April 23, 2026 edition of the Bay Area Reporter

SF reports 1st clade I mpox case

by John Ferrannini

n unvac-

Acinated San Francisco adult was hospitalized with clade I mpox –the more severe strain – earlier this week, according to the city’s health department.

The clade I variant has been circulating for some time; a case was reported in neighboring San Mateo County in 2024.

In a news release April 16, the San Francisco Department of Public Health stated it confirmed the case April 14.

“The individual reported close contact with someone who traveled internationally,” the release stated.

The 2022 mpox outbreak among mostly gay and bisexual men and their sexual partners was caused by clade II mpox. Clade I is more prevalent in central Africa, and is also more dangerous.

“Both clade I and clade II mpox cause similar symptoms, which may start with flu-like symptoms such as a fever, swollen lymph nodes or fatigue, followed by a rash that looks like pimples or blisters,” the health department’s news release stated. “People who have a rash that looks like mpox should contact their healthcare provider to get tested and talk to their partners so they can take steps to prevent the spread of infection.”

As the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, three unrelated cases of clade I mpox were found in Southern California last fall. All three cases were in unvaccinated people who required hospitalization and none involved international travel, which indicated community spread among gay and bisexual men and their sexual partners. It was the first time clade I mpox had spread in California unrelated to international travel.

There was also a clade I case in California reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2024, but that did involve international travel.

San Francisco officials said they are keeping an eye on the situation.

“SFDPH is closely monitoring mpox. While clade I mpox cases remain rare in the United States, clade II mpox cases continue to occur in San Francisco and throughout California,” stated San Francisco Health Officer Dr. Susan Philip. “This development reminds us just how important it is to be fully vaccinated against mpox if you are at risk. With summer travel and events quickly approaching, now is a great time to seek the mpox vaccine.”

State health officials noted that mpox can spread through intimate physical contact such as massages, cuddling, or sex (oral, anal, or vaginal); direct skin-to-skin contact with the rash, scabs, or body fluids that touched sores; sharing a living space or personal items with someone who has mpox; and spread from a pregnant woman with mpox to the fetus or baby. Casual contact, like one might have in an airplane, office, or store, is unlikely to spread mpox.

People at risk are advised to get two doses of the Jynneos vaccine from their health care providers as soon as possible. Two doses of the Jynneos vaccine are administered 28 days apart.’

The antiviral TPOXX is used to treat mpox in immunocompromised people and others at risk for serious illness.

The antiviral TPOXX is used to treat mpox in immunocompromised people and others at risk for serious illness.

According to city data, there have been 26 clade II mpox cases reported in San Francisco this year.

For more information about mpox and vaccinations, go to https://tinyurl.com/5eubp9fh. t

On trans female athletes, Mahan parrots Newsom’s ‘fairness’ line

by Matthew S. Bajko

Ayear ago, during the debut episode of his podcast, California Governor Gavin Newsom said it was “deeply unfair” to allow transgender athletes to participate in female college and youth sports. He was responding to a comment made by the late Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, a conservative provocateur who was fatally shot last September.

“Right ... I think it’s an issue of fairness. I completely agree with you on that. It’s deeply unfair,” Newsom replied, leading to wide condemnation from LGBTQ leaders.

With the Democratic politician set to be termed out of office in January, the race is on to succeed him. The June 2 primary will determine which of the two gubernatorial contenders will appear on the November 3 ballot, as only the top two vote-getters regardless of party affiliation will advance to the general election in the fall.

As state leaders, along with officials at public schools and colleges across the Golden State, tangle with the Trump administration over rules governing the participation of transgender athletes, particularly girls and women, on youth and collegiate sports teams, the Bay Area Reporter inquired about the issue on the questionnaire it sent to the top Democratic and Republican candidates in the gov-

ernor’s race. Three Democrats replied by the deadline to do so.

Of them, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan took a similar stance as that of Newsom, parroting his “unfair” language the governor espoused on his podcast. Mahan also said his views on the matter are shaped by being a father, similar to Newsom.

“I love watching my 8-year-old daughter play soccer. If she asked me this question, I would tell her what I’ll tell you: I think that someone who was born male competing in girls’ or women’s sports could be unfair under certain circumstances, especially if they have a clear physiological advantage,” Mahan told the B.A.R. “This is an exceedingly rare situation in practice, but one for which sports leagues ought to have the space to work with their stakeholders (players, parents, coaches, etc.) to set and consistently apply eligibility requirements.”

Yet, Mahan took a different tack with transgender male athletes, particularly when it comes to playing sports recreationally.

“For my son’s younger recreational soccer team, I don’t see this ever being a relevant issue and I think it would be exceedingly unfair to bar transgender youth from participating,” wrote Mahan. “For my daughter’s competitive league, in which young women routinely earn scholarships and go on to play in college, this could be a real question.

Wiener brings legislative chops to fundraiser in race for Congress

by John Ferrannini

After speaking to a packed house at a fundraising event in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley, gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) said he’s glad the race to succeed Congressmember Nancy Pelosi in the U.S. House of Representatives is a competitive one. The district covers most of San Francisco.

“It should be a hard-fought, competitive race,” he told the Bay Area Reporter. “Because San Francisco deserves that, and I’m looking forward to making the case about why I’m the right person for our city in Congress.”

The April 16 event had over 200 guests and raised over $80,000, according to Joe Sangirardi, a gay man on the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee, who was among the hosts. (Sangirardi’s day job is development director for statewide LGBTQ rights group Equality California, which has endorsed Wiener.) Wiener needs the money –among others, he’s up against centimillionaire Saikat Chakrabarti, a straight ally and wealthy tech investor who formerly was chief of staff to Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York).

Also running are Connie Chan, a straight ally who is District 1 supervisor, and Marie Hurabiell, a straight woman who was a Donald Trump appointee to the Presidio Trust during his first administration. All four are Democrats.

Wiener, a moderate, would be the first gay person elected to Congress from San Francisco if he wins. The top two finishers in the June 2 primary advance to the November 3 general election.

The B.A.R. covered Chakrabarti and Chan campaign appearances in the Castro last month.

Chakrabarti has spent $4.82 million of his own fortune on his campaign as of March 31, according to Federal Elections Commissions filings, which also show the campaign had $208,000 on hand as of that date. Wiener raised $3.5 million as of that date, and spent $897,365 of that.

Chakrabarti has argued – as he did at a debate cosponsored by the Bay Area Reporter on April 16 –that this makes Wiener beholden to special interests.

Wiener pushed back against that argument strongly. Asked about it at the fundraiser, he said, it is “very precious for someone who is flooding the race with corporate dollars” to be making that argument, referring to the money Chakrabarti made in tech.

“How is he going to accuse anybody of being corporate?” Wiener asked. Wiener also said his record shows a history of holding big corporations accountable.

“The reality is that unlike my opponent, I have gone to battle against some of the largest corporations on the planet, the big tech companies, big oil, the telecom industry, the health insurance industry,” Wiener said. “And I have beaten them on behalf of consumers, on behalf of regular people. And so they can lie about me all they want. The reality is that I have one of the strongest pro-worker, pro-consumer, pro-environment records in the entire Legislature. I’m proud of that record, and I will continue to stand up for people, for the people who make our city and our country run.”

Wiener has a prolific record in the state Senate, to which he was first elected in 2016. Among his accomplishments, Senate Bill 35 streamlined approval for

affordable housing in cities that failed to meet housing goals, SB 40 capped insulin copays at $35 a month, and SB 53 led the nation in mandating the first safety frameworks for artificial intelligence companies.

He has also pioneered legislation protecting LGBTQ rights, including ending the unequal treatment of LGBTQ people on the sex offender registry, the creation of the ‘X’ nonbinary gender option on IDs and birth certificates, requiring insurers to cover gender-affirming care, and designating California as a trans refuge, among a host of other bills that have become law.

“You can ask anyone who’s ever run against me: No one outworks me,” Wiener said. “I am running hard at the same time that I’m doing the people’s business in Sacramento, carrying big legislation to protect scientific research, to expand access to healthcare, and to fight climate change and to protect consumers.”

Before Wiener was in the state Senate, he was District 8 supervisor representing the LGBTQ Castro neighborhood at City Hall.

“Representation matters,” Wiener said of being elected to Congress. “We love our allies. We can’t, it’s hard to do anything legislatively without our allies, but we have to have our own seat at the table. We need our own people in the room.”

For Sangirardi, who is supporting Wiener and lives in the congressional district, Wiener “isn’t all talk like most politicians.”

“If we want Democrats to do shit, we need to elect Democrats who actually do shit,” he stated.

Gay District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who lives in the congressional district, told the B.A.R. that Wiener “has impressed me in literally everything I’ve ever seen him do, as a lawyer and litigator, as an LGBTQ+ advocate and legislator. I think he has done more to change the conversation on housing, in California and nationwide, and I think he will be a phenomenal representative in Congress.”

Also co-hosting with Sangirardi was Jose Luis Gandara, a gay man who lives in the district. He said he is getting Gen Z on board with Wiener’s candidacy.

Doorperson at Castro bar reports battery incident

by John Ferrannini

A doorperson at the Midnight Sun bar in the LGBTQ Castro neighborhood is looking for people who may be able to identify who punched her while on the job April 18.

