September 21, 2023 edition of the Bay Area Reporter

Several dozen volunteers painted a street mural “Black Trans Lives Matter” in August 2020 in the intersection of Turk and Taylor streets at the corner where Compton’s Cafeteria was located in the Transgender District.

Expanded federal recognition sought for SF trans landmark

by Matthew S. Bajko

More expansive federal recognition is now being sought for the site where a transgender uprising against police harassment took place in San Francisco sometime during the summer of 1966. It comes at the suggestion of the overseer for the nation’s list of historic properties.

Last October, a statewide California panel had nominated the Tenderloin building where the Compton’s Cafeteria riot occurred for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Although the exact date for the incident remains a mystery, city officials in November finalized the designation of 101 Taylor Street, as well as the intersection of Turk and Taylor in front of the building, as the city’s 307th landmark.

It is reportedly where an angry drag queen patronizing Gene Compton’s Cafeteria threw a cup of hot coffee in the face of a police officer as he tried to arrest her without a warrant. It sparked a riot between trans and queer patrons of the 24-hour diner and cops, as detailed in the 2005 documentary “Screaming Queens” by transgender scholar and historian Susan Stryker, Ph.D.

Building off of Stryker’s research into the incident that had been long forgotten about, Madison Levesque had requested the building that once housed the eatery be listed on the national registry as part of their thesis project for the master’s in public history they earned last year from California State University, Sacramento. At the time of the submission Levesque had been working as a cultural landscape inventory steward for the National Park Service.

Earlier this year Levesque, who is queer and uses they/them pronouns, took a job as an architectural historian with the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. In March, they learned from the California Office of Historic Preservation that the Compton’s federal register listing request had been sent back for revision.

See page 6 >>

Folsom Street welcomes the world for 40th fair

by John Ferrannini

The 40th annual Folsom Street Fair is bringing leatherfolk and kinksters to San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood from around the world Sunday, September 24.

The fair’s footprint will run between Eighth

and Division streets, with Howard Street marking the northern border and Harrison Street marking the southern border. There will be entrances at Folsom and 13th, Howard at Ninth, 10th and 11th streets, and Harrison at Ninth, 11th and 12th streets.

There will also be a special entrance at Folsom and Eighth streets, where the San Francisco De-

partment of Public Health will provide vaccines for the mpox virus. On August 30, the city issued a health advisory after an uptick in diagnoses, as the Bay Area Reporter reported.

Since then, however, only one new San Francisco case has been reported, according to DPH data The fair runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

See page 14 >>

California set to further protect LGBTQ youth with new laws

by Matthew S. Bajko

With LGBTQ student rights coming under attack by conservative-led school boards and Republican leaders across California, a batch of bills expected to soon become law aims to provide a wide array of legal protections and support to LGBTQ youth inside and out of the classroom. The legislation is now before Governor Gavin Newsom to sign by an October 14 deadline to do so.

Newsom has been out front this year in pushing back against a rollback of LGBTQ progress in the state’s public schools. His threatening a major fine against a Riverside County school district led to its elected board’s reversing course on banning instructional materials that covered the late gay San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk.

It led Newsom’s office to work closely with gay Assemblymember Corey A. Jackson, Ph.D., (D-Perris) on amending his Assembly Bill 1078 so that it prohibits school districts from banning books in classrooms and libraries because of their LGBTQ content or covering topics like race. It includes an emergency clause, so the bill will take effect immediately once Newsom signs it.

Senate Bill 857 by gay state Senator John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) requires State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond to convene a task force on the needs of LGBTQ+ pupils by July

1, 2024. According to the bill, the advisory body would be tasked with assisting in the implementation of supportive policies and initiatives to address LGBTQ+ pupil education and issue a report on its work by January 1, 2026.

AB 5, the Safe and Supportive Schools Act, authored by gay Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Santa Monica/West Hollywood), mandates that teachers and credentialed staff who serve public school pupils in grades seven to 12 annually take at least one hour of online training in LGBTQ cultural competency beginning with the 2025-2026 academic year through 2031. The

California Department of Education expects to roll out the training by June 30, 2025, six years after state legislators adopted a bill calling for its creation.

Under SB 760 by state Senator Josh Newman (D-Fullerton), all K-12 public schools in California would have to provide at least one easily accessible all-gender restroom for students “to use safely and comfortably during school hours.”

Thurmond hailed the passage of the bills, having supported Laird’s bill and co-sponsored the other three. Like Newsom, he has been frontand-center this year speaking out against the various anti-LGBTQ school policies being brought forward.

“Dangerous trends have emerged recently. A small group of extremists has sought to divide communities by advancing policies to ban books related to civil rights for communities of color and the LGBTQ+ community, to force school districts to ‘out’ LGBTQ+ students, and to restrict inclusive curriculum. We needed to act quickly and reject these policies,” stated Thurmond.

While unlikely to be successful, conservatives continue to push back against Jackson’s AB 1078 and have been calling on Newsom to veto the bill. In a recent email blast the California Policy Center criticized it for gutting the power of local school boards and parents.

See page 14 >>

New Russian River Pride ‘Cassandro’ Sean Dorsey Dance

The Legislature has sent Governor Gavin Newsom more than a dozen LGBTQ-related bills to consider signing into law.

Courtesy Governor’s office

Rick Gerharter

Participants in the LeatherWalk took a rest and a group photo outside of the Oasis nightclub September 17, one of several stops on the walk that started from City Hall and ended at Eagle Plaza in South of Market.

Rick Gerharter

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Arts & Culture

Best Art Museum

 Asian Art Museum

 Contemporary Jewish Museum

 de Young Museum

 GLBT Historical Society Museum

 Legion of Honor

 Museum of Craft and Design

 Museum of the African Diaspora

 Oakland Museum of California

 Pacific Pinball Museum

 San Jose Museum of Art

 SF MOMA

 Walt Disney Family Museum

✎

Best Live Music Venue

 The Chapel

 The Fillmore

 Fox Oakland

 Great American Music Hall

 Greek Theatre, Berkeley

 Masonic Hall

 Paramount Theatre

 Regency Center

 SF Jazz

 The Warfield

✎

Best Nature or Science Museum

 California Academy of Sciences

 Exploratorium

 SF Botanical Gardens

 SF Conservatory of Flowers

✎

Best Small Music Venue

 Café du Nord

 The Lost Church

 The New Parish

 Thee Parkside

 Rickshaw Stop

 El Rio

✎

Best Ballet Company

 Alonzo King Lines Ballet

 Ballet22

 Ballet San Jose

 Diablo Ballet

 Oakland Ballet

 Post:ballet

 San Francisco Ballet

 Smuin Contemporary Ballet

✎

Best Theatre Company

 American Conservatory Theater

 Aurora Theatre

 Berkeley Repertory Theatre

 New Conservatory Theatre Center

 Ray of Light Theatre

 Shotgun Players

 Theatre Rhinoceros

✎

Best Modern Dance Company

 Amy Siewert’s Imagery

 AXIS Dance Company

 David Herrera Performance Company

 Epiphany Dance Theatre

 Joe Goode Performance Group

 ODC Dance

 PUSH Dance Company

 RAWdance

 Robert Moses’ Kin

 Sean Dorsey Dance

 Zaccho Dance Theatre

✎

Best Choral Group

 Chanticleer

 East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus

 Lesbian/Gay Chorus of SF

 Rainbow Women’s Chorus (San Jose)

 SF Gay Men’s Chorus

✎

Best LGBTQ Nonprofit

 Bay Area American Indian TwoSpirits

 GLBTQ+ Asian Pacific Alliance

 Horizons Foundation

 LGBT Asylum Project

 Project Open Hand

 Transgender Law Center

✎

Best LGBTQ Community Center

 Billy DeFrank LGBTQ Center (San Jose)

 Coast Pride (Half Moon Bay)

 Oakland LGBTQ Community Center

 Pacific Center for Human Growth (Berkeley)

 Rainbow Community Center (Concord)

 San Francisco LGBT Community Center

 San Mateo County Pride Center

 Solano Pride Center

 The Spahr Center (Marin)

✎

Best LGBTQ Sports League

 SF Fog Rugby Club

 SF FrontRunners

 SF Gay Basketball Association

 SF Gay Softball League

 SF Pool Association

 SF Tsunami Water Polo

✎

Community

Best LGBTQ Event

 Folsom Street Fair

 Imperial Court of SF Coronation

 Juanita MORE!’s Pride Party

 SF Pride Parade and Celebration

 SF Drag King Contest

 Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Easter Celebration

Best Ethnic/International Dance Company

 Abhinaya Dance Company

 Barangay Dance Company

 Chitresh Das Dance Company

 Likha-Pilipino Folk Ensemble

 Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu

 Ong Dance Company

 Theatre Flamenco of San Francisco

✎

Best Classical Venue

 Davies Symphony Hall

 Herbst Theatre, Veteran’s Building

 War Memorial Opera House

 Old First Church

 SF Conservatory of Music

✎

✎

Best Pro Sports Team

 Golden State Warriors

 Oakland Roots (soccer)

 San Francisco 49ers

 San Francisco Giants

 San Jose Earthquakes

 San Jose Sharks

✎

Best SF LGBTQ Cultural District

 Castro LGBTQ Cultural District

 San Francisco Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District

 Transgender District

✎

Nightlife

Best Comic

 Wonder Dave

 Lisa Geduldig

 Marga Gomez

 Jesus U Betta Work

 Nick Leonard

 Justin Lucas

 Sampson McCormick

 Natasha Muse

 Ronn Vigh

✎

Best LGBTQ Fundraiser

 Compassion (Shanti)

 Light in the Grove (AIDS Memorial Grove)

 National Center for Lesbian Rights

gala

 Santa Skivvies Run (SFAF)

 Soiree (LGBT center)

 Reunion (GLBT Historical Society)

✎

Best DJ

 Carrie on Disco

 Siobhan Aluvalot

 Don Baird

 Blackstone

 Brown Amy

 Bus Station John

 Hawthorne

 Steve Fabus

 Sergio Fedasz

 Paul Goodyear

 David Harness

 Page Hodel

 Mohammad

 Olga T

 Russ Rich

 Lady Ryan

 Brian Urmanita

✎

Best Bartender

 Andy Anderson, 440 Castro

 Michael Breshears, Lookout

 Robbie Cheah, Oasis

 Miguel Chavez, Hole in the Wall

 Steve Dalton, SF Eagle

 David Delgado, The Cinch

Best Drag Queen

 Au Jus

 Ava LaShay

 Bebe Sweetbriar

 Black Betty Towers

 Carnie Asada

 D’Arcy Drollinger

 Donna Sachet

 Elsa Touche

 Evian

 Glamamore

 God’s Lil Princess

 Grace Towers

 Holotta Tymes

 Intensive Claire

 Joie de Vivre

 Juanita MORE!

 Jubilee

 Landa Lakes

 LOL McFiercen

 Mama Celeste

 Mercedez Munro

 Mutha Chucka

 Nicki Jizz

 Peaches Christ

 Rahni NothingMore

 Raya Light

 Rock M. Sakura

 Rosie Petals

 Sister Roma

 Sue Casa

 Sugah Betes

 Suppositori Spelling

 Trangela Lansbury

 U-Phoria

✎

 Heather Dunham, Wild Side West

 Lauren Eggen, Beaux

 Charlie Evans, Lone Star Saloon

 Captain Ficcardi, White Horse

 Gage Fisher, SF Eagle

 Jeffrey Green, Twin Peaks Tavern

 Kurtis Janitch, Beaux

 Erick Lopez, The Edge  Johnnie Wartella, Pilsner Inn

✎

Best Live Nightlife/Cabaret

Performer

 Connie Champagne

 Spencer Day

 Russell Deason

 Sony Holland

 Barry Lloyd

 Kippy Marks

 Kim Nalley

 Carly Ozard

 Suzanne “Kitten on the Keys” Ramsey  Katya Smirnoff-Skyy  Paula West

✎

Best Drag King

 Alex U. Inn

 Arty Fishal

 Chester Vanderbox

 Chico Suave

 Clammy Faye

 Dicky Love

 Fudgie Frottage

 Kegel Kater

 Kit Tapata

 Leigh Crow

 Madd Dogg 20/20

 Mason Dixon Jars

 Mickey Finn

 Pepe Pan

 Vegas Jake

✎

Best Live Band  Commando

 Gravy Train  Homobiles

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

 Secret Emchy Society  Velvetta ✎

Best Gogo Dancer

 Connor Hochleutner

 James Kindle

 Emerson Silva

 Chad Stewart

 Koji Tare

 Colin Stack-Troost

 Michael Tempesta

 Paul William

 Lucy Dorado



Jella Gogo

 Chloe Rainwater

✎

Best Faux Queen

 Alotta Boutté

 Black Benatar

 Bruja Palmiero

 Crème Fatale

 Fauxnique

 Miss Shugana

 Trixxie Carr

 Snaxx

✎

Best Nightlife Photographer

 Marques Daniels

 Gooch

 Kid With a Camera

 Fred Rowe



Darryl Pelletier

 Tom Schmidt/Dot

 Shot in the City

 Steven Underhill

✎

Nightlife Venues & Events

Best Cabaret Venue

 Bay Area Cabaret at the Venetian Room

 Feinstein’s at the Nikko

 Hotel Rex

 Martuni’s

 Oasis

✎

Best Dance Club

Beaux

DNA Lounge

Folsom Foundry

Great Northern

Midway

Oasis  Public Works

Space 550

Best Drag Show

 Mascara at Eureka Valley Rec. center

 Princess at Oasis

 Reparations at Oasis

 Oaklash in Oakland

 Monster Show at The Edge

 Wednesdays are a Drag at Port Bar

✎

Best East Bay Bar  Feelmore Social  Port Bar  Town Bar & Lounge

 The White Horse

 Club 1220

 The Brave Bull, Modesto

 Que Rico, Oakland

✎

Best Nightlife Event

 Bearracuda at Public Works

 Beatpig at The Powerhouse

 Cubcake at Lone Star

 Disco Daddy at SF Eagle

 Daytime Realness at El Rio

 Frolic at Folsom Foundry

 Mango at El Rio

 Polyglamorous at Public Works

 Powerblouse at The Powerhouse

 ShangriLa at The EndUp

 Sundance Saloon at Space 550

 Uhaul at Jolene’s

✎

Best Cocktails

 Blackbird

 Ginger’s Trois

 Martuni’s

 Port Bar, Oakland

✎

Best Brunch

 Café Mystique

 Corridor

 Devil’s Teeth Bakery

 Jones

 Kantine

 Starbelly

 Wooden Spoon

✎

Best Bakery

 Thorough Bread

 Devil’s Teeth Baking Company

 Boichik Bagels

✎

Best Upscale Restaurant

 Farralon

 Flour & Water

 Frances

 Rich Table

 Spruce

 Tartine Manufactory

✎

Best Dessert

 B. Patisserie

 Bi-Rite

 Bob’s Donuts

 Castro Fountain

 Mitchell’s

 Creamery

 Humphry Slocombe

 Milkbomb Ice Cream

 Salt & Straw

 Stella Pastry

 20th Century Café

✎

Best Beer Selection

 440 Castro

 SF Eagle

 Pilsner Inn

 Toronado

✎

Best New Venue

 Feelmore Social, Oakland

 Fluid510, Oakland

 Lyon & Swan, SF

 Town Bar & Lounge, Oakland

✎

Best Wine Bar

 Blush

 Decant SF

 Pause

 Swirl

✎

Best Castro Bar

 440 Castro

 The Café

 The Edge

 Lookout

 Midnight Sun

 Moby Dick

 Pilsner Inn

 Toad Hall  Twin Peaks ✎

Best SoMa Bar

 Driftwood

 Hole in the Wall

 Lone Star Saloon

 Oasis

 The Powerhouse  SF Eagle

Best Asian Restaurant

 Asia SF

 Le Colonial

 Izakaya Roku

 Mahilla

 Mama Ji’s

 Mister Jiu’s

 Saucy Asian

 Palette Tea House

 La Toyose

✎

Best Coffee Shop

 Blue Bottle

 Flywheel

 Haus

 Philz

 Spike’s

 Verve

 Wicked Grounds

✎

Best Italian Restaurant

 Il Casaro

 Café Zoetrope

 La Ciccia

 Cotogna

 Lupa

 Mano

 Poesia

 Ragazza

 SPQR

 Vica Cavone

✎

Best Leather Event

 Folsom Street Fair

 International Ms. Leather and International Ms. Bootblack Weekend, San Jose

 Up Your Alley Street Fair

 Mr SF Leather

 Ms SF Leather ✎

Dining

Best Castro Restaurant

 Beit Reima

 Blind Butcher

 Catch

 Che Fico

 Lark

 Vico Cavone

✎

Best Mexican Restaurant

 Bonita

 Don Pistos

 Matador

 Nopalito

 Padrecito

 Papito

 Puerto Alegre

✎

Services & Shopping

Best Bank/Credit

Best Middle Eastern Restaurant

 Beit Reima

 Old Jerusalem

 La Mediteranee

✎

Best Late Night Restaurant

 La Frontera

 Grubstake

 Orphan Andy’s

 Toyose

 Ler Ros ✎

Best Soul Food Restaurant

 Brenda’s Oakland

 Everett & Jones BBQ

 Sol Food

✎

Best Bar Menu

 Fluid510

 Lookout

 Hi Tops

 Jolene’s

 Kezar Pub

 Willows

✎

SFFD trial sees testimony from 2 fire chiefs

by John Ferrannini

The current and immediate past chiefs of the San Francisco Fire Department gave contrasting views in court of the lesbian assistant chief suing the city on allegations of discrimination and whistleblower retaliation.

