free.

Also on December 1, there will be a viewing in San Jose of portions of the AIDS quilt at 200 E. Santa Clara Street, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., spon sored by Project MORE, Silicon Valley Pride, and the Health Trust. Admis sion is free.

That same day, from 1 to 2 p.m., the city of San Jose will have a flag rais ing ceremony sponsored by Project MORE, Silicon Valley Pride, and the

Health Trust, at City Hall, 200 E. San ta Clara Street. This will be followed, from 5:30 to 8 p.m., by a candlelight vigil. Admission is free.

For more information on the South Bay events, go to https://bit. ly/3ERbWPq .

Finally, in Contra Costa County, there will be a vigil from 6 to 8 p.m. at Club 1220, 1220 Pine Street, in Wal nut Creek. This event is sponsored by JC Events in partnership with Club 1220 and Contra Costa Health Ser vices, which will be offering HIV/STI testing from 4 to 7 p.m.t

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22557549

In the matter of the application of IVANNA BERNARD, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner IVANNA BERNARD is requesting that the name ALEXANDER IVAN BERNARD-POLANCO be changed to ALEXANDER IVAN BERNARD. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 20th of DECEMBER 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

NOV 10, 17, 24, DEC 01, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22557544

In the matter of the application of ERICK ROSENTHAL, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner ERICK ROSENTHAL is requesting that the name ERICK ROSENTHAL be changed to HOA HUYNH. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 15th of DECEMBER 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

NOV 10, 17, 24, DEC 01, 2022

AMENDED ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22-557562

In the matter of the application of EUGENE DARYL TATE, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner EUGENE DARYL TATE is requesting that the name EUGENE DARYL TATE be changed to GENE HANSON TATE. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 15th of DECEMBER 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

NOV 10, 17, 24, DEC 01, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22557545

In the matter of the application of ALISHA MARIE DUDISH, for change of name having

been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner ALISHA MARIE DUDISH is requesting that the name ALISHA MARIE DUDISH be changed to ALISHA MARIE ROWE. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 20th of DECEMBER 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

NOV 10, 17, 24, DEC 01, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22557519

In the matter of the application of CRISTI RUBI PALALA CHAVARRIA, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it ap pears from said application that petitioner CRISTI RUBI PALALA CHAVARRIA is requesting that the name CRISTI RUBI PALALA CHAVARRIA AKA CRISTI PALALA AKA CRISTI R PALALA CHAVAR RIA be changed to CRISTI RUBI CHAVARRIA. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 6th of DECEMBER 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

NOV 10, 17, 24, DEC 01, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0398481

The following person(s) is/are doing business as LIL SOMETHING NEW, 1300 EVANS AVE #881154, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94188. This busi ness is conducted by an individual, and is signed DESTINY GREEN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ficti tious business name or names on 12/14/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/13/22.

NOV 10, 17, 24, DEC 01, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0398629

The following person(s) is/are doing busi ness as IDEAS AND VISIONS USA, 4021 18TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed EUGENE BENDOW. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/01/22.

NOV 10, 17, 24, DEC 01, 2022

ClassifiedsClassifieds

BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT

FILE A-0398597

The following person(s) is/are doing business as POPSTAR SHAWERMA, 91 6TH ST, SAN FRAN CISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed AZMI QASEM AHMED MURAIT. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ficti tious business name or names on 10/28/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/28/22.

NOV 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT

FILE A-0398565

The following person(s) is/are doing business as U-NIQ CUTS, 323 NOE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JULIE WONG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/26/22.

NOV 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT

FILE A-0398562

The following person(s) is/are doing busi ness as BOUTIQUE REAL ESTATE, 891 BEACH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DAYNA SUMMERS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/26/22.

NOV 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

The following person(s) is/are doing business as CURRY HURRY, 3339 STEINER ST, SAN FRAN CISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed CURRY HURRY LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ficti tious business name or names on 10/26/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/26/22.

NOV 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT

FILE A-0398596

The following person(s) is/are doing business as TALIN ANTARR, 5214F DIAMOND HEIGHTS BLVD #334, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SEA WOODS VINTAGE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ficti tious business name or names on 10/14/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/28/22.

NOV 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0398617

The following person(s) is/are doing business as NAT & BETTYS AFRO-CARIBBEAN SOUL FOOD, 475 6TH ST #K-8, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103.

This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed NAT & BETTYS LLC (CA).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact busi ness under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/13/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/31/22.

NOV 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

In the matter of the application of ELUVIA BEATRIZ LOPEZ & JHONATHAN WILFREDO NIETO MERINO, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said ap plication that petitioners ELUVIA BEATRIZ LOPEZ & JHONATHAN WILFREDO NIETO MERINO are requesting that the name ALEXANDER SANTIAGO NIETO LOPEZ be changed to MATEO JONATHAN NIETO LOPEZ. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do ap pear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 13th of DECEMBER 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

NOV 10, 17, 24, DEC 01, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22557533

In the matter of the application of ZULLY IRENE LOUIE, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner ZULLY IRENE LOUIE is requesting that the name ZULLY IRENE LOUIE be changed to ZULLY CHING. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 13th of DECEMBER 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

NOV 10, 17, 24, DEC 01, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22557539

In the matter of the application of STEPHANIE KAYE BOOHER, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner STEPHANIE KAYE BOOHER is requesting that the name STEPHANIE KAYE BOOHER be changed to STEPHANIE BOOHER KAYE. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 13th of DECEMBER 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

NOV 10, 17, 24, DEC 01, 2022

Finnsson, King.com Inc., 1001 E. Hillsdale Blvd., 5th &

Holiday happenings

Music, dance, and theater make the yuletide gay

by Philip Mayard

When the holiday performing arts season comes around, you’d be hard-pressed to find another city that offers more programs by and for us gays. From campy drag to chorus boys, classical music to “A Christmas Carol” – not to men tion eight different “Nutcrackers” to choose from – if you’re gay in Bay, there’s something that’s sure to bring joy, laughter, and inspira tion to your holiday season. Here are just a few highlights.