Calliope Solis, 35, has been checking IDs and collecting cover charges at the storied 18th Street LGBTQ bar for six months. Solis said shortly before 10:50 p.m. last Saturday someone she had met through mutual acquaintances two years ago, but does not know the name of, punched her after she would not let him in the bar.

In a phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter on April 20, Solis described the man as “6-foot, between

25 and 30 years old, a person of color, has Black hair, I guess it’s curly but he keeps it short. I could say 180 pounds.”

San Francisco Police Department Public Information Officer Robert Rueca stated to the B.A.R. April 20 that, “at approximately 10:50 pm officers responded to a business located on the 4000 block of 18th Street regarding a battery. Officers arrived on scene and met with an employee of the business who was punched by a male on the outside of the business.

“The suspect fled the scene and was not located by officers during the preliminary investigation,” Rueca added. The victim suffered nonlife-threatening injuries.

Solis said that in the past, she

had met the individual and he had grabbed her by the hair at the Edge after she didn’t want to answer his questions about “someone I used to be involved with.”

“By the time someone was able to come and help me, he ran away,” Solis said. “Once I started working in nightlife, I alerted other nightlife employees and said, ‘Hey, that guy is violent. Just be aware.’”

Solis said the situation culminated late Saturday, when he approached her at the door of Midnight Sun with two women.

“I … said, ‘You are not welcome here and you know why,’” Solis said. “The girl asks me, ‘Why isn’t he allowed in?’ so I pulled focus to her and said, ‘He knows why.’ As I’m saying that, he lunges around her and punches me in the face. I took a second to recoil, and by that time, he had already sprinted away.”

When police came, Solis couldn’t give a name, since she didn’t know.

“I’ve been feeling so many emotions since it happened,” Solis said. “I have been living in San Francisco for

eight years, and the longer I’ve lived here, the more I’ve gotten involved in nightlife, one way or another. A lot of people know me, so when I decided to take the job at Midnight Sun, I never thought something like this would happen. As a trans woman, I assumed I would be protected and people wouldn’t think to harm

me, but it happened. It’s devastating, and I’m angry, and I would like him to be held accountable.”

Midnight Sun didn’t immediately return an email seeking comment.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the SFPD at 415-5754444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD. t

Artists sought for Milk plaza commission

compiled by Cynthia Laird

The San Francisco Arts Commission invites artists and artist teams residing in the U.S. to submit qualifications for the Harvey Milk Plaza Improvements Project public art opportunity. The plaza, adjacent to the Castro Muni Station, is considered the front door to the LGBTQ neighborhood.

In related news, Mayor Daniel Lurie recently announced legislation to appropriate 2024 bond money for numerous projects, including Milk plaza.

For the public art request for qualification, or RFQ, the arts commission stated in an email announcement that the project involves the Gallery East Art Wall, sited on the concourse level of the Castro Muni Station. The artwork will measure eight feet high by 18 feet wide (144 square feet), and be composed of a durable material, such as mosaic or digitally printed ceramic tile.

The budget for the project is anticipated to be $128,000. A $16,000 installation allocation will be managed under a separate contract, according to the RFQ.

Final approval by the arts commission is expected in January, with a fall 2028 completion date for the art work, according to a time line accompanying the RFQ.

funnel passengers in and out of the underground subway station, replacing the wider one there today that undulates downward across most of the space.

The renovation of Harvey Milk Plaza, named in honor of the slain gay San Francisco supervisor, has been years in the making. Work is expected to begin late this year and much of the cost is covered by bond money that San Francisco voters passed in November 2024.

The plans call for constructing a smaller stairway covered by a rosecolored, transparent overhang to

Obituaries >>

Michael Patrick O’Malley

September 24, 1938 – March 30, 2026

Michael Patrick O’Malley, dedicated community volunteer and loving family member, died March 30 at the age of 87. Michael (Mike, Mikey) dedicated 30plus years to supporting HIV prevention, testing, and supportive services in Sonoma County since he moved

A new spiral podium feature is to be built by the intersection of Castro and Market streets as a nod to the site’s history as a gathering place for protests and rallies. Historical elements about the LGBTQ neighborhood, Milk, and other civic leaders are also to be incorporated into the redesigned plaza, though some of those features are dependent on raising additional funds to pay for them.

One change already under construction at the plaza is a new fourstop elevator for subway passengers accessed from several levels of the public parklet. City officials are awaiting final inspection signoff

from San Francisco to Santa Rosa in 1992. Mike volunteered with both Face to Face and Food for Thought for decades, and both agencies said Mike served their clientele with kindness, care, and compassion.

Mike lived in San Francisco for over 20 years and established an amazing group of cherished friends.

A major point of pride was that Mikey attended the first San Francisco Pride Parade, and every parade thereafter until two years ago.

Mike was preceded in death by his partner, Renee Labitaille; his parents,

from the state before making the lift encased in a glass, lighted tower accessible to the public.

According to the arts commission, goals of the public art project include honoring the values and legacy of Milk, celebrating the history of activism in San Francisco, reflecting the history and culture of the Castro District and queer community, and visually enhancing and complementing Harvey Milk Plaza and the Castro Muni Station.

See page 6 >>

Correction

In the April 16 article, “In Castro, Nguyen campaigns on investing in communities,” the neighborhoods served by District 8 should have stated Cole Valley, not Cow Hollow. The online version has been corrected.

and Michael O’Malley; his siblings, Joan, Don, Eileen, Ralph, and Bobby; and nephew, Don Jr. He is survived by his children, Mark O’Malley and Kerry O’Malley; and nieces and nephews, and grandnieces and grandnephews who love him greatly.

The family extends their heartfelt gratitude to all who supported Mike throughout his life.

The family invites donations to Face to Face at f2f.org, and Food for Thought at fftfoodbank.org, where Mike gave so much of his time, love, and energy.

D8 supe candidates meet at Castro forum

by JL Odom

The Castro women’s sports bar Rikki’s was packed on a recent night – but not for a televised Golden State Valkyries or Bay FC game. Instead, attention turned to San Francisco District 8 supervisor candidates during a community forum.

At the forum, which organizers said focused on queer women, nonbinary, and transgender individuals, the four candidates – three gay men and one queer bisexual woman – homed in on preserving community spaces and ensuring equitable resources.

The hourlong event, held from 7 to 8 p.m. on April 16 and open to the public, featured Gary McCoy, a former longtime political aide to Congressmember Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) who is currently campaign manager of Pelosi’s Save Our Health Care Campaign; Michael Trung Nguyen, a patent attorney who performs as drag queen Juicy Liu; Emanuel “Manny” Yekutiel, owner of the eponymous cafe and event space on Valencia Street just outside the district boundaries; and Darshini Patel, a Noe Valley resident who has worked on presidential campaigns and as a B2B marketing director for DoorDash. Patel just recently entered the race.

The quartet fielded questions from moderator Michelle Meow, a lesbian event producer and a former president of the San Francisco Pride board of directors.

Gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who is currently board president, is termed out of office in January. District 8 covers the Castro, Duboce Triangle, Noe Valley, Twin Peaks, Corona Heights, Diamond Heights, and parts of Cole Valley. The forum was one in a

series scheduled in the coming weeks, alongside endorsement and headquarters announcements ahead of the November 3 general election, as noted by the Bay Area Reporter.

Brian “Chickpea” Busta, a gay man who has lived in the Castro for 36 years, said he was glad to attend – and glad the forum was happening.

“I’m really thankful that Rikki’s hosted it, and I think we need more events like this so people can get to

know the candidates,” he said.

Busta, 62, sat on a bar stool near the front window, with a back-row view of the forum.

“I love that it’s all queer candidates, and I feel like they really care about District 8,” he said.

Danielle Thoe, who co-owns Rikki’s with Sara Yergovich, both queer women, told the B.A.R. the idea to host the forum came through friends and local community ties.

“District 8 is really thought of as a boys’ town, and [the Castro’s] the gay neighborhood, but a lot of people focus on the gay boys who are here, and so I was really excited to say, ‘Yes, we should have something by and for queer women,’” Thoe, 35, said.

“Rikki’s is about creating a space for women to come and watch women athletes and find community. And so doing something like this –related to who is going to represent our district on the Board of Supervisors – just felt like a really good fit,” she added.

In fact, all of the D8 supervisors elected since the city returned to district elections in 2000 have been gay white men.

At one point, Meow asked candidates how they would address is-

sues such as education, access to health care, and housing with equity in mind, if elected. Affordability emerged as a central theme in several responses, including Nguyen’s.

“For me, housing and affordability are intrinsically tied,” he said, proposing solutions such as raising the minimum wage and expanding social housing.

Yekutiel, who previously served on the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s board, described affordability as San Francisco’s biggest issue, citing his own experience as a small business owner and resident, and noting its particular impact on queer women in areas such as health care, child care, education, and housing. He proposed building 10,000 new homes in District 8 over several years.

“If we cannot build the housing that we need to make it affordable, our community just can’t be here anymore,” Yekutiel said. “If we can’t get housing right, we can’t get affordability right.”

For Busta, a longtime resident with no intention of leaving the city, the focus on affordability resonated.

New trans sexual health clinic opens in Tenderloin

by Eliot Faine

TransThrive cut the ribbon for its new drop-in nursing and sexual health clinic on April 16, two days before National Transgender HIV Testing Day. The clinic is part of the San Francisco Community Health Center’s services center that opened in 2023.