Joanne Hayes-White, a straight ally who was San Francisco’s fire chief from 2004-2019, said on the stand September 14 that Nicol Juratovac has “had a lot of success in the department and is a role model,” but that she still wouldn’t characterize her as a “victim.”

Jeanine Nicholson, the current chief and the first out LGBTQ chief in the department’s history, said September 19 that Juratovac “has a hard time getting along with people, and there are a lot of people in the department who are afraid of her.”

The two testified as part of the second week of testimony in Juratovac’s civil lawsuit, which began September 7 in San Francisco Superior Court before Judge Suzanne Ramos Bolanos. The first week consisted largely of testimony from Juratovac, who as the Bay Area Reporter has extensively reported, said that after she stuck up for a bullied fire recruit was targeted by seven bogus disciplinary investigations. These left a “black mark on my career” and “killed my spirit for the job,” she testified September 11.

“I was embarrassed, ashamed, humiliated; I was sad and I felt like I was constantly being undermined,” said Juratovac. “People I’d helped get into the department, had promoted, were now shunning me. People called me privately, offering support, but wouldn’t do it in public in front of anybody.”

Former chief discusses ‘personality’

On September 14, Hayes-White was brought by the plaintiff as an adverse witness. She testified that she started in the department in 1990, two years after a federal court issued a consent decree, ordering the SFFD to hire a workforce of at least 40% minorities and 10% women.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported (https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/ page-one-s-f-s-still-troubled-fire-department-3032339.php) that by 1995, the department was 31% minority and 5.3% women.

“I was amongst the first 20 or so women who came in,” Hayes-White recalled. “I would say the overall goal would be to have a workforce reflective of the community we were serving.”

Eventually, she became the first woman to lead the department.

Hayes-White said she remembered Juratovac as “hardworking,” “well-prepared,” and “articulate” – and that sometimes interpersonal issues between firefighters can reach a fever pitch because of the flip side of qualities, such as assertiveness and confidence, that the department wants in its employees.

“There’s a lot of personality in the fire service,” Hayes-White said. “Most people who sign up for the job are assertive, aggressive, and confident. It should be said that you also work in 24-hour shifts – it’s not a 9-5 – there are oftentimes more than any other workplace except the military that the people you’re recruiting come together and there are interpersonal conflicts.”

Juratovac was one of those people, Hayes-White said.

“There were times Chief Juratovac thought that she was disrespected,” Hayes-White said. “Other people felt disrespected by her. That was pretty common.”

Juratovac’s attorney, Therese Y. Cannata, of Cannata O’Toole and Olson, asked if female firefighters experienced or reported more issues with colleagues than male firefighters.

“It’s hard to say,” Hayes-White said. “When I came in, in 1990, there were some long 24-hour shifts. … it is an intense job – rich in tradition, that’s good –but over time a little more welcoming to a large group of people. We are the most diverse department in the world.”

When asked about the “making the

Department GREAT AGAIN” sign mentioned September 8 that Juratovac had ordered removed, Hayes-White demurred. Cannata asked if it represented the views of some people who wanted to return “to a time before more diversity.”

“It’s hard for me to get into minds but, as a rule-follower, it did not have authorization,” she said.

During her time as chief, HayesWhite rescinded the third and fourth investigations into Juratovac, which regarded interactions with people at San Francisco International Airport, where Juratovac was then stationed.

In cross-examining Hayes-White, Deputy City Attorney Amy Frenzen asked if she’d consider Juratovac a victim, mentioning the latter’s “black mark” remark earlier.

“I would not refer to them as a black mark,” Hayes-White said. “Over the course of my time there, there were hundreds of investigations. Some led to discipline and some did not.”

Juratovac lacks ‘soft skills,’ fire chief claims

Nicholson, a lesbian appointed by Mayor London Breed to lead the department in 2019, claimed Juratovac lacked the “soft skills” necessary for advancement.

Like Hayes-White, Nicholson was also called to the stand as an adverse witness and didn’t agree with the “black mark” remark.

She testified during cross-examination by Deputy City Attorney Adam Shapiro that the existence of prior investigations and documented coachings didn’t affect Juratovac’s chances when she applied for assistant deputy chief positions following Nicholson’s appointment.

Nicholson said that she “considered interviewing her [Juratovac] but elected not to.”

“What’s really important are soft skills,” Nicholson said. “The ability to get along with others, being trustworthy, taking accountability … and I did not believe Chief Juratovac had these soft skills.”

Nicholson also testified that “Jurato-

vac has a hard time getting along with people, and there are a lot of people in the department who are afraid of her.”

Earlier, Cannata questioned Nicholson with regard to the final three of seven disciplinary investigations that the plaintiff alleges were part of a pattern of unlawful harassment and discrimination, which occurred wholly or in-part during Nicholson’s tenure.

With regard to disciplinary investigation No. 5, an investigation was opened up after a whistleblower made two allegations of Juratovac: that she hadn’t reported secondary employment at City College of San Francisco, and that she had been running errands during work hours.

Asked Cannata: “Would you say it is common practice for an assistant chief to go to Walgreens to get toothpaste or run errands?”

Answered Nicholson: “Yes, it is. … We work 24 hours, and you don’t want somebody to not have their toothpaste, believe me.”

Nicholson had said during a deposition for this lawsuit that she would write a letter exonerating Juratovac on the errands issue, but ultimately did not do so on advice of the city attorney’s office, as Cannata explained.

On the matter of outside employment, Nicholson opted not to punish Juratovac, but to remind everyone via a letter to report their secondary employment if they hadn’t done so.

Cannata asked how many people followed up on the letter by reporting their secondary employment status.

“I don’t remember the number, but there was more than one,” Nicholson said.

With regard to disciplinary investigation No. 6 – which led to Juratovac being suspended – Nicholson said she found Juratovac’s behavior “completely inappropriate.”

This investigation happened after a new, or probationary, firefighter felt “singled out” during a ladder drill. Nicholson said this “undermines our chain of command,” because an assistant chief should have left correction to a subordinate.

“Chief Juratovac oversees half of the

Juratovac had said that the retaliation began after she signed a declaration on behalf of Larry Jacobs, a Black fire recruit who was experiencing bullying.

Jacobs, who sued the department, had been forced to eat meals alone in his car and scrub the floor of the fire station with a toothbrush, Cannata said on the trial’s opening day. He was also called a “house boy,” SF Gate reported in a 2013 article about the case settling for $175,000.

Siragusa testified that he told Shapiro that he was “not aware,” until his deposition in this case, that Juratovac had signed the Jacobs’ declaration.

Juratovac had also said investigation No. 5, regarding personal business on duty, happened after Siragusa’s friend, Janet Oliver, a driver with the department, had reported her.

Siragusa said that when he required Oliver’s services, he didn’t recall going on errands “other than maybe an ATM [withdrawal] or a cup of coffee.”

He also said the two were involved socially to the extent that “I’d go for walks on Marina Green and there were a couple times that she joined me.”

Cannata brought up texts between the two about Juratovac, including one with an “exploding head” emoji that mentioned he was having difficulty working with her. Siragusa testified that he did not recall the texts.

“It’s possible that I sent that emoji,” Siragusa said.

Siragusa said he reported Juratovac for not immediately telling the department about a member’s DUI, which prompted investigation No. 2. Juratovac testified September 7 that ISB, the department’s internal investigative bureau, should have reported it within 24 hours.

“It was an important matter I should have been made aware of,” Siragusa said. “ISB is not in her [Juratovac’s] chain of command. It is through me, to the administration.”

city,” Nicholson said. “She is in a position of real authority in the department. … We don’t lead by fear.”

She also blasted Juratovac for mentioning that firefighter’s sexual orientation in a report, which Juratovac had testified was common knowledge in the department. Nicholson said that to her mind, the mention violated a city policy, Chapter 12E, which prohibits city officials from inquiring into the “sexual orientation, practices, or habits” of individuals. (It was rescinded in 2021 so that the city could track the number of LGBTQ people applying for, and being hired for, jobs with the city and county of San Francisco.)

“It’s inappropriate, unnecessary and has zero bearing on the issue,” Nicholson said.

Juratovac was ordered suspended for 10 days; eventually she served a four-day suspension after Nicholson lowered the number of days to eight and the city’s fire commission cut that in half.

With regard to disciplinary investigation No. 7, in which Juratovac and two other assistant chiefs were investigated because of a document that had gone missing, Nicholson testified that although Deputy Chief of Operations Victor Wyrsch admitted he’d shredded the document, she didn’t feel an investigation into him was necessary.

“Wyrsch came to me and said he did this, it was a mistake, knew it was a mistake, and it’d never happen again,” she testified. “That means a lot, so there was no need for an investigation.”

Juratovac and the others were exonerated at the end of that investigation.

Nicholson also testified that she made no exception and knew of no exception she could have made to allow Juratovac to work as a strike team leader trainee as part of the department’s Mutual Aid Wildland Firefighting Strike Team.

Assistant chief takes stand

Tom Siragusa, an assistant chief who is also now retired and who Juratovac claims was the genesis of several acts of retaliation and discrimination against her, testified September 14. A witness for the city, he was called out of order due to a prior commitment.

Juratovic’s attorney, Cannata, also called Charles Crane, a retired SFFD battalion chief, to the stand. He testified that with regard to the ladder drill, investigation No. 6, he and Juratovac had talked about the performance of firefighter Lauren Canning the previous day, and that he felt it was OK that she wanted to test Canning’s abilities, even if it was out of the ordinary.

“If you can include it into a proper drill, you can single out a person,” Crane said, adding he didn’t mean ‘single out’ in a negative way.

“As an assistant chief, you’re more concerned with the procedure. You want to make sure procedure is followed,” he added. “It is not punitive, it’s supportive.”

The plaintiff alleges eight causes of action against the city: unlawful retaliation in violation of the labor code; unlawful retaliation in violation of the Fair Employment and Housing Act; discrimination based on sexual orientation; discrimination based on race; discrimination based on gender; unlawful harassment; failure to investigate and prevent discrimination, harassment and retaliation; and violation of the California Public Records Act.

In her opening statement September 7 Cannata laid out the seven disciplinary investigations that’d been undertaken against Juratovac, which the plaintiff claims were part of a pattern of retaliation and discrimination against her just for doing her job — all after she stuck up for Jacobs.

These were, in chronological order, 1) about an argument ostensibly about a mask at a 2014 fire; 2) her order that a firefighter who’d been arrested for driving under the influence stop driving on duty in 2015; 3 and 4) two separate incidents at San Francisco International Airport in 2016; 5) a dispute over proper reporting of secondary employment in 2019; 6) a dispute about a ladder drill in 2019; 7) and a dispute over a lost document in 2020.

The trial is anticipated to continue September 21 in Department 303 of San Francisco County Superior Court, 400 McAllister Street, at 9:30 a.m.. t

San Francisco Fire Chief Jeanine Nicholson leaves the courthouse after testifying September 19. John Ferrannini

Former San Francisco fire chief Joanne Hayes-White leaves the courthouse following her testimony September 14.

John Ferrannini San Francisco Assistant Fire Chief Nicol Juratovac is suing the city.

Courtesy Cannata O’Toole and Olson

Shanti, SFAF partner to screen ‘Milk’

compiled by Cynthia Laird

T he Shanti Project and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation are partnering to screen “Milk” in celebration of the film’s 15th anniversary.

The event takes place Thursday, October 5, at 6:30 p.m. at the Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street. The screening will be preceded by a fireside chat with gay activist Cleve Jones, a co-founder of SFAF and co-founder of the AIDS Memorial Quilt. Jones, a long-term AIDS survivor, also wrote the 2016 memoir “When We Rise: My Life in the Movement” that was adapted into an ABC miniseries in 2017.

Released in 2008, the “Milk” biopic is about gay slain San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk and was shot mostly on location in San Francisco and the LGBTQ Castro neighborhood. It went on to win Oscars for actor Sean Penn in the starring role and for gay screenwriter Dustin Lance Black for best original screenplay. The film received eight Acad emy Award nominations, including for director Gus Van Sant, and for best picture. Actor Emile Hirsch portrayed Jones in the film.

Tickets to the special screening are free. To reserve a seat, go to https://tinyurl.com/23dacys4.

LGBTQ family group to hold town hall

Our Family Coalition will hold its town hall and barbecue Sunday, September 24, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at San Leandro Marina Park in the East Bay city.

OFC is being joined by COLAGE, an organization for kids of queer families, and Openhouse, the LGBTQ senior nonprofit. According to an email to supporters, OFC wants to hear from LGBTQ families about how they are doing and how the organization can better meet their shifting needs.

Pretty Chef Catering will cater the cookout and vegetarian options will be available. Eating and serving utensils will be provided, along with beverage options. Attendees may want to bring snacks, chairs, blankets, and other items to make themselves comfortable, the email stated.

The event is free and on-site child care will be provided, as well as games for the whole family. The gathering will be held in a large group shelter area on the south end of the park next to a playground. The park is located at 14001 Monarch Bay Drive.

To register, go to https://tinyurl. com/4ts7k2cm

Queers talk workers’ rights

Queer and trans labor organizers will hold a conversation about efforts to advance the rights and dignity of workers from picket lines to beyond at “Strike! Queer and Trans Tales from the Workers’ Rights Movement,” a virtual webinar Tuesday, September 26, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. (Pacific time).

Featured speakers will be Billy Yates of Pay Your Workers, JJ Wienkers-Alvendia of the Writers Guild of America West LGBTQ+ Writers Committee, Neha Cremin of Starbucks Workers United, and Tahtianna Fremin of Bridges4Life and the National LGBTQ Workers Center. TyrONE Hanley of the National Center for Lesbian Rights will moderate.

There will also be a performance by Pauline Pisano of the Kairos Center. The event is free. To register, go to https://tinyurl.com/2pajcu8u

Castro cultural district board elections

The Castro LGBTQ Cultural District will hold elections for its advisory board during the Castro Street Fair Sunday, October 1, both in-person and online. Prior to that, people can find out about the candidates who are running by attending a virtual town hall Wednesday, September 27, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., a news release stated.

The new advisory board members’ terms will begin in January, the release noted. For more information, go to castrolgbtq.org.

SFMTA seeks people for Muni committee

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is seeking members for its Muni Metro Community Working Group to help modernize the light rail system, which includes the K-Ingleside, MOcean View, the L-Taraval bus, and

Castro Shuttle lines that serve stations in the LGBTQ neighborhood; and the historic F-line trolleys, which traverse Market Street from the Castro to the Embarcadero and Fisherman’s Wharf. Other light rail lines are the J-Church, which goes by Mission Dolores Park; N-Judah; and the T-Third.

A news release stated that SFMTA staff will work with community working group members to discuss and consider the strategies and tradeoffs presented in the Muni Metro Capacity Study, which the working group will help shape. The capacity study will identify how much more rail capacity the city needs, in what timeframe, and where, to develop a comprehensive long-term strategy for expanding Muni Metro over the coming decades.

To learn more and apply for the committee, go to https://tinyurl. com/2p8u36k5.

Girls Inc. to hold benefit gala

Girls Inc. of Alameda County will celebrate 65 years of inspiring teens at its benefit gala Saturday, October 14, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at BLOC15, 252 Second Street in Oakland, near Jack London Square.

As the Bay Area Reporter noted in a recent profile, Girls Inc. of Al-

ameda County has helped teens, including trans girls, by teaching them skills and helping them navigate challenges they face in life.

According to a news release, the upcoming gala, themed “A Limitless Future,” will feature a special appearance by W. Kamau Bell, a stand-up comedian, TV host, and activist.

The gala will reflect on the nonprofit organization’s past as well as its vision for the future. Alumnae speakers will include Danielle West, Genessis Cuevas, and Monica Manriquez, who will share their personal stories. Mari Waugh, vice president, chief talent, culture, and inclusion officer at PG&E, will deliver the keynote address.

“We are tremendously excited to celebrate our 65th anniversary with the community and our esteemed guests,” stated Julayne Vigil, chief executive officer of the Alameda Girls Inc. affiliate. “Our mission has remained steadfast for all these years, and we look forward to many more decades of inspiring girls to reach their full potential.”

Tickets are $325. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to giacgala.swell.gives/.

For more information about the organization, go to girlsinc-alameda.org. t

Sean Penn, right, won an Oscar for his portrayal of slain San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk in the 2008 film “Milk.”

Bill Bray/Focus Features

Very personal questions

by Gwendolyn Ann Smith

My partner was usually by my side when I was in the long process of coming out to our friends and family. Nearly every time, one of the first questions would be to ask if they were OK with my transition.

Eventually, they got a T-shirt to make this clear: it simply read, “Yes, I’m OK with all this.” It was easier that way.

I was remembering that the other day after having a discussion with a couple of other trans friends about the questions we are always asked by our well-meaning but oftentimes clueless friends – or, in some cases, from crass, boundarylacking strangers.

I want to separate this from those who are “just asking questions” not out of genuine curiosity or even puerile interest, but in an attempt to harm transgender lives and livelihoods. We have seen plenty of this over the last few years, with those seeking to convince people that transgender people are, by our very nature, predators and perverts.

Their questions are, quite frankly, wielded as weapons, seeking to cause the maximum harm. In short, don’t expect the answers to those here: they simply do not deserve more than my contempt and derision.

No, much like that which was an-

swered on a custom T-shirt, I mean some of the questions that those of us who are transgender get asked by friends and family with alarming regularity, usually prefaced with the biggest leading query of them all: “Can I ask you a personal question?”

