November 9, 2023 edition of the Bay Area Reporter by Bay Area Reporter

E. Bay center faces deficit

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Vol. 53 • No. 45 • November 9-15, 2023

We stand with the LGBTQ+ community in health, harmony, and happiness. Everyone deserves access to inclusive and affirming care, no matter who they love or how they identify. We see you — and celebrate you — for all that is you. For all that is the San Francisco Bay Area. For all that is you.

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E. Bay center faces deficit

Saltzman bows out

'Hedwig'

ARTS

'Out in the Ring'

The

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Serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities since 1971

Vol. 53 • No. 45 • November 9-15, 2023

Oakland City Council OKs LGBTQ cultural district by Cynthia Laird

Courtesy the candidates

Clay Hale, left, was leading in his San Jose college board race, while Sasha Ritzie-Hernandez was trailing in her Oakland school board race.

Out Bay Area school candidates await final vote tallies

by Matthew S. Bajko

he special elections for education board seats held November 7 in two Bay Area cities brought mixed results for out education leaders Sasha Ritzie-Hernandez and Clay Hale. While Ritzie-Hernandez is trailing in the race for an Oakland school board seat, Hale took the lead on election night in his bid for a community college board seat in San Jose. They both vied to serve out the terms of former officeholders who resigned after winning election to different positions last November. Both terms run through the end of 2024, meaning the winners of the races need to seek full fouryear terms on the November 2024 ballot. Neither race saw a candidate declare victory Tuesday, as election officials in both Alameda and Santa Clara counties have more ballots to count. Clear winners are likely to emerge once the results in the two races are next updated. Hale, a gay man, had sought election to the District 7 seat on the body that oversees the San José-Evergreen Community College District in Santa Clara County. The seven-person board currently has no LGBTQ representation on it. Its seat centered in downtown San Jose is vacant due to gay San Jose City Councilmember Omar Torres resigning from it after being elected to his city’s governing body last November. Hale, who works for the East Side Union High School District, was one of five candidates seeking to serve out the remainder of Torres’ term through the end of next year. According to the unofficial returns as of Wednesday morning, Hale landed in first place with 47% percent of the vote. He was leading the second-place finisher, nonprofit education official Lisanna Dominguez, by 749 votes. An updated vote count is expected at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. “As a local teacher, community member, and neighbor, I appreciate your dedication and support. Your encouragement has brought us closer to bringing a teacher’s perspective to the San JoseEvergeen Community College District,” Hale wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday night. “We are optimistic about tonight’s lead and look forward to election updates tomorrow. Thank you for voting for a teacher.” See page 4 >>

t a joyous news conference outside the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center Tuesday morning, drag queen Vicki Sparkle Titz wowed the crowd by lip-synching and dancing to Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” before the Oakland Gay Men’s Chorus performed “Seasons of Love” from the Broadway smash “Rent.” It was all part of a celebration ahead of the Oakland City Council approving the first LGBTQ cultural district in the city, which it did at its meeting November 7. The Lakeshore LGBTQ Cultural District is anchored by the community center on Lakeshore Avenue, and encompasses parts of the Lakeshore and Grand neighborhoods. Brandon Harami, a gay man who’s director of community resilience for Mayor Sheng Thao and her de facto LGBTQ liaison, said there are about a dozen businesses within the district’s boundaries that are LGBTQ-owned. (None of the business owners spoke at the event.) At the City Council meeting, the resolution passed 7-0. (Councilmember Treva Reid had an excused absence.) District 1 Councilmember Dan Kalb, who attended the kickoff, said he was

Cynthia Laird

Drag queen Vicki Sparkle Titz performs to Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” outside the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center Tuesday.

“very thrilled to be one of the co-sponsors.” (Kalb is running for the open District 7 state Senate seat in the March primary.) In fact, four councilmembers represent parts of all of the district: Kalb; Rebecca Kaplan, a lesbian who represents the entire city; Carroll Fife of District 3, and Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas of District 2.

At the kickoff, Kaplan told the Bay Area Reporter that the district is decades in the making. “I am so proud of being part of making this district happen,” Kaplan said in a brief interview. “It’s an acknowledgement of a community presence that’s been here for a long time.” See page 13 >>

Backers of 3 anti-trans CA measures receive OK to begin signature drives by Matthew S. Bajko

roponents of a trio of ballot measures restricting the rights of transgender youth are now free to launch signature drives to qualify them for California’s 2024 fall ballot. It is the latest salvo in the ongoing legal and legislative fights over protecting LGBTQ youth in the Golden State. Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., announced Thursday that she had cleared the proponents of the three initiatives to begin collecting signatures from 546,651 registered voters for each of them. It represents 5% of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2022 general election. The group Protect Kids California, co-founded by Jonathan Zachreson, has until April 29 to turn in the required signatures to county elections officials. It had submitted the three initiatives to the office of state Attorney General Rob Bonta in August, as the Bay Area Reporter previously reported. (https://www.ebar.com/story. php?ch=news&sc=news&id=327972) Bonta is responsible for issuing the title and summary for ballot measures. He has also been waging a court fight over the focus of one of the proposed propositions, which would explicitly say that school districts can forcibly out transgender and nonbinary students to their parents or legal guardians without their permission. Several Southern California school boards have

Rick Gerharter

A person sits with a transgender flag at this year’s Trans March. The group Protect Kids California’s three anti-trans California ballot measures have been cleared for signature gathering by the secretary of state’s office.

already adopted such a policy this year. One of them, Chino Valley Unified School District, is being sued by Bonta over its adoption of a mandatory gender identity disclosure policy. Last month, a San Bernardino Superior Court judge granted a preliminary injunction against enforcing two parts of the policy. They were the requirements that staff out students for identifying as transgender or gender-nonconforming at school, as well as for accessing sex-segregated pro-

grams and activities that align with their gender, as the B.A.R. reported. (https://www.ebar.com/story. php?ch=news&sc=legal&id=329162) As for the ballot measure, Bonta titled it as “Requires Schools To Report Any Change In A Student’s Expressed Gender, Without Exception For Student’s Safety.” Its secretary of state tracking number is 1960 and the attorney general’s tracking number for it is 23-0018A1, Weber’s announcement stated. See page 12 >>

<< Health News

4 • Bay Area Repor ter • November 9-15, 2023

Study suggests PIP is another HIV prevention option by Liz Highleyman

aving antiretrovirals on hand to take as post-exposure prophylaxis after potential HIV exposure, an approach known as PEP-in-pocket, or PIP, is a feasible prevention option, especially for people who have sex infrequently, according to study results presented at the recent IDWeek conference in Boston. “I really think PIP is a strong additional tool for patients and providers and gives more options – and a more granular approach – for HIV prevention,” presenter Dr. Isaac Bogoch of the University of Toronto told the Bay Area Reporter. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) pills taken every day or injections administered every other month reduce the risk of HIV acquisition by around 99% for gay and bisexual men and transgender women. Taking PrEP pills on demand before and after sex is also an effective option, especially for people who can antici-

School candidates

From page 3

Anthony Macias, a gay Republi-

Courtesy Canadian HIV Trials Network

Dr. Isaac Bogoch of the University of Toronto studied Prep-in-pocket, or PIP, as a feasible HIV prevention option.

pate when they’re likely to have sex. Another prevention tool, postexposure prophylaxis (PEP), involves taking a monthlong course of antiretrovirals after sex or other can who is a perennial candidate in San Jose, had also run for the college board seat. He is in last place with 209 votes, according to the current tally.

types of exposure. Although the two-drug combination pills used for PrEP can prevent HIV from taking hold in the body, PEP – which is essentially very early treatment – uses a stronger three-drug regimen taken for 28 days. Traditionally provided on an emergency basis, PEP should be started within 72 hours after a potential exposure, but sooner is better. This can be difficult, since exposures may occur when it’s not easy or convenient to access the medications, such as over a weekend or while traveling. PEP-in-pocket may be a good alternative for some people, for example, those who have unplanned condomless sex only a few times a year or who infrequently share needles to inject drugs. The benefits of PIP over PrEP include less total time on antiretrovirals, which lowers medication cost and reduces the duration of side effects, although PrEP is generally well tolerated. On the other hand, the more intensive

PEP regimen could cause worse side effects for a shorter period of time compared with continuous PrEP. Bogoch and his team evaluated the PEP-in-pocket approach at two HIV clinics in Toronto, it was reported at the conference October 14. After counseling, individuals who have infrequent (zero to four times per year) but high-risk exposures of any type were prescribed a course of antiretrovirals to have on hand if needed. This analysis included 112 people, mostly gay and bi men, who were prescribed PEP-in-pocket between February 2016 and December 2022. During follow-up, 35 people selfinitiated antiretrovirals following sexual exposure, including 19 who did so more than once, for a total of 69 courses of PIP. Five people discontinued the drugs early, one due to side effects and four after a more in-depth risk assessment found they weren’t necessary. There were no new cases of HIV during follow-up, the researchers

reported. However, there were 22 cases of bacterial sexually transmitted infections among 13 people, suggesting that some of them might also be candidates for doxycycline postexposure prophylaxis (doxyPEP). Participants fluidly transitioned between different HIV prevention methods as circumstances warranted, with nearly a third switching from PEP-in-pocket to PrEP and a similar proportion doing the reverse. “PrEP (injectable, daily, and ondemand) and PEP are fantastic, but still leave significant gaps in care. PIP fills that gap nicely and enables people with a low frequency of highrisk (and occasionally unanticipated) exposures to have agency and autonomy over their HIV prevention care,” Bogoch said. “People do not take a linear path through life, and HIV risk is dynamic. We work with patients to adapt their HIV prevention modality to best suit their current and future needs.” t

In the East Bay, Ritzie-Hernandez ran for a seat on the Oakland Unified School District board. A resident of the city’s Fruitvale district

who uses both she and they pronouns, Ritzie-Hernandez was vying to succeed school board member Mike Hutchinson in the District 5

area covering several of Oakland’s eastern neighborhoods. Having been redistricted into the board’s District 4 area, Hutchinson ran for the seat last fall. Due to a mix up by the county registrar, transgender married dad Nick Resnick had been declared the winner and sworn into office in January. But faced with a lawsuit over the results, Resnick resigned from the seat and Hutchinson was sworn into office earlier this year. He backed the other candidate in the District 5 race, retired educator and principal Jorge Lerma. The teachers union supported RitzieHernandez, who last week picked up a late endorsement from the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club, the LGBTQ political group for Alameda County. The school board’s sole LGBTQ member, queer District 6 trustee Valarie Bachelor, had also endorsed Ritzie-Hernandez in the contest. Bachelor won election last year to the oversight body. According to the unofficial returns as of Wednesday morning, Lerma was in first place with 62% percent of the vote. Ritzie-Hernandez trailed by 553 votes. The next vote update is expected on Thursday. In a Facebook post Tuesday night, Lerma expressed confidence in winning the seat. “With 2,100 votes counted (about 7,000 expected) I’ve gotten 63% of the votes. I’m grateful for the support of so many and will post results as they are shared,” he wrote. Meanwhile, Ritzie-Hernandez thanked her supporters in a Facebook post shortly before the polls closed November 7. “We ran a clean campaign by keeping our values of integrity, accountability and transparency at the center and our hope is to bring that to the OUSD board,” she wrote. The two local races coincided with a growing concern among LGBTQ leaders across the country about seeing conservative candidates run for school board seats in order to push an anti-LGBTQ agenda. Various races on ballots Tuesday in several states were being closely watched to see if out candidates defeated their anti-LGBTQ opponents. In California, attention now turns to if a conservative group can qualify a trio of ballot measures attacking the rights of LGBTQ youth for next November’s election. As the Bay Area Reporter first reported online November 2, two would rollback protections for trans and nonbinary students at school, while the third would restrict their access to gender-affirming health care. t

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Community News>>

t Concord LGBTQ center may close, interim ED says

November 9-15, 2023 • Bay Area Repor ter • 5

by John Ferrannini

Budget deficit

he Rainbow Community Center in Concord is trying to raise $1 million by the end of next June in order to keep its doors open. The fiscal hole comes as Contra Costa County’s only LGBTQ center undergoes a sudden leadership shakeup. It marks the fourth top leader the nonprofit service provider has brought on since last October, when then-executive director Kiku Johnson departed after nearly three years running the center. Dorann “Dodi” Zotigh, a longtime board member, took over as interim executive director. She stepped down in August after the center hired Christian Aguirre, an eight-year veteran of the center, as its new executive director, as the Bay Area Reporter reported at the time. Aguirre, a 31-year-old gay man, had been the agency’s adult and family program director, overseeing programs relating to older adults, HIV and sexually transmitted infection prevention, the food pantry, and volunteers. But two months later, on October 9, the center announced Jonathan Lee, Ph.D., as its new interim executive director. He had been the center’s board president since July, succeeding Robyn Kuslits. In a recent interview Lee told the B.A.R. that Aguirre “left for his personal reasons.” Reached for comment by the B.A.R., Aguirre said “since I’m not working there [the center] I don’t feel comfortable sharing anything additional just because it’s personal information.” Lee, a 47-year-old gay Asian American man, is a professor in the Asian American Studies Department at San Francisco State University. He lives in the East Bay with his husband and two children. For the moment, Lee is working double duty as a professor and as the center’s interim leader, he told the B.A.R.

Courtesy Jonathan Lee, Ph.D.

Rainbow Community Center interim Executive Director Jonathan Lee, Ph.D., feeds his baby as his older child looks on.

“I’m grading away late at night and early in the morning when my boys are asleep,” he said, adding that he felt confident enough to take up the nonprofit role in addition to his teaching capacity because it’s a common practice for ethnic studies professors at San Francisco State to work at agencies benefiting their communities. “There’s a lot of professors in the college of ethnic studies who became executive directors of nonprofits,” he said, adding he hasn’t ruled out competing for the permanent position. “It’s crazy but I manage because my work at SF State is flexible and remote at the moment,” he continued. Lee said he is “excited” at the chance to lead the center – nonetheless, in addition to the rapid leadership change, it’s also facing a financial hole, he told the B.A.R.

nate was the food pantry,” Lee said. “During the pandemic we went to mobile food pantries and when we eliminated that we now refer people to local food banks.” Lee said anything not covered by government grants was on the chopping block; the center’s largest grant is from the county, $850,000 related to public health, he said. As the B.A.R. previously reported, the Concord City Council did not provide any funding to the center earlier this year when it doled out $7 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to nonprofits. The center, which had applied for $270,604, was not among 22 groups selected. Gay Contra Costa County Supervisor Ken Carlson, a previous president of Rainbow’s board and the only out member of the Board of Supervisors, had told the B.A.R. in the summer that he hoped the county would step up where the Concord City Council hadn’t. When asked about if the county would do so now, Carlson said, “I’m going to be really sensitive to Rainbow because I love them – but it’s really operational internally.” “They do have several county contracts and it’s a matter of staying on top of that and billing those contracts to keep things going,” Carlson said. “They’re all reimbursable – medical, mental health service agreements, services they provide on behalf of the county, and they need to stay on top of the billing to do the reimbursements.” Rainbow is essential to the Contra Costa County community, Carlson said, and needs to stay afloat. “They need to find stability within the organization,” he said. “We cannot afford to lose Rainbow – granted we live in a world of DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] but we also live in a very divisive world where segments of populations

“The center got into this,” he said of the shortfall. “We compete with big national LGBTQIA organizations that get most of the funding. For us, it was leadership that was not, you know, more mindful of budget constraints. That’s changing now, with our efforts to reduce spending and trying to rein in and be mindful.” The center’s most recent Internal Revenue Service Form 990 shows that in Fiscal Year 2021-22, it brought in $1,624,379 and spent $1,771,901 – a deficit of $147,522. Lee issued an online statement explaining the need for fundraising. “On October 9, 2023, I stepped into my role as Interim Executive Director of Rainbow Community Center, mindful of our economic challenges, yet focused on stabilizing Rainbow so we can continue providing essential services to our community and to continue saving LGBTQIA+ lives,” he stated. “Like many American families, we are struggling to increase revenue sufficiently to cover our costs, and are unfortunately having to reduce and eliminate some of our personnel and services to make ends meet,” he added. “Sadly, at present course, Rainbow’s future is uncertain, and without bold help from our community, could drastically downsize or possibly even close our doors.” The center sent up a donation webpage at https://tinyurl.com/yj9n8749 with a $500,000 goal. As of midday Tuesday, only $73 had been raised. But when asked about the fundraising goal, Lee said, “basically if we could raise a million dollars by the end of June 2024 we would be able to eliminate all of our debt and have a balanced budget going forward. That’s a huge, monumental task.” More recently, the center has already made some tough choices, cutting personnel and services, Lee said. “One of the services we had to elimi-

including the LGBTQ community are under attack, and who better to serve the community than members of the community? So we can’t afford in any way, shape, or form to lose Rainbow and we have to see to it they stay with us.” He said that as county supervisor he will do “whatever it takes” to see to it Rainbow survives. In response to Carlson’s remarks, Lee stated, “in the past, that has happened, but it is being addressed and corrected. We had an unexpected resignation of our billing specialist last summer and had a difficult time rehiring since that position is only for 10 hours a week. We hired someone new and we’re waiting for her to be trained on the county’s billing platforms and she will be doing work to catch up and get up to date.” When asked how much money the center lost, Lee stated, “We didn’t lose any money from it. We’re just getting it later than expected. We need to back bill for clients who used our clinical therapist services.”

Soiree aiming for $100K

Some help may be on the way via the Golden Gate Business Association, which is collaborating with the center to raise $100,000 with a free holiday gala on Saturday, December 3, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Fluid 510 at 1544 Broadway in downtown Oakland. The event will feature Queera Nightly and DJ Nut-N-Nice. A November 6 news release announcing the soiree describes the center as being in “a dire financial crisis.” “Enjoy food, entertainment, community and light-heartedness, while also raising funds for an indispensable cause,” the release states. “Both live and silent auctions will feature fine art by local LGBTQ+ artists, gifts, products, and services from LGBTQ business owners and crafts people. Financial donations, See page 12 >>

Alert

APEC arrives in November! Prepare for travel and Muni service impacts in San Francisco. Muni reroutes as early as November 13 – 19. Muni reroutes

Use

Sunnydale

Embarcadero

Shuttle Chinatown-Rose Pak Market Street every 5 min

Balboa Park

Union Square

311 Free language assistance / 免費語言協助 / Ayuda gratis con el idioma / Бесплатная помощь переводчиков /

‫خط املساعدة املجاني على الرقم‬

8AX

8BX

14R

714

OWL

For information and details about impacts to Muni, SF Paratransit, taxis, walking and bicycling, visit SFMTA.com/APEC.