The new clinic operates at the existing TransThrive brick and mortar location at 1460 Pine Street in the Tenderloin. Its drop-in hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 to 4:30 p.m. and will serve existing and new patients.

Medical professionals offer care including sexually transmitted infection testing, HIV prevention and treatment, gender-affirming care, nursing care coordination, and wound care.

A news release stated the clinic was designed by trans-identified care providers to meet people where they are.

TransThrive is a community drop-in program of the San Francisco Community Health Center , meant to serve the local transgender and gender-expansive community. The TransThrive drop-in space hosts around 18 community wellness pro-

grams and is open five days a week at the same location between 2 and 4:30 p.m.

“What the trans community does in San Francisco, what TransThrive does for our communities, is you all give us hope,” said Lance Toma, a gay man who is CEO of San Francisco Community Health Center, before the ribbon-cutting.

TransThrive program manager Sage Hapke, a woman of trans experience, told the Bay Area Reporter that the clinic provides sexual health services for free and

can treat trans people ages 12 and older. Prescriptions like preventative medication or seeing an on-site nurse would require patients to fill out an intake form, create a patient profile, and determine insurance coverage. Those without insurance are given a sliding scale of payment options.

The San Francisco Community Health Center is a federally qualified health center and a nonprofit organization supported by the United States

Department of Health and Human Services. According to Hapke, other funding comes in through city, county, and state support as well as individual donors and charity sponsors. Per its most recent Form 990, TransThrive’s expenses totaled over $2.5 million. The drop-in center served 1,700 transgender women in the fiscal year of 2025, or 65% of all transgender women in San Francisco.

San Francisco Community Health Center has a budget of about $24.4 million, according to its 2025 Impact Report.

Last year, the health center joined the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and seven other nonprofits in suing the Trump administration, challenging executive orders that defunded LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS organizations over diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. A preliminary injunction last June temporarily blocked the defunding. Last July, $6.2 million in grants were restored, though the lawsuit remains ongoing.

More recently, the San Francisco Transgender Alliance for Health Resources’ capacity building assistance, at the San Francisco Community Health Center, lost 50% of its budget, an amount

of $139,000, due to cuts by the city that the San Francisco Health Commission approved in March. That reduction is from the Fiscal Year 2026-27 budget, approved by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and signed by San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie last July. That budget called for $17 million in cuts from community-based organizations, and in the time between then and now, the department held stakeholder meetings with the community-based organizations to discuss how to achieve that amount, according to a DPH memo.

A thriving history

According to its website, the San Francisco Community Health Center was founded in 1987, out of the AIDS crisis, with a focus on supporting the health of Asian and Pacific Islander communities, and was then known as the Asian Pacific Islander Wellness Center. After almost 20 years, the health center became federally recognized in 2015. It became the San Francisco Community Health Center in 2018.

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Sherrill, Wong for SF supervisor

San Francisco voters in supervisorial Districts 2 and 4 will vote June 2 for their representatives to complete terms that end in early January. In District 2, Stephen Sherrill was appointed by former mayor London Breed in December 2024 to replace Catherine Stefani, who was elected to the state Assembly. In District 4, Alan Wong was appointed by Mayor Daniel Lurie last December following the recall of gay former supervisor Joel Engardio. (Wong was Lurie’s second pick, after his first one flamed out after a week in office.)

We recommend both Sherrill and Wong be elected in their respective districts. Both will need to run again in November for full four-year terms.

Sherrill for District 2

District 2 includes some of the city’s wealthiest neighborhoods: the Marina, Pacific Heights, Presidio Heights, and Cow Hollow. A straight ally, Stephen Sherrill wrote in his Bay Area Reporter endorsement questionnaire that he’s focused on the basics: safe streets, clean neighborhoods, thriving small businesses, and city services that actually work. “That approach matters for LGBTQ residents across San Francisco,” he stated.

Sherrill supports bringing the San Francisco Police Department back to full staffing, including the 30x30 recruitment plan to increase the number of women in the department to 30% by 2030.

He also stated that the city should step in to protect HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care services if the federal government cuts that funding. “San Francisco has led the country in addressing HIV for decades, and we should continue that commitment,” Sherrill stated.

First Year Free program, which waives initial permitting and licensing fees, and helped eliminate outdated formula retail restrictions on Van Ness to make it easier to fill vacant storefronts,” he wrote, adding that the city should continue modernizing zoning. He has conducted more than a dozen merchants corridor walks to hear directly from business owners and address issues in real time.

Sherrill wrote that he attended the reopening of the Castro Theatre earlier this year and noted that the LGBTQ neighborhood is one of San Francisco’s most important. “Across San Francisco, corridors like the Castro face many of the same challenges as those in my district, including Chestnut Street, Union Street, and Sacramento Street,” he noted. His focus has been on lowering the cost and complexity of opening and operating a business. “I extended the

Likewise, the Tenderloin District and the Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District in the South of Market neighborhood are important parts of San Francisco’s LGBTQ history, he stated, adding he would continue to work closely with Supervisors Bilal Mahmood and Matt Dorsey, a gay man, to support organizations and small businesses there. For Sherrill, it largely comes down to affordability. “Cultural districts survive when the people and institutions that define them can afford to stay,” he wrote.

Sherrill was asked about the future of San Francisco Centre, the now-shuttered mall downtown. “I would like to see a mixed-use project that brings housing, neighborhood-serving retail, and commu-

nity space back to that part of the city,” he stated. “The worst outcome would be years of vacancy while approvals drag on. The city should move quickly to support a project that brings people back downtown and creates activity throughout the day, not just during office hours.”

We think Sherrill has a solid grasp on issues facing his district and the city as a whole. He has been an ally for the LGBTQ community on myriad issues. Voters in District 2 should elect him on June 2.

Wong for District 4

Alan Wong has had to hit the ground running, having only been in office four months at present. Even after the recall of Engardio, there continues to be unrest in District 4, which includes the Sunset, largely over the closure of a portion of the Great Highway to vehicles and creating Sunset Dunes park, which was passed by voters in 2024 as Proposition K. In fact, one of Wong’s first actions as supervisor was to try to get a measure on the June ballot to revert back to the compromise reached during the

We support Scott Wiener for Congress

by

Sal Rosselli, Tom Temprano, Race Bannon, and Marcy Adelman

San Francisco’s LGBTQ community has always been in a fight for its life.

During the AIDS crisis, when the federal government looked the other way, our people died. Back then, organizers, advocates, and a handful of brave elected officials did the work that Washington, D.C. refused to do. That history – of community fighting back, of demanding more – is in the DNA of this city.

It’s also in the DNA of Scott Wiener.

Wiener has lived in the Castro since 1997. He didn’t discover San Francisco when he decided to run for Congress. He’s been here for 29 years – doing pro bono eviction defense for elderly HIV-positive tenants who had nowhere else to turn; founding a neighborhood watch in the Castro after a wave of sexual assaults; playing a central role in building and opening the San Francisco LGBT Community Center. Long before he was a state senator, he was a neighbor, a volunteer, an organizer, and a fighter for this community.

That history is why we’re supporting Wiener for Congress.

Wiener is the most aggressive LGBTQ legisla tor in California – and probably the coun try. But don’t take our word for it. Look at the record: he authored the law that made California a sanctuary for transgender youth and their families when other states were criminalizing their existence by threatening to throw their parents in prison. He played a key role placing a constitutional amendment on the ballot to enshrine marriage equality in California law. He passed a law protecting LGBTQ seniors in nursing homes. When the U.S. Supreme Court put California’s law banning youth conversion therapy in severe legal jeopardy, he immediately introduced legislation taking an alternative approach to prevent queer kids from being subject to this psychological torture. He authored a law protecting trans people’s private medical data from hostile authorities. He made PrEP available without a prescription, so that anyone – not just those with access to a doctor – could protect themselves from HIV. And he decriminalized HIV, ending laws that had been weaponized against gay and trans people for decades.

his home. But despite those death threats and regular physical harassment by MAGA extremists, Wiener has persevered. Because he has a spine of steel, and he’s in elected office not for the title, but rather because of his deep passion for sticking up for our community.

As Wiener likes to say, “I don’t author the easy LGBTQ bills. I author the hard ones. The ones that aren’t always popular. The ones that don’t always poll well. Because if you won’t stand up for civil rights when it’s unpopular, you shouldn’t be in elected office.”

That’s an accurate description of how he has operated for nearly 16 years in elected office representing our community – taking on fights nobody else wanted, against well-funded and well-organized opposition, and winning.

And his record extends far beyond LGBTQ rights. Wiener hasn’t hesitated to challenge the status quo, break glass, and challenge powerful interests, whether mega-corporations, NIMBYs, or MAGA extremists.

more than 100 laws in the California Legislature that span housing, health care, science research funding, clean energy, artificial intelligence, food access, LGBTQ and immigrant rights, economic revitalization, and other critical needs.

That’s not just fancy campaign promises. It’s not just talk or hot takes. It’s a rock-solid record on behalf of San Franciscans and Californians. Which brings us to why this moment is so important.

President Donald Trump and his allies are coming for us. They are coming for our health care, our rights, our LGBTQ family members, our immigrant neighbors, and our very ability to live openly in this country. We need someone in Congress who will not only vote the right way, but actually knows how to fight – and win. Someone who has spent their career building coalitions, taking on powerful interests, and delivering real results, even when it’s hard and unpopular.