If you start to ask a question of nearly any transgender person, no matter how well you may know them or how chipper they may be, I can assure you that behind that friendly smile each of us is mentally bracing for what comes next.

Yes. It’s about genitals. It’s almost always about genitals.

For those of you who do not identify as transgender, I implore you to take just the briefest of moments before you ask a transgender person about their genitals and/or what they intend to do with

them. In that momentary pause, consider how you might feel if you were asked about the appearance and configuration of your own genitals, what you may do with them in a bedroom or at a “Beetlejuice” performance with your partner, or even what sort of modifications you may consider making to them.

If you would be uncomfortable or offended, please consider that the person you intend to ask may well feel exactly the same way. I’m not saying don’t ask –surely there are some rare times for such questions – but I am telling you that you may not get the result that you thought.

Another common inquiry is this: “How do you know you’re really transgender?”

I suspect, in asking, you do mean well. You know that being trans isn’t an easy path to take in life, particularly nowadays. As our lives have become politicized – let alone demonized – it has become a lot harder to just be ourselves in this world.

As such, I am sure you are just trying to help a friend or acquaintance to make sure they are really ready for such a monumental step.

Once again, take a quick step back. First and foremost, understand that the person you are about to ask has likely spent much of their life already puzzling over that question, trying to figure out why the gender

they were assigned, and have been treated as a member of, is so ill-fitting.

It is quite likely they have already spoken with other trans people, with medical and therapeutic professionals, and others about this long before they decided to come out to you. They have probably done a lot of deep soul-searching on this topic.

In short: they know. It’s quite unlikely that you will present any new light on such a subject.

Also, much like the other question, consider for a mo ment how you would answer. How did you first come aware of your own gender, and how do you know it’s the right one for you? Note as well that this isn’t about trying to change your gender any more than you could change mine or any other trans person’s.

As a corollary, I might also add that declaring that a trans person is not transgender isn’t likely to be well received. We are the experts of our own spirits and our own skins.

Really, there are quite a few more questions that might come to mind, such as asking a transgender person if they might be “going through a phase,” or if their trans identity is something else entirely.

I would give you questions in return: is it important to you that your friend not be transgender? Does your friendship hinge on their identity being one that you are comfortable with, or at least willing to settle over, rather than one that you might find disagreeable?

I ask this because, really, that is what it sounds like.

I want to leave you with one final thought when it comes to the questions and views you may share with a friend when they first come out: when a friend chooses to share their trans nature with you, please view it as the honor that it is. They felt you were enough of a friend to them that they could share a deeply personal aspect of their life, one that they may have entrusted with very few people.

You should feel very appreciated –and I dearly hope you will ask them questions that show how much you value and respect them as well. t

Gwen Smith may have been the person who made that T-shirt. You’ll find her at wwww.gwensmith.com

“I was very happy to see it wasn’t fully rejected,” said Levesque in a recent phone interview with the B.A.R. “I wasn’t familiar with returned nominations.”

They needed to present more information about how the incident that took place at Compton’s tied into the fight for LGBTQ rights in the U.S. in order to designate it as having a national level of significance. Their initial submission had focused too much on its local significance, according to two pages of return comments the state office received from Sherry A. Frear, the chief and deputy keeper of the National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program for cultural resources, partnerships, and science.

“Nominations seeking to secure a national level of significance are expected to demonstrate how the particular events or activities impacted national trends or themes in a direct way,” stated the memo. “The current narrative does not fully justify a national level of significance. The nomination would be greatly strengthened by the inclusion of a much stronger scholarly discussion and appreciation for the impacts of the events on the national stage.”

Because the riot didn’t occur solely inside the diner, the immediate outdoor areas of the building should also be considered as part of the federal listing, according to the national office’s response. It noted doing so would help counter the lack of historical integrity the building retains.

“Consideration should be given to expanding the boundaries of the nominated area beyond just the current building footprint, given the fact that the events of 1966 (picketing, riot, marches) occurred in and around the building, particularly on the public sidewalks of the area. These areas appear to retain stronger integrity,” wrote the federal office in its response, noting that “the integrity of the ground floor and interior commercial spaces – areas directly tied to the significant events – is minimal at best.”

In an emailed response to the B.A.R.’s inquiry about the status of listing the Compton’s site on the national register, Frear stressed that no final decision about doing so had been made.

“Please note that nomination is ‘returned’ and not ‘rejected’; the property may indeed merit listing but the nomination itself is technically or professionally deficient and requires corrections or other improvements to document

See page 15 >>

Christine Smith

New Russian River Pride gets some star power Pride 2023>>

by John Ferrannini

A new ad hoc committee is planning a rebirth of Pride in the LGBTQ-friendly North Bay town of Guerneville in October and those who want to participate in the parade need to sign up soon, one of the organizers said.

Cleve Jones, a longtime gay activist who co-founded the AIDS Memorial Quilt and once worked for the gay late supervisor Harvey Milk, lives in Guerneville nowadays. He told the Bay Area Reporter that the Russian River Pride (https://russianriverpride.org/) parade will start at noon Sunday, October 15, along First Street at Church Street. Marchers will make their way to Mill Street, then turn on River Road, proceeding to Armstrong Woods Road.

“Then,” Jones explained, “everyone’s going to go to Johnson’s Beach parking lot for a dance on the beach hosted by Juanita MORE!”

There will also be a festival, the website stated.

MORE! said she’s happy to be participating.

“The town has long been an LGBTQ+ playground for us West Coasters,” MORE! told the B.A.R. “Cleve’s energy is infectious, along with his excitement to make this happen. I look forward to participating in this exciting event and bringing some House of MORE! energy to the weekend.”

The tea dance ends at 5 p.m.; there’s no entry fee and it’s open to people of all ages.

The pride weekend gets underway with various activities Friday, October 13, and those continue on Saturday, October 14, according to the website.

Changes led to new event

Jones told the B.A.R. that Sonoma County Pride’s 2018 decision to move from Guerneville to Santa Rosa, the county seat, for its annual parade and festival the first Saturday in June left some people in the LGBTQ hamlet with “some hard feelings.”

“Some experienced hurt about their parade being taken away,” Jones said.

In the aftermath of Sonoma County Pride’s move, there have been efforts to hold Russian River Pride, though the 2018 parade ended up being canceled, as the B.A.R. reported at the time.

Christopher Kren-Mora, a gay man who’s president of Sonoma County Pride, said there was a separate Russian River Pride event in 2019, but since then Guerneville was rocked not just by the COVID pandemic but by destructive floods earlier this year.

“That made it difficult for them to continue,” Kren-Mora said.

Jones said that when he and others heard that some Pride celebrations were canceled in Florida due to laws targeting drag performers signed by Governor Ron DeSantis, now a Republican presidential aspirant, they realized that “this is the time to reinvigorate” Pride in west Sonoma County.

An ad hoc committee formed under the auspices of the Russian River Alliance, on whose website contingents can register (https://www.russianriveralliance.org/pride-parade) for the parade and people can volunteer. Those who want to march in the parade have until Friday, September 29, to sign up, organizers said.

Jones said that the alliance will be one of five groups that will benefit from money raised as part of Pride festivities. Jennifer Wertz, a lesbian who is the alliance’s fund manager, said that while she moved up to Guerneville for a slower pace of life, there was just too much need to be ignored.

Jones stated September 19 that

$75,000 has come in already –$25,000 “from two fundraising parties” and $50,000 from sponsors including Gilead, the California Teachers Association, and UNITE Here, the union where Jones works.

Of the money that’s come in, $40,000 will be used for the production of the event, including the stage, sound, permits, and insurance, Jones stated.

The alliance has distributed funds for years. What started as giving away $1,000 in gift cards in 2019 became $160,000 disbursed in disaster relief efforts “before other organizations come in and do the heavy lifting,” Wertz said.

Wertz stated that the gift cards go to individuals “for immediate needs” and “emergency assistance until the larger nonprofits are able to get set up.” These have included evacuees, and those whose jobs have “suddenly shut down,” she continued.

Wertz added she’s “thrilled” both that the alliance is serving as the fiscal sponsor, and that it may be getting some money from donations.

“We rely on small, private donations and other organizations that support us. We have a small budget but are financially efficient,” she said. “I do this as a volunteer and have been the whole time.”

Jones also mentioned the Sonoma County Public Library branch in Guerneville as a beneficiary. Libraries are “really, really important for us LGBTQ people,” Jones explained, as books help people learn about what it means to be a queer person.

Librarian Stuart Wilkinson and branch manager Mel McCallum expressed their thanks.

“We are honored to be a financial beneficiary of the event and will use the funds to support our LGBTQIA+ community,” they jointly stated. “Our participation in this year’s Pride is especially important given the rising hostility toward inclusive libraries and the freedom to read.

“The Sonoma County Library celebrates LGBTQIA+ Pride year-round. We launched the Here & Queer Sonoma County project to collect, archive, and amplify the histories of Sonoma County’s LGBTQ+ communities,” Wilkinson and McCallum added. “Our branch collaborates with the Russian River Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to provide story times, hosts a monthly LGBTQIA+ book club, and recently attended the firstever Occidental Pride.”

Occidental is a small community in Sonoma County south of Guerneville.

Jones also mentioned Food for Thought, a food bank that helps those with serious medical conditions, including HIV/AIDS, in the county; the Guerneville Youth Center; and Watch Duty, a wildfire detection service; as rounding out the beneficiaries. None replied to a request for comment.

Kren-Mora said Sonoma County Pride is helping out.

“Cleve reached out to us to ask for our help so our nonprofit is helping him with contacts,” Kren-Mora said. “Sonoma County is full of pride –

the more, the merrier. That said, our Pride is made up of six people who are full time volunteers. What we can do, we do.”

Other events

Other events will include a reprise of the Flag in the Map exhibit, and though a time is to be determined, it will be at 16215 Main Street and sponsored by Oli Gallery and the Gilbert Baker Foundation. (The exhibit will be shown the prior weekend, October 6, in Napa, as the B.A.R. previously reported.

An opening reception for the exhibit will be sponsored by the Equality Vines Tasting Room at the same address Friday, October 13, though a time is to be determined.

An Honoring Our Elders Brunch will take place Saturday, October 14, 10:30 a.m., at 15010 Armstrong Woods Road, sponsored by West County Community Services. (A spokesperson told the B.A.R. that the details haven’t been “ironed out” yet.)

A Women’s Weekend Pop-up Pool Party will take place Saturday, October 14, from noon to 5 p.m. at the R3 Hotel at 16390 Fourth Street. Admission is for those 21 and over and costs $25. R3 did not return a request for comment for this report as of press time.

A Clean and Sober Lounge will take place Saturday, October 14, from 1 to 5 p.m. outside of the Style Bar hair salon 16350 Third Street.

A display of the panels from the AIDS Memorial Quilt will be at the Russian River Health and Wellness Center at 16387 First Street on Saturday, October 14. There will be no entrance fee, as well as an all-ages health fair. Hours and further details are still to be determined.

People can book a campsite, cabin, or tiny house as part of Rainbow Camp at Johnson’s Beach for the whole weekend. The promo code JBPRIDE23 will give a 25% discount on the reservation.

The Monte Rio Theater at 20396 Bohemian Highway will be hosting films all weekend: “Milk” October 13 at 7 p.m., “Moonlight” October 14 at 7 p.m., and “But I’m a Cheerleader” October 15 at 5 p.m. Tickets are $18 at the door, $15 if purchased beforehand. Active-duty military pay $12 at the door, and $10 beforehand. All films are rated R. The theater did not return a request for comment as of press time.t

now live in a community that offers a unique place where we feel welcome, can be ourselves, live among friends and experience new adventures, with the peace of mind for our future.”

- Brian H., resident

A giant rainbow flag is carried during a previous Pride parade in Sonoma County. From

Volume 53, Number 38

September 21-27, 2023

www.ebar.com

PUBLISHER

Michael M. Yamashita

Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013)

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NEWS EDITOR

Cynthia Laird

ARTS & NIGHTLIFE EDITOR

Jim Provenzano

ASSISTANT EDITORS

Matthew S. Bajko • John Ferrannini

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

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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

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Ed Walsh • Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood

ART DIRECTION

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PRODUCTION/DESIGN

Ernesto Sopprani

PHOTOGRAPHERS

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Jose A. Guzman-Colon • Rudy K. Lawidjaja

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Newsom’s risky move on guns

It’s too early to tell whether Governor Gavin Newsom’s “from the bottom up” call for a constitutional convention on gun safety will actually happen. While the California Assembly last week gave final approval to Senate Joint Resolution 7, now 33 other states must do something similar. It’s a tall order. SJR 7, sponsored by Newsom, calls for the first constitutional convention since the document was ratified in 1789. According to the governor’s office, it would amend the U.S. Constitution with a Right to Safety. That amendment would include: raising the minimum age to buy a gun from 18 to 21; mandating universal background checks; instituting a waiting period for all gun purchases; and banning the sale of assault weapons and other weapons of war to civilians.

During a hastily arranged Zoom call September 15, Newsom, who was in New York City for Climate Week events, spoke to more than 1,000 people who logged on, many from other states.

“We proved it could be done,” Newsom said of the Legislature passing his resolution. “Now, we just need 33 other states.” He encouraged listeners outside of California to reach out to their elected representatives to pass similar measures. “Find a legislative leader – or the executive branch –and do the same thing,” he said. “The founders of our great nation gave us the power to change the Constitution. They don’t know the power of us.”

Getting more than 30 other states to also call for a constitutional convention is a daunting undertaking, and one that is unlikely to happen soon, especially given the polarization in the country right now. Newsom said he’s in it for the long haul. He mentioned on the call how last year police officers in Uvalde, Texas stood outside the school, scared to confront the gunman because he had more firepower than they did. “This is pro-law enforcement,” Newsom said of the proposed amendment.

The governor saved most of his ire for Republican-appointed federal judges, who have ruled against gun safety laws, and the U.S. Supreme Court, which last year in a 6-3 decision

in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association

v. Buren struck down that state’s concealedcarry law and said that Americans have the right to carry a firearm in public for self-defense. Previously, people had to show “proper cause” for a concealed-carry license.

Don’t get us wrong – we’re fed up with mass shootings and other gun violence in this country that has killed so many. LGBTQs gathered at nightclubs, intimate partner victims, kids and teachers getting shot at schools, employees gunned down in the workplace, and people killed in houses of worship represent some of the tens of thousands killed every year in shooting incidents. And we agree with Newsom that “Gun safety saves lives. Period. Full stop.” But we have real reservations about a constitutional convention because it could open the floodgates to all sorts of antiLGBTQ shenanigans. Newsom didn’t address these possibilities, but other political leaders have.

Gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) has for months spoken out against this route to change gun laws. Wiener abstained from a Senate committee vote on SJR 7 last month, because he could not support the measure for the uncertainty of what a constitutional convention could look like.

“There’s nothing in the Constitution that says a convention needs to be limited to one topic,” Wiener said, according to KCRA-TV. (https:// www.kcra.com/article/california-committee-

28th-amendment-convention/44942442) “We know the same extremists that have completely rewritten the Second Amendment would also like to rewrite reproductive health access, LGBTQ rights. They want to get rid of separation of church and state. They want to undermine voting rights.” Wiener, of course, has a 0% rating from the National Rifle Association and would go further on some of the proposed gun safety items.

Newsom has said a constitutional convention would be limited to one topic, but some legal experts dispute that and have mentioned the concerns Wiener enumerated. The resolution’s text does include a paragraph that would invalidate it if the constitutional convention goes into other subject areas. “Resolved, That this application is for a limited constitutional convention and does not grant Congress the authority to call a constitutional convention for any purpose other than those set forth herein and that this application shall be void if ever used at any stage to consider any constitutional amendments on subjects other than those specified herein ...,” SJR 7 states.

But Wiener and others are right to remain concerned. And we certainly can envision a scenario whereby those opposed to voting rights or LGBTQ rights would attempt to undermine a gun-focused constitutional convention, should one take place. One only has to look at what the right-wing has done on myriad issues to realize that it cannot be trusted. Conservatives attempt to cloak anti-trans legislation with “parents’ rights” language while seeking to forcibly out trans and nonbinary kids. They support bathroom bills by stating trans people would act as predators in women’s restrooms without any evidence. In short, the hypocrisy of the Republican Party knows no bounds.

Newsom will keep fighting for his constitutional convention. But as the 2024 election year approaches, we think a better focus would be on Democrats retaking control in the House, maintaining control in the U.S. Senate, and reelecting President Joe Biden, who continues to appoint federal judges who are not hard-right extremists. t

Pride in the midst of crisis: How giving circles empower LGBTQ+ communities

by Kyson Bunthuwong

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

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Over the years it’s been heartening to see public support for LGBTQ+ rights increase considerably. Despite this support, our community is facing an escalating political backlash recently. And while public support and funding has increased, overall philanthropic giving to the community is about a tenth of 1% of all charitable giving.

But the LGBTQ+ community is nothing if not resilient. We are finding innovative ways to support each other, particularly through the rise of giving circles – collectives that pool donations to support issues like-minded people care about. Now more than ever, the LGBTQ+ community and our allies need to harness our collective power to help address the funding gap, break down misconceptions, and create lasting change for the long haul.

Political attacks are happening at all levels of government. More than 400 bills target ing trans people have been introduced at the state level in 2023 already, and the Human Rights Coalition recently issued its first-ever national state of emergency for LGBTQ+ Americans.

The Supreme Court’s conservative majority also recently set a dangerous precedent by ruling in favor of a graphic designer who did not want to create wedding websites for gay couples. These growing legislative attacks show the need not just for robust organizing in the LGBTQ+ community, but for increased giving.