Trợ giúp Thông dịch Miễn phí / Assistance linguistique gratuite / 無料の言語支援 / Libreng tulong para sa wikang Filipino / 무료 언어 지원 / การช่วยเหลือทางด้านภาษาโดยไม่เสียค่าใช้จา่ ย /

SFMTA.com/APEC

<< Open Forum

6 • Bay Area Repor ter • November 9-15, 2023

Volume 53, Number 45 November 9-15, 2023 www.ebar.com

PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS & NIGHTLIFE EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • John Ferrannini CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Christopher J. Beale • Robert Brokl Brian Bromberger • Victoria A. Brownworth Philip Campbell • Heather Cassell Michael Flanagan •Jim Gladstone Liz Highleyman • Brandon Judell • Lisa Keen Philip Mayard • Laura Moreno David-Elijah Nahmod • Paul Parish • Tim Pfaff Jim Piechota • Adam Sandel Jason Serinus • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith • Charlie Wagner Ed Walsh • Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood ART DIRECTION Max Leger PRODUCTION/DESIGN Ernesto Sopprani PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland Rick Gerharter • Gooch Jose A. Guzman-Colon • Rudy K. Lawidjaja Georg Lester • Rich Stadtmiller Christopher Robledo • Fred Rowe Shot in the City • Steven Underhill • Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Christine Smith

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Standing up to hate

alifornia will soon observe United Against Hate Week – November 12-18 – and it’s needed now more than ever. In June, state Attorney General Rob Bonta released the state Department of Justice’s annual hate crimes report that found documented anti-LGBTQ hate crimes were up in the Golden State, specifically for gay men, lesbians, and trans people. As we reported at the time, Bonta blamed “racist, xenophobic, homophobic, and destructive language” for the uptick. Indeed, documented hate crimes against Black and African American Californians was the highest, accounting for 652 bias events in 2022, compared to 513 in 2021. The next most likely group was gay men, who were victimized by at least 271 documented hate crimes. The report listed 81 hate crimes as being motivated by “anti-homosexual bias.” The report also showed 49 anti-transgender hate crimes, 33 documented anti-lesbian hate crimes, 12 anti-gender-nonconforming hate crimes, and four anti-bisexual hate crimes. There were two documented anti-heterosexual hate crimes. Excepting anti-bisexual hate crimes, these were all increases over 2021 numbers. Anti-gay male hate crimes rose by 28.4% alone, from 211 in 2021 to 271 in 2022, according to the report. But we all know it’s not just anti-LGBTQ hate that’s an issue. As a result of the IsraelHamas war that started after Hamas’ October 7 surprise attack on Israel, antisemitic, anti-Arab, and Islamophobic hate speech are also on the rise, as gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman said at last week’s Board of Supervisors meeting where he introduced a resolution recognizing United Against Hate Week in San Francisco. The week is “aimed at providing unity, understanding, and a rejection of hate and discrimination,” Mandelman told his colleagues. The resolution was approved November 7 and cosponsored by Supervisors Myrna Melgar, Shamann Walton, Hillary Ronen, Dean Preston, and Catherine Stefani; Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin; and Mandelman’s two gay colleagues, Supervisors Matt Dorsey and Joel Engardio. We thank Mandelman and his co-sponsors for recognizing this critical community-based stand against hate. United Against Hate Week is organized by several state and local entities, including CA vs. Hate, which is run out of the state’s Civil Rights Department, and the California State Library, which pro-

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vides grants to groups to promote anti-hate efforts. (The Bay Area Reporter is a recipient of one of these grants, as we’ve reported.) It emerged in 2017 from a United Against Hate poster campaign created in response to white supremacist rallies that year in Berkeley and San Francisco. You probably saw the posters, “We Stand United Against Hate,” or some that were city-specific such as, “Berkeley Stands United Against Hate,” that first year. In 2018, according to United Against Hate leaders, the 13 original communities that were involved were convened by Not In Our Town, which works to build safe, inclusive communities, and committed to an annual week of action and awareness. Today, United Against Hate Week has spread to over 200-plus communities, including all of Los Angeles County, faith-based groups, LGBTQ and human rights organizations. It is beginning to take off throughout California and in communities across the U.S., organizer Anthony Rodriguez explained on a recent Zoom call about this year’s activities. Hate comes in all types of forms, from bullying and spewing epithets to vandalism to physical attacks. The Bay Area is safer than a lot of communities, but is certainly not immune to this, as Mandelman pointed out in his comments on rising antisemitism, anti-Arab, and Islamophobic actions “around the world, as well as in the region and Bay Area.” United Against Hate Week “provides an opportunity for San Francisco to join California and stand against hate and bigotry,” he pointed out. It’s “a

mine the limits on who can and cannot participate in our representative rowing up in San Francisco as a democracy? There are a lot of arbiqueer teen, I know how importrary lines that can, and have, been tant the work of LGBTQ+ communidrawn. Politicians often utilize this ty leaders has been in creating a more question to build their own support accepting city. It is thanks to those and disadvantage those who lean who marched, protested, ran for ofanother way. I believe that to counfice, and demanded equal treatment ter this, we must look at the facts to that today San Francisco is a beacon make an informed decision on where Courtesy Ewan Barker Plummer of hope and refuge for queer people. to draw the line. And when we do, we The result of their work can be Ewan Barker see that the best time to start voting seen directly in Gen Z: we are the Plummer is 16 years old. queerest generation in history. NearI know most peoples’ first reacly 20% of Gen Z openly identifies as LGBTQ+, tions are that 16- and 17-year-olds are too compared to less than 3% of baby boomers. This impulsive and immature to have a say. But the didn’t happen by accident – it was made posscience tells us otherwise. Research from the sible by those before us. American Psychological Association proves San Francisco is one of the nation’s most that by 16 years old, teens have fully developed accepting communities for young people to “cold cognition” skills; the intellectual maturity explore their identities and be their authentic needed for measured, non-rushed, and suffiselves. I say this not to discount the struggles cient decision-making. many LGBTQ+ kids and teens face in our city Importantly, cold cognition is the physiologi– as an advocate for queer youth I can tell you cal process voters use when they research electhere are still many challenges and barrition issues and fill out their ballot. ers – I say this to make the argument Voting for 16- and 17-year-olds will that we must continue this work bealso help create ways for new voters to cause it is working. ask questions, learn how to find diverse The key to future success is going opinions, and determine facts from to be empowering youth to have real, fiction (especially in a world increastangible input on our city. We need to ingly dominated by social media misengage this next generation in deterinformation). These new voters will mining the future of our city. It’s time to let the be in schools where civic education – teaching queerest, and most accepting, generation vote. skills like how to find truthful media coverage Longtime San Francisco voters will be familand when/how to fill out and return your baliar with efforts to expand the voting age to 16 in lot – can be taught alongside their first election. local elections, also known as Vote16. It has narThere will be guide rails in place as teens start rowly lost twice, first in 2016 (by over 2%) and considering their votes on long-term choices. again in 2020 (by less than 1%). I’m asking San Relatedly, starting to vote at 16 has proved to Francisco voters to consider this once again, but increase voter retention. this time with a new perspective – that expandThe age of 18 is a year of transition, whether ing the voting age will also enlarge the electorate that be from starting college, getting a new job, of queer and allied voters and empower them to or moving out of your childhood home. Regiscontinue the work of building a welcoming city. tering to vote just isn’t top of mind for every new It’s a difficult question – how do we deteradult, and it is a voluntary responsibility that is

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

California will observe United Against Hate Week November 12-18.

rejection of hate and discrimination, and celebrates our shared commitment to inclusion and acceptance,” he added. On a national level, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland earlier this month spoke at a Justice Department United Against Hate forum that included Dennis and Judy Shepard and Houston police Officer Jamie Byrd-Grant, whose son and father, respectively, were killed in horrific hate crimes. The 2009 Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act was signed by then-President Barack Obama. It gives the Justice Department important tools to work with, Garland said. He, too, pointed to the increase in the volume and frequency of threats against Jewish, Arab, and Muslim communities across the country over the last several weeks. “The Justice Department has no tolerance for violence or unlawful threats of violence fueled by antisemitism or Islamophobia,” Garland said. A core principle of the Justice Department, he added, is that “no person and no community in this country should have to live in fear of hate fueled violence.” That’s important to keep in mind as United Against Hate Week nears. It’s fitting that this year’s observance will take place as San Francisco attracts global attention by hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, conference at Moscone Center. This huge event will feature President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, among other world leaders, with hundreds of delegates in town as well. It’s a great opportunity for the Bay Area to show its solidarity with this movement. People can go to unitedagainsthateweek.org to find events in their area or create their own. At a time when anti-trans laws and policies are flooding the country, and antisemitism and Islamophobia roil college campuses and other venues, it is important to take a stand against hate. We are stronger when we are united. t The State of California offers help for victims or witnesses to a hate crime or hate incident. This resource is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to cavshate. org.

Let the queerest generation vote

by Ewan Barker Plummer

Bay Area Reporter

Courtesy uunitedagainsthateweek.org

easily pushed aside. But registering to vote and voting for the first time while in school can make voting less complex and intimidating, leading to an ongoing, lifelong habit. Research published in the Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties directly relates lowering the voting age with an increase in habitual voting. We can see this in other places where the voting age has been lowered, like Argentina and Austria, which all now have higher voter turnout rates than the United States, thanks to voter retention. It’s time to embrace the progress we have made – creating the most accepting and open generation in history – by empowering them to participate in our democracy. San Francisco is at a decision-point, from unaffordable housing costs to a homelessness crisis, and these issues impact the next generation of San Franciscans like no other. We should have a voice and a vote in the future of our city. San Francisco has the opportunity to lead the nation as the first major city to expand the voting age, but it is not unprecedented. Takoma Park, Maryland became the first city to adopt a 16-year-old voting age in 2013, and in the following election 16- and 17-year-olds had the highest turnout of any age group. Here in the Bay Area, both Berkeley and Oakland have recently voted to lower the voting age for school board elections. A recent court case involving San Francisco’s policy of allowing immigrant parents to vote in school board elections upheld the city’s right to make its own decisions on who may vote. Once again, San Francisco can lead the way, and this time by empowering youth and expanding our democracy. t Ewan Barker Plummer is a queer youth advocate who serves as the chair of the San Francisco Youth Commission. He is working with a coalition of youth and adult allies to place a charter amendment on the November 2024 election ballot to expand the voting age to 16 in local elections.

Politics >>

t Lesbian BART director Saltzman rules out 4th term by Matthew S. Bajko

esbian BART director Rebecca Saltzman has ruled out seeking a fourth term in 2024. Her decision had been widely expected, as she reluctantly ran for a third term in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic disrupting the Bay Area regional transit agency. Had it not been for the global health crisis, Saltzman was prepared three years ago to depart from her District 3 board seat, which covers parts of Alameda and Contra Costa counties in the East Bay. Instead, the El Cerrito resident ran unopposed in order to provide continuity of leadership on the BART board. Last year, for the second time during her 11 years on the oversight body, she served as board president. In a phone interview November 7, a day prior to publicly announcing her decision, Saltzman told the Bay Area Reporter the timing was right for her to step down from the BART board next year. “I feel we did some important things to move BART in a great direction and get us through the pandemic. Now is the time to pass it off to someone else, to the next generation to run the BART board,” said Saltzman, the development director for Bike East Bay. Last summer Saltzman had told the B.A.R. she was “exploring things” regarding her future plans but wasn’t then ready to make any public announcements. She did rule out running for a state legislative seat or for Congress in 2024. This week, she said she has no immediate plans to seek another elected office. Instead, she will focus her time on her job and being a mom with her wife, Caitlin Stone, to their daughter who turns 4 years old next week. “I am going to continue working at Bike East Bay and continue being a mom, so that is a big reason why I am not running,” said Saltzman. “Most of the time I have been on the BART board I was near working full time and now I have had a kid ... it is challenging to have close to three full-time jobs.” She is the second of the three out BART board members to announce her departure in late 2024. In July, the Political Notebook broke the news that gay BART board member Bevan Dufty would not seek a third term next fall in his District 9 seat that covers San Francisco’s eastern neighborhoods. “Rebecca is so incredibly smart. Her encyclopedic knowledge of transit and environmental legislation and her incredible work ethic have made her a fantastic colleague,” said Dufty.

Back in 2020 Saltzman had already told close friends and associates that she planned to announce in mid-March she would leave the BART board when her term was up. But then COVID hit, and Saltzman and Stone agreed she should serve another term even though they were new moms. “I didn’t feel like with the pandemic and crisis we had that it would be fair to pass it off to somebody else,” said Saltzman. “I felt I was best qualified to get us through that time period. I am glad I did stay, and Attorney at Law we got us through the crisis.” Noting she still has more than a year left in her term, Saltzman said she remains focused on her duties to BART. Chief among them is helping • Divorce w/emphasis on steer the agency through its fiscal Real Estate & Business Divisions crisis, which she stressed didn’t “play • Domestic Partnerships, Support & Custody into my decision at all” not to seek • Probate and Wills reelection next year. www.SchneiderLawSF.com The transit agency projects it will have a $58 million deficit to plug in its fiscal year that begins July 1, *Certified by the California State Bar 2024. It is also facing a $307 million deficit in its fiscal year that begins 315 Montgomery St., Ste. 1025, San Francisco, CA 94104 July 1, 2025. The regional Metropolitan Transportation Commission is set to vote on providing BART with $352 million to help it whittle down its deficit Vice President of Advertising over the next two fiscal years to $13 advertising@ebar.com million. Li told the B.A.R. the BART board and agency staff will work to close the rest from its budget. “Together, this funding is essential for BART to maintain service until a regional transportation measure in 2026 and a sustainable funding model thereafter,” noted Li. Saltzman told the B.A.R. she is hopeful of seeing the MTC board 44 Gough Street #302, San Francisco, CA 94103 approve the funding in the coming (415) 829-8937 • www.ebar.com weeks. “I think the future of BART is bright. We have managed through the past several years, which have been really challenging,” she said. “We have a good financial plan for the next couple years. Now we need to pass a regional measure to get some sort of funding source.” In that regard, Saltzman has been giving community presentations about the proposed regional funding measure for public transit agencies in the Bay Area. She will be working with other transit advocates next year to have the state Legislature sign off on bringing it before voters in three years. “That outreach is starting now. I am doing presentations to various community groups, explaining why When you plan your life celebration and lasting remembrance in there is a need for it,” she said. advance, you can design every detail of your own unique memorial and provide your loved ones with true peace of mind. Planning ahead With most employers allowing When your celebration lasting protectsyou your plan loved ones fromlife unnecessary stress and and financial burden, their workforce to abide by a hybrid When you plan your life celebration and lasting remembrance in allowing them to focus on what will matter most at that time—you. remembrance in advance, you can design every schedule of working from home most days and only coming intoadvance, the you canofdesign every detail of your ownand unique memorial detail own memorial provide Contact usyour today about theunique beautiful ways to create a lasting legacy office twice a week, BART doesn’t at the San Francisco Columbarium. and provide your loved ones with true peace of mind. Planning your loved ones with true peace of mind. Planning ahead expect to return to its pre-pandemic your loved onesProudly from unnecessary stressunnecessary and financial burden, ridership levels any time soon.protects Inahead protects yourserving loved onesCommunity. from the LGBT stead, it is adjusting to a new reality allowing them focus on whatburden, will matter most them at thattotime—you. stresstoand financial allowing for how riders are using the system.

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From X

BART board member Rebecca Saltzman will not seek reelection next year.

Also departing next year will be BART board member Lateefah Simon, a straight ally who holds the East Bay-centered District 7 seat on the oversight body. Simon is running in 2024 to succeed Congressmember Barbara Lee (D-Oakland), who rather than seek another term in the House is running for the U.S. Senate seat held by the late Dianne Feinstein, who died in September at the age of 90. Several more BART board members are also expected to step down when their current terms end next year. Thus, a majority of the nine board seats are set to have new officeholders. Queer BART director Janice Li, currently serving as the board’s president, told the B.A.R. it will be difficult to lose all three of her progressive colleagues who have announced they are leaving come 2025. She praised Saltzman for mentoring her last year when she was vice president of the board. “She really went out of the way to show me the ropes and, in a lot of ways, be a mentor to me. I know she didn’t need to do that,” said Li, who represents BART’s District 8 that includes the western neighborhoods of San Francisco and was reelected to a second term last year. “As someone so smart on policy and who really knows her community, I was really grateful for her leadership and her support.”

Pandemic hits transit

Even though she had been expecting Saltzman’s decision, Li told the B.A.R. Tuesday she was still “sad” about the news. “I was really grateful for Rebecca’s decision to stay on for another term. That was not her original plan when she ran again in 2020,” said Li. “She realized the impact the pandemic had on BART right away.”

Letters >> Lesbian confab needs new home

November 9-15, 2023 • Bay Area Repor ter • 7

Thank you for your editorial regarding the Lesbians Who Tech & Allies Summit held in the Castro the last several years [“Lesbian tech confab has outgrown Castro,” November 2]. This started in the parking lot behind Walgreens around five years ago. Then it spread up and down Castro, 18th Street, and beyond. Two years ago many agreed the event had outgrown our business district. Last year was impossible as much commerce stopped for four business days. Traffic and parking were a mess. Merchants lost money. Everyone thought it had now really outgrown the Castro. Suggestions to move to a more suitable place like the Mission Armory or Bill Graham Civic Auditorium were rejected by the group, which insisted in order to raise funds for its private organization it needed the prestige address of Castro Street.

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Organizers constantly made promises they had no intention of keeping. And now, this year was even worse. On the Thursday afternoon of the event I took photos inside the lecture tent in front of Walgreens at 11:30 a.m., where a woman was giving a lecture to approximately 12 people. For this the neighborhood was basically shut down! I wrote to the Castro Merchants Association last year and was told Lesbians Who Tech had somehow gotten approval. Please, now that we have enough time, let’s stop this from happening again. They need to find a new home. Mike O’Connor San Francisco

One Loraine Ct. | San Francisco | 415-771-0717 Proudly serving our Community.

