San Francisco Bay Times - July 28, 2022

July 28–August 10, 2022 http://sfbaytimes.com

San Francisco Marathon 2022 Champion Cal Calamia See page 7

FIFA WORLD CUP 2022

Anonymous No More: The First Openly LGBTQ Individual from Qatar

By Dr. Nasser Mohamed

Coming Out Stories

My name is Nas Mohamed, MD. I am a primary care physician and an activist living in San Francisco. I have lived in San Francisco since 2015. This is my coming out story for the San Francisco Bay Times. There is a lot to capture, so I decided to write small paragraphs describing where I was every few years of my life.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DR. NAS MOHAMED

1992: I was born and raised in rural Qatar, a peninsula off Saudi Arabia. I had a very traditional upbringing. Qatar remains one of the countries where being an LGBT person is criminalized by the law. Therefore, I had absolutely no LGBT visibility around me. I had no access to the internet and we did not watch TV regularly at home. We only had access to local stations. I was 5 years old at the time. Our small neighborhood felt safe. Our doors were never locked.

I was often out playing in the streets with other kids.

PHOTO BY RINK

Dr. Nasser Mohamed, selected as Grand Marshal of Krewe de Kinque’s Bal Masque XIX, was congratulated and introduced by emcee Gary Virginia. (2022)

PHOTO BY TABITHA PARENT

Dr. Nasser Mohamed at Bal Masque XIX with friends Veronica Jow and Jen Sarver at Harvey’s. (2022)

Dr. Nasser Mohamed at the Divas & Drinks SF Pride President’s Party @ The Academy, June 23, 2022.

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2005: This is the year I graduated from high school. A lot had happened in my life. The memories of me learning about my sexuality are somewhat blurry. I remember a collection of moments. I remember being a young teen (between 11–13 years old) looking at families around me and thinking to myself that I did not see myself in that structure. I thought that men and women just got together without biological drive. I thought it was something that we just “have to do.” We are typically encouraged to get married by our late teens and a lot of people start having children in their early 20s. I was focused on my studies at that time. I was avoiding thinking about it. I also started to hear from friends in school about what happened to some of us who were trying to be with men. This confused me at first and then started to scare me later. In 2005, my father and I were invited to meet the royal family in Qatar as I was one of the top 5 Qatari graduates from high school. I decided to go to medical school that year.

2010: I was a third-year medical student. I never faced or discussed my sexuality. I told my family that I could not get married while going through medical school. So that was an excuse that could carry me for many years. This year, my research article was selected for a presentation at a medical conference in Las Vegas. I traveled to Las Vegas and it was in that very sexually charged environment that I could not avoid seeing where I fit. I remember staring at a female dancer and being really confused by how other men were looking at her. I felt nothing. A man bumped into my shoulder and I felt everything. I went back to my hotel room and decided to go to my first gay bar to explore this further. I found one on the strip. I was so afraid to show my ID at the door. I was afraid my own government would know what I was doing. I walked in, looked around, let that sink in for a moment, and then went back to my hotel room and cried for the rest of the weekend. I was in a crisis.

2015: I finished my primary care residency and sports medicine fellowship. Now I was living “openly” as a gay person. I had allowed myself to date. I met some gay friends. I knew where I belonged and what I needed. My visa was set to expire in a few months, and I learned a lot more about what happens to LGBT Qataris. I walked into an immigration attorney’s office in a panic and told them what was going on.

They recommended I seek asylum. I thought about it for a couple of months and then decided to do it. I was too afraid to go back home.

I called my mother and came out to her. I remember starting the conversation by saying: “Mom, I am never coming back home again and I think you need to know why.” That conversation was difficult. It

PHOTO BY RINK

PHOTO BY RINK

1997: We moved to another city in Qatar. My parents were doing a little better than they did when I was younger in many ways. Some of my older siblings had already married by this time, resulting in nieces and nephews. They are not much younger than I. I had 6 older siblings and I remember thinking to myself that I did not want to have a similar life. I thought I would try to do something about it academically, the one factor I had control over.

Dr. Nasser Mohamed marched in the San Franicsco Pride Parade, June 26, 2022.

was emotionally charged. That was the beginning of the end of my relationship with my mother. I was cut off from my family.

2022: As of 2022, I have been practicing medicine in San Francisco for 7 years. I found passion and purpose in providing primary care to LGBT patients. I opened my private practice in 2019. I have also been helping other LGBT individuals seek asylum from different countries in different capacities. This year, my country is preparing to host one of the largest sporting events in the world: the FIFA soccer World Cup. I am following the debate about LGBT rights. It is getting more heated. Some of us are worried about being able to successfully seek asylum in other countries after this year. This year, Qatar is painting itself as a cosmopolitan country without talking about all the things that actually happen to us as LGBT Qataris. At some point, an official from Qatar told the British that “we do not have LGBT people in Qatar. This is a western thing.”

On the 18th of May, 2022, I came out on BBC News in both English and Arabic, becoming Qatar’s first publicly out LGBT person. I am sharing my story and will be sharing the stories I know, the stories of those of us who have to suffer in silence because we do not fit in the Qatari society. I have since spoken to many other countries and have started a petition demanding that FIFA take a position on human rights violations in Qatar, including LGBT rights, and say something to protect us at home. This year needs to be the year visibility is brought to us and our issues and not the year it gets sportswashed and buried further.

Dr. Nasser Mohamed is a primary care physician and the founder of Osra Medical, a San Francisco-based practice with an LGBT focus. https://www.osramedical.com/

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LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area

CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2022)

Fight for LGBTQ Rights Intensifies Ahead of 2022 FIFA World Cup

Another sign of hope is the growing effort to draw attention to the plight of LGBTQ individuals in countries where it is illegal to be gay, particularly now that Qatar is in the global spotlight. Qatar will be hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup—the most prestigious soccer tournament in the world—from November 21 to December 18. This will be the first World Cup ever to be held in the Arab world, and the second to be held entirely in Asia (Qatar is in Western Asia).

In addition to Nas’ declaration on the BBC, a few well-known soccer stars have publicly come out over the past several months. Australia’s Adelaide United midfielder Josh Cavallo said in a video shared via social media: “I’m a footballer and I’m gay.”

(If you have ever wondered why the sport is called soccer and not football in the U.S.: https://tinyurl.com/mrx2bhes ) Cavallo wrote that he was “ready to speak about something personal that I’m finally comfortable to talk about in my life.”

Facebook shut down the official Fetrah page, but the organization behind the campaign quickly created another page saying: “Given the West’s habit of restricting freedoms if the opinion is contrary to their whims, they put down the page; but they will not be able to put down the idea.”

Fears Over Safety of Individuals Traveling to Qatar The Supreme Committee, the organizational body of the World Cup, issued the following statement to media outlets inquiring about LGBTQ safety in Qatar: “Everyone will be welcome to Qatar in 2022, regardless of their race, background, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or nationality. We are a relatively conservative society—for example, public displays of affection are not a part of our culture. We believe in mutual respect and so whilst everyone is welcome, what we expect in

Dr. Nasser Mohamed with friends at the Folsom Street Fair.

MOHAMED NAS/FACEBOOK

BBC/SCREENSHOT

return is for everyone to respect our culture and traditions.”

The LGBTIQ Human Rights Sports Coalition has been in contact with Qatari officials for about two years now over multiple concerns. The coalition, however, has not received basic safety assurances that could apply to visiting sports fans, athletes, and many others.

Lou Englefield of the organization Football v Homophobia told The Guardian: “I know of no European LGBTIQ supporters’ group, or individual supporters, who are currently planning to attend this World Cup. The position of the Supreme Committee is just not in keeping with the undertakings they must have given to FIFA. How can an international sporting event which expects millions of visitors not be open to reassuring a large minority group who have well-founded fears that they will be safe and welcome? We have never seen anything like this.”

Petition to Tell Qatar that Love Is Not a Crime

FIFA 2022 PHOTO

According to the Morocco World News, some Muslims have invoked Islamic Law (Shari’aa), to justify their ideology. They have quoted verses in the Quran, such as: “O mankind!

We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other not that ye may despise (each other).”—Surah Al-Hujurat 49:13.

MOHAMED NAS/FACEBOOK

In May of this year, Jake Daniels, a forward for Blackpool in the U.K.,

A new anti-LGBT campaign has emerged called “Fetrah.” #Fetrah has been trending for the past several weeks on multiple social media platforms, particularly in Morocco, but also in other parts of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Supporters often post a blue and pink-colored flag signifying the male and female gender binary. For example, one Twitter user wrote, “There are only two genders. This is our reality,” with #Fetrah and the blue and pink image added to the tweet.

Dr. Nasser Mohamed (above and below) was interviewed by the BBC about his life as an out gay man from Qatar.

FIFA 2022 PHOTO

Soccer Players and a Referee Come Out Ahead of World Cup

Anti-LGBT Campaign ‘Fetrah’

is reinforcing the fact that LGBT+ Qataris are forced to live in the shadows, hiding their true identities, and living in fear for their safety and freedom. This is not what the World Cup should be known for.

Nas has created a petition, written in both English and Arabic versions, which details two demands.

It is addressed to FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani (Chief of the Organizing Committee). It reads:

There is no shame in being human.

Love is not a crime.

Consequently, we are demanding, as evidenced by the historic progress in Human Rights that the World Cup has addressed over time, that FIFA officials act today to pressure the Qatari government to meet two simple demands regarding the LGBT+ community:

“The World Cup is so often a symbol of pride, diversity, and respect.

These are values that unite teams from around the world. However, the 2022 World Cup fails to embody those values.

Instead of celebrating the beauty of all the citizens of Qatar, the Qatari LGBT+ community is being forced, along with LGBT+ football fans, to refrain from being their authentic selves. Meanwhile, the World Cup

1.) Ensure the safety and security of all LGBT+ people traveling to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup by decriminalizing homosexuality. No World

Cup fan should have to travel in fear just to see the World Cup game.

2.) Permanently repeal Article 296 and other discriminatory legislation so that all LGBT+ Qataris have the chance to live openly, freely, and safely. Just as importantly for World Cup visitors, is the right of every LGBT+ Qatari to live with the freedom to be their authentic self.

FIFA and Qatar: the world is watching. Now is your chance to show that FIFA and Qatar embody the values of a modern world, where love is not a crime—not just this year, but always.”

Join the thousands who have already signed the petition: https://tinyurl.com/2y25wzp7

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Those waiting on Nas were LGBTQ individuals from around the world, connected via trusted friends and networks, who were hoping to learn about the queer community here and experience a sense of Pride, if only virtually. Nas was preparing to live-stream his participation in the parade and otherwise share with these invisible members of our global LGBTQ community. For them, his activism provides a beacon of hope.

Earlier this month, Brazilian referee Igor Benevenuto became the first FIFA-ranked referee in soccer history to come out as gay. In a statement, FIFA responded as follows: “FIFA welcomes and supports referee Igor Benevenuto and his decision to come out. As highlighted at other times, FIFA strongly believes that football is for everyone. And Igor striving to be true to himself is an important moment for football in Brazil and in other countries around the world. We hope this decision will encourage others and inspire greater diversity and inclusion in the ‘beautiful game.’”

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These anonymous others were in Qatar and additional countries that have jurisdictions criminalizing private, consensual, same-sex sexual activity. According to the Human Dignity Trust, there are 70 such countries around the world. In Qatar, as for Brunei, Mauritania, and Nigeria, the law can allow for a horrific and shameful death by public stoning. The death penalty is also a maximum punishment in Afghanistan, Iran, and Somalia.

Still other countries, such as Sierra Leone, can sentence gay men to a life in prison for having sex with other men. Violence against LGBTQ women often goes unreported.

became the first U.K. male soccer player to come out since 1990. That was the year that Justin Fashanu made LGBT sports history when he came out. Daniels said, “Now is the time to do it. I feel like I am ready to tell people my story. I want people to know the real me.”

MOHAMED NAS/INSTAGRAM

On the morning of the San Francisco 2022 Pride Parade, members of our San Francisco Bay Times team happened upon Dr. Nasser “Nas” Mohamed, the only known openly LGBT individual from Qatar. He earned that distinction just a month prior, when he came out in a very public way during an interview with the BBC. Wearing traditional attire from his homeland yet sporting a bright rainbow sash, he was preparing for the parade. Others were waiting on him, fearful and in hiding.

Dr. Nasser Mohamed was interviewed by BBC News.

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New State Budget Includes Tax Rebates to Fight Inflation

The Next Domino to Fall: Mills College uate college in the West, Mills has played an important role in our community by carrying out its mission to remove barriers for the advancement and empowerment of women. Mills College isn’t just in Oakland, it is Oakland—with a student body as diverse as the city itself.

month, while couples will see an additional $100 per month.

California’s historic budget also makes significant investments that prepare our state well for the future:

Mills College has always been on the cutting edge of women’s rights and equality. It was the first women’s college to offer a computer science major. It was also the first women’s college to openly accept transgender students.

Healthcare: Ensures access to abortion and reproductive services; addresses health epidemics with funding for syphilis & congenital syphilis crisis, as well as hepatitis B elimination; opens up Medi-Cal to all-income eligible Californians regardless of immigration status by January 1, 2024;

Assemblymember Phil Ting I know many of you are hurting because the dollar doesn’t go as far as it used to these days. From gasoline to groceries, global inflation is taking a toll on the cost of living.

As Assembly Budget Chair, I’m proud to announce some relief is on the way to most Californians— thanks to the state budget just enacted, which includes about $9.5 billion in tax rebates. The Franchise Tax Board is expected to begin sending out payments in October based on your 2020 tax returns. Estimate your rebate at this website: https://tinyurl.com/yhfu23rp For incomes of less than $75,000, individuals would receive $350, while couples making less than $150,000 would get $700. Having at least one dependent would add another $350, bringing the maximum rebate to $1,050. The rebates get smaller, as earnings reach higher tax brackets.

For those on Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP), many will see their previously-approved grant increases take effect next year, instead of 2024. For individuals, their grants will be about $39 more per

Housing/Homelessness: Builds more affordable housing units; assists unhoused veterans and their families; bolsters legal aid programs to prevent eviction; opens clinically-supported bridge housing for people experiencing homelessness and serious mental illness; Social Safety Net: Increases CalWorks grants by 21% & allows single parents on the program to also keep their child support payments; and extends CalFresh food assistance to undocumented immigrants aged 55 and older; Small Business Relief: Reimburses small businesses for increased cost of unemployment insurance; short-term suspension of a portion of diesel gas sales tax; and offsets costs of the Supplemental Paid Sick Leave program; Transportation: Makes progress on high-speed rail; improves transit and intercity rail; expands safe walking and biking options; creates Highways to Boulevards pilot program to connect communities divided by freeways—all of which create good-paying jobs; Climate Change: Continues push to get more zeroemission vehicles on our roads; shores up wildfire resilience and drought response; and prepares for sea level rise; TK-12 Education: Provides a record 13% increase in funding for all public schools; boosts the free universal school meals program, continues helping students recover from learning loss brought on by the pandemic and jumpstarts projects to modernize or construct new school facilities, including early childhood education centers; (continued on page 14)

Out of the Closet and into City Hall Oakland City Councilmember At-Large, Rebecca Kaplan We have been watching an all-out assault on women’s rights, and the signs that the LGBTQ+ community is next. The U.S. Supreme Court just wiped away the reproductive rights of millions of American residents without a second thought with the overturning of Roe v. Wade. In concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas showed an appetite for going further and doing more damage to women’s rights and LGBTQ+ rights as well. In times such as this, we need to preserve the safe spaces where women students, BIPOC students, first generation students, and LGBTQ+ students can be educated and empowered. Up to June 30, 2022, Mills College was this type of safe place.

Mills College has been an important part of Oakland’s legacy since 1872.

As the oldest women’s undergrad-

Alumni include filmmaker Sofia Coppola, the late actress Olivia de Haviland, and our own Congresswoman Barbara Lee ... and countless other individuals having an impact on their communities and the world.

Despite this rich history, after 170 years of operation, without warning or attempt to work the student body, alumni groups, or any other stakeholders, in March 2021, the Mills College Board of Trustees and Administration announced that the school was going to close because of finances.