While LGBTQ+ organizations still receive just 0.13% of all charitable giving, new research shows the rate of growth in philanthropic support for LGBTQ+ organizations has been growing. LGBTQ+ organizations saw nearly double the growth in charitable giving of that seen by non-LGBTQ+ organizations from 2015 to 2019.

Queer folks have always been at the margins, but we have found, and continue to find, creative ways to survive and thrive. One way our community and our allies are doing that is through giving circles. This simple but effective mechanism is transforming the landscape of philanthropy as a whole, enabling people to pool resources and collectively decide where to allocate their donations. These circles have the potential to provide a lifeline to grassroots organizations that often struggle to access funding from traditional sources.

Giving circles present an opportunity to change the rhetoric around trustworthy, impactful organizations and ultimately resource and advocate for the work in new ways. By bringing individuals together to discuss, decide, and distribute funds, these circles foster a deeper understanding of issues faced by the LGBTQ+ community. They create spaces for dialogue and learning, helping members make informed decisions about how to best allocate their pooled resources.

Such collective actions have profound implications. Take, for instance, the LGBTQ+-Jewish giving circle, KAVOD, which provides funding to initiatives like Sojourn – a grassroots nonprofit that empowers communities to advance and celebrate gender and sexual diversity across the South. KAVOD and groups like them have raised thousands of dollars to fund education programs, support systems and more for LGBTQ+ communities across the country.

Giving circles are not just about financial resources either; they are a collective affirmation of LGBTQ+ identities and rights. They bring visibility to the urgent issues faced by the community and provide an inclusive space for individuals to learn, engage, and take action. What queer and trans people need are not a hand out, but sus-

tained support and resources that enable their self-determination and liberation.

We need to alter the perception that only largescale donations matter. Every act of generosity, big or small, contributes to the tapestry of change.

Giving circles represent a beacon of hope, exemplifying how collective action can foster resilience, encourage philanthropy, and promote a deeper understanding of the diverse issues facing the LGBTQ+ community. But most importantly, giving circles represent love, in all its forms. At the core of many major movements, and in philanthropy, is the desire to help others, often out of love. In philanthropy that often manifests through financial giving to causes that help others. Love is universal, it unites us, and it passionately fuels us. By coming together as a community, we will continue to elevate each other, to fight for justice, and above all, to boldly celebrate love in all its glorious, defiant forms.

Here’s a list of giving circles (philanthropytogether.org/20-lgbtq-led-nonprofits) that support LGBTQ+ issues, or learn how to start your own (philanthropytogether.org/programsresources/start-a-giving-circle-launchpad) with the help of Philanthropy Together, the initiative leading the giving circle movement.  t

Kyson Bunthuwong (ze/zir/he), is a queer person who currently serves as co-chair of Lacuna, a local queer AAPI giving circle that funds grassroots social justice organizations. Ze is a passionate advocate for human-centered design and also a facilitator for strategy, innovation, and outsidethe-box problem-solving. Zir consulting practice is focused on helping organizations unlock their creative potential and drive meaningful change through design thinking. Most recently, Kyson led fundraising and strategic partnership work at Philanthropy Together with the North Star of mobilizing more resources to the collective giving movement.

Governor Gavin Newsom

Jane Philomen Cleland

Kyson Bunthuwong

Courtesy Kyson Bunthuwong

Skyforest resident aims to be 1st gay San Bernardino supervisor

by Matthew S. Bajko

Aresident in the mountain enclave of Skyforest is aiming to be the first gay supervisor in San Bernardino County. To do so, Graham Smith has a steep hill to climb as a political newcomer running against an incumbent in a sprawling supervisorial district.

In July, Smith announced his candidacy for the board’s District 3 seat, which includes the flatland cities of Yucaipa, Redlands, parts of Colton and San Bernardino then heads up into the San Bernardino Mountains and the city of Big Bear Lake, north to Barstow, and east to Needles along the border with Arizona.

“This district is huge,” noted Smith. “It is geographically the largest county in the U.S. At about 20,000 square miles it is the size of West Virginia and also the largest district in the county.”

District 3 Supervisor Dawn Rowe has held the seat since she was appointed to it in December 2018 and easily won a full four-year term with 55% of the vote in the 2020 March primary. Rowe also announced in July that she would seek reelection next year, with the contest again to be held in March.

This time, Smith and several other candidates are aiming to block Rowe from winning the seat outright and forcing a runoff race in the fall. If no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote on the March 5 primary ballot then the top two vote-getters will advance to the November 5 ballot.

“My hope is that between the resources of the three other challengers, we can prevent Dawn from getting that 50% mark in March and have a fighting chance in November. My job, if I am being realistic, is to come in second in March and get it in November,” Smith told the Bay Area Reporter during an August phone interview about his candidacy.

Smith, 40, who grew up in Los Angeles County’s Topanga Canyon, moved to Skyforest with his husband, Mark Goodwin, in 2020 at the start of the COVID pandemic into the house his paternal grandparents built 50 years ago. He would often visit the area with his family as a child.

The couple had returned to Los Angeles from London, as Goodwin is British and Smith had moved there while working for the former firm Lehman Brothers and then joined the investment firm Ares Management. Expecting to only stay in Skyforest for a short period of time, they instead found themselves putting down roots and decided to stay.

“We said why not go to the cabin for a couple weeks to get out of town. The longer we stayed, we both connected to the local community,” recalled Smith, who until late last year had been working on a consumer products startup with a friend. “We realized this is a wonderful local community that we really, really loved.”

But over the last three years they have seen how living in an unincorporated community means their governance is controlled by the county board. Goodwin, for example, ran into zoning issues in trying to open a local coffeehouse.

“The platform I am running on is all about taking much better care of the local community and allocating resources more effectively,” said Smith. “I am a firm believer the county has not done that across the board, not just related to our local county community.”

The issue was brought front and center during fatal snowstorms in February and March that hammered the San Bernardino Mountains, left residents trapped under 40 feet of snow in some areas to more than 100 feet in others, and resulted in at least 17 deaths. Roads were impassable for weeks, and those who were able to drive down the moun-

Middleton, who is transgender, and Christy Holstege, who is bisexual, are seeking state legislative seats that include portions of San Bernardino County.

Gay U.S. House candidate Derek Marshall is vying for the 23rd Congressional District that largely overlaps with the supervisorial district.

“I think this is a challenge for all of us. But it is also a fight we need to fight because if no one steps up to do it, I am genuinely concerned my marriage isn’t going to be recognized federally in coming years. We are in scary times,” said Smith.

tains for food, medicine, and other supplies found themselves blocked from returning by authorities and stuck waiting for hours with no information on when they would be able to return, as detailed in a report released in April by a committee formed by Rowe.

It was his experience living through the storms and their aftermath that led Smith to decide to seek elected office for the first time. With none of the current supervisors residents of the mountain communities, he argues it is time for such a voice to be on the county board.

The winter storms demonstrated how he and his neighbors “really suffered from a lack of focus and county resources,” said Smith. “We are really beholden to the county Board of Supervisors to make decisions on our behalf.”

While it may be an easy argument to make when speaking to residents in forest communities, Smith will also need to attract support from voters in the cities on either side of the mountains. He told the B.A.R. he hopes his message will also connect in those suburban areas, from needing more than just new jobs in retail warehouses to addressing the worsening air pollution.

“I am a firm believer the county supervisors haven’t served more urban communities well either,” he said. “I think I offer a fresh perspective on how to deal with some of these problems.”

As far as Smith is aware, if elected he would be the first out supervisor to serve in the Southern California county that tends to tilt conservative. There are currently at least eight known LGBTQ county supervisors in California, six of whom are gay men. Martin Huberty serves in Calaveras County; Ken Carlson in Contra Costa County; Yxstian Gutierrez in Riverside County; and Rafael Mandelman Matt Dorsey, and Joel Engardio all serve in San Francisco County.

Amy Shuklian, a lesbian, serves on the Tulare County Board of Supervisors, while Terra Lawson-Remer, who holds the District 3 seat on the San Diego board, is nonbinary and pansexual.

The Democrat is facing a challenge next year from Republican former San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer

Since moving to the San Bernardino Mountains, Smith told the B.A.R. that he has met other LGBTQ residents of the area. It is a stark contrast from when he would visit during his youth, he said.

“There is a huge queer community in the mountains that wasn’t there before,” said Smith, who lived in San Francisco for a year as an accounting intern and had an aunt who called Mill Valley in Marin home for 40 years. “We felt a lot more welcomed than necessarily we would have expected to.”

Smith will be one of several out candidates running in races in the county on the March primary ballot, as Palm Springs City Councilmembers Lisa

Tragically, the day after Smith spoke with the B.A.R. a man gunned down Laura Ann “Lauri” Carleton after getting into an argument with her about the Pride flags she had flying at her Cedar Glen boutique Mag.Pi. In a statement Rowe called Carleton “a remarkable member of the community” and offered her condolences to her family.

“Everyone deserves to live free of hate and discrimination and practice their constitutional right of freedom of speech,” stated Rowe.

In a Facebook post Smith also offered condolences to Carleton’s family and friends.

“It is a somber reminder that everyone within our communities deserves to live in safety and harmony, free from the shadow of violence. Let us honor Lauri’s memory by continuing to foster a world where love, compassion, and understanding prevail,” wrote Smith.

During his interview with the B.A.R. Smith had brought up how the local LGBTQ community was already feeling targeted after the Redlands City Council voted not to fly the Pride flag again in June. (Earlier this month it also rejected a request to fly it in honor of Carleton.)

The state’s attorney general is suing a school district in another county city, Chino Hills, over its adoption of a forced outing policy of transgender students.

“Seeing all this stuff happen really close to me has really emboldened me to do this even more and stand up for this community,” said Smith.

Trans candidate ends Assembly bid

Justine Gonzalez, a bisexual transgender co-parent, has ended her campaign for the state Assembly’s 52nd District seat that covers a portion of the city of Glendale and a number of Los Angeles communities. In a September 19 email to supporters, Gonzalez said she didn’t have the time to mount a bid for political office and hold a fulltime job.

As she explained in the announcement, “campaigning for public office – which is effectively another full-time job – is simply more than I can manage given my responsibilities to my child and family.”

On Wednesday, she endorsed Jessica Caloza in the race to succeed Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo (D-Los Angeles), who is running to oust from office embattled Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin de León, her former ally who officially announced his reelection bid this week. Still in the Assembly contest is gay immigrant Ari Ruiz, who had won the sole endorsement of the Legislative LGBTQ Caucus last month.

He is among the record number of 27 LGBTQ candidates planning to run in legislative races in the March primary. Among them are two vying to become the first trans people elected to the California Legislature: Middleton and Evan Minton, who is seeking an Assembly seat covering Sacramento. t

Web Extra: For more queer political news, be sure to check http:// www.ebar.com Monday mornings for Political Notes, the notebook’s online companion. This week’s column reported on the last batch of LGBTQ-related bills sent to California Governor Gavin Newsom to sign.

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Graham Smith is running for supervisor in San Bernardino County.

Courtesy the candidate

Newsom ends California’s pro-LGBTQ travel ban

by Matthew S. Bajko

Within 24 hours of being sent a bill to repeal it, Governor Gavin Newsom ended California’s ban on publicly funded travel to states with antiLGBTQ laws. It comes several months after San Francisco leaders ended their similar travel restriction.

Citing the lack of impact the travel ban has had in halting other legislatures from passing anti-LGBTQ laws since the policy took effect in 2016, lesbian outgoing Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) introduced this year Senate Bill 447 called the BRIDGE Act, which stands for Building and Reinforcing Inclusive, Diverse, Gender-Supportive Equality. It replaces the so-called no-fly list with a privately funded pro-LGBTQ marketing effort in the states on it, which this summer had grown to 26.

Her bill cleared its final legislative hurdle September 12 and was presented to Newsom to sign. Atkins joined the governor along with several other members of the Legislative LGBTQ Caucus to witness his signing SB 447 into law September 13.

“In the face of a rising tide of anti-LGBTQ+ hate, this measure helps California’s message of acceptance, equality and hope reach the places where it is most needed,” stated Newsom. “I thank Pro Tem Atkins for authoring this impor-

tant measure that enables California to continue taking a stand for the rights of LGBTQ+ people throughout the country and combating intolerance and hate with empathy and allyship.”

Atkins had included an urgency clause so SB 447 would take effect immediately once signed into law by Newsom. She expressed her gratitude for the governor acting so swiftly in doing so, and thanked her colleagues for the bipartisan support the bill received in the Legislature.

“Today, we are sending a message to the rest of the nation – here in California, we embrace one another, not in spite of our differences, but because of them. And we are ready to reach across the

aisle, and across state lines, to help open hearts and minds, and support our LGBTQ+ youth and communities who are feeling so alone,” stated Atkins. “There’s so much hate, so much hurt, so much harm being inflicted on people who are just trying to live their authentic lives.”

A photo the governor’s office sent out with the announcement of his signing SB 447 into law showed him joined by Atkins, lesbian state Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton,) and gay Assemblymembers Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Santa Monica/West Hollywood) and Chris Ward (D-San Diego) gathered by the bronze bear statue in the State Capitol.

Noticeably absent from the picture was gay Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Cupertino), who wrote the initial legislation establishing the state’s travel ban and had expressed misgivings about ending it. He was one of four members of his chamber who abstained Monday from voting on SB 447, when the bill passed out of the Assembly by a 64-12 vote.

Under the travel ban no taxpayer money has been allowed to pay for non-emergency travel by state employees, as well as faculty, students, and sports teams at state colleges, to those states that have enacted antiLGBTQ laws since 2015. The restriction on traveling to Nebraska, added to the list this summer, was to have taken effect on October 1.

A broad coalition of LGBTQ groups and leaders had expressed support for doing away with the travel ban, arguing the policy also hampered the ability of LGBTQ advocates to be on the ground in the covered states arguing on behalf of LGBTQ rights.

As the Bay Area Reporter noted in a story last month, LGBTQ leaders in other states were also largely supportive of seeing California do away with the policy.

The law was “just for show,” said Gia Pacheco, a transgender Texas native who is the full-time program coordinator for Organización Latina Trans

Texas based in Houston.  The Lone Star State had been added to the travel ban list in 2017, yet it didn’t deter lawmakers in the Statehouse there from continuing to enact anti-LGBTQ laws, such as a prohibition on Texas physicians from providing gender-affirming care to transgender youth that went into effect September 1.

“I am sorry, but it is not helping anyone not in the state of California,” said Pacheco, “and it is not helping anyone in the state of California because it is putting barriers on what they can do. A ban like that is a nice and flashy show but not doing anything for anyone.”

It remains to be seen where the money will come from to pay for the pro-LGBTQ advertising campaign envisioned by Atkins under her BRIDGE Act. It instructs the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, known as GO-Biz, to convene an advisory committee of upward of 10 members to advise it on the content of the media campaigns and strategic outreach to communities affected by the campaign.

Per the bill’s language, the advisory committee members are to include “LGBTQ+ advocates, marketing and public relations professionals, and representatives from research institutions as necessary to develop and evaluate media campaigns funded pursuant to this article.” t

CDC recommends updated COVID shots for all

by Liz Highleyman

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urges all Americans ages 6 months and older to get updated COVID vaccines that more closely match current coronavirus variants.

On September 12, CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted 13-1 in favor of the universal recommendation, though some experts think it should have been limited to older individuals and others at higher risk for severe COVID.

New CDC director Dr. Mandy Cohen signed off on the recommendation Tuesday afternoon.

“We have more tools than ever to prevent the worst outcomes from COVID-19,” Cohen stated in a news release. “CDC is now recommending updated COVID-19 vaccination for

everyone 6 months and older to better protect you and your loved ones.”

The previous day, the federal Food and Drug Administration authorized updated mRNA vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech. The vaccines were granted full approval for people ages 12 and older and emer-

DISPLAY OBITUARIES & IN MEMORIAMS

gency use authorization for younger children. A more traditional vaccine from Novavax is still under review and did not get the FDA nod on Monday.

All three updated vaccines –which health officials are no longer calling boosters – target a SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant known as XBB.1.5, which was the most common variant for most of this year.

The vaccines temporarily boost antibody levels, but they also stimulate T-cell and memory B-cell responses that provide longer-lasting protection against severe illness. Some evidence suggests vaccines also reduce the risk of developing long COVID. They do not, however, reliably prevent infection or transmission.

COVID has been on the rise in recent weeks, but case numbers, hospitalizations, and deaths remain far

below previous surges because most Americans already have some immunity due to prior vaccination or natural immunity after infection.

As the coronavirus evolves, it becomes better able to evade immunity. However, all three companies have reported that their new vaccines work against the newly dominant EG.5 variant, which is closely related to XBB.1.5. A potentially more evasive variant dubbed BA.2.86 has been detected in several countries, including the United States, but it does not appear to be spreading rapidly. Studies have shown that the new vaccines are generally safe and well tolerated, but some people may develop flu-like side effects or soreness at the injection site. Although effectiveness data are limited, waiting for the results of larger clinical trials gives new variants time to take over.

“Vaccination remains critical to public health and continued protection against serious consequences of COVID-19, including hospitalization and death,” stated Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. “The public can be assured that these updated vaccines have met the agency’s rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality.”

One dose of the updated Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is recommended for most people ages 5 and older, regardless of their prior vaccination history. The vaccines can be administered two months after the last vaccine dose or infection, but some experts urge waiting a few more months to encourage a stronger immune response.