What this moment demands is someone who knows how to get laws passed – someone who has done it, again and again, against powerful corporate and ideological opposition, in a state as complicated as California.

That’s Wiener.

We’ve lived in San Francisco long enough to know the difference between a politician who supports the community with words and one who is genuinely of the community, who has gone to the mat for the community. Wiener is of this community. He has been for nearly three decades. He has the record to prove it, the scars to show it, and the understanding of how to make government actually work again in Washington.

At a moment when our rights, our neighbors, and our future are under attack, we want someone in Congress who has already proven they can deliver. That person is Wiener.

On June 2, we’re voting for Scott Wiener. We hope you will too. t

By defending our community, he has faced thousands of death threats, making the San Francisco Police Department bomb squad dog a regular visitor to

On housing, Wiener has authored state laws that have unlocked tens of thousands of new homes across California, including nearly 5,000 affordable homes right here in San Francisco. On health care, he authored the nation’s strongest mental health parity law – forcing insurance companies to cover far more mental health and addiction treatments – in addition to capping insulin co-pays at $35, cracking down on the pharmacy benefit managers that have been gouging patients for years, and moving California closer to adopting Medicare for All. Altogether, he’s passed

Sal Rosselli, a gay man, is president emeritus and political/legislative director of the National Union of Healthcare Workers. Tom Temprano, a gay man, is the managing director of Equality California, the statewide LGBTQ rights group that has endorsed Wiener. Race Bannon, a gay man, is a leader in the leather community and a former columnist for the Bay Area Reporter. Marcy Adelman, Ph.D., is a lesbian, an LGBTQ seniors advocate, and co-founder of Openhouse.

NAACP board chairman to keynote Milk club 50th gayla

by Matthew S. Bajko

The chairman of the NAACP National Board of Directors will keynote the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club’s golden anniversary event next month. The progressive political group will also award Leon Russell with its inaugural Harvey Milk Give ‘Em Hope Award.

The Milk club’s 50th Anniversary Gayla titled “Unstoppable” will take place Friday, May 22, which is its namesake’s birthday and celebrated in California as Harvey Milk Day. The club renamed itself in honor of the late gay San Francisco supervisor after he was assassinated along with then-mayor George Moscone in 1978.

The first LGBTQ person elected to public office in the Golden State when he won his board seat in November 1977, Milk would have turned 96 this spring. While awards titled with Milk’s name have been handed out by the political group in the past, the one being given to Russell is the first permanent award named in honor of Milk to be handed out at the annual gayla events. It uses one of the civil rights leader’s most famous lines about needing to give LGBTQ youth hope for their futures.

“We have never had an actual award named after Harvey. There have been one-off awards that had his name on it,” said Sean Dugar, vice president of events and fundraising for the Milk club.

Dugar, a gay political consultant based in Oakland, is helping lead the organizing committee for this year’s gayla. He told the Bay Area Reporter that one reason they asked Russell to keynote it is how much the work and priorities of the NAACP overlap with the Milk club.

ism. He fearlessly challenged the people of his community to recognize the value of public service and the value of opening the doors of governmental leadership that all people can bring to that community,” stated Russell. “He taught us that turning ‘hope’ into civic engagement can make a difference for all of us. I hope that I, individually and the NAACP as an organization can continue to turn ‘hope’ into productive action.”

It is the first time someone who knew and performed with the gay Black artist will receive the honor.

In recent days the club has announced other honorees it will celebrate at this year’s gayla. Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, a Democrat, will receive the Bayard Rustin Civil Rights Award named after the late gay Black leader who was the lead organizer of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

“When we think of national figures and national organizations that have been on the front lines fighting for so many of the issues that we, as the Milk club, care about, the NAACP is one of the first organizations to come to mind,” said Dugar.

Those shared sensibilities run the gamut, noted Dugar, from social justice to opposing the anti-LGBTQ and antiequality policies of the Trump administration, be it in federal courtrooms or protests on city streets.

“They have just been such a great partner nationally that the Harvey Milk Give ‘Em Hope Award is so fitting for the work they do,” said Dugar. “Not only do they give us hope, but we fight hand in hand with them at the national level.”

Russell, in his mid-70s, told the B.A.R. he is “truly humbled” to be receiving such a “prestigious award” from the Milk club. He added it’s a “sincere honor” to accept it on behalf of the NAACP.

“Harvey Milk was a courageous member of a community of people who suffered the indignity of societal other-

Editorial

COVID pandemic that saw the highway open to vehicles during the week, but closed on weekends. That effort fell short when Wong couldn’t get a fourth member of the Board of Supervisors to sign on. Now, community members are attempting to gather signatures to put a measure on the November ballot that would do the same thing. Wong, who has said he voted against Prop K, stated in his B.A.R. endorsement questionnaire that he would support returning to the compromise. Wong, a straight ally, previously served on the City College of San Francisco Board of Trustees. “Throughout my time in public service, I have worked to ensure LGBTQ people are represented in our public institutions,” he wrote, adding that while at City College, he

According to his bio on the NAACP website, he first joined the board of the nation’s oldest civil rights organization in 1990 and was elected its chair in 2017. He previously served as president of the NAACP Florida State Conference of Branches for four years, having spent 15 years as its first vice president.

In 2012, Russell retired as director of the Office of Human Rights for Pinellas County in Clearwater, Florida. In the 2000s, he served as president of the International Association of Official Human Rights Agencies.

Three years ago during Pride Month in June, Russell called out the antiequality policies instituted in the Sunshine State by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis. In an opinion piece that garnered international headlines, Russell warned Black people, along with LGBTQ individuals and others, about traveling to his home state.

“Our travel advisory is an effort to put the country on notice – if you are Black, if you are a woman, if you are an immigrant, if you are part of the LGBTQ+ community – be aware that your life, your full being, is not valued by Florida’s so-called leaders,” warned Russell.

Other honorees

Earlier this year, as the B.A.R. was first to report, the Milk club announced it would present San Francisco-born singer Martha Wash with its Sylvester Pride in the Arts Award.

supported the appointment of Mitchell Bailey as interim chancellor, the first gay man to hold the position. (Lesbian Susan Lamb held the position in 2015.) “I also led the effort to name City College’s multi-use building after Harry Britt, one of the nation’s first openly gay elected officials and a trailblazer for LGBTQ civil rights.” Britt, who died in 2020, was tapped by then-mayor Dianne Feinstein to replace Harvey Milk on the Board of Supervisors after Milk and former mayor George Moscone were killed by ex-supervisor Dan White in 1978. Wong supports backfilling any federal cuts to HIV/AIDS programs. “Even in a challenging budget environment, protecting lifesaving health services must remain a priority,” he wrote, explaining he would work with public health officials and community-based organizations to ensure the city continues to lead in HIV prevention, treatment, and care.

Guy “The Flower Man” Clark a gay Black man known for selling cut flowers on the street in the city’s Duboce Triangle neighborhood, will receive the Harry Britt Lifetime Achievement Award. It is named after the late gay San Francisco supervisor who was first appointed to fill the vacancy created by Milk’s death.

Women’s professional basketball team the Golden State Valkyries is this year’s recipient of the Milk club’s Community Ally Award, while the California Nurses Association will receive its Jazzie Collins Transgender Rights & Culture Award named in honor of the late trans advocate. The San Francisco Labor Council will be given the Bill Kraus Leadership Award, named after a co-founder of the Milk club who tragically died at age 38 in early 1986 after contracting meningitis.

The Hank Wilson Activist Award, named in honor of another deceased gay local leader, will be given to the Nuevo Sol Day Labor & Domestic Worker Center. The Chinese Progressive Association will be presented with the Eileen Hansen Social Justice Hero Award, which honors the late lesbian progressive leader who mounted unsuccessful bids for supervisor in the early 2000s.

The gayla and its after party are taking place at the San Francisco Design Center Galleria at 101 Henry Adams Street. Doors open at 6 p.m. for the dinner and awards reception, tickets for which start at $150 and can be bought online at https://www.milkclubgayla.org/. t

Regarding the former San Francisco Centre, Wong stated that the site should be transformed into a mixed-use destination that could include educational and workforce training uses, along with restaurants, retail, and cultural spaces.

Wong stated that the Castro is one of the most important LGBTQ neighborhoods in the world and preserving its identity while ensuring it remains a welcoming place for new generations is essential. “I would work closely with the next District 8 supervisor, community leaders, and local organizations to support policies that protect the Castro’s cultural and economic vitality,” he wrote.

In his short time on the Board of Supervisors, Wong has demonstrated that he cares about his district and supports policies and programs important to other parts of the city, such as the Castro. We recommend Wong in the District 4 supervisor’s race. t

Jesus didn’t discriminate so neither do

Come and see Dignity/SF, which affirms and supports LGBTQ+ folks. Catholic liturgy Sundays at 5pm, 1329 7th Avenue (Immediately off the N Judah line)

“That said, this is such a rare circumstance and I resent the way in which Republican politicians are beating up trans athletes to score cheap political points,” continued Mahan. “Transgender people should not be used as political targets. The trans community deserves respect, support, and protection from discrimination and scapegoating. We can uphold fairness in women’s sports while also standing firmly against attacks on a vulnerable community.”

The other two respondents to the B.A.R.’s questionnaire – former congressmember Katie Porter of Orange County and former state controller Betty Yee – took more forceful stances in support of female trans athletes. But Yee, a San Francisco native who was termed out of her statewide elected position at the end of 2023, ended her gubernatorial bid Monday amid low polling numbers.