From the beginning, students and alumni have asked questions that haven’t been adequately answered.

But the process continued and the merger with Northeastern University was proposed. Still student and alumni questions were not answered.

The merger closed on June 30. Isn’t it cruelly ironic that as we were celebrating 50 years of Title IX and what it meant to women, the 170-year legacy of Mills College was being merged out of existence?

But that doesn’t mean that the questions can’t be answered, because they still exist! On July 19, the Oakland City Council passed a resolution sponsored

by President Pro Tempore Sheng Thao and me to call on the U.S. Department of Education and the California Bureau of Private and Post-Secondary Education to conduct an independent investigation into the circumstances around the merger between Mills College and Northeastern University.

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

Day of Action to Demand HHS Increase Monkeypox Vaccine Supply and Distribution Photos by Rink A Day of Action to demand that the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention as well as the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) increase access to the monkeypox vaccine took place on July 18 at the HHS office at the Federal Building in San Francisco, 90 7th Street. Numerous local and national leaders have raised concerns over the infectious viral disease that has disproportionately impacted the LGBTQ and Latinx communities in recent months.

The event was co-hosted by leaders of the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club, the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District, the Edwin M. Lee Asian Pacific Democratic Club, Equality California, GAPA, the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, the San Francisco Women’s Political Committee, San Francisco Young Democrats, State Senator Scott Wiener, the St. James Infirmary, and The Transgender District.

Speakers included Dan Bernal on behalf of Speaker Nancy Pelosi; Gary McCoy, Co-Chair of the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club; Paul Agular of the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club; Equality California’s Tom Temprano; SF AIDS Foundation’s Laura Thomas; and State Senator Wiener.

In addition to a letter from Speaker Pelosi to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra urging greater response, information distributed at the event called on activists to sign a petition demanding that the HHS & CDC increase vaccine access and streamline testing for the monkeypox virus.

The SF AIDS Foundation has created a page for monkeypox information and related updates: https://tinyurl.com/3jzjp4rz

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Déjà Vu, All Over Again

The other caveat is: It still has to pass the Senate. This Senate. This Senate that is notoriously gridlocked, and not inclined to pass LGBTQ+-friendly legislation. It would need all Democrats and at least 10 Republican votes to pass.

How likely is that? Remember this on Election Day.

In Case You Missed It Joanie Juster

In the meantime, the ACLU has provided a clear analysis of the Respect for Marriage Act; read it here: https://tinyurl.com/rfma22

The French say it better, but the essence is: the more things change, the more they stay the same. Much of the current news seems awfully familiar; we’ve been down these roads before.

And Speaking of Déjà Vu: Monkeypox

It seems like every time we claim a victory, we have to turn around and fight the same battle again, and again.

I will never forget the sheer joy of being at City Hall on June 26, 2015, when word arrived that the Supreme Court had legalized the right of same-sex couples to marry. And yet here we are, just seven years later, with a very different Supreme Court that is threatening to take away that right, and many others. On July 20, it was encouraging to see the House of Representatives pass the Respect for Marriage Act—a bill establishing federal protections for samesex marriage—with all Democrats and 47 Republicans voting for the bill. The bipartisan vote of 267–157 made it the most pro-LGBTQ vote

PHOTOS BY JOSNIE JUSTER

Wait—Didn’t We Already Win This Battle?

(Top) Following the Supreme Court ruling in 2015, activists gathered to celebrate on the steps of San Francisco City Hall and on Castro Street near Harvey Milk Plaza.

in Congressional history. So far so good.

But don’t start celebrating yet. First, the Respect for Marriage Act has real limitations. It does strike down the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which barred the federal government from respecting the marriages of same-sex couples who were married under state law. DOMA also said that the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the Constitution doesn’t require states

AIDS. COVID. Now monkeypox.

Seriously, we’ve been to this rodeo before.

But this time there is a big difference.

Monkeypox is a disease that has been studied. We know how it spreads.

There is an effective vaccine. And there is important information available to help protect you.

The San Francisco AIDS Foundation held a town hall concerning monkeypox on July 12; a video is available on their website. They have also compiled basic information on monkeypox, including questions and answers from the town hall, to help you make informed decisions about prevention, testing, treatment, and vaccines: https://tinyurl.com/3jzjp4rz The problem is that there are not enough vaccines currently available. A protest rally was held outside the San Francisco office of the

Department of Health and Human Services on July 18, demanding increased access to vaccines.

Co-sponsored by the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club, and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, the rally had a message that remains urgent: Time is of the essence to prevent wider spread of the disease, and the government is not responding quickly enough to prevent that spread.

To date, walkers have raised $780,024 for local nonprofits that serve the HIV & AIDS community. (Editor’s note: As of this writing, Joanie has raised well over $13,000 for this year’s AIDS Walk! She has supported this fundraiser since 1988.)

Heroes in Sequins

Help put pressure on the Centers for Disease Control and Health and Human Services Department to distribute more vaccines: text Prevent Monkeypox to 52886 to sign the petition for increased vaccine access.

Call your elected officials and demand that they make monkeypox vaccines a priority. And most of all, stay informed, and stay safe.

AIDS Walk Returns with a New Look After having to go virtual for the past two years thanks to COVID, AIDS Walk San Francisco returned to Robin Williams Meadow in Golden Gate Park on July 17 with an enthusiastic crowd of walkers, and a fresh look. Gone were some familiar elements from past years: the big stage, the bigger sound system, the VIP tent for sponsors and top fundraisers. Instead, the focus was more intimate, designed to bring people back together after the two-year absence. Dan Ashley, longtime anchor at ABC7 News, emceed the in-person and online event from the middle of the meadow, bringing up walkers from the crowd to share their stories of why they were walking. And as participants returned to the meadow after walking, they were treated to a dance party hosted by none other than Peaches Christ.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SISTER ROMA

to respect the marriages of samesex couples performed by other states. So, striking down DOMA is good. But if Obergefell v. Hodges is overturned by this Supreme Court, it would not require any state to allow same-sex marriages.

Heroes come in many sizes, shapes, and sequins. A Facebook post alerted me to inspiring news about longtime community leader, performer, author, and activist, Lil Miss Hot Mess, who had just been honored by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence as a Saint (their highest civilian honor). One of the queens behind Drag Queen Story Hour, she is also the author of two popular children’s books, The Hips on the Drag Queen Go (continued on page 14)

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Are They Coming for Us Next? How Dobbs Affects the LGBTQ Community

Out of Left Field

By Deb L. Kinney Minutes after the leaked Dobbs decision and again on the morning after the official SCOTUS decision was shared, I received texts and emails from clients and friends asking, “Are we next?” At first this took me back to the post-Prop 8 days, when we suffered a huge blow on the trajectory to gaining marriage rights and had no idea what our immediate way forward was. But this is much different.

PHOTO BY WILL ZANG

the opposition stayed strong, and to this day, the ERA is in legal limbo.

Neither Democrats in the Senate nor the White House have made the ERA a priority.

In 2016, we again were reminded that a woman cannot be elected even when she is running against a candidate with little experience and a dubious reputation. That lack of unity among the majority of the country to ensure a more qualified candidate led us to what was and is possibly the greatest mistake our country has made in centuries. Former President Trump’s ability to appoint three Supreme Court Justices will affect our lives for decades to come. But it isn’t just the president who was elected; it was also the number of state and national officials who were voted in who were, and are not, in step with the majority thinking. Women have had their rights eroded ever since, and attacks on other minority communities have only intensified.

With Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organizations, the Supreme Court eviscerated a women’s right to bodily autonomy, sense of security, and ability to live freely in the United States.

Six justices agreed that a woman or birthing person cannot be free to choose if and when they have children. They cited various arguments including that the right to privacy does not extend to reproductive justice. They also said that the right to privacy is not guaranteed in the Constitution, leading one to think that other decisions like contraception and marriage equality might also be at risk in front of this Court.

In 2020, Virginia was the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, which should have led to the enactment of the 28th Amendment to the Constitution, giving women equal rights and protections. But as that seemed more real,

In 2008, we were unified and hopeful.

Along with our painful defeat in California to retain marriage rights, we celebrated the first Black president, and his election was a symbol

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of the vision and hard work that had been done by many over decades. Or that was what we told ourselves as we accepted that electing a woman as president seemed impossible still.

I have counseled thousands of LGBT clients about their rights and privileges over time. At first the conversations were short, and we instead concentrated on how to work around the dearth of protections by executing proper documents and planning. Now the list of rights is longer and the conversations are more about how to fix the many years that relationships were not recognized, and how to take

Jennifer Kroot and Robert Holgate curate the “Out of Left Field” column for the San Francisco Bay Times. Kroot is a filmmaker, known for her award-winning LGBTQ themed documentaries, including The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin and To Be Takei. She studied filmmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute, where she has also taught.

She is a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Holgate, a humanitarian as well as a designer, is dedicated to critical social issues. With his hands-on approach to philanthropy and social justice, he supports the advancement of local and national social causes. For more information: https://www.rhdsf.com/

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full advantage of the legal and tax system afforded to married couples throughout the United States.

But now I fear that there could be a rollback of rights if we don’t take what to many will seem like drastic measures. The greatest defense and offense we have right now is to become more politically involved than ever. That means voting, protesting, donating to campaigns, understanding who the candidates are, and evaluating their records. It means discussing issues at dinner parties and cocreating plans to make an impact.

It means watching or reading the news and participating in our democratic process. It means understanding and advocating for the expansion of the Supreme Court and statehood for Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

Democracy is a verb—we all must do it to make it real. Erosion of rights is happening all over the world and referendums on LGBT rights are happening before our eyes and abroad; here in the U.S., Ron DeSantis took

his anti-gay rhetoric from Orban in Hungary who got it from Putin. This is not at all by accident that these extremists are going after rights. But we can stop it. We must.

Vice President Kamala Harris recently said that “all Americans have something at stake in this decision.”

She is not wrong. When rights are taken away, we all lose something.

When laws are passed or enforced that benefit a few and not the majority we all lose. We have seen the erosion of rights one by one in history before and we can stand by and let it happen or we can work hard to make sure it does not. At this critical juncture, the choice is ours.

It may feel like a lot. Many of us have been doing this work for years and are tired. Or we have busy jobs and kids, and can’t imagine where more time and energy will come from. But for many of us, how we live is a choice still in this country. If we have privilege because of the color of our skin, our gender, our economic status, (continued on page 14)

SF MARATHON 2022 CHAMPION Nonbinary Runner Cal Calamia on Historic Wins at SF Marathon and Bay to Breakers The new division, therefore, opens up an inviting space for what the San Francisco Marathon refers to as “gender-expansive runners” like Calamia.

Lauri Abrahamsen, Director of Operations for Jumping Fences Inc., the events services company that organizes the marathon, told the San Francisco Bay Times: “San Francisco is known for embracing diversity and uniqueness. The San Francisco Marathon is proud to carry on this tradition by adding the nonbinary+

option to our registration and allowing folks to be who they are and, most of all, be who they are while enjoying something they love—running!”

She added, “Running is a great equalizer; the community in and of itself welcomes all and celebrates together in everyone’s accomplishments. Recognizing that we have a

PHOTO BY STEPHEN FLYNN

“Yesterday was a really fun and historic day!” Calamia told the San Francisco Bay Times just hours after the recent win. “I’m so proud to have been able to work with the marathon on the nonbinary+ division logistics, as well as to be the inaugural winner of the category. It’s so important for running events to prioritize input from the local community and the athletes that will be participating in the event. The San Francisco Marathon is no joke! The hills were pretty draining, but the views and experience of the city made the strain well worth it. It has been three years or so since I last ran a marathon, and 3:00:00 was a personal record for me by over 21 minutes.”

like qualifying times, for example, where do I fit into this?”

recovered from a full ACL tear and knee surgery, and only began training about a month and a half prior to this race. I was happy with my performance, but am expecting to shave off some time in upcoming marathons!”

SAN FRANCISCO MARATHON

On May 15, 2022, Cal Calamia made history by becoming the top nonbinary finisher of the Bay to Breakers. This year marked the first time that organizers of the iconic San Francisco race issued awards in the nonbinary division. On July 24, Calamia made history yet again by becoming the nonbinary+ division winner of the San Francisco Marathon. The division, as for the Bay to Breakers, was new this year for the marathon, which has a full route of 26.2 miles.

An Even Bigger Win

Cal Calamia running the Pride 5K in June 2022

Calamia and others, however, made their case for having the new division. As Calamia—who was assigned female at birth and began to transition after moving to San Francisco in 2018—told Sarah Ravani of the San Francisco Chronicle in May: “When the gender categories are being male and female, they are sex-determined. Neither female nor male accurately describes me since I take testosterone, but don’t have the same anatomy as someone assigned male at birth.

When it comes to things

Cal Calamia being interviewed by KQED

Runner Cal Calamia with friends after the 2022 SF Marathon

SAN FRANCISCO MARATHON

PHOTO BY ARIEL ROBBINS

community of nonbinary runners and awarding them, just as we do our male and female winners, is a step in the right direction, a small step but a giant one at the same time.

Our hope is other races, and endurance events, follow suit and offer this as well.”

Challenges Beyond Race Divisions The San Francisco Marathon is one of the most challenging races in the world. While the

PHOTO BY ARIEL ROBBINS

Over just the past year, certain marathons and other footraces around the U.S. added new award categories for nonbinary runners in order to create space for athletes outside of the traditional men’s and women’s divisions.

The Bay Area did not at first embrace the trend, such that Calamia originally was informed that the Bay to Breakers would not have separate awards for nonbinary runners.

PHOTO BY TOPHER OLSON

Creating Space for Athletes Outside of Traditional Categories

first half of the course goes along the waterfront with its picturesque bay and bridge views, the course is notoriously hilly in other sections. Runners often have to brave thick fog for much if not all of the race. And it begins very early at 5:30 am, long before many of us have even stumbled out of bed for the first cup of coffee.

“I had actually planned to run the half marathon, but changed my registration about a week prior to the race out of excitement around the new category,” Calamia said. “Typically, I use about three months to train for a marathon, building up mileage on every Sunday long run until I hit 20–22 miles, and then tapering back down prior to the race. I recently

Calamia’s successes are many.

A self-described bilingual author, educator, and activist in addition to runner, Calamia is a full-time student, public high school health teacher, and the author of a poetry book. Calamia also coaches running with Perform ( https://joinperform.com/ ) and at a middle school, and does inclusivity consulting.

Additionally, Calamia is the Co-Founder of the nonprofit 2 Hot 4 Hoodies ( http://calcalamia.com/2h4h ) that supports gender-expansive youth by providing them with care and community. Calamia explained, “We have historically offered chest binders free of charge through a giveaway process and are going to expand in the coming months to also offer support groups and conversations for trans folks, families of trans folks, and organizations.

The work I do with 2 Hot 4 Hoodies is separate from running, of course, but all ties back to the same goal—to validate and affirm the existence of people beyond the gender binary, and to seek parallel community support.

2H4H depends on donations and clothing purchases to keep moving forward!”

In terms of the recent groundbreaking marathon victory, Calamia said: “The biggest win for me is definitely the increased visibility of trans and non-binary athletes, thanks to the San Francisco Marathon and those of us that showed up to represent the new category. I’d love to offer acknowledgement to all trans and nonbinary folks that show up every day to work, to school, and to the world that does not always value us. I am also grateful to have the support of organizations, friends and family, and the Janji Field Team (https://janji.com/pages/field-team), in not only working to achieve more as an athlete, but also as a community member.”

To learn more about Cal Calamia, visit http://calcalamia.com/

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REAL ESTATE

Property Listings

Do you have a property listing for this page? Email us: publisher@sfbaytimes.com

Steve Gallagher 33 Mountain Spring Avenue, SF, Clarendon Heights, Mediterranean Revival style, 5bd, 5.5ba, 5928 sq ft, city/bay views, in-law. $4,500,000 http://www.33MountainSpring.com Listed by Steve Gallagher DRE #01193002 Coldwell Banker

Laura Martell 5661 Clinton Avenue, Richmond Heights, Mid-century modern, 4bd, 3ba, chef’s kitchen, tile and stone floors, office, family space or in-law, deck, views. $1,048,000 Winkler Real Estate http://www.5561clinton.com Listed by Laura Martell DRE #01401840 Winkler Real Estate Group Danielle Clements DRE #01910218 Winkler Real Estate Group

Managing LGBTQ+ Intersectional Identities sexualities that differ from the heteronormative expressions commonly expected by general society. Broadbased social expectations often run counter to those who feel their life experience differs from the accepted norm. This places challenges on understanding strategies effective in managing the intersectionality of LGBTQ+ identities.