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<< Community News

t Engardio to spotlight Sunset district during APEC 8 • Bay Area Repor ter • November 9-15, 2023

compiled by Cynthia Laird

ay District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio will be highlighting the Sunset district during next week’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, conference in San Francisco. APEC is an inter-governmental forum of 21 member economies in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region, according to its website. World leaders, including President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, will be attending the conference at Moscone Center. Hundreds of delegates from the member countries will also descend on the city, which is hosting its biggest global event since 1945, according to media reports. Engardio, who has been promoting positive things in his Sunset-based district since taking office in January, will host “Summit to the Sea,” an oceanside bike ride, happy hour, and sunset viewing that will take place Friday, November 17. “With world leaders coming to our city, let’s show the international media we’re more joy than doom loop,” Engardio wrote in his district newsletter, referring to the many media accounts of how San Francisco is experiencing empty real estate in its downtown area and the closings of various businesses, leading to what outlets have referred to as a doom loop. The afternoon starts at 3 p.m. with a bike ride from Golden Gate Park’s Conservatory of Flowers to the ocean at Great Highway and Judah Street. That will be followed by happy hour at 4 with live music and food from local restaurants at that intersection. The sunset viewing will take place at 5. People who cannot go on the bike ride are welcome to attend the happy hour, the newsletter noted. “All APEC delegates and staff are invited to close out a long week of meet-

Courtesy Joel Engardio

San Francisco Supervisor Joel Engardio

ings with a ‘Summit to the Sea,’” Engardio stated. “The public is invited, too.” Engardio added that he came up with the idea after his successful night market that was held in the Sunset in September. The event is co-sponsored by Friends of Great Highway Park, the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, Lyft, Bay Wheels, and Avenue Greenlight. Gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar are also co-sponsors. To RSVP, go to https://tinyurl. com/29h4bvm3

Butch Voices closes up shop

Butch Voices, a grassroots organization dedicated to self-identified masculine-of-center people and allies, has announced it is shutting down. The organization was known for holding regional conferences since its founding in the fall of 2008. Its first conference was held in Oakland a year later, Joe LeBlanc, the founder and board chair of the group, and the board stated in an email announcement. “We are making an intentional decision to close things out to honor and

celebrate all that we have done together with Butch Voices,” LeBlanc and the board stated. “The work that it takes to create and foster spaces that center folks of color and be trans inclusive since day one has been an incredible joy and also comes at a cost to many of the incredibly talented and giving folks who have led and been a part of this organization. “The burnout is real, and we encourage everyone to take rest and step back when that time is needed for ourselves. This is that time for Butch Voices,” the board added. The board noted that Butch Voices was an all-volunteer organization. “We are so grateful to everyone who has donated time, energy, and resources to enable us to go beyond those butch nods together,” the board stated. “Using our voices to dig in on issues that impact us daily in a society that often doesn’t understand us, mocks us, and doesn’t want us to exist. The violence we often face for trying to use a restroom, having the proper language used for how we identify, or to just simply be who we are, continues to this day. Connecting folks to resources and each other has been key to making change happen wherever we could.” The board encouraged supporters to continue letting their voices be heard.

Oakland LGBTQ bar observes trans month

Transgender Awareness Month will be observed Thursday, November 9, at the Port Bar in Oakland, as the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club holds its annual fundraiser to benefit local organizations’ trans programs. The evening will see local elected officials tend bar at the Port, co-owned by gay men Sean Sullivan and Richard Fuentes. The fun takes place from 5 to 7 p.m. at 2023 Broadway.

Courtesy BART

BART general manager Bob Powers will conduct listening tours at several BART stations in the coming weeks.

Benefiting nonprofits are Parivar Bay Area, the country’s only trans-led, trans-South Asian organization; the LGBT Asylum Project; and El/La Para TransLatinas. People can register at eastbaystonewalldemocrats.org.

HIV confab content now online

The International AIDS Society has announced that content from the 12th IAS Conference on HIV Science is now available online at no cost. The conference was held in Brisbane, Australia, in July. An email announcement stated that anyone can now view more than 100 sessions, as well as 1,400 abstracts and e-posters, from IAS 2023. Sessions are also translated into five languages: Arabic, French, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. To view the content, go to https:// tinyurl.com/4v2c2hzj.

BART GM, police chief to hold listening tours

Bob Powers, general manager of the BART regional transit agency, and new BART police Chief Kevin Franklin will hold listening sessions at several BART stations in the coming weeks. The sessions are to elicit feedback from patrons on BART’s new Safe and Clean plan that was rolled out in September when the agency unveiled its new train schedule that reconfigured train lengths to provide shorter wait times. BART police officers are riding more trains, and BART has doubled police presence in the system, according to the plan. A progressive policing approach utilizes crisis intervention specialists, ambassadors, fare inspectors and additional patrols with experts in de-escalation. The agency noted that trains are safer, in part, because they are shorter See page 12 >>

Community News>>

November 9-15, 2023 • Bay Area Repor ter • 9

Castro merchants rebuke lesbian tech confab by John Ferrannini

he Castro Merchants Association issued a stinging rebuke to the recent Lesbians Who Tech & Allies Summit, voting at its monthly membership meeting to ask the organization not to shut down Castro Street for any future event. Terry Asten Bennett, a straight ally who is president of the organization, sent a letter to San Francisco Mayor London Breed’s office, members of the Board of Supervisors, and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s street closure committee a few hours after the November 2 meeting, stating the group’s concerns and vote. There were not any no votes but there were eight abstentions. At the meeting, merchants expressed frustration with the event, which occurred October 16-20 and was put on by the Lesbians Who Tech organization. The conference led to street closures on the 400 and 500 blocks of Castro Street, between Market and 19th streets. “We have a voice that goes back to the city,” said Asten Bennett, co-owner of Cliff ’s Variety, at 479 Castro Street, before the vote was taken. “The city respects that, and we’d be sending our position to the supervisors, the mayor, and ISCOTT. I’ve been asked by other neighborhood associations where we stand on this.” The SFMTA’s Interdepartmental Staff Committee on Traffic and Transportation, or ISCOTT, determines street closures. For the past two years it has allowed the lesbian confab to close a main artery of the city’s LGBTQ neighborhood to vehicular traffic. The imbroglio between some Castro neighborhood merchants and Lesbians Who Tech started last year. The nonprofit, which brings together lesbians and other queer women in the tech industry, has held its summit in the Castro for 10 years, as Patrick Batt, a gay man who owns Auto Erotica at 4077-A 18th Street, explained. “We’re not about being anti-lesbian or anti-anything,” Batt said. “When it first started, it was the Castro Theatre: period. Second and third years, they brought in food trucks: poor planning. Then it got bigger and bigger and bigger and it became more and more difficult to deal with.” After the event started closing the street for several days in 2022, many business owners expressed frustration at last November’s merchant meeting, as the Bay Area Reporter reported. At that time, business owners said the street closure hurt their profits, and that in spite of language of inclusivity, extensive fencing with tarps and major security and police presences made the Castro seem more like an “armed camp” (in Batt’s words) than a beacon of queer belonging. The merchants reached out to Lesbians Who Tech officials, who promised to ameliorate their concerns. “The initial meeting where they asked for a vote last spring: the previous president bent over backwards saying, ‘come to me, talk to me, I will give you insight as to how to make the fences,’” Batt said, referring to past president Terrance Allen. “All of it was discussed.” Asten Bennett corroborated this account. As the B.A.R. reported when ISCOTT approved the confab’s street closure in July, she said that merchants had asked Lesbians Who Tech to “make the barriers more attractive and fun.” “I connected them with Castro Street Seen” she said, referring to the beautification group led by gay creative director Pete Betancourt. “He curated a bunch of lesbian images to be put on the barrier. I asked him to create QR codes about lesbian tech history.” Betancourt told the B.A.R. he had indeed curated a gallery of queer women that would’ve been in other Castro Street Seen projects but he

Steven Bracco

Fencing with green tarps was installed on Castro Street ahead of the Lesbians Who Tech & Allies Summit.

was saving it for a Lesbians Who Tech display after preliminary discussions with the group. However, the group never followed up, he said. “We did in fact present a solution – a beautiful solution – for their barrier,” he said. “They said ‘we’ll get back to you’ and never did.” The barrier wasn’t the only merchant concern that went unaddressed. As the B.A.R. reported in March, Lesbians Who Tech representatives came to the Castro to ask for the merchants’ blessing – which was given with conditions. Other unaddressed concerns included the impacts to deliveries to businesses and trash collection. “I asked them to work with Recology to make sure our garbage got picked up – that never happened. I spent five days actually, literally dealing with trash,” Asten Bennett said. “I asked them to create delivery points. That never happened.” Batt said he closed for five days “rather than dealing with the situation.” “Frankly, when I reopened Saturday, I heard complaints from customers of what had happened during those five days,” Batt said. Tina Aguirre, a genderqueer Latinx person who is the director of the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District, said that the district is 100% behind the merchants. “There are many ways to support increasing visibility for lesbians and queer women,” Aguirre said. Aguirre said one recipient of a business grant from the cultural district, How’s It Hanging at 548 Castro Street, sold a mere $29 in plants during those five days. “It does not have to be this or nothing else,” Aguirre said. “That’s a binary. It’s not true.” James Belisle, manager of How’s It Hanging, said, “last year was horrible, this year was horrible.” “I am very supportive of their organization and I understand they have an affinity for the Castro and I understand that,” Belisle said. “But the street should never be closed for private parties period. We got under a hundred dollars for the whole week. … It’s just not appropriate to have a private event in the middle of the street.” Asked about the merchants’ vote, he said, “I’m happy about that and supportive of that decision.” Mary Conde of Another Planet Entertainment, which manages the Castro Theatre, pointed out that the theater might be closed in October 2024 for renovations.

Lesbians Who Tech responds

Leanne Pittsford, CEO and founder of Lesbians Who Tech, told the B.A.R. in a phone interview that “it’s hard” to work with the merchants.

“I didn’t know they were going to vote until late last night from a journalist,” Pittsford said. “Every gay neighborhood in every city in the world mostly centers gay men and it’s mostly an economic issue. It’s more difficult for gay men to have kids so it’s double income, no dependents, so it makes sense businesses would cater to people with economic power and it’s why we try so hard to be in this space.” Pittsford said, “We’re looking at a total economic impact on San Francisco of $3.2 million from our event and over $1 million for the Castro. … It might be more, we’re still looking at numbers.” Pittsford said that she is “pretty saddened” she did not get the chance to provide this information. She said the organization was “not allowed” to speak at the event. Asked about the allegation, Asten

Bennett told the B.A.R. that Lesbians Who Tech was allowed to attend, though it was not invited initially. “As I said during the meeting I did not invite them. This was about how we felt. When I asked them to present updates before the event they declined every time,” Asten Bennett stated. “Yesterday, Leanne asked me if they could attend and I said ‘yes’ and two representatives were at the meeting. But this was 100% about how the merchants felt and what they want for our community. That does not require input from LWT. They had a year to respond to our concerns from the previous year and did not make any of the corrections or take our recommendations.” Pittsford said the merchants don’t know the whole story. “There’s a lot they don’t know,” Pittsford said. “They don’t know the number of times we’ve called Recol-

ogy. We’re only one part of a puzzle – we’re not the trash company, we’re not the delivery people. I actually think we worked incredibly hard to address most of those concerns.” She said she still has to call SFMTA to find out what happened with the street signage. She took particular issue with the B.A.R.’s editorial, published online Wednesday, opposing a street closure. “Every year there’s an article posted lesbians outgrow the Castro by one of the two local papers,” she said. “We didn’t want to remove the Harvey’s decal but we got pitched by a local person to do something together and we were trying to be supportive. The real estate person for the building … is supposed to put them back up. I don’t know why he didn’t put them back up. I don’t know why you all reported – it’s a big assumption to say we don’t care about the Castro because we didn’t put the decals back. Big picture: my team hired a full-time person to help address these concerns: delivery, trash, communication, signage. We did a pretty good job. A huge improvement, obviously not perfect.” Pittsford was referring to how the historic photos in the now-closed Harvey’s bar and restaurant at 18th and Castro streets that had been installed by Castro Street Seen earlier this year were removed for the conference. A photo taken Tuesday showed a decal for Lesbians Who Tech and empty windows. The fence situation, she said, is “really nuanced.” “It’s not Pride or the Castro Street Fair,” Pittsford said. “We would never be able to produce it if we didn’t sell tickets. Even so we gave away 1,000+ tickets and scholarships. We are very, very generous with anyone who wants to learn to be a part of it. See page 12 >>

<< Business News

10 • Bay Area Repor ter • November 9-15, 2023

Scuba instructor provides safe space for LGBTQ divers by Matthew S. Bajko

ursuing a career in Antarctic biology, specifically to study penguins, Danny Khor in January signed up as a volunteer with the Aquarium of the Bay at Pier 39 in San Francisco’s bayside Fisherman’s Wharf shopping and dining district. Soon they started hearing rumors about another volunteer who runs a queer and transgender dive club. “I was looking for a way to get into diving more regularly, so I started volunteering at the aquarium,” said Khor, 24, who is nonbinary and queer. It was how the Berkeley resident first met Niko Kowell, who is queer and transgender and had started volunteering at the aquarium in 2012. Now, on most Mondays, Khor and Kowell don their scuba equipment to clean the facility’s large glass tank filled with sea creatures that visitors travel through via a moving walkway. “You can see us cleaning the tanks and waving hi to the kids from the tank. Sometimes we scare them,” said Khor, who moved to the Bay Area in 2021 after being named a RAY fellow at Point Blue Conservation Science and Ocean Conservancy. Named after Dr. Roger Arliner Young, the first Black woman to receive a doctorate degree in zoology, the fellowship program is aimed at recent college graduates of color. Khor, who is Asian, grew up in Malaysia then moved to Florida. They graduated in 2021 from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in marine sciences and a minor in zoology. “I love diving. I love the water,” they said. “I grew up around water so being able to experience it in this way and like these crazy animals we don’t get to see, and experience a world so out of reach because we are on land, I think is a privilege to have.” Having been certified as a scuba diver in 2019, Khor told the Bay Area Reporter in a recent phone interview that the diving community can be unwelcoming to minorities and people with disabilities. Having dealt with mental health issues their whole life, Khor finds solace and healing through scuba diving. “I would describe the dive industry to being really similar to other outdoor sports industries dominated by white men, who are usually straight, cis, able bodied, and I am going to say not super empathetic,” said Khor. “In the past I have been made to feel really unwelcome and not wanted because of not fitting into this model and expectations of a person I am not.”

Courtesy Niko Kowell

Niko Kowell, who owns Narwhal Divers, teaches diving to students.

Khor has found the opposite to be true with Kowell, the owner of Narwhal Divers, which he launched in 2022 to provide a safe space for other LGBTQ people, particularly those who are trans or nonbinary, who want to get into scuba diving. A diver himself for more than two decades, Kowell is a certified scuba instructor who also specializes in adaptive dive instruction, which teaches able-bodied divers how to work with divers who have mobility issues or another disability. “The way Niko has made space for us to exist as us in our full selves and advocated for us has made me feel really safe and build confidence in advocating for myself in spaces that feel a lot less friendly,” said Khor, who will be traveling with Kowell to Cozumel, Mexico in December to finish their advanced adaptive dive buddies certification in open water. They have been attending classes that Kowell holds in the pool where he works, the dive shop Bamboo Reef in the South of Market neighborhood. “He has been really intentional about helping create an inclusive learning space,” said Khor. “He has never made me feel bad or dumb or missing something for asking any questions I have.”

Fostering inclusivity

Fostering such an environment was his goal when he set up his business last year, Kowell, 39, told the B.A.R. during an interview at Duboce Park Cafe near where he lives in San Francisco. He did so after leaving the nonprofit health sector where he had worked for 14 years. For those new to diving, it can be a bit harrowing for people to walk into a dive shop and not see

anyone who look likes them, noted Kowell. For gender-nonconforming people, being sized up for a wetsuit by their instructor can also be an uncomfortable experience, he said. “I bring a level of sensitivity and thought around that. I get it might be uncomfortable, but you are safe with me,” said Kowell. “I want to make sure you are as safe as possible.” The Cincinnati native has been diving for 20 years, taking trips to Florida and the Caribbean in his youth, and was certified as a scuba diver at the age of 18. (His mom had gotten him diving lessons as a high school graduation gift.) “I spent a lot of time in the water fascinated by sea creatures,” he said. “It was a way to explore a world people don’t have access to.” He moved to San Francisco in 2008 after graduating from Antioch College with a psychology degree. Two years prior he had come to the city for an internship with the men’s sex club Eros, and after relocating to California Kowell worked for San Francisco Community Health in its Trans Thrive program. Burned out during COVID, Kowell decided to take the leap and go into business as scuba instructor. He was accepted into the Transgender District’s Entrepreneur Accelerator Program. Having formed a Facebook group to meet other queer and trans divers, Kowell knew there was a need for a scuba diving business that focused on the LGBTQ community. He landed on naming it after the narwhal sea creature because of its ties to certain animal mascot for queer people. “I think unicorns are often associ-

Via YouTube

Niko Kowell dives during a scene from a video he made promoting Narwhal Divers.

ated with the queer community, and to me, a narwhal is the unicorn of the sea,” explained Kowell, adding it was a way to signal, “Hey queer community, my business is queer and trans centered because I am queer and trans.” Anyone is welcome to sign up for his classes, noted Kowell, or join his scuba diving trips. He attends industry conferences to find LGBTQfriendly diving resources and places that will be welcoming to travel to with his students. “I feel I can’t invite my community there if I haven’t been there to check it out,” said Kowell, who was recently in Baja California to spend a week swimming and diving with whale sharks. He teaches at Bamboo Reef, the city’s lone dive shop, every weekend. Since he started working there, Kowell has found his co-workers to be very welcoming and open to making changes to meet the needs of LGBTQ clients, like now having gender-neutral dressing rooms. “Everybody there is pretty wonderful,” he said. One barrier to the sport is its high price tag, acknowledged Kowell, due to the equipment needs and travel costs. A diving trip he is leading to Puerto Vallarta later this month cost $1,150 for those who signed up early and $1,400 who didn’t. It covers the lodging and diving costs but not airfare and meals. He looks for ways to make it more economical for his clients and offers a sliding scale for some of the private lessons he offers. (He will book four people at a time for a beginner’s class and will charge between $50 and $150.)

