Supe hopefuls discuss cameras
Senior housing awaits vote
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Vol. 56 • No. 35 • August 27-September 2, 2026
Silicon Valley Pride to ‘Flourish and Bloom’ for 51st event by John Ferrannini
From Instagram
Singer-songwriter Dolly Parton
LGBTQs mourn country singer Dolly Parton by Cynthia Laird
C
ountry music’s reigning star and lifelong LGBTQ ally Dolly Parton died Tuesday, August 25, in Nashville. She
was 80. Ms. Parton’s death was announced in a family statement read by her nephew, Bryan Seaver, who served as her head of security. See page 10 >>
Courtesy GLBT Historical Society, from the Finocchio’s collection
Finocchio’s was the longtime site of cabaret performances by female impersonators, and the building where it was located at 500-508 Broadway has been advanced for local landmark status.
LGBTQ North Beach landmarks advance by Matthew S. Bajko
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San Francisco oversight body has given its support to landmarking a trio of sites in the city’s Italian neighborhood of North Beach tied to LGBTQ history. Meanwhile, the proposed landmark designation for a performance venue adorned with the work of a late gay artistic couple will be shelved. The Historic Preservation Commission voted 5-0, with two members absent, at its August 19 meeting in support of adding the properties to the list of local landmarks in the city. Doing so See page 12 >>
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ilicon Valley Pride returns to downtown San Jose this weekend with the traditional parade and a cheaper to attend festival than last year’s. The 2026 theme is “Flourish and Bloom.” Marqus Koranteng, a gay man who is Silicon Valley Pride’s chief entertainment officer, told the B.A.R. in a phone interview that a full weekend pass to the festival – which runs from 6 to 11 p.m. Saturday, August 29, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, August 30 – will be $33, with a price of $27.87 for Saturday only and $17.25 for Sunday only. Tickets are also available for purchase online. “What accounted for the change is last year for our 50th anniversary it was the most expensive it’s been, due to the caliber of the artist – we brought in Snow Tha Product,” Koranteng said. Koranteng said that there has been a “decline in sponsorships between last year and this year.” Asked for details, he said he didn’t have “exact specifics” but that “the trend is in line with what a lot of Pride organizations are seeing,” referring to the decline in revenue LGBTQ organizations have seen since the reelection of President Donald Trump in late 2024, and the subsequent economic slowdown. Through executive orders, Trump has sought to get rid of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies
Sean Washington
A teacher marched during the 2023 Silicon Valley Pride Parade.
within the federal government. Many companies have followed suit, hoping to remain in the administration’s good graces. “This year, we shifted toward more DJs, dance sets, and local performers that tend to run at a lower cost,” Koranteng said. These include “RuPaul’s Drag Race” alum Kerri Colby, a trans woman, and DJ duo ALTÉGO.
Colby was selected partly because, Koranteng said, “We wanted to give a transgender headliner. She’s a very prominent drag queen from ‘Drag Race’ who resonates with our community.” Colby will be performing August 30. See page 4 >>
Parivar Bay Area’s future tied to funding, new space by JL Odom
P
arivar Bay Area is about to leave its home on Turk Street. The organization, however, is still fighting to make sure it has a future in San Francisco. The lease to Parivar’s 837 Turk Street address, secured in November 2025, ends in September as its leaders adjust to a smaller budget and look for funding to remain in operation. The organization is searching for a new location in the city for its community programs. Founded in 2018, Parivar Bay Area describes itself as the nation’s first and only Hijra, Kinnar and Global South transgender immigrant-led organization. According to its website, the organization provides “culturally responsive leadership development, legal access, emergency support, advocacy, arts and community for transgender, gender-diverse and intersex (TGNCI) immigrants and asylees.” Since its founding, Parivar says it has served more than 104,000 people. The organization is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. “We opened the Turk space with a lot of pride and legacy and excitement, but unfortunately we couldn’t save it,” said Anjali Rimi, a transgender Kinnar woman who’s co-founder and president of Parivar Bay Area, in a phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter.
JL Odom
Anjali Rimi spoke at the 2025 Transgender History Month program at San Francisco City Hall, though she declined to attend this year’s event.
“We did think we could float and gave out the idea that we are not closing with that hope. But hope is not a strategy, as the most astute financial pundit would say, and we are not holding back on saying that,” she added.
Funding Parivar’s future
Parivar has been fighting to survive amid substantial budget cuts and seeking funding to keep its core programs running and office open, as previously reported by the B.A.R. See page 12 >>
8/26/26 9:48 AM
<< Election 2026
t D8 supervisor candidates discuss Flock cameras 2 • Bay Area Repor ter • August 27-September 2, 2026
by John Ferrannini
T
he four candidates for San Francisco District 8 supervisor recently discussed their thoughts on increasing surveillance in the city during a forum. But notably, the issue of facial recognition use in some Castro bars was not brought up. In recent years, the San Francisco Police Department has installed hundreds of automated cameras from Flock Safety to track license plates, in an attempt to target mass retail theft and other crimes. This came after voters approved Proposition E in 2024, increasing police’s ability to use surveillance technology. Flock cameras were among items the San Francisco District Attorney’s office says were vandalized during the Trans March this year, which has led to ongoing prosecutions. The August 12 forum was put on by the United Democratic Club, and moderated by Patrick Hoge of the San Francisco Examiner, in the Noe Valley Town Square. Hoge did not ask about cameras being used at some Castro bars during peak hours. The Mix, Badlands, and Toad Hall caught heat for using Patronscan while checking IDs. Earlier this month, Badlands told the Bay Area Reporter it was pausing use of the technology, as has Toad Hall.
John Ferrannini
San Francisco District 8 supervisor candidates Gary McCoy, left, Darshini Patel, Emanuel “Manny” Yekutiel, and Michael Trung Nguyen answered questions at an August 12 forum in Noe Valley.
The Mix Bar announced after that it would no longer use the camera portion of the technology. Candidate Darshini Patel, a bi queer woman, said flatly, “I don’t support it.” “I don’t think it’s something that we can comfortably be OK with, without actually first figuring out how you would appropriately regulate it,” she said, adding that increasing lighting and access to services at night and improving safety in parks would also help improve safety. “Everything isn’t about more cameras and more technology,” Patel said. “Some of it is about creating more community, filling the storefronts, making sure we have street crisis teams.”
Candidate Gary McCoy, a gay man, agreed that the cameras are a violation of privacy. “People still visit the Castro neighborhood that are not out of the closet,” he said. “We have visitors from all over the world. I’m not for surveillance of cameras, generally, for that reason.” Not mentioned by the moderator or any of the candidates at the forum is that the lesbian-owned Bay Times newspaper operates cameras placed on
state. I don’t want to live in that.” In response to Hoge’s inquiry about Flock, candidate Emanuel “Manny” Yekutiel, a gay man, said, “I think in San Francisco in 2026, we can find our way to give our police department the tools they need to fight crime while also protecting our civil liberties. This is not a super complicated thing to do.” Yekutiel explained in 2020 he had heard a gunshot that led to someone’s death at a nearby restaurant. The restaurant didn’t have cameras. Yekutiel added that a city of San Francisco’s caliber should have more technology to fight crime. “I think we should give the police the tools they need to stop crime in our city,” he said. Yekutiel explained there are limits, however. “I don’t think we should have technology that can be used by [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] to disappear our brothers and sisters, and neighbors in the city,” Yekutiel said. “And I don’t feel comfortable having technology around the city, a city known for bringing in people who want to start a new life, that is recording what we’re saying, right?” t
Millhouse released to treatment program by John Ferrannini
A
person who has been charged with three felonies stemming from an attack on a queer Oakland councilmember will be released to an in-person Serving the San Francisco Bay Area LGBTQ+ Community Since 1999. treatment program after a bail hearing on August 19. • Probate • Wills/Trusts Ahshatae Millhouse, 38, was represented by Jesse M. Adams in De• Trust Admin • Estate Planning FLAT FEE! partment 112 of the Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse in Oakland. Millhouse Flood Building, 870 Market St, Suite 420 previously pleaded not guilty July 31 By Appointment only! 415-421-1893 to first-degree residential robbery, assault with force likely to produce great www.ShelleySFeinberg.com • trust@shelleysfeinberg.com bodily injury, and false imprisonment by violence – charges stemming from an alleged July 18 attack on queer at-large Shelley_S_Feinberg_2x2_032025.indd 1 3/13/25 7:45 PM Oakland City Councilmember Rowena Brown, who received medical care for her injuries but is now OK. She served as a grand marshal in the August 16 Oakland Pride Parade. As the B.A.R. last reported, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Pelayo Llamas Jr. had given Millhouse’s last attorney, Neil Hallinan, a choice of either a psychiatric evaluation or release on a $120,000 bond with a number of stipulations, including GPS monitoring, no use of alcohol or possession of firearms, staying away from Brown’s offices and home, and “intensive outpatient treatment” within 10 days. Hallinan was subsequently replaced by Adams, who told Llamas that the sole reason Millhouse remained in custody
Law Office of Shelley S. Feinberg
rooftops of buildings in the Castro that provide 24/7 live coverage online of the 400 block of Castro Street in the city’s LGBTQ district. McCoy did express there are serious concerns about who has access to information. “Given this [Trump] administration, the fact that we’ve got people being arrested and killed in our streets … we should not be sharing this information,” he said. “Our trans community is under attack and threats of violence, and we’ve got a president who’s constantly demeaning that community. We should be standing up for them.” McCoy noted that at one time, it was illegal to go to a bar as a gay person, and so, “we need to make sure we’re not also building a database” while at the same time reiterating that addressing crime is “something that’s needed.” Michael Trung Nguyen, a gay attorney whose drag persona is Juicy Liu, said, “I believe firmly in our constitutional rights and our privacy rights. To be honest, our privacy rights are being eroded every day, and I do not support having a kind of drone and surveillance state and a police
was her lack of ability to pay the bond. On Wednesday, Adams appeared before Alameda County Superior Court Judge Roz Silvaggio to present a bail motion. Adams said Millhouse could be released to a “program designated by Center Point.” Center Point is a rehabilitation and services program in San Rafael that provides services in a number of locations, including Alameda County. Adams said Millhouse had already been evaluated, and that she was recommended for a “low-level treatment facility.” Adams suggested Millhouse be released on her own recognizance between now and the next hearing, a pretrial hearing set for September 14. Alameda County Deputy District Attorney John Ullom didn’t agree, citing Millhouse’s “history of interpersonal violence.” “My request is the court designate a high-intensity program and order Ms. Millhouse transported to that place,” he said. Adams said Millhouse has “no felony priors in this county.” Silvaggio said, “It’s hard to glean what Judge Llamas was trying to accomplish here.” Ultimately she didn’t want to determine what level of treatment Millhouse should receive, saying, “When people are undertreated or overtreated, that in many cases increases harm and I’m not a practitioner or an expert.” Silvaggio issued an order to trans-
port Millhouse to Center Point, where she must participate in the treatment program. She also is ordered to obey all laws, not drink alcohol, and can only participate remotely in meetings of Oakland’s Cannabis Advisory Commission, so that she won’t be going near Oakland’s civic buildings, where Brown works. (Brown had appointed Millhouse to the cannabis commission earlier this year.) “You are to stay in the program,” Silvaggio told Millhouse. “You must stay there. This is an opportunity for you to work on yourself. If you leave, I don’t think the county will have any choice but to remand you. This is your opportunity.” According to KTVU-TV, the Oakland Police Department stated that it responded to a West Oakland location just before 12:45 a.m. July 19 to investigate the alleged assault. On July 21, the suspect was found by OPD Ceasefire officers outside the city and taken into custody, the station reported. Oaklandside reported that Millhouse runs a music therapy and mental health nonprofit and at least two local businesses. Social media posts indicate Millhouse and Brown have known each other for several years, and Millhouse campaigned for the councilmember in 2024, the outlet reported. Brown was elected to the City Council in November 2024 and assumed office in January 2025. t
Cold case investigators seek to ID man found in SJ creek
by John Ferrannini
C
old case investigators in the South Bay are seeking the public’s help in identifying the body of a man found 29 years ago at Metcalf Park in San Jose’s Coyote Creek. The man’s cause of death was drowning, officials said, and it appeared to be accidental. The Santa Clara County Office of the Medical Examiner issued an August 20 news release providing the description of the man – found Saturday, June 14, 1997 – as it works through a backlog of cold cases and unidentified descendants using new technology. “A positive identification will help the medical examiner inform family members,” the release stated. Metcalf Park is in southern San Jose, off Highway 101. The individual was found floating face down in the creek as it runs through the park, caught in a tree
Courtesy City of San Jose
The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner’s office is asking for the public’s help in identifying a man found dead in Metcalf Park in San Jose 29 years ago.
branch. He was found dead at the scene. “His race could not be determined,” the release stated. “He was between 35 and 45 years old, 5 feet, 10 inches tall and 139 pounds. He had brown hair, a short mustache, and natural teeth. He also had a tattoo with the letters ‘B’ and ‘J’ above his left breast.” He was wearing a floral short sleeve shirt, khaki pants, and black boots.