See page 14 >>

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

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Local restaurants get grants

Tony Archuleta-Perkins, left, president of the Golden Gate Business Association board of directors, presented a check for $5,000 to representatives from the Park Cafe Group, which includes four casual neighborhood cafes (Dolores Park Cafe, Precita Park Cafe, Duboce Park Cafe, and Paradise Park Cafe). GGBA, the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, and Grubhub honored 15 local culinary establishments – LGBTQ+ and allied-owned –

with grants during a September 14 reception at the Wells Fargo Community Center on Market Street. The Community Impact Grant Program, funded by the Grubhub Community Fund, is meant to strengthen the local food industry and $80,000 in total was distributed. Others who received checks included Manny’s cafe, Hot Cookie, Super Juiced, and Noble Folk Inc.

Rick Camargo

Governor Gavin Newsom, center, signed Senate Bill 447 Wednesday and was joined by, from left, Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins, Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman and Assemblymember Chris Ward.

Courtesy Governor’s office

CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen Courtesy CDC

FBI agents discuss hate crimes at Castro talk Community News>>

by John Ferrannini

With seven-in-10 reported hate crimes in San Francisco occurring against gay men – the FBI is fully committed to enforcing federal hate crimes statutes regardless of who is in the White House, agents told an audience in the Castro.

That was the message that six members of the bureau brought to The Academy events venue in the LGBTQ neighborhood for a two-hour session August 30 where FBI, San Francisco police, and Castro Community on Patrol officials informed the community about hate crimes: why they’re important to law enforcement, what they are, and what kinds are most prevalent.

The session began with remarks from San Francisco Police Chief William Scott, who said forums like these are important because they lay the groundwork for solving bias-motivated crimes.

“It’s really important for both of our organizations to build relationships, particularly in this hate crime world,” Scott said, referring to the San Francisco Police Department and the FBI. “Against the LGBTQ+ community, it’s still a significant problem, and what we’re seeing in our nation is more of it, more violence; we saw what happened in New York, what happened in Florida, the race-motivated killings.”

Scott was referring to two recent crimes that garnered national headlines. Earlier this month, a New York City grand jury charged a 17-year-old male with homicide as a hate crime in the killing of O’Shae Sibley, a 28-yearold gay man stabbed to death while dancing at a gas station. The August 26 killing of three Black people at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida, by a 21-year-old white man was raciallymotivated, according to the local sheriff. The killer wore a flag patch of Rhodesia, an unrecognized apartheid state that saw a race war from when it seceded from the British Empire in 1965 until it became Zimbabwe in 1980.

Scott introduced Christopher Del Gandio, the first out gay captain in the SFPD, and executive sponsor of the chief’s LGBTQ advisory forum, and Greg Carey, a gay man who is co-chair of the forum and chair of Castro Community on Patrol.

The SFPD’s advisory forum provides an opportunity for civilians to work “directly with the command staff of the police department,” Carey said, including the chief. Castro Community on Patrol is a group of citizen volunteers who provide a visible safety presence in the Castro and serve as a liaison to law enforcement. They also put on self-defense workshops.

Robert Tripp, who was named as special agent in charge for San Francisco’s FBI office, spoke next. Tripp, who was appointed to the position by FBI Director Christopher Wray last year, said he joined the FBI because he’s passionate about protecting American ideals.

Obituaries >>

Chris Nigoghossian

July 31, 1987 – June 7, 2023

Chris Nigoghossian, a gay man, left us on June 7, 2023. He was 35.

As a youth, Chris’ dedication was evident, volunteering to serve the homeless from age 6 on. Industrious, he sold newspapers and worked at Safeway as well as the Outside Lands festival.

Educated at City College of San Francisco, he worked as a certified medical assistant and community health worker. He spent cherished years with Dr. Martin Mass and volunteered selflessly, vaccinating the homeless.

Nature and music were Chris’ sanctuaries; from the trails of Pt. Reyes and Yosemite to Lady Gaga

Robert Tripp, left, special agent in charge at the FBI’s San Francisco office, was obscured in blue light as he spoke about the bureau’s commitment to enforcing federal hate crime laws at The Academy events venue in the Castro August 30. San Francisco Police Department Captain Christopher Del Gandio, who is the first out person to become a captain in the department, looked on.

“One of those key ideals is that all of us, no matter who we are, are given certain rights,” Tripp said. “I get it, 1776, the idea of who these people are was narrow, but it’s expanded. These are constitutionally-guaranteed rights, which is the FBI’s sworn mission to protect for you. The FBI’s mission is to keep the community safe and to uphold the Constitution.”

Primer on hate crimes

Tripp introduced key members of his team, including investigator Shaina Witter.

The FBI is to federal law enforcement what city police and county sheriffs departments are to state law enforcement, Witter explained, and there are two kinds of hate crimes statutes, federal and state. The FBI only investigates violations of federal law.

Hate crimes are “criminal offenses motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender’s bias against race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity,” according to the FBI’s uniform crime reports.

Sexual orientation and gender identity have been covered under federal hate crime statutes since the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act was signed by then-President Barack Obama in 2009. California has covered sexual orientation since 1984 (it was the first in the nation) and gender identity since 1998, but many states don’t cover either, or only cover sexual orientation.

Both United States and California law require that for a hate crime to be proved there is a burden of proof on the prosecution to show bias and there is a requirement for proof of “but for” causation (proving that but for someone’s protected class, the crime wouldn’t have occurred). But the federal government can only get involved in cases that affect, in some way, interstate commerce, Witter said.

While some in the crowd expressed confusion on this, it’s important to note that a whole host of federal laws, including parts of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, find their legal justification in the Con-

concerts in Las Vegas. A diehard San Francisco Giants fan, his collections of pins, T-shirts, and Star Wars memorabilia spoke of his diverse passions.

Chris’ culinary delights were treasured at family gatherings. His backyard events and barbecues were legend among friends and extended family.

He is survived by his mother, Marilyn Saner; father, Berdj Nigoghossian; brothers Aaron and Greg; and a close-knit community of friends.

Join us to honor Chris on Saturday, October 14, at 1 p.m., at the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation, 1750 29th Avenue, San Francisco.

In lieu of flowers, consider honoring Chris’ memory with a donation to the Matthew Shepard Foundation at matthewshepard.org.

For inquiries, contact Marilyn at (415) 265-3809 or msaner0303@ gmail.com.

stitution’s commerce clause (in Article I, section VIII), which allows Congress “to regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes.”

Witter gave an example of a hate crimes case in Santa Cruz, United States v. Hougen, that she said would have only led to the defendant serving weeks in county jail – but due to the involvement of FBI investigators, ended in an 82-month sentence.

The FBI investigators were able to devote the time to finding that the defendant, Ole Hougen, had a pattern of attacking Black men along the West Coast. His rap sheet was 120 pages long, Witter said.

However, the FBI could only get involved because the weapon in the Santa Cruz attack was a knife that’d been made in China – therefore opening up a commerce clause intervention.

When the jury did vote to convict, it took only 19 minutes – “the shortest deliberation in the entire Northern [California] district,” Witter said.

Witter also stressed that there’s a dif-

ference between a hate incident and a hate crime.

“A hate incident doesn’t rise to the level of a hate crime,” Witter said. “There’s a lot of heinous language that is a First Amendment right, but not if it rises to a true threat.”

Attendee Sister Roma of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence asked how law enforcement can distinguish between hateful language and true threats, which are not constitutionally-protected speech.

Violent aspirations don’t lead to the level of a true threat, Special Agent Ethan Quinn said.

“We look for an articulated threat,” Quin explained. “An actual plan to cause you or a loved one harm.”

By the numbers FBI Analyst Allie Levison explained that the City and County of San Francisco has not seen the precipitous rise of all reported hate crimes since 2020 that has afflicted other parts of the state and nation, according to FBI statistics.

“In San Francisco, the hate crimes we see had a spike, 50% in 2018, but in 2020 we saw a 20% decline, which was unusual for that year,” Levison said.

Indeed, hate crimes statewide are on the rise, according to a June report from the office of state Attorney General Rob Bonta, which as the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, showed that reported hate crime events rose 20.2% last year, including increases in crimes reported against gay men, lesbians, and trans people.

“Bias crimes typically follow the demographics of the area,” Levison said. “Anti-gay male bias are the most prevalent hate crime reported in San Francisco in the last five years specifically,” accounting for 70% of the total.

The next-most common in San Francisco are anti-Black hate crimes, which are “the highest in most jurisdictions” nationwide, Levison said. (Anti-Black

hate crimes were also the most reported in Bonta’s report.)

The highest number of reported hate crimes against trans people in San Francisco was in 2017-18, Levison said, but “it’s good to see it has gone down and stayed steady,” as it has been only twoper-year since.

Of hate crimes, Levison repeated numbers from an Anti-Defamation League report this year that found the overwhelming majority of hate crimes are harassment, followed by vandalism and assault. Of anti-LGBTQ hate crimes, “one of the many trends they [ADL] saw is 40% of those incidents were related to drag shows and performers. The grooming conspiracy, the pedophile conspiracy, was cited in over half of the incidents related to drag events and performers,” Levison said.

Academy co-owner Nate Bourg, a gay man, asked if the FBI changes its work depending on who is president, specifically mentioning Republican former President Donald Trump.

“I can say without exaggeration it does not change at all,” Tripp said. “Director Wray has served ably in the last administration and ably in this administration. He is incredibly apolitical and mission driven.”

Quinn added that the FBI is “obviously an apolitical organization” but that it does keep an eye on what people say online about different groups – “the flavor-of-the-month harassment” – to assess potential threats.

Patrick Batt, a gay man who owns Auto Erotica on 18th Street, asked if people can report to the FBI directly if they don’t trust local law enforcement to take hate crimes seriously.

“There’s certainly a long history of that in our country – especially in the Jim Crow-era South,” Quinn said. “That’s why we have these specific statutes.”

Batt was pleased with Quinn’s answer.

“I go back to the J. Edgar Hoover

See page 14 >>

John Ferrannini

IMPORTANT FACTS FOR BIKTARVY®

This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY® and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment.

MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BIKTARVY

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GET MORE INFORMATION

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(bik-TAR-vee)

BIKTARVY, the BIKTARVY Logo, GILEAD, the GILEAD Logo, and KEEP BEING YOU are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. © 2023 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved.

“This bill is being marketed as an ‘anti-book banning bill,’ but it is designed to silence parents and school board members opposed to politicized and age-inappropriate sexualized instructional materials in schools. The bill is the height of legislative overreach and an affront to school board autonomy,” stated the think tank.

LGBTQ college students also stand to benefit should AB 760, authored by Assemblymember Lori D. Wilson (DSuisun City), become law. It requires the California State University system and the University of California system by the 2024-25 academic year to have campus systems that are “fully capable” of allowing current students, staff, or faculty to declare an affirmed name, gender, or both name and gender identification. And beginning with the 2023-24 graduating class, AB 760 would make it easier for graduating students to have their chosen name be the sole name listed on their diploma.

COVID shots

From page 10

The new Moderna and PfizerBioNTech vaccines are expected to be available by the end of this week.

The timing of the Novavax vaccine is uncertain, but the CDC’s recommendation is written so that this vaccine can also be included once it receives FDA authorization, according to Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, a gay man who is acting director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

These are the first COVID vaccines that will not be provided for free by the federal government; the cost is up to $130 per dose. The vaccines will be covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most health insurers plans, and the government’s Bridge Access Program and Vaccines for Children program will provide

FBI

From page 11

times,” Batt told the B.A.R. after the event, referring to the FBI’s powerful first director (and closeted gay man),

Folsom fair

From page 1

Angel Adeyoha, the queer and nonbinary executive director of Folsom Street, the nonprofit that produces the event, told the B.A.R. that the suggested donation to the nonprofit at entry to the footprint this year is $15-$20, but “if you donate $40 for our 40th fair, you’ll get a special prize.”

Megahood was the fair’s original name back in 1984 when it was founded as a bulwark against gentrification in the South of Market neighborhood. The leather community was also particularly hit hard at that time during the early days of the AIDS epidemic.

In the 1970s, Folsom Street had been christened the “Miracle Mile” for the long strip of leather bars, S&M clubs, and bathhouses that had lined it. Today, only a few vestiges of that explosion of sexual freedom remain.

The Megahood moniker was revived briefly in 2021 when the fair took place in a modified, smaller form due to the COVID pandemic.

This year marks the continuation of the fair’s revival.

“We’re bringing back the live music stage,” Adeyoha stated to the B.A.R. “That stage will join our community stages to make a total of seven amazing stages. Also we’re bringing back our iconic before and after parties, Magnitude and Deviants!”

The stages include Folsom Street Live!, the SF Eagle Stage, Bondage,

Minors who seek a change of their gender or sex identifier would have their court records sealed under AB 223 by gay Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego). Meanwhile, the courts would be allowed to consider the needs of trans youth during custody proceedings under Wilson’s AB 957 dubbed the TGI (Transgender, Gender-Diverse, and Intersex) Youth Empowerment Act.

SB 407 authored by gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) directs the state’s Department of Social Services to amend the foster care vetting process to ensure LGBTQ foster youth are not placed in hostile foster homes. As Wiener pointed out in pushing for passage of the bill, LGBTQ youth account for more than 30% of all youth in the foster care system.

Gender-nonconforming youth and adults could soon find some relief should Newsom sign AB 783 by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), as it would require cities and counties to notify all business license applicants that single-user restrooms in any business, place of

them for uninsured individuals.

People can get the new COVID vaccine and the annual flu vaccine at the same time. In addition, a new vaccine to prevent respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is available for the first time this year for people ages 60 and older and others at risk.

Who needs the new vaccines?

Despite the lopsided CDC committee vote, all experts do not agree about who should get the new vaccines. Some argue that healthy young and middle-aged people do not need additional vaccines because they remain well protected by prior vaccination and past bouts of COVID.

For example, Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a member of the FDA’s vaccine advisory committee, who is 72 and

who served from 1924 to 1972. Under Hoover’s leadership, the FBI conducted all types of surveillance of people and groups, including the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Very different FBI, and I was curious what they would

the Wrestle Stage, Stud X Oaklash, the Playground, and the DJ/go-go stage.

Magnitude is being held Saturday, September 23, at 10 p.m. at SVN West, 10 South Van Ness Avenue. Tickets are available online as of press time for $109.  Deviants Adult Arcade is being held September 24 at 6 p.m. at Storek, 149 Ninth Street. Tickets are available online as of press time for $70.

This is a big weekend for circuit parties, and Cecil Russell, a gay man who is the head of Cecil Russell Presents and publisher of Gloss magazine, is producing a number of events. One of these is Matinee PERVERT XXL San Francisco Leather Weekend Edition, which starts September 23 at 9 p.m. – and wraps up 11 hours later – at The Midway, 900 Marin Street. Tickets are available online as of press time starting at $125.

“We are expecting our biggest crowd at Matinee Pervert this year due to no more travel restrictions,” Russell said, referring to COVIDrelated travel rules. “We are using all indoor and outdoor [spaces] of Midway. This will be our biggest production ever in one of our events.”

The fair, which even in its minimized 2021 form attracted tens of thousands, provides the city’s Leather and LGBTQ Cultural District a time to shine. The district helped launch Leather Week festivities with the Leather Walk on September 17.

public accommodation, or government agency must be identified as allgender restrooms. It is a way to ensure such establishments are following the six-year-old law requiring them to mark single-occupancy restrooms as being gender-neutral.

Bills address LGBTQ health concerns

Altogether, state lawmakers sent to the governor 17 LGBTQ-related bills to sign this year. As first reported online September 13, Newsom signed into law that Wednesday a bill that immediately ended the state’s ban on using taxpayer money to pay for nonemergency travel to states that have enacted anti-LGBTQ laws since 2015. (See story, page 10.)

The seven other bills all relate to various LGBTQ health concerns. SB 372 by lesbian state Senator Caroline Menjivar (D-San Fernando Valley) would ensure that the public records kept by the state’s Department of Consumer Affairs don’t use the deadnames or disclose the home addresses of licensed mental health professionals.

healthy, told Science magazine that he plans to skip the new shot.

Experts agree that older adults, immunocompromised people, and those with comorbidities that raise the risk for COVID complications stand to benefit most from the new vaccines.

“It should be noted that the most important people to receive this new vaccine are individuals at increased risk for severe COVID-19 infection, including people 65 years of age and older and those with underlying medical conditions,” Infectious Diseases Society of America President Dr. Carlos del Rio said in a statement. “IDSA strongly urges these individuals to receive the new vaccine.”

The lone CDC committee dissenter, Dr. Pablo Sanchez, a pediatric specialist at Ohio State University, expressed concern about the lack of vaccine data for children. Children and young

say about the question I asked, if you lived in the panhandle of Florida.”

Nonetheless, in San Francisco, it’s best to report hate crimes to the local police first, Del Gandio said, and if it rises to the level of a federal case, SFPD will get the

Cal Callahan, a gay man who is the district’s manager, said those who preserve South of Market’s culture year-round are happy to be welcoming.

“After record-breaking attendance at Up Your Alley in July, we’re looking forward to the 40th Folsom Street Fair to exceed the event’s prepandemic numbers,” Callahan said. “We’ll see you on Sunday.”

After the LeatherWalk’s conclusion, the Eagle Plaza parklet outside the tavern of the same name was formally inaugurated. Lex Montiel, owner of the SF Eagle bar, stated in a news release that the plaza is meant as a “safe, clean, and inclusionary outdoor space for the gathering and celebration of leather and LGBTQ+ people.”