“I am trying to make it more accessible for the community because it is not a cheap sport,” said Kowell. To learn more about Narwhal Divers, visit its website at https://www. narwhaldivers.com/

DACHA opens its doors

In late October, couple Suki and Katya Skye welcomed patrons to their new restaurant near San Francisco’s Polk Gulch neighborhood featuring fare from their Eastern European roots. After several trial run nights to test out their systems and allow their staff to gain some experience, the women held a special opening event October 30 for their DACHA Kitchen & Bar. As last month’s column first reported, the eatery is located at 1085 Sutter Street at Larkin Street. Its name refers to the country homes their Eastern European relatives own, as Suki Skye is of German ancestry as well as French, British, and Irish, while Katya Skye was born in Russia and immigrated to the U.S. in 2014. In August, the women opened their DACHA Cafe & Bar inside Trellis, a coworking space South of Market that is partly queer owned. The cafe is open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. As for the restaurant, it is open for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. It opens for brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. To learn more about its menu, visit its website at https://www.dachaprojects.com/dacha-kitchen-menu. t Got a tip on LGBTQ business news? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 829-8836 or e-mail m.bajko@ ebar.com.

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Community News>>

t South Asian tour highlights queer Berkeley history

November 9-15, 2023 • Bay Area Repor ter • 11

by Heather Cassell

a data scientist at UCSF. “Maybe not all simultaneously, but sometimes it’s actually possible to do all of the above over the course of a single lifetime.”

outh Asians have called Berkeley home for more than a century, and a walking tour is helping bring stories of LGBTQs to light. The story of South Asians’ relationship with the liberal East Bay city is rich and complex, but until 11 years ago, their stories – including LGBTQ South Asian Berkeleyans – were unseen, packed away in family lore, newspaper archives or photo albums. Recently, the Bay Area Reporter joined 16 other participants on the Berkeley South Asian Radical History Walking Tour for an eye-opening experience. The group learned about Indians’ contributions to the city and some of the darker parts of the city’s history and relationship with South Asians. Tour creators Anirvan Chatterjee and Barnali Ghosh, an Indian American couple who are community historians, guided the group to several sites on the nearly three-hour interactive walking tour’s new route in downtown Berkeley September 24. As the participants strolled through city streets and the UC Berkeley campus, they learned about the South Asian community, the challenges South Asians faced settling in the city, the freedom found by a gay Bangladeshi man to live openly, how the university inspired a key Indian activist in the fight for India’s independence, and much more. South Asia encompasses Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the British Indian Ocean Territory. The two-mile route changed due to the Pacific Center for Human Growth’s recent move to 2130 Center Street. The center’s new location is conveniently located between the downtown Berkeley BART station and one of the entrances to UC Berkeley. The Pacific Center is the oldest LGBTQ mental health and community center in the Bay Area and the third oldest in the country. It was forced to move because the Telegraph Avenue building it resided in for 50 years was sold in July 2022, as the B.A.R. previously reported. The tour area also happens to be the epicenter of the first South Asian settlers, with 170 people calling Berkeley home in the 1920s, said Chatterjee and Ghosh, who used time during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 to research and map the residents and businesses. The couple, who launched the tour in 2012, resumed it in 2021. The tour is 11 years old. The couple did more research and plotted where South Asian households and businesses were in Berkeley in the 1920s during the COVID lockdown. They started the tour back up again in 2021.

Tinku’s story

The Pacific Center is the first stop on the tour, where Chatterjee and Ghosh share the story of Ali “Tinku” Ishtiaq and the early days of Trikone. It’s the oldest LGBTQ South Asian organization in the world, founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1986. Ghosh, an immigrant and landscape architect from Bangalore, India, said the tour always started at the LGBTQ center with Ishtiaq’s story as a gay Indian activist. She told the B.A.R. in an interview after the tour that the decision to begin with Ishtiaq’s story was a combination of “logistics and intention on our part.” “It worked beautifully,” she said. “The story is kind of like a welcome into being an organizer and seeing what a person can do in a lifetime.” Ghosh explained that some of the stories on the tour are tragic and “involve incredible sacrifice,” but Ishtiaq’s story – although he has experienced some challenges in his life and as a gay activist – is a positive one. Ishtiaq was able to find the balance he strove for as a community organizer

Shedding light on Berkeley South Asians

Heather Cassell

Berkeley Indian American couple and community historians Anirvan Chatterjee, left, and Barnali Ghosh, creators and tour guides of the Berkeley South Asian Radical History Walking Tour, hold up a copy of the India Currents 1992 article featuring Ali “Tinku” Ishtiaq and Scott Anderson’s “wedding” discussing the early days of Trikone, the South Asian LGBTQ organization, and South Asian queer activism.

with a successful career and personal life with his family and friends. “We need happy stories. We wanted to start with a happy story of organizing,” Ghosh said. “I think then it allows people to be more open to listening to the other stories.” “Queer South Asians have been in Northern California since at least the 1910s,” Chatterjee added. He said the 2012 book, “Stranger Intimacy: Contesting Race, Sexuality and the Law in the North American West” by Nayan Shaw, was a major source of information for the couple, along with personal interviews with living subjects, like Ishtiaq, for their tour. Ishtiaq, an immigrant from Bangladesh, came to work in Silicon Valley in the 1980s. In 1986, a flier he saw while he was entering the Pacific Center caught his eye. “Are you South Asian and gay?” the flyer asked. It briefly explained the desire to build a network of gay South Asians. The flyer had a phone number to call with a name. Chatterjee held up a rendition of the flyer as Ghosh told the story. Ishtiaq called the number and spoke with Arvind Kumar. They set up a time to meet with Ashok Jethanandani in the South Bay. The men hit it off as they all were gay South Asian activists and worked in technology. The three men founded Trikone. Ishtiaq, 65, who took the tour about six years ago, told the B.A.R. that it didn’t matter to him where his story was told on the tour, that was up to Chatterjee and Ghosh. What mattered to him, a gay Bangladeshi man, was that gay people are not “invisible” in the South Asian experience and that people are aware that South Asia encompasses more than Indians. Reflecting, he said, “At that time, it was very important to identify as a gay South Asian because we were very much not a hidden minority but invisible.” Visibility in the face of oppression against “gay people around the world, and particularly South Asia,” was important to him. Kumar and Jethanandani later became partners. Kumar started the now-defunct Trikone magazine (1986 to 2014) as a part of Trikone. The magazine covered LGBTQ South Asian issues and was circulated around the world in concealed packages. He also co-founded India Currents (https://indiacurrents.com/), a monthly nonprofit magazine about California Indian culture. Ishtiaq married his now former partner, Scott Anderson, in Berkeley in 1992 long before same-sex marriage was legal. At the time, these weddings were often called commitment ceremonies. Kumar covered the ceremony in India Currents. The story was picked up by a Bengali newspaper that outed Ishtiaq in his home-

land. Ishtiaq received threatening and homophobic messages. Instead of reacting with fear, the Bangladeshi turned the incident into a teachable moment. Ishtiaq has been married for 15 years to a different man, Khosru Hooda, he told the B.A.R. Ghosh said the couple focused on Ishtiaq’s wedding to Anderson because “it transformed Tinku’s life because he was exposed to the larger community. “It’s not necessarily a story about gay marriage. It’s a story about something in his life that completely changed his relationship to his homeland,” she said. Ghosh also recognized the importance of same-sex marriage. While not LGBTQ themselves, Chatterjee and Ghosh switched their wedding plans from marrying at Alameda County’s Clerk-Recorder’s Office after learning then-mayor Gavin Newsom, who is now governor, ordered the county clerk’s office to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2004. The couple with their parents headed to San Francisco City Hall where they were married. Newsom’s action became known as the “Winter of Love.” Chatterjee texted the B.A.R. that they changed their plans because, “We knew it was a city that would stand up for our friends and community.” “It was just very festive,” Ghosh said, describing hearts scattered everywhere at City Hall and around the city. “That was really special.” Chatterjee was born in Canada. He moved to the San Francisco Bay Area with his family in the 1980s and became a U.S. citizen in the 1990s. Ghosh came to the U.S. for work in 1999. Their marriage allowed Ghosh to become a U.S. citizen. She is aware that her privilege of marrying Chatterjee was not afforded to same-sex couples in the U.S. until 2015, when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of marriage equality in the Obergefell v. Hodges case. (California saw samesex marriage legalized in 2013 after the U.S. Supreme Court let stand lower courts’ determination that Proposition 8, the state’s same-sex marriage ban, was unconstitutional.) India’s Supreme Court recently declined to legalize same-sex marriage in the country October 16, the B.A.R. reported. Nepal and Taiwan are the only two countries in Asia that have legalized same-sex marriage. Marriage is an important aspect of Ishtiaq’s life, but his story demonstrates many facets of an activist and person’s life, Ghosh told the B.A.R. Ishtiaq not only fought for LGBTQ and South Asian rights, he was also involved in other progressive movements, such as Queers Undermining

Israeli Terrorism, or QUIT, fighting for Palestinian human rights, and doing activism work in Nicaragua for a period, the couple told tour participants. He also returned to Bangladesh to care for his aging parents. During his years back home, he built a successful technology consulting company that he sold when he returned to Berkeley. “Meeting Tinku showed me that sometimes it’s possible to have economic stability, to be doing critical justice work, to be a caregiver, and to find love,” said Chatterjee, who is

More than a decade ago, Chatterjee, 46, and Ghosh, 49, discovered the deep-rooted connection between Berkeley and South Asians. The couple, who love the city they call home, decided to share their discoveries in a walking tour designed for locals to enjoy. It was the perfect vehicle for them as proponents of walking and public transportation to combat climate change. As travelers, the couple have been on many walking tours in other cities, from which they took inspiration. As community organizers, the couple sought to engage people – especially younger generations – in advocating for various causes. Chatterjee and Ghosh were particularly inspired by Rome’s Stalker Collective tour, they said. The eight-hour tour through Rome was designed by Romans for locals to acquaint themselves with their city’s hidden past. It took participants into areas of the ancient city most tourists never see. “The way we organize the tour is about experiencing the place you live in a new way,” said Ghosh, who has an interest in cities and design. She added that Chatterjee brings his interest in history, reading, and community theater. See page 12 >>

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<< Community News

12 • Bay Area Repor ter • November 9-15, 2023

CA measures

From page 3

As explained by Bonta’s office, it “requires K-12 schools to notify parents whenever a student under age 18 asks to be treated as a gender different from what is listed on their school records – for example, by requesting to use an alternate name or pronouns, or use facilities for a different gender. Does not provide exception if student requests confidentiality or where disclosure would endanger their safety; includes exception only for certain communications with school counselors.” It also “prohibits schools from recognizing the student’s expressed gender without written parental authorization,” noted Bonta’s office. As for the cost to implement the measure were it to be adopted, the state’s legislative analyst and director of finance noted that there would be “minor administrative and workload costs” for schools, colleges, and univer-

Berkeley history

From page 11

Interactive tour

Guests on the tour appreciated the breadth of the movements covered and the spoken word and theatrical aspects of the tour, as well as the guests’ participation. “It allowed me to get to hear and understand the history in a different way,” said Gabriela Santis, a 46-year-old lesbian, who joined a friend on the tour. “It really did a good job of representing so many movements.” Berkeley resident and labor leader Kathryn Lybarger, a 56-year-old queer woman who uses she/they pronouns, also went on the tour with a friend. She said it was “super fascinating to me.” Lybarger is a candidate for the open District 7 state Senate seat and is in a crowded primary race. “I’ve lived in Berkeley for 23 years. It’s

News Briefs

From page 8

and there are 4,000 cameras in the system to minimize response time and hold suspects accountable, the plan stated. LED lighting has been installed on platforms and in parking facilities to eliminate dark corners, and BART

Second measure

The second school-related ballot measure has been titled by Bonta’s office as “Eliminates Students’ Rights To Participate in School Activities Consistent With Their Gender Identity.” He noted that it “repeals 2013 state law allowing students to participate in school activities and use school facilities consistent with their gender identity.” He also explained that it requires public and private K-12 schools, colleges, and universities to “prohibit transgender female students in grades 7 and higher from participating in female sports; and restrict use of gender-segregated facilities (e.g., bathrooms, locker rooms) only to persons assigned that gender at birth.” The secretary of state’s tracking number for the measure is 1961, while the attorney general’s tracking number is

23-0019A1. It defines the terms “male” and “female,” noted Bonta’s office, “exclusively by reference to certain reproductive traits.” It has a similar cost warning for schools and colleges as the other education-related measure. But Bonta’s office also noted that, “if legally implemented, there could be potential, but unknown, cost pressures related to federal fiscal penalties if the measure results in schools, colleges, or universities being deemed out of compliance with federal law.”

Third proposal

The third ballot measure Bonta’s office titled as “Prohibits Gender-Affirming Health Care For Minors.” Its secretary of state tracking number is 1962 and for the attorney general it is 23-0020A1. As Bonta’s office explains, it “prohibits health care providers from providing transgender patients under 18 with medical care to affirm a gender identity that differs from the minor’s gender as-

Not everyone had such a negative assessment of the conference. Gay Academy co-founder Nate Bourg reported that he was among those who benefited and asked by a show of hands who else had. Five went up. “I’m raising my hand because we hosted the afterparty,” Bourg said. “It was the biggest event we’ve ever done at the Academy in all these years.”

Concord center

From page 5

via Give Lively, will be accepted also.” Those interested in tickets, donating to the auction or donating cash directly can go to Eventbrite at https://tinyurl.

providers being deemed out of compliance with federal law.” Equality California, the statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization, did not immediately respond November 2 to the B.A.R.’s request for comment for this article. As for the ballot measure proponents, they began in the summer raising funds to support their on-the-ground efforts for the signature drive. Their campaign account, A Students First California Committee in Support of Measures to Protect Kids, has yet to report any fundraising amounts with the state. “Even though the supermajority in the Capitol is against us, the people of California are on our side,” Zachreson had said at the time during an online forum where he discussed the ballot measures. To sign up for updates about the antitrans measures, and others proposed for next year’s ballot, visit https://www.sos. ca.gov/elections/ballot-measures/initiative-and-referendum-status. t gina Monologues,” produced by South Asian Sisters, a women’s group that includes some members from Women of Trikone, the women’s arm of the organization. Some members helped organize the theatrical event. “Anushka’s just been incredible in terms of allowing us to use some of her story on this tour,” said Chatterjee who said they are telling the story of queer culture and movement organizing through individuals’ stories. “We’ve been really very lucky to have individuals be willing to let us talk about a larger story but through them.” The Berkeley tours are offered twice a month, but not on set weekends. Tickets are $20 per person. For updates and announcements, subscribe to the newsletter on the tour’s website, or follow the tour on Facebook or Instagram. After operational costs, an estimated 90% of the tour’s proceeds are donated to various local organizations. t

of our tour is about helping introduce folks to the people in places that are already here or were always here.” Ghosh added that the couple’s approach to the tour and the stories is to “hold the experiences of different aspects of our community together.” The couple is now planning a similar tour in San Francisco. They have been developing the San Francisco South Asian Radical History Walking Tour in the city’s Mission district this past year. They plan to launch the tour on the Berkeley tour’s website sometime late in 2023 or in 2024, they said. “People generally aren’t thinking so much of South Asian communities” when it comes to the Mission district, Chatterjee said. “I think, as with Berkeley, South Asian people have kind of been everywhere and across a lot of different neighborhoods.

“As we walk down Valencia Street, we’re talking about over a century [of] South Asian history on those streets,” he continued. “It’s connected to the stories we tell in Berkeley but just kind of a different aspect.” One story the couple catches up with in San Francisco is Trikone from around 2000 to 2003, said Chatterjee. They turned to their friend and longtime Mission resident, Anushka Fernandopulle , a queer meditation expert, to tell the story of Trikone’s transformation from an organization providing social support for queer South Asians to an activist organization combating homophobia and Asian and Middle Eastern hate crimes after 9/11. The B.A.R. reached out to Fernandopulle for comment but did not receive a response by press time. Ghosh added that they also talk about Yoni Ki Baat, the South Asian women’s version of Eve Ensler’s “The Va-

personnel conduct welfare checks for the unhoused and to enforce drug use and no smoking policies. Under the plan, BART is also working to keep the trains cleaner. BART has been working to get ridership back to levels seen prior to the COVID pandemic. “So much has changed at BART

since the pandemic and we have doubled down on our commitment to safety, cleanliness, and reliability improvements,” Powers stated. Station visits with Powers and Franklin are scheduled this month as follows: Monday, November 13, from 5 to 6 p.m. at Embarcadero; Tuesday, November 14, from 7:15 to 8:15 a.m.

at Pleasant Hill; Wednesday, November 29, from 7 to 8 a.m. at Antioch; and Thursday, November 30, from 7 to 8 a.m. at Dublin. Next month their meetings will be on Sunday, December 3, from noon to 1 p.m. at Civic Center; Wednesday, December 6, from 7:15 to 8:15 a.m. at Fremont; and Wednesday, December 13, from 7:15

to 8:15 a.m. at El Cerrito del Norte. Powers and Franklin will be on the station platforms to talk to riders while they wait for trains. BART noted the schedule is subject to change and will be updated online. For more information, go to bart.gov. t

Asten Bennett said the wording could be worked on. Lauro Gonzales, founder of ArtyHood, said that the merchants should send a welcoming message even if a street closure is out of the question. “I do agree with Nate [Bourg] a little bit about saying no to the business,” he said. “What we can do is build an amazing experience in the Castro for Lesbians Who Tech so they can come party here. The Castro Theatre, parking lots, the Academy, restaurants, and business owners. That’s what we want, for them to party, to come. We can put banners up welcoming Lesbians Who Tech.” Ultimately, the merchants voted only to oppose any future street closure.