The Bay Area Reporter reached out to the medical examiner’s office, which had no further information on the decedent’s sexual orientation. “He was wearing trousers with accessory pockets, almost cargo-like pants,” Dr. Michelle Jordan, the county’s chief medical examiner, said in a phone call. “He was wearing also a polo shirt that was flower-printed, and ankle-high, lace boots with socks that have red dots on them.” Jordan added that the moustache was thin and well-trimmed. The decedent had a short beard under the chin and jawline. The cause of death was drowning and the manner, “probable accident,” Jordan said, adding she doesn’t know if it’s being investigated as a homicide. San Jose police didn’t return a request for comment. For inquiries or for more information, call 408-793-1903. t
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<< LGBTQ Aging
4 • Bay Area Repor ter • August 27-September 2, 2026
t
LGBTQ senior housing project to get state vote by Matthew S. Bajko
A
state panel that allocates funding to housing projects across California is set to vote next month on awarding financing to an LGBTQaffirming senior housing development in San Francisco. The funds are needed so that construction on the 185 affordable apartments can begin next year. Mercy Housing California and nonprofit LGBTQ service provider Openhouse are jointly working on the mixed-use development to be built at 1939 Market Street on the corner with Duboce Avenue. It will be their third such housing site they have partnered on in that section of the city’s LGBTQ Castro district with the goal of seeing most of the housing be assigned to queer and trans older adults. As the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, Mercy in the spring submitted an application for 4% lowincome housing tax credits administered by the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (CTCAC) and the California Debt Limit Allocation Committee (CDLAC). The nonprofit housing developer made a bond request of $45,702,865 and an annual federal credit request of $8,601,845 via the program. The state debt committee had been expected to vote on the applicants when it met August 18. But earlier this month state Treasurer Fiona Ma’s office announced the award recommendations for the Round 2 2026 4% tax-exempt bond projects would be
Courtesy Openhouse
A rendering shows the proposed affordable senior housing project that Mercy Housing and Openhouse are partnering on.
taken up when it meets at 1 p.m. Tuesday, September 1. Ma chairs the committee and votes on the matters in front of it. Governor Gavin Newsom and Controller Malia M. Cohen are also voting members on it. A spokesperson for the debt limit committee had told the B.A.R. the postponement of the vote was made so there was “more time for project reviews and therefore allow us the opportunity to award more projects.” According to a list of the Round 2 2026 qualified residential rental projects released August 21, the 1939 Market Street development had been recommended by staff of the state agency to receive the bond and credit
request it is seeking. A staff report for the project is to be published online at prior to the meeting. Mercy officials did not immediately respond to the B.A.R.’s request for comment August 21. In response to a query in July about its application for the state financing, Mercy senior project manager Sean Wils had told the B.A.R., “We are hopeful for good news.” Should the state financing be approved, then San Francisco officials will ask the Board of Supervisors this fall to sign off on a $52.36 million gap financing loan for the LGBTQ senior housing project. The development’s total cost is pegged at $177,036,217, and Mercy must still secure roughly $100 million before ground can be broken. Last December, the California Strategic Growth Council awarded a $47.6 million grant to the new housing project, with $12.5 million to be used for transit improvement projects near the upper Market Street property. Former mayor London Breed’s administration paid $12 million to buy the site in 2020 from the Sheet Metal Workers Local 104 and later selected Mercy Housing and Openhouse to deliver the building of affordable housing affirming of LGBTQ seniors. With a target opening date in early
2029, the aim is to see that the majority of the below-market-rate studios and one-bedrooms go to queer and transgender older adults who meet the eligibility requirements to apply for the units. Due to nondiscrimination policies, any senior regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity who qualifies will be able to enter the lotteries or application processes to be held to select the tenants for the units. Forty units will be set aside for those unhoused or at-risk for homelessness, while a batch of units are to go to veterans and another to seniors living with HIV. The selection processes are similar to those used to choose the tenants who moved into the first such units meant for LGBTQ elders built nearby at 55 and 95 Laguna Street. Openhouse and Mercy previously worked together on transforming a portion of an old college campus into several buildings with apartments plus offices and a community space for the service provider. The new building will be 15 stories with a 1,600 square foot ground floor space meant to allow Openhouse to provide services to both tenants and community members. This summer the supervisors approved a ground lease for a term of 75 years, with one 24-year option to extend, and an annual base rent of $15,000.
Mercy is to enter into the lease with the city’s director of property and director of the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development. It comes with a stipulation that the building’s rent levels be affordable to households up to 80% of area median income. There will be two additional units set aside for the on-site property managers. “The ground lease provides us site control, which allows us to begin preparing the site for housing construction,” Wils had explained. As the B.A.R. previously reported, execution of the lease could see the razing of the existing structures on the triangular lot begin “in the third quarter of 2026.” The lease also has a stipulation that it “automatically terminates” if the final financing needed to construct the project “does not close by February 23, 2027.” If awarded the state tax credits next month, Mercy will be required to break ground within 180 days, which would be the final day of February next year. Should that occur, construction is expected to wrap up by the end of winter 2029, with the marketing and leasing for the units starting in summer 2028 so the selected residents are ready to move in when the building opens. Information for how to virtually attend the California Debt Limit Allocation Committee September 1 meeting can be found at https://www. treasurer.ca.gov/sites/default/files/cdlac/CDLAC_Meeting_Notice_and_ Agenda_9-1-2026.pdf. t
SF turns up heat on murder house by Ed Walsh
S
an Francisco is turning up the heat on the owner of a house connected with the grisly murder of a gay man in 2018. The decrepit house at 228 Clara Street in the city’s South of Market district has been plagued with squatters, graffiti, and trash for years. A notice from the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection posted to the house dated August 14, 2026, was directed to the house’s owner, Shahram Bijan. It instructed him or his representative to appear at a hearing on September 3 at 49 Van Ness Avenue, Room 0194, at 9:30 a.m. “Failure to comply with this request will result in further abatement proceedings,” stated the notice, which was signed by David Kane, S.E., interim director Dept. of Building Inspection. The notice said that an inspection resulted in “probable cause to believe the building, structure or a portion thereof is an unsafe building or property.” The date on the notice coincided with the eighth anniversary of police first entering the home of Brian Egg, 65, on August 14, 2018. Police had been alerted by neighbors after a crime scene cleanup crew showed up at the house. Police believe the crew was hired by a transient
<<
Silicon Valley Pride
From page 1
ALTÉGO will perform the night before and, said Koranteng, “puts on a really good show and is all about engaging crowds and all that, in addition to the other DJs, most of whom are local or from the Bay Area or California.” Neither Colby nor ALTÉGO returned requests to comment for this report. Interim Silicon Valley Pride CEO Jerry Mai, a gay man, stated, “This year’s lineup reflects the diversity, creativity, and resilience of our community. From internationally recognized artists to incredible local talent, we’re creating a celebration where everyone can see themselves, feel welcomed,
Ed Walsh
A notice taped, lower center, to the former house of Brian Egg, who was killed in 2018, declares planning officials will hold a hearing about its condition September 3.
who had been living in the house. For weeks, neighbors noticed suspicious activities at the house and no sign of Egg. After four days of searching, police found Egg’s rotting torso in a fish tank that was hidden in the home. That transient, Lance Silva, and a man who met the cleanup crew were arrested but never charged with Egg’s murder. Silva was on probation for grand theft in an unrelated case when he was arrested.
Investigators believe he used Egg’s debit card to buy a used car during the time Egg was missing. The case remains unsolved. As the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, city records show that the home was purchased for $1.5 million in 2019 by Bijan. The B.A.R. spoke briefly with Bijan on Tuesday, August 25. He said he didn’t want to give any comments. In 2020, he told the B.A.R. that
and experience the joy of Pride together.” The parade will kick off at 10:30 a.m. August 30 at Julian and Market streets and will head toward Plaza Park. Koranteng said it will be hosted by the chief parade officer, Chef Carlos Pineda, a gay Hispanic male. Pineda said he’s been an emcee of the Pride parade for four years. “As the parade comes down the street, we announce every organization or group in the parade,” he said. “Usually, we have a DJ there and the DJ plays fun music, but also gives us the microphone and gets people excited.” Initially recruited for the role, Pineda has become a mainstay of the event. He told the Bay Area Reporter this year’s theme is personally relevant.
“Silicon Valley Pride has always been our home celebration. I live in the south county, in Gilroy, and Silicon Valley Pride has always been able to be our chance to flourish and bloom, to lift others up so we can live authentically and unashamedly and celebrate with one another,” said Pineda. “It’s because of Silicon Valley Pride a lot of us have had the opportunity to flourish and bloom. I saw that theme and it really resonated with me because … I’m at a point I feel like I am and I’m honored to share that with our community.” Unlike at most other Pride parades, there is no grand marshal for the Silicon Valley one because Koranteng told the B.A.R. the parade has “never really been structured that way.”
he bought the home with the intent to tear it down and was moving as quickly as possible through the city planning department to get approval for a new housing development on the site. He said the process may have been delayed even longer by the COVID pandemic. City records show that the building has received 14 complaints since 2020. Next door neighbor Wilma Parker said living next to the building has been a “nightmare.” She noted the trash piled up in the backyard of the house and said she is concerned about a fire. Neighbor Nicholas DiPastena circulated an online petition in 2022 asking for an emergency demolition permit for the house. The petition stated in part, “While Mr. Bijan has been timely and diligent in pursuing the appropriate permits to demolish and construct the new structure, the city has been slow to issue a demolition permit.” DiPastena and Parker noted the ongoing problems of squatters in the home. The chain link fence that once led to the house’s expansive back yard is now covered with boards that go higher up than the fence to deter squatters, which Parker said has been effective so far. She also noted that the stairway leading to the house’s backdoor was taken down, likely as a deterrent to squatters.
Bijan put the property up for sale in 2023. The asking price started at $3 million and is currently listed at $1,349,000. The listing states that Bijan invested over $1 million into the property for plans and permits. The listing includes an architectural rendering of a nine-unit condo development that was approved and “shovel ready.” Currently, city tax records show the owner owes $96,871.74 in back taxes and that the property had been in default since July 1, 2023. The last tax payment on the property was made on November 29, 2022, for $10,489.12. (Earlier this month, the city’s tax records showed that the owner owed $101,871.74 in back taxes. It was not noted in the record why that amount was slightly reduced. No recent payment was reflected in the records.) The house’s real estate listing states it was “permitted for demolition,” but when asked about the status of the building’s demolition permit, Planning Department and Department of Building Inspection spokesman Patrick Hannan told the B.A.R., “The permit application was approved in 2023 but the property owner still needs to provide additional documentation and pay their fees to get the demolition or building permits issued.” t
The organization is seeking volunteers to assist with the weekend’s festivities. Anyone interested can sign up for shifts online. For more information, visit svpride. com.
cial exhibit, “Tradición Sin Fronteras” or “Traditions Without Borders,” on Friday, August 28, at 6:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served. “We invite our entire community to come together and learn about the rich history of Folclórico Colibrí, which is based right here in San Jose,” the foundation stated in the email, referring to the LGBTQ folklorico dance organization. “This incredible organization promotes the pride in identifying as LGBTQ+ Latinx through the breathtaking art of Mexican folklórico dance. We are so proud to provide a space for visibility, joy, and cultural preservation.” For additional information, contact info@baymecfoundation.org or 408391-2321. t
Gallery nearby
The Queer Silicon Valley Gallery will be open August 29-30, and then every weekend of September, from noon to 4 p.m. Located midway between West San Carlos and the Paseo at 240 South Market, it’s convenient to visit after the parade, according to an email from the BAYMEC Community Foundation that runs the gallery. The gallery’s permanent exhibit showcases important events in LGBTQ history. It is opening a new spe-
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<< Community News
6 • Bay Area Repor ter • August 27-September 2, 2026
LGBTQ family group to honor Kendell compiled by Cynthia Laird
O
ur Family Coalition, a San Francisco-based organization for LGBTQ families, will honor Gill Foundation CEO Kate Kendell at its 30th anniversary gala this fall. Kendell, a lesbian, is the former longtime executive director of the National Center for LGBTQ Rights and is well-known in the Bay Area. The event is planned for Saturday, October 10, beginning at 5 p.m. at The Lake Chalet, 1520 Lakeside Drive in Oakland. The Bay Area Reporter wrote about OFC’s upcoming anniversary and spoke with veteran members in June. Kendell began her tenure at the Gill Foundation last year. The Coloradobased nonprofit works to fund LGBTQ projects on a variety of issues, particularly in underfunded areas, according to its website. It has distributed $475 million in strategic giving over the years. It was founded by gay software entrepreneur Tim Gill in 1994. Kendell led NCLR for 22 years before stepping down in 2018. During her leadership, NCLR advocated for LGBTQ people and their families through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education. She will receive OFC’s Community Legacy Award. “There’s probably no work more important to me in my career than protecting LGBTQ-headed families or families with queer family members,” Kendell said in a phone interview. “The ability to feel safe and legally protected in your relationship is important and worth protecting when it comes to liberation.” Kendell said she’s humbled by the recognition she will receive at the OFC gala. “To have that work recognized by an organization whose entire ethos is that commitment is a huge honor,” she said. Other honorees include attorneys Deborah Wald and Emily Doskow, and M. Zamora, a Chicana, Yaqui and Tongva IndigeQueer feminist educator and
Courtesy Gill Foundation
Gill Foundation CEO Kate Kendell
community organizer. Each will receive a Community Champion Award. Doskow, a lesbian, stated she’s honored by the recognition. “I appreciate the great work that OFC has been doing for so many years to support queer families,” she wrote in an email. “I’ve been especially proud to partner with OFC (and my fellow honoree Deborah Wald) to present free DIY adoption workshops every year, which have helped so many families complete their own confirmatory adoptions and ensure their families are protected.” Wald and Zamora did not return requests for comment. Horizons Foundation will receive the Corporate Champion Award, as will its outgoing president, Roger Doughty, a gay man, and Francisco O. Buchting, Ph.D., a gay man who serves as vice president of grants, programs, and communications. Horizons is a longtime philanthropic nonprofit that provides grants to LGBTQ nonprofits, primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area. “Horizons has been proud to support Our Family Coalition’s work for more than two decades, and we’re honored to
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EVENT INFORMATION
give.gofundme.com/h2h26 (or scan the QR code)
be recognized by this outstanding organization,” Doughty stated in an email. Mimi Demissew, a queer mom who serves as OFC’s executive director, praised the awardees. “Celebrating 30 years of Our Family Coalition means celebrating the people and institutions who built and sustain the framework for the full and expanding spectrum of LGBTQ families to thrive,” she stated. “Kate Kendell laid the legal groundwork that many of our families now stand on and she did this while facing so much opposition and violence. Horizons Foundation has shown what real partnership looks like, investing in organizations that prioritize LGBTQ community and much of this is possible due to both Roger and Francisco’s leadership in stewarding the organization. “Lastly, Deborah Wald, M. Zamora, and Emily Doskow do the essential on the ground work, which is often unseen, but without it our families wouldn’t have the necessary legal protections, community, and joy that make it possible to be a family,” Demissew added. “Honoring them is a celebration of the past thirty years and a statement of our values as we look at the next 30.” The gala includes live entertainment, the awards program, a catered dinner, open bar, and auction experiences. Early bird tickets are $200, which includes the after-party. Tickets for the after-party only are $75 at the early bird rate. For tickets and more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/mr42jytc.