Nuestra Voz Eduardo Morales, Ph.D. LGBTQ pioneers, by coming out of the closet and urging others to live authentic lives, have drawn attention to the importance of being open about one’s sexual identity. Although this strategy fostered a very active LGBTQ+ civil rights movement, it often neglected to include other types of identities. As a result, there has been a growing body of research in more recent years concerning the intersecting identities of LGBTQ+ individuals.

Intersectionality may include a person’s ethnicity, race, religion, various expressions of gender, immigrant experience, generation, age, and much more. Coinciding with the growing awareness of intersectionality has been the evolution of the LGBTQ+ community itself, which now includes more letters in the acronym in order to embrace the various 8

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In attempting to understand diversity and stigma, one theorist proposed that group differences involve being a visible minority compared to being an invisible minority. In 1963, Erving Goffman noted that the challenges varied, depending on which applied. For a visible minority, for example, the person is forced to manage various reactions that are discrediting and cause stigma.

In contrast, those of an invisible minority need to manage the discrediting information in the form of commentaries and reactions about persons of the invisible minority status. They experience an implied and different form of stigma. By and large, most people presume a heterosexual preference at the exclusion of the realities of an LGBTQ+ community member. LGBTQ+ people are therefore often an invisible minority until they disclose their identity by coming out.

In my peer-reviewed, published writings, I have proposed five identity states reflecting the different experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals with

intersectional identities who experience more than one state simultaneously and may resort to maladaptive ways of coping.

In one state, a person may deny that they experience stigma and oppression. In a second state, a person may identify as bisexual because they view being gay or lesbian as having an exclusive association of being white and privileged. There is a third state where conflict exists in prioritizing and choosing one part of themselves over the other. Being forced to choose fosters ambivalence, does not resolve the identity dilemma, and does not help in managing their intersectional identity.

Consequently, various forms of anxiety and stress may result in this identity state.

In a fourth state, the person develops a priority for identifying with one type of intersectionality construct over another. The usual resolution is to prefer one or more of their other minority status(es) over being LGBTQ+ in order to reduce the anxieties and stressors they experience.

In the fifth state, the person develops a way to integrate their intersectional identities, since this is reflective of their individuality and life experience. Attention is focused on changing the world’s view of LGBTQ+ intersectionality in order to incorporate and accept (continued on page 14)

AIDS Walk San Francisco 2022

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LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2022)

After two successful years of largely virtual events, AIDS Walk San Francisco returned to Golden Gate Park on July 17, 2022, for the much-anticipated return of in-person festivities surrounding this longstanding fundraiser, now in its 36th year. ABC7 News anchor Dan Ashley, who has hosted the AIDS Walk SF live broadcast for close to three decades, made a welcome return, greeting participants during the warm-up and at the starting point in Robin Williams Meadow.

Joining Ashley were the AIDS Walk Director Burt Champagne along with champion fundraiser Glen Good, who raised single-handedly more than $51,000 this year. Other “Top Walkers” this year were Tom Raffin, San Francisco Bay Times columnist and dedicated AIDS Walk supporter Joanie Juster, Sean Ray, and John Cunningham.

On air with Ashley was longtime HIV/AIDS survivor and LGBTQ+ community activist Troy Brunet as well as Lucia Watson, who was dressed this year as Wonder Woman. Prior to the start, walkers and their supporters enjoyed the first ever Red Ribbon Pancake Breakfast, and following the event, the Community-Unity Dance Party was held as an artistic tribute to nearly four decades of AIDS Walk San Francisco that provides vital support to diverse HIV/AIDS co-beneficiaries throughout the region. https://sf.aidswalk.net/

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Dear Pride Karen: Your Racism Won’t Win Here parade route. There was a time when I didn’t think SF Pride as an organization would make it to see another in-person event.

Roland Schembari and Bill Hartman, Co-Founders Randy Alfred, Founding News Editor 1978 Kim Corsaro, Publisher 1981-2011

2261 Market Street, No. 309 San Francisco CA 94114 Phone: 415-601-2113 525 Bellevue Avenue Oakland CA 94610 E-mail: editor@sfbaytimes.com www.sfbaytimes.com The Bay Times was the first newspaper in California, and among the first in the world, to be jointly and equally produced by lesbians and gay men.

We honor our history and the paper’s ability to build and strengthen unity in our community.

The Bay Times is proud to be the first and only LGBTQ newspaper in San Francisco to be named a Legacy Business, recognizing that it is a longstanding, community-serving business that is a valuable cultural asset to the city.

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What Dubb Says Carolyn Wysinger Dear Pride Karen, First of all, I hope you had a great Pride weekend. I certainly did. It was great to see so many of our partner events return, such as the Trans March and the Dyke March, and the fabulous in-person return of Gary Virginia and Donna Sachet’s Pride Brunch. I even met my guy crush Senator Cory Booker at the 25th Annual Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club Pride Breakfast!

But, of course, the crowning achievement was the triumphant return of the San Francisco Pride Festival and Parade! I literally cried 3 years of pent-up tears as the Board of Directors came to the end of the

There is nothing that could match the joy and happiness I felt both witnessing the community’s joy marching in the parade and having the opportunity to stand on the Main Stage with our hosts Honey Mahogany & Sister Roma, our Board Members, and all the performers who graced the stage.

Walking across the entire site for two days, I had the opportunity to visit each of the stages and greet Pridegoers—that was all amazing.

However, that’s where you came into the picture.

A week after Pride, you sent us a nice little note about the events that led to the abrupt ending to Pride.

While I won’t get into that, I will get into your advice that we “don’t have hip hop stages at Pride because they invite a bad element to Pride. They invite people that don’t belong at Pride.”

Because you clearly don’t have friends who will tell you the truth about yourself, that, ma’am, is racist.

I mean racist dog whistles if I have ever heard them. Who exactly is this element that you speak of? Anyone

who has ever been to Pride knows that the Hip-Hop stages are primarily visited by Black and Brown youth.

Your attempt at race-neutral language is a terrible disguise for what you truly mean of disenfranchisement.

But let’s give you the benefit of the doubt since you did suggest a stage for another genre primarily listened to by Black folks: R&B music. Oh, no wait ... that only points to class and age schisms in the community.

And since both of those are concepts rooted in white supremacy, we end up right where we started, with you propagating racially-centered arguments to exclude swaths of people from our celebration, and that is something we will not be doing!

The issue of racism in the Pride movement and the LGBTQ community at large is a historic wrong that has continually been visited upon BIPOC since the movement’s inception. I don’t have enough words allotted to me in the Bay Times to explain that to you.

I always tell the story of Summer 2020 when George Floyd was murdered. We immediately received letters at the SF Pride office about how we needed to cancel Pride because “in this moment we need

to be focused on our Black brothers and sisters.” You mean to tell me you have to cancel Pride just so you can see the many Black community members in our community?! I am pretty certain that those letter writers see Pride the way that many unfortunately see the LGBTQ community across the world. And, let’s just say, that ain’t Black.

But the great part is that you and your limited view of the world outside of your own window are not the arbiter of who can and cannot come to SF Pride. It will continue to be a light to all. We will continue doing the work to draw in those who have felt historically pushed out of our space. We will also continue to do everything we can to keep our community safe from individuals who bring harm to the space.

Your racism won’t win here. Not today.

Carolyn Wysinger is an LGBTQ author, activist, and President of the SF Pride Board of Directors.

She has written for Autostraddle, Everyday Feminism, and Black Girl Dangerous. She can be found starting trouble on Instagram & Twitter @CdubbTheHost

Kit Kennedy Poet-In-Residence

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Juan R. Davila Volunteer Coordinator CONTRIBUTORS Writers Rink, Sister Dana Van Iquity, Ann Rostow, Patrick Carney, Carolyn Wysinger, Leslie Sbrocco, Heather Freyer, Kate Kendell, Heidi Beeler, Gary M. Kramer, Joanie Juster, Julie Peri, Jennifer Kroot, Robert Holgate, Eduardo Morales, Dennis McMillan, Tim Seelig, John Chen, Rafael Mandelman, Tabitha Parent, Jewelle Gomez, Phil Ting, Rebecca Kaplan, Leslie Katz, Philip Ruth, Bill Lipsky, Elisa Quinzi, Liam Mayclem, Karen Williams, Donna Sachet, Gary Virginia, Zoe Dunning, Derek Barnes, Marcy Adelman, Jan Wahl, Stuart Gaffney & John Lewis Brandon Miller, Jamie Leno Zimron, Michele Karlsberg, Randy Coleman, Debra Walker, Howard Steiermann, Andrea Shorter, Lou Fischer, Brett Andrews, David Landis

The themes of overcoming hate and defeating racism have appeared repeatedly as key messages amongst contingents in the annual parades organized by San Francisco Pride.

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Mario Ordonez

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J.H. Herren Technology Director

GLBT Fortnight in Review It Was a Dark and Stormy Year One of the first steps to reliving anxiety or to dealing with problems is to identify exactly what’s wrong. Do you have a vague sensation of inner discord that you can’t exactly pinpoint? Doesn’t it help to stop and recognize that a) you’re upset about gaining weight, b) you’re worried about what to get your parents for their anniversary, c) you’re still bothered by an awkward conversation from several days ago, d) you’re disturbed by some political situation, e) you’re scared of the dentist, f) you did a mediocre job on a work project, etc. You get the picture. Once you determine the underlying cause of the inner discord, you’re halfway towards fixing your state of mind.

This little trick is no longer working for me.

The source of my inner discord is nothing I can solve. It’s insane Republicans, Biden’s poll numbers, the war in Ukraine, inflation, the financial markets, totalitarian states like Hungary and Turkey, and the rise of the far-right in Italy. It’s gun violence, the Supreme Court, the state legislative attacks on gay and transgender Americans, the book censorship, and horrible school board policies. It’s the paralysis in Congress. It’s nothing I can solve and nothing I can even mitigate.

I guess I used to feel better by giving a few bucks to a candidate I liked. I remember going to the women’s protests in the early Trump years and feeling empowered by the solidarity.

Mel and I wrote postcards for Beto O’Rourke when he ran for Senate. It wasn’t much, but it was something.

Now, I feel as if there’s nothing I can do. Every new article compounds the dilemma. Every day seems to bring some new source of distress. Mel and

I sink into binge watching our British cop shows, which we have conveniently forgotten and can therefore revisit with only a dim recollection of plot lines. We are not exactly good citizens, although Mel is an election volunteer and still does a bunch of things while I lounge around idly bemoaning the state of affairs.

As for GLBT civil rights, I’m having a hard time focusing on our many challenges in the midst of this general devolution. It’s as if I’ve been on a long difficult run and have been pushing myself because I’ve almost reached the finish line, when all of a sudden, I come around the bend and I see the road goes on for miles.

Oh, and there’s a picturesque little outside bar off to the side in a little woodsy area. Maybe I’ll just stop for some refreshment. (Hey, that looks like Inspector Lewis and Sergeant Hathaway discussing a case at that side table!)

Here’s my new trick, dear Readers. I look at the big picture. Once a year, columnist Nick Kristof used to write a piece on all the positive developments that had taken place while the rest of us were going on about the world’s ills. Poverty down, fewer wars, maladies cured, and so forth. If you look at the crime rates, they are up for recent years, but way down from recent decades. If you look at your retirement account, it’s flashing red this year, but way up from 2020. And plus, you have a retirement account to begin with! Gay rights are in trouble now, but the House just passed a bill protecting same-sex marriage with significant Republican support. Twenty years ago, that would be laughable and gay sex was illegal in a dozen states.

Does the immediate political future look grim? Definitely, so let’s root for

By Ann Rostow the near term. Let’s avoid despair, sit in the shade with a cold cider, and eavesdrop on Lewis.

“Did we ever get the tox report on that chap living rough by the slurry pot?”

“Guv?” “For Christ’s sake, Sergeant! That should’ve been done yesterday!”

Round and Round We Go I don’t know what to think of the news that Biden’s Health and Human Services department has formalized policies to restore and advance rules against GLBT discrimination under Obamacare and Medicare. Good for us, right?

Yes, but we seem to be on the agency merry-go-round where Obama sets a policy, Trump reverses it, Biden restores it, and bad guys file suit.

Biden’s version, which also enforces GLBT civil rights under Medicare B for the first time, goes beyond Obama’s gay-friendly dictates. Not only do we have to wait for public comment and other bureaucratic delays, but we’ll also face lawsuits.

One Trumpy judge and the latest advances will be put on hold.

Meanwhile, what’s to stop a GOP administration from rolling the whole thing back to square one?

Further, the High Court has reservations about the role of executive department agencies in setting national policy, particularly when it conflicts with state law. A directive that gay and transgender patients require equal treatment from doctors and hospitals flies in the face of several new anti-trans state statutes and would draw a legal backlash based on the, um, “religious rights” of red state medics.

Look at the similar situation where Title IX is concerned. Last year, the Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission determined that GLBT discrimination was outlawed in schools receiving federal funds, leaning on the Supreme Court’s (surprising) 2020 gay-friendly interpretation of Title VII. Title VII is to the workplace what Title IX is to education, and both federal civil rights laws prohibit sex discrimination. Two years ago, the 6–3 Court ruled that sex discrimination encompassed gender and gay bias, ergo, it seems that not only are we protected by Title VII, but we should also be covered under Title IX. On July 15, however, a Trumpappointed federal judge gave the green light to a lawsuit filed by some 20 red state attorneys general and blocked enforcement of the Title IX anti-bias rules while the litigation meanders through its sinuous path.

Will the same thing happen to this latest effort? Probably.

It’s disturbing when a really positive development like this health directive triggers a sigh of “meh,” but our community is kicking the football and Lucy is holding the tee.

Warning! Save Your Bottle Caps or Die! Have you ever fallen into the clickbait trap of headlines like “Always put tin foil on your side mirrors. Your life may depend on it!” Or: “Pack a tennis ball in your luggage. It can save you thousands!” I’m making these up, but that’s the general idea.

Put your phone in a rubber glove for ten minutes. Watch out for orange paint on a fence post. Spin around three times before you eat a candy bar. Whatever it is, you are then stuck in the listicle that never tells

you a damn thing about the original subject.

The same thing happens with celebrity news. Actress X has lost a hundred pounds. Actor Y will never marry again. Famous Name Z’s tragic story. And there’s nary a word in the listicle about the headliner.

Truth be told, I never make it to the end of these sadistic cyber traps, so maybe the last entry finally reveals the secret of the tennis ball or the tragedy behind Famous Name Z, but I doubt it. I used to be sucked into those long stories as well, the ones about the mother elephant who was grateful to the man who saved her baby, or the dog that barked at the wall. But I have learned to extract a key piece of information early on and then google the story in order to read it quickly rather than click laboriously from one entry to the next.

Of course, I could just avoid all of this by never falling for the suggestive links to begin with, but I am only human and there are only a certain number of ways to procrastinate while remaining on the computer and appearing to “work.”

ECLMNOP Commissioner Fledermaus Does Something to Orban So, the European Commission has asked the European Court of Justice to weigh in on the status of Hungary’s antigay “Children Protection Act,” a law that looks like Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” on steroids. The EC has also challenged the closure of one of Hungary’s only left-leaning radio stations, which was terminated and replaced by a group of Viktor Orban’s cronies.

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Pride Brunch Check Granting Party

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To mark the achievement of raising more than $73,000 this year.

Pride Brunch hosts Gary Virginia and Donna Sachet held a celebration at Harvey’s in the Castro on Thursday evening, July 14.

A symbolic check was presented to PRC, the nonprofit beneficiary of the annual fundraising event held each year on Pride Saturday, the day prior to the annual SF Pride Parade. PRC Executive Director Brett Andrews accepted the check on behalf of the organization and expressed appreciation for the hosts, sponsors, volunteers, and all who supported the event held at the historic Westin St. Francis Hotel at Union Square on Saturday, June 25.