“We had 2,000 attendees and what I will tell you is out of those 2,000 attendees, Lesbians Who Tech had 800 for free,” she said. “There’s not a lot of safe places for lesbians, specifically, to come to.” At this point, the B.A.R. took a photo of her speaking, but was asked by her to stop photographing. She subsequently declined to give her name, saying she did not want to be quoted in this or any report. (This reporter’s presence was announced by Asten Bennett before the confab discussion began, with the merchants’ president saying remarks could be quoted in the press unless otherwise stated.) Aguirre said to the board member, “This is indicative of the lack of engagement from Lesbians Who Tech” and that the organization should have sent someone to represent it in an official capacity. “This is about the institutional memory of what happens with Lesbians Who Tech and they have not fulfilled a basic premise of partnership, which is open and regular communication, following through on what they’ve promised,” Aguirre said. Shortly thereafter, the vote was taken. t

Taking the tour to SF

Tech confab

Merchant pushes back on anti-confab sentiment

signed at birth. Prohibits such treatment even if parents consent or it is medically recommended for the minor’s mental or physical wellbeing.” It also “allows limited exceptions if minor: (1) has certain narrowly defined medical conditions; (2) began a continuous course of treatment before January 1, 2025; or (3) wishes to reverse prior treatment. Health care providers who violate the prohibition could lose their license or certification.” As for its costs to implement, the state fiscal officials estimate state and local governments could see “potentially relatively minor savings up to the millions of dollars annually from no longer paying for prohibited services for individuals under the age of 18. These savings could be affected by many other impacts, such as individuals seeking treatment later in life.” They also warn there could be “potential, but unknown, cost pressure to state and local governments related to federal fiscal penalties if the measure results in

got all kinds of radical history,” she said, but the story of South Asians in Berkeley, “I hadn’t seen this particular one lifted up. “It just reinforced that ordinary people make history, that we do amazing things,” Lybarger continued. “We can really change things sometimes far beyond what we intended and certainly in ways that really matter to us personally, but to so many other people. “It also really made me appreciate Berkeley even more,” she added. Ghosh agreed with the tour’s guests. “It’s such a great way to learn about the place you live in.” she said. For Chatterjee, it’s also about introducing people to activists working for social change in the recent past and today. There are many “incredible activists and organizers in our communities, but if you don’t know them, you don’t know them,” he said. “I feel like a lot of the work

From page 9

… But there’s no way for us to have all this equipment without protecting it.” She called requests for a seethrough barrier “voyeuristic.” “People would be looking in and it would not feel safe and special,” Pittsford said, adding that the fence tarps were green this year instead of black. “There’s a lot of opportunity for the Castro to be a safe space for women and queer, nonbinary leaders,” she said. “There’s literally nothing that centers us. There’s a reason it’s challenging for us to have space in the queer community, but my team works incredibly hard.”

sities ranging “from no effect to a few millions of dollars initially, depending on whether the measure can be legally implemented.”

John Ferrannini

Castro Merchants Association President Terry Asten Bennett expressed her frustration with the Lesbians Who Tech & Allies confab.

Bourg asked Batt if the question is whether the event has outgrown the neighborhood or if it’s limited to the street. Batt said it’s his understanding that “they’ve outgrown the neighborhood.” Responded Bourg, “I’m just worried. We don’t want to send the message we don’t want economic activity in our neighborhood. … I really worry, as a body, we don’t want to send a message that we’re anti-les-

bian or anti-any group within the queer community, but I worry that by taking this vote, no matter how hard we try, that’s the message that’s going to be sent.” Batt’s position is, “I don’t care who comes to the neighborhood and closes it down for six days” and that “it’s now a negative influence on the Castro, not a positive influence.” “You’re not voting against lesbians,” Batt said.

com/bdzcmsmk. The center’s place in the community can’t be understated, Lee said. “When I was on the board, almost on a weekly basis someone told me how the center has changed someone in their life, or saved them,” he said. “Hearing stuff

like that motivates me to do my best to keep Rainbow sustained financially, and stable.” Lee, who has been volunteering for the center for three years mostly in a fundraising capacity, stated his salary is $99,000 annually. Aguirre’s salary was

Lesbians Who Tech board member speaks

A self-described newer board member of Lesbians Who Tech gave remarks, saying that she was speaking for herself and not the organization. “It’s incredibly soul nurturing to be able to come to the Castro – to come to this historical place for which I hold such reverence,” the board member said. She said she patronized several local businesses.

not disclosed to the B.A.R. The center’s most recent IRS Form 990 shows Johnson made $95,281 in reported compensation in Fiscal Year 2021-22. t For more information about

Rainbow Community Center, go to rainbowcc.org (https://www. rainbowcc.org/)

t <<

Community News>>

Political Noteboook

From page 7

In September, it changed its schedule to provide more service on weeknights and weekends, as those times are when it sees the highest ridership. While weekday ridership is at 40% to 45% of pre-pandemic levels, daytime ridership on weekends is at 65% to 70% of what it had been prior to 2020, noted Saltzman.

“We want to lean into that,” she said. The agency is trying to address riders’ main concerns, added Saltzman, among them their safety. She pointed to “progressive” policing policies the board has instituted and having more unarmed safety personnel onboard the trains as helping riders feel safer. “A lot of what BART is doing is exciting, and riders are appreciating it,” she said. In light of the recent news about

November 9-15, 2023 • Bay Area Repor ter • 13 further delays and ballooning costs for the planned BART extension into downtown San Jose, the construction of which is being overseen by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, Saltzman told the B.A.R. she remains confident of seeing it be built. She noted all major infrastructure projects are seeing their price tags balloon due to inflation. “They are super committed to it,” she said. “I am confident. They have

been able to bring a lot of funding to it.” Among the achievements she is most proud of as a BART board member, said Saltzman, is working to address the agency’s infrastructure needs when she first got elected. The issue was what led her to run for her board seat, as she had been advocating for investments to be made into the “crumbling” system back then. In 2016, she helped secure voter support

Oakland district

From page 3

She recounted how years ago the old Oakland Pride organization used to have its festival by Lake Merritt, and the old Sistahs Steppin’ in Pride held their event near the lake as well. Fife, an ally, said she was honored to be at the event. Her council district is centered in West Oakland and parts of downtown. “It’s the second official cultural district in Oakland,” Fife told the B.A.R., noting the city’s first cultural district is the Black Arts Movement Business District. Fife added that the LGBTQ cultural district is needed to counter the right-wing attacks coming from conservative Republican lawmakers in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Supreme Court. The conservative super-majority on the court earlier this year ruled that a website designer has free speech rights and does not have to make wedding websites for samesex couples. “It’s all connected,” Fife said. “I have friends in Texas who have to bring their children here for gender-affirming care.” A ban on such care for trans youth in the Lone Star State went into effect earlier this year. Gay California Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) last year authored legislation signed by Governor Gavin Newsom that designates the Golden State as a refuge for trans kids and their families, as the B.A.R. previously reported. Emceeing the news conference was Oakland resident Amy Schneider, a trans woman who gained a national following after her championship run on TV game show “Jeopardy!” two years ago. She is the author

Cynthia Laird

Elected officials and LGBTQ community center staff gathered to announce the formation of the city’s first LGBTQ Cultural District at a Tuesday news conference.

of her recent memoir, “In the Form of a Question.” “I’m proud to call Oakland my home and I owe this town so much,” she said. Jeff Myers and Joe Hawkins, gay Black men who are co-founders of the community center, praised the formation of the cultural district. For now, the center will serve as the district’s fiscal sponsor, they said. “We have a lot of work to do,” said Hawkins. “This is just the beginning. In my mind, the whole lake is an LGBTQ cultural district. “For people of color, Oakland has always been a refuge,” he added. Thao, an ally who began her public service career by working as an aide

for Kaplan, said she was involved with the community center since it opened in 2017. “Our LGBTQ community is seeing constant threats and is not safe everywhere,” Thao said. While plans call for a flagpole outside the center with a Progress Pride flag to denote the cultural district, Thao said it’s about more than that. “It’s also about programming, like access to health care” and addressing housing insecurity, she said. Amin Robinson, youth services coordinator at the LGBTQ center’s Town Youth Club just a short walk away from the center, said that the cultural district empowers him as a queer Black youth.

Karen Anderson, a Black lesbian senior, told the B.A.R. she was excited by the turnout. During her remarks, Anderson said the cultural district’s formation is important for youth and seniors. “We’ve gone through the AIDS crisis, we’ve gone through the mpox crisis, and we’ve gone through the COVID crisis but we’re still here,” she said. “We’ve been isolated from our families and sometimes our friends and we’re still standing. We no longer have to concern ourselves with being out of the closet. There is no closet.” Bas said one goal behind its creation is to make sure the city’s queer community is represented. She pointed out the community center

OCT 19, 26, NOV 02, 09, 2023

fictitious business name or names on 01/11/2013. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/16/2023.

for a $3.5 billion bond measure to rebuild BART that was on the ballot that fall. “BART has been one of the most fulfilling and challenging experiences of my life. I really loved it even though it’s been really hard,” said Saltzman. “The shift will be challenging because I do love it. It has been a big part of my life, but I do think it is the right time to move on.” t

stepped up during COVID to provide vaccinations and assistance for those facing homelessness. Assemblymember Mia Bonta (DOakland) was one of several speakers who pointed out Oakland has one of the highest concentrations of LGBTQ people in the country. “The fight continues,” Bonta said. “Resist homophobia, hate, and discrimination and the extreme conservative legislative efforts across the nation. We’ve allowed that to seep into California counties, particularly around trans youth. We’re for protecting and celebrating the LGBTQ community.” Bonta was referring to actions by several conservative-led school boards that have adopted policies that would forcibly out trans and gender-nonconforming students to their parents without their consent. (Her husband, state Attorney General Rob Bonta, is suing one of the districts and recently won a preliminary injunction halting two main parts of the policy – the requirements that staff out students for identifying as transgender or gender non-conforming, as well as for accessing sexsegregated programs and activities that align with their gender.) Additionally, as the B.A.R. first reported online last week, backers of three anti-trans ballot measures were cleared by the secretary of state’s office to begin gathering signatures in the hopes of placing them on the November 2024 ballot. One of them would require forced outing of trans students. The others would prohibit trans students from participating on sports teams that match their gender identity and prohibit gender-affirming care for minors. t

Legals>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23558287

In the matter of the application of KADIATU HAJAH KOROMA, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner KADIATU HAJAH KOROMA is requesting that the name KADIATU HAJAH KOROMA be changed to KADIA HAJAH KOROMA. 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 9th of JANUARY 2024 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

OCT 19, 26, NOV 02, 09, 2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23558292

In the matter of the application of THOMAS YIM HUNG CHAN, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner THOMAS YIM HUNG CHAN is requesting that the name THOMAS YIM HUNG CHAN be changed to YIM HUNG CHAN. 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 11th of JANUARY 2024 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

OCT 19, 26, NOV 02, 09, 2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23558289

In the matter of the application of KAREN MARISOL GOMEZ MENDEZ & MAYNOR EDMUNDO FELICIANO TEMAJ, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner KAREN MARISOL GOMEZ MENDEZ & MAYNOR EDMUNDO FELICIANO TEMAJ is requesting that the name ISABELLA ABIGAIL FELICIANO GOMEZ be changed to ILEANA ABIGAIL FELICANO GOMEZ. 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 10th of DECEMBER 2023 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

OCT 19, 26, NOV 02, 09, 2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23558293

In the matter of the application of S. HEIDI ANDERSON, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner S. HEIDI ANDERSON is requesting that the name S. HEIDI ANDERSON be changed to KAIA ANDERSON-BUCKLEY. 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 28th of NOVEMBER 2023 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

OCT 19, 26, NOV 02, 09, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE

A-0401606

The following person(s) is/are doing business as RITUAL ARTS TAROT ENTERTAINMENT, 1250 BRODERICK ST #6, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed THOM FOWLER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/23/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/10/2023.

OCT 19, 26, NOV 02, 09, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401607 The following person(s) is/are doing business as YELLOWSTONE MARKET, 714 O’FARRELL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SAFWAN SHAIE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/10/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/10/2023.

OCT 19, 26, NOV 02, 09, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401593 The following person(s) is/are doing business as CHROMATIC FLOW, 3953 20TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DEBORAH NUCCITELLI. 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 10/06/2023.

OCT 19, 26, NOV 02, 09, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401611 The following person(s) is/are doing business as FRISCO KID LIFE COACH, 4048 FULTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed FRANK STROM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/11/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/11/2023.

OCT 19, 26, NOV 02, 09, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as GROUNDED THRU BIRTH, 2010 GOUGH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOANNA TURNER. 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 10/10/2023.

OCT 19, 26, NOV 02, 09, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401504 The following person(s) is/are doing business as YS+A ARCHITECTURE, 164 GAMBIER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed YOUNG WOO SON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/02/2019. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/25/2023.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401637 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SUN FLOWER STUDIO, 1541 KIRKWOOD AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SARAH IVESON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/08/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/13/2023.

OCT 19, 26, NOV 02, 09, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401652

The following person(s) is/are doing business as UNITED PAINTERS, 1080A CAPP ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed OVED MAZARIEGOS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/01/2018. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/17/2023.

OCT 19, 26, NOV 02, 09, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401509

The following person(s) is/are doing business as BABY FAMILY DAYCARE, 154 BRIGHT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SU NU ZHENG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/06/2012. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/25/2023.

OCT 19, 26, NOV 02, 09, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401601

The following person(s) is/are doing business as MID CITY MARKET, 868 GEARY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed 2 E SHQAIR INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/2008. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/10/2023.

OCT 19, 26, NOV 02, 09, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401644

The following person(s) is/are doing business as DAJU VAI ENTERTAINMENT, 1411A WASHINGTON BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94129. This business is conducted by co-partners, and is signed NIROJ GURUNG & AMIT MALLA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/08/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/16/2023.

OCT 19, 26, NOV 02, 09, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401647

The following person(s) is/are doing business as PRAXIS, 3047 24TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed NORGANICS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed

OCT 19, 26, NOV 02, 09, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401437

The following person(s) is/are doing business as MCS; MCS-PORTSIDE; PORTSIDE, 401 MAIN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SILVA - MANAGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION SERVICES, LLC (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 09/15/2023.

OCT 19, 26, NOV 02, 09, 2023

AMENDED NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF IVY BEATRICE CARO IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES-23-306729

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of IVY BEATRICE CARO. An Amended Petition for Probate has been filed by RIGOBERTO CARO JR. in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that RIGOBERTO CARO JR. be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: NOVEMBER 20, 2023, 9:00 am, Dept: Probate, Rm. 204, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102.1. Remote Access to Department 204: A) Appearance or Public Access by Video and/or Audio via Zoom: Parties, counsel, and witnesses may appear by video or audio-only telephone through Zoom. For a video appearance, go to zoom. us, click ‘join a meeting” and input meeting ID 160 225 4765 and password 514879. For an audio-only telephone appearance through Zoom, call 1-669-2545252 and key in meeting ID 160 225 4765#, then participant ID 0#, then password 514879#. Toll rates may apply. Counsel, parties, and witnesses appearing by video must input their first and last name into the “’Your Name” dialogue box. B) Appearance by Audio via CourtCall: Parties, counsel, and witnesses may appear by audio-only telephone through CourtCall by calling CourtCall at 1-888-882-6878 and obtaining an appearance access code for the hearing’s scheduled date and time. A CourtCall appearance may be made by mobile phone. CourtCall appearances may require the payment of a fee, even for parties with fee waivers. C) Public Access by Audio via CourtCall: For audio-only access through CourtCall, call the mute public line for Department 204 at 1-415- 796-6280 and enter access code

12129865#. This line will allow a member of the public to listen to the proceedings; it will not support an attempt to appear before the Court. 2. Remote Access to Dept 202 (Ex Parte Proceeding): A) Appearance or Public Access by Video and/or Audio via Zoom: To appear by video, go to zoom. us, click “join a meeting” and input meeting ID 160 9249 7549 and password 002786. For an audio-only telephone appearance through Zoom, call l-669-254- 5252 and key in meeting ID I 60 9249 7549#, then participant ID 0#, then password 002786#. Toll rates may apply. B) Appearance by Audio via CourtCall: To appear by audio-only telephone through CourtCall, call CourtCall at 1-888- 882-6878 and obtain an appearance access code for the proceeding’s scheduled date and time in Room 202. Any party may make a CourtCall appearance by mobile phone. CourtCall appearances may require the payment of a fee, even for parties with fee waivers. C) Public Access by Audio via CourtCall: For audio-only access through CourtCall, call the mute publica line for Department 204 at 1-415-7966280 and enter access code 12129874#. This line will allow a member of the public to listen to the proceedings; it will not support an attempt to appear before the Court. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: MICHAEL WOODS, 377 WEST PORTAL #B, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127; Ph. (415) 759-1900.

OCT 26, NOV 02, 09, 2023

CITATION TO APPEAR (FAMILY CODE § 7822) IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN MATEO, 400 COUNTY CENTER, REDWOOD CITY, CA 94063. IN THE MATTER OF THE PETITION OF: ANDREA ARMANINO, ON BEHALF OF ANAVA ANN ARMANINO, A MINOR, FOR FREEDOM FROM PARENTAL CUSTODY AND CONTROL. CASE NO. 124306-A THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA TO: MICHAEL TERRELL JOHNESE-PRESTON

By Order of this Court, you are hereby cited to appear before the Judge presiding in Department 5 of this Court on November 30, 2023, at 2:00 p.m., then and there to show cause, if any you have, why the request of Andrea Armanino to have the minor Anava Ann Armanino declared free from your custody and control. Please be

<< Classifieds

14 • Bay Area Repor ter • November 9-15, 2023

advised that should you be unable to afford counsel, and should you request it, the Court will appoint counsel to represent you. The address of the Court is 400 County Center, Redwood City, California 94063. Parties may be able to appear remotely. Information on the rules regarding remote appearances can be found at https:// www.sanmateocourt.org/court_divisions/family_law/calendars.php. Attorney for Petitioner: DEBORAH H. WALD (SBN 129936); THE WALD LAW GROUP PC, 100 BUSH ST #1900, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104; (415) 648-3097. Dated: 10/16/2023, 9:20am; Janet Rey, Clerk.

OCT 26, NOV 02, 09, 16, 2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23558278

In the matter of the application of GABRIELLE LYNNE CAPILI, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner GABRIELLE LYNNE CAPILI is requesting that the name GABRIELLE LYNNE CAPILI be changed to GABBY DRAGON CALDERA. 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 28th of DECEMBER 2023 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

OCT 26, NOV 02, 09, 16, 2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23558301

In the matter of the application of SIN YU NGAI, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner SIN YU NGAI is requesting that the name SIN YU NGAI AKA SINYU NGAI be changed to NATALIE SINYU NGAI. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N on the 26th of DECEMBER 2023 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

OCT 26, NOV 02, 09, 16, 2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23558302

In the matter of the application of HELEN POE HEONG SIM WU, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner HELEN POE HEONG SIM WU is requesting that the name HELEN POE HEONG SIM WU AKA POE HEONG SIM WU AKA HELEN POE HEONG SIM AKA HELEN P H SIM WU be changed to HELEN POE HEONG SIM. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N on the 28th of DECEMBER 2023 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

OCT 26, NOV 02, 09, 16, 2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE: JD22-3172

In the matter of the application of UNNAMED BABY GIRL, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner MICHAELA ROBERTS is requesting that the name UNNAMED BABY GIRL be changed to BROOKLYN ERIN ROBERTS. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 425 on the 30th of NOVEMBER 2023 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

OCT 26, NOV 02, 09, 16, 2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23558312

In the matter of the application of MAX MEREDITH VASILATOS, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner MAX MEREDITH VASILATOS is requesting that the name MAX MEREDITH VASILATOS be changed to MAX VASILATOS RASMUSSEN. 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 21st of DECEMBER 2023 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

OCT 26, NOV 02, 09, 16, 2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23558310

In the matter of the application of MOLLEN K. KAIRIA, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner MOLLEN K. KAIRIA is requesting that the name KAIRIA be changed to NIA BETTY KAIGONGI. 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 23rd of JANUARY 2024 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

OCT 26, NOV 02, 09, 16, 2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23558316

In the matter of the application of CHESTER VAN TRUONG & NGA THI PHUONG TRAN, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner CHESTER VAN TRUONG & NGA THI PHUONG TRAN is requesting that the name NGHI AI TRUONG be changed to SALLY ANNA TRUONG. 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 23rd of JANUARY 2024 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

OCT 26, NOV 02, 09, 16, 2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23558313

In the matter of the application of ANDREW WESTBROOKE GEORGE, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner ANDREW WESTBROOKE GEORGE is requesting that the name ANDREW WESTBROOKE GEORGE be changed to ANDREW WESTBROOKE GIORDANO. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N on the 21st of DECEMBER 2023 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

NOTICE TO PROPOSERS : SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA RAPID TRANSIT DISTRICT (“BART” or “DISTRICT”), REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (“RFP”) FOR RECOVERY OF SALES TAX REVENUE COLLECTION SERVICES, RFP NO. 6M5208, ISSUED OCTOBER 31, 2023 BART is now accepting proposals from sales tax revenue recovery firms. The awarded Contractor will provide Recovery of Sales Tax Revenue Collection Services to assist BART’s Internal Audit Department. Interested firms must register on BART’s Procurement Portal at; https://suppliers. bart.gov All solicitation documents, including the RFP, must be downloaded directly from the Portal. A Pre-Proposal Meeting will be held on November 14, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. local time via Zoom – instructions on registering are included within the RFP. The due date for submission of proposals for this RFP is 2:00 PM local time Tuesday, December 5, 2023. 11/9/23 CNS-3754323# BAY AREA REPORTER

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OCT 26, NOV 02, 09, 16, 2023 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401657

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SPARTAN INTERNATIONAL CONSULTING, 132 LISBON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112 . This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DINO ZOGRAFOS. 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 10/17/2023.

OCT 26, NOV 02, 09, 16, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401527

The following person(s) is/are doing business as BEST TRAVEL, 317 HYDE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MAI XUAN LE. 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 09/26.

OCT 26, NOV 02, 09, 16, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401669

The following person(s) is/are doing business as GUMMAAE, 447 SUTTER ST #405, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JEANNIE WU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/28/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/18/2023.

OCT 26, NOV 02, 09, 16, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401671 The following person(s) is/are doing business as HIRAYA IMMIGRATION, 3229 B MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RHODORA V. DERPO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/13/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/18/2023.

OCT 26, NOV 02, 09, 16, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401446

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SMOOTH GHOUL DIGITAL, 1295 41ST AVE #103, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed PATRICK WHITE. 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 09/18/2023.

OCT 26, NOV 02, 09, 16, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401676

The following person(s) is/are doing business as NEW HAIR; NEW HAIR FOR MEN; NEW HAIR FOR YOU; NEW HAIR FOR MEN AND WOMEN, 490 POST ST #1505, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed THOMAS MCKAY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/18/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/18/2023.

OCT 26, NOV 02, 09, 16, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401665

The following person(s) is/are doing business as HAWAIIAN DRIVE INN, 2600 SAN BRUNO AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed HAWAIIAN DRIVE INN INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/10/2010. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/18/2023.

OCT 26, NOV 02, 09, 16, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401655

The following person(s) is/are doing business as HAIR PLAY INC, 695 SAN JOSE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed HAIR PLAY INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/17/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/17/2023.

OCT 26, NOV 02, 09, 16, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401629

The following person(s) is/are doing business as JLARAM HOTEL, 868 VALENCIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited partnership, and is signed BALWANTSINH D. THAKOR & LATABEN B. THAKOR. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/05/2011. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/12/2023.

OCT 26, NOV 02, 09, 16, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401694

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SF CHEF DANIEL, 610 28TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed MURPHY TRADES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/23/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/23/2023.

OCT 26, NOV 02, 09, 16, 2023

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF MARTIN SEYMOUR MORDKOFF IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES-23-306659

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of MARTIN SEYMOUR MORDKOFF. A Petition for Probate has been filed by JEREMY L. MORDKOFF in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that JEREMY L. MORDKOFF be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: NOVEMBER 20, 2023, 9:00 am, Dept. 204, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Petitioner: ANNEMARIE MORDKOFF, 1 CATALPA CRES, PILESGROVE, NJ 08098-2729; Ph. (978) 257-1752.

NOV 02, 09, 16, 2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA,

COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23558326

In the matter of the application of CHLOE ELIZABETH WHITEHEAD, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner CHLOE ELIZABETH WHITEHEAD is requesting that the name CHLOE ELIZABETH WHITEHEAD be changed to ZYRUS ELIZABETH WHITEHEAD. 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 30th of JANUARY 2024 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

NOV 02, 09, 16, 23, 2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23558336

In the matter of the application of JOHN YOUNES & ALEXANDRA DE CLERCK, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner JOHN YOUNES & ALEXANDRA DE CLERCK is requesting that the name LEO PAUL DOMINIEK YOUNES be changed to LEO PAUL ALEX YOUNES. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N on the 30th of JANUARY 2024 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

NOV 02, 09, 16, 23, 2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23558335

In the matter of the application of CHOON SEON KIM, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner CHOON SEON KIM is requesting that the name CHOON SEON KIM be changed to AMY KYUNG KIM. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N on the 30th of JANUARY 2024 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

NOV 02, 09, 16, 23, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401683

The following person(s) is/are doing business as PAPAYA ISLAND, 501 6TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ALBERT H. CHENG. 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 10/20/2023.

NOV 02, 09, 16, 23, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401748

The following person(s) is/are doing business as LIFE’S SEASONS, 2770 PINE ST #202, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DEBORAH L. ESTELL. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/27/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/27/2023.

NOV 02, 09, 16, 23, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401751

The following person(s) is/are doing business as JOP IDEAS AND TECHNOLOGY, 466 GEARY ST #1500, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JULIANO DE OLIVEIRA PORCIUNCULA. 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 10/30/2023.

NOV 02, 09, 16, 23, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401659

The following person(s) is/are doing business as OAK VALLEY CARS, 220 BAYSHORE BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MICHELLE SHAWNTA TONEY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/01/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/17/2023.

NOV 02, 09, 16, 23, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401756 The following person(s) is/are doing business as BUDGET CLEANERS, 536 DIVISADERO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed YARK HAR LEE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/29/2009. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/30/2023.

NOV 02, 09, 16, 23, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401755 The following person(s) is/are doing business as LOVE MY NAILS, 105 WEST PORTAL AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed YEN PHUONG TA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/01/2016. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/30/2023.

NOV 02, 09, 16, 23, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401760

The following person(s) is/are doing business as LASHED, 645 TARAVAL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed VICTORIA CHAO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/27/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/30/2023.

NOV 02, 09, 16, 23, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401619

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SIMPLY SF, 1001 BRANNAN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BRANNAN STREET FITNESS INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/01/2022. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/12/2023.

NOV 02, 09, 16, 23, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401620

The following person(s) is/are doing business as FITNESS SF CASTRO, 2301 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SUPERBLOCK FITNESS INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/15/2012. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/12/2023.

NOV 02, 09, 16, 23, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401621

The following person(s) is/are doing business as FITNESS SF SOMA, 1001 BRANNAN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BRANNAN STREET FITNESS INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/15/2012. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/12/2023.

NOV 02, 09, 16, 23, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401625

The following person(s) is/are doing business as FITNESS SF EMBARCADERO, 2 EMBARCADERO CENTER, LOBBY LEVEL, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed EMBARCADERO FITNESS INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/03/2016. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/12/2023.

NOV 02, 09, 16, 23, 2023 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401677

The following person(s) is/are doing business as WESTHAUS, 595 PACIFIC AVE, FL 4, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed AVENUE 8 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 10/19/2023.

NOV 02, 09, 16, 23, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401730

The following person(s) is/are doing business as NEW STAR ELL, 501 DIVISADERO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed FIVE ZERO ONE GROCERIES INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/26/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/26/2023.

NOV 02, 09, 16, 23, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as TIM’S SNACKS, 565-B ELLIS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed TIM’S SNACKS (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 10/14/2023.

NOV 02, 09, 16, 23, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401714

The following person(s) is/are doing business as GOLDEN GATE APA, 3572 18TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SAN FRANCISCO BILLIARDS LLC (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 10/25/2023.

NOV 02, 09, 16, 23, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401728

The following person(s) is/are doing business as FINANCEPERIOD, 1446A RHODE ISLAND ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed HAWK ADVISORY LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/26/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/26/2023.

NOV 02, 09, 16, 23, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401570

The following person(s) is/are doing business as TEACH YOU TO FISH FINANCIAL, 601 VAN NESS AVE SUITE E, PMB 733, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed EAAC LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/25/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/03/2023.

NOV 02, 09, 16, 23, 2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23558330

In the matter of the application of KELLY MICHELLE HATFIELD, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner KELLY MICHELLE HATFIELD is requesting that the name KELLY MICHELLE HATFIELD be changed to KELLY MICHELLE HAUNT. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N on the 25th of JANUARY 2024 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

NOV 09, 16, 23, 30, 2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23558331

In the matter of the application of ANTHONY MARK RAUS, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner ANTHONY MARK RAUS is requesting that the name ANTHONY MARK RAUS be changed to ANTHONY MARK HAUNT. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N on the 25th of JANUARY 2024 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

NOV 09, 16, 23, 30, 2023

The following person(s) is/are doing business as COMMON CLOTH, 1250 48TH AVE #4, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed WILLIAM J. MCCARTHY. 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 11/01/2023.

NOV 09, 16, 23, 30, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401796

The following person(s) is/are doing business as LANDLINE HOME, 717 VALENCIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANTHONY J. LEO. 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 11/02/2023.

NOV 09, 16, 23, 30, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401X

The following person(s) is/are doing business as COLIBRI DOULA SERVICES, 1638A BRODERICK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DANNHAE HERRERA-WILSON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/01/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/03/2023.

NOV 09, 16, 23, 30, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401818

The following person(s) is/are doing business as D & S JANITORIAL, 237 MORSE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed DAVID OSVALDO ROSALES & SERAFIN CANELO SANCHEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/04/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/03/2023.

NOV 09, 16, 23, 30, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401674

The following person(s) is/are doing business as HERRERA FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC, 1370 VALENCIA ST #A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed HERRERA FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/29/2022. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/18/2023.

NOV 09, 16, 23, 30, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401715

The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE PARTHENON, 582 SUTTER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed HAVIN 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 10/25/2023.

NOV 09, 16, 23, 30, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401761

The following person(s) is/are doing business as STRAND PARLOR SF, 2823 18TH ST #105, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed JUAN G. CORPORATION (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/20/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/30/2023.

NOV 09, 16, 23, 30, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401774

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SAN FRANCISCO ENDODONTICS, 500 SPRUCE ST #204, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118-2048. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed RALAN WONG DDS, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/24/2004. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/31/2023.

NOV 09, 16, 23, 30, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401801

The following person(s) is/are doing business as J.AEBI COACHING, 2 APPLETON AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed JESSICA AEBI ENTERPRISES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/02/2023.

NOV 09, 16, 23, 30, 2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23558325

In the matter of the application of ADON SEBASTIAN GERRARD, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner ADON SEBASTIAN GERRARD is requesting that the name ADON SEBASTIAN GERRARD be changed to ADON REYNOLDS. 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 25th of JANUARY 2024 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

NOV 09, 16, 23, 30, 2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23558348

In the matter of the application of KIDONG KIM, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner KIDONG KIM is requesting that the name KIDONG KIM be changed to ERIC KIDONG KIM. 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 FEBRUARY 2024 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

NOV 09, 16, 23, 30, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401660

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SPIRITUAL PSYCHIC READER, 810 EDDY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MARY MARKS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/17/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/17/2023.

NOV 09, 16, 23, 30, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401746 The following person(s) is/are doing business as V&Z SERVICES, 1384 VALENCIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed YANCY A. CASTRO BALDELOMAR. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/27/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/27/2023.

NOV 09, 16, 23, 30, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401782

The following person(s) is/are doing business as PERFECT HARDWOOD FLOORS SERVICE, 1130 CLEMENT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DUC NGO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/01/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/01/2023.

NOV 09, 16, 23, 30, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0401783

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Pangaea Colter and Elizabeth Curtis in Shotgun Players’ ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’

by Jim Gladstone

’d love to tell you that last weekend I saw Hedwig and the Angry Inch play. Alas, I can only report that I saw “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” the play. As conceived by writer John Cameron Mitchell and composer/lyricist Stephen Trask back in 1997, “Hedwig”– now being presented by Berkeley’s Shotgun Players – is intended to feel like a late night in a dive bar, not an evening at the theater. While thoroughly entertaining, this production falls short of achieving that goal. “Hedwig” is the gut-spilling, Borscht belt-joking confessional of a Cold War-era East German lad who undergoes gender-reassignment surgery under duress; becomes a Kansas hausfrau; transforms himself into the wig-topped front person of a scrappy band; and finally, fatefully, takes on the musical mentorship of the teenage boy who will soon become a world-famous rock star, Tommy Gnosis. The whole show is set at a performance by its titular band. It’s structured more like a cabaret than a traditional work of musical theater, alternating songs and storytelling patter. With Shotgun, actors Pangaea Colter and Elizabeth Curtis take on the piece’s two speaking-and-singing roles with impressive skill and stamina.

Nailed

As Hedwig, Colter – stunningly dressed in a series of knockout Buffalo Exchange-meets-Vivienne Westwood costumes by Kip Yanaga – seems fully at ease crafting her own somewhat warmer, less harsh take on a character closely linked to Mitchell, who originated the role on stage and in the film adaptation. (Hedwig’s fabulous hairpieces by Bobby Friday are follicular miracles).

‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ Shotgun Players pulls the wig down from the shelf

Playing Yitzhak, Hedwig’s beleaguered second husband, Curtis stunningly shifts from hen-pecked to hellacious as the character gradually resumes his own agency, emerging from under Hedwig’s thumb with a spine-tingling soprano wail. Director Richard A. Mosqueda does a terrific job of cranking the emotion up to 11 in the power exchange among characters during the intermissionless 90-minute show’s galvanizing final scenes. “The Angry Inch” is played by self-proclaimed “black dyke rock band” Skip the Needle (Kofy Brown, Katie Cash, Shelley Doty, Vicki Randall) and they attack with a plangent fury that carries the show on a wave of sound from start to finish. The abstract expressiveness of their playing and Trask’s score effectively overrides the narrative loose ends and philosophical shagginess of Mitchell’s book.

Tear me down

Even with all its strengths, this “Hedwig” doesn’t make it to the head of the class. The show was originally developed in the sort of lovably cruddy watering holes where it’s meant to take place. Hedwig and her band were the ragged entertainment; audience members, the bar’s patrons. Audience members close to the band could get sweat, spit and sat upon. Hole-inthe-walls have no fourth walls. When it moved Off-Broadway, the intimate Westbeth and Jane Street theaters were dolled up CBGB-style. And even after the show had built a following large enough to merit a revival on the main stem in 2015, the script was slightly altered to explain why a ragtag band like Hedwig’s would be playing in such a large, formal house: The Belasco Theater, Hedwig now explained, was unexpectedly available after the one-night flop

‘Out in the Ring’ Documentary’s takedown on the history and future of LGBTQ pro wrestlers

Sonny Kiss in ‘Out in the Ring’

by Jim Provenzano

espite its early roots that include gay men, the world of professional wrestling has a history of homophobia, sex scandals and fumbled attempts at inclusion. In the small newer leagues, however, a new more inclusive roster includes an expanding number of LGBT wrestlers and event producers. “Wrestlers are artists. It’s about choreography and timing and acting. It’s all these art forms in one,” says Scott “Sgt. Dickson” McEwan in the

intro to Ry Levey’s fascinating “Out in the Ring,” a 2022 documentary about LGBTQ people in professional wrestling. The film, which has won a few festival awards, also offers an exploration and complete deconstruction of the homoerotic nature of pro wrestling in the larger arenas. Along with a multitude of historic clips, Levey’s film includes interviews with several current performers, from the giant Mike Parrow to the petite yet powerful Sonny Kiss. Professional wrestling has long been steeped in “homoerotiphobia” (my term), a confusing mix of the homoerotic and the homophobic, as the film

proves. Wrestler Reiza Clarke compares the similarities of some overtly glamorous characters in wrestling to the Black ball culture. Bay Area drag personality Pollo del Mar, aka Paul E. Pratt, is one of several participants who eloquently defines the queer cues in pro wrestling, as he MCs wrestling events as Pollo. Citing flamboyant ’80s wrestler Ric Flair, he says, “It’s how he gets to the ring, the character he presents. For me, a huge element of that is in drag; a character that brings out the larger than life aspect of who the individual is. Homosexual or gay themes have always thrived in professional wrestling.”

and closure of “The Hurt Locker: The Musical.” The stage indeed appeared as if it had been hastily vacated by a much larger production, with dropcloths covering left-behind set pieces. Staying true to the show’s conceit, the venue played itself. This script iteration was also used on a national tour that played the Golden Gate Theatre in 2016.

Hedwig’s lament

Shotgun Players is routinely equal or better than any theater in the Bay Area when it comes to set design, providing visual elements that illuminate and enrich their productions’ performances and scripts. Recently, with “Triumph of Love” and especially “Pierre, Natasha and the Great Comet of 1812,” directors and designers have dramatically See page 20 >>

Queer wrestler and event producer Billy Dixon notes how the growing presence of out wrestlers defies the mostly straight industry. “We are a complete and total confrontation of the homoerotic nature of the industry.”

Early queer roots

The film brings life to an illustrious legacy. In one section, Jordan Marques explains the Mexican “exoticos,’ flamboyant professional wrestlers who became popular decades ago. “They might be comedy filler, but once the bell rings, they’re actual wrestlers,” he says. The film shows how an American actually started the exoticos trend in the 1940s. Dizzy Davis wrestled under the name Gardenia Davis. His friend George Wagner asked if he wanted to bring his act in America, but Davis didn’t think it would work. So Wagner borrowed the style and became Gorgeous George, the first flamboyant and historically significant gay-presenting wrestler in the U.S. The film includes footage of Gorgeous George and dozens of other historic video clips from that era to the 1980s at the height of WWF/WWE popularity (The World Wrestling Federation changed its acronym and after a lawsuit from the earlier-created World Wildlife Foundation). American pro wrestling’s early promoters were gay men. Jim Barnett is called “the Truman Capote of pro wrestling” by announcer Jim Ross in an audio interview. “Think about it. He was an openly gay man in an alpha male world of professional heterosexual wrestling.” Pat Patterson, a wrestler from the 1960s, later produced events that grew into the WWF. Despite his boyfriend Louie Dondero acting as his ring assistant, their relationship remained hidden except for a few close friends. Patterson became the North American heavyweight champion despite living in an era when homosexuality was illegal. After being separated for a while due to their careers, Patterson asked Dondero to move to Portland with him, where they began expanding their burgeoning pro wrestling franchise. Their tours were part of the San Francisco pro wrestling scene for years while they were living a private relationship among wrestling circles. Patterson went on to developing the pro wrestling world to much bigger televised events. See page 20 >>

<< Theater

16 • Bay Area Repor ter • November 9-15, 2023

Tanika Baptiste directs ‘Group Therapy’ by Jim Gladstone

them, and the grant is part of why I’ve been able completely focus on theater work this year. It’s the third year in a row I’ve been able to be a theater artist full time. I plan to keep it that way.”

is the season for Tanika Baptiste. Eight times a week, from late September through October 28, the rising star gave audiences the guffawinducing gift of her riotous performance as a Nigerian talk show host in “Nollywood Dreams” at the San Francisco Playhouse. In the midst of that engagement, she began afternoon rehearsals for the premiere of playwright Kheven LaGrone’s “Group Therapy,” which she’s directing at the Theatre Rhinoceros in a run that opens November 9. (She’s directed past productions of “At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen” and “How Black Mothers Say I Love You” for the company). Concurrently, Baptiste, who identifies as queer, is working as the talent coordinator for Enchant, the enormous Christmas attraction that will take over San Jose’s PayPal Park from the day after Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve. And every Thursday, she catches the 5:42 a.m. train from Oakland to U.C. Davis where, in December, she’ll complete the B.A. in African American Studies that she’s been steadily pursuing alongside her theater work since 2003.

A passion-driven life

“I know I should have a personal life,” Baptiste joked in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter an hour before going onstage at the SF Playhouse on a recent evening. While hardly unique among theater makers in deftly juggling multiple gigs in order to make a living in her chosen field, Baptiste approaches her work with singular focus and good cheer. “You’re not going to hear me say I’m just doing whatever I have to in order to pay the bills,” she explained. “Theater is my joy and passion. This past year, my goal was to take on jobs that let me tell

Opportunity and optimism

Scott Sidorsky

(Back L-R) Mark Anthony, Joshalvin, Tory Williams (Front L-R) Hector Zavala, Senait Mengstab, and James Quedado in ‘Group Therapy’

the stories of my people and of my ancestors. I did a good job of that.” In addition to “Nollywood Dreams,” Baptiste gave a scene-stealing performance in “The N— Lovers” at the Magic Theater, played a leading role in the Afropunk spaghetti Western “Is God Is” at The Oakland Theater Project, and did a turn as a Shirelle in “Beautiful” The Carol King Musical” at the Woodminster Amphitheater. In directing, too, Baptiste has sought out material that she connects to on a personal level. “Group Therapy” is the second play by Oakland-based LaGrone that she’s helmed for Theatre Rhinoceros, following an online pandemic production of his “Pillow Talk.” “I love the way he writes about the

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queer BIPOC experience,” Baptiste says, pointing to a complex emotional realism that evokes the work of screenwriter/director John Singleton for her. “All of the characters in this play are about to turn 40. They’re taking stock of their past and trying to find their way into next phase of their lives through this therapy group. I’m 38 myself and I recognize a lot of their experiences.” Baptiste’s work at Theatre Rhino on this production is underwritten by an Arts Leadership Residency Grant from Theatre Bay Area. “Crystal Liu, The Rhino’s Director of Development, is such a star. She encouraged me to apply for this with

Baptiste says that one of the reasons she moved to the Bay Area in 2017 was the opportunity she saw in the local theater community for Black women. While the theater industry nationwide has publicly wrestled with issues of diversity, equity and inclusion in recent years, Baptiste gives the Bay Area credit for being ahead of the curve. “In San Diego, there just weren’t parts. I came up to the Bay Area and the first month I was here, there were like seven productions with Black woman leads. And there are so many companies to work with here.” That said, Baptiste still harbors a dream to perform on or off-Broadway in New York. “I have the first three weeks of January off before I go into rehearsal for ‘Dirty White Teslas Make Me Sad’ at The Magic,” she said. “It’s my first real break in a long time and I’m going to

try to start bicycling, watch some trash reality TV and just chill. But after that, I am going to try to navigate my time and energy a bit differently. I want to challenge myself, to work in markets outside the Bay to get that experience. I just submitted to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for the first time.” (Among Baptiste’s dream roles is Lady MacBeth). “And I am going to go to New York. I want to be able to say I made a goal for myself and achieved it. I have younger siblings and nieces and nephews and I want them all to see that if you work hard and stay consistent, anything is possible. Like Will Smith once said, ‘I’m not afraid to die on the treadmill.’ “I’m not going to lie: I’ve visualized myself winning a Tony. I think everybody does that at the beginning of their careers, but I can still see it. The way I’ve been supported in the Bay Area, people have made me feel like I am so magical and powerful. And maybe I am, you know.”t ‘Group Therapy’ through Dec. 3. $17.50-$35. Theatre Rhinoceros, 4229 18th St. (415) 552-4100 www.therhino.org

Jessica Palopoli

‘Group Therapy’ director Tanika Baptiste

Tanika Baptiste in SF Playhouse’s ‘Nollywood Dreams’

Matthew Lopéz’ makeover by Christopher Beale

enter Repertory Company is staging “The Legend of Georgia McBride” at Lesher Center for the Performing Arts in Walnut Creek. Bay Area actor and director Elizabeth Carter told the Bay Area Reporter that she felt that her next production needed to be a direct form of protest against the latest anti-LGBTQ legislation sweeping the nation. “I was like, drag bans in Florida? What the hell is going on!?” said Carter. Then she remembered a 2017 play by Tony and Olivier Award winner Matthew Lopéz called “The Legend of Georgia McBride.” The show is about drag, and takes place in the epicenter of LGBTQ hate in the United States: Florida. The plot fit the cultural moment, and Carter teamed up with Center Rep to stage it. Casey (Joe Ayers) is an Elvis impersonator at a bar in a rural Florida town. He’s young, handsome, talented, straight and about to be a father. Things are looking good until he suddenly loses his job to a new kind of production, a drag show. When faced with financial ruin or trying drag, Casey climbs into high heels and transforms into a fabulous, fierce drag queen. His transformation from quaffed Elvis impersonator to drag performer is guided by the production’s on- and off-stage drag mother, Miss Tracy Mills, played by seasoned drag performer J.A. Valentine. “One of the things that I love about Mills is that she is written for a drag performer over 40 with some experience and mileage,” said Valentine, who has a lengthy drag career spanning decades in the San Francisco Bay Area. Valentine has been helping the cast

Kevin Berne

J.A. Valentine, Joe Ayers and Jed Parsario in Center Repertory Company’s ‘The Legend of Georgia McBride.’

through the rigorous rehearsal and staging process with wit and wisdom, guiding the drag presentation to appear as accurate as possible while keeping the cast engaged. This, said Valentine, was the idea behind his casting. “My director felt very strongly that they wanted not just an actor, but a career drag performer to play this part, and I’m both of those things,” said Valentine matter of factly. “I’m really pleased that authenticity is a priority on this production.” Authenticity isn’t just the priority, it’s the point. “I’m a queer parent, with a 12-yearold,” beamed Carter. “My wife and I have been together for 17 years. We are a little lesbian family in the East Bay. Stereotypical, I know.” Carter and her wife have raised their children within the Bay Area’s LGBTQ community, including drag events like Easter in Dolores Park with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Drag is important to Carter and her family, and this show is her way of

pushing back against the tyrannical actions of Florida’s government. “’The Legend of Georgia McBride’ is my raised fist with a sequined glove,” said Carter, but she reminded me that this is first and foremost a comedy, but a comedy with heart and a theme of chosen family. Who will love you when you make a big change to something at the very core of who you are? “Everyone’s searching for that home,” added Carter. “That’s the beautiful thing about the play. It doesn’t end in tragedy.” What does Casey’s family look like at the end of the story? To find out what happens, you’ll have to head to Center Rep in Walnut Creek. From San Francisco, it’s a BART ride and a ten-minute walk.t “The Legend of Georgia McBride” Nov. 7-26 at Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. $45-$70. (925) 943-7469 www.lesherartscenter.org

Music>>

November 9-15, 2023 • Bay Area Repor ter • 17

California Festival by Philip Campbell

Francisco Symphony. Selections from John Adams’s “Book of Alleged Dances” finish the chamber concert. Despite endless globetrotting and international stardom, Adams maintains a strong California connection. www.berkeleysymphony.org

alling out around the state, are you ready for a brand new beat? ‘California Festival – A Celebration of New Music’ is recharging musical institutions throughout the Golden West for two weeks through November 19. “A statewide music initiative showcasing the most compelling and forward-looking voices in performances of works written in the past five years,” California Festival (CA FEST) is a group effort organized by the San Francisco Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the San Diego Symphony. Conceived by the orchestra’s music directors, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Gustavo Dudamel and Rafael Payare, the concerts have grown to include a multitude of other participants and performance venues. 101 organizations, including 15 youth orchestras present more than 190 works, with 36 premieres by 34 artists. The statewide fact sheet is overwhelming, so let’s bring it closer to home and look at some of the Bay Area events.

San Francisco Opera

The new opera “Omar” with music by Rhiannon Giddens and cocomposer Michael Abels, plays now through November 21 at the War Memorial Opera House. A co-commissioned Bay Area premiere, “Omar” tells the story of Islamic scholar Omar Ibn Said’s journey from West Africa to enslavement in South Carolina. Imprisoned after an attempted escape, he records his story in Arabic. A founding member of The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Giddons has built a major career as a composer and performer picking up Grammys, a MacArthur Fellowship, and a Pulitzer Prize (for “Omar”) along the way. From “Omar” to “American Railroad” (Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens), she is represented in CA Fest at the La Jolla Music Society, Philharmonic Society of Orange County and UCSB Arts & Lecture. www.sfopera.com

San Francisco Symphony

November 10-12 “To the Edge” Concerts feature Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting Emerging Black Composers Project winner Jens Ibsen’s “Drowned in Light,” Salonen’s own “kínēma” and Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements. Composer/tenor Ibsen (the first African-born member of the Vienna Boys Choir) gets a world premiere of his genre-bending score. He sums it up as a distillation of his musical philosophy and his feelings about “the San Francisco Bay Area, my home.” November 17–18 “From the Edge” Salonen returns to conduct. The program includes first SFS performances of Gabriella Smith’s “Breathing Forests” with organist James McVinnie and two more works by Stravinsky: Octet for Winds and Brass, and “Les Noces,” orchestrated by composer Steven Stucky, featuring animated shorts by artist Hillary Leben. Smith is a passionate environmentalist. Her organ concerto from 2022 invokes the spaces and sounds of California, “a reflection on the complex relationship between humans, forests, climate change, and fire.” Sun, Nov 19, 2pm at Davies Symphony Hall, the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and conductor Daniel Stewart present “Metacosmos” by Icelandic composer

Above: Tenor and composer Jens Ibsen Below: Composer Gabriela Lena Frank

New music celebrated in concerts and opera Dream a World” (poem by Langston Hughes) and Brahms’ “Zigeunerlieder.” A “longtime happy resident of California,” and out gay man, Conte resides here with his partner of many years. He has contributed gay-themed scores to the repertoire, including many commissions for GALA Choruses, and has published over 150 compositions with prominent music company E.C. Schirmer. John Corigliano has written more than 100 scores, earning fame and awards. In the late 1980s, inspired by the AIDS Memorial Quilt, he focused his grief into the Symphony No. 1,

since performed by over 300 orchestras worldwide and recorded three times. He is married to another notable composer, Mark Adamo. Saturday, November 18, 7:00 pm Cathedral of Christ the Light, Oakland Sunday, November 19, 4:00 pm Calvary Presbyterian Church, San Francisco www.sfchoral.orgt For more information about all Festival events, visit the website, a remarkable experience itself: www.cafestival.org

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San Francisco Choral Society Above: ‘Omar’ composer Rhiannon Giddens Middle: Composer David Conte Below: Composer John Corigliano

Anna Thorvaldsdottir. SFSYO’s 2023–24 season opener is taking a big leap, jumping with the author into her metaphorical fall into a black hole. The brave young players also perform music from planet Earth. Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from “West Side Story” and music from Richard Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” complete the bill. www.sfsymphony.org

Robert Geary, Artistic Director of the SF Choral Society is deservedly prominent in the lineup of California Festival offerings. The 2023 season concludes with the world premiere of “Brontë” by Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo, a choral work commissioned by the organization and inspired by the poetry of Emily Brontë. The program explores more works inspired by poetry, including John Corigliano’s “Fern Hill” (poem by Dylan Thomas), David Conte’s “I t h e at r e r h i noc e ro s p r e s e n t s

a n e w p l ay b y k h e v e n l ag ro n e

Berkeley Symphony

Sunday, November 19, 4pm at Piedmont Center for the Arts is “California Connections.” Composer Gabriela Lena Frank was born and raised in Berkeley and currently resides in Boonville (north of SF). She is past Creative Advisor to the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra. Performances of her “Kanto Kechua No. 2,” influenced by Andean folk music, must have special resonance for her. Frank says, only in the United States could a Peruvian-Chinese-JewishLithuanian girl in a hippie town create a life writing string quartets and symphonies. Living in the Golden State doesn’t hurt either. Raised in Berlin, San Francisco, and Texas, Ben Shirley is part of the “Composing Earth” program at Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music that informs musicians about climate change. His “High Sierra Sonata” for clarinet and string quartet conjures the beauty of the Mountains. Peruvian immigrant Anaís Azul (they/them) is a California-based singer-songwriter, composer, teaching artist and Berkeley High School alum. Their music interrelates with vocal looping, western classical music, and Latin American singer-songwriter traditions. “Cascades and Canyons” moves through the serenity and challenges of nature. Gabriella Smith’s “Carrot Revolution” (2015) is inspired by a quote attributed to Cezanne in a novel by Zola, “The day will come when a freshly observed carrot will start a revolution.” The composer’s fresh take on string quartets is programmed a day after her CA Fest run at the San

therapy group

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<< Music & Books

18 • Bay Area Repor ter • November 9-15, 2023

Rett Madison

Queer singer/songwriter is ‘One’ of a kind

by Gregg Shapiro

lifetime where I can lean on music as an emotional outlet both for myself and to help others.

very once in a while, a major-label debut album comes along to take you by surprise. Queer singer/songwriter Rett Madison’s “One for Jackie” (Warner/War Buddha) is one such album. First, the suits at Warner got it right by signing Madison to their roster. Second, Madison, still in her midtwenties, has the songwriting and performance chops to rise through the ranks and achieve the kind of celebrity enjoyed by Phoebe Bridgers, Angel Olsen, and others. It’s difficult to choose a standout on “One for Jackie,” but it’s safe to say that “Lipstick,” “How It All Began,” “Ballet,” “Kiki,” “Fortune Teller,” and “Mediums, Therapists, and Sheriffs,” will likely end up on multiple playlists. Gregg Shapiro: Rett, we’re talking in late October, a few days before the release of your Warner Records debut album “One For Jackie.” What are you most looking forward to about the album coming out? Rett Madison: I’m hoping the album causes a ripple effect of healing. If it can make waves within my own audience by inspiring them to feel the depths of their feelings and to speak candidly and without shame to their loved ones about their own struggles or pain, I’ll be content. I hope these songs inspire conversations among fans that’ll be healing.

Your album “One For Jackie” is a tribute to your late mother. Do you have a sense of what she would have thought of the songs you wrote for her? While my mom would likely appreciate the musicality on this album, I think she would be most proud of my storytelling, vulnerability, and honesty. My mother wasn’t given a roadmap of how to talk about her trauma, mental illness, or addiction. She was burdened by secrets and shame, a lot of those feelings that were no fault of her own. If my mother knew how healing writing this album about my grief and pain has been for me, I think she’d be immensely proud that I’ve broken out of a generational cycle of secrecy and shame. Mikayla Miller

Rett Madison

One of the things that stands out for me in your music is the incredible power in your vocals. Do you remember when you discovered your range and how it made you feel to be in possession of such an exceptional gift? Thank you so much for the kind words about my voice! I began singing at a young age, and while the technical aspect of my vocal range took many years of studying to develop, I do remember discovering fairly young that

I could express my emotions easier whenever I sang. When I was a child, singing was healing for me. It was a salve for much of the pain I felt as a little girl. So, at first, discovering my love of singing felt like a gift sent to me to heal my own wounds. As I got older, I realized I could share my singing with other people and help them feel catharsis or less alone in tough times. Once I understood that, it made me feel especially grateful to experience a

‘Uncle of the Year’

Making art can be cathartic following a traumatic experience, in the same way that seeing a psychic, a medium, or a therapist can be. “One for Jackie” includes the songs “Fortune Teller” and “Mediums, Therapists, and Sheriffs.” Please say a few words about the ways in which you seek catharsis. Songwriting has always been therapeutic for me. I began writing songs as a tween and it was the easiest way I knew how to process complex emotions. I used to internalize a lot of my emotional pain, but writing songs was an outlet for me. I could say things

in songs that I couldn’t always say to people in my life. Writing songs continues to be a therapeutic tool to carry me through the dark chapters in my life. Additionally, I’ve found that incorporating spirituality into my life again since I lost my mom has helped me greatly. Speaking with mediums and journaling about my dreams has infused my day-to-day life with a little magic and makes me feel more connected to my mother. Your music videos have a dramatic effect. Were you a theater kid when you were in school? [Laughs] Oh goodness, how could you tell? But yes, I was a theater kid! The first musical I performed in was “The Wizard of Oz” at age five. You’re embarking on a November concert tour. What are you most looking forward to about performing the songs on “One for Jackie” in front of a live audience? I’m really excited about (the) connection. I hope these songs bring audiences catharsis at the concerts. I also would like these performances to inspire folks to be candid about their own grief and needs with their loved ones and community.t

Read the full interview, with music videos, on www.ebar.com. www.rettmadison.com

Andrew Rannells’ hilarious, heartbreaking essays

by Brian Bromberger

ndrew Rannells, best known for his Tony Award-nominated musical performance as the gay Elder

AUTO EROTICA AUTO EROTICA Price in “The Book of Mormon,” and in several TV shows, wonders in his candid book of essays, “Uncle of the Year,” why he still feels like an anxious 20-year-old climbing his way toward

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Some of these essays are based on personal experiences, such as “Playing It Straight…for Ricki Lake,” where he accompanies a female friend to the TV talk show, but when her boyfriend doesn’t show up, she convinces Rannells to fill in for him, enabling her to pretend she had a secret crush on him. Their ruse (or “debacle”) lands them in trouble. Then there’s “The Christian, His Wife, and Me,” about a fellow actor, “married and very Christian,” working out of town with Rannells in a touring show. He accompanies Rannells to a dive bar near the theater where Rannells tells him, “You’ve been working hard. You need some time to unwind.” In the public bathroom he proceeds, “with the speed and precision of a ninja,” to stick his tongue in Rannells’ mouth. They engage in a brief affair and because of his Christian convictions, he will confess his transgression to his wife, who sends Rannells a text, “You are a godless fucking whore.” It goes downhill from there. Lessons are discovered in “Things You Learn at an Underwear Party,”

Actor and author Andrew Rannells

where Rannells attends a bar event and must decide where to put his wallet. “I saw a beautiful mix of people of all races and sizes, all in their underwear and dancing wildly and freely together. Everyone was in their most basic form (nearly), with nothing to hide physically. I felt the joy, freedom, and responsibility that came with being with other people who were like me.” “Respect Thy Elders” chronicles his volunteer stint at SAGE, the LGBT elder services nonprofit, which involves helping two older gay gentlemen when they ask, “How do I log into Sean Cody on my new computer?”

Hesitant parent

Like any collection, some of these pieces are charming and succeed, while others border on silliness and seem trivial (i.e. using stupid excuses to postpone his trip to the gym throughout the day). The book is mistitled because it’s not about being a guncle (a term Rannells dislikes). It’s the last essay in the book, thirteen pages on his ambivalence about having kids or being a parent to Watkins’ twins. Rannells notes he wrote many of these reflections during the pandemic lockdown. In “Uncle” there’s a short 12-page essay on “The Book That Changed My Life” which covers his big break on auditioning, winning the Elder Price role in “The Book of Mormon,” and its impact on his life, but it’s

too rushed and short on details. But there’s nothing in “Uncle” about how he got his Elijah part in “Girls” or how being on television catapulted his career. Nor do we hear anything about acting in “The Boys in the Band” revival on Broadway or the Netflix film. We learn nada about meeting Tuc Watkins in “Boys” and how their relationship developed. “Uncle of the Year” continues to display Rannells’ anxiety about the acting profession and his own relentless ambivalent ambition, but always from a humorous perspective. Fans of Rannells will probably want to savor each chapter slowly, like a warm cozy blanket. There are plenty of laughs in this book and the occasional, sometimes snarky, or touching nugget of wisdom. Rannells is one of the few recognizable openly gay actors today, so we want to grasp the challenges that status has engendered in his life. Ultimately, Rannells is such a delightful talented companion we want to hear more. “Uncle” just whets the reader’s appetite for a further retelling of the second half of Rannells’ career. Hopefully that volume will appear soon.t ‘Uncle of the Year & Other Debatable Triumphs’ by Andrew Rannells. Random House, $28. penguinrandomhouse.com instagram.com/andrewrannells

Festival>>

November 9-15, 2023 • Bay Area Repor ter • 19

Theyfriend

Shining a spotlight on nonbinary performers

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The 2022 Theyfriend KQED-hosted event featuring (L-R) Tyler Holmes, Edgar Fabián Frías, Vin Seaman, Lotus Boy and Sharmi Basu (aka Beast Nest).

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onbinary performers will be celebrated from November 14-18 when Diamond Wave, a San Francisco-based queer arts organization, presents the third annual Theyfriend performance festival. Events take place during Transgender Awareness Week and will feature 40 local, national and international performers presenting live and video performances at a variety of venues around the city. For those unfamiliar with the term, a nonbinary person is someone who does not identify as male or female, but instead fits somewhere in between. “To me, nonbinary gender defines anything outside of traditional male and female gender identity and expression,” said Theyfriend director Vin Seaman in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter. “I like to think of male and female as two well-known points on a grid, with a dizzying expanse of other gender options that fall under a nonbinary umbrella.” Like many nonbinary people, Seaman uses they/them pronouns. “They/them pronouns have become synonymous with nonbinary gender, but again, are only an option amongst a myriad of pronouns and neo-pronouns,” Seaman said. “Like ze/zir, fae/faer, etc, that people use to identify themselves.” Seaman wants the general public to know that nonbinary people are everywhere. They might be friends, family members or neighbors. You might even find nonbinary people on line at the grocery store. “Some of us may be visibly gender non-conforming and some of us may be more stealth,” they said. “But that doesn’t make us any more or less nonbinary.” According to Seaman, Theyfriend began as a virtual showcase of five national nonbinary artists in October 2020, and has continued to grow

since then. With funding from local and regional foundations and government organizations, Diamond Wave has been able to grow their investment into a platform that aims to uplift, center, and celebrate nonbinary identity. Diamond Wave partners with local arts presenters, agencies, and community-based organizations to create a space focusing on nonbinary gender, regardless of sex assigned at birth.

What is nonbinary?

This year’s festival will open with an introductory conversation titled “What is Nonbinary?” between local performer SNJV and Sam Favela of the Transgender Cultural District. “We heard that many folks wanted a stronger foundation to understand nonbinary identity before diving into personal experience and performance, and we’re hoping this conversation will provide a warm space to better understand nonbinary identity,” Seaman said. There will also be a night of drag performance and music at Oasis. Diamond Wave’s Lotus Boy will host with Austin-based drag sensation Gothess Jasmine. Also on hand will be Los Angeles vaporwave artist Theyfriend (strictly a coincidence, Seaman noted) who will play songs from their album “The Secret is Out.” The festival will close with two lineups of performers in the cabaret space at Brava Theater Center. Seaman will also co-host with New York stand-up comic Poppy J. Snacks. Also on hand will be music acts Criibaby and Xtra.dae. “Our purpose is to create dynamic high-quality performances that reflect the experiences and creativity of local, national and international nonbinary performers,” said Seaman. “And to create warm spaces for those curious about nonbinary gender to learn more about supporting this segment of the transgender community.” Their hope is that Theyfriend will

For more information: Call: 628.217.6314 Email: curb.2@sfdph.org Website: www.curb2.org

help nonbinary people and allies better understand the perspectives and struggles of nonbinary people of all races, ages and gender expressions. “Overall, Diamond Wave’s mission is to produce diverse, queer-centric artistic and cultural events that bring together disparate segments of the LGBTQIA2S+ community and our allies,” said Seaman. “I hope Theyfriend audiences will leave with a deepened understanding of how nonbinary comes in a multitude of shapes and colors and experiences. And that our audiences feel empowered to support nonbinary people in their everyday life.”t

Theyfriend non binary performance festival schedule Opening showcase and panel, Nov. 14, 6pm, Koret Auditorium, San Francisco Public Library, 100 Larkin St. Free (donations encouraged). Drag and music showcase, Nov. 15, 7pm, Oasis, 298 11 Street, $20-25. Virtual Video Showcase, Nov. 16, 6pm, 5pm pre-show on YouTube, sliding scale, $5-$25. Poetry and Music Showcase, Nov. 17, 7pm, Brava Theater Center’s Cabaret, 2773 24th St. $20-25. Closing Performance Showcase, Nov. 18, 7pm, Brava Theater Center’s Cabaret, 2773 24th St. $20-$25, limited pay what you can tickets.

www.diamond-wave.org

Courtesy the artists

Theyfriend 2023 participants (Above, Left to Right) Lotus Boy, Saira Barbaric, Janpi Star, (Below, Left to Right) Given Q Davis, Xtra.dae and Sanjeev

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<< Documentary & Theater

20 • Bay Area Repor ter • November 9-15, 2023

“Gorgeous George” Wagner

Susan “Tex” Green in ‘Out in the Ring’

Pat Patterson and Louie Dondero

Sandy Parker and Susan “Tex” Green in their early wrestling days

<< out in the ring From page 15

Created characters, real lives

In later years, Chris Colt, openly gay in the business, stood out in the 1960s and ’70s, and paired up with Ron Dupree in and out of the ring, first as the duo The Hells Angels. “They were playing ultra macho biker Hells Angels and they were a gay couple,” says historian Greg Oliver. After Dupree’s death after a heart attack in the ring, Colt became extreme in his character and personal life, eventually being driven out of the business, and died at age 49. Susan “Tex” Green is interviewed in a section that focuses on women in wrestling, in particular the franchise run by The Fabulous Moolah. “As soon as I started with her, I kept everything under lock and key,” she says. Sandy Parker, the first Black lesbian pro wrestler, was notable for her athleticism, as historian Oliver notes. “She brought something different to the ring. She was athletic, she had a lot of speed, and she found a little niche for herself.” But Moolah’s racist casting policy impeded Parker’s success until she paired her up with Green. Despite their close relationship in the ring, the two didn’t come out to each other until one night in Hong Kong on tour where they both ended up in the same bar. Moolah eventually found out that Green was dating another female wrestler and forced her out of the league. Moolah herself was a controversial figure, accused of pimping out her women wrestlers for male promoters.

Inspiration and scandals

Ben Krantz

Pratt discusses his early crushes as a kid, including Austin Idol, the muscular blond ‘face’ flamboyant wrestler. Says Oliver of Idol, “He showed that you could be really tough but also really effeminate. One of the reasons that he could get away with it is that he was a legitimate bare knuckles brawler.” The early 1990s WWF sex scandal is also covered, including a smear campaign against Pat Patterson and others. But Murray Hodgson, a fired announcer who made the accusations, eventually quit the business after his lawsuit was dismissed. With the WWE renamed, it became more of a spectacle of pyrotech-

Chris Colt and Ron Dupree’s duo act, The Hells Angels nics and heightened sexuality, chairslamming and cage matches. This was the era of Steve Austin, The Rock and other superstars. Among them, Goldust (Dustin Reynolds) took drag to a new level of gold-painted glamour. Observes Pratt, “If you’re going to use this to gain heat, then everybody should be uncomfortable with it.” But for some, Goldust’s act went too far. Vintage footage shows the announcers calling him “twisted, perverted and sick” as he humps an opponent. Pratt notes how the Goldust character played into the predatory stereotype of homosexuals as targeting the straight wrestlers. As the ’90s continued, more gayseeming characters appeared in the ring, including Chuck and Billy, a duo team that actually enacted a wedding proposal in the ring, only to later reveal that it was a mere publicity stunt. Wrestling journalist Wade Keller notes, “It didn’t have any believability, so it felt like a cheap stunt. It was so clumsily done that it didn’t show any respect for gay characters in wrestling.” The charades continued, as bisexual wrestler Kaitlin Diemond comments on a lurid WWE episode. “’Here are some lesbians!’” she says. “I mean, what is this crap? It’s not a real representation of lesbians.”

Tragic falls

As TV shows and movies began adding gay characters, pro wrestling remained inept at handling queer performers. Chris Kanyon rose through the ranks to a brief career in the WCW. He soon after came out, but was convinced to dress up as Boy George in a match and endure a violent on-air assault. The message was clear, said Kanyon in a video from the Howard Stern Show. “If you come out as gay, they’re going to

Shelley Doty and Pangaea Colter in Shotgun Players’ ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’

Goldust licks an opponent. kick the living shit out of you.” Canyon committed suicide in 2010. Chyna, the first woman to wrestle men, and win a WCW championship, confronted stereotypes when she came out as bisexual. Her muscular body and defiant skills threatened male opponents and was idolized by girls and perhaps more than a few gay men. Sadly, she died of an overdose in 2016. On a larger scale, Pratt cites the statistics that show professional wrestlers have a higher and younger death rate than any other athletes. He says, “When you feel like your whole world resides on presenting an unrealistic perception of who you are, that’s a colossal weight to carry.” The burley wrestler Mike Parrow discusses his own near-miss in a suicide attempt. He soon after met his boyfriend, Morgan. His career is now thriving as an out wrestler. His manager Dan Drennan says how “he finally became comfortable in his own skin and became the big brooding badass that he is now.”

Mike Parrow in ‘Out in the Ring’

could have been a notable highlight, but instead showcased WWE’s duplicity. At the same time as donating a portion of Bálor’s rainbow merchandise to LGBTQ nonprofits, Vince McMahon and company made a multimillion-dollar deal with the Saudi General Sports Authority to present matches in a country where homosexuality is illegal and punishable by whipping. The WWE’s McMahons have also aligned themselves with Donald Trump for years.

New talent

There is a spark of hope toward the film’s conclusion, with a focus on younger performers like trans wrestler Nyla Rose, the UK’s Charlie Morgan (formerly Lady Penelope), Anthony Bowens, Trish Adora, Brittany Wonder, Ashton Starr, MV Young, Lola Starr, and Sonny Kiss (a death drop diva). EFFY (Effy Gibbes), an indepen-

dent wrestler whose ‘cub hunk in fishnets’ style has gained him notoriety, says, “There’s a space that the WWE has let fall aside, and by pushing away the fans, they’ve given them more options elsewhere.” He adds that he would think twice before taking any offers from the corporate brands, because he would lose his individuality. Smaller leagues and promotions embrace diversity and defy the corporate culture’s domination, not only for and by LGBTQs, but BiPOC wrestlers. Examples are Billy Dixon’s LGBTQ Butch vs Gore pride shows, the AEW (All Elite Wrestling) and the Bay Area’s Hoodslam, whose local shows are a must-see. Whether you’re a devoted wrestling fan or just curious, “Out in the Ring” is compelling viewing.t ‘Out in the Ring,’ premieres on Fuse November 15. www.fuse.tv www.outinthering.com

TV tales

Not all comings-out or attempts at inclusion worked. Darren Young, who came out in an impromptu airport interview with TMZ, endured a bit of confusion for being an openly gay man portraying a straight wrestling character. Despite outward attempts to connect with groups like GLAAD, he was eventually dismissed by the WWE. In a bittersweet moment, Pat Patterson, in WWE’s 2014 “Legends House,” a celebrity reality show, got to come out after decades of being in the closet. In tears, he mentions his decades-long partner Louis. Ally Finn Bálor’s support for entering a 2018 New Orleans Wrestlemania event with rainbow-shirted supporters

hedwig

From page 15

reconfigured the auditorium to create successfully immersive environments. For “Hedwig.” though, Mosqueda and company have inexplicably retained the room’s most traditional configuration, and it particularly hampers this show. Unlike a bar with conventional flooring, or a large theater where the floor has a subtle rake, Shotgun’s Ashby Avenue venue (in its basic arrangement) features a main stage situated at the bottom of a steep, bleacher-like incline of seating (Imagine perching on the diagonal side of a tall wedge). In a literal and highly exaggerated sense, audience members are not on the same level as the characters. In fact, for the most part, they’re looking down on them. That’s counter to the creative concept of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” which was written (and

Wrestler Effy

UK wrestler Charlie Morgan

then rewritten) to put spectators on uncomfortably even footing with the performers.

everywhere and endless bric-a-brac filling any nook or cranny. But rather than extending onto the walls of the angled seating area, which might have done at least a little bit to help the spaces cohere, the décor stops cold at the lip of the stage. From the main seats, it feels as if you’re looking into a giant diorama. It’s meticulously crafted, but you’re very much at a remove. At a few points over the course of the evening, Colter steps up onto a raised box that protrudes into the first few rows of angled seating. For most of her time there, she turns her back to the rake and sings to the onstage seats. And once again, for most of the audience, Hedwig and company feel far more than inches away.t

Wig in a box

One of the great strengths of “Hedwig” is the show’s we’re here, we’re in your face, get used to us presentation of genderqueerness. But this staging makes genderqueerness a spectacle, a show to be watched from a safe distance. About a dozen audience members are seated on chairs within the performers’ playing space, as if they’re the patrons of the joint where Hedwig and company are gigging. While intended to create an immersive effect for these few viewers, it actually heightens the sense of distance felt by the vast majority of attendees (The people in the bar are in the show; we’re not). On stage, scenic designer Carlos Aceves has created a minutely detailed dive, with community flyers taped up

‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch,’ through Dec. 17. $28-$54. 1901 Ashby Ave, Berkeley. (510) 8416500. www.shotgunplayers.org