Berkeley Pride festival
The Pacific Center for Human Growth in Berkeley will hold its Pride festival Sunday, August 30, from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park, 2180 Milvia Street, next to City Hall and one block from the Downtown Berkeley BART Station. The afternoon includes live entertainment, artists, speakers, vendor booths, and more. This year’s theme is “From Joy to Justice.” There will be HIV and sexually transmitted infection testing, as well as programming for youth and a senior space, the center noted in its announcement. Food vendors will also be on hand. Tickets are $20 for adults and kids 13 and older; $15 for seniors aged 55 and older; and free for kids 12 and under. Other ticket packages are available. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://tinyurl. com/5dtww8ya. A kickoff party takes place Friday, August 28, from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Gilman Wine Block, 1340 Fifth Street. The announcement noted all ages are welcome and admission is free.
Castro Street Fair announces beneficiaries
The Castro Street Fair has announced this year’s nonprofit beneficiaries ahead of the Sunday, October 4, event. The organizations represent a range of missions serving LGBTQ+ communities, youth, health and wellness, arts and culture, athletics, and other vital needs across San Francisco and the Bay Area, a news release stated. Beneficiary organizations play an essential role in making the fair possible by providing volunteers who help welcome guests, support donation collection at entry gates, and assist with other day-of operations, the release noted. In return, the participating groups receive a share of proceeds from donations collected at the fair, along with added visibility through the fair’s marketing and media outreach, as well as the opportunity to connect with thousands of fairgoers. “Supporting local nonprofits has always been central to the Castro Street Fair’s mission,” stated Redge Roberts, a gay man who is president of the street fair. “Our beneficiary partners don’t simply
receive support from the fair – they help bring it to life.” Admission to the street fair is free, with a suggested donation of $10 to $20 at the entry gates, organizers stated. The benefitting organizations include Buen Dia Family School, a nonprofit preschool with an arts focus and Spanish-language component; Castro Community on Patrol, the longtime volunteer safety group; Everett Middle School Parent and Teacher Student Association, which develops programs and plans events at the public school; and the Imperial Council of San Francisco, the drag-themed philanthropic organization that raises funds for charity. Instituto Familiar de la Raza is a beneficiary. It provides health and wellness programs and services targeted at the city’s diverse Latino community. Also on the list is Maitri Compassionate Care which provides residential care to vulnerable communities in the Castro. It began as an AIDS hospice but now serves low-income people living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses, as well as transgender and gendernonconforming individuals recovering from gender-affirming surgery. Other beneficiaries are Queer LifeSpace, a counseling agency that provides affordable mental health services to the LGBTQIA community, and Quest House Community Healing, a grassroots trans health nonprofit that operates a five bedroom post-operative surgery recovery home for transmasculine individuals. The San Francisco Spikes Soccer Club is a beneficiary. It provides LGBTQIA+ and allies with opportunities to play recreational and competitive soccer. Stonewall Sports San Francisco is also on the list. It is a volunteer-run nonprofit sports league for recreational and competitive sports. Finally, the San Francisco Court Appointed Special Advocates, or SFCASA, is a beneficiary. It recruits, trains, and supports volunteers who advocate for children and youth in foster care, ensuring they have a caring adult in court and in the community. This year’s 52nd annual Castro Street Fair theme is “Where We Belong.” For more information, visit castrostreetfair.org.
Candidate forum for D8 supe hopefuls
The League of Women Voters of San Francisco, the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, and a number of other organizations will host a forum for the District 8 San Francisco supervisor candidates Wednesday, September 2, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Randall Museum, 199 Museum Way. The forum will also be shown online, a news release stated. Four candidates – three gay men and a bi queer woman – are running to represent the Castro, Noe Valley, Glen Park, and other neighborhoods on the Board of Supervisors. Current District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, a gay man who is currently board president, is termed out of office and leaves in early January. The candidates, Emanuel “Manny” Yekutiel, Gary McCoy, Michael Trung Ngyuen, and Darshini Patel, will be asked to share their own views and not attack each other, the release noted. As a nonprofit, the League of Women Voters of San Francisco does not support or oppose any candidate or political party, the release stated. The forum will air on SFGovTV’s cable channels, with recordings available on SFGovTV and the league’s YouTube channels. Co-sponsoring organizations are the Buena Vista Neighborhood Association, Castro Merchants Association, Diamond Heights Community Association, Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association, Eureka Valley Neighborhood Association, Glen Park Association, Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association,
t
Mount Olympus Neighborhood Association, and SFGovTV.
BART anniversary ‘speedrun’
Transit nerds and others can join members of the New Urbanism Initiative and visit all 50 BART stations in honor of the regional transit agency’s 54th anniversary Sunday, September 6. The event also recognizes Transit Month. The New Urbanism Initiative is the nation’s first independent youth-led 501 (c)(4) organization advocating for more livable, walkable, and transitconnected cities, a news release noted. The speedrun is also being organized by the California High School Transit Alliance. BART representatives are expected to be on hand. Interested people will meet at the Berryessa/North San Jose BART Station (lower level, past the fare gates) at 10:20 a.m. From there, the group will visit all the BART stations, ending a little past 4:30 p.m. at the Antioch station. The cost is $12.15 loaded on a Clipper card, plus transportation to the Berryessa station. The full schedule is listed on a Google Doc at https://bit. ly/45M6VUQ. To register, visit https://luma.com/ b3ke0kmi.
Courtesy USPS
The new Sarah Orne Jewett postage stamp debuts.
Postage stamp honors lesbian writer Jewett
The U.S. Postal Service honored lesbian writer Sarah Orne Jewett with a postage stamp August 21 at the Sarah Orne Jewett House in South Berwick, Maine, which she called home her entire life. The 3-ounce rate stamp is now available at post offices and online. Jewett (1849-1909) was a lifelong resident of Maine and a foundational figure in American literary regionalism, USPS stated in a news release last year ahead of the release. The stamp features an original portrait of Jewett with the Maine coast as background and a ray of sunshine evoking a scene from her bestknown work, “The Country of the Pointed Firs.” Ethel Kessler, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp with art by Mark Summers, according to the release issued last week. “Sarah Orne Jewett is the premier historical icon of South Berwick, and her writings captured 19th century New England life,” stated Matthew Kirksey, South Berwick postmaster. “I have personally read her moving work and it is an honor to have her stamp unveiled in our community today.” The Sarah Orne Jewett House, a historic museum house in South Berwick, noted that Jewett’s greatest strengths as a writer are the depictions of her female characters and the bonds of friendship between women. “Sarah Orne Jewett fell in love with several women in her life, finally finding the relationship she sought with Annie Fields,” the website noted. “In a few works, Jewett seems to be portraying lesbian love. Another work has been put forth in academia as the first gay American novel.” That is her 1885 novel “A Marsh Island.” Like a Forever stamp, the Jewett stamp will always be valid for the rate printed on it, USPS noted. t
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<< Open Forum
t Supreme Court’s latest gift to Trump
8 • Bay Area Repor ter • August 27-September 2, 2026
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few weeks ago, we opined about creating the voter lists. You know, the the dangers President Donald federal agency whose agents kill U.S. Trump poses for voting, specifically citizens, violently detain others, and related to his Safeguard American operate with impunity. Current DHS Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act. Secretary Markwayne Mullin is no That legislation, which is nothing better than the fired former secretary more than a voter suppression bill, reKristi Noem – DHS keeps deporting mains stalled in Congress. But Trump people amid questionable circumhad already issued an executive order stances even as Mullin sometimes in March that imposes sweeping new employs a lower profile approach. AP File restrictions on mail-in voting. On We certainly don’t trust any voter list U.S. Supreme Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Court Chief Justice coming from DHS, and leaders of an unsigned decision, cleared the way John Roberts both parties shouldn’t either. for that order to go into effect even as California is one of the plaintiff the case continues through the lower states. Attorney General Rob Bonta courts. (That is the modus operandi for this court: pointed out that the Supreme Court did not rule give permission to the autocrats, then decide on on whether the executive order is lawful. But it the merits, which of course, is the wrong way to found the plaintiff coalition’s legal challenge was decide legal issues.) The court, in a 6-3 orpremature because, when the lawsuit was der along ideological lines, granted the filed, the administration had not taken Trump administration’s emergency rethe actions needed to implement it, quest to stay an injunction that blocked Bonta’s office stated in a news release. key provisions of the president’s execuThe coalition intends to challenge those tive order in plaintiff states for the 2026 actions as they occur and as necessary to midterm elections. (The three liberal protect states’ administration of elecjustices publicly dissented.) It’s just the tions. latest example of the court’s conservaAnd that is a key point, Bonta noted. tive supermajority giving Trump what “As I have said from the beginning, the he wants. And it’s a dangerous step in U.S. Constitution gives the president no curtailing voting in this country. authority over how states administer their elecAs the Washington Post reported, the court’s tions,” he stated. “We will continue to use every ruling would bar the U.S. Postal Service from legal tool at our disposal to fight back against unsending mail-in ballots to voters not on lists of lawful federal overreach whenever it occurs.” citizens created by federal agencies. States would A June order by the U.S. District Court for the also have to send the ballots in envelopes that can District of Massachusetts had blocked a provibe tracked to thwart fraud, the paper reported. sion of the executive order that would have reWe’ve noted previously about Trump’s false quired the U.S. Postal Service to issue regulations claims that mail-in ballots result in election fraud. prohibiting the mailing of ballots for voters who And he claims without evidence that noncitizens are not included on the new USPS list of enrolled vote in record numbers thanks to mail-in ballots. mail voters, Bonta’s office stated. The lower court’s He has used this meritless accusation as part of order also blocked DHS from creating voter elithe reason he lost the 2020 presidential election. gibility lists for each state, even as the federal govWe will again point out that Trump himself votes ernment conceded those lists would be incomby mail – he did so earlier this month in the Florplete. The Supreme Court granted the emergency ida Republican primary election, as Politico and stay, meaning those challenged provisions can other outlets reported. take effect while the appeal proceeds. Under Trump’s executive order, the DepartWith little time remaining until the November ment of Homeland Security is charged with 3 midterms – and mail-in ballots soon to be going
out – the Trump administration must hastily create those lists, which will naturally be even more error-ridden than if it had more time to properly compile them. This administration is nothing if not obsessed with pleasing the president, even if it means a slipshod job. In fact, carelessness is a credo of this White House. We don’t trust the Trump administration to do anything right, especially when it comes to voting provisions, particularly when those states that sued are led by Democratic governors, as is the case here. Nor do we believe the administration has the country’s interest at heart. It has only one interest, Trump himself. California Governor Gavin Newsom, widely expected to run in the 2028 Democratic presidential primary, issued a news release that highlighted key investments in the state’s election system that were included in the state’s final budget that he signed in June. These include $29 million to speed up counting and increase capacity in counties; $10 million for voter outreach and education at the county and state levels; and $750,000 to combat misinformation and disinformation. The governor also stated that California would sue the federal government again to block provisions of Trump’s executive order, and in fact, Bonta did that Wednesday morning, along with a coalition of states. One thing is clear in this mess: voters will be the ones who are at risk. People should make sure that they’re registered to vote for the November 3 election. And that means checking to make sure information is up to date. The California Secretary of State’s office makes it easy to register or check your registration status. https://www.sos. ca.gov/elections And don’t put it off. The last day to register to vote in California is October 19. By then, who knows what the Trump administration will have done. Voting by mail is a trusted way to cast a ballot. There is not widespread fraud. And while the Golden State often lags in counting all those ballots, improvements are in the works, according to the governor’s office. Voters in the upcoming midterms here and across the country have the opportunity to rebuke the president and his incompetent sycophants. It’s a chance we should seize with relish. t
The history we lose is the future we repeat by David W. Hylan Jr.