SF Pride President Carolyn Wysinger spoke on behalf of SF Pride and congratulated the hosts for the record-breaking accomplishments of the Brunch’s 24th year. Among the guests present to receive special acknowledgments were San Francisco Bay Times columnist Dennis McMillan (aka Sister Dana) and Thomasina DeMaio who donated an original painting of Sachet and Virginia that was sold to the highest bidder during a live auction held at the Pride Brunch.

San Diego Pride 2022 Photographer Paul Margolis and his husband Donald recently attended San Diego Pride 2022, which this year took place from July 9–17. Margolis, who founded OurTownSF and more recently created OurTown San Diego and OurTownLA ( https://tinyurl.com/2u6p5m6c ), informed the San Francisco Bay Times that he met up with Empress Nicole the Great, Queen Mother of the Americas within the Imperial Court System. Nicole Murray-Ramirez serves as a San Diego Commissioner on the city’s Human Rights Commission.

By all accounts, San Diego Pride was a great success this year. https://sdpride.org/

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“Health is not valued until sickness comes.”

By Donna Sachet

– Thomas Fuller

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fter assiduously avoiding personal infection during this two-plus years long dark period, even through an especially busy month of June with event after event and crowds of all sizes in all different settings, we finally found ourselves felled by this intrepid pandemic. Yes, contrary to popular opinion and/or common perception, we are indeed human and susceptible to the same scientifically established viruses as others despite following clear guidelines, including multiple vaccinations and boosters! Fortunately, medical science and Nurse Peanut, our adorable puppy, were up to the job.

A few days after the exhilarating SF Gay Men’s Chorus concert Final Words at Davies Symphony Hall, Artistic Director Tim Seelig’s final time conducting this legendary group to which he has brought so very much, both musically and organizationally, followed by the post-party at the Green Room of the War Memorial Building, and a rollicking thank you party at Harvey’s for volunteers and supporters of Gary Virginia & Donna Sachet’s 24h annual Pride Brunch, benefiting PRC with nearly $73,000 in net proceeds, we felt the onslaught of typical COVID symptoms, namely cough, congestion, and headache. One of those home tests distributed free to all U.S. citizens confirmed our worst suspicions. A call to our primary care doctor led to a prescription for Paxlovid, created to speed the passage of the virus and to minimize its impact. Within the prescribed five days, the cough subsided, congestion waned, and the only lingering and persistent symptom was exhaustion. We carefully followed well-established protocol, immediately confining ourselves to our tiny apartment, wearing a tight-fitting mask when walking our pet, personally notifying those who might have been exposed by us inadvertently, and giving into bedrest.

Before we go any further, we can see the blanched faces of many of our regular readers, amazed that this writer is departing from her usual exclusion in this column of such personal details from her private life. After some reflection, it is our opinion that others might benefit from hearing a first-hand report of one who so recently faced infection from this dreaded COVID. We are certainly not a medical expert nor do we pretend that our individual case reflects that of every other, but perhaps this frank and candid report will serve to quiet fears, demystify the process of care, and offer an optimistic outlook overall. We wouldn’t wish this infection on anyone, but we hope that if you are faced with similar news, you will calmly respond with the self-care prescribed by the medical professionals.

So, take care of yourselves. Listen to your own body. And be available to friends who may be facing daunting news and could benefit from your counsel, assistance, or empathy. If this pandemic has taught us anything, it is that we truly are all in this together. And together, we’ll get through this and any other looming crisis.

With a negative test result in hand, slowly returning energy, and that always insatiable appetite for social interaction, we shall see you out and about very soon!

Friday, July 29 Divas & Drinks: iHeartSummer Bay Times party w/Donna Sachet, DJ Christie James Bacardí cocktails, tasty nibbles Name That Tune competition The Academy, 2166 Market Street 6–10 pm $10 www.academy-sf.com Sunday, July 31 Up Your Alley 2022 Notorious Street Fair 11 am–6 pm Free! www.folsomstreet.org Sunday, July 31 PLAY T-Dance Brian Kent Productions & ptyronepresents DJ Russ Rich 1015 Folsom Street 6 pm–1 am $55–65 www.eventbrite.com

PHOTO BY BILL WILSON

Donna Sachet is a celebrated performer, fundraiser, activist, and philanthropist who has dedicated over two decades to the LGBTQ Community in San Francisco. Contact her at empsachet@gmail.com

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Holding on to her hat, Donna Sachet served as a “Names Reader” at the historic AIDS Memorial Quilt display in Golden Gate Park on Saturday, June 18.

Donna Sachet was all smiles about the success of the 2022 Pride Brunch on Saturday, June 25, which raised more than $73,000 in support of PRC. PHOTO BY SHAWN NORTHCUTT

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Swish Swish Swish and If You’re a Drag Queen and You Know It. Throughout the country, far-right activists are working overtime to demean, diminish, intimidate, and downright erase LGBTQ+ people. They are protesting against Drag Queen Story Hours and the libraries that host them, and are even threatening the drag queens themselves. It takes courage and commitment to keep putting on glitter and showing up.

Lil Miss Hot Mess has addressed these issues and more in an informative and thoughtfully written article that appeared in the Huffington Post on July 7. She provides historical background on the art of drag performance, as well as its political roots. She tackles head on the illinformed criticism that drag queens are “grooming” or “indoctrinating” children: “At its core, drag is always an art of reading and interpretation: It engages critical thinking to scrutinize elements of dominant culture and expose their injustices.

And that is why Drag Queen Story Hour is so powerful: not because it ‘indoctrinates’ children (as if!), but rather drag offers a sense of freedom and possibility in a world that restricts who we can be.”

Too often children feel forced to conform to rigid stereotypes and standards that simply don’t fit them. In loving, entertaining, and fabulously glittering ways, drag queens are giving children a glimpse of a more inclusive and welcoming world. As Lil Miss Hot Mess puts it: “In a society that too often wants things to be this or that, drag reminds us to appreciate the complexities and nuances of being both and.”

Do yourself a favor and read her entire article here: https://tinyurl.com/Dragqsh Castro Theatre Town Hall Change never comes easily in San Francisco, and seldom without controversy. The proposed changes to the beloved Castro Theatre stand out as a shining example.

Another Planet Entertainment has announced an inperson town hall meeting to discuss proposed changes to the historic Castro Theatre. Scheduled for Thursday, August 11, from 6 to 7:30 pm at the Castro Theatre, the event is free to the public. At this time there are no plans for the town hall to be broadcast.

Ever since it was announced in January that Another Planet Entertainment would be partnering with the theatre’s owners to refurbish and manage the 100-yearold venue, many in the community have been on edge, worried that the iconic theatre would be so altered that it would no longer be a welcoming place for film lovers, community groups, local performers, and the queer community in general.

After months of speculation, the community will finally have an opportunity to hear about the plans in person

at the town hall, and to ask questions. Representatives of the theater owners, APE, and the Nasser family are expected to be present. The meeting will begin with a presentation by the APE representatives, followed by a question-and-answer session. The town hall is certain to be a don’t-miss event. Read all the details here: https://tinyurl.com/hoodln Harvey Milk Photo Center Show While today we mostly think of Harvey Milk as a groundbreaking politician and civil rights leader, it is worth remembering that he also ran a camera store in the Castro that was an influential gathering place for photographers. That legacy lives on at the Harvey Milk Photo Center at 50 Scott Street.

The Harvey Milk Photo Center is holding its annual Member, Staff, and Volunteer Show July 23 through August 20. The show portrays the current look at what is being created in the darkrooms and digital labs at the Center. The exhibit has been curated by the staff, volunteers, and members, and encompasses a wide range of styles and subject matter. It is free and open to the public. Check the website for hours. https://www.harveymilkphotocenter.org/ Martinis for Sisters Want to have a cool cocktail and do a good deed?

Welcome to the first-ever San Francisco Martini Week.

Co-hosted by local distillery Junipero Gin and San Francisco Magazine, the week-long event (August 1–6) will allow customers to try creative martini variations with Junipero Gin at bars and restaurants across the city. And the good deed part? Junipero Gin will donate $10,000 to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Even better, $2 from every signature Junipero martini sold during Martini Week at participating bars and restaurants will also be donated to the Sisters to support their grant program that funds progressive, grassroots organizations and projects that serve marginalized communities and promote wellness, joy, tolerance, and diversity around the Bay Area.

Inspired to do even more good deeds? Support the Sisters’ good works directly by visiting: https://tinyurl.com/fvyvfane For more info and a list of participating bars and restaurants, visit: https://tinyurl.com/mspsuaec The Last Word Summer is in full swing, and events and street fairs are back. Monkeypox may be getting all the press, but COVID is still very much with us. Please stay safe, and protect yourself and others. And enjoy our cool San Francisco summer fog.

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

KINNEY (continued from pg 6) or educational opportunities, then we have even more duty to do what it is that defends the freedoms of all.

Are they coming after us? I don’t know. But I do know that if I do nothing, I cannot later be surprised. If I act now, I believe that we can keep our families and communities safe. If we learn to make calls and encourage disenfranchised voters to participate fully in our system, and make sure our kids and their friends understand the importance of a representative democracy, and bring political discourse back to better understand the needs of others and how we can work together, we can make progress. If we hide our heads in the sand, or avoid the harder conversations about outcomes that will impact our lives, we will wake up too late wondering what happened— much like history recounts. We have a choice, but time is running out.

Deb L. Kinney is Of Counsel at Johnston, Kinney & Zulaica LLP, a law firm providing comprehensive estate planning, trust administration, probate, and family law. She also has an extensive background in real estate and has had her broker’s license for over 20 years. She sits on the board of The Tides Advocacy Fund and Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, and has served on the boards of Horizons Foundation, Equality California, and the Equality CA PAC for many years. She has been extensively involved and remains committed to advocacy for all people, has worked tirelessly on behalf of the LGBTQ community regarding income, property, and estate tax issues, and on women and gender equity issues. https://tinyurl.com/4hfnez3a

MORALES (continued from pg 8) multiple identities. Developing social supports and organizations that affirm LGBTQ+ intersectional identities is therefore extremely important for enhancing well-being and for changing societal biases that can lead to stigma and debilitating distress based on general misinformation and misunderstandings.

The San Francisco Bay Area has numerous organizations and agencies affirming LGBTQ+ intersectional identities. Over the years, events like Pride Month include activities and parades. These events foster an appreciation for sexual diversity. Having specialized organizations and affirming events that embrace intersecting identities is critical in fostering a welcoming space and in promoting a better understanding of LGBTQ+ individuals. They can educate others while providing a home base and safety for LGBTQ+ people with intersectional identities.

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Every day I am amazed at how more visible and affirming people have become with mass media affirmative LGBTQ+ programming continuing to rise. Such efforts greatly help to change our social climate. Meanwhile, throughout other parts of the U.S., there is an attempt to aggressively eliminate stating any words referring to LGBTQ+. Hence, it is important now more than ever to affirm LGBTQ+ intersectional identities through education, dialogue, activism, and by engaging our voices in various ways.

Eduardo Morales, PhD, is one of the founders of AGUILAS, where he serves as Executive Director. He is also a Professor Emeritus and retired Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Alliant International University and is the current Past President of the National Latinx Psychological Association.

Higher Education: Increases funding across all UC, CSU, and community college campuses; ramps up student housing construction; and advances goal of “debt-free college” by expanding CalGrant aid & Middle Class Scholarships.

I am also happy to report that the state budget includes $5.5 million for the LGBTQ Museum in San Francisco. It’s important to preserve history and amplify voices in our continued fight for equality.

In addition, I’ve joined my legislative colleagues in advocating for additional federal and state funding as soon as possible to ramp up our response to the monkeypox outbreak with more vaccines, testing, treatment, and education.

I’m proud of this budget, which also has more than $37 billion in reserves to help us through a possible economic downtown. I can’t wait to see the impact of our investments.

Phil Ting represents the 19th Assembly District, which includes the Westside of San Francisco and portions of South San Francisco along with the communities of Broadmoor, Colma, and Daly City.

ROSTOW (continued from page 11) Based in Luxembourg, The European Court of Justice is the European Union version of our Supreme Court, and could provide a definitive gay rights ruling for the first time if all goes well.

Although the EU is founded on lofty principles of equality, there are limits as to what the EU can impose on member states. Quite frankly, I have long been confused by the labyrinthian rules and regulations that emanate from Brussels, The Hague, Luxembourg, and who knows where, along with the mystifying array of acronyms, agencies, and official titles.

For example, I was sure I wrote not too long ago that some entity withheld some money from Hungary and Poland due, in part, thanks to the homophobic policies of both countries. Please don’t ask me which agency or what funds, but I think we can assume that the punishment was not onerous considering neither country has done anything positive as a result. Now, I read that there’s a chance the Court of Justice will rule that GLBT citizens are covered under the EU’s Article 2, a foundational premise that would indeed put Hungary in violation of EU law.

Article 2 says the European Union is based on the values of: “respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. These values are common to the Member States in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail.” (Cue: trumpet fanfare.)

According to press coverage, a ruling that said these ideals include GLBT people would be a seismic advance in European civil rights and would force Hungary and others to fall in line. Okay then!

Nazi Scum Off Our Streets I was just looking at photos of a dozen or so young male selfdescribed neo-Nazi white supremacists who got together in a Boston neighborhood to yell and harass some parents and kids at a Drag Queen Story Hour. It wasn’t exactly a huge crowd, but I was struck by the sheer physical ugliness of these individuals. Scruffy, unshaven, slovenly, and loud, they held a banner that read: “Pedo Scum Off Our Streets.” They looked like the quintessential incels; sad, sick, and won’t be getting laid anytime soon.

I used to point out the Nazi rally in Skokie, Illinois, as a shining example of the First Amendment. What a testament to the power of our Constitution that we as a nation could protect the most despicable speech, confident that evil notions would be defeated, not through government controls, but through the marketplace of ideas!

But what happens when the marketplace of ideas no longer functions, and perhaps no longer even exists? Do you still file a lawsuit on behalf of Nazi protesters like the ACLU did in 1977? Nah. I’m officially dropping the Skokie, Illinois, anecdote from my patriotic repertoire in favor of dousing naked Nazi protesters in pancake syrup, covering them with rainbow glitter, and making them slowly walk in chains behind a large float blaring disco music and featuring drag queen dancers in elaborate costumes. Once again, the Overton Window opens wider than thought possible.

The Overton Window, of course, describes a metaphorical zone of accepted discourse and assumptions. Neo-Nazis and white supremacists were once outside the window, as were crazy notions about Democrats being child molesters and elections being stolen. Now, the window is larger. But it’s not just politics. I read an article the other day about how “cannibalism” is becoming more and more interesting as a topic of fiction and programming. Really? When did that happen? Why did that happen?

And then there’s my pet peeve of gross discussions on television commercials, which unbelievably have gotten far worse since I first made my objections known in these pages so long ago. I thought the Charmin’ bears were bad (and I still do). But the women sitting on the toilet with their pants down and using vocabulary that I associate with my youngest grandchildren is beyond repellent.

Who green lights these atrocities? Who will make it stop? arostow@aol.com

San Francisco Bay Times wishes you a safe and happy Summer season!

Pink Triangle Project Founder Patrick Carney Sworn in As New SF Arts Commissioner

https://www.sfartscommission.org/

Additionally, we are so grateful to the many local businesses that sup-

COURTESY OF DENISE MACIAS

What a ride! It was incredible to be out on Market Street once again for the SF Pride Parade with the San Francisco Dykes on Bikes® WMC and all our friends and allies. Thank you to everyone who came out to ride with us on Pride Sunday. I also want to say a big thank you to the incredible volunteers who joined us at 7 am on the morning of Pride to help us set up, get riders registered, direct riders to their lineup location, put helmets and gear in boxes, and help make sure all of our riders were safe that day. It’s a lot of work, especially after a 2-year hiatus, and the assistance of the volunteers was essential in making sure everything ran smoothly.

By Kate Brown, Ph.D.

And certainly, our fundraiser would not be what it is without El Rio’s generAnne Rickertsen on one of her first motorcycles (1990) ous gift hosting us on made by individuals and families over the course their patio and the epic of the weekend.