“Trans girls and women deserve the same rights to participate in sports as other Californians,” contended Porter, who left Congress in 2025 due to losing her bid for one of the state’s U.S. Senate seats in 2024 rather than seeking reelection to her House seat. “This is a question of standing up to discrimination and

“I was born in 2000, and there are so many people who’ve known Scott for decades who are here,” he said. “I brought 10 or so of my Gen Z friends who are new to Castro and have never been to a fundraiser yet here they are tonight, excited to learn about Scott.”

The event was held at the home of Ankur Bratt, a gay man who said he’s “especially, right now, finding ways to be politically active so why not have fun

<< News Briefs From page 2

The deadline for RFQs is Monday, June 15, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. For more information, visit sf.gov/harveymilkimprovementsrfq.

Regarding the bond money appropriation, Lurie on April 15 announced legislation to spend up to $195 in bond funding for upgrades to city health in-

bigotry. Politicians should not be limiting opportunities for trans Californians, but instead fighting to expand their opportunities. Any policies for competitive athletics should be determined through the people who have a stake – the LGBTQ+ community, school and sport officials, parents, and the athletes themselves – not out-of-touch politicians.”

Yee had turned Newsom’s concept of fairness in sports on its head.

“Of course all sports should be fair, but that means inclusive participation,” wrote Yee. “The participation of trans girls and women to participate on female sports teams should be decided by the trans girls and their families/trans women, their health care providers, and the appropriate athletic authorities rather than legislated. My position on this is informed by trans girls and their parents, trans women athletes, and medical researchers who have more longitudinal data to inform this issue.”

Like many LGBTQ Californians, Yee added that she, too, was “disappointed” by Newsom’s remarks, “as it was a political statement rather than an informed one; and it created a wedge that has straight women and girls believing that the participation of trans girls and women in sports is a direct threat to them.”

The issue was one asked of the candidates who took part in conversations

doing it?” He added he supports Wiener because “he’s someone focused on improving the lives of people, not just talking about it.”

Response

The B.A.R. reached out to the Chakrabarti, Chan, and Hurabiell campaigns for comment.

Chan spokesperson Julie Edwards stated Wiener “has refused to support the billionaire tax and actually opposes the Overpaid CEO Tax that would make billionaires and big corporations pay

frastructure and street safety and public space enhancements. The $23.9 million for Milk plaza is included in the bond funds. Additionally, the legislation calls for $4.1 million for San Francisco City Clinic, which is expected to be relocated from its 356 Seventh Street location. The Bay Area Reporter noted https://www. ebar.com/story/158725 last year that the city has purchased property at 1660 Mission Street that will house City Clin-

Brightwell West is now leasing brand new units!

in early March with leaders of statewide LGBTQ rights group Equality California and the Los Angeles LGBT Center. As the B.A.R. reported in its coverage of the event, billionaire-turned-politico Tom Steyer espoused the clearest view on the matter.

Noting he’s played sports his “entire life,” Steyer said, “I strongly feel trans people should participate in sports.” He added, “I come back to how vulnerable and stressed trans youth feel. Sports is some form of community.”

their fair share. When push comes to shove, San Franciscans know Scott Wiener will put his billionaire donors ahead of working people every time.”

She was referring to Proposition D on the June 2 ballot in San Francisco.

Chakrabarti spokesperson Tiffaney Bradley stated, “I’m sure it’s hard for Scott to say with a straight face that he’s not owned by tech oligarchs and corporations when a crypto billionaire is funding his Super PAC and big tech, including Sam Altman, is pouring hundreds of thousands into his campaign.

ic and a host of behavioral health services. It’s expected to open in 2028. (City Clinic remains open in the meantime.)

“We’re putting this voter-approved funding to use to improve our health systems, make our streets safer for San Francisco’s families, and deliver vibrant public spaces,” Lurie stated.

Former state attorney general Xavier Becerra, who also served in the state Legislature, Congress, and as health and human services secretary in the Biden administration, said at the event that he’d “protect” trans people’s right to participate in sports “the way I did when I was attorney general.”

He noted that, “Health care and education are not the prerogative of the federal government. The Constitution left health care, education, and public safety to the states. Obviously, there are some constraints if you take federal money, [such as] Medicare. I know the law.”

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond has forcefully backed allowing trans women and girls to participate on female sports teams. His standing up to the Trump administration’s anti-trans policies resulted in a federal lawsuit being filed last year against the California Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation, which oversees high school sports competitions, after they refused to comply with the federal Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights’ order to change their trans inclusion policies within 10 days.

“California state law protects all students’ access to participate in athletics

But sure, Saikat, who earned his money when he was 26 working as a coder, is the problem.”

Altman, a gay man and the controversial Open AI CEO, donated to Wiener’s state legislative campaign in 2016, and his congressional campaign in 2023, public records show.

Asked to respond, Wiener spokesperson Joe Arellano stated, “Unlike Saikat, Scott Wiener has actually done battle with the big tech companies – battling them on AI safety and to stop them from killing competition. It’s why tech

cent Counseling Services.

in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity. We will continue to follow the law and ensure the safety of all of our athletes,” stated Thurmond last June at the start of Pride Month.

Amid a push by conservative parents in 2023 for a statewide ballot measure that would restrict trans girls from playing on female athletic teams at school, one of three anti-trans measures that proponents failed to qualify, Thurmond had told the B.A.R., “I think it is important to acknowledge this is a political movement that is intended to stamp out any conversation about the needs of LGBTQ-plus kids.”

During interviews last September with Julie Watts of CBS News California, the two leading Republicans in the race, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and Steve Hilton, a former adviser to former United Kingdom prime minister David Cameron, made it clear they share the Trump administration’s view that trans youth should be barred from playing on athletic teams that align with their gender identity.

“It’s not fair. It’s not fair for girls who’ve worked so hard,” Hilton said. Bianco responded, “Boys should not be competing against girls. As a coach, I absolutely know that boys have no place in girls’ sports.” t

moguls like Marc Andressen and David Sacks regularly attack Scott. Saikat, by contrast, has never lifted a finger to take on Big Tech. Instead, he spends his days going on friendly podcasts and offering hot takes in the hopes of going viral.”

Reached for comment, Hurabiell stated, “Obviously, Scott and Saikat have war chests, but San Francisco is trending moderate. Everyday people are most concerned about affordability and public safety – not the progressive agenda. My opponents are not in touch with what most voters want.” t

A news release stated that the panel has five open seats: two representing San Francisco County, one regular and one alternate; one representing San Mateo County; and two representing Santa Clara County, one regular and one alternate. Members serve three-year terms.

a

According to a social media announcement, center staff will have a variety of outlets for people to vent their frustrations. These include inflatable clown punching bags, dancing, stress ball making, and a community art project. For those interested in the art project, they should bring anything they want to glue, write, or draw about how they’re feeling right now. This can be news articles, images, poems, or stickers.

Brightwell West is now leasing brand new units! 74 apartments at 750 Golden Gate Avenue available for lease through DAHLIA, San Francisco Housing Portal

7

74 apartments at 750 Golden Gate Avenue available for lease through DAHLIA, San Francisco Housing Portal

West is now leasing brand new units! apartments at 750 Golden Gate Avenue available for lease through DAHLIA, San Housing Portal 7 Studios $843 -

Lurie’s legislation is co-sponsored by gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who represents the Castro and is president of the board; District 3 Supervisor Danny Sauter; and District 2 Supervisor Stephen Sherrill, a news release from the mayor’s office stated.

San Mateo LGBTQ center to hold ‘Release the Rage’ event

The nine-member committee advises the joint powers board of directors and provides input on the needs of current and potential rail customers, the release stated.

month

“Together we will create art out of anger and hopefully release some rage in the process,” officials noted. The event is alcohol-free and for all ages. To register, go to https://tinyurl. com/4dbr25k4.

income of two times

Households must have a minimum monthly income of two times the rent. Households must earn no more than the gross monthly income listed below:

With the state of the world – and the U.S. – angering many in the LGBTQ community, the San Mateo County Pride Center is holding a unique event, “Release the Rage,” Sunday, May 3, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Ryder Park, 1625 J. Hart Clinton Drive in San Mateo.

Caltrain advisory panel has openings

Unless otherwise noted, the advisory committee meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 5:40 p.m. at Caltrain headquarters, 166 N. Rollins Road in Millbrae, a short walk from the Millbrae Caltrain Station, the release noted. All meetings are open to the public.

Households must have a minimum monthly income of two times the rent. Households must earn no more than the gross monthly income listed below: 1

Households must have a minimum monthly income of two times the rent. Households must earn no more than the gross monthly income listed below: 1 Person 2 People 3 People 4 People 5 People 6 People 7

The event is co-sponsored by Outlet, an LGBTQ+ youth program of Adoles-

<< Trans clinic From page 3

The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, which manages Caltrain, is seeking volunteers from San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties to serve on its Citizens Advisory Committee.

now, is the Rose Sorority.

Residents interested in joining the committee can find an application on the Caltrain website at https:// tinyurl.com/4hvbxfmr or by calling 650-508-6347. Applications are due by Friday, May 29. The terms for the open seats expire June 30, 2029. t

tance for unity within trans women communities.

$10,908 $12,471 $14,025 $15,583 $16,829

Applications and information available on DAHLIA, the San Francisco Housing Portal, at housing.sfgov.org.

deadline is 5PM on May 13, 2026. Lottery applications must be submitted online at housing.sfgov.org from April 22 to May 13, 2026. For assistance, contact one of the housing counseling agencies listed at housing.sfgov.org/housing-counselors.

and information available on DAHLIA, the San Francisco Housing Portal, housing.sfgov.org.

Applications and information available on DAHLIA, the San Francisco Housing Portal, at housing.sfgov.org.

The applications’ deadline is 5PM on May 13, 2026. Lottery applications must be submitted online at housing. sfgov.org from April 22 to May 13, 2026. For assistance, contact one of the housing counseling agencies listed at housing.sfgov.org/housing-counselors.

applications’ deadline is 5PM on May 13, 2026. Lottery applications must be submitted housing.sfgov.org from April 22 to May 13, 2026. For assistance, contact one of the counseling agencies listed at housing.sfgov.org/housing-counselors. has some units with special features for mobility-impaired or sensory-impaired Several preferences apply; learn more at housing.sfgov.org. Income and other apply. Section 8 welcome. Equal Housing Opportunity.

The Center of Excellence for Transgender Health established National Transgender HIV Testing Day in 2016. The day is recognized annually on April 18. The Center is an initiative by UCSF’s Department of Medicine and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide training, education, and conducting research to “advance health equity” for transgender and nonbinary communities.

The Rose Sorority is a San Franciscobased sisterhood of Black and Brown women, ages 16 to 34, of trans experience, according to Fowler. She said the sorority is part of the reason the clinic came to be. The clinic was TransThrive’s end goal, but the sisterhood formed first.

Averaii Dirks, a trans woman and the sorority’s president, told the B.A.R. that she believes it’s “important for people to see love,” as she’s grown to connect with her peers and the sorority’s mission over the past year.

Applications and information available on DAHLIA, the San Francisco Housing Portal, at housing.sfgov.org.

The applications’ deadline is 5PM on May 13, 2026. Lottery applications must be submitted online at housing.sfgov.org from April 22 to May 13, 2026. For assistance, contact one of the housing counseling agencies listed at housing.sfgov.org/housing-counselors.

Trans futures

“The stigma breaks down, just from the Rose Sorority,” Fowler elaborated, “because they have a relationship with our clinical and medical providers here, their peers see them [getting care] and they go ‘OK, well it can’t be that bad,’ we see the medical mistrust is beaten.”

The applications’ deadline is 5PM on May 13, 2026. Lottery applications must be submitted online at housing.sfgov.org from April 22 to May 13, 2026. For assistance, contact one of the housing counseling agencies listed at housing.sfgov.org/housing-counselors.

This property has some units with special features for mobility-impaired or sensory-impaired households. Several preferences apply; learn more at housing.sfgov.org. Income and other restrictions apply. Section 8 welcome. Equal Housing Opportunity.

This property has some units with special features for mobility-impaired or sensory-impaired households. Several preferences apply; learn more at housing.sfgov.org. Income and other restrictions apply. Section 8 welcome. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Khilynn Fowler, the health center’s community relations manager and an African American woman of trans experience, has two initiatives within TransThrive. The first is a monthly clothing store pop-up for trans women, SHE Boutique, at the community space. The second, a year in the making

She explained that the women formed their community through ensuring they had the resources they needed and the ability to get care, and the clinic came out of that effort.

This property has some units with special features for mobility-impaired or sensory-impaired households. Several preferences apply; learn more at housing.sfgov.org. Income and other restrictions apply. Section 8 welcome. Equal Housing Opportunity.

The Rose Sorority’s vice president, Jae’lanii Mathis, a trans woman, told the B.A.R. that the sisters have “looked to the sorority for a sense of betterment,” and elaborated on the impor-

Dirks noted that, because of increased hostility toward trans people nationwide , many of the sisters who ended up in San Francisco came from out of state. Hapke also told the B.A.R. that the number of patients served at the drop-in has grown over the past year for the same reason.

Fowler emphasized the generational need for young Black and Brown trans women to see themselves as leaders, “I want the girls to know, if I die tomorrow, I want them to look at me and say, ‘she wasn’t afraid, so I won’t be afraid.’” For more information on the TransThrive clinic, go to sfcommunityhealth. org. t

by David-Elijah Nahmod

From April 29 until May 10, the San Francisco International Arts Festival will offer a pleth ora of dance, music and performance art. The festival will present a diverse blend of performers from around the Bay and beyond, with many of the international artists making their US debuts.

Among the performers are a queer singing duo Emma’s Revolution. They are Sandy O and Pat Humphries, and they have become renowned for writing and singing about social justice issues. Their credentials are impressive. Their music has been praised by folk legend Pete Seeger, covered by Holly Near, and featured on NPR’s “All Things Considered.” As part of the SFIAF, Emma’s Revo lution will perform at the Marsh Studio on April 30 at 8:30 PM, in a timely show titled, “We Are the Power: Songs for the Resistance.”

Most recently, Emma’s Revolution has performed in Minneapolis in the aftermath of ICE’s terrorizing of the city and executing Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

“Folks in Minneapolis have really been through it,” O said in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter. “They put up a fight against ICE that inspired the world, and one of the ways they did it, and are still doing it, was by singing. We wanted to give back to them. We wanted to bring them some joy, comfort and support through song and a concert where folks could come together, sing together, and be reminded of that by collective joy and strength. Our concerts are all about raising the energy so that people remember their power and what it feels like to be part of a moment where they are connected with one another and with us through music.”

Read the full interview on www.ebar.com.

SF International Arts Festival

Emma’s Revolution: “We Are The Power” Songs for the Resistance,”

April 30 at 8:30pm, The Marsh Studio, 1062 Valencia St. $12.59-$28.02

Other LGBT performers at the San Francisco International Arts Festival include:

Dandelion Dance Theater/ Wandering Ensemble

“Parable of Belonging, Cycle 1”

The Wandering Ensemble (Dandelion Dancetheater and CSU East Bay) collaborates with artists, community members, academics, students, and uncategorizable beings from diverse disciplines to use visionary imagination, dance, music, theatre, and community ritual to explore what life in the Bay Area could be like in 30 years.

May 2, 2:30 and 5:30 pm. Ruth’s Table, 3160 21st St. $1-$36, sliding scale

Eddie Jen: “Seeking a Penpal for the End of the World” (US premiere) What makes English teachers so memorable?

In the aftermath of January 6, 2021, an Asian immigrant drag queen from San Francisco began writing to his retired, Republican, White, English teacher from Bountiful, Utah. They kept this penpal friendship going… right up to Trump’s election in 2024.

May 2, 7:30pm, May 9, 6pm, The Marsh Studio, 1062 Valencia St. $20-$30

Steamroller Dance Company with the Singers of the Street “Bespoke” (SF premiere)

In the latest work from Steamroller Dance Company, an immersive musical envelops viewers in an auditory, visceral experience with dancers guiding the audience in a pastiche of musical genres where the audience is able to participate in

Aby Laura Moreno

as it never fails to entertain as it tackles serious issues like colonialism, sexism, wildlife management and more. What unfolds across six weekly episodes is a masterful subversion of audience expectations for a crime series. Season One dealt with a serial killer.

Season Two, in delving into illegal crocodile hunting and the specifics of a tourist economy built on such dangerous reptiles, ventures into genuinely unfamiliar territory for a murder mystery. The fascinating subject matter transforms

a playful tribute to the American

May 8, 7pm, Masonic Lodge

169 Bartlett St.

(sliding scale)

Underground Rainbow Experiment

“The First Time I Saw Me,” Underground Rainbow Experiment Emerging Artist Showcase.

A showcase gathering Black, trans and gender nonconforming artists presents music, movement, poetry, and visual storytelling. Performers reflect the moment of recognition, when survival softens into self-knowing and art becomes a mirror. The audience is invited to witness transformation, honor resilience and celebrate the beauty of Black trans creativity unfolding in real time.

May 8, 7pm, Fingersnaps Media Arts, 3527 20th St. $20-$30

from what could have been an oddball whodunit into a startlingly original satire of survival (human, animal, and economic).

Created by the talented queer duo Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan, “The Kates” behind this global phenomenon, Season Two finds our protagonists transplanted from a mostly queer Tasmanian town to the expansive, much harsher setting of Australia’s Northern Territory.

Visually, directors Ben Chessell, Gracie Otto, and Beck Cole capture the region’s big-sky beauty

as well as its sweltering heat and unique light. From Darwin’s waterfront precincts to the remote Indigenous communities, the cinematography conveys an atmosphere that is equally breathtaking and menacing while mosquitoes, sweltering heat, and deadly wildlife demand a heedful respect.

Odd coupling

Senior Police Sergeant Dulcie Collins (Kate Box) and Detective Eddie Redcliffe (Madeleine Sami) are the odd couple who arrive in Darwin to investigate the death of a fellow detective only to be pulled into a stickier investigation. The crimefighting duo is still deeply traumatized by the loss of their male colleague, but they’d rather keep working than unpack their feelings.

The supporting cast is also praiseworthy, with Alicia Gardiner and Nina Oyama returning as members of the ragtag law enforcement team.

New cast members include Luke Hemsworth, Steve Bisley (“The Great Gatsby”), Shari Sebbens (“The Sapphires”), and Byron Coll (“Time Bandits”), injecting even more cool quirkiness into an already outlandishly colorful cast. Perhaps most notably, the show features smart, interesting, memorable lesbian characters without tokenism. As Kate Box explained in an interview with Tracy Gilchrist, “The show is very, very queer with a huge queer audience, but also there’s a massive straight audience for ‘Deadloch.’”

Comedic pairing

Praised for its commitment to character-driven storytelling. Eddie remains the show’s chaotic engine, her hyper energy making every grounded moment funnier by contrast, while Dulcie provides the perfect counterpoint, turning ordinary moments into comedic gold.

As Kate Box describes her character, “Dulcie is very private, easily made uncomfortable and has a need to stay focused on solving crime,” while Sami describes Eddie as a young woman with “a 12-year-old male brain.”

Like Laurel & Hardy, something about these two very different actors makes them the perfect comedic partnership to push each other into the most hilarious uncharted territory.

The writing is also exceptionally sharp, with McCartney and McLennan penning at least three or four drafts of each episode and do readings together, acting out the scenes to ensure everything works.

Designer and hotelier Charles Gruwell

by Jim Gladstone

Charles Gruwell, an internation-

ally recognized interior designer, grew up in Monterey County. But he came into himself on the streets of San Francisco.

“I learned the ropes of being gay along Polk Street in the 1970s,” said Gruwell in a recent interview with the Bay Area Reporter.

At 73, after spending decades creating luxe private residences that went on to be showcased in Architectural Digest and Metropolitan Home, and immersive environments for clients including Bali’s Puri Wulandari Resort and The Four Seasons, Las Vegas, Gruwell has returned to Northern California to begin a new chapter of his career. He’s launched his own hospitality brand, The Charles, with a special focus on LGBTQ inclusivity.

“I’ve been traveling the world as a gay man for over 50 years,” said Gruwell. “Members of our community are looking for accommodations that make it very clear that they’re welcome and safe.”

“There’s plenty of research to support this,” he continued. “It’s not just about being ‘accepted.’ We should feel comfortable going up to the front desk and asking where to find a gay bar nearby or what local businesses are LGBTQ-owned.”

The Charles Pacific Grove (11 rooms) and The Charles Napa Valley (16 rooms) both opened last year in handsomely renovated Victorian homes.

Along with his business partners, brothers Don and Jay Desai, Gruwell is anticipating several more California locations, including a flagship 50-100 room hotel in San Francisco.

Welcoming comfort

“I’ve always loved hotels, but my first jobs were in graphic design,” said Gruwell, reflecting on his career. “In 1982, a developer was going to knock down a building on Cannery Row in Monterey and build a hotel, The Spindrift Inn. I went to him and asked him to give me a shot at decorating it. I modeled it after Campton Place,” he said, reflecting on the influence of his youthful forays into San Francisco.

“After the Spindrift opened, I entered my work in a hotel and restaurant competition. It won first place for lobby design and first place for guest room design and my new career was on its way.”

While noting that he aims to give each of his projects a sense of place that aligns with their location, they all have an air of richness and relaxation.

“My suites at the Bel Air Hotel are light and fresh, but traditional. I’m doing the Cypress Inn in Carmel with Spanish and Moroccan accents. At Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, I was working with 40-foot ceilings.”

For his new venture, Gruwell has no interest in offering queer guests the ultra-modern decor of a gay-exclusive international hotel brand, like Axel, or the campy kitsch frequently found at bed-and-breakfasts in queer hotspots like Provincetown and Miami Beach.

Rather than novelty, maturity is the hallmark of Gruwell’s designs for The Charles properties, which he imagines appealing to well-traveled guests in their 40s and above.

“The look is inspired by private clubs in London,” he said.

Favoring a layered aesthetic marked by lush fabrics, antique furniture, and deep colors, Gruwell says, “I don’t like things to be over-patterned. I don’t like busyness. I don’t like to use bright colors. Others think that’s hip and groovy and cool, but that’s not my artistic bent. There should be a sense of calm. I want people to walk in and have an immediate feeling of comfort.”

Visibility through hospitality

Building on the Charles’ foundational philosophy of LGBTQ inclusiveness, Gruwell and the Desai brothers have brought on Ryan MacCarrigan as a fourth partner, charged with developing the properties’ culture and community ties.

Well known in San Francisco as the Executive Director of Queer Life Space, a nonprofit mental health organization and an experienced business innovation consultant, MacCarrigan

Q-Music: Dance like you’re queer

by Gregg Shapiro

Some new and returning singersongwriters are taking it electronic, pop bopping, definitely out of the closet –and for one group, into the bath house– in their lyrics and themes.

Released on vivid blue vinyl, and spinning out at 45 RPM, “Cuts,” the sophomore effort by Messer (the solo project of queer, Grammy-winning Mitch Grassi of Pentatonix fame) is a seven-track album that alternately invites listeners to dance and lounge. Opener “Not Yet” kicks things off with irresistible drum ‘n’ bass breakbeats that go directly to your feet and booty, daring you to stay seated. The beats slow down a bit on “Human,” offering an opportunity to chill for those seeking a respite. The lush

“Railway Car” takes a similar approach, transporting listeners to a place of relative calm. Don’t get too cozy, because “Break Open” literally breaks open into a stunning dance number. Messer reignites the breakbeats on the luminous “Light On,” before wrapping it all up with the gorgeous piano and vocal

ballad “Clean (For W).” It’s a pleasure to hear Grassi explore this musical side of himself with his Messer endeavor. instagram.com/messer

Irish lesbian singer/songwriter

is cultivating relationships between each Charles property and its local community.

In Napa, MacCarrigan has been working with the city government, which is hoping to collaborate with the hotel on increasing queer tourism to the town and county.

During this year’s Pride celebrations, from June 13-20, The Charles Napa will be a hub of hospitality, welcoming out-of-towners and helping them arrange visits to nearby queerowned wineries and restaurants.

But Gruwell and MacCarrigan realize that parades and annual festivals can be passing fancies. In small tourist towns like Napa and Pacific Grove, they aspire for The Charles to become a permanent place of pride.t

www.thecharlesnapavalley.comwww.thecharlespacificgrove.comwww.charlesgruwelldesign.com

Messer, Ailbhe Reddy, Michael Ahmad & more new grooves

Ailbhe Reddy takes an approach similar to Messer on her third album “Kiss Big” (Don Giovanni). Alternating between inviting danceable cuts such as “That Girl” and “Graceful Swimmer” and more dramatic tunes including “Gorgeous Thing,” “Dead Arm,” and “Untangling.” It’s quite a feat considering the subject matter of the album is the breakup of a relationship (listen closely to the lyrics of “That Girl” and the title cut). dongiovannirecords.com

SFIAF From page 9

Bobby Friday Haus of Friday, “Under the Wig” (SF Premiere) An intimate, high-glam drag revue that invites audiences behind the lashes and beneath the fantasy features performances by Bobby Friday, Alexis Miranda, and Linda Summers, with polished drag excellence and unforgettable moments. A post-performance Q&A peeks under the wig to share stories, laughter and the joy behind the art of drag. May 10, 5:30pm, Fingersnaps Media Arts, 3527 20th St. $20-$30 Bia Ferreira (Brazil)

Craving a more non-stop dance experience? “Call of the Void” by Michael Ahmad might be calling to you. After releasing two prior albums under different monikers, this San Francisco-based queer singer/songwriter has released his new album under his birth name.

To his credit, Ahmad makes electronic music that sounds fresh and is guaranteed to fill dance floors across the globe. Knockout tracks include “Boys Like You,” “Yes Daddy” (featuring Saintahmad), “Can’t Admit It,” “Electric Fever” (featuring Amanda Hawkins), “Two Shadows,” and the hip-energy of “Poison in the Honey.” Ahmad displays his versatility on album closer “The Shape I Take.” themichaelahmad.com

Bearing the slogan, “Music by us, for us, about us,” House of Pride’s “Queer-Centric” doesn’t hesitate when it comes to its suggestive and provocative subject matter. With song titles such as “Power Bottom,” “Bring the Lube,” “Bathhouse Queen,” and “I Consent,” you shouldn’t have any trouble getting Sylvan Rogers’ drift.

Musically, the songs live up to promise of the titles, from the slamming (pun intended) “Power Bottom,” to the slippery beats of “Bring the Lube,” the brassy synths on “I Consent,” and the retro disco strut of “Bathhouse Queen,” House of Pride takes us on a sexy ride. houseofpridemusic.bandcamp.comt

‘I Swear’ Coming out with Tourette Syndrome

by Brian Bromberger

It’s an auspicious start with Scottish educator John Davidson ready to receive an MBE from Queen Elizabeth II for his charitable work, but unfortunately unable to stop himself, he shouts “Fuck the Queen!” on entering the silent room. Such is the opening scene in the British biographical drama film “I Swear,” recounting the inspiring life story of this Tourette Syndrome activist.

You may be familiar with Davidson, who at this year’s BAFTA award ceremony in March, shouted out the N-word when Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage introducing their film “Sinners.” It was a deeply disturbing moment in what should have been a triumphant night for “I Swear” (Sony Pictures Classics) with Robert Aramayo (Elrond in “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” and Eddard Stark in “Game of Thrones”) in an upset won Best Actor for his performance as Davidson, beating out Leonardo Di Caprio, Timothee Chalamet, and eventual Oscar winner Jordan.

The above incidents were indicative of both the tragic and humorous biography of Davidson, afflicted with Tourette Syndrome since the age of 14. Director/writer Kirk Jones (“Waking Ned Devine,” “Nanny McPhee”) mentions in his press notes that when he first met Davidson in November

2022, after inviting him into his house, he shouted in his face, “Let’s have sex!” His first incident, with his baffled mother in addition to rapid eye-blinking, twitching, and jerking, screamed at her, “Suck my cock!” Tourette Syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder that causes these sudden involuntary repeated movements and/or sounds in the face, neck, or upper limbs and in some sufferers, like Davidson, coprolalia, which is uncontrollable swearing and/or socially inappropriate racist, homophobic, misogynistic, and sexist outbursts. It was once referred to as a ‘Wild Madness.’ Current singing/songwriting sensation Billie Eilish has Tourette.

Prior to his Tourette manifesta-

‘Forbidden Fruits’

by Gregg Shapiro

Ever wondered what happened to the “Heathers” or the Plastics from “Mean Girls” right after high school?

In its own way, “Forbidden Fruits” (IFC/Shudder), directed and co-written by Meredith Alloway, offers some clues.

Meet ringleader Apple (bi actor Lili Reinhart), Cherry (Victoria Pedretti), and Fig (queer actor Alexandra Shipp); the titular forbidden fruits, all of whom work at overpriced boutique Free Eden (a barely concealed slam on the faux boho Free People) at the Highland Place Mall in a Texas suburb. The trio is “mall royalty.” They never pay at the food court, and diners vacate their table when they see them approaching.

Little do they know that they are being observed by Pumpkin (Lola Tung), who is handing out pretzel samples from Sister Salt’s (a thinly veiled Aunt Anne’s). She charms her way into the clothing coven by bringing Apple cinnamon pretzels (her fave). It also helps that Pumpkin and Apple have something in common – both are members of the “elite dead dad’s club.”

Once initiated, Pumpkin must adhere to the rules, including only texting boys with emojis, and using the dressing room confessional, where they confess their sins to the “ultimate

<< Deadloch

From page 9

The show features unusually long takes, packed with rapid-fire dialogue filled to the brim with so many jokes that each time you laugh, you miss more jokes! Re-watching the episodes is essential.

The series also conveys a deeper subtle message about systemic failures. As Kate Box observed, “…the systems that are supposed to take care of the vulnerable people in our community and the world we have created simply don’t work.”

“Deadloch” has garnered critical acclaim with a rating of 100% from Rotten Tomatoes in addition to winning seven awards and 14 award nominations, including an International Emmy nomination, Best Acting in a Comedy for Kate

tion, he was a promising young man (played in his teens by Scott Ellis Watson) with friends, a good student, and a potentially promising sports career as a soccer goalie. The onset of the condition forever changed his life. When a scout for a professional youth squad came to see him play, his tics ruined his chance, which disappointed his father (Steven Cree), who abandoned the family. His uptight, emotionally overwhelmed mother (Shirley Henderson) can’t really accept his illness and punishes him by forcing him to eat dinner in front of the fireplace in case he spits out his food. During the 1980s and 1990s, little was known about Tourette Syndrome, so he was misunderstood at school,

serves mall mean girls

femme,” Marilyn Monroe. Every cult has members with secrets, and this one is no different. Fig, for example, has a serious boyfriend named Norman of whom she knows no one will approve. Cherry, who is newly sober, has a series of sex dates in Free Eden dressing rooms. Apple lives in her Volvo station wagon. Pumpkin is very close to her mother and shares intel about Apple with her on a regular basis.

There’s also the issue of former member Pickle (Emma Frances Chamberlain), who is persona non grata.

“Forbidden Fruits” takes a while to ripen, but when it does, viewers should be prepared. One character gets a meat cleaver to the side of the head. One jumps from an upper-floor

bridge in the mall. Another is devoured by a malfunctioning mall escalator. Yet another is essentially sliced in half by falling glass during a Texas tornado.

The horror aspect may take a backseat to the movie’s commentary on mall culture, the seasons of fashion, sisterhood and family, and personality power struggles. However, the payoff, involving the lone survivor at a soon-to-be-opened Free Eden store in an Arizona shopping mall, is almost worth the wait. Rating: Bt

‘Forbidden Fruits’ screens at The Presidio Theatre, 2340 Chestnut St. April 17-29. www.forbiddenfruits.movie

punished by his headmaster with strap lashes to his hands, locked in a cupboard, called insane. Ten years later, he’s living at home on disability, barely going out except to help his mother shop, and zonked out by drugs which only minimally reduce his symptoms.

He meets a former classmate and is befriended by his mental health nurse mother Dottie (Maxine Peake) who’s dying of cancer. She decides Davidson should live at her house, cease taking the drugs, and to stop apologizing for something he can’t control. She helps him learn how to live with Tourette and become a better person. He gets a job as a janitor at a local community health center, befriended by his empathetic, curmudgeonly supervisor Tommy (Peter Mullan).

“I Swear” is thoroughly engaging, even audacious, as rather than a typical sentimental disease of the moment film with the protagonist overcoming adversity, audiences get to experience what Davidson is undergoing. There are uncomfortable moments (and at almost two hours, 15 minutes could easily have been edited out), but the film refuses to sanitize the dismaying elements. It’s instructive, but never preachy.

One can’t praise Aramayo’s guileless, gritty, flawless, fully-fledged, star-

making performance enough with his physical mastery of all Davidson’s symptoms. Yet he’s also endearing in expressing his profound vulnerability with humor.

The supporting performances are sterling, especially the likable indefatigable Peake and the crusty but kindhearted Mullan. Newcomer Watson is a talent worth watching. Henderson as the neurotic mother conveys persuasively a helpless anger, as if the disease were attacking her personally. Queer audiences will be able to relate to being ostracized for something beyond one’s control, earning social displeasure and the threat of physical violence. The film is an unflinching, compelling, heartbreaking, compassionate, uplifting, and witty crowd-pleaser that will have you rooting for Davidson even in his darkest moments. Its early appearance is hopefully auspicious for a banner cinematic year.t

Read the full review on www.ebr.com.

‘I Swear’ opens April 24 and screens at the Cinemark Century Theatres in Pleasant Hill, Union Landing, and Redwood City. www.sonyclassics.com

Box, and Best Screenplay in Television for creators Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan from the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards. With its perfect blend of comedy and commentary, exceptional perfor-

mances, and stunning visuals, Season Two of “Deadloch” is proving to be one of the most distinctive and compelling shows on television today.t

‘Deadloch’ streams on Amazon Prime. www.primevideo.com

B.A.R. Talks 3: Covering AIDS

Liz Highleyman, Tom Burtch & Guy Clark on news and the epidemic

by Jim Provenzano

From the earliest days of the damningly-named “gay cancer” to hospital nightmares and memorials, the Bay Area Reporter has covered all aspects of the AIDS epidemic. As we note our 55th anniversary, we look back at the third of our 2021 discussion panels.

Join HIV reporter Liz Highleyman; Tom Burtch, the creator of The Obituary Project; and Guy Clark, a longtime gay resident of SF who’s also a popular florist featured in the documentary “We Were Here,” as they discuss the history of AIDS/HIV coverage in the Bay Area Reporter, and the 45 years since it was officially identified as a disease in the U.S.

Digging deeper than the notable “No Obits” headline that made news around the world, B.A.R. Arts Editor Jim Provenzano moderates a discussion on the paper’s expansive obituaries, ACT UP protests and more. See more videos at www.youtube.com/@BayAreaReporterSFt

Going out

Top 20+ arts & nightlife events April 23-May 1

You’ll find a charming selection of theater, dance, music, visual art and nightlife (Lady Camden at the Exploratorium? Blind me with science!) to satisfy your craving for beauty, love, adventure, and more. No, we’re not exaggerating. Find it in this week’s Going Out.

Gay poet Steven Reigns discusses ‘Outliving Michael’

by Gregg Shapiro

More than 45 years after the first newspaper article about AIDS appeared in the New York Times, gay poet Steven Reigns continues to write about it; a literary reminder that the health crisis is far from over. As with his previous collection, “A Quilt for David,” the subject is front and center in his new book, “Outliving Michael” (Moon Tide Press, 2025). A far more personal effort, “Outliving Michael” is a devastating poetic tribute to Reigns’ late friend Jon Michael Church, who passed away at the age of 42 in 2000.

Because of the memoir-quality details of the poems in his new book, “Outliving Michael,” Reigns was asked if he was a journal keeper or if he relied on memory for these poems.

“I always thought that my on-again, off-again journal writing would be a goldmine when it came time to write a memoir,” said Reigns. “I didn’t consult them at all when writing this collection. Rereading about that time would have been painful, but also because what was important was what memories remain. What moments and comments haven’t left me all these years later.”

“I was so young and impressionable,” he added. “I knew so little of the

world and was a sponge for information, especially hanging on Michael’s words and wisdom. My journal writing started at an early age. I first had sex at 16 with a guy, came home, and wrote it down. I read the entry to my friend Stephanie, who suggested I should be a writer. My introduction to gay sex and writing happened all in that time; it was a moment of spontaneous combustion.”t

Read the full interview on www.ebar.com.

www.stevenreigns.com

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