The plaza’s dedication drew Mayor London Breed, San Francisco drag laureate D’Arcy Drollinger, and gay Supervisors Matt Dorsey, who represents the area, which is part of District 6, and Rafael Mandelman, who represents the LGBTQ Castro neighborhood in District 8. Stewardship of the plaza, construction of which started in 2019, will also be transferred to the Eagle bar, the release stated. The plaza was formed through an agreement with housing developer Build Inc., which agreed to pay for the majority of the parklet as a condition for securing approval of its housing development.

For more information about the Folsom Street Fair, go to folsomstreet.org t

SB 487 by outgoing lesbian Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins (DSan Diego) would ensure that a health insurer, or health care service plan, doesn’t penalize a licensed California health care provider who performs gender-affirming care services. In a similar vein, AB 1432 by Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo (D-Los Angeles) would close loopholes in existing law to ensure that health insurance policies provided to Californians by outof-state employers with out-of-state insurance contracts include coverage for abortion and gender-affirming care.

AB 1487 by Assemblymember Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles) would establish the Transgender, Gender Variant, and Intersex Wellness Reentry Fund to provide grants for reentry programming “specifically to support transgender, gender variant, and intersex people who have experienced carceral systems.” It would need to be funded, though, in future state budgets.

Under AB 1163 by Assemblymember Luz Rivas (D-Arleta) various state agencies and departments would have until July 1, 2026, to revise their

adults are already at low risk for severe COVID, and young men are at greatest risk for myocarditis, a type of heart inflammation that rarely occurs as a vaccine side effect.

But even some healthy young people develop severe COVID and long-term complications and could potentially benefit from vaccines, health officials say. What’s more, recommending the new vaccines for everyone simplifies things for patients and providers, offers freedom of choice, facilitates insurance coverage, and promotes health equity.

The authorization of the new vaccines gives people one more tool to protect themselves, but as always, they should discuss their personal riskbenefit balance with their health care provider, officials said.

“The proven effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines is to prevent

FBI involved.

The message from all the speakers was report, report, report – even if you are unsure if there was a crime or if it was bias-motivated, evidence can help build future cases.

public-use forms so they are more inclusive of individuals who identify as transgender, gender-nonconforming, or intersex. They would also need to collect data pertaining to the specific needs of such individuals, such as their medical care and mental health disparities, as well as the population size of the various communities.

AB 524 by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Berkeley) would make it unlawful for employers to refuse to hire, fire, demote, or take other adverse employment action against workers because of their responsibilities to their biological or chosen family members. And Zbur’s AB 1645 would close loopholes and strengthen protections in existing law to ensure that California health insurers continue to provide free and complete coverage for preventive services like PrEP, an effective medicine for ensuring people remain HIV negative, and testing for STIs. It comes amid a federal lawsuit aimed at allowing business owners to cite their religious beliefs for not covering such preventive services in the health insurance policies they offer to employees. t

serious disease, hospitalization, and death,” Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, a professor at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine and a former deputy health officer for the San Francisco Department of Health, told the Bay Area Reporter. “Not everyone is at the same risk for those outcomes. The risk in younger, healthy people is quite low.

“Now, because 99% of people have some immunity to prevent serious outcomes due to prior vaccination or recovery from infection, the benefit of boosters is going to be in those with increased risk of those bad outcomes due to having a weaker immune system,” Klausner continued. “Public health messaging that does not take into consideration the balance of risks and benefits, including costs, does not engender trust with the community.” t

“Most of this stuff is not reported,” Carey said. “If you’ve been either assaulted or threatened, file a report with the police department. If it doesn’t get reported, it never happened.” t

Mayor London Breed helped to raise the huge leather pride flag at the dedication of Eagle Plaza to kickoff Leather Pride week September 17.

Rick Gerharter

Gay man’s cold case featured in Hulu show

by Heather Cassell

In December 1988, Steve Johnson received a phone call no one wanted to get. His beloved younger brother, Scott Johnson, 27, was found at the bottom of a crag where the South Pacific Ocean splashes up against the sharp rocks in Manly, a suburb of Sydney, Australia. He was naked and his body was badly bruised and beaten, possibly from the fall, Australian authorities determined.

The Manly Police Department, which is a part of the New South Wales police force, and the coroner quickly ruled Scott Johnson’s death a suicide and closed the case.

Steve Johnson, a former vice president at America Online, did not buy it. Scott Johnson, who briefly lived in Oakland while working on his Ph.D. in mathematics at UC Berkeley, had too much to live for. He had a 6-month-old niece he hadn’t met. He was about to receive his doctoral degree from a university in Australia and jobs awaited. He was in love with his partner of five years, Australian Michael Noone, who was the reason why he was in Australia and about to get his residency card.

“I knew that Scott wouldn’t have picked that particular time,” Steve Johnson told the Bay Area Reporter about his brother and the accounts of his contemplating suicide at different periods in his life. “Suicide is always possible, but at that particular time, he had everything to live for. He wouldn’t have left without giving me a clue.”

Steve Johnson flew to Australia to find answers. Instead, he met a blue wall of silence from the New South Wales Police Department. The more he asked questions, the more the police dug in their heels claiming Scott Johnson’s death was a suicide. Mystified, Steve Johnson continued to push to

Trans landmark

From page 6 the significance and/or integrity of the property,” wrote Frear.

Levesque said they agree with the comments from the national office and had sought the advice of Stryker and a current colleague for how best to revise the submission requesting federal listing for the Compton’s site. As they needed to work on revising it during their time off from their current job, Levesque said they hoped to resubmit it by October.

“Hopefully, in the next few weeks, I will be able to work on it in my free time to finalize it,” said Levesque.

They had noticed that the city included the street intersection as part of its local landmark for the Compton’s site and used that as a reference in revising the federal listing request.

Legals>>

SUMMONS (FAMILY LAW) SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO, 400 MCALLISTER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102

NOTICE TO RESPONDENT: LUKA KRSTIC, YOU ARE BEING SUED BY PETITIONER: EILEEN JIANG

CASE NO. FDI-23-798481

You have been sued. Read the information below. You have 30 calendar days after this Summons and Petition are served on you to file a Response (form FL-120) at the court and have a copy served on the petitioner. A letter or phone call, or court appearance will not protect you.

If you do not file your Response on time, the court may make orders affecting your marriage or domestic partnership, your property, and custody of your children. You may be ordered to pay support and attorney fees and costs. For legal advice, contact a lawyer immediately. Get help finding a lawyer at the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courts.ca.gov/ selfhelp), at the California Legal Services website (www.lawhelpca.org) or by contacting your local county bar association. NOTICE – RESTRAINING ORDERS ARE ON PAGE 2: These restraining orders are effective against both spouses or domestic partners until the petition is dismissed, a judgment is entered, or the court makes further orders. They are enforceable anywhere in California by any law enforcement officer who has received or seen a copy of them. FEE WAIVER:

If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the court clerk for a fee waiver form. The court may order you to pay back all or part of the fees and costs that the court waived for you or the other party. The name and address of the court are: Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, 400 McAllister St. San Francisco, California 94102. The name, address and telephone number of petitioner’s attorney, or petitioner without an attorney is: EILEEN JIANG, 2514 CLEMENT ST #2, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121; (626)

find out what happened to his brother.

“Unfortunately, the police made it necessary,” Steve Johnson told the B.A.R. about his 35-year battle seeking justice for his brother detailed in a new four-part docuseries. “I didn’t really have any choice.”

The show, “Never Let Him Go,” is now airing on Hulu.

The B.A.R. spoke with Steve Johnson on a video call from his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts August 28.

The docuseries tells Scott Johnson’s story and chronicles Steve Johnson’s three-and-a-half-decade search for answers and justice. Interviews with family show the gut-wrenching heartache and the haunting mystery of Scott Johnson’s death that hung over them even as Steve Johnson became a successful technology entrepreneur, and he and his wife, Rosemarie Johnson, had three children. The series interviews investigative journalist Dan-

“I thought it was clever and a well written boundary justification. I fully agree with it,” said Levesque.

State review

The state office will first need to review the revised national register submission before it is sent back to the D.C. office. Levesque told the B.A.R. they hope it can be done quickly and won’t trigger another vote by the California State Historical Resources Commission, which only meets quarterly. Its next meeting is scheduled for November 3.

“I am hoping it won’t take a whole review period because it is just looking at the revisions,” said Levesque. “I am not sure how long it will take.”

But since Levesque is expanding the scope of the listing to include the building’s ground floor storefront space that had housed Compton’s along with the

213-0585. Date: 08/15/2023. STANDARD FAMILY LAW RESTRAINING ORDERS: Starting immediately, you and your spouse or domestic partner are restrained from:

1. Removing the minor child or children of the parties, if any, from the state without the prior written consent of the other party or an order of the court;

2. Cashing borrowing against, canceling, transferring, disposing of, or changing the beneficiaries of any insurance or other coverage, including life, health, automobile, and disability, held for the benefit of the parties and their minor child or children;

3. Transferring, encumbering, hypothecating, concealing, or in any way disposing of any property, real or personal, whether community, quasi-community, or separate, without the written consent of the other party or an order of the court, except in the usual course of business or for the necessities of life; and

4. Creating a nonprobate transfer or modifying a nonprobate transfer in the manner that affects the disposition of property subject to the transfer, without the written consent of the other party or an order of the court. Before revocation of a nonprobate transfer can take effect or a right of survivorship to property can be eliminated, notice of the change must be filed and served on the other party. You must notify each other of any proposed extraordinary expenditures at least five business days prior to incurring these extraordinary expenditures and account to the court for all extraordinary expenditures made after these restraining orders are effective. However, you may use community property, quasi-community property, or your own separate property to pay an attorney to help you or to pay court costs. WARNING – IMPORTANT

INFORMATION

California law provides that, for purposes of division of property upon dissolution of a marriage or domestic partnership or upon legal separation, property acquired by the parties during marriage or domestic partnership in joint form is presumed to be community property. If either party to this action should die before the jointly held community property

iel Glick, hired by Steve Johnson to dig for information, and families of other victims of hate crimes still searching for answers about their loved ones.

Steve Johnson’s quest for answers uncovered Sydney’s ugly homophobic history of hate crimes perpetrated by youth gangs against gay men and transgender people in the late 1980s. The gangs were known for going out “poofter bashing,” which ended in at least 88 known cases of gay men being killed: often falling off cliffs to their deaths in Manly, Bondi Beach, and other popular cruising areas (gay beats) like Scott Johnson did. A few cases have been solved – such as Ross Warren, 25, a TV news anchor who disappeared in 1989, never to be found, and three teenagers were convicted of murdering a Thai man who had a similar fate

sidewalk and street intersection, they told the B.A.R. the state commissioners may need to revote on it.

“The boundary changes might bring it back to the state committee. But I think it is really up to them,” said Levesque.

William Burg, a state historian II with California’s historic preservation office, told the B.A.R. it is unclear at this point if a vote by the commission will be needed.

In an emailed reply he told the B.A.R. he expects to have the revised nomination, including “the street and sidewalks and not just the building per the feedback given,” by the end of September.

In terms of needing to schedule another vote, “I’ll have to defer an answer until I review the revised nomination,” responded Burg.

Date lost to history

It also remains to be seen what im-

mon, or community property) will be controlling, and not the community property presumption. You should consult your attorney if you want the community property presumption to be written into the recorded title to the property. AUG 31, SEP 07, 14, 21, 2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23558193

In the matter of the application of MAJED SALEH MOHSEN BALAWI, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner MAJED SALEH MOHSEN BALAWI is requesting that the name MAJED SALEH MOHSEN BALAWI be changed to FAIZ AHMED THABIT ALSULAIHI, and

to Scott Johnson in 1990, reported the New York Times – but many remain unsolved. Steve Johnson’s push to resolve the conflict in his heart and mind, and what NSW police wanted him to believe about what happened to his brother, is also bringing light to other unsolved hate crime victims and changing life for Sydney’s LGBTQ community.

In 2022, the Special Commission of Inquiry into LGBTQI hate crimes was established by the NSW parliament to conduct a historic review of 40 years of unsolved gay and transgender hate crimes from 1970 to 2010. A final report is due to NSW Governor Margaret Joan Beazley December 15.

NSW police now have a unit that is actively and more sensitively investigating unsolved crimes of gay and

pact the inability of LGBTQ historians to confirm the exact date for when the Compton’s riot occurred will have on the decision to list the site on the national register. The federal office’s response zeroed in on Levesque’s quoting from two reference materials that both highlighted how no one is sure when the events took place. One also noted how police records about it “disappeared,” while the other said the riot was “almost entirely forgotten.”

Such statements, according to the federal office’s response, “work against a case for national level significance or impact. The number of different organizations and actions discussed in the nomination resulting from the events of 1966 largely reflect a local context, albeit in a city considered by many the heart of twentieth century LGBTQ history. The current narrative fails to draw a clear line

transgender victims. NSW authorities have put up a $1 million reward for information leading to the capture of the perpetrators of these killings.

“Scott became emblematic of this epidemic of violence that the police had done nothing about or too little about,” said Steve Johnson, who went through three inquests and put up a $2 million reward for information in 2020. The first inquest in 1989 to overturn the NSW police and coroner’s determination of death as a suicide failed, but Steve Johnson succeeded in 2012, which reopened the case for investigation. Due to unsatisfactory results, another inquest was opened in 2017 with new NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller. Fuller placed Detective Chief Inspector Peter Yeomans, who is a part of the NSW Police Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad, on Scott Johnson’s case and the other unsolved cases that same year.

A break in the case came in 2020 when a woman named Helen White came forward. Her ex-husband, Scott White, now 52, was arrested for the murder of Scott Johnson. Justice Robert Beech-Jones sentenced White to nine years in prison June 8, reported CBS News. The sentence on a manslaughter conviction was the result of a plea deal. It is unclear if Helen White will collect the reward money.

“I’m very motivated to help these other families,” Steve Johnson said. “Help the country get the change that is needed, but also these other families getting answers like I did.” t

A longer version of this column appeared online at ebar.com.

Got international LGBTQ news tips? Call or send them to Heather Cassell at WhatsApp/Signal: 415-517-7239, or oitwnews@ gmail.com.

between Compton’s Cafeteria and the larger context.”

It suggested that the revised submittal view the local events “as one of several nationally significant markers or pivotal moments that in combination tell the more complete story of American LGBTQ and transgender history and the struggle for civil rights.”

Levesque told the B.A.R. the omission of the date shouldn’t be an issue as long as they can show why the Compton’s riot had national significance. They argued it led to the creation of the first services for transgender people in the country.

“I know being first doesn’t necessarily constitute importance but, in this case, it was a major breakthrough in trans services and being able to provide those,” said Levesque. t

statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on

following person(s) is/are doing business as GREEN JANITORIAL SOLUTIONS, 4559 MISSION ST UNIT 2, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HIPOLITO ORTEGA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed

American Steve Johnson, left, spent 34 years seeking the truth and justice for the murder of his gay brother, mathematician Scott Johnson, in Australia.

Courtesy Steve Johnson

by David-Elijah Nahmod

Roger Ross Williams, an Academy Awardwinning documentarian, offers his first narrative feature with “Cassandro.” The film tells the story of Saul Armendariz, a real life competitor in the world of Lucha Libre, Mexican wrestling.

Armendariz, who lives in El Paso, Texas, regularly crossed the border to wrestle under the

name El Topo, until his new trainer Sabrina (Roberta Colindrez) suggested that he compete as an “exotico,” a wrestler who wears flamboyant costumes, often in drag. Many exoticos are gay, and Armendariz was no exception. He began to go by the name Cassandro and became quite successful as his new persona.

As Cassandro, Gael Garcia Bernal commands the screen. The actor, who is not gay, is superb as Cassandro, an exotico who wins matches and captures the imagination of the crowds.

“When I met Cassandro, I was blown away because he conquered lucha libre, a macho, homophobic world of wrestling and became a superstar in this world,” Williams, who is gay, said during a press junket. “And he did it on his own terms. He wrestled as an openly gay man in drag and he succeeded because he’s so good at what he did. It’s a very inspirational story and I just love telling inspirational stories. I love telling stories about underdogs who overcome huge adversity to great success.”

Williams reported that Cassandro saw the film in a theater in El Paso which was rented by producer Amazon Studios for an audience of one. Williams sat behind Cassandro during this screening and recalled that Cassandro jumped up and down and screamed, mimicking the action on the screen. He even cried.

“It was an amazing experience to watch Cassandro watch the film for the first time,” said Williams.

by David-Elijah Nahmod

Sean Dorsey has been around the world. “The Lost Art of Dreaming,” the dance piece he created and choreographed, was performed in San Francisco last fall. He has since taken the show to on a 10-city tour to cities including Atlanta, Georgia and Stockholm, Sweden. Now, he brings the show back to San Francisco due to the enormous amount of positive feedback he got from local audiences. “The Lost Art of Dreaming” will perform at Z Space from September 29-October 1.

Dorsey is a trans masculine person, and all his dances are either queer, non-binary, gender expansive, Two-Spirit and/or trans. These identities very much play into the show’s title.

“As queer and trans folks, we don’t grow up being told we have a right to dream about our futures,” Dorsey said in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter. “And especially at this brutal moment in America –well, when has it not been a brutal moment– permission to dream and feel joy is hard to come by. I created this show as a love letter to longing and our deepest dreams. It’s a deep dive into possibility, joy, pleasure, and expansive futures.”

Dorsey feels that it’s important to be out and visible given the current political climate. He absolutely loves being trans.