DJ Rockaway, who Kate Brown, Ph.D. donated her time to While there were many wonderful events leading make sure our event was filled with great up to and following Pride, we were met with sad sound and vibes. We would also like to say news at the beginning of July. Our friend Anne a big thank you to Veritable Vegetable— Rickertsen, known to many of the Dykes on Bikes one of the “behind the scenes” supportas “Helmet Truck Anne,” had ers of San Francisco passed away. By her own countDykes on Bikes. Veritable ing, Anne rode with Dykes on Vegetable stores our colBikes for almost 30 years. lapsed cardboard helmet boxes 363 days a year at Many of us fondly remember their warehouse, a generAnne’s annual meeting with ous gift of space given to DOB when she would join us in our organization. Lastly, we the back room of the SF Eagle also would like to acknowlone or two Wednesdays before edge the significant finanPride to confirm that she had the cial donation from Code helmet boxes stored at Veritable Tenderloin that has helped Vegetable and would see us out cover our ongoing operaon Market Street bright and tional expenses as well as early on Sunday morning. After Beloved LGBTQ community member and the numerous donations longtime Dyke on a Bike, Anne Rickertsen the Parade, Anne and her group KENNEDY HOGUE/RAINBOW GROCERY

Tales From Two Wheels

PHOTOS BY RINK

Dykes on Bikes®

PHOTO COURTESY OF PATRICK CARNEY

The Arts Commission, one of the city’s largest commissions, was established by charter in 1932. Its mission is to “champion the arts as essential to daily life by investing in a vibrant arts community, enlivening the urban environment, and shaping innovative cultural policy.” Carney is now one of its 15 commissioners.

Pride 2022 Recap and Paying Tribute to Anne Rickertsen ported San Francisco Dykes on Bikes® this year through donations of merchandise for auction at our annual Pride Saturday fundraiser: Anchor Brewery, Caffe Trieste, Cliff’s Variety, Cycle Gear on Harrison Street, Good Vibrations on Polk Street, Goorin Brothers, Jeremy Fish, San Francisco Harley Davidson, San Franpsycho, the Strapping Store in Sacramento, and Upper Playground.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PATRICK CARNEY

In a statement issued in late June, at the time of the appointment, Mayor Breed said: “The arts and San Francisco are inseparable, and as we continue to bounce back from this pandemic, we need to ensure that equity and diversity are at the foundation of our institutions. Patrick Carney has committed his career to supporting the arts and uplifting the stories and experiences of so many in the LGBTQ community. I know that his experience and love for our city will be a great contribution to this commission.”

SF DYKES ON BIKES®

The swearing-in ceremony occurred during a meaningful week for Carney.

His wedding anniversary—as he calls it, “the legal one”—with husband Hossein was just a few days later on July 23. He celebrated his birthday on July 24.

PHOTO BY RINK

He added, “It was with a heavy heart that I resigned from the commission that was established for the preservation of SF City Hall and on which I served for nine years. However, after speaking with several on various commissions, they say I can make a larger difference citywide in one of the two architectural seats on the SF Arts Commission and on that commission’s Civic Design Review Committee (CDR), which is an important part of the Arts Commission.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF PATRICK CARNEY

“It was an honor to be nominated by Mayor Breed to the Arts Commission so my voice can be added to those others striving to help make a positive impact on our city’s art and culture in an effort to uplift the experiences of all San Franciscans and visitors,” Carney told the San Francisco Bay Times. “As such, I am looking forward to serving the people of this city by contributing toward the oversight of upcoming aesthetic endeavors within our community’s public realm. I also feel art can be an educational opportunity, espe-

cially if it is on a mountain in the center of town. It can also be used to help ‘build community’ and bring people together.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF PATRICK CARNEY

Patrick Carney, the founder of the Pink Triangle project and a dedicated LGBTQ activist for several decades, was appointed by Mayor Breed last month to the San Francisco Arts Commission. The swearing in ceremony was held on July 20 at City Hall.

Carney, formerly an architect who worked on the restoration of City Hall, was previously a longtime member of the City Hall Preservation Advisory Commission.

Members of the San Francisco Dykes on Bikes® and volunteers getting ready to kick off the 2022 SF LGBTQ Pride Parade

of dedicated volunteers would stay at the helmet truck for hours, patiently handing helmets and gear back to the riders who had gone inside the celebration grounds.

Our participation in Pride for all these years would not have been the same without her presence and everything she gave that morning to make sure our riders had an amazing time riding in the Parade and enjoying the rest of the day.

Those who have ridden in other Pride Parades and have had to bungee cord their helmets and gear to their bikes can appreciate having a gear truck as part of our contingent. And, of course, the crowd loves when the big (often semi-) truck, which for many years was provided and driven by Veritable Vegetable, comes rumbling up Market following the last motorcycles, making the tight right-hand turn onto 7th Street look like a breeze, accentuated by the loud honk of the air horn.

We will miss Anne’s smile and powerful, but calm, presence. Thank you, Anne, for everything you gave to Dykes on Bikes and for being a legend in the Dykes on Bikes community. https://www.dykesonbikes.org/

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LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2022)

Billy Porter Talks About His Directorial Debut, Anything’s Possible Times about his entertaining new film.

Film Gary M. Kramer Billy Porter brings style and verve to his directorial debut with the upbeat romance Anything’s Possible. The film, which dropped July 22 on Prime Video, has trans teenager Kelsa (trans actress Eva Reign) falling in love with her classmate Khal (Abubakr Ali).

Their relationship is sweet, but it does cause Kelsa trouble with her friend, Em (Courtnee Carter), and Kelsa’s overprotective mother, Selene (Renée Elise Goldsberry). Moreover, Selene gets upset when one of her daughter’s videos about being trans goes viral.

Porter’s film, written by Ximena García Lecuona, makes salient points

Gary M. Kramer: Why did you choose this project for your directorial debut? What makes this “a Billy Porter film”?

Billy Porter: This project chose me.

I chose myself decades ago. I have been living authentically for decades now. When the producers, Christine Vachon, David Hinojosa, D.J. Gugenheim, and Andrew Lauren, got this script from their intern, Ximena, apparently, I was the first person who popped into their heads, so it found me.

Gary M. Kramer: You have a fun style here, from the fluid camerawork and lively editing, but you also do the emotional moments, such as a scene between Khal and his mom Selda (Miriam Laube), well.

Can you talk about your energy and approach to the material?

And there is a fabulous dance scene during the end credits!

Billy Porter: I do have a personality. I have a voice and a language that are uniquely my own. I brought my team—my hair person, my makeup person, my DP, my costume and set designer— and we talked about visually making it celebratory.

We wanted the celebration of transness and the joy of transness to be visual as well. That’s how I approached it.

about gender—there is a subplot about Kelsa being asked to use a gender-neutral bathroom (in the basement)—as well as how trans youth adapt and navigate friendships and relationships. Thankfully, Anything’s Possible never feels preachy. Reign infuses Kelsa with charm and selfworth, and Khal is a genuinely nice guy who cares too much about others and learns to care more about himself.

The film also features fabulous costumes and some fun sequences at the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens as well as the Warhol Museum.

In a recent Zoom interview, Porter spoke with me for the San Francisco Bay

PHOTO BY MEREDITH TRUAX

Billy Porter

Gary M. Kramer: When I was a teen, there were too few queer films and certainly nothing like this. What can you say about the importance of visibility and representation, particularly for queer youth?

Billy Porter: As artists, we have the power to hold a mirror up to society and hold society accountable through stories, music, visual art, books—that’s what we get to do. We’re healers.

Toni Morrison said, “This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”

This movie is a representation of that.

Gary M. Kramer: The film is very much about defying the expectations that are placed on us, be they gender roles, racial/ethnic expectations, and other factors. Can you talk about the importance of this both in the film and in life in general?

Billy Porter: Representation allows for those of us who don’t feel seen, for those of us who feel alone, to understand that we’re not. It also teaches others on the outside of the margins—very often the oppressors— what it feels like to be us. That’s the power of art. We have the power to reach into the hearts of people and change the molecular structure from the inside out, and I am so very proud that this movie does that. This film is about the normalizing of the other. It is. When people see that, the hope is that there’s a softening—a push back on tolerance, a push back on acceptance. Those words make me bristle.

What my goal is, is to help people understand that we can agree to disagree, but we’re all humans first, and the respect for everybody’s humanity comes first. Human equality.

Tolerance and acceptance put the validation of our lives in somebody else’s hands. It’s time for that to be over.

Gary M. Kramer: What can you say about the fabulous costumes and the music, which I understand you produced?

Billy Porter: I wanted to create an aspirational tale of what the world could—and should—look like. And that needs to look a very certain way.

I do have an aesthetic and it is my movie, so I tried to make that happen.

Gary M. Kramer: Kelsa talks about animals and how they are unique and able to survive.

What animal are you?

Billy Porter: I am a peacock, because they are pretty, but that’s, like the obvious. I would also say a panther. © 2022 Gary M. Kramer Gary M. Kramer is the author of “Independent Queer Cinema: Reviews and Interviews,” and the co-editor of “Directory of World Cinema: Argentina.” Follow him on Twitter @garymkramer

Billy Porter: What I’ve been talking about recently is, with all the devastating news that we are living through, the focus is all on the negative. What we are not talking about is that progress has already been made. That is why the pushback is so severe.

Progress has been cemented into the culture. Just as you said, there was no such thing as a movie like this when we were growing up. There is now!

Gary M. Kramer: You are one of the few Black filmmakers, gay or straight, working behind the camera these days. What can you say about creating art?

QUEER POP QUIZ

JONI MITCHELL BACK ON STAGE IN 2022!

Beyond legendary singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell performed a 13-song “Joni Jam” on July 24, 2022, at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island. Brandi Carlile, an out lesbian and music phenom in her own right, organized the set. Which of the following songs did Mitchell not perform?

A) “Love Potion #9” B) “Summertime” C) A & B D) “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?” and “Blowin’ in the Wind”

ANSWER ON PAGE 28

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LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2022)

Jewelle Gomez To Be or Not

PLAYBILL.COM/TIMDOLAN

Leave Signs Jewelle Gomez I’m what the world used to call a “theatre gay,” which is somebody, usually a guy, who will see anything on Broadway or Off Broadway or Off Off Broadway as long as the proverbial or virtual curtain goes up.

Yes, during the pandemic I sang along (no small task) to the entire online tribute to Stephen Sondheim.

And it’s not only musicals. Give us a good, long Long Day’s Journey Into Night or Angels in America, Parts 1 & 2, and we’re there.

‘Ghost light’ on an empty stage

But this is different from an “opera queen,” which somebody else will have to write about because I don’t have enough words ... except to say: the recent new version of Harvey Milk at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.

(Review in Broadway World: https://tinyurl.com/5n84ef2m )

Harry Waters

For over a decade I stage managed dozens of productions of plays by everyone from Ed Bullins to Sam Shepard to Leonid Andreyev. The ghost light certainly shone for queer people. We came in all shapes, sizes, and colors. My first serious lover in New York City, Sandy Ross, was a lighting designer who worked up and downtown. Harry “Skip” Waters, Jr., who helped me write my play about James Baldwin in 2011, was one of the first gay actors I met in the 1980s before he went on to be featured in Back to the Future.

That great empty stage was where we felt we could be ourselves as we pretended to be other people. There was an intensity there in which most of us thrived even if our specific, queer selves weren’t much reflected. This was especially true for lesbians.

But we “theatre gays” still find home back stage and on. We’re lucky in 18

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Ariana DeBose

the Bay Area to have two queer theatres: Theatre Rhinoceros and the New Conservatory Theatre Center, which has produced my plays.

I have the same “home” feeling when I enter their spaces.

Just before the lights go up the entire world is open to me; anything can happen.

Whatever is going on in the Michael R. Jackson street or in our relationships ... the dreams we have might come true.

CHARLES SYKES/SHUTTERSTOCK

My grandmother, who danced on the stage in the 1930s, filled me with fantasies of her adventures tap dancing across the country. And while I scrambled in New York City looking for jobs in television production, my heart was in that dark cavernous space where the ghost light glowed.

As one of the spectral characters in a play of mine observes: “Some say theatres keep the ghost light lit at night to keep us from haunting the current inhabitants. I think more likely it’s there to show us the way back home.”

This year, watching the Tony’s, I got a better glimpse of the dream. I wore my Fun Home t-shirt (5 Tonys, 2016) to celebrate out, queer, Brown Tony winner Ariana DeBose hosting the awards this year. As she said slyly during the telecast: “The Great White Way is becoming more of a nickname than a how to guide.”

And we do come alive when the ghost light clicks off and the stage lights snap on. Michael R. Jackson swanned onto the stage in a swirling pink maxi-coat to get his playwriting Tony. Billy Porter was maximum diva in a sparkly suit singing “On the Street Where You Live.”

DeBose made the greatest statement in her opening outfit because it was designed by her girlfriend, Sue Makkoo.

This year we were out in many ways and we were our most dramatic selves. To paraphrase the Bard: all the stage is our world.

Jewelle Gomez is a lesbian/feminist activist, novelist, poet, and playwright. She’s written for “The

Billy Porter

Advocate,” “Ms. Magazine,” “Black Scholar,” “The San Francisco Chronicle,” “The New York Times,” and “The Village Voice.” Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @ VampyreVamp

LGBTQ Voices Spotlighted in 2022 Bay Area Playwrights Festival Want to see the future of American Theatre? Starting this weekend, you can—Playwrights Foundation’s nationally acclaimed Bay Area Playwrights Festival (BAPF) invites audiences to take a first glimpse at exciting future hit plays.

A long-time social justice activist and lauded voice in lesbian literature, Dykewomon has published eight books, including Riverfinger Women, They Will Know Me by My Teeth, and Lambda Award-winning Beyond the Pale. She served as a long-time editor of the international lesbian feminist journal Sinister Wisdom, and most recently co-edited a special issue entitled “To Be a Jewish Dyke in the 21st Century” in 2021.

Playwright Sharifa Yasmin craved a queer rom-com after spending the pandemic watching queer films filled with heartbreaking stories. “It made me think back to when I was a teenager and how much I loved films filled with love and happy endings, but I never got to see someone who looked like me be on the receiving end of that joy,” says Yasmin.

PHOTO CREDIT: RACHEL ESTHER TATE

This seasoned writer has now turned her hand to playwriting, and BAPF audiences will be among the first to hear her newest work, the poignant and poetic How to Let Your Lover Die.

Playwrights Foundation, led by Executive Artistic Director Jessica Bird Beza (pictured), presents the 45th annual Bay Area Playwrights Festival July 29 – August 7, 2022

That longing became the inspiration for her new play Close to Home.

Set in the American South, this work takes a witty deep dive into resilience, belonging, and the yearning for second chances among a trio of strangers from different cultures— teenage trans femme Zara, builder Colt, and Muslim immigrant Kaysar.

“I wanted to write this play as a love letter to that young girl who felt so deeply alone. I wanted to write the queer-southern-Arab-Muslim love story I never got. I wanted to write a play where everyone’s heart smiled at the end because you got to see a family made—a queer family made.”

Playwright Sharifa Yasmin’s work, which often focuses on the intersection of queer and Arab identities, has been seen at leading regional theatres across America. “My hope for the future of American Theatre is that when I walk into a room, I’m not the

The new play An Arab Spring by Denmo Ibrahim (pictured) will be presented in the 2022 Bay Area Playwrights Festival July 29 – August 7, 2022

The new play How to Let Your Lover Die by Elana Dykewomon (pictured) will be presented in the 2022 Bay Area Playwrights Festival July 29 – August 7, 2022

PHOTO CREDIT: JULIÁN JUAQUÍN

The new play A Jumping Off Point by Inda Craig-Galván (pictured) will be presented in the 2022 Bay Area Playwrights Festival July 29 – August 7, 2022

only trans person or the only Arab person,” said Yasmin. “I come from two deeply underrepresented communities and my sincere hope is to be a part of the reason it becomes common to see our stories brought to life authentically on stage.”

Both plays are rehearsing and performing online. “Since I can’t be in the rehearsal room in person due to health reasons, virtual is the next best thing,” Dykewomon says.