that people living with HIV be treated with dignity rather than fear. ost Americans know the story of Their victories were not measured ACT UP through the images that only in headlines. They were measured changed history: protesters lying in the in institutions that still exist, in healthstreets of New York City, die-ins outside care that became more humane, and the federal Food and Drug Administrain lives that might otherwise have been tion, and activists confronting governforgotten. ment officials who treated the AIDS That history feels especially relevant epidemic as someone else’s problem. today. Courtesy the subject Those moments deserve their place in Across the country we continue to David W. Hylan Jr. our collective memory. debate who deserves healthcare, whose But they were never the whole story. voices belong in public life, and whether While writing “Small Town Rage: Fighting Back marginalized communities should be heard or igin the Deep South,” I discovered that some of the nored. LGBTQ+ Americans once again find themmovement’s most remarkable battles unfolded far selves at the center of political battles. Public health from the national spotlight. They took place in has become deeply polarized, and history itself is Shreveport, Louisiana, where coming out could often treated as something negotiable. cost someone a job, a family, a church, or their physThe details may have changed. The underlying ical safety. There were no television cameras waiting questions have not. outside. No celebrity advocates. No guarantee that Who gets to be seen? anyone beyond the city limits would ever know Who gets to be heard? what happened there. Whose lives are considered worth protecting? Yet people fought anyway. The answers to those questions have never arAs I spent years interviewing former ACT UP rived because society naturally bent toward justice. members, physicians, nurses, clergy, family memThey arrived because ordinary people forced instibers, and people living with HIV, one truth emerged tutions to change. again and again – history does not survive on That lesson extends far beyond HIV/ its own. It survives because someone AIDS. chooses to remember it before the witACT UP helped transform the relanesses are gone. tionship between patients and medical Many of the people I interviewed had research, ensuring that those living with never told their stories publicly. Some life-threatening illnesses had a voice in had not spoken about those years in how treatments were developed and decades. Others carried memories so approved. Those reforms continue to painful that recalling them brought tears influence research for cancer and many before the first question was finished. They other diseases today. They remind us that remembered watching friends die one after another progress often begins when the people most afwhile politicians debated whether their lives were fected refuse to remain invisible. worth saving. They remembered being refused treatWhat struck me most while writing this book ment, losing jobs, hiding diagnoses, and planning was not the anger. The title promises rage, and funerals for people who should have lived. there was certainly plenty of it. The deeper story, But they also remembered something else. however, was courage. They remembered ordinary people deciding that It takes courage to challenge a government. silence was no longer an option. It takes courage to confront a hospital that was The members of ACT UP Shreveport were not starving patients living with AIDS. professional activists. They were teachers, students, It takes courage to stand in front of your own nurses, artists, ministers, business owners, and community and insist that your life has value neighbors. They organized demonstrations, chalwhen so many people would rather pretend you lenged public officials, confronted discrimination, do not exist. demanded compassionate healthcare, and insisted The people I came to know through this project
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were not perfect. They disagreed with one another. They argued about tactics, personalities, and priorities. They made mistakes. In other words, they were human. That is precisely what makes their accomplishments so extraordinary. They were not largerthan-life heroes. They were ordinary citizens who refused to accept that indifference was inevitable. As the years passed, many of those voices disappeared. AIDS claimed some. Age claimed others. Every funeral carried another library of memories with it. That is why preserving these stories matters. When we forget local history, we begin to believe that change always starts somewhere else, led by someone else. We forget that movements are built in church basements, small apartments, borrowed offices, and community meetings where no reporter is taking notes. We forget that history is shaped as much in cities like Shreveport as it is in New York or San Francisco. Memory is not an act of nostalgia. It is an act of responsibility. The generation that fought through the darkest years of the AIDS epidemic is leaving us. Their stories will not survive simply because they deserve to. They will survive only if we continue telling them honestly, preserving them faithfully, and allowing them to challenge us. That is ultimately what “Small Town Rage” became for me. It began as a search for a forgotten chapter of LGBTQ+ history. It ended as a reminder that democracy depends on people who refuse to let difficult truths disappear. The epidemic changed America. So did the people who stood up against it. The least we can do now is remember them. t David W. Hylan Jr. is a gay man. He holds a doctorate in leadership studies from Louisiana State University. For more than 35 years he served as the executive director of the Betty and Leonard Phillips Deaf Action Center in Shreveport. He is also a co-founder of People Acting for Change and Equality, or PACE, an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization in Northwest Louisiana that helped advance nondiscrimination protections in the region. He lives in Cozumel, Mexico, with his husband, Troy. “Small Town Rage: Fighting Back in the Deep South” is his first book and was published in June. For more information, visit davidhylan.com.
Politics >>
t On November ballot, out CA justices stand for election by Matthew S. Bajko
V
oters across California will be deciding whether to retain a number of justices on the states’ Supreme Court and appellate benches on the November 3 ballot. Standing for election this fall are six out members of the higher courts, including recently confirmed gay Associate Justice Charles Adams on the 6th District Court of Appeal. Lesbian California Supreme Court Associate Justice Kelli Evans, the lone out member of the Golden State’s highest court, will stand for a full 12-year term. Having taken her judicial oath on November 10, 2022, Evans’ current term expires January 4. Two lesbian presiding appellate justices are also standing for election to full terms this fall. Laurie M. Earl presides over the 3rd District Court of Appeal, while Therese Stewart oversees the 1st District Court of Appeal’s Division Two. Their current terms also expire in early January. A trio of gay appellate justices will also be standing for election in November. Gonzalo Martinez, who presides over the 2nd District Court of Appeal’s Division Seven, is seeking a full 12-year term, as his current term ends on January 4. David M. Rubin, who sits on the 4th District Court of Appeal’s Division One, is standing to serve out the remainder of his current term through January 6, 2031. He joined his bench during Pride Month of 2023. Lastly, Adams is standing for election to a full term. He took his judicial oath of office August 6 for a term that ends in early January. Voters will cast either a yes or no vote to retain the justices, and a simple majority yes vote is needed to do so. No other candidate will appear on the ballot against the justices, and it is exceedingly rare for a California justice not to retain their seat. The state judiciary’s other out appellate justice, gay 1st District Court of Appeal Administrative Presiding Justice Jim Humes, will not need to stand for election until November 5, 2030. His current term expires January 6, 2031. Due to judicial ethics rules aimed at ensuring the California judiciary remains fair and politically neutral, the justices aren’t allowed to comment about the retention elections, except their own, Stewart told the Bay Area Reporter when reached for comment about her standing for election this year. She won her last retention race, in 2022, with 80% of the vote, just weeks prior to being confirmed as the presiding justice of her division. “Serving as a justice on the Court of Appeal is about providing all Californians, from the most vulnerable to the least, a fair second look at their cases. I am devoted to doing that to the best of my ability,” stated Stewart. “Doing so also lets me be part of a system that is essential to democracy, where disputes are resolved according to laws the people voted for, not by the whims of a king, a tyrant or a billionaire.” The First District covers the Bay Area counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Solano, and Sonoma. A former chief deputy city attorney in San Francisco who rose to national prominence litigating same-sex marriage cases, Stewart in 2014 was appointed as the first out female appellate justice in the state by former governor Jerry Brown and won her retention race that year with 77% of the vote. Earl, a former Sacramento County Superior Court judge appointed to her appellate bench by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2021, won her retention race the following year with 62% of the vote. Her court covers 23 counties from Siskiyou and Modoc along the Oregon border south to San Joaquin and Mono.
August 27-September 2, 2026 • Bay Area Repor ter • 9
Jesus didn’t discriminate so neither do we. 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)
dignity | san francisco Come for the service and stay for the fellowship. : Courtesy CA Courts Newsroom
Associate Justice Charles Adams, with his partner, Tao, at right, was sworn into his seat on California’s 6th District Court of Appeal August 6; he will face a retention election November 3.
For the other out justices, this will mark the first time they have stood for retention to their current benches. Martinez’s 2nd District covers the southern Central Valley from Stanislaus and Tuolumne counties in the north down to Kern County. Rubin’s 4th District runs from Inyo County south to San Diego and Imperial counties along the Mexico border. Adams’ 6th District is centered in the South Bay and Central Coast covering the counties of Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Monterey. Newsom tapped Adams to fill the vacancy created when justice Patricia Bamattre-Manoukian retired. Adams since 2018 had been serving as a judge on the Santa Clara County Superior Court, for which he had been a staff and legal research attorney from 2006 to 2011. Before becoming a superior court judge, he was an administrative law clerk at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California from 2011 to 2018. Initially in private practice from 2003 to 2006, Adams received his Juris Doctor from Pepperdine University School of Law. “I am deeply, deeply honored by the confirmation and accept this profound responsibility with humility, gratitude, and appreciation for the public trust that accompanies this position,” Adams said after being sworn in as an appellate justice on August 6 with his partner, Tao, by his side. To the state’s residents, Adams said, “You deserve the dignity and respect in court. You deserve a decision maker who approaches issues with an open mind and listens. And you deserve a justice who applies the law faithfully, conscientiously, and to the very best of their ability. This boy from Antioch promises to give you what you deserve. So with that, what an incredible day.”
EQCA endorses out councilmembers
Statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization Equality California has yet to announce endorsements for any of the judicial retention races. In response to the B.A.R.’s inquiry on if it will do so, EQCA Managing Director Tom Temprano said it would consider doing so if the justices ask for its endorsement. “This year, Equality California began endorsing out-LGBTQ+ judicial candidates because, at a time when the courts are one of the few remaining checks on extremist attacks against our community, LGBTQ+ representation on the bench is absolutely critical,” replied Temprano, a gay San Francisco resident. “While none of these candidates has sought our endorsement to date, we would certainly consider supporting them if and when they do.” On August 21, EQCA announced endorsements for 19 LGBTQ candidates running for either city council, college board, or public school board seats this fall. Those in the Bay Area included two who are unopposed on the November ballot, queer District 4 Oakland City Councilmember Janani Ramachandran and gay District 2 San
Leandro City Councilmember James Aguilar. EQCA also endorsed lesbian Oakland District 2 City Councilmember Charlene Wang. She is being challenged by East Bay Democratic Socialists of America co-chair Nate Adams. Queer Oakland Unified School District board member Valarie Bachelor secured EQCA’s support of her bid for reelection to her oversight body’s District 6 seat. She is being opposed by charter school math teacher Alexandra Williams and parent advocate LeAna Powell. Gay El Cerrito City Councilmember Gabe Quinto, the first known person living with HIV elected to public office in the Bay Area, also picked up EQCA’s endorsement. He is among the six candidates running this fall for two fouryear council terms elected citywide, with lesbian Councilmember Carolyn Wysinger also seeking reelection. She has yet to be endorsed by EQCA. Its full 2026 endorsement list can be found at https://www.eqca.org/elections/#.
dignitysf@gmail.com for more details Instagram @dignitysanfrancisco † Facebook @DignitySF
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Wahab wins US House race
As expected, state Senator Aisha Wahab (D-Hayward) won the August 18 special election to serve out the remainder of the congressional term vacated by disgraced former Democratic congressmember Eric Swalwell of Dublin. She secured her victory with 53% of the vote, according to the unofficial returns. Wahab defeated Melissa Hernandez, currently board president for regional transit agency BART, to become the new holder of the state’s Congressional District 14 seat. The first Afghan American elected to Congress, Wahab became the first Afghan American woman to serve in elected office in the U.S. due to her winning a Hayward City Council seat in 2018. “I will fight for this district that raised me,” stated Wahab when the House race was called August 20. “From foster care to Congress, this journey shows the possibility of the American Dream.” Wahab had the support of LGBTQ groups and leaders, including EQCA, in the race for the East Bay congressional seat. She and Hernandez will now face off on the November 3 ballot for a full two-year term in the House. Being the incumbent, and now the top finisher in two primary contests and a runoff race against Hernandez, Wahab heads into the fall general election as the frontrunner. But due to the redistricting measure state voters adopted last year, they will be running for a seat whose redrawn boundaries now include more of Dublin where Hernandez served as mayor. “The election for CA-14 in November will be in the new district lines, adding 26,000 Dublin voters who didn’t have the chance to vote for me in August,” noted Hernandez. “We’re looking forward to winning this on November 3 with a more favorable district and a much larger electorate. Game on!” t
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<< Obituaries
10 • Bay Area Repor ter • August 27-September 2, 2026
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Dolly Parton
From page 1
“This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,” Seaver said. “As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment, but haven’t truly felt it until now.” Ms. Parton’s representatives confirmed the star died after a brief battle with cancer. People magazine reported that the singer-songwriter was admitted to a hospital four days before her passing. Known for such hits as “Jolene,” “I Will Always Love You,” and countless others over her 60-year career, Ms. Parton was also a longtime ally to the LGBTQ community. Her husband, Carl Thomas Dean, died in March 2025. LGBTQ leaders reacted with sadness to the news. “The best of the best of the best,” gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) wrote on X. “She set the standard for being an extraordinary human being in a million different ways. Rest in power, Dolly.” Kate Kendell, a lesbian who’s CEO of the Colorado-based Gill Foundation, told the Bay Area Reporter Tuesday afternoon that she had convened a staff meeting shortly after news broke. “It’s a multi-generational group and not all are queer identified,” she said. “But every single person talked about Dolly – her advocacy for reading, her education around vaccines, her songbook, who she was as a human,” said Kendell. “I couldn’t help but think, ‘live your life like that,’ where random strangers in Denver have something good to say about you,” she said. “It’s a big blow,” Kendell added. LGBTQ advocacy organizations issued statements of support for Ms. Parton. “We are heartbroken by the passing of Dolly Parton – an artist whose extraordinary talent was matched only by her generosity, acceptance, and love,” stated Joe Hollendoner, a gay man who is CEO of the Los Angeles LGBT Center. “For generations of LGBTQ+ people, Dolly was more than an icon. She was a reminder that we deserve to be celebrated for exactly who we are. “A lifelong ally and advocate, Dolly embraced her LGBTQ+ fans, championed marriage equality, and spoke with compassion about the dignity of transgender people,” he added. “She once described herself as all the colors of the rainbow – a fitting reflection of the joy, openness, and warmth that made so many in our community feel seen.” “Through her music, humor, generosity, and unmistakable spirit, Dolly showed us the beauty of taking up space and living unapologetically,” added Hol-
Rick Gerharter
Drag artist Dixie De La Tour held a Dolly candle that she received over 10 years ago as she prepared to light it during an impromptu vigil held at Harvey Milk Plaza August 25, just hours after the country singer and LGBTQ ally’s death was announced. LGBTQ bar Beaux, 2234 Market Street, will have a Dolly Parton tribute night and celebration of the cultural icon’s life Friday, August 28, starting at 8 p.m.