“Trans folks have always existed and thrived, and we always will,” he said. “No amount of hate can stop us. I’ve been out and vocal as a trans choreographer for the last 20+ years, and I’m proud to have impacted the Bay Area and the national landscape for trans artists. I receive a

‘The Lost Art of Dreaming’

Imagining the life of T.H. White

by Jim Gladstone

If you’ve seen Disney’s cheerful animated feature “The Sword in the Stone,” the world premiere production of “Before the Sword” at the New Conservatory Theatre Center will deepen your appreciation of the film’s source material.

Fortuitously opening on the eve of San Francisco’s biggest annual celebration of the leather community, playwright Andrew Alty’s fictionalized peek at author Terence Hansbury “T.H.” White’s creation of the landmark 1938 novel is at once a sprightly adventure play and an invitation for audiences to consider aspects of White’s life story that lean Folsom as well as wholesome.

As imagined by Alty in “Before the Sword,” White –publicly considered at least eccentric if not entirely unsavory– has lost his job as a schoolteacher and is living in woodland isolation outside a small English village in the early 20th century.

When Freddy, a troubled local adolescent, is kicked out of the same academy that formerly employed White, his starchy father and sensitive mother find themselves at wit’s end. They end up hiring the iconoclastic educator as the boy’s private tutor.

White’s unconventional pedagogy draws lessons from the natural world, and Freddy’s self-confidence blooms through keen observance of his professor’s beloved hawks and other forest creatures.

Taking the boy under his wing and molding him into a young man of substance and character rekindles White’s blocked creative spirit, setting his

course in literary history as he begins to draft “The Sword in the Stone.”

No graphic swordplay

In the plot of the real-life White’s celebrated novel, Merlyn the magician prepares an orphan wastrel to rise to the throne and become the legendary King Arthur.

Alty’s parallel plotting of his play with White’s novel is clever and charming, as is his leverage of both stories as allegories for the mentoring of young gay man by an experienced elder.

Still, let’s make no bones about it. Audiences attending “Before the Sword” should by no means anticipate a Triple Excalibur theater experience.

In his sweet-natured and fleetly-paced writing, Alty handles the play’s metatextuality with a gentle hand.

With deft artistic alchemy, he’s written a piece that queer parents (well, all parents) can feel entirely comfortable

taking children to (well, children 8 and up) even as it brings tears to the eyes of the most leather-hided adults.

“I wanted the themes of the play to sit very lightly on the surface,” said Alty in a recent interview with the Bay

NCTC’s ‘Before the Sword’

Area Reporter. “I also didn’t want the audience to feel walloped a message.

“There are plenty of plays being done these days that are what I think of as agitational propaganda. And I think there’s a place for that. But I wanted this to pull you in like an adventure story, not any sort of lesson. The plot is like a train and once it gets going you can’t get off.”

Inspiration and interpretation

After first discovering White and the Arthurian tales through Disney’s “Sword in the Stone” as a child, Alty became a lifelong reader and admirer of the reclusive author. As a gay writer himself, Alty became fascinated with some of the ambiguous details in White’s life story. He points to Sylvia Townsend Warner’s biography as the launch pad for his further research.

“I think,” said Alty, “that some of White’s own sexuality was informed by abuse he suffered in public school

and from his father. It seems likely that he was into sadomasochistic sex. He apparently shelved a novel he wrote that dealt with his sexual desires.

“You must think about how this all may have felt to someone in the 1930s. He saw a psychiatrist to try to address his feelings. Ultimately, he felt like he couldn’t conform and that’s part of why he ended up living in a sort of isolation.”

As repressed and alienated as White may have felt in his sexual life, his artistic endeavors boomed after the success of “The Sword in the Stone,” which became the first of a four-book Arthurian series, known as “The Once and Future King.”

Ed Decker, NCTC founder and director of “Before the Sword,” commissioned the play in part because its themes resonate with his lifelong dedication to theater education for young people.

“At one point during the play’s development, Andrew and I had a serious talk about what aspect of this story we really wanted to focus on. And we decided that we were not so much interested in the idea of an older man falling in love with his student as the idea of mentorship.

“In the end, I think that whether you’re a writer or not, we all go through a creative process in our lives. We look around and observe ourselves and our families and gradually find who we want to make ourselves into as human beings.”t

‘Before the Sword,’ through October 15. $25-$65. New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness Ave. (415) 861-8972 www.nctcsf.org

Mysteries, madness & music

the popular series as a spin-off from his “Chucky” film franchise and it is a camp and thriller classic.

As Mancini tells it, before Annabelle of the “Conjuring” movie series, there was another terrifying doll. The vintage Chucky doll turns up at a suburban yard sale in Hackensack, New Jersey, sending the all-American suburban idyll into shocking bloody chaos with a series of gruesome murders.

There is a side plot, where we see enemies and allies from Chucky’s past and the backstory to how Chucky became a murderous monster.

by Victoria A. Brownworth

So there we were, watching the “VMAs” on MTV on Sept. 12–the first time the awards ceremony was held on a Tuesday in Newark. If you missed them, you can watch on MTV or their website or Hulu.

Hosted by Nicki Minaj, who looks insanely good and gave some incredible performances, the VMAs were simply great. Maybe we just miss awards shows since the writer’s strike began back on May 2, or maybe we just really, really love our MTV. Either way it was a fabulous night full of incredible music and lots of performers we love. As we noted, “Any chance to see Billy Porter is always good.

Plus Taylor Swift, who swept, gave a series of speeches that moved the audience and reminded everyone of why we love her.

There were a series of LGBTQ performers nominated for awards, including the always fabulous Janelle Monáe and Demi Lovato, Sam Smith and Kim Petras, Miley Cyrus, Måneskin, Ice Spice, Dove Cameron, Steve Lacy, Saucy Santana, Lil Uzi Vert, Anitta, Panic! at the Disco, Fletcher, and boygenius.

Was it the Oscars? No. But it was a blast and the music was spectacular, the clothes amazing and if you missed

it, check out all the highlights and you can also watch the pre-show red carpet, which had a lot of music folded in. Remember, your life is a song, so sing it!

The Other Black Girl

This series is so good! From executive producer Rashida Jones, following in her father Quincy Jones footsteps as a powerbroker, this Hulu series, which dropped Sept. 13, does not disappoint. “The Other Black Girl” is based on the New York Times bestseller by Zakiya Dalila Harris, which is part treatise on the many layers of structural racism in America and part pageturning suspense novel.

Nella Rogers (Sinclair Daniel) is an editorial assistant at Wagner Books, a successful publishing house in New York City. Nella often feels marginalized and subjected to microaggressions all day long by being the only Black woman working at Wagner.

So when another Black woman, Hazel-May McCall (Ashleigh Murray) is hired, Nella is thrilled. The duo bond over Blackness and their outsider status. But then things start to shift for Nella, and not in a good way. No spoilers, but Nella starts to discover that Wagner has a dark history and sinister secrets.

Nella’s best friend is openly queer Malaika (Brittany Adebumola) who is hyper-focused and goal-oriented, and to whom Nella comes constantly for reassurance and to vent. Malaika is Nella’s ride or die and Nella’s main cheerleader.

Bellamy Young is fabulous as Vera Parini, the editor at Wagner Books who is Nella’s boss. We loved Young in “Scandal” and she is great here, too. The ten episodes are a must-watch, on Hulu.

Chucky, Season 3

Heeeee’s baaaack! Season 3 of “Chucky” premieres on USA and SyFy October 4. Out gay director and show runner Don Mancini created

The beginning of the series is set three weeks after the events of “Cult of Chucky.” Jake Wheeler (Zachary Taylor) buys a Good Guy doll at a yard sale to use it in his contemporary art project during the Halloween season. He later discovers that the doll is possessed by the soul of serial killer Charles Lee Ray, known as Chucky, (voiced by Brad Dourif).

Struggling with his sexuality, whilst also being pressured by Chucky into committing violent acts, Jake soon finds himself the number one suspect in a string of bizarre events and shocking murders involving the doll and becomes obsessed with stopping the mayhem. Jake is aided by his love interest, Devon (Bjorgvin Arnarson), who has a serial killer podcast, like all good suburban queer boys.

This series is queer as queer can be and has strong John Waters vibes. There’s queer boy love between Jake and Devon, BDSM lesbian love with Tiffany Valentine (Jennifer Tilly) and Nica Pierce (Fiona Dourif) and so much more.

Borderline

Diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder when she was 18 years old, Charli (Kate Ly Johnston) struggles to maintain healthy relationships, often feeling that the whole world is against her. She attempts to numb the pain with opiates, which only drives her further away from the ones she loves.

Charli’s condition worsens when she begins developing romantic feelings for her best friend Zee (Kylee Michael), a kind soul who cares strongly for her but only in a platonic way. Refusing to take her meds, Charli’s illness worsens and her addictions take over. With no hope in sight, Charli quickly spirals out of control, forcing her to take desperate measures.

The indie thriller takes an unflinching look at the physical, emotional and eventually romantic tolls that Borderline Personality Disorder takes on Charli while also exploring the lesbian relationship. “Borderline” debuted exclusively on Tubi September 15 and then moves to Amazon Prime in October.t

Left to Right: Adam KuveNiemann, Henry Halkyard, Kim Donovan and Radhika Rao in ‘Before the Sword’

Lois Tema

Left: Ashleigh Murray and Sinclair Daniel in ‘The Other Black Girl’

Right: Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion performed at MTV’s VMA Awards

Paramount/MTV

Playwright Andrew Alty

New Conservatory Theatre Center

Author Terence Hansbury White

Barnes & Noble

Left: ‘Chucky, Season 3’ Right: Kate Ly Johnston and Kylee Michael in ‘Borderline’

Tubi/Amazon Studios

Shabbat at the Jewseum

by David-Elijah Nahmod

On September 23 the Contemporary Jewish Museum will launch “Shabbat at the Jewseum,” a new quarterly program that lets attendees immerse themselves in Jewish ideas of rest and rejuvenation while engaging in the ritual of Shabbat through an afternoon of activities at the museum. Shabbat is the Jewish Sabbath. It begins each Friday at sundown and continues through to Sundown Saturday. During this time Jews take a break from the hectic pace of the week and relax as they contemplate their relationship with G-d.

The first program will be “Shabbat and the Days of Awe,” which is tied in with the Jewish High Holy Days of Rosh Hashana (the New Year) and Yom Kippur (the Day of Repentance). Yom Kippur begins this year the evening after the museum event.

“This is a time in the Jewish calendar with a heightened focus on reflection and interpersonal reconciliation and connection,” said Gravity Goldberg, the CJM’s Director of Public Programs and Visitor Experience. “The New Year’s traditions hold resonance for many, and many people are particularly seeking touchstones during this time of year that connect them to Jewish life and culture. We centered our first Shabbat on this time of year to offer a space for that connection and draw upon the themes of awe and

‘Cassandro’

From page 17

When he made the film, Williams was trying to tell the story of a gay man who found his voice because he became who he really is. Cassandro didn’t run away from his true self, and that’s the film’s message: staying true to who you are and learning to love yourself.

“I hope the audience walks away with that message because I think it’s an important message, not just for the LGBTQ community, but for everyone,” Williams said. “Be who you are, take off your mask, self-love is very important.”

Making “Cassandro” was quite a change of pace for Williams as he has made more than two dozen documentaries. One of his most recent was “Love to Love You, Donna Summer,” which told the life and career of the legendary singer. The film was

wonder that the high holidays hold.”

According to Fraidy Aber, the CJM’s Constance Wolf Director of Education and Civic Engagement, “Shabbat at the Jewseum” will include activities that are designed in partnership with community organizations, such as Keshet, a Jewish LGBT advocacy organization. They will be leading an activity for making sacred matchbooks with which

to light the Shabbat candles. Keshet will also be teaching an LGBTQ candlelighting blessing.

Also participating will be Jewtina, a Jewish/Latinx organization, who will lead with a Challah (ritual Shabbat bread) cover making inspired by papel picado, which is a traditional Mexican decorative craft made by cutting elaborate designs into sheets of tissue paper.

by Prudence,” a short documentary about the life of Zimbabwean singer/ songwriter Prudence Mabhena. He said that he loves making documentaries but also enjoyed the process of creating a scripted feature and working with actors, and with crew members such as production designers and costume designers.

“I will be doing more fiction and I will be doing other documentaries as well,” he said. “The wonderful thing is that I can do both. I love telling stories.”

Winning an Oscar was a particularly wonderful night for Williams.

“Rabbi Noah Westreich and Rabbi Sarah Joselow Parris of Emanu-El will be available for drop in conversations at the Chat Up a Rabbi booth,” said Goldberg. “There will also be a Sabbath Bride photobooth, drawn from the poetic idea of welcoming Shabbat like one would welcome a bride that’s in partnership with Honeymoon Israel. The hope is for guests to feel engaged in

So that’s an honor, and so overwhelming, and the red carpet, everything. But when they call your name, it’s kinda like out of body. You go on autopilot until you wake up backstage in front of the press, and you’re like, what just happened?”

Williams said that Bernal was the perfect actor to play Cassandro because he’s one of Mexico’s most accomplished actors. Williams feels that Bernal is a talented, diverse actor who took on the physical aspects of the role as well as the film’s emotional moments. He had no issues with making

Jewish thought in multiple ways while connecting with others, and above all to feel joy, community and a sense of awe.”

There will also be experiences directly related to the current museum exhibitions, such as giving visitors the opportunity to tour “RetroBlakesberg: the Music Never Stopped” with the photographer Jay Blakesberg.

Visitors who get a little hungry from all that activity can have a bite to eat at Wise Sons, a local Jewish Deli with an outpost at CJM. In addition to their usual menu, they will be offering a special schnitzel sandwich that day, and will be including a Challah twist with every purchase. They will be serving until 4pm, staying open later than usual.

“These same ideas are the tenets of Shabbat,” said Aber. “To offer a different relationship to time, work and the everyday grind by setting aside a day of the week that’s purpose is to uplift, rejoice, and rejuvenate. The CJM is bringing the space of the museum and these ideas of Shabbat into deeper synchronicity.”t

Read the full article on www.ebar.com.

Shabbat at the Jewseum: Shabbat and the Days of Awe, September 23, 1-4pm. Free with museum admission. Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission St. All ages welcome. www.thecjm.org

a gay-themed film in spite of the antiLGBT backlash currently going on.

“While there are a lot of challenges, I think that America is ready for an uplifting gay film,” Williams said.t

“Cassandro” is in English and Spanish with English subtitles. It screens through Sept. 21 at the Roxie Theater, 3125 16th St. www.roxie.com

The film will premiere on Amazon Prime on September 22. www.amazon.com

co-directed with Brooklyn Sudano, Summer’s daughter, and premiered on HBO this past May. In 2009 he took home the coveted Oscar for “Music

“I think it’s an out of body experience, but it’s also a career high,” he said. “It’s hard to be present, but I try to be present because you’ve achieved something so great, awarded by your peers. You’re also nervous because its nerve-wracking sitting there and around you are all the greatest actors, directors, all the best in the business.

to create change, both inside of us all, and in the larger culture. Dance is the most visceral, deeply moving thing I know. Creating dances that bring trans and queer bodies, voices and aesthetics to the stage and around the world is my calling and a profound blessing in my life.”

<< Sean Dorsey

From page 17

lot of letters, emails and DMs that this show is deeply feeding people’s hearts right now.”

Dorsey recently had a major brush with fame. Over the past year he won an Emmy Award for a short film produced by KQED called “Sean Dorsey Dance: Dreaming Trans and Queer Futures.” The film premiered as part of the station’s “If Cities Could Dance” series and has screened at more than twenty film festivals around the world.

“I still cannot believe I have an Emmy statuette in my house,” Dorsey said.

Dance is not the only kind of performance that Dorsey has done. He grew up doing theater and cites comedy legend Carol Burnett as an early influence. He sings in “The Lost Art of Dreaming.” He composed two songs for the sound score, and he sings both onstage and in the recorded soundtrack. But dance remains his great love.

“I am in love with the power of the body in motion,” he said. “And I believe in the power of the moving body

Dorsey promises that those who attend “The Lost Art of Dreaming” will be treated to stunningly gorgeous dance and exquisite queer partnering. There will be intricate and couture costuming and queer/trans storytelling. There will also be a lobby reception after the performances during which the audience is treated to “Postcards From the Future” and “The Futurist’s Pledge.” These are original artworks commissioned especially for the show. And he couldn’t be happier to be bringing it all to Z Space.

“Z Space is my artistic home and has been for a long time,” he said. “It’s an absolutely gorgeous space to perform and to see dance. They have been trans-supportive for so long and have all gender bathrooms. They are family to us.”t

Sean Dorsey Dance’s ‘The Lost Art of Dreaming,’ Friday and Saturday, September 29 and 30 at 7:30pm, Sunday October 1 at 2pm (Sunday with ASL interpretation). Z Space, 450 Florida Street, $15$50, sliding scale. www.zspace.org www.seandorseydance.com

Celebrations from a previous ‘Shabbat at the Jewseum’ at the Contemporary Jewish Museum

Contemporary Jewish Museum

‘Cassandro’ director Roger Ross Williams

Sean Dorsey’s ‘The Lost Art of Dreaming’

Kegan Marling

Provocative MovingUnpredictable

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

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

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

Goes On, Without the World Understanding

AVAILABLE AT & rattlinggoodyarns.com

Kiki and Herb return for Castro Theatre holiday concert

by Jim Provenzano

It’s hard to believe that more than 25 years ago, Justin Vivian Bond and Kenny Mellman premiered their crazed drunken duo cabaret act Kiki and Herb at the tiny bar Lily’s (now known as Martuni’s). As a witness to this daring debut, it’s been fun to see their evolution to stardom.