Yasmin chose to workshop her play digitally to access artists that represented the lived experience of the story. Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Associate Artistic Director Evren Odcikin directs, and her cast includes Haina Al-Saud, Liam MacDougall, and Martin Yousif Zebari. “The majority of the rehearsal room is queer Arabs,” says Yasmin. “I’ve never gotten to be in a room like this before and I’m so thankful we were able to create it.”

PHOTO CREDIT: CHRIS KADISH

Among the playwrights featured in this year’s festival are two celebrated LGBTQ artists: lesbian novelist Elana Dykewomon and trans Egyptian-American director and playwright Sharifa Yasmin.

PHOTO CREDIT: JANE TYSKA

Acclaimed director Tracy Ward will helm How to Let Your Lover Die. “As a director, it’s beyond a joy and privilege to work on a story that is about my community, and the world I came of age as a lesbian in,” says Ward. The talented cast includes Bay Area theatre veterans such as Nancy Carlin, Catherine Castellano, AJ Davenport, Anne Hallinan, Gwen Loeb, Sharon Omi, and Anne Darragh. An active participant in the rehearsal process, Dykewomon says she has thoroughly enjoyed the process of bringing her play to the stage, describing the Playwrights Foundation as both thoughtful and supportive.

PHOTO CREDIT: MAYKER DURAN

Now in its 45th year, BAPF is spotlighting five powerful plays by five thrilling and diverse voices, with readings that will be presented both onstage from July 29 through August 7 and online August 5–7.

PHOTO CREDIT: CLARA RICE

Written in honor of her late spouse Susan, this moving play offers a compelling portrait of love, caregiving, community, and honoring the requests of the dying. Of the work, Dykewomon says, “I hope audiences absorb the enormous questions about the right to die, especially making those decisions for someone else.”

The new play Close to Home by Sharifa Yasmin (pictured) will be presented in the 2022 Bay Area Playwrights Festival July 29 – August 7, 2022

The new play Saturday Mourning Cartoons by Iraisa Ann Reilly (pictured) will be presented in the 2022 Bay Area Playwrights Festival July 29 – August 7, 2022

Playwrights Foundation will present livestreamed watch parties in the theatre for Close to Home and How to Let Your Lover Die. Audiences can gather at Potrero Stage to enjoy the plays in the theatre setting or will be able to watch from home via streaming during the second weekend.

acclaimed Bay Area performer and playwright Denmo Ibrahim’s Arab Spring, and Iraisa Ann Reilly’s Saturday Mourning Cartoons. These three plays will be performed live by an impressive roster of local actors at Potrero Stage, with the option to watch via online streaming during the second weekend.

Also presented in the 2022 Festival are HBO and Shondaland screenwriter/playwright Inda CraigGalván’s A Jumping-Off Point,

In all, the 2022 Bay Area Playwrights Festival will present readings of five plays July 29–August 7, 2022. In-person performances,

livestreamed watch parties, and other special events will take place at Potrero Stage, 1695 18th Street, San Francisco. Online streaming will also be available for all five plays August 5–7. Festival Passes ($35–200) and tickets to individual shows ($5– 45) are available for purchase online ( www.playwrightsfoundation.org ).

Come out or tune in to support art and LGBTQ+ artists, and discover some fascinating new works at one of America’s most venerated presenters of new plays.

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AsiaSF: Transcendent for Nearly a Quarter Century responded tentatively. Without missing a beat, Kitty responded, “Will that be liquid or solid?” It took a second, and then a big grin broke out over Jessica’s face. That’s when this Uncle Mame knew he had done his job well.

The Gay Gourmet David Landis “We’re your Dreamgirls…we’ll make you happy.”

That’s not just a lyric from the hit Broadway musical. It’s a mantra for the talented performers at San Francisco’s longstanding institution, AsiaSF, and how they end each show. A groundbreaking transgender restaurant, cabaret, dance club, and bar South of Market, AsiaSF has been transcendent for nearly a quarter of a century.

The Gay Gourmet has been a regular at AsiaSF for nearly that whole time, and transcendent isn’t just an adjective: it was the name of the popular reality TV show starring “the Ladies of AsiaSF.” It’s also an adjective that describes the trajectory of this small nightclub that dared to give transgender women respect and a job, long before that population made headlines or it was the “trendy” thing to do.

For the uninitiated, AsiaSF is a modern supper club: think elevated dining and a show, where your transgender servers lip sync while you sip craft cocktails and dine on upscale Cal-Asian cuisine. It starts outside the club. You arrive on a red carpet in front of the venue’s “step and repeat” banner, perfect for those Instagram moments. From the time you are greeted at the door by one of the welcoming hostesses, you’re in for a transgender treat.

At AsiaSF, I’ve had celebrations (my 50th birthday party), taken international and out of town guests, escorted family members, and introduced cognoscenti to what truly was an “only-in-San Francisco” (now also Palm Springs) experience. One of the differentiators at AsiaSF is that the transgender women who serve you then perform on the runway stage. The result? You get to know that person, you create a bond, and it tears down stereotypes.

I remember taking my youngish niece Jessica, then an aspiring actress from the Midwest at the time. Our server, Kitty Litter, asked Jessica what she’d like to drink. “A Coke, please,” she

So, who’s the mastermind behind this innovative idea of bringing great food, wines, cocktails, and entertainment together? Actually, it’s a trio: Larry Hashbarger, Skip Young, and Aaron Nelson. I had the pleasure of speaking recently for the San Francisco Bay Times with my longtime pal Larry to enlighten us about all things AsiaSF. Gay Gourmet: What inspired you to open AsiaSF? Was it the first transgender restaurant of its type in the country?

Larry Hashbarger: It’s not one easy answer.

It came from a lifetime of experiences when I was in my 20s, and being exposed to different cultures and lifestyles. My years at Macy’s (Larry headed up special events for Macy’s) in the entertainment/fashion business made me realize that I loved producing shows. In 1995, I opened Club Asia in the back of Townsend where Club Universe happened. I had been travelling to Thailand, and had been inspired by nightlife experiences there. Club Asia was a great, gay Asian Friday night experience, but for all ethnicities. During a Macy’s Passport fashion show, I had my first experience with a trans person. I met a male model, Isaac, who became Isha. I accompanied her through her transition, traveling to Thailand during her re-assignment surgery. She then started performing at Club Asia.

AsiaSF came about from the inspirations of that. There was a place in New York, Lucky Chang’s on the lower East Side, that had transgender waitresses who performed. I visited in those years when I went to New York for Macy’s. I loved it. But I thought, could we do this not just for an LGBTQ+ audience, but open it up to a broader audience? We’re probably the longest all-trans restaurant/nightclub/cabaret that is still around.

Gay Gourmet: What pushed AsiaSF into the limelight?

Larry Hashbarger: When we first opened in April of 1998, it was

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a different world; the word transgender didn’t exist, there were no cell phones, and no internet. For the first 6 weeks, we asked people to come have dinner with us. Food reviewer Michael Bauer visited from The San Francisco Chronicle. He had the power back then, before Yelp. I didn’t realize that we were going to be the main article in the Pink section the following Sunday. The buzz started with his article, “AsiaSF Is Anything but a Drag,” and he gave us 3 stars.

We were working with Taste Catering, and he loved the food. We were totally packed at the height of the dot com craze. We were open 7 nights a week. Everybody came, and I always wanted to attract everybody. It was a little “taboo” for people in the early days. Now, people celebrate birthdays, bridal showers, anniversaries, and more. A

whole new generation of people has discovered AsiaSF. These young people are embracing everything they see here because they have friends who are trans, gay, lesbian, and non-binary.

AsiaSF is about living your authentic life, your truth. It doesn’t matter what your sexual orientation or gender is. People say to me, “Thank you for opening this place. You don’t know what this place means to me.” And they’re from all walks of life.

People often haven’t had an experience with a transgender person.

Once you do, you’re touched. You realize that they’re just like you: the same dreams and desires that every-

Miso Glazed King Salmon

body else has. When we opened, we were pioneers in terms of creating a safe place for trans women to work.

We’ve created employment opportunities for a marginalized community that is discriminated against.

Now, they can enjoy all the things we take for granted: getting an apartment, buying a car, and raising a family. I’m so proud of that.

We’ve been trailblazers: moving the needle one person at a time.

Gay Gourmet: How did you make the experience different?

Larry Hashbarger: One of the key reasons for success is because guests get to talk to the performers. (continued on page 21)

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blue margarita) and Brandy’s Gin Blossom.

Gay Gourmet: What’s the message you want to impart to AsiaSF guests?

Larry Hashbarger: One of the unique things about AsiaSF—the SF is so significant in the name— [is that] we couldn’t have ever opened this in any other city than San Francisco and been successful.

We want to thank San Francisco and the Bay Area for being warm and embracing. Celebrating diversity is important, as is understanding how diversity enriches your life.

The differences we have make us all better as people. Supporting the transgender community is good for our country, and for individuals. That’s the message of AsiaSF. San Francisco is always going to be home.

I used to meet Broadway casts after shows and it made it special. It’s the same thing with AsiaSF. You get to meet your girl and laugh with her.

You feel like you know that person and it makes the performance more rewarding. It’s like watching a friend sing. You’re rooting for them. The other part is we have really wonderful Cal-Asian cuisine.

Every dish is inspired by a different Asian country.

Gay Gourmet to Bay Times Readers: I’m sure you’re wondering. How is the food? In my estimation, Michael Bauer got it right.

At AsiaSF, the food soars; it’s as uplifting as the transgender performers. A big differentiator for me is that the food at AsiaSF is every bit as delicious and innovative as some of San Francisco’s best restaurants. The wine list shines not just with California offerings, but international varietals as well. And the cocktails? Suffice it to say there’s a cocktail named for each of the entertainers. They’re as tasty as each talented server, with names like Jasmine’s Tarantula (a kind of

Trio of Miniature Sorbet Cones + Green Tea Cheesecake

The way it works is, if you’re in a group, you can pre-order a menu that is then served family style. For smaller tables, you order a “Menage a Trois,” three courses that are served between shows. Some personal menu favorites of mine are the super-fresh, top-grade blackened tuna sashimi, as good as you find in Japantown; the “Asia-dilla,” the restaurant’s take on a quesadilla, with smoked duck or shiitake mushrooms; porcupines: shrimp and scallops deep fried with water chestnuts and a plum dipping sauce; mussels in a red curry kafir lime leaf broth; or the cold sesame soba noodles, flavored with cucumber, tofu, and green onion topped with a Chinese sesame sauce. The spare ribs with tamarind glaze have the right amount of tang, but are tender and fall off the bone— always a crowd favorite. My husband loves the filet mignon (cooked a perfect medium rare), served with a Korean dipping sauce. The orange lamb, tender and juicy, with coconut jasmine rice also hit the spot. For dessert, we tried the new banana lumpia (a nod to Filipino cuisine) and the green tea cheesecake—dense yet not heavy, but still reminiscent of a New York-style.

What’s new at AsiaSF? Well, the pandemic (and a seismic retrofit) allowed the venue to re-design with a light show that wows. The LED light walls now can be programmed with the show, and the results are stunning. There are a bunch of talented new performers, including Ghalia, Amiya, Chantel, and Belin. But longstanding Trina is the mother of them all, still stealing the shows after all these years.

Also new is the Palm Springs (PS) outpost. I haven’t been yet, but I’m told the shows and the food are as good as San Francisco. The PS location has the added bonus of an outdoor patio and pool. https://sf.asiasf.com/ David Landis, aka “The Gay Gourmet,” is a foodie, a freelance writer and a retired PR maven. Follow him on Instagram @GayGourmetSF or email him at: davidlandissf@ gmail.com Or visit him online at: www.gaygourmetsf.com

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Chanel the Corpse Flower Blooms During Pride The rare and pungent corpse flowers of Amorphophallus titanum at the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers seem to bloom during or just before Pride in June, adding to the celebratory spirit of that month in the city. This happened again for 2022 with the blooming of “Chanel.” The bloom was short-lived, but Chanel’s scent—variously described as everything from rotting flesh to dirty gym socks to a well-seasoned grilled steak—permeated the conservatory for days afterward.

PHOTO BY RINK

https://conservatoryofflowers.org/

A group of women from Leadership California paused in front of the site for what used to be Harvey Milk’s Castro Camera shop at 575 Castro Street during a tour led by Cruisin’ the Castro’s Kathy Amendola (far left) on Thursday, July 14.

San Francisco Bay Times Co-Publishers/Editors Betty Sullivan and Jennifer Viegas met retired National Park Service Ranger Betty Reid Soskin just prior to the start of the Pride Parade on Sunday, June 26, where Soskin was a special guest of the Bay Times contingent.

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A Tasty Time Among the Redwoods with Rock Star Chef & Filmmaker Elizabeth Falkner Liam’s LGBTQI List Liam P. Mayclem Bucolic Boon Hotel + Spa in Guerneville on the Russian River was the setting for two recent special

female chefs for a feast under the stars. Allow me to drop a few of the chefs’ names: Shirley Chung, Duskie Estes, Domenica Catelli, and our host Crista Luedtke of Boon. Bay Area bar stars Greg Lindgren, Scott Beattie, and Laura Sanfilippo provided heavenly shaken & stirred Bombay Gin craft

that shone through in my ceviche dish tonight.

Liam P. Mayclem: What was it like to view your film with others?

Chef Elizabeth Falkner: It was so wonderful to watch the film with friends and our community. The feedback was really positive.

That felt good.”

Liam P. Mayclem: What motivated you to make the film?

Chef Elizabeth Liam Mayclem with Chef Elizabeth Falkner Falkner: The documenorganization Farm to tary was initially about mental wellPantry. And special ness in the hospitality industry, but kudos to Crista and as the pandemic hit, the focus shiftthe Boon team for the ed quickly. It became a film about glamping experience the biggest crisis chefs and our that was second to industry have ever experienced. none. The morning There was also the backdrop of breakfast of egg, parBLM and wildfires. fait, warm croissants, A storm of events all and coffee was the at once. morning-after treat I needed. I can’t wait to Liam Mayclem with Scott Beattie Liam P. Mayclem: return. I also can’t wait Which chefs did Emmy Award-winning radio for one and all to see Sorry We’re you talk with for and television personality Liam Closed, coming to a streaming service the film?

Mayclem is regularly featured or movie theatre near you soon. on KPIX as well as KCBS, Chef Elizabeth where he is the popular Foodie Sorry We’re Closed trailer: Falkner: We filmed Chap. Born in London, https://tinyurl.com/ycy8ndj6 in LA first and talked Mayclem is now at home in to Nyesha Arrington, the Bay Area, where he lives Boon Hotel + Spa: Nancy Silverton, and with his husband, photographer https://boonhotels.com Nicki Carson. Then Rick Camargo. For more in the Bay Area: Farm to Pantry: information: Alice Waters, Tanya https://www.farmtopantry.org/ https://www.bookliam.com/ Holland, Chris Cosentino, and Brandon Jew, among others. They were all in it, dealing with being a chef and struggling in these tough times. Alice Waters had the best line in the film, saying, “This is a dress rehearsal for climate change!”

events featuring Chef Elizabeth Falkner (formerly of Citizen Cake & Orson SF), who in 2020, right before the pandemic hit, moved from New York back home to Southern California.

The rock star chef was on hand for a Q&A following an outdoor screening of her recently finished documentary Sorry We’re Closed. The restaurant A 16 provided the pizza and Chef Falkner made chocolate chip cookies for the 150 attendees.

On the second night, Chef Falkner was joined by an impressive lineup of

cocktails to go with each course.

For this Bombay-loving gin imbiber, this was the stuff dreams are made of: an entire five-course feast paired with gin cocktails and each one unique and tied perfectly to a dish.

It made me think about how we do things as chefs & restauranteurs, our food supply, staffing, and food waste. The collective voices cried out for one thing: legislative help and tax incentives to support us, America’s second biggest industry, food and hospitality, and ensure we survive and thrive.

Liam P. Mayclem: For this event in Guerneville, what was it like collaborating with so many other talented chefs?

I recently spoke with Chef Falkner for the San Francisco Bay Times, first asking about how she feels being back in her home state.