lendoner. “She made room for people to shine – and inspired us to do the same.” The national Human Rights Campaign also paid tribute to the star. “We are heartbroken by Dolly’s passing,” stated HRC President Kelley Robinson, a Black queer woman. “She showed the world what it looks like to lead with love and stood with our community long before others in entertainment, using her voice and platform to create a world where LGBTQ+ people feel seen and celebrated. Her music and her spirit touched millions; and her generosity, especially toward children, will be felt for generations. We will miss her dearly, and we will carry forward the light she shared with all of us.” Ms. Parton rose into a once-in-ageneration artist, giving the nation songs that didn’t just top charts but shaped culture, HRC noted. Her first movie “9 to 5” became an instant classic, and “Jolene” turned longing into art, the agency stated. “Her music was a lifeline for countless LGBTQ+ people who found in Dolly not just a voice, but a presence that made them feel seen,” the agency noted. “Dolly’s impact went far beyond her songs,” added Robinson. “She was an unapologetic ally and someone who didn’t just support LGBTQ+ people, but
celebrated us. She spoke openly about the importance of living your truth, long before it was common to do so. Over the decades, she continued to use her platform to push back against bigotry, including speaking out against harmful attacks against the queer community and the in North Carolina which HRC fought to block. She, along with some of the biggest names in music, lent her talent to the 2005 ‘Love Rocks’ CD set, benefitting HRC’s work and forever making Dolly part of the HRC family. For so many in our community, Dolly Parton wasn’t just a superstar. She was a safe place. A reminder that you could be
fabulous, over-the-top in the best way possible and still be worthy of love.” Kevin Jennings, a gay man who is CEO of Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund and a former Obama administration official, mourned the loss of Ms. Parton. “Today we lost an icon, both in entertainment and for the bold, consistent support she showed the LGBTQ+ community and everyone living with HIV,” Jennings stated. “Long before it was easy or popular, Dolly Parton told our community that we belonged, and she meant it. She championed children’s literacy through her Imagination Library, lent her voice and resources to the fight against HIV and AIDS, and stood up, time and again, for the community she embraced as her own, all with the humor, warmth, and grace that made the whole world fall for her. “As a son of Appalachia myself, I personally connected deeply to Dolly’s life story and her music – I even used her original version of ‘I Will Always Love You’ as the song to which I danced with my godmother at my wedding last year,” added Jennings. “Dolly was one of a kind, and I am deeply saddened by her passing. We extend our deepest condolences to Dolly’s family, her friends, and the countless fans whose lives she touched. We will always love her.” Ms. Parton started Imagination Library, a book-gifting program, in 1995, according to its website. First helping kids in Siever County, Tennessee, where she grew up, it expanded in 2000. By 2003, the Imagination Library had mailed one million books, the website noted. Today, it has sent over 300 million books in the U.S. and four other countries – the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and Australia. Lesbian Democratic San Diego leader Toni Atkins helped bring Ms. Parton’s library program to California when she served as president pro tempore of the state Senate in Sacramento, working across the aisle with Senator Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) to do so. Atkins now sits on The Dollywood Foundation – United States Board of Directors that oversees it.
Grove, noting how “incredibly honored” she was to work with Atkins on the book initiative, praised Ms. Parton in a tribute she posted on X. “Dolly Parton was a true American treasure whose faith, music, generosity and unmistakable spirit touched generations of people around the world,” stated Grove. “She was also a great unifier, young or old, rural or urban, Dolly had a remarkable ability to bring people together.” Governor Gavin Newsom and first partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom also praised Ms. Parton and the legacy she leaves behind. “The only thing bigger than her hair was her heart. She challenged the double standards women often face and supported communities of color. She was a proud and vocal ally to the LGBTQ community, including her work fighting the spread of HIV and AIDS through the Dollywood Foundation,” the couple noted. “Inspired by her father, she cared deeply about early literacy, spreading a love of reading to millions of children around the world, including tens of thousands right here in California ... “The world will be less sparkly without Dolly, but the joy she brought and the stories she shared will shine for generations,” added the Newsoms. Ms. Parton was born January 19, 1946, in Pittman Center, Tennessee. Over her career, she sold more than 100 million records worldwide. She earned 11 Grammy Awards. In 1999, she received country music’s highest honor when she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2005, Ms. Parton received the National Medal of Arts, the highest honor given by the U.S. government for excellence in the arts. In 2006, she received the Kennedy Center Honors at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Lesbian actor and comic Lily Tomlin, who starred alongside Ms. Parton in “9 to 5,” simply posted “No words…” with a broken heart emoji in a tribute to her longtime friend on Instagram after learning of her passing. t
ductions in more than 20 venues. These included standouts such as “Inherit the Wind,” “Cabaret,” “My Fair Lady,” and “The Rothschilds.” He was preceded in death by his father, Eugene Higgins, and his mother, Anna (Yon) Higgins. In addition to his partner, sister, nephew, and pet dog, Joe is survived by cousins Carmen, Anna, and Bianca; grandniece Makayla; and grandnephews Carter and Jackson. Joe was born in New York City and received a B.A. in theater from Hofstra University.
In San Francisco, Joe proved to be talented not only on but also off stage by simply bringing people together. During the AIDS epidemic, he hosted a monthly play reading and potluck, helped countless AIDS sufferers and caregivers, volunteered with Project Open Hand, and became active in the recovery community, which he continued until his death. There will be a celebration of Joe’s life at 2:30 p.m., Sunday, September 20, at the Eureka Valley Recreation Center, 100 Collingwood Street, in San Francisco.
Obituaries >> Joseph “Joe” Higgins January 7, 1948 – May 20, 2026
Bay Area actor Joe Higgins passed away on May 20, 2026, of heart and renal failure. With him on his last evening were his life partner Pat, sister Kathy, nephew Josh, and his beloved dog Harry. Joe was well known in the local theater world, having appeared in 26 stage pro-
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<< From the Cover
12 • Bay Area Repor ter • August 27-September 2, 2026
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North Beach
From page 1
will now be taken up by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors when it returns from its summer recess in September. District 3 Supervisor Danny Sauter in the spring instigated the process to recognize the historical significance of a number of properties across his district. The list included such well known sites as the Transamerica Pyramid and the California Masonic Memorial Temple turned concert hall atop Nob Hill. While the commission voted in support of landmarking the imposing Masonic structure at 1111-1171 California Street, Sauter announced Wednesday that he will not move forward on doing so due to the opposition of its owners, the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of California. As the Bay Area Reporter had previously noted, the building designed by San Francisco architect of merit Albert F. Roller in the ‘Miesian’ International Style of architecture includes an endomosaic interior window created by life partners Emile Norman and Brooks Clement. As the California Freemason website notes about the window featuring various Mason symbols, it “was so novel it needed a name. Stretching practically
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the entire length of the temple foyer’s southern wall, Norman’s endomosaic is a stunning sight, one that for more than half a century has made an indelible impression on the thousands of visitors each year who come to the building.” San Francisco Planning Department staff said they intend to continue communicating with the Masons about potentially landmarking their building in the future. Sauter, who could not attend the meeting Wednesday, said in a statement read into the record that he would only move forward landmark designations supported by the property owners. The ones he will be asking his board colleagues to landmark next month include “LGBTQ entertainment spaces, important Italian American heritage spaces, and iconic Chinatown buildings,” noted Sauter. “Each designation tells the story of the integrity of the buildings and the architecture, but more importantly, how the activities inside the walls help shape the San Francisco we know today.” Among the sites eyed for local landmark status is the North Beach building at 500-508 Broadway that for decades housed the legendary female impersonators cabaret Finocchio’s. It first opened in the 1930s and ended its run in 1999. Another building that had housed a
historic nightlife venue up to be landmarked is 473 Broadway. It once housed Mona’s Candle Light, the fourth club opened in the late 1940s by lesbian bar owner Mona Sargent, who died in 2001. The third LGBTQ historical site is Vesuvio Cafe, which has called 253 Columbus Avenue home since 1948. Queer and transgender people have long been among its clientele, such as Bohemians and Beat writers who moved into North Beach in the 1950s. One of the more famous LGBTQ bar patrons was Jack Kerouac. The pedestrian alley that Vesuvio sits on and shares with the world-famous City Lights Bookstore is named after the bisexual Beat author. Historic Preservation Commission Vice President Chris Foley noted not only does he daily walk by the historic watering hole but has “partaken beverages” there. Commissioner Gayle Tsern Strang also said she has been a patron there “for decades” and would be attending its Wacky Wednesdays event that evening. “I love sitting in the balcony up above,” she said, adding the business “is a fantastic treasure for the city of San Francisco.” The historic preservation commissioners backed a total of 10 sites to become city landmarks at its meeting
Wednesday, nine of which Sauter intends to move forward. The supervisors’ land use committee will now need to take them and vote on whether to recommend the full board approve landmarking them. Because doing so requires an ordinance to be adopted, the supervisors will need to vote twice on landmarking the properties before sending them to Mayor Daniel Lurie. He will then need to give final sign off on making them local landmarks. Expected to be sent next month to Lurie for final approval is a landmark designation for the stately home where the late gay U.S. Ambassador James. C. Hormel once resided at 181 Buena Vista Avenue East. Last month, the supervisors gave initial approval for landmarking the Queen Anne Victorian built in the late 1890s across the street from Buena Vista Park and which survived the 1906 earthquake. The board is expected to cast a second vote in approval of the landmark request, instigated by gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, at its September 1 meeting. Once landmarked, the Hormel mansion will bring to 18 the number of sites recognized by the city for their connections to LGBTQ history.
Possible funding from a previous grant
Rimi said Parivar’s future is significantly tied to whether the organization will receive $150,000 from a previous city grant. “It’s additional funding, most of which is for work that we’ve already done in the past years through a grant that was previously given to us. So it’s not new funding – it’s a continuation and an appeal for an extension of an
Of those LGBTQ local landmarks, just one is located in North Beach at 524 Union Street where the nowdefunct Paper Doll operated in the 1940s. It is believed to be San Francisco’s first restaurant and nightclub that catered to the queer community. Sauter had also requested that 678 Green Street known as the Fugazi Building be landmarked. For 45 years, it was the home of the mixed-gender drag musical revue “Beach Blanket Babylon” created by the late Steve Silver, who died in 1995 at the age of 51 due to AIDS. The show, shuttered in 2019, became famous for its overthe-top costumes, constant updates with current pop culture and political references, and fabulous hats, one of which was an animated model of the San Francisco skyline that included the Transamerica Pyramid. The supervisors had voted to move the landmark for the Fugazi Building forward along with the others Sauter had selected. But, as the Bay Area Reporter reported last month, the board granted an extension for reviewing the landmark request for the site, giving the Historic Preservation Commission until November 30 to do so before the supervisors vote on approving it. t San Francisco and maintain a physical space where vulnerable trans immigrants and asylum seekers can find community and trust. Rimi urged people to help sustain Parivar’s work, saying it cannot simply be replicated or handed off to another organization because of the unique results it has achieved. She and fellow Parivar leaders are continuing to offer support where they can, including assistance for artists and with housing.
Parivar
From page 1
Parivar has partnered with nonprofits, including the LGBT Asylum Project, which previously served as its fiscal sponsor, and TransCanWork, its fiscal sponsor since 2025. Rimi has never taken a full-time salary, and Parivar has had no full-time staff since last year, she told the B.A.R. About 70% of Parivar’s historical funding has been public, rising to more than 90% since COVID. In fiscal year 2025-26, existing grants from the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, and California Department of Social Services have largely supported programming and rent. Facing financial challenges, Parivar cut its planned $1.1 million budget to $493,000, the B.A.R. previously reported. “If you think of how much we were awarded and how much support we got from community, from a funding perspective, we should be fine. But we gave it all back to community through our programs,” Rimi said, also noting overhead costs. The nonprofit was not included in Mayor Daniel Lurie’s $16.9 billion, two-year budget plan, which he signed in late July ahead of the Board of Supervisors’ August recess, as the B.A.R. previously reported. Parivar recently sought to raise $15,000 in donations by August 15 to secure a new space. Over 10 days, it raised $10,000, Rimi said, an impressive feat during a challenging time for many organizations and individuals, but ultimately fell $5,000 short of its goal. The organization intends to continue accepting donations as it searches for a new space in San Francisco, where Rimi said Parivar does 90% of its work. “We have consciously heard from communities, especially those that have given testimonials as being part of our program recipients and beneficiaries, telling us, ‘You need to find a way to stay,’” Rimi said. “The situation is very serious. We have not replaced the public funding that has sustained much of our work, which was given to us after many years of doing the work based on our results and metrics,” she noted.
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Ally support
JL Odom
The trans flag was raised at San Francisco City Hall August 7.
existing grant so we can build back the organization,” she said. According to Rimi, San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman, a gay man who represents District 8, is helping secure the funds. Mandelman is termed out of office in a few months. “We have a commitment from AHR [the Agency for Human Rights] and Supervisor Mandelman’s office that they will do everything in their power to get that approved to the Board of Supervisors and get us those funds, which will truly help us stay afloat,” Rimi said. In a phone call August 20, Mandelman said that Parivar remains an important organization. “Parivar reaches a unique subset of queer folks. They’ve been successful in creating a sense of community and support for queer South Asian folks, especially trans folks. I think their work is important, and I would like to see it continue,” Mandelman said. He noted that right now is a challenging time for all nonprofits serving vulnerable communities. “They are getting hit by the federal government and operating in a uniquely hostile environment,” he added. “They’re also facing the reality that state and local government has less funding available than we have historically. All that being said, to the extent that we can help them continue, I want us to do that.” Mandelman anticipates the possibility of making progress toward Parivar’s receiving funding from the previous grant once the Board of Supervisors returns from its recess. “I think we can continue moving that forward,” he said. “Whether there are additional resources beyond that
is an open question. I think the AHR is going to do what they can to identify whether there are any potential sources.” Parivar’s former address at 526 Castro Street fell under Mandelman’s district purview, though the Turk office is in District 5. The organization’s relocation last year hasn’t stopped Mandelman from supporting Parivar, Rimi noted. Rimi described Mandelman’s office as “very instrumental” in working with the AHR, a unified city agency created by Lurie in 2025 to coordinate the city’s efforts on equity, civil rights, and inclusion, to obtain the funding. AHR includes the Human Rights Commission, Office of Transgender Initiatives, and the Commission on the Status of Women. “It’s [about] getting our funding reimbursed for work we’ve done,” Rimi said. Even if secured, Rimi noted that the funds would not enable Parivar to restore its support for programs and community needs to the same level as a year ago. San Francisco Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, who represents District 5, said he supports city funding for Parivar to continue its operations. “Unfortunately, when we took office there was no active city contract the board could restore funding to through addbacks in the budget process. We are hoping and advocating for the city departments to find new contracts that could support Parivar going forward,” Mahmood, a straight ally, wrote in a statement to the B.A.R.
More than a loss of space
Though Parivar was only in the Turk office for less than a year, Rimi noted
it was able to serve many people while there. Its lack of funding has since forced core services, such as its Immigrant Emerging Leadership Program, into an indefinite pause. Parivar received more than 200 applications for the program this year but was unable to start a new cohort. “We don’t believe in a model that doesn’t sustain somebody who’s been through a program with a stipend that can help them kickstart their careers, their civic engagement, their entrepreneurial efforts,” Rimi said. “We have to wait for a greater realization of funds to come our way.” The Turk office is now closed to the community, Rimi said, as there are no staff members to support in-person efforts. The organization is also packing its belongings in preparation for its departure. “Right now, we’re focused on getting our organizational structures and processes in place, and basically we don’t know what Parivar is going to look like in six months from now,” she said, adding, “I don’t want to minimize how difficult this moment is … it eats at my heart.” Rimi said her own experience with homelessness, along with the similar experiences of others who have led Parivar and other trans organizations, drives them to do this work so others don’t have to experience the same “very difficult depths of despair.” “When an organization like Parivar loses capacity, it’s not just an office. It’s just not a program that disappears. It’s a connection that is lost for so many community members,” she said. Parivar’s responsibility, she said, is to build something strong enough to serve the next generation, remain in
Amid Parivar’s financial hardship and its transition out of the Turk Street space, Rimi said fellow nonprofits including the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, the San Francisco LGBT Community Center, and the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club have been supportive. “They were among the few organizations who had the empathy to reach out and talk to us. They’ve tried to help us with space [and] with strategies, and we’ve had conversations around how we can continue our programs,” said Rimi. “They recognize and appreciate that it’s a very tough climate for trans folks in this country right now.” “We understand, at Parivar, that it’s really hard for folks to show up for us as we had hoped, especially [with] showing us transgender intersectional unity and solidarity, but we really want to appreciate those who did,” she continued, expressing awareness that many nonprofits are going through financial and sustainability challenges of their own. Tyler TerMeer, Ph.D., a gay Black HIV-positive man who is CEO of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, noted that the agency has partnered with Parivar for years on events serving South Asian LGBTQ+ community members. For TerMeer, it has been rewarding to see Parivar expand its social safety net and legal and community services, but he called the current funding environment “devastating” for Parivar and other organizations serving vulnerable individuals. “We sincerely hope that our communities – and especially funding agencies – step up to help support Parivar, and all the organizations that are making a difference in this city,” he wrote in a statement to the B.A.R. Jennifer “Jen” Valles, a queer femme and executive director of the SF LGBT center, said the center stands in solidarity with Parivar. She noted that Parivar joined the LGBTQ+ Budget Coalition, which the center formed to oppose city cuts to queer, trans, and HIV care. Valles said the cuts threaten the broader network of community support at a time of “high risk and high need,” while Parivar’s services underscore See page 13 >>
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Community News>>
Parivar
From page 12
the importance of its work with South Asian transgender people and Spanishspeaking community members. “The number of community members they have served, along with the consistent demand for their services, speaks to the need in our incredibly diverse City. These budget cuts threaten San Francisco’s living legacy as a refuge for LGBTQ+ community,” she wrote in an email to the B.A.R. Jae Riley, a queer communications manager at the SF LGBT center, further shared that Valles and Rimi have worked closely together in recent months and explored a temporary arrangement that would have allowed Parivar to use the Center’s space at no cost “until the next tenant takes over.” The timing ultimately didn’t work out, so the organizations are instead pursuing collaborative programming. The center has, among other vacant spaces, a ground floor area that previously housed the city’s Office of Transgender Initiatives (and before that, a cafe). That office is now located at 25 Van Ness Avenue, where the Agency for Human Rights is located. At the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club’s Pride Breakfast in Oakland August 16, club members noted that Parivar needs community support. While Rimi couldn’t attend the event, board member Alfred Twu, who is nonbinary, noted Parivar’s importance to the trans community. “Help Parivar,” they said. Other organizational leaders also reached out, including Bamby Salcedo, a trans woman who is president and CEO of the Los Angeles-based TransLatin@ Coalition, and Anya Worley-Ziegmann, coordinator and lead organizer for the San Francisco
August 27-September 2, 2026 • Bay Area Repor ter • 13
Rimi, who is in her 40s, said Parivar’s leaders had to consider whether they had the resilience and stamina to keep going. Ultimately, they decided to rebuild the organization. At the end of the day, Rimi said, Pari-
var exists for community members living on the margins, and she wants that to continue, to whatever extent possible. Its circumstances are prompting a return to its grassroots origins, she said, while remaining an officially registered 501(c)(3). “We’re going to put all our efforts in to stay true to our roots and to try to help communities still get the support,” she said. Amid its current circumstances, Parivar continues to offer limited resources, including the Transgender Immigrant Legal Access & Relief Fund (TILARF). “We provide them with resources. We know who to refer them to, and we’re doing that at a grassroots level, not in the full-fledged case management [way] we usually do, and also connecting them with our immigration law partner, the Okan Law Immigration Group,” she said. The aim, Rimi said, is to maintain a footprint in San Francisco, including a physical space. The coming weeks will offer more insight into where Parivar will land and what the organization will look like. Once it finds a new address, the focus will be on rebuilding. “That’s how we trans people exist, and that’s how we immigrant people exist: with resilience, but also with a humongous, gigantic, magnanimous amount of faith and trust in this country that we call home now, because that’s how we fulfill our immigrant dreams,” she said. Rimi said she’ll have a better idea in late September or sometime in October whether Parivar will be able to continue the work, and to what extent, that the organization originally set out to do. The organization has already significantly reduced its budget and expects to rely more on volunteers and program-specific consultants while working to diver-
sify its funding sources – efforts that so far have had limited success. Partnerships with other organizations, including for the leadership program, are also a possibility. Meanwhile, Parivar is actively searching for a new physical space. “We are preparing to leave 837 Turk at the end of this month, or [by] midSeptember. Right now, we don’t know where to take all that we have, but we do know that the current model is no longer sustainable from a financial standpoint,” she said. Rimi said several organizations, particularly churches and other nonprofits, have offered to temporarily house Parivar’s belongings and provide space for the organization to rent long term. “[The new space] will not be anywhere close to our Parivar Immigrant Cultural Center – it could be as small as 100 or 200 square feet,” Rimi said. “But we appreciate those efforts, and we’re having those conversations actively to see if any of the funds we were able to raise through donations can go toward a space.” After securing a space, Rimi said, the next step will be reaching out to the Board of Supervisors when it returns from recess for support and public comments related to the grant funding from the AHR. She expects to know more about Parivar’s future in the fall. “Hopefully, come October or November, we can really come back to community and say, ‘Hey, we are building up. We are here to stay. We have the support. Now, how do you want to see Parivar move forward with what we have?’” “Nonprofits or any social community organizations exist because a need has not been met, and a community or an individual is suffering because what is available is not accessible, is not affirming. In that regard, we recognize that our work is not done yet,” she said. t
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FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0409956 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): SEVEN STARS NOTARY & DOCUMENT SERVICES, 2374 22ND AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual. Registrant/Owner(s): W.H. SUZI MUI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/27/2026. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/27/2026. AUG 06, 13, 20, 27, 2026
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410012 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): ASHBURY MARKET, 205 FREDERICK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a limited liability company. Registrant/Owner(s): KINGS TRUST LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/01/2026. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/03/2026. AUG 06, 13, 20, 27, 2026
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-26-560861 Petitioner MICHAEL S. PYUN JR. filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name MICHAEL S. PYUN JR. to proposed name MICHAEL S. PYUN and present name LIEM ANH PYUN JR HA to proposed name LIEM ANH HA. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: SEPTEMBER 17, 2026, 9:00am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. AUG 13, 20, 27, SEP 03, 2026
People’s Budget Coalition, a citywide coalition of more than 150 community groups advocating for funding for social services and safety-net programs in the city budget. Worley-Ziegmann, who identifies as bisexual and nonbinary, shared with the B.A.R. that the PBC was proud to help organize efforts that successfully prevented a 20% cut to transgender organizations in the last budget cycle. [T]hat win was possible because of the enormous solidarity from queer organizations and from the queer community of San Francisco,” they wrote in a statement to the B.A.R. They want to build on that momentum and collaboration to keep Parivar in San Francisco and its programs running. “In a moment when our transgender family is under attack at every level, we hope to see the community come together once more in defense of Parivar, a critical cornerstone of trans San Francisco. We’re with them every step of the way beyond survival and into thriving; San Francisco cannot afford to lose Parivar,” they continued. Honoring trans histories, seeking trans futures Parivar’s funding challenges and decision to move out of the Turk space coincide with Transgender History Month, celebrated in August. San Francisco became the first U.S. city to legally recognize Trans History Month in 2021, followed by California, which issued a proclamation in 2023 and officially recognized it in 2024. On August 7, Lurie held a flag-raising ceremony at San Francisco City Hall, as previously reported by the B.A.R. Rimi was invited but declined to attend. “We almost became history, and when we are history, how can we be there? We are in the past,” she said. “If we do not have the collective solidarity
around our organization, do we really want to be in community, or should we be more focused on us getting the basics and the foundations in place?” Parivar had previously participated in budget advocacy through the Trans Advisory Committee with the Office of Transgender Initiatives and had opportunities to work with the mayor’s office. “We recognize and appreciate the way Mayor Lurie has shown up for transgender people in extraordinary ways [during] these extraordinary times happening nationally,” Rimi said. “But whether we were there at City Hall or not, we’re not saying everything is OK or that we stop asking difficult questions about equity and funding. For us, we are trying to not become history.” Rimi said Parivar had received funding and delivered on its promised results, making the loss of support feel unexpected. “We’ve been getting [funding]. We’ve delivered on our results. All of our reports show that. So to suddenly not have that support, that felt a little out of the blue, not logical I would say, to the model that was employed,” she said. Given those factors, and with support following the funding loss coming primarily from Mandelman’s office, Parivar decided to focus on keeping the organization going. “We have work that is unfinished, and all of that work is important,” she said. “We should strive to not build on Transgender History Month or histories — we should build on transgender futures.”
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-26-560838 Petitioner TIMOTHY RYAN-CONNER filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name TIMOTHY PATRICK RYAN-CONNER to proposed name REX PATRICK RYAN-CONNER. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: SEPTEMBER 08, 2026, 9:00am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. AUG 06, 13, 20, 27, 2026
A blueprint for rebuilding
Legals>> SUMMONS (DIVORCE) SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO. NOTICE TO RESPONDENT: KAWALDEEP KHANDPUR ARORA, YOU HAVE BEEN SUED. PETITIONER’S NAME: STEPHANIE ANNE-LUEBBERKE ARORA. CASE NO. FDI-26-803276 You have been sued. Read the information below. You have 30 calendar days after this Summons and Petition are served on you to file a Response (form FL-120) at the court and have a copy served on the petitioner. A letter or phone call, or court appearance will not protect you. If you do not file your Response on time, the court may make orders affecting your marriage or domestic partnership, your property, and custody of your children. You may be ordered to pay support and attorney fees and costs. For legal advice, contact a lawyer immediately. Get help finding a lawyer at the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courts.ca.gov/selfhelp), at the California Legal Services website (www.lawhelpca. org) or by contacting your local county bar association. NOTICE – RESTRAINING ORDERS ARE BELOW: These restraining orders are effective against both spouses or domestic partners until the petition is dismissed, a judgment is entered, or the court makes further orders. They are enforceable anywhere in California by any law enforcement officer who has received or seen a copy of them. FEE WAIVER: If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the court clerk for a fee waiver form. The court may order you to pay back all or part of the fees and costs that the court waived for you or the other party. The name and address of the court are: Superior Court County of San Francisco, 400 McAllister St. San Francisco, California 94102. The name, address and telephone number of petitioner’s attorney, or petitioner without an attorney is: STEPHANIE ANNE-LUEBBERKE ARORA, 1987 28TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116; (415) 359-7608, Date: 07/09/2026, Clerk of The Court, Anthony Mui, Deputy. STANDARD FAMILY LAW RESTRAINING ORDERS: Starting immediately, you and your spouse or domestic partner are restrained from: 1. Removing the minor child or children of the parties, if any, from the state without the prior written consent of the other party or an order of the court; 2. Cashing borrowing against, canceling, transferring, disposing of, or changing the beneficiaries of any insurance or other coverage, including life, health, automobile, and disability, held for the benefit of the parties and their minor child or children; 3. Transferring, encumbering, hypothecating, concealing, or in any way disposing of any property, real or personal, whether community, quasi-community, or separate, without the written consent of the other party or an order of the court, except in the usual course of business or for the necessities of life; and 4. Creating a nonprobate transfer or modifying a nonprobate transfer in the manner that affects the disposition of property subject to the transfer, without the written consent of the other party or an order of the court. Before revocation of a nonprobate transfer can take effect or a right of survivorship to property can be eliminated, notice of the change must be filed and served on the other party. You must notify each other of any proposed extraordinary expenditures at least five business days prior to incurring these extraordinary expenditures and account to the court for all extraordinary expenditures made after these restraining orders are effective. However, you may use community property, quasi-community property, or your own separate property to pay an attorney to help you or to pay court costs. WARNING – IMPORTANT INFORMATION California law provides that, for purposes of division of property upon dissolution of a marriage or domestic partnership or upon legal separation, property acquired by the parties during marriage or domestic partnership in joint form is presumed to be community property. If either party to this action should die before the jointly held community property is divided, the language in the deed that characterizes how title is held (i.e. joint tenancy, tenants in common, or community property) will be controlling, and not the community property presumption. You should consult your attorney if you want the community property presumption to be written into the recorded title to the property. AUG 06, 13, 20, 27, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0409888 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): SPARKLE TEAM CLEANING COMPANY, 3288 21ST ST #65, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual. Registrant/Owner(s): EVA LETICIA JOVEL. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/16/2026. AUG 06, 13, 20, 27, 2026
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-26-560814 Petitioner KARLA JAQUELINE SALINAS DELGADO filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name JOSUE AZAEL SALINAS DELGADO to proposed name JOSUE AZAEL CAMACHO and present name JOSUE UBALDO CAMACHO SALINAS to proposed name JOSUE UBALDO CAMACHO. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: SEPTEMBER 01, 2026, 9:00am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. AUG 06, 13, 20, 27, 2026 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-26-560843 Petitioner BRAVERY MARIE SCOTT filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name BRAVERY MARIE SCOTT AKA ASHLEY MARIE SCOTT AKA ASHLEY MARIE SEWELL to proposed name BRAVERY CHRISTOPHER SCOTT. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: SEPTEMBER 15, 2026, 9:00am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. AUG 06, 13, 20, 27, 2026 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-26-560854 Petitioner YULIA TALYSHEVA AKA JULIA LIPSIT filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name YULIA TALYSHEVA AKA JULIA LIPSIT to proposed name JULIA LIPSIT. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: SEPTEMBER 17, 2026, 9:00am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. AUG 06, 13, 20, 27, 2026 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-26-560851 Petitioner DANIEL RUEZGA GONZALEZ AKA DANIEL RUEZGA RUEZGA GONZALEZ filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name DANIEL RUEZGA GONZALEZ AKA DANIEL RUEZGA RUEZGA GONZALEZ to proposed name DANIEL RUEZGA GONZALEZ. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: SEPTEMBER 15, 2026, 9:00am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. AUG 06, 13, 20, 27, 2026
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0409958 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): CLEARVIEW CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT, 660 WEST FIELD RD #282658, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94128. This business is conducted by an individual. Registrant/ Owner(s): DOUGLAS ANTONIO MARTINEZ-CORDOVA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/2019. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/27/2026. AUG 06, 13, 20, 27, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0409983 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): ZERO HOUR MEDICAL, 2090 BROADWAY #604, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual. Registrant/Owner(s): SCOTT J CAMPBELL MD MPH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/29/2026. AUG 06, 13, 20, 27, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0409954 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): BP SHUTTERS AND SHADES, 3832 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual. Registrant/Owner(s): SAUL BAMACA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/31/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/24/2026. AUG 06, 13, 20, 27, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0409998 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): SFC DISPENSARY, 1545 OCEAN AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a corporation. Registrant/Owner(s): BASA NOVA INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/30/2026. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/30/2026. AUG 06, 13, 20, 27, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0409984 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): LEGACY WRECKING & DEMOLITION, 1251 THOMAS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a corporation. Registrant/Owner(s): NORTH BAY HAULING INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/28/2026. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/29/2026. AUG 06, 13, 20, 27, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0409837 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): ORPHAN ANDY’S, 3991A 17TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a limited liability company. Registrant/Owner(s): GOODRICH RESTAURANTS, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/08/2026. AUG 06, 13, 20, 27, 2026
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410017 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): DARK MATTER SALON, 660 MARKET ST #205, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104. This business is conducted by a limited liability company. Registrant/Owner(s): DARK MATTER SALON, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/03/2026. AUG 06, 13, 20, 27, 2026 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE 2026-0408566 The following has abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as SF NANNIES, 274 12TH AVE #1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business was conducted by a general partnership and signed by EVA KANTOR & ORSOLYA STEINER. The fictitious business name statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/23/2026. The abandonment of fictitious business name statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/29/2026. AUG 06, 13, 20, 27, 2026 AMENDED ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC26-560833 Petitioner MICHAEL BABATUNDI MCNAIR filed an amended petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name MICHAEL BABATUNDI MCNAIR AKA MICHAEL MCNAIR to proposed name MICHAEL MCNAIR. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: SEPTEMBER 17, 2026, 9:00am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. AUG 13, 20, 27, SEP 03, 2026 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-26-560860 Petitioner MARGARET JESSICA SULLIVAN filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name MARGARET JESSICA SULLIVAN to proposed name JESSICA SULLIVAN NOE. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: SEPTEMBER 17, 2026, 9:00am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. AUG 13, 20, 27, SEP 03, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410144 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): STUDIO YUCA, 314 RUTLEDGE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company. Registrant/Owner(s): TRAVESIAS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/25/2026. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/18/2026. AUG 27, SEP 03, 10, 17, 2026
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-26-560864 Petitioner MARIA CHRISTINA RESENDEZ GONZALEZ filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name MARIA CHRISTINA RESENDEZ GONZALEZ to proposed name MARIA CHRISTINA RESENDEZ. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: SEPTEMBER 22, 2026, 9:00am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. AUG 13, 20, 27, SEP 03, 2026 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-26-560862 Petitioner AUDRIE LOK filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name AUDRIE LOK to proposed name AUDRIE LEE. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: SEPTEMBER 22, 2026, 9:00am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. AUG 13, 20, 27, SEP 03, 2026 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-26-561859 Petitioner ALEXANDER CAMERON GOLDENHAR filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name ALEXANDER CAMERON GOLDENHAR to proposed name ALEXANDER CAMERON GOLDENHEART. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: SEPTEMBER 17, 2026, 9:00am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. AUG 13, 20, 27, SEP 03, 2026 AMENDED ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC26-560790 Petitioner ELLA MAE SMITH AKA ELLA MAE BOWERS filed an amended petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name ELLA MAE SMITH AKA ELLA MAE BOWERS to proposed name ELLA MAE SMITH. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: SEPTEMBER 22, 2026, 9:00am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. AUG 13, 20, 27, SEP 03, 2026
<< Classifieds
14 • Bay Area Repor ter • August 27-September 2, 2026
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-26-560863 Petitioner JARROD WAYNE DANIELS filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name JARROD WAYNE DANIELS to proposed name JARROD CHRISTOPHER SCHINELLA. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: SEPTEMBER 22, 2026, 9:00am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. AUG 13, 20, 27, SEP 03, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410026 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): PIRATE KING TRAVEL, 935 KEARNY ST UNIT 64, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by an individual. Registrant/Owner(s): GARRETT LEE COLLINS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/30/2026. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/04/2026. AUG 13, 20, 27, SEP 03, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0409807 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): CONFECTION CRAVINGS, 10 JUDAH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual. Registrant/Owner(s): ZOE POINDEXTER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/02/2026. AUG 13, 20, 27, SEP 03, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410062 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): FABRICS VETTED, 166 CASTRO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual. Registrant/Owner(s): WILLIAM MORRIS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/15/2026. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/06/2026. AUG 13, 20, 27, SEP 03, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0409896 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): CABANA CT. H&G, 36 THOR AVE #C, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by an individual. Registrant/Owner(s): LORIN GEORGE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/16/2026. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/16/2026. AUG 13, 20, 27, SEP 03, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410030 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): SAFETY PRO TEAM, 239 NEY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual. Registrant/Owner(s): TERESA HARTE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/04/2026. AUG 13, 20, 27, SEP 03, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410053 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): EPIC EATS, 122 HARRISON ST #6613, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual. Registrant/Owner(s): RAYMOND RODGERS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/04/2026. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/05/2026. AUG 13, 20, 27, SEP 03, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410086 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): PICCOLO PLUMBING, 299 BONVIEW ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual. Registrant/Owner(s): LAUREN HAYNES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/22/2005. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/10/2026. AUG 13, 20, 27, SEP 03, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410002 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): THE RUFF HOUSE, 816 SHOTWELL ST #1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual. Registrant/Owner(s): LALA MOSS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/04/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/30/2026. AUG 13, 20, 27, SEP 03, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410056 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): ALDER, 600 DE HARO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a corporation. Registrant/Owner(s): REAL PROPERTY AI CORP (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/04/2026. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/05/2026. AUG 13, 20, 27, SEP 03, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410069 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): H&L AUTO; AMAZON AUTOBODY, 1255 MONTGOMERY AVE, SAN BRUNO, CA 94066. This business is conducted by a corporation. Registrant/Owner(s): GTOP (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/06/2026. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/06/2026. AUG 13, 20, 27, SEP 03, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410070 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): GTOP RENTAL; HONEY BEE AUTO; BEE AUTOMOTIVE; VISTA AUTO WORKS, 1255B MONTGOMERY AVE, SAN BRUNO, CA 94066. This business is conducted by a corporation. Registrant/Owner(s): GTOP (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/06/2026. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/06/2026. AUG 13, 20, 27, SEP 03, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0409832 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): PASS 4 LESS DRIVING SCHOOL, 71 STEVENSON ST #400, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a corporation. Registrant/Owner(s): PASS 4 LESS DRIVING SCHOOL INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/07/2026. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/07/2026. AUG 13, 20, 27, SEP 03, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410068 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): HUES, 3053 FILLMORE ST #237, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a limited liability company. Registrant/Owner(s): TAKE HUES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/06/2026. AUG 13, 20, 27, SEP 03, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410065 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): PORTAL MINDFUL RETREATS LLC, 1655 MISSION ST #1030, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company. Registrant/ Owner(s): PORTAL MINDFUL RETREATS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/06/2026. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/06/2026. AUG 13, 20, 27, SEP 03, 2026
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410083 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): CASITO, 4601 GEARY BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a limited liability company. Registrant/Owner(s): UMAMI FAMILIA LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/06/2026. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/07/2026. AUG 13, 20, 27, SEP 03, 2026
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0409964 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): HANSEN’S LAUNDERETTE, 4258 18TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual. Registrant/Owner(s): KEVIN WEI HAN CHEN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/2015. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/28/2026. AUG 20, 27, SEP 03, 10, 2026
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410020 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): SAIKO HANDROLL BAR, 943 COLE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a limited liability company. Registrant/Owner(s): CLOVER RESTAURANT GROUP LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/03/2026. AUG 13, 20, 27, SEP 03, 2026
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410120 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): GO ROAM TOURS, 322 12TH AVE #3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual. Registrant/Owner(s): HEATHER EILEEN CASSELL. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/08/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/13/2026. AUG 20, 27, SEP 03, 10, 2026
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410052 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): KAMELEON, 490 POST ST #2462, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a limited liability company. Registrant/Owner(s): KAMELEON GROUP LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/05/2026. AUG 13, 20, 27, SEP 03, 2026
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410136 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): ARTHUR SEBASTIAN, 2285 UNION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual. Registrant/Owner(s): ARTHUR S. LESNIAK (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/17/2011. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/17/2026. AUG 20, 27, SEP 03, 10, 2026
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0409808 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): BAYVIEW OYSTER BAR, 5114 3RD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a limited liability company. Registrant/Owner(s): AUNTIE APRIL’S POP UP SHOPS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/02/2026. AUG 20, 27, SEP 03, 10, 2026
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410133 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): J LEONARD STUDIO, 2964 CALIFORNIA ST #10, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual. Registrant/Owner(s): X JAIME LEONARD. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/01/2026. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/17/2026. AUG 20, 27, SEP 03, 10, 2026
STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE 2026-0408151 The following has abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as PORTAL MINDFUL RETREATS, 1655 MISSION ST #1030, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by LAURA E. RAMOS. The fictitious business name statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/07/2026. The abandonment of fictitious business name statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/06/2026. AUG 13, 20, 27, SEP 03, 2026 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-26-560870 Petitioner ROSA AMELIA RAMIREZ CARCAMO filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name ROSA AMELIA RAMIREZ CARCAMO to proposed name AMELIA PANIAGUA RAMIREZ. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: SEPTEMBER 22, 2026, 9:00am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. AUG 20, 27, SEP 03, 10, 2026 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-26-560871 Petitioner ANDREA NICOLE MOLINA RAMIREZ filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name ANDREA NICOLE MOLINA RAMIREZ to proposed name ANDREA NICOLE PANIAGUA RAMIREZ. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: SEPTEMBER 24, 2026, 9:00am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. AUG 20, 27, SEP 03, 10, 2026 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-26-560872 Petitioner ARMANDO STEVEN MOLINA RAMIREZ filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name ARMANDO STEVEN MOLINA RAMIREZ to proposed name STEVEN PANIAGUA RAMIREZ. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: SEPTEMBER 24, 2026, 9:00am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. AUG 20, 27, SEP 03, 10, 2026 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-26-560873 Petitioner ANGIE VALERIA MOLINA RAMIREZ filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name ANGIE VALERIA MOLINA RAMIREZ to proposed name ANGIE PANIAGUA RAMIREZ. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: SEPTEMBER 24, 2026, 9:00am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. AUG 20, 27, SEP 03, 10, 2026 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-26-560877 Petitioner ADRIENNA YU filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name ADRIENNA YU to proposed name ADRIENNA HUIE. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: SEPTEMBER 24, 2026, 9:00am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. AUG 20, 27, SEP 03, 10, 2026 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-26-560883 Petitioner KIRIA LEDRIAN MASON filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name KIRIA LEDRIAN MASON to proposed name KIRA LEDRIAN MASON. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: SEPTEMBER 29, 2026, 9:00am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. AUG 20, 27, SEP 03, 10, 2026 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-26-560878 Petitioner SASHA KASHANI VERNICK filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name SASHA KASHANI VERNICK to proposed name SASHA KASHANI NILSEN. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: SEPTEMBER 29, 2026, 9:00am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. AUG 20, 27, SEP 03, 10, 2026
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410093 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): FULTON FOOD SHOP, 1801 FULTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a corporation. Registrant/Owner(s): IMAAN ALI 786 INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/10/2026. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/10/2026. AUG 20, 27, SEP 03, 10, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 625313 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): AMAZI BUILDING AND DESIGN, 1954 MOUNTAIN BLVD #13061, OAKLAND, CA 94611. This business is conducted by a limited liability company. Registrant/ Owner(s): AMAZI PARTNERS, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of Alameda, CA on 08/11/2026. AUG 20, 27, SEP 03, 10, 2026 NOTICE OF SALE OF REAL PROPERTY THE ROBERT P. CLARKE REVOCABLE TRUST DATED MARCH 28, 2023 SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT CASE NO. PTR-24-307568 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, subject to confirmation of this court on September 15, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. in Department 204 of the San Francisco County Superior Court, or thereafter within the time allowed by law, the trustee of the Robert P. Clarke Revocable Trust dated March 28, 2023 will sell at private sale to the highest net bidder, on the terms and conditions hereinafter mentioned, all right, title, and interest that the estate has in the real property located in San Francisco County, California, as follows: Real property located at 627 22nd Avenue, California, 94121, legally described as follows: Commencing at a point on the westerly line of 22nd Avenue distant thereon 150 feet southerly from the southerly line of Balboa Street; running thence southerly and along said line of 22nd Avenue 25 feet; thence at a right angle westerly 120 feet; thence at a right angle northerly 25 feet; thence at a right angle easterly 120 feet to the point of commencement. Being part of Outside Land Block No. 359 Block 1622, Lot 004. The sale is subject to current taxes, covenants, conditions, restrictions, reservations, right of way and easements of record, with any encumbrances of record to be satisfied from the purchase price. An exclusive listing has been given. The property is to be sold for cash only. The property is to be sold on an “as is” basis, except for title. An offer on the property in the total amount of $1,588,000.00 has been accepted by the trustee and a REPORT OF SALE AND PETITION FOR ORDER CONFIRMING SALE OF REAL PROPERTY has been filed in these proceedings, which Report and Petition have been set for hearing on September 15, 2026, and notice made to all interested parties. THE PURPOSE OF THIS NOTICE IS TO INVITE BIDS OVER THE ACCEPTED OFFER, in accordance with the provisions of California Probate Code section 10311. By statute, the initial overbid must be in the amount of $1,667,900.00. Overbids are invited for this property and must be in writing and presented on September 15, 2026, at 9:00 am in Department 204 of the Superior Court of the State of California, for the County of San Francisco, 400 McAllister St. 1st Floor, San Francisco CA, 94102. AUG 27, SEP 03, 10, 2026 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-26-560893 Petitioner KATE MARIE BARTENWERFER & DAVID WILLIAM BARTENWERFER filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name KATE MARIE BARTENWERFER to proposed name KATE MILLER and the present name JACKSON HAROLD BARTENWERFER to proposed name JACKSON WILLIAM MILLER. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: OCTOBER 01, 2026, 9:00am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. AUG 27, SEP 03, 10, 17, 2026 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-26-560887 Petitioner RASHID ALI NUR filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name RASHID ALI NUR to proposed name BENDER ABDULRAHIM NUR. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: SEPTEMBER 29, 2026, 9:00am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. AUG 27, SEP 03, 10, 17, 2026 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-26-560895 Petitioner NAOMI BARBARA QUINN & GRAHAM JAMESON WHITE filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name GIORGIO JAMES WHITE to proposed name REMI JAMES WHITE. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: OCTOBER 01, 2026, 9:00am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. AUG 27, SEP 03, 10, 17, 2026
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-26-560896 Petitioner SHANNON NICOLE RIORDAN filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name SHANNON NICOLE RIORDAN to proposed name SHANNON RIORDAN CHHIBBER. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: OCTOBER 06, 2026, 9:00am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. AUG 27, SEP 03, 10, 17, 2026 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-26-560897 Petitioner AMANDA MATILDA REGODON & ARNO NIAZI filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name EVELINA WALLIN NIAZI to proposed name EVELINA WALLIN NIAZI. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: OCTOBER 06, 2026, 9:00am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. AUG 27, SEP 03, 10, 17, 2026 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-26-560903 Petitioner LILIA TITULAURI filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name LILIA TITULAURI to proposed name LILIA CHANDLER DORENFELL. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: OCTOBER 06, 2026, 9:00am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. AUG 27, SEP 03, 10, 17, 2026 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-26-560898 Petitioner MARTHA MCCUBBIN PLACK filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name MARTHA MCCUBBIN PLACK to proposed name MARTHA PLACK DREXLER. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: OCTOBER 06, 2026, 9:00am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. AUG 27, SEP 03, 10, 17, 2026 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-26-560900 Petitioner MARIA LOURDES GARCIA AKA MARY LOU GARCIA filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name MARIA LOURDES GARCIA AKA MARY LOU GARCIA to proposed name MARY LOU GARCIA. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: OCTOBER 06, 2026, 9:00am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. AUG 27, SEP 03, 10, 17, 2026
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FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410182 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): SERVE WELL LIQUOR MARKET, 595 ELLIS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation. Registrant/Owner(s): ALI IMAAN 2026 INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/18/2026. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/20/2026. AUG 27, SEP 03, 10, 17, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410177 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): MISSION MARKET & LIQUOR, 4304 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a corporation. Registrant/Owner(s): SF LAMA FAMILY INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/20/2026. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/20/2026. AUG 27, SEP 03, 10, 17, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410211 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): PRESENT TENSE FACIAL PLASTIC SURGERY, 450 SUTTER ST #2125, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation. Registrant/ Owner(s): AMIT ARUNKUMAR M.D., PC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/25/2026. AUG 27, SEP 03, 10, 17, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410172 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): EL ARROYO LAUNDROMAT, 2984 23RD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation. Registrant/Owner(s): R&R SERRANO (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/20/2026. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/20/2026. AUG 27, SEP 03, 10, 17, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0409959 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): BUSINESS OF SHOW BIZ, THE; BUSINESS OF SHOWBIZ, THE, 1534 HAYES ST #3, SAN FRANCISCO,C A 94117. This business is conducted by a married couple. Registrant/Owner(s): VELINA LUCETTE BROWN & MICHAEL GENE SULLIVAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/14/1997. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/27/2026. AUG 27, SEP 03, 10, 17, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410184 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): THE ROOST, 1030 POLK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a limited liability company. Registrant/Owner(s): MERCHANT ROOTS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/07/2020. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/21/2026. AUG 27, SEP 03, 10, 17, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410010 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): THE MOON GROUP; THE MOON MANAGEMENT GROUP, 1600 BRYANT ST #410481, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94141. This business is conducted by a limited liability company. Registrant/Owner(s): THE MOON ASSET MANAGEMENT GROUP (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/20/2026. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/31/2026. AUG 27, SEP 03, 10, 17, 2026
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410074 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): SAAVEDRA DRAIN & PLUMBING, 1515 BRODERICK ST #141, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115 . This business is conducted by an individual. Registrant/Owner(s): JOVANI SANCHEZ SAAVEDRA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/08/2026. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/07/2026. AUG 27, SEP 03, 10, 17, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410113 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): WGM CONSULTING, 231 VALLEY ST #1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by an individual. Registrant/Owner(s): GREG MOORE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/12/2026. AUG 27, SEP 03, 10, 17, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410175 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): DJY GENERAL BUILDING, 1747 EUCALYPTUS DR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by an individual. Registrant/Owner(s): DEJIN YU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/23/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/20/2026. AUG 27, SEP 03, 10, 17, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410187 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): GUEVARA’S CARPET, 349 PARK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual. Registrant/Owner(s): TADEO GUEVARA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/21/2026. AUG 27, SEP 03, 10, 17, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410142 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): SOLO GUY LAB,1307 FRANCISCO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual. Registrant/Owner(s): MATTHEW FELDMAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/10/2026. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/18/2026. AUG 27, SEP 03, 10, 17, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410105 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): FIRST RESPONSE TRAINING, 1243 RIDGEWAY DR, SACRAMENTO, CA 95822. This business is conducted by an individual. Registrant/Owner(s): MILES AQUIAR. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/11/2026. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/11/2026. AUG 27, SEP 03, 10, 17, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410181 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): ENDS MEET CO., 11 BLACKSTONE CT, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual. Registrant/Owner(s): JENNIFER MARIE ROSKO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/20/2026. AUG 27, SEP 03, 10, 17, 2026 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2026-0410149 Fictitious Business Name(s)/Trade Name (DBA): MIKE KLOTZ COUNSELING; MIKE KLOTZ THERAPY; CYNICAL THERAPIST, 2443 FILLMORE ST UNIT 3807174, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a corporation. Registrant/Owner(s): MICHAEL KLOTZ MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/19/2026. AUG 27, SEP 03, 10, 17, 2026
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‘Disastrous!’
Third Champagne White parody crash-lands at Oasis
Steve LeMay, D’Arcy Drollinger, James Arthur M, and Nancy French in ‘Disastrous!’ at Oasis
by Jim Gladstone
S
an Francisco has its very own “O Face.” Sure, we share a certain lipscontorted, eyes-rolled-back-to-their-whites cum countenance with rest of the world. But we’re the sole province of the goofy smile, raised brows, and occasional secret blush induced by the in-house theatrical extravaganzas at Oasis. The latest of club proprietor D’arcy Drollinger’s adventures in drag and drollery, which opened a
four-week run on August 21, is called “Disastrous!” It’s anything but. Rather, the show delivers a Phoenician return to form as the club rises from the ashes of last year’s money-crunched closure with its first full production under the auspices of its restructured non-profit Oasis Arts incarnation.
Juicy spoofery
Drollinger wrote, directs, and stars in this flaming campfire of a caper, the third installment of her Champagne White chronicles (after
“Shit & Champagne” and “Lady Champagne”), previously staged at the club, somewhat differently, in 2016. A trilogy topper that could well be heralded as “The Return of the Queen,” its plot finds the thrice-divorced White in a mash-up of James Bond films (Its supervillain society is known as S.P.H.I.N.C.T.E.R.) and a raft of classic disaster flicks, with allusions to “Airport,” “The Towering Inferno,” “The Poseidon Adventure,” “Earthquake,” “The Swarm,” and “Deep Impact,” among others.
Though not technically germane to the genre, “Alligator” is thrown into the mix, as is “Sharknado,” a nod to Gen Z audiences who wouldn’t know Izod from Irwin Allen. Drollinger’s dialogue contains even more painful wordplay than this review, but it’s made infinitely more tolerable by Oasis’ always impressive visual stagecraft. The sets, by Evian, lighting by Sophia Craven, graphics by Pseuda, and costumes, by a full atelier of lunatic fashionistas, are See page 19 >>
by David-Elijah Nahmod
K 2017 0 Media a Kit
yle Motsinger is baring his soul. The out singer/songwriter, who hails from a tiny town in Illinois, reveals a lot about himself in “Take It Back,” his new album. Motsinger sings about his battle with depression, about feeling “Dangerously Uncool,” and in the song “Bad Years” about what’s going on in the world today. It’s a confessional album in which Motsinger belts it out with a raw intensity that’s deeply emotional. Some of the songs are startling, like “The AtThe Los Angeles Blade covers Los Angeles and tack, California news, ” a track which is a mere 31 seconds long. politics, opinion, arts and entertainment and features In thisnational all too brief and tune, Motsinger recalls being international coverage from the Blade’s award-winning reporting branded a social pariah. It’s one of three tunes on team. Be part of this exciting publication serving LGBT Loswhich Angeles the album run less than a minute. “Once the album order was decided it felt like from the team behind the Washington Blade, the nation’s first LGBT there you neededcovered. to be a few interludes to bridge the newspaper. From the freeway to the Beltway we’ve got gap between themes,” Motsinger said in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter. “The idea of creating these short story moments really excited me. I wrote them quickly because I really knew what I wanted to say. ‘The Attack’ needed to set up ‘Down Down Down.’” “Down Down Down” is perhaps the most revealing song on the album. “I fell into a really bad depression,” said Motsinger. “I felt like a complete failure and I wrote about it. The song doesn’t end on a hopeful note because I wasn’t there yet. I got out of it thanks to new medication and the people in my life.”
Mission Statement
Kyle Motsinger is taking it back
Gay singer/songwriter releases new album
Personal struggles
Motsinger struggled with his sexuality during his formative years. He always knew he was differSee page 17 >>
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<< Film & Events Listings
16 • Bay Area Repor ter • August 27-September 2, 2026
Gay love, homophobia and revenge in Lithuania
by David-Elijah Nahmod
I
n some ways things have gotten better for LGBT people in the small Eastern European nation of Lithuania. But in other ways things are as they have always been. Homosexuality is not a crime in the country, and the government has slowly granted gay people some rights. Yet the majority of the population still fiercely opposes LGBT equality. In his new film “The Activist,” out gay Lithuanian filmmaker Romas Zabarauskas dramatizes what life is like for the queer community in that country. As the story begins, Deividas (Elvinas Juodkazis), a prominent gay activist, is announcing the first Pride march to be held in the town of Kaunas. When a large rainbow flag is dropped behind him, Deividas is met with jeers and boos, and with a rock thrown at his head by a neo-Nazi. But Deividas perseveres. He wants to march holding hands with his boyfriend Andrius (Robertas Petraitis) in a country where LGBT people can live openly and freely. One night an intruder breaks into their apartment and kills Deividas, perhaps inadvertently. Andrius returns home to find his boyfriend’s body