MUSIC

San Francisco Symphony Holiday Gaiety

December is a busy month at Davies, packed with holiday concerts and special appearances by superstars from across the musical spectrum. “The Colors of Christmas” (Dec. 6-7) features Oleta Adams, Peabo Bryson, Ruben Studdard, and Jody Watley. You can spend Christmas Eve with Harry Connick, Jr, or New Year’s Eve with Seth MacFarlane.

But the gays will be out in full force for the re turn of the Symphony’s popular “Holiday Gaiety” program. Conducted by Edwin Outwater and

hosted

Jimmie Herrod. At last year’s “Gai ety,” Herrod –a finalist on “America’s Got Tal ent”– blew the roof off Davies. It’s worth the ticket price just to hear Herrod sang. $35-$109, Dec. 15, Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Ave. www.symphony.org

A Chanticleer Christmas Hailed by “The New Yorker” as the “world’s

reigning male chorus,” Chanticleer tours the globe year-round, but they’re back home in the Bay Area this holiday season, with per formances from Petaluma to Carmel and all places between. Their San Francisco engage ment will be at the magnificent St. Ignatius Cathedral. Expect stellar renditions of classi cal, jazz, pop, and spiritual tunes, as well as in novative new takes on holiday favorites by San Francisco’s “Orchestra of Voices.” $36-80, De cember 11-23, locations across the Bay Area. www.chanticleer.org/christmas

“In the first four months, San Francisco has made me feel more at home than anywhere else,” Stensberg said. “I wake up full of gratitude every morning to be in this place, doing this work with these people at this time.”

This year’s presentation promises to be filled with showstoppers. According to Stensberg, there will be 234 singers appearing on stage. In addition to performing holiday favorites like “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “The Most Won derful Time of the Year” there will be songs in a variety of languages such as Tagalog, Swedish and Hebrew. There will also be classical compositions, like “Sure On This Shining Night” by California composer Morten Lauridsen.

Gooch

Christmas

“The show entails everything our audiences have come to love about the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus,” said Stensberg. “The chorus will deliver powerful moments of inspiration, joy, laughter, chills, and holiday warmth. If you’ve never been, it’s not your traditional choir con cert. The chorus puts on a production of danc ing, singing, and costumes as well as serious, silly, new and classic music. The chorus will sing some fun holiday classics, a little classical music, songs in four different languages, and even a little bit of Cher.”

Share & Cher

The show’s Cher medley has its roots in an Abba medley that the chorus performed five years ago. Chorus members let Stensberg know

by Peaches Christ, this year’s show features drag artist Monét X Change, comedian Marga Gomez, mezzo-soprano and aerialist Nikola Printz, Sister Roma, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, and the return of the extraordinarily gifted vocalist

David Allen

by David-Elijah Nahmod

will commence early this year when the San Francisco Gay Men’s Cho rus returns with “Holiday Spectacular,” an all-new holiday show in three venues: December

2 at 8pm, and December 3 at 3:30pm and 8pm at San Francisco’s Sydney Goldstein Theater; on December 11 at 7pm at Berkeley’s Freight and Salvage; and on December 17 at 5pm at Rohnert Park’s Green Music Center. And on December 24 at 5pm, 7pm and 9pm, the chorus will return to the Castro Theatre.

This will be the first time the Christmas shows will be led by Jacob Stensberg, the chorus’ new Artistic Director and Conductor. Stensberg re places longtime conductor Tim Seelig, who chose to retire. In an interview with the Bay Area Re porter, Stensberg said that he was loving what he calls his dream job.

San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus’ 2021 holiday concert at the Sydney Goldstein Theater

SF Gay Men

s Chorus holiday concerts

Vienna Boys Choir: Christmas in Vienna

The [Berkeley] hills will be alive with the sound of music on Thanks giving weekend, as the world-re nowned Vienna Boys Choir returns to the Bay Area for a program of Austrian folk songs, classical master pieces, and Christmas hymns and car ols from around the world. The choir is comprised of boys aged 9–13 from more than a dozen countries, who continue the tradition of a six-century Viennese choral legacy. $40-$118, Nov. 26, Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley campus. www.calperformances.org

Candlelight Concerts

This isn’t exactly a holiday program, but if you’re burned out on Christmas carols you can “Go Your Own Way” and experience the music of Fleet wood Mac like you’ve never heard it before, with a Candlelight Concerts

performance at St. Ignatius Cathedral (Dec. 2). This uniquely entertaining pop chamber ensemble stages inti mate, candlelit performances in unex pected venues, including the spooky Old Mint Building. Later in Decem ber they’ll present several perfor mances of a more traditional holiday program, and in January, look out for Radiohead, Taylor Swift, Beatles, and Radiohead tribute nights. $40-$80, various SF locations. www.feverup. com/san-francisco/candlelight