Chef Elizabeth Falkner: Cooking with my fellow chefs, my amazing talented friends, is always wonderful. They are all so inspiring.

Chef Elizabeth Falkner: I am so happy to be back here and to have access to ingredients I love: Meyer lemons, all things citrus, and avocados. I love these things and I hope

Liam P. Mayclem: Thank you, Chef Falkner, for the conversation!

And thank you to the other chefs & mixologists for the dreamy dinner.

Partial proceeds benefited the

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Words Michele Karlsberg Michele Karlsberg: Gary Eldon Peter this month is celebrating the publication of The Complicated Calculus (and Cows) of Carl Paulsen, a young adult novel. It is about a gay teenager living on a small and struggling Minnesota dairy farm. He thinks he has met the boy of his dreams, but the relationship turns out to be a lot more complicated than he realizes.

He is also dealing with the potential loss of the farm, which was handed down from his late mother’s family, and the conflicts he has with his father about what to do about it. I recently spoke with Peter for the San Francisco Bay Times about his new book and more.

Michele Karlsberg: Young adult books tend to be popular among adult readers. Why do you think that is?

Gary Eldon Peter: I’m mindful of the expression that YA books are about young adults, but aren’t necessarily exclusively “for” young adults.

I think a big part of the reason for that might be because adult readers appreciate seeing their adolescent experiences and selves reflected in literature that likely wasn’t available when they were younger. I think that is particularly true for older LGBTQ+ readers like myself. In my growing up, there were no YA books that portrayed what it was like to be a gay teenager and the many challenges that come with that. As I was writing the novel, I often thought

Michele Karlsberg: What do you hope that readers will get out of reading your book?

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Gary Eldon Peter is the author of two works of fiction: “Oranges,” a linked short story collection, and the novel “The Complicated Calculus (and Cows) of Carl Paulsen,” winner of the Acheven Book Prize for

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by Alison Nastasi and PJ Nastasi This collection of mini-bios focuses on queeroes past and present, and accompanies each with a picture of the subject and their cat.

Your coffee table will literally feel naked without this delightful book.

Gary Eldon Peter

Gary Eldon Peter: I love reading and hearing poetry, but I can’t imagine myself ever trying to write poetry.

I did, though, take a poetry class in graduate school that was more of a study of the craft rather than writing poems, and I’m so grateful that I did. I gained a great appreciation for image and form and really just word choice in trying to convey an idea or feeling. I think writers can learn a lot from being exposed to other genres that they don’t work in. I also really like reading personal essays, and that feels more like something I could “branch out” to more so than poetry. Last summer, I wrote a ten-page essay for an anthology, and while it took me two months to finish it and it was very much of a challenge, in the end, it was something that I really enjoyed. Because of that I wouldn’t mind trying to write more essays.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow (fiction- hardbound) by Gabrielle Zevin Sam and Sadie meet as pre-teens while he is in the hospital and she is accumulating volunteer hours. A friendship is born, lost and reborn, spanning several decades. They are gaming designer partners and their creative endeavors and friendship are constantly tested.

Zevin brilliantly explores the fragility of love and friendship, identity and disability.

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Out of The Blue by Jason June This sweet, queer YA rom-com, written by the author of Jay’s Gay Agenda, features a young man and a mer-person. Need we say more?

Michele Karlsberg: You are a fiction writer, but have you ever considered writing in other genres?

Nightcrawling (fiction - hardbound)

by Leila Mottley This is a stunning debut novel about a young woman, Kiara, who has dropped out of school and is struggling to keep what is left of her family together. In order to keep a roof over their heads, she takes to walking the streets of Oakland at night.

Throughout the story, the reader is given a picture of a justice system that has failed young people like Kiara.

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Gary Eldon Peter: It’s pretty basic, but LGBTQ+ people are everywhere, in all communities. Also, acceptance and understanding for LGBTQ+ individuals not living in urban areas can still be a challenge, despite the significant progress we have made. I hope that readers of whatever age, but particularly LGBTQ+ kids, will appreciate their story being told, will feel “seen,” and know that they are not alone.

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The Complicated Calculus (and Cows) of Carl Paulsen about what it would have been like had my own book been out there for me, and how it might have made me feel better about who I was and what I was struggling with. That was really a lot of my motivation for writing it in the first place.

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All This Time by Cedar Sigo Sigo’s latest poetry collection further hones the torch song lyricism, vivid imagery, and sharp personal wit and wisdom that define his work. Jazz, cinema, magic, radical politics, an urbane take on Indigenous experience, and the poetics of the San Francisco Renaissance are all at play; a worthy successor to Frank O’Hara.

Events Thursday, July 28 @ 7 pm Rob Volpe, Author of Tell Me More About That: Solving the Empathy Crisis One Conversation at A Time In Tell Me More About That, brand strategist and thought leader Volpe draws on his years conducting thousands of in-home interviews with everyday people to illustrate the 5 Steps to Empathy–the actions you can take to build a strong and reflexive empathy muscle.

Saturday, July 30 @ 4 pm Steven Reigns, Author of A Quilt for David, Co-Hosted by City Light Books In the early 1990s, eight people living in a small, conservative Florida town alleged that Dr. David Acer, their openly gay and HIV-positive dentist, infected them with HIV. Reigns has stitched together a hauntingly poetic narrative that retraces an American history, questioning the fervor of Acer’s accusers, and recuperating a gay life previously shrouded in secrecy and shame. https://www.fabulosabooks.com/ Young Adult Fiction. “Oranges” received the Gold Medal for LGBT+ fiction in the Independent Publisher Book Awards, the Midwest Book Award, and was a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award and the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction. Peter’s work has appeared in numerous literary journals and has been performed on the public radio program “Selected Shorts.” He earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College and is a faculty member at the University of Minnesota.

For more information: https://www.garyeldonpeter.com Michele Karlsberg Marketing and Management specializes in publicity for the LGBTQ+ community. This year, Karlsberg celebrates 33 years of successful marketing campaigns. For more information: https://www.michelekarlsberg.com

RECOMMENDATIONS FROM BOOK PASSAGE Coming Up for Air: What I Learned from Sport, Fame, and Fatherhood (nonfictionpaperback) by Tom Daley With four Olympic medals under his belt, Daley is considered the most decorated British diver of all time. He’s also been a vocal advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.

In this deeply personal memoir, Daley details his experiences as an athlete and personal struggles.

Upcoming Events Saturday, August 6 @ 4 pm (ticketed online event) Mohsin Hamid author of Last White Man From The New York Times bestselling author of Exit West comes a story of love, loss, and rediscovery in a time of unsettling change. The Last White Man powerfully uplifts our capacity for empathy and the tran-

scendence over bigotry, fear, and anger it can achieve.

Tuesday, August 9 @ 5 pm (ticketed online event) Colson Whitehead author of Harlem Shuffle Colson Whitehead is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of ten works of fiction and nonfiction, and is a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for The Nickel Boys and The Underground Railroad.

Saturday, August 13 @ 2 pm (free and in store - Corte Madera) Left Coast Writers presents Victoria Lilienthal author of The T Room A fast-paced, humorous tale, The T Room is sure to prove irresistible to every adventurous woman familiar with that Saturday morning bookstore trajectory that starts with Self-Help, diverts into Romance, and lands heart-first in Spirituality. https://www.bookpassage.com/

Literary Times Hot Summer Reads “Poet Joaquin Miller was a lover and very close friend who stood by her when others were shocked,” she continued. “In her monied set, she knew many ‘Boston marriages’: women who lived together openly and were accepted as being companions. Because of her background, she identified with outsiders. She supported Oscar Wilde through his controversial American tour. Later, she married Oscar’s drunken, lazy brother and Off the Wahl became great friends with his Suffragist mother. Eventually, Jan Wahl Miriam’s large fortune was left to the Suffragist movement. The weird part of that is that Miriam She’s how Oscar Wilde made his trip was all about fashion dos and to America ... and San Francisco! don’ts that completely dictated You might not know her name, but what women and men should wear she ran one of the largest publishing during this opulent time—more empires in the U.S. during the Gilded costumes than causes!”

Age (a period of rapid economic There is one part of this woman growth from roughly 1870–1900). that I could not figure out. She She was scandalous, uber rich, and so fashionable it hurt. Her name was had ups and downs in her life that were amazing; hard times that Miriam Leslie and there is finally a would kill most of us. She made it book about her, Diamonds and through, and I asked Prioleau Deadlines: A Tale of Greed, Deceit, and a Female Tycoon in about Miriam’s ability to survive. the Gilded Age by Betsy Prioleau.

It tears the corset and bloomers off the often lurid and true tale of a rare businesswoman living a wild life during this glamorous time. OK ... glamourous if you were rich. And she was—very!

“Miriam had something rare: lifesaving grandiosity,” she replied.

“She had an ego the size of the Ritz. The historical drama The

Miriam’s carnival of excesses included poets, misfits, rip-off experts, and the wealthy Fifth Avenue folks whom she documented in her sensational magazines and newspapers.

People think Hearst invented “yellow journalism,” but she was doing it

American Gilded Age really didn’t capture this. Miriam had ebullient charm and self-confidence. She firmly believed in her own power to fascinate.”

I’ll take that!

Here are a few other hot reads right now:

Betsy Prioleau

before and selling millions from the exaggerated accounts of people, places, and things. Once you pick up this book you should get ready for travel into the Gilded Age with a strong, determined, and spirited woman. But she was also kind of nuts. I asked the author about this.

“Miriam began life as a prostitute,” Prioleau told me for the San Francisco Bay Times. “Then her sex life went off the charts, with a famed menage a trois, multiple marriages, and many affairs. Her second husband was a bisexual homoerotic writer who went off to South America as an anthropologist and brought home a ‘frolicking’ native young man to live with them.”

The Castle on Sunset: Life, Death, Love, Art, and Scandal at Hollywood’s Chateau Marmont by Shawn Levy Sure, it was the place where John Belushi died, but before that it was a haven for lovers of all sorts, from Marilyn Monroe and Albert Einstein to Tab Hunter and Tony Perkins.

The Sewing Circle: Hollywood’s Greatest Secret: Female Stars Who Loved Other Women by Axel Madsen Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich came to Hollywood with a new set of morals based in a bisexual European tradition. The first female director Dorothy Arzner and writers and stars followed closely, developing a secret society that influenced the strong (continued on page 28) S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

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Sister Dana Sez: Words of Wisdumb from a Fun Nun

By Sister Dana Van Iquity Sister Dana sez, “See y’all at the UP YOUR ALLEY fair! You don’t have to have a kink or fetish or love of leather—but it helps!”

UP YOUR ALLEY (also known back in the day as “Dore Alley Fair”) finally makes its long-awaited return to the infamous streets of SOMA at 9th and Folsom Streets (off Dore Alley)! On July 31, 11 am–6 pm, come get twisted with Steamworks, dance to the fair’s hot DJs, cruise the artisan goods at their vendors, and get dirty at San Francisco’s notorious leather and kink block party. Folsom Street events cultivates a safe, open, and inclusive environment for the kink, leather, and alternative sexuality communities while centering equity for BIPOC and LGBTQ people. https://tinyurl.com/4ssb2jd3 Trump would NEVER have been elected President if it wasn’t for the Electoral College. Fact: a Republican has only won the popular vote for president once in the past 30 years.

And top Progressives like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Robert Reich know we should abolish the Electoral College. But Republicans are doing all they can

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Senator Ted Cruz echoed Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas with remarks he made July 16 to the effect that the Court was “clearly wrong” in striking down barriers to marriage equality in 2015, according to NBC News.

Cruz made the remarks on the July 16 edition of his podcast when discussing the 2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which ushered in marriage equality on a national level and abolished the state-by-state patchwork of legal rights available to samesex families. Note that Cruz’s state Texas banned same-sex marriage in 2005. Cruz patterned his comments on Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s argument that abortion rights are not “deeply rooted in this nation’s history.” “Obergefell, like Roe v. Wade, ignored two centuries of our nation’s history,” Cruz parroted, according to CNN. “Marriage was always an issue that was left to the states. We saw states before Obergefell—some states were moving to allow gay marriage, other states were moving to allow civil partnerships. There were different standards that the states were adopting,” Cruz said. “And now every state must sanction and permit gay marriage,” he added. “I think that decision was clearly wrong when it was decided. It was the court overreaching.” Sister Dana sez, “Riiiiiight. Because the Court has NEVER overreached before! Never ever!”

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LOCKDOWN COMEDY’S 2ND ANNIVERSARY SHOW was on Zoom on July 21. Hard to believe I’ve been with this show for two years! My, how lockdown flies!

This program featured Ophira Eisenberg (NY), our own Marga Gomez (SF—whom I have absolutely adored since her early comedic days at EssEff’s Valencia Rose and Josie’s Cabaret), Rich Aronovitch (NY), and “The Geduldig Sisters”— producer Lisa Geduldig (SF & Florida), and her 91-years-young mother, Arline Geduldig (Florida).

Be sure to catch the next show (every third Thursday) on August 18 with details here: https://www.koshercomedy.com/ The House passed THE RESPECT FOR MARRIAGE ACT that would federally recognize samesex marriages, amid fears that the Supreme Court could nullify marriage equality. The bill repeals the disgraceful Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). More than three quarters of the Republican Party opposed the bill, which passed in a vote of 267 to 157. A staggering 157 Republicans voted to take this right away from us! So now we know where you stand, repugnant Repugnicans! But, alas, this bill faces an uphill battle in the Senate.

Crossing fingers and stuffing ballot boxes. KIDDING!!!

Meanwhile, House Democrats and only eight Republicans passed a bill that would protect the right to purchase and use CONTRACEPTION without government restriction. Sister Dana sez, “Why do so many Repugnicans want lots and lots of babies born—yet won’t offer

PHOTO COURTESY OF SISTER DANA AND GRACE CATHERDRAL/FACEBOOK

to keep it—because without The Electoral College, they’d never win another election! Sister Dana sez, “ABOLISH the Electoral College! Besides, I seriously doubt that even HALF the members ever even WENT to college!”

The Vine Singalong Pride Mass returned this year to Grace Cathedral as an in-person event held on Wednesday, June 22. Sister Dana (aka Dennis McMillan) spoke twice from the pulpit with prayers and blessings. He reported enjoying a slice of Pride cake during the reception after the service.

Watch the procession, singalong, and service: https://youtu.be/s9zqbhJ4Cv8

their parents any money with which to raise them?!”

Alarmingly, according to a recent mega-survey, one in five adults in America—equivalent to about 50 million people—believe that political violence is justified. And 7.1% said they would be willing to kill a person to advance an important political goal. Sister Dana sez, “The country is becoming a powder keg, and Trump is busily throwing matches into it!

Sister Dana sez, “Continuing to spread The Big Lie, last week, Trump accosted the Assembly Speaker of the House in Wisconsin to OVERTURN the 2020 Election. Unbelievable!

Starting on July 1, 2022, the SAN FRANCISCO MINIMUM WAGE has increased to $16.99. Employees that perform work in San Francisco, including part-time and temporary employees, must be paid no less than the San Francisco minimum wage, except for a small number of “Government Supported Employees” who are subject to an increase of minimum wage rate of $15.03.

HARVEY MILK PHOTO CENTER held an opening reception on July 23 to announce its MEMBER, STAFF, AND VOLUNTEER SHOW at 50 Scott Street, exhibiting photos now through August 20. When you visit, be sure to go past the dark room (which was open for our inspection (continued on page 28)

Dr. Tim Seelig Bids Adieu

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LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2022)

San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus’ Final Words, The Farewell Concert for Dr. Timothy Seelig Photos by Stefan Coohen/San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus

Final Words, the farewell concert for Dr. Timothy Seelig in recognition of his 11.5 years of remarkable work as Artistic Director of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC), was held on Wednesday, July 13, at Davies Symphony Hall. The historic event, in addition to honoring Seelig, marked the first time that the Chorus performed at Davies with the San Francisco Symphony.