The duo performed locally and then became a hit in New York City, even scoring a Tony nomination for their Broadway show. They’ve toured the world, allegedly split up – each making their own notable music and theatrical accomplishments out of character– then reunited, and are coming back home for a holiday concert at the Castro Theatre.

On December 15, “O Come Let Us Adore Them” will bring out the holiday spirit, and/or spirits. Tickets go on sale September 22.

For our non-Bay Area readers, the Kiki and Herb tour begins in Washington DC December 6, plays Town Hall in New York City December 7 and 8, with Chicago, Dallas and Austin dates afterward.

For tickets to all shows, visit https://linktr.ee/kikiherbt

While we’ve got all the details on the annual Folsom Street Fair (this Sunday) and its related events, we also have plenty of less kinky arts and nightlife events listed, this week and every week on www.ebar.com.

Rich Stadtmiller

Edward Cahill’s ‘Disorderly Men’

by Jim Piechota

EdwardCahill’s moving, memorable debut novel does indeed deliver the “disorderly men” promised in the title. But the novel is set in the 1960s and takes place at a pre-Stonewall-era Greenwich Village gay bar, so “disorderly” takes on a hue and an entire life of its own. That, in itself, is the crushing beauty of Cahill’s book.

The novel’s foundation is built upon the theme of discretion, shame, and reputation, and in the early 1960s, intensely guarded privacy, stealth cruising, isolation, and repressed closeted homosexuality was a necessary lifestyle, and for many, the only way to survive.

Three men are at the center of the story, each of them bringing a separate conundrum of varying degrees into the fray. Roger is a professional financier and a “happily” married father of two, but whose desires lead him into Manhattan where he seeks clandestine dalliances with other men.

Julian, a Columbia University literature professor with a female fiancé, is enjoying a side relationship with

an artist named Gus, who is out and comfortable in his identity, which should make a good impression on Julian, but it doesn’t. This is primarily due to his employment regulations at the school that forbids moral infractions of the gay kind.

Finally, there’s Danny, an outspoken Irish Catholic-raised supermarket produce manager who lives at home with his mother and several brothers who mock him for how he dresses.

As homosexuality in the 1960s was not only illegal but considered a grievous mental illness, all three men have a lot to lose if discovered and have taken big risks to be away from home on the particular night which forms the crux of the novel. Caesar’s, the gay bar where the men socialize, suddenly becomes embroiled in a large-scale police raid and all of their lives are fractured and upended forever.

Roger is terrorized by the bar violence and tries to flee, but rather than fearing for his own safety, he worries that both his banking career and his home life with his wife and children will be threatened and possibly erased.

Julian and Gus attempt to hide but are caught when Gus defiantly confronts the cops and is attacked by an officer’s baton. Danny is also brutally beaten. No one escapes unscathed, and their torment continues down at the police station where threats to

their reputations and home lives become a part of their capture.

Though Roger is released, his life and the way he perceives himself is forever changed. Danny’s name is brazenly printed in a humiliating newspaper article that destroys his employment at

Steven Rowley’s ‘The Celebrants’

to Alex). Party monster Alec dies of a drug overdose at age 22 right before graduation. Grief-stricken Marielle (on-and-off again lover of Alec) suggests they make a pact to hold funerals for each other so they can celebrate their lives, to say all the things they love about the person while they’re still alive to hear it. Each character gets only one funeral to be held whenever they need it most.

chosen family anchors the narrative, recognizing the importance of lifelong friends who can honestly help us recall who we are, the truth about ourselves however unwelcome or difficult. We’re told relationships remain central over work, especially when we feel overwhelmed or busy, and it’s often life’s small moments that are most instructive. “None of them would leave this Earth without knowing that they were loved.”

by Brian Bromberger

Billed as a “Big Chill” for our times, the lackluster “The Celebrants” is the latest fiction from the gay bestselling author Steven Rowley following his “The Editor” and “Guncle” feelgood books. Rowley cleverly has taken the “Big Chill” 1983 film premise –a group of baby boomers who met at the University of Michigan reunite 15 years later after their friend Alex commits suicide– and refashioned it for the Gen X crowd, just in time for their mid-life crises. The themes of the disappointments and tribulations of adulthood, the healing power of friendship, and the disorientation of death are perennial, always worth updating. If only this novel was as exhilarating as its source material.

We have a group of six best friends attending Berkeley as transfer students in 1995: Jordan, Jordy, Naomi, Craig, Marielle, and Alec (as opposed

We are told within the first ten pages that Jordan’s cancer has metastasized with a terminal prognosis and in short chapters throughout the book, we will return to the Jordans (the same name is annoying, though to differentiate, there’s Jordy, the athletic one from Chile) while they wait for the doctor at the hospital.

The next chapters focus on the various characters and their funerals. The first occurs in 2013 when Marielle requests a funeral after her bitter divorce from Max when her daughter Mia is a teenager, because she feels like a failure and she needs to be reminded of all she has to live for.

They meet at a luxurious house at Big Sur. The friends have not kept in touch in the 20 years post-graduation, drifting apart. The Jordans, who starting dating right after Alec’s death, are now a married couple who jointly run a public relations business. Craig is a successful art gallerist. Naomi is an executive at a huge music label.

In 2016, Naomi will call for her funeral after her aloof parents die in a plane crash. She wants it held in Mexico and she books the group on a skydiving trip. Then Craig in 2018, having pleaded guilty for art fraud and facing prison time, is surprised when the group shows up to hold his funeral in New York, involving the friends taking mushrooms prior to voyaging on a cruise around the city.

Finally, we return to Sur la Vie for Jordan’s funeral in San Francisco so his partner Jordy can take part in an Alcatraz swimming race in the Bay. Throughout, Alec is hauntingly present for them, whether it be contacting him via a Ouija board or a shocking revelation concerning him, finally disclosed decades later.

Positively, the plot moves at a wellclipped pace with various amusing entertaining intervals (the hilarious skydive is the book’s highlight). Despite its contrivance, the living funeral idea is compassionately executed, with periodic touching, heartbreaking moments.

Also, a central LGBTQ theme of

The book could’ve been overly maudlin, but instead such heavy topics as suicide, drug abuse, terminal illness, and death are faced head on,

capturing the lighthearted moments during these dire situations.

And yet somehow, the book feels hollow, never quite grabbing the reader in a way Rowley’s previous stories achieved. We learn little about how they met, why they decided to couple, and scant details about their lives in the intervening years.

For all its faults, the book is engaging, occasionally full of heart, the kind of novel you could finish on a long plane ride or a few days on vacation. It certainly makes no demands on the reader and won’t be winning any literary prizes.

the grocery as well as his family life, and he soon vows revenge. Gus mysteriously disappears, leaving Julian without the true love of his life and festering suspicions that police went too far in his torture.

Atmospheric, compelling, and impeccably detailed, Cahill’s novel offers a midcentury snapshot into a dangerous, risk-suffused bygone world that today’s LGBTQ community was birthed from. As there are no easy resolutions and nary a happy ending in sight, the book is also a cautionary tale with lessons and warnings demanding to be heeded, remembered, and learned from. There are detractors everywhere who would like nothing more than for our community to be steered back into the dark, violent, abusive days depicted in this novel. Cahill’s story is an essential reminder of the vicious battle we continue to fight to protect and liberate all of us.t

‘Disorderly Men’ by Edward Cahill; Fordham University Press, $28.95 www.edwardcahill.net

Rowley writes, “To think about life is to contemplate death – it’s what makes living so valuable. You only live once. But if you do it right, once is more than enough.”

While spouting these cliché new age aphorisms, we could do worse than being reminded to live life to its fullest, supported and comforted by one’s chosen friends. Or you can wait for the inevitable movie. t

‘The Celebrants’ by Steven Rowley. Putnam/Random House, $28. www.stevenrowley.com

Author Edward Cahill

Author Steven Rowley

Man on Man: Roddy Bottum and Joey Holman t

by Gregg Shapiro

Whenqueer musical duo Man On Man –Roddy Bottum and Joey Holman, whose partnership is both creative and romantic – released its eponymous debut album in 2021, it was as if someone opened a gallon drum of poppers and we were all experiencing the same thrilling head rush. Bottum, who many know from his time in Faith No More, hinted at some of what we heard through his other band Imperial Teen. However, when combined with the youthful exuberance of Holman, Man On Man takes the sound and the style to a whole new level. Even if you’ve been listening to contemporary gay bands, nothing could have prepared you for what this pair had in store.

Man On Man effortlessly avoids the dreaded sophomore slump with the incredible “Provincetown” (Polyvinyl). I had the pleasure of interviewing Roddy and Joey before their October 3 San Francisco show at The Rickshaw Stop.

Your new Man On Man album is titled “Provincetown.” What’s your connection to the gay mecca?

RB: Geographically, it was a reference point for us because it’s where we made our record. But then also, in a spiritual sense, it’s where an assemblage of our community, in a really extreme and specific way, exists. The balance of those two things spoke volumes to us when we were thinking about the title of our record. We were a little bit wary of claiming it as our own, but I don’t think there’s a danger in that. I think it’s like every person’s land. Every spectrum is there. For that and what it is, that was a good representation of what we wanted to put out there with our record.

“Provincetown,” as well as Man On Man’s 2021 debut album, is gayer than most of the current albums I’ve heard, even from gay

artists. It also reminds me of my favorite 1980s gay Boston band Human Sexual Response. Would you consider them an influence?

RB: No. I think the lack of influ-

ence, or the lack of those sort of bands in my life, and for Joey, too, in his life growing up, the absence of that in our sphere, I think influenced us more than anything.

“Provincetown” opens with the song “Take It From Me” which contains the lyrics “Poppers, disco/1980s San Francisco/Steve Lady, Bambi/At the Crystal Pistol.” In terms of the 1980s, being an influence…were you born in the ’80s, Joey?

JH: Yes, 1983. The 1980s influenced me more than you realize. I think anytime you’re born in a decade you have an intrinsic tie to it. Those were my formative years. Everything about the ’80s, I would argue, was more important to me than both of you combined. The things that I noticed. The nuance, the culture, the attitude, the energy; that’s what informed me in my most formative years. I think, also, when you go to college, with people in your age group, there’s this mandatory “go back in time” thing with music.

Retro nostalgia!

JH: You have to go to the ’80s. That’s where I discovered going beyond emotion, going beyond time and place, and more into atmosphere. There’s a simplicity that exists from the ’80s and a repetitiveness in the music that really inspired me as a guitar player and as a songwriter. There’s a lot from the ’80s that I think informs both of us. There is a part of us where we meet in the middle with our musical taste, which can probably be derivative of things that happened in the ’80s. I think the attitude of the music, and the culture that the music was creating, the core of it resonates with both of us.

Is that when you started making music, Roddy?

RB: Probably so. Like in the opening lines of that song, I talked about living in San Francisco at that time as a 17- or 18-year-old kid. Being influenced by that cul-

ture, on the frontlines of the introduction of AIDS and queer sensibilities. Particularly in San Francisco, it was a rampant time of those ideologies.

“I Feel Good” sounds like the kind of summer song that would sound great blasting from a car with the windows down or at a Ptown tea dance. Are there remixes in the works?

JH: We aren’t closed off to it.

RB: We haven’t pursued it.

JH: It’s a song about owning your choices, and not being a victim of your choices. Being in a relationship, doing what Roddy and I do. You can either view it as it’s hard, we’re an indie rock band, we’re two queer people, we don’t make sense in the bigger conversation with where queerness is headed right now. It could be that. But it’s also, look at the beautiful world we’ve been able to carve out because of what we do and who we are. No one’s ever done what we’re doing or looks like how we look like. That’s something to be proud of. In that way, I do feel good.

I love the way that “Piggy” addresses hook-up culture with some heartfelt advice, “You gotta first love you/If you wanna fuck me.” Have you heard about the song from people on those apps?

RB: It gets a chuckle when we explain it onstage. Gay men definitely relate. We recently did a collaboration thing with Grindr. I don’t know if they (Grindr) reached out for that reason or if they were aware of us referencing queer hookup apps.

What does it mean to you as queer artists to be able to share songs such as these with queer listeners?

JH: It’s such a normal part of Roddy’s and my life that I don’t think about it that much until people ask us about it or point it out. I’m so comfortable talking about gay sex, even lyrically. It’s a balance of us being proud of our story, proud of our interests, and proud of what we write about. And, also, this is part of our culture. All of our friends talk like this. We live like this. That’s my take on it. Maybe Roddy has a different perspective.

RB: I feel the same way. It goes back to what we talked about at the beginning. Going back to our truths. I just want to put truth out into the world. I’m aware of the truth being what it is. I’m aware of that truth not being there when I was growing up. It’s something in my head that I want to address in a provocative way. To address things in a way that I didn’t have when I was a kid.t

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

Man on Man performs, with Galore and Rose Haze opening, Oct. 3, 7pm at the Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell St. $15-$17. www.rickshawstop.com www.manonmanmusic.com

Joey Holman (above) and Roddy Bottum are Man on Man

DJ Tom Stephan

by Gregg Shapiro

What is it about a DJ that allows them to have a lengthy and successful career? Aside from being a turntable master, knowing how to read and work a room and keep people dancing from sunset to sunrise, or being a top-notch remixer. It helps if they’re as friendly and warm as Tom Stephan. Having a sense of humor, which Stephan has in abundance, also goes a long way.

Also known as Superchumbo, Stephan has DJed countless clubs, festivals, and parties, and is one of the hardest-working DJs behind the decks. Tom was kind enough to make time for an interview in advance of his gig at Matinee Pervert at The Midway on September 23.

Gregg Shapiro: For those not in the know, how did you come up with your DJ name Superchumbo?

Tom Stephan: The name Superchumbo came from the mid-tolate’90s. I was at a rave outside of Lisbon, Portugal where Danny Tenaglia was playing. I was there with Rob Di Stefano from Twisted (Records). We were there, dancing all night and enjoying ourselves, let’s say. On our way back, driving back to Lisbon, we stopped at a gas station. I got out (to fill the tank), and I look at the pumps and they say “Chumbo” and “Super” or “S/Chumbo,” something like that. I said, “Do you want Chumbo or Super Chumbo.” For the rest of the day, I was known as Superchumbo. That’s where the name came from. Then I found out later Schumbo, which is actually pronounced “shoombo” in Portuguese, doesn’t mean “super,” but “without.” As in without lead (chumbo is a metal).

You recently had a DJ gig in Chicago. As a progressive house DJ, what does it mean to you when you get to spin in Chicago, the birthplace of house music?

It’s amazing! And so many people from the UK (where Stephan is based) are so jealous. I think I often play something that I feel like is a Chicago thing. Cajmere, or something. In the same way that when I play in New York I always play something that’s very New York to me. I’m always aware of being there and what that means, I guess.

Did you have any opportunities to meet and work with Chicago’s very own house music godfather Frankie Knuckles?

No. I can’t say that we even ever met, although I saw him DJ many times,

and the last time was possibly one of the last DJ sets that he played in London. I believe it was just a few months before he passed. But I do work regularly with someone that I consider to be a Chicago legend, and that’s Celeda. In fact, I’m working on something new with her right now.

In addition to Yoko Ono, you have worked with some of music’s most legendary divas including Beyoncé, Kylie Minogue, Shakira, Missy Elliott, and the late Tina Turner. Are there a few others with whom you haven’t yet worked that you would love to work with in the near future?

Madonna. [Laughs] I was asked to do a remix of “Medellín,” which I can’t say was one of my favorite songs, but I wasn’t going to turn down the opportunity anyway. But she rejected it. Madonna doesn’t like me, I guess. But that’s okay. I never get to anybody that I remix, or very rarely. Except for Kylie Minogue. For her, I remixed “Can’t Get You Out of My Head.” We did a photo shoot together. It was funny because [laughs]…she’s a pro and she’s giving looks and I’m kind of standing there just basically nervous because I’ve got my hands on Kylie Minogue. She said, “Oh, come on, Tom! I know you’re gay, but just grab me!” That’s my memory of that photo shoot, and the picture is just awful.

Do you have any dream collaborations?

Somebody that I feel like I would like to do… I’m just a huge fan of Depeche Mode. I even had a chance to remix Nitzer Ebb, probably one of my favorite bands ever. So, Depeche Mode comes up as something I

would love to do because I love them so much. This new album, I think, is one of their strongest in a long time. I think it’s really great.

I’m glad you mentioned Nitzer Ebb and Depeche Mode because I was wondering if there’s a genre of music that you listen to for per-

sonal enjoyment that might surprise your legion of fans?

I listen to a lot of rock, actually. I don’t even know where it came from, but I suddenly realized that I was obsessed with Queens of the Stone Age. I listen to them a lot when I go to the gym. I just posted a recording of my set from Alegria, and I wanted to listen to it to make sure I was happy with everything before I stuck it up online. Then, on a Sunday, coming back from DJing or whatever, some of the new Arctic Monkeys is pretty mellow and I love listening to that or Steely Dan or something like that.t

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

Matinee Pervert at The Midway, 900 Marin St., Sept. 23, 9pm-8am. $115 and up. xoxopresents.com soundcloud.com/tomstephan facebook.com/thesuperchumbo

DJ Tom Stephan Alegria

“The imagination is the spur of delights... all depends upon it, it is the mainspring of everything; now, is it not by means of the imagination one knows joy? Is it not of the imagination that the sharpest pleasures arise?”

—Marquis de Sade