San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus Holiday Spectacular

You can’t call yourself a true San Franciscan until you’ve experienced San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus “Holiday Spectacular.” Beyond the ensemble’s stellar voices, there are al ways ridiculously funny stage antics, outrageous costumes, and this year we hear there will be a holiday-themed Cher medley. Indeed, where else but SF? If you’re not going to be around for the Chorus’ annual Christmas

Eve performance at the Castro The atre, you can catch them in Berkeley, or plan a getaway to Sonoma and ex perience SFGMC at the spectacular Green Music Center in Rohnert Park. $25-$145, various Bay Area locations. www.sfgmc.org

DANCE

San Francisco Ballet’s Nutcracker

Of the (at least) eight productions of “The Nutcracker” around the Bay Area, San Francisco Ballet’s opulent version is the juggernaut. SF Ballet was the first American ballet company to produce a full-length “Nutcracker” in 1944 at our own War Memorial Opera House. The company’s current production, set in San Francisco dur ing the 1915 Panama Pacific Interna tional Exposition, is undoubtedly one of the most lavish in the world. The conclusion of Act I (“Journey through the Snow”) is guaranteed to take your breath away. Yes, there will be lots of kids in the house, but this “Nutcrack er” makes for a great night out for grown-ups too. $19-$335, Dec. 8-27, War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Ave. www.sfballet.org

Oakland Ballet’s Nutcracker

With yet another nut to crack, Graham Lustig’s choreographic take on the holiday classic Tchaikovsky’s music is performed by the Oakland Symphony, with guest conductor Lesley Dunner, and vocals by the Pied mont East Bay Children’s Choir. The lavish set designs take on an Art Nou veau style. Performances are matinees, including 1pm shows with cast mem ber meet and greets, so there’s plenty of time to send the kids off for a postconcert nap to dream about sugar plum fairies. $33-$111, Dec. 17 & 18, The Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. oaklandballet.org/

Mark Foehringer’s  Nutcracker Sweets

If you’ve got little ones in your life who aren’t quite ready for the two-hour Opera House experience, Mark Foehringer Dance Project’s “Nutcracker Sweets” may be the right fit. This unique 50-minute version of the holiday ballet is specifically de signed for families with young chil dren. Now in its 14th year, the beauti fully staged production features a live nine-piece chamber orchestra. Just don’t be surprised if the kids behind you talk to the characters on stage; audience engagement is encouraged. $22-$44, December 3-18, Cowell Theater at Fort Mason, 1 Marina Blvd. www.nutcrackersweets.org

Dance-Along Nutcracker

Of all the Bay Area “Nutcrackers,” this one is the nuttiest. Part musi cal comedy, part dance-it-yourself ballet, and part symphonic concert, at “Dance-Along Nutcracker,” audi ence participation isn’t just allowed, it’s all but required. San Francisco’s Les bian/Gay Freedom Band provides the iconic score and the audience does al most everything else. Kids and grownups are welcome and costumes are en couraged, so get out your tutu and toe shoes and let your inner Sugar Plum Fairy come to life at this quintessen tially San Francisco experience. $25$60, Dec. 17-18, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Forum, 700 Howard St. www.dancealongnutcracker.org

Smuin Contemporary Ballet: The Christmas Ballet

If you’re not nuts for “Nutcracker,” but love beautiful dancing and a rol licking good time, check out Smuin’s joyous “The Christmas Ballet,” the company’s ever-evolving holiday pro gram. Each year the company unveils new world premiere works, so you’ll never see the same show twice. Act I showcases Smuin’s pristine ballet tech nique, while Act II allows the artists to show off their tap, jazz, and comedic skills to a variety of classical, jazz, and

pop musical selections.

This year’s “The Christmas Ballet” LGBTQ Night (Dec. 20) is sure to be the most fun and popular yet. Hosted by the one and only Lady Camden –hot off her worldwide tour as the run ner-up of “RuPaul’s Drag Race”– this one-night-only performance includes special programming and casting that celebrates the LGBTQ community. Every ticket purchased also provides a donation to Project Open Hand. $25$99, Nov. 19–Dec. 24, various Bay Area venues. www.smuinballet.org

ODC Dance: The Velveteen Rabbit

There’s a reason that the story of “The Velveteen Rabbit” has resonated with gay people for more than 100 years. A cherished tale of love, loy alty, and unconditional acceptance, the timeless fairy tale is a wonderful vehicle for ODC Dance’s holiday pro duction, which has toured to 20 states. Now in its 36th year, “The Velveteen Rabbit” features choreography by KT Nelson, music by Benjamin Britten, and narration by the always enter taining Geoff Hoyle (Broadway’s “The Lion King”). $15-$100, Nov. 26–Dec. 11, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 700 Howard St. www.odc.dance/ velveteenrabbit

Erik Tomasson

John Hefti

Matt Haber

THEATRE Club Fugazi: Dear San Francisco Holiday Performances

It’s been a little more than a year since the iconic Club Fugazi debuted their acrobatic homage to the City by the Bay, “Dear San Francisco,” and it’s a truly remarkable production. Dubbed “a love letter to San Francisco,” the in timate, immersive production brings together Cirque du Soleil-style highflying gymnastics, a healthy dose of irreverent humor and local history, and heartfelt personal stories from the cast and audience members, who are invited to write their own love letter to SF prior to the performance. If you’ve started to feel jaded about life in SF, “Dear San Francisco” will remind you how lucky we are to call this ridiculous city of ours home.

Starting November 22, Club Fugazi will be decking the hall and sprinkling joyful holiday touches to the critically acclaimed show, and New Year’s Eve will include special performances that include complimentary prosecco and a celebration at midnight. $35-$175, ongoing, Club Fugazi, 678 Green St. www.clubfugazi.com

beautifully restored Presidio Theatre yet, put this on your holiday calendar. $20-$40, Dec. 1-30, Presidio Theatre Performing Arts Center, 2340 Chest nut St. www.presidiotheatre.org

Brian Copeland’s The Jewelry Box: A Genuine Christmas Story

In this funny, loving prequel to his hit one-man show “Not a Genuine Black Man” –the longest running solo show in San Francisco theatre histo ry– actor-playwright Brian Copeland recounts two weeks of his life growing up in Oakland. Rife with references to 1970s Oakland, “The Jewelry Box”

Above

Above Right: Brian Copeland’s ‘The

Left: Renee Lubin as Queen Montgomery and Gary Stanford Jr. as King Powell in Panto at the Presidio: ‘Sleeping Beauty’

follows six-year-old Brian’s adventures as he scours help-wanted ads, applies for jobs, and collects bottles, inching his way toward the perfect gift for his mother: a coveted jewelry box from a local department store. $25-$35 gen eral seating (sliding scale), $50-$100 reserved seating, The Marsh, 1062 Va lencia St. www.themarsh.orgt

American

Conservatory Theater: A Christmas Carol San Francisco’s holiday season just hasn’t been the same without A.C.T.’s glorious production of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” and we’re thrilled that it’s back after three long years. Although it was written in 1843, the tale of Ebeneezer Scrooge and his epic journey from miserly grump to joyful philanthropist still feels relevant today. With spectacular sets, a cast of dozens decked out in Victorian finery, magi cal ghosts, and charming music, this superb production is sure to delight youngsters and adults alike. $15-$135, Nov. 30-Dec. 24, Toni Rembe (for merly Geary) Theater, www.act-sf.org

The Golden Girls Live: Christmas Episodes

“If you threw a party, invited ev eryone you knew…” the party would surely end up at the uproarious Christ mas edition of “The Golden Girls Live.” This hugely popular San Francisco tradition will once again feature the tal ents of legendary drag queens Heklina (Dorothy), Matthew Martin (Blanche), D’Arcy Drollinger (Rose), and Holotta Tymes (Sophia), parodying two epi sodes of everyone’s favorite classic ’80s sitcom. Get your tickets early, as perfor mances will sell out. $35-$65, Nov. 25Dec. 23, Victoria Theatre, 2961 16th St. www.thegoldengirlslive.com

Panto at the Presidio: Sleeping Beauty

What “The Nutcracker” is to Amer icans, “panto” is to the Brits. Panto is a traditional British entertainment that takes over theatres across the UK dur ing the holiday season. It’s great for kids, but the grown-ups will love the one-line zingers, outrageous char acters, and send-ups of political and pop culture figures. This over-the-top musical re-imagining of the classic fairytale “Sleeping Beauty” is set in the kingdom of Pantoland, a mythical place that bears a striking resemblance to contemporary San Francisco. If you haven’t seen a performance at the

American Conservatory Theater’s ‘A Christmas Carol’

Left : ‘The Golden Girls Live: Christmas Episodes’

Jewelry Box’

Terry Lorant

by Jim Van Buskirk

V isual artist Phillip Hua is a busy man. Currently working on five public art projects, in addition to his impressive body of gallery work, he’s been recently renovating his studio. After new floors were installed, he had a storage rack built, getting orga nized for open studios “right around the corner.” The gay artist recently took time out of his robust schedule for an interview, during which he was relaxed and forthcoming about his life and work.

His largest, and most recent, public art piece was unveiled on October 22. “Building a Better Bayview,” installed in the main lobby of the Southeast Community Center in the Bayview, honors “The Big 6,” Bayview commu nity leaders instrumental in bringing the original community center to the

neighborhood.

The historical background: In 1979, San Francisco’s southeast communi ties won a community center located at 1800 Oakdale Avenue as part of an agreement to offset the effects of the Southeast Wastewater Treatment Plant on surrounding communities. The new center honors the legacy of the community activists who led the movement for the original cen ter: Alex Pitcher, Harold Madison, Ethel Garlington, Dr. Espanola Jack son, Shirley Jones, and Elouise West brook.

Originally commissioned in 2018, the mural’s timeline was impacted by the pandemic.

“Having multiple projects is good,” said Hua. “They stall, they start, so it’s good to have multiple irons in the fire.”

With their long timelines, these big public projects helped with “where the

world was, where I was,” Hua added. Galleries were struggling, and virtual shows being not the same as in person. “It wasn’t a great place for my energy.”

So Hua shifted his focus from his gallery work and became increasingly interested public art. He’s now starting two projects with the cities of Sunny vale & Dublin.

Going public

His very first public art commission was in 2009 for the SF Arts commis sion’s “Art in Storefronts” project. He was offered a $500 stipend for his in stallation, “Consider It.” He was grate ful for the experience, the opportunity to try something different. “It always helps to think big, start small and move fast!” Hua enthused.

In 2015 his portraits, “We are San Francisco: Unified Portraits of a Di vided San Francisco,” was part of Muni Art, an innovative artistic venture be tween San Francisco Beautiful and the SFMTA that placed local art inside 50 Muni buses.

As his public art portfolio grew, establishing a track record, he was able to get bigger and better com missions, including projects in Davis, Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and a per manent public art installation at the 19th Street BART station in Oakland. Hua also created an art label for Im agery Winery’s 2019 Tempranillo. He quipped, “The wine is bold, fruity and spicy, just like me!”

After years living in the Castro, Hua and his husband Eric Rottenberg bought a home in the Portola district in 2013, thinking, “it was affordable, but not all that exciting, not much go ing on.” He would head to SoMa or back to the Castro to eat, party and hang out with friends.

In 2014 he met all kinds of neigh bors through the Portola Neighbor hood Association, and discussions began with the Goettingen Neighbors Group about the utilitarian, but takenfor-granted steep concrete staircase that connects Goettingen Street to Dwight Street.

Hua’s initial concept was a waterfall design with glow-in-the-dark treads and mirrored tiled risers. After sourc ing and testing materials, he found is sues with the initial design, including not having enough sunlight to charge the glow-in-the-dark elements. That, and the urban light pollution, forced him to rethink the design.

Stairway to haven

With San Francisco’s many storied tiled stairways, “I wanted to create something unique,” he said. His idea: “Steps to Wisdom,” using the ascent of stairs as a metaphor for enlighten ment. He was able to carry forward the original mirror element and combine it with “words of wisdom” from the community. The words of wisdom will be embedded into the tiles for visitors

to read as they go up the stairs. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, the visi tors will be met with a set of fully mir rored stairs, a manifestation of reflec tion.

“Wisdom comes from reflecting,” said Hua. “Reflecting on your life and what you’ve learned; regrets, mistakes, successes. And when others think about your lessons, they have a chance to learn from you, too. Now others are seeing themselves in you and that’s an other form of reflection.”

This former “pipe dream” is nearing the end of its fundraising campaign. Hua said working with the commu nity on the project was wonderful be cause the more involved folks are, the more meaning it has. Seeking to rep

resent a variety life experiences, they have collected advice and life lessons from throughout the community, in cluding the involvement of a local se nior center, and look forward to shar ing it with everyone.

Committed to community, Hua is an amiable ambassador of the arts, es pecially enthusiastically extolling the benefits of public art. Acknowledg ing the importance of art in private homes, museums, and galleries, he likes to include the public in his work.

“It builds community ownership,” and brings people closer to the art, in a sense, bringing art to the people.t

www.philliphua.com www.stepstowisdomsf.org

Philip Hua’s ‘Building a Better Bayview’ installation at the Southeast Community Center

Ethan Kaplan Photography

Above: Philip Hua’s ‘Steps to Wisdom’ project Below: Philip Hua’s ‘Eclipse’ (acrylic print on Acrylite with gold metal leafed panel)

Artist Philip Hua in his studio

Rendering: Andrew Klein

by Jim Gladstone

It’d be downright abominable not to grin at the sight of dozens of little kids –many no doubt experiencing their first big night at the theater–buzzing about the lobby of the Or pheum Theatre in shimmery princess dresses. A handful of grown-up gay Mouseketeers sporting tinsel-thread ed slim-fit suits and other celebratory seasonal fashions only added to the pre-show sugar rush at Sunday’s open ing night performance of Disney’s “Frozen” road show.

Similarly, I’d qualify as human tun dra had I not been tickled by the sight of an orange-vested Muni worker snapping away with his phone cam era as the crowd poured onto Mar ket Street after the final curtain to be greeted by a flurry of real snow ema nating from above the illuminated marquee.

If the musical doesn’t quite live up to the shiny packaging it’s wrapped in, “Frozen” nonetheless delivers far more than the cold-blooded cash grab that Disney cynics might predict.

The cutesier characters are touched with adult sophistication. Local na tive Lorenzo Pisoni (A.C.T.’s “Humor Abuse”) designed the character move ment for Sven the Reindeer, giddily ex ecuted by Collin Baja. And Jeremy Da vis masterfully sings and manipulates Olaf the Snowman, a Julie Taymor-in spired puppet/puppeteer hybrid.

The singing is Broadway-strong. Laura Nicole Chapman tears it up as Queen Elsa. The swoony tones of Dominic Dorset as Kristoff will send the body temperature of many audi ence members rising (along, perhaps, with those members’ members).

Before grousing that the show’s signature “Let It Go” is an all-too-fa miliar refrain after umpteen viewings of the animated source material with the children in your life, consider the number of rat dances and Scrooges you’ve smilingly endured. For Nut cracker alte kackers like this reviewer, “Frozen” is still relatively fresh.

The creative team, led by director Michael Grandage and the Disney Theatrical apparatus, enhances the show’s novelty by expanding the scope

of the movie. There are nearly three times as many songs (by Robert Lo pez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez) in the version on stage at the Orpheum, including Kristoff’s “What Do I Know About Love” and the sister duet “I Can’t Lose You” which were added during pandemic shutdown and do not appear on the original Broadway cast album. The best stage-specific addendum is the blissfully gratuitous second-act opener, “Hygge” with its terrific clown car meets sauna schtick. One of the new numbers, “Monster” is clearly intended as Elsa’s Act 2 book end to the earlier “Let It Go.” While the song works as a second show case for Chapman’s arena-strength voice, its ambiguous lyrics (Are Elsa’s freeze-ray powers more munificent or monstrous?) underscores the script’s surprisingly muddled psychological characterization of its heroine. The movie’s simple message that one can take pride in their uniqueness rather than feeling like an outsider becomes messily complicated in a bit of ill-ad vised overreach beyond cuddly snow man toward Ingmar Bergman.

that they loved doing this medley and wanted to do it again, but Stensberg felt that it would be best to homor another pop icon and come up with a fun new holiday parody.

choice,” Stensberg said. “Do you believe in Santa Claus, echo Santa Claus, Santa Claus, Santa Claus. It writes itself!”

inaugural year of the Chorus’ holiday composition competition that focuses on emerging composers. The winner will be offered a cash prize, an audio recording, a concert performance, and tickets to the show.

ing Garrett, who composed a piece for us titled ‘Snow’,” said Stensberg. “Ryan’s music is dramatic and theat rical. He uses the entire range of the

its Broadway predecessor, “Wicked” (There’s even an Idina Menzel connec tion thickening that plot). But that’s canny corporate Disney at work, dou bling down on the derivative to keep family fare all the more familiar.

For adult audiences, another flaw in “Frozen”s floe is the surprisingly cheesy and inconsistent visual render ing of snow and ice. A ‘throw it all at the wall and see what sticks’ approach alternately uses confetti, smoke, light swirls, projected stencils, Swarovski crystals and clunky plastic stalagmites. That said, kids will adore the muchness of it all.

In the end, I’m loathe to lean too far Grinch-ward in regard to Disney’s lat est wintry windfall. It’s got more tinsel than ambition, but “Frozen” delivers a blizzard of show-bizzy holiday fun.t

‘Frozen’ through December 30. $50-$250; $40 rush tickets available. Orpheum Theatre, 1192 Market St. (888) 746-1799. www.broadwaysf.com

While the Girl Power ethos of “Frozen” translates well to the stage, it also makes you realize how similar its twisted sisterhood is to the rela tionship of Elphaba and Glinda in

SF Gay Men’s Chorus’ new Artistic Director and Conductor Jacob Stensberg

Caroline Bowman as Elsa in the ‘Frozen’ North American Tour

Deen Van Meer © Disney Caroline Bowman (Elsa), Lauren Nicole Chapman (Anna) and Company in ‘Frozen’

Deen Van Meer. © Disney

Dominic Dorset (Kristoff) and Collin Baja (Sven) in the ‘Frozen’ North American Tour

Deen Van Meer. © Disney

by Yeva Johnson

Joan Nestle’s writings are wideranging with something to challenge, delight, or spark the imagination for a variety of lesbi ans: well-read lesbians, nonbinary lesbians, academic lesbians, les bians of color, queer folk, activist lesbians, women-loving lesbians, trans lesbians, Jewish lesbians, feminists, women, womxn, people of all genders or none, and people of all races, religions, ages, classes and political persuasions.

Nestle writes about every-day lesbians and the people who trav el with them in all their diversity. Her stories, essays, speeches, and treatises energize the past as a vi brant part of our present political understanding and welcome an ever-more-liberated future where people can glory in their full selves and identities, whichever way they overlap.

Joan Nestle shows us how lesbians made social change from the second

half of the twentieth century to the first quarter of the twenty-first and inspires readers to imagine expanded possibilities for freedom in the new millennium.

As a queer lesbian who came to writing late in life, it is both daunt ing and exhilarating to invite new and familiar audiences to enjoy Joan Nestle’s work. Born in the mid–twentieth century, I came out in the 1980s during a time that was not as open to varied forms of lesbian expression.

In the community where I came out, there was a right way and a wrong way to be a lesbian. Never one to follow someone else’s right way, I ended up making my own circuitous queer path in life. Medi cal training and practice, then rais ing children meant that for years, I was lucky to be able to read a few short stories or an occasional novel about lesbians, let alone eke out the time to put pen to paper.

Around 2014, I started to write poetry and to read more widely, with a particular emphasis on poetry and literature about people of color, feminists, queer people, and Jewish people. I set out to become a well-read Black Jewish queer lesbian.

Hidden in plain sight

by Tim Pfaff

Valley, one of America’s most hidden regions –though it’s right there at the side of the high way for anyone to see– is vividly por trayed in Manuel Muñoz’s new short story collection “The Consequences” (Graywolf Press). Leaving these haunting stories, the reader is unlikely ever to forget the camouflaged region and its secrets again.

Almost to a one, Muñoz’s characters are migrant farm workers in California’s Central Valley south of Fresno or their live-in relatives. A few have achieved U.S. citizenship, but most are Mexicans

tilling American fields and orchards, dodging immigration authorities, and leading hardscrabble lives on the north side of the muddy border river most all of them have crossed to reach the land of opportunity.

The ease with which Muñoz’s sto ries unfold belies the difficulties of the migrants’ lives except in one particu lar. They are distinctly undramatic. There’s little of what is sometimes called local color in them, certainly as regards descriptions of the physical environment. In its place is an envel oping reality of something that most challenges writers of fiction: the mo notony of poverty.

Always with us

Even the nostrum of the poor always being with “us” gets a twist. A major subject of these tales is waiting –waiting for the men to come home after their grueling long days in the fields, waiting for the children to grow and have better lives, waiting for the heat to break, waiting, sometimes futilely, to be paid.

Another is the endlessness of migration. Muñoz’s people are continually if not continuously on the move. Town and city names go by in a blur as charac ters move from farm to farm and region to region, either in flight or in the never-ending hope of a better life at the end of an everreceding rainbow.

Then there’s the paucity of money, which colors everything. Only one of the migrant characters – the farm-owners are so remote that they require no characteriza tion– shows any aptitude for making, keeping, loaning, and growing money, which lands him in a position in his community that is, in our current par lance, only esteem-adjacent.

The glory of this, the out author’s third collection of fiction, is the pa tience of the prose. There are oc casional felicitous turns of phrase, sentences that strike like the snakes the workers fear waking in the fields. But there’s no flash and a conspicu ous turning away from anything like authorial exhibitionism. The writing is unfailingly honest. How often is literary fiction branded with that ad jective?

Early in a story with the naked title of “Fieldwork,” Muñoz evokes his characters’ plight in language of startling directness. “My best friend told me that his family, like mine, had come to the Fresno area because of the fieldwork…. His father and his mother drove a truck from town to town, looking for crops to pick, and they lived like that until the truck broke down on Highway 99 outside of Selma. They had no money to fix the truck, so they settled there.”

Women on the verge

With their men so far “away,” in all senses of the word, the women rule the roost, at least when there is a roost to rule. Muñoz gets deep inside their hearts, minds, and struggles without gratuitous character inflation. There is no heroism in these stories, just grit and, in the best cases, something like fidelity.

We’re a ways into the last story,

Nestle’s writing and thinking vibrate at the center of contentious disagree ments in feminist communities and lesbian communities. Throughout the collection, women celebrate their full sexuality without shame. Joan reaches for openness, for acceptance of ex pansive views of gender, of lesbians, of what it means to be a woman, or a woman and feminist and a lesbian, and how those meanings might vary depending on race, class, religion, and other identities.

As Nestle recounts in “Who Were We to Do Such a Thing?,” “These people, these projects, were the golden riches of my time,” and her work cel ebrates “the sheer womanness of it all, the sheer lesbianism of it all, all the variations of woman and lesbian wel comed.” Joan embraces the “tensions of lesbian difference” and in- cludes butch women, passing women, fem women, adolescent women, women sex workers, women academics, non binary women, working class women, and women of color, rejecting the idea of “lesbian purity” or “role-model les

bian history” so that “lesbian” becomes a “noun that stands for all possibilities of queerness, for all possibilities of de viations.”

Joan Nestle’s “A Sturdy Yes of a Peo ple: Selected Writings” showcases her body of work as a writer, academic, activist, and mentor who has contrib uted so much to the liberation of lesbi ans, queer people and their allies, and many other peoples. In this twentyfirst century when rights gained can never be taken for granted, Nestle’s work is more important than ever. Joan reifies the depth and breadth of queer life with all its ups and downs, freedoms and hindrances, past tri als and successes, and never leaves out the class, race, gender, and other lenses that are critical to understand ing everyday lesbian lives.

“A Sturdy Yes of a People: Selected Writings” invites readers to explore more of Nestle’s legacy, including pre serving the history of everyday lesbi ans and struggles for lesbian libera tion. Delve deeply and enjoy the feast! www.sinisterwisdom.orgt

“What Kind of Fool Am I?” before we learn conclusively that the narrator is a woman –a daughter and, more to the point here, a caring sister. That she herself acquires a boyfriend, Goyo, is as much a surprise to the reader at this point in the collection as it is to her.

Before he ghosts her, perhaps inevi tably, he’s drawn deep into the family secret. Her brother, Teo, has another identity, “Teddy,” a 16-year-old run away who keeps body and soul to gether by, in his own bare words, let ting older men fuck him in the ass. It’s a living of sorts, until it’s not.

To no one’s surprise, the valley is no place to be gay, at least as far as lib eration and happiness are concerned.

The most vivid of the gay sex episodes depicted in the stories is a nervous, movie-theater, next-seat-over blow job, an interaction between Mauricio and Pico that leaves the recipient, quickly abandoned, as forlorn as he is sticky.

Teo is disparaged as a “joto,” a fag got, but it’s his johns who come in for the most scathing descriptions. Mark and (a different) Teddy are at the most entangled. After essentially anal-rap ing Teddy, Mark, “who enjoyed caus ing this kind of hurt … asked Teddy to come away with him.”

The specter of HIV haunts their re lationship until it finally claims Teddy. In a development many gay men who lived through the epidemic will find all too familiar, Mark has to sneak into Teddy’s “for family only” funeral. His retreat from the rites involves allnight driving against the advice of a gas-station manager.

“Mark kept looking out at the black nothing that lay just beyond the gas station, the black nothing that Teddy had come from, and the black nothing

into which he had returned.”

The closest Muñoz comes to nonlinear, plain-speaking story-telling is in Mark’s seeing “a dark silhouette,” a hallucination of Teddy. Inviting it in, Mark finds that “the silhouette moved toward him, but the face remained in shadow. When it refused to reveal itself, a great sadness overtook Mark and he woke, startled and tearful.”

The relationship of a home-owning gay couple, Juan and Daryl in “Pre sumido,” is troubled by Juan’s alcohol ism. But in the opinion of their friend Severina, it is Daryl who is “presumi do,” a word with “weight…. Juan knew what the word meant. Arrogant, Selfcentered.”

The central feature of the migrants’ lives is, of course, “work.” In story after story drained of self-pity, the reader encounters a large cast of characters who, against the odds, get up every day to have at it again.

“Work demanded everything of my family,” says the narrator of “Field work,” whose own work is centered on helping his mother care for his institu tionalized father. Over the course of the story it is revealed that the first of his siblings died in infancy. “All work is hard, my mother said. We all work in our own ways.”

Of her husband’s fellow patients, his mother says, “They’ll get out soon if they do their exercises, as if to remind me that this place was not the end. No place is the end if you don’t want it to be. If you work hard you can leave.”

For most of Muñoz’s characters, if only….t

‘The Consequences’ by Manuel Muñoz, Graywolf Press, 181 pp., $16. www.graywolfpress.org www.manuel-munoz.com

Author Manuel Muñoz

by Gregg Shapiro

Insurance salesman by day, Zach Verdoorn was a full-time musician up until the pandemic. He was regu larly DJing, picking up random gigs here and there with some cover bands in Chicago, and playing in the band The Claudettes.

Currently, he’s keeping the day job while maintaining his role as bass player and guitarist in The Claudettes. An openly queer musician, Verdoorn made some time in his day to dis cuss The Claudettes’ new album “The Claudettes Go Out!” (Forty Below), his third with the band.

Gregg Shapiro: For those unfa miliar with The Claudettes, what can you tell them about the gen esis of the band’s name?

Zach Verdoorn: This is kind of a complicated question. There’s actually some major his tory involved. The Claudettes started as a drum and piano duo. The drum and piano duo was employed by a woman at a bar called Claudette’s Bar. Clau dette was kind of a hardass…to be honest with you, the whole thing was a spoof [laughs]. It was a fun spoof. They sold it and they told people that it was true. It was like kind of a perfor mance piece. The band would get terrible gigs on purpose. One time, they played in a Sta ples store. They booked it as the Staples Center, but it was really the center of a Staples store [laughs].

When did you join The Clau dettes?

I joined The Claudettes in 2016. Johnny Iguana and I had played to gether. We’ve known each other for almost 20 years. I met him while I was a concert promoter in Sioux Falls,

South Dakota, as well as a musician. His band played with my band at this really nice pavilion in Sioux Falls, where I was living at the time.

I joined his group Oh My God, so I was doing The Kickback and Oh My God for a couple of years when I first moved here and, between the two bands, was touring a lot. In The Kickback, I was a little bit older than those guys, they were kind of young whippersnappers. Iguana was closer to my age and mindset, and I chose to leave The Kickback and join Oh My God permanently. Then Oh My God broke up and I joined a cover band for a couple of years. Iguana started The Claudettes while I was doing that. Claudettes had a change in their lineup and that’s when Iguana asked to join them, so I quit the cover band.

played bass before. They liked my personality more than the bass player that they had at the time [laughs]. They didn’t care that I couldn’t play bass as well as he did. They just wanted somebody they could get along with.

I took up the bass at age 23. I prac ticed for three days and I learned slap technique, because this guy was a crazy slap bass player like Flea (of Red Hot Chili Peppers). I’d never slapped the bass before [laughs]. I took a weekend and I got two lessons from a friend of mine who was a really good bass player. Each day, for 11 hours over this one weekend, I learned how to play all their songs and learned all the slap bass parts. My hands were sore and raw at the end of the week end, but I was able to get it done.

The song “Exposure” diverts from the usual Claudettes sound in that the male band members’ vocals are more prominent. That was Johnny coming up with something out of left field. He does that all the time. Usually, there’s a song on each record that’s kind of like, “Whoa! What person wrote this?” Yet, it’s Johnny again. The song is basically about people suggesting that an artist do something pro bono or free. ‘Make this poster for my band. Tons of peo ple are going to see it! You’ll probably get some more work out of it.’

What are the pros and cons of being the gay member of The Claudettes?

I love it because everyone in the band is really supportive of me. In fact, they’ve encouraged me to try things. I was dabbling in drag for a while. My ex-boyfriend used to do me up all the time. He taught me a lot about drag and things like that. The Claudettes did this series. We had a bunch of my drag friends, and I got dressed up in drag and we did this basement video thing. It was fun! I feel like I looked great. We were tossing around the idea of me doing drag for shows.

You play bass and guitar in The Claudettes. How long have you been playing each instrument, and do you play any other instru ments?

I started playing guitar when I was 11. Then I joined a group that needed a bass player when I was 23. I’d never

But the thing is, with the trav eling, and how much work goes into it to actually look really good, it takes so many hours. I’ve been trying to think of a way to kind of land in the middle of presenting a little more queerly. To answer your question, it’s great to be in a rootsy group and to be out. The (roots) genre, in the past, has been lacking any queerness. It’s nice to be in the band and be open. As I’m talking to people and they’re talking to me, I’m honest about my sexu ality and everybody’s like, “Oh, I would never have guessed.” It’s like, “Well, here I am!”t

www.theclaudettes.com

Zach Verdoorn