The concert, which additionally celebrated the fifth anniversary of SFGMC’s Lavender Pen Tour, included a set by the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir and its own renowned Director, Terrance Kelly. (The Choir traveled with the Chorus during that groundbreaking 2017 tour that was documented in the film Gay Chorus Deep South.) Singer JaCoree Prothro, who recently performed at the Divas & Drinks @ The Academy SF Pride’s President’s Party for Carolyn Wysinger, was one of the Choir’s standout soloists at Davies. Other guests included the San Francisco Bay Area Theater Company Dancers and an introduction to Seelig’s successor, Jacob Stensberg.

During the concert, Mayor London Breed declared July 13, 2022, to be Dr. Timothy Seelig Day in San Francisco, and Seelig was named Conductor Laureate of the Chorus.

Works presented included selections from Unbreakable and I Am Harvey Milk by Andrew Lippa, A Chorus Line, The Lion King, Tyler’s Suite, and much more. A drag artist—“Patsy Cline” on her “back to Earth tour”—brought humor to the event with a dress from which she pulled out countless items, including full-sized gardening tools such as a sharp-pronged metal rake.

Following the concert, a VIP reception was held at the War Memorial Performing Arts Center’s Green Room where Seelig received from the San Francisco Bay Times a framed print of commemorative pages celebrating his achievements highlighted in the newspaper’s SF Pride June 23, 2022, edition. Although Seelig is now retired from the Chorus, his column will continue to appear regularly in the Bay Times. https://www.sfgmc.org/

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SISTER DANA (continued from pg 26) that day) on the left to view the unique collages using photogram, bits of flower pieces, and found objects. https://tinyurl.com/4sec75vk SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES and THE ACADEMY present DIVAS & DRINKS: iHEART SUMMER! on Friday, July 29, 6–10 pm at The Academy, 2261 Market Street (between Sanchez & Church). Join the fun with hosts Betty Sullivan, Jennifer Viegas, and Nate Bourg with emcee Donna Sachet when we raise a toast to thank, celebrate, and honor volunteers who support and give their very best in the SF PRIDE PARADE. SF Pride President Carolyn Wysinger and other inspiring voices will be with us, plus the remarkable iHeart Radio star DJ Christie James, presented by Olivia Travel. https://tinyurl.com/2ajz5wdb A DAY OF ACTION was held at 90 7th Street on July 18 at noon to “Demand HHS Quickly Increase Vaccine Supply and Distribution of the Monkeypox Vaccine.” The information/demonstration was sponsored by ALICE B. TOKLAS LGBTQ DEMOCRATIC CLUB, HARVEY MILK LGBTQ DEMOCRATIC CLUB, and SAN FRANCISCO AIDS

FOUNDATION. Monkeypox is circulating in our community, and beyond, and the federal government must do more to respond to this urgent health concern. Monkeypox is not exclusive to our LGBTQ community, but we are already being blamed for the emerging crisis. We’re being told to limit contact with people, or just wear condoms. We need to fight stigma! Balance the need for populationspecific messaging with non-stigmatizing, sex positive, health communication and public health response strategies. People aren’t educated in knowing that anyone can transmit MP, as simple as skin-to-skin contact. We are demanding a more robust response that actually addresses this growing health concern NOW. The chief of the WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) waited until July 23 to say the expanding Monkeypox outbreak in more than 70 countries is an “extraordinary” situation that now qualifies as a Global Emergency. Sister Dana sez, “Well, it was about time! Did we learn NOTHING during the first outbreak of AIDS?!”

As the Chairman of the SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND

NATURAL RESOURCES, Joe Manchin is responsible for regulating the fossil fuel industry and has enormous power over hearings on key climate policy issues. He has repeatedly ignored, stalled, or shot down attempt after attempt to transition our country away from fossil fuels to sustainable alternatives such as wind and solar. Sister Dana sez, “We must demand Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer replace Senator Manchin as Chair of the most important environmental committee in the U.S. Senate NOW!” The RICHMOND/ERMET AID FOUNDATION (REAF) presents Help Is on The Way XXVI: BROADWAY & BEYOND on Sunday, August 7, 7:30 pm at Marines’ Memorial Theatre—609 Sutter Street (at Mason Street). This is a benefit for PROJECT OPEN HAND and REAF’S SMALL EMERGENCY GRANTS PROGRAM. This 26th Annual Gala— Northern CA’s largest annual, star-studded concert—features (in alphabetical order) Debby Boone, Leanne Borghesi, Garrett Clayton, Ava Nicole Frances, Julie Garnye, Jason Graae, Steve Knill, Shawn Ryan, Sally Struthers, Lisa Viggiano, Paula West, and John Lloyd

WAHL (continued from pg 25) women’s pictures of the 1930s and ‘40s. I would so love it if our Rainbow Honor Walk would include Arzner.

Forbidden Hollywood: The Pre-Code Era 1930– 1934 When Sin Ruled the Movies by Mark A. Vieira Before the silly Motion Picture Production Code, sex on screen was steamy and visual. Vieira’s stunning prose and especially the remarkable photographs make us feel the heat between everyone from Clark Gable to Jean Harlow.

When the Code brought in a sense of sexual fear, we all lost.

Behind the Scenes: How Gays and Lesbians Shaped Hollywood 1910–1969 by William J. Mann

I adore Mann’s books; he is a true student and teacher of Hollywood LBGTQ history. His biographies on Clara Bow and William Haines are fabulous, as is this one documenting the importance of the community in Hollywood.

As Elizabeth Taylor put it: “Without gays and lesbians, there would be no Hollywood.” Right on. At least no Hollywood I’d ever love!

Jan Wahl is a Hollywood historian, film critic on various broadcast outlets, and has her own YouTube channel series, “Jan Wahl Showbiz.” She has two Emmys and many awards for her longtime work on behalf of film buffs and the LGBTQ community. Contact her at www.janwahl.com

QUEER POP QUIZ ANSWER (Question on pg 17)

D) “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?” and “Blowin’ in the Wind” Mitchell did perform “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?” a longtime favorite song of hers, but did not perform the Bob Dylan classic “Blowin’ in the Wind.” Mitchell, who famously does not mince words, once said that Dylan is “musically not gifted.” While as of this writing the full “Joni Jam” is not available at YouTube, viewers can search for “Joni Mitchell Newport Folk Festival 2022” there and find many highlights.

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Young. There will also be a VIP after-party with the cast at the new Beacon Grand Hotel, 450 Powell Street (formerly Sir Francis Drake). https://www.reaf-sf.org SAN FRANCISCO PLAYHOUSE (Artistic Director Bill English; Producing Director Susi Damilano) is back presenting FOLLIES by James Goldman and Stephen Sondheim. It had been sadly postponed because of cast members’ COVID-19, but it is back now and happily runs through September 10. This is the first fully staged professional production of Follies in San Francisco.

The musical won seven Tony Awards in 1972, closed on Broadway after 522 performances, and never went on a national tour. Enjoy such classic numbers as “Broadway Baby,” “I’m Still Here,” and “Losing My Mind.” All that AND tap dancing from the extremely versatile and talented cast! https://tinyurl.com/yzdfkxpc Sister Dana sez, “Direct from the Office of STATING THE OBVIOUS, Attorney General Merrick Garland commanded, ‘No person is above the law in this country.’ Well, duh!”

Photographer, artist, and therapist Abby Zimberg captures images of art she finds while on walks through the city and beyond. Recently she snapped a powerful mural depicting singer/songwriter La Doña, a native of San Francisco’s Mission District. The art, painted on the outside of Casa Guadalupe Market located at 26th and Mission Streets, was created by legendary Bay Area muralists DJ Agana, Robz, and Vogue.

Collaboration, as for the three muralists, plays a key role in La Doña’s performances as she has cultivated a talented team of artists whose

creativity is on display in her music, videos, album art, merchandise, and style. Check out her video “Cuando Se Van” here: https://tinyurl.com/5n6n4brb Funded by the San Francisco Giants as part of the Resilient Art Project, the mural presents the singer wearing a Giants jacket looking out from between the “I” and the “L” in the word RESILIENT painted in all caps on the market’s exterior.

Learn more about Zimberg and her business The Art of Therapy: https://tinyurl.com/2mrmdby7

Artshot Abby Zimberg

Take Me Home with You! “My name is Indy!

I’m a four-year-old explorer looking for an adventure-loving family! I’ve been known as a professor for my ability to learn cues like 180turns when there’s a surprise pup around. I may need some buttoning up outside, but I have a sweet and silly side. If you want a hiking or walking buddy, we could be great friends.

In my ideal home I would be the only dog. If you think we might be a match, come say hello!”

Indy

Fitness SF Trainer Tip of the Month Steven Luibrand at Fitness SF Mid-Market You don’t need much for exceptional fitness: push ups, pull ups, and sprints applied with consistency and intensity are enough to create exceptional fitness.

Indy is presented to San Francisco Bay Times readers

by Dr. Jennifer Scarlett, the SF SPCA’s CEO. Our thanks also go to Paradise Osorio for helping to get the word out about lovable pets like Indy.

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

Note that through August 1, all adult dogs and adult cats (5+ months old) are free to adopt!

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

Dr. Jennifer Scarlett and Pup

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

Speaking to Your Soul ARIES (March 21–April 19) There is so much power backing your impulses now; be sure to pause and clarify your intentions as consciously as you can. Then you can leap and stay positive. It’s a great time to act on faith—true faith that is felt in the pause.

TAURUS (April 20–May 20) Say yes to that invitation to get out of your comfort zone.

Your whole being is ready for a quantum leap. The very nature of your building blocks is about to change. It’ll be good for your beautiful soul.

Astrology Elisa Quinzi Veteran astrologer Liz Greene reminds us: “What is disruptive or negative to the comfort and happiness of the body, the feelings, or the intellect, may be highly constructive and fulfilling for the total psyche.”

A larger perception of life is on the verge of discovery beyond personalities and politics. The planets prompt us to update our values around security and comfort. As we awaken to higher mind, our childish needs and fears give way to inspired thought and creative solution. The more often we loosen our grip and practice trusting, the more often we’ll realize we are okay.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) An awakening is happening within you. Get away from all stimulation and pay attention to what arises in the silence, out in nature, and deep inside.

CANCER ( June 21–July 22) Your attachments to past and to family can bind you to unnecessary fears. A portal is open showing you a glimpse of a utopian future. Never mind the naysayers; channel your powerful love striving for that.

LEO ( July 23–August 22) In what direction would you be headed if you could be accomplishing anything? Are you allowing your ultimate aspirations to guide you? Or are you settling for cruise control? Sudden opportunities can drop open. Trust your highest knowing.

VIRGO (August 23–September 22) Your entire paradigm is ready for a shift. Your soul has been craving freedom and you are the only one standing in your way. Do something out of the box to mark this rite of passage and transition to the larger life.

LIBRA (September 23–October 22) You have the opportunity to be liberated from deep emotional wounds. What might feel like loss transforms into freedom.

SCORPIO (October 23–November 21) Sparks of attraction fly toward those you view as mavericks.

Trailblazers. Authentic souls. If those are not the people around you, events can transpire to make room for them.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22–December 21) The planets encourage you to humble yourself to devote effort to your personal growth so you can be of maximum service. The more honestly you live your truth, the more value you have to offer others.

CAPRICORN (December 22–January 19) You might be experiencing an identity crisis that can be solved by your own fierce loyalty toward your true desires. A more spontaneous you wants to come through expression. The scaffold that was around you all your life is no longer needed. Look for bursts of joy piercing in.

AQUARIUS ( January 20–February 18) Somebody shakes the family tree and all the dried leaves fall off, along with some ripe fruit. Don’t waste the fruit! Trust the timing and try to see how space opens up for more honest and vulnerable relating.

PISCES (February 19–March 20) Follow your senses and be curious enough to break ground in new ways of communicating your ideas. Open your mind to receive downloads from beyond the space-time continuum. Share your findings.

Elisa Quinzi is a certified professional astrologer who brings a strong spiritual perspective, as well as over 20 years of experience, to her work with clients.

Contact her at futureselfnow@gmail.com or at 818-530-3366 with your exact birth time to schedule or to ask questions.

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Presidio Tunnel Tops Opening

Photos by Juan R. Davila

Fourteen acres of new parkland, located atop the roadway tunnels that replaced the former Doyle Drive approach to the Golden Gate Bridge, opened to the public on Sunday, July 18, 2022.

The new Presidio Tunnel Tops, a joint project of the Presidio Trust, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, and the National Park Service, is a multifunctional site that includes trails, playgrounds, picnic areas, lawns, and spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Among the current offerings is a photo show, My Park Moments, which has on display some 400 winning images located in four outdoor Tunnel Tops locations.

One day prior to the park’s opening, on the morning of July 17, members of the San Francisco Bay Times team attended the pre-opening ceremony and met administrators, park rangers, interpreters, and impromptu visitors exploring the new recreational area for the first time. They also met LGBTQ community members in key leadership roles, including the Golden Gate National Recreation Area Superintendent, Christine Lehnertz, and noted architect Michael Boland.

Participants of the pre-opening ceremony included Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Mayor London Breed, preforming artists, and others. View the entire Opening Ceremony: https://tinyurl.com/yc8emjp6

PRE SI DIOTUN NELTOPS.OR G

PRE SIDIOTUNNE LTOP S.OR G

For more information about the park, visit: https://www.presidiotunneltops.gov/

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Jim Obergefell @ Manny’s

Photos by Rink

Activist and LGBTQ community leader Frank Woo chaired a host committee welcoming same-sex marriage rights pioneer and civil rights activist Jim Obergefell as the featured speaker at Manny’s on Thursday, July 14, 2022.

Obergefell was the named plaintiff in the lawsuit that led to legalization of same-sex marriage in the U.S. in 2015.

He had sued the state of Ohio two years prior, due to that state’s lack of legal recognition of his marriage to his husband, John Arthur. Arthur, who suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, died that same year at the age of 48.

CASTRO STREETCAM presented by

As Obergefell says, “From the halls of Sandusky High School to the halls of the U.S. Supreme Court, my life has been filled with deep personal loss as well as historical triumphs over injustice.”

Now Obergefell is running for a seat in the Ohio State Legislature, so the event at Manny’s was a fundraiser for his campaign.

It drew a large crowd of supporters from throughout the Bay Area. Obergefell sent a personal thank you note to photographer Rink and the San Francisco Bay Times for supporting his appearance in San Francisco. To learn more about Obergefell’s campaign, which has already been endorsed by the Victory Fund, the Human Rights Campaign, Democracy for America, and more, visit: https://obergefellforohio.com/

http://sfbaytimes.com/

Round About - All Over Town

Photos by Rink

Items of the week A rally supporting Ukraine was held on Saturday, July 16, at the Ferry Building Plaza as part of a multi-city global day of protest against Russia’s invasion.

Sidewalk tables on July 23 were fully occupied at Twin Peaks Tavern on Castro Street as tourists and locals alike enjoyed the summer afternoon in the Castro.

A-Shade Portable Beach Tent: A new design of pop-up tent from Picnic Time. Large and easy to set up, it provides great shade on hot days at the beach. $120.99

Moderator Jay Rosenblatt, actor Lior Ashkenazi and director Moshe Rosenthal presented a discussion about the film Karaoke at the Jewish Film Festival Opening Night at the Castro Theatre on July 21.

Canasta Wicker Basket

Assemblyman Phil Ting (second from (right) welcomed guests on Wednesday, July 20, to a party held at Harborview Restaurant and Bar at Embarcadero 4 in appreciation of donors and activists.

Organizer Gary Virginia led a program honoring activist Miguel GutierrezRanzil during the Krewe De Kinque Up the Lazy River benefit at the Midnight Sun on Monday, July 4. The benefit supported the South of Market Health Center.

Create your own picnic setup with these quality wicker picnic baskets. The flat lid can double as a table.

Two sizes available.

Starting at $96.99

As Heard on the Street . . . Who is a role model and how do they inspire you? compiled

by Rink

Doug Shader

Eli Kind

Tawdry Hepburn

Jokie X. Wilson

“Champion boxer Oscar De La Hoya, who is comfortable in his masculinity, and enjoys the attention of his LGBT fans”

“Mr. David Glamamore inspires me daily, with their creative genius, wise soul, and heart that envelops our community.”

“My mother and Dolly Parton.

They’re strong women who are unafraid to be themselves and celebrate life.”

“Poet Wanda Coleman, because she always told it like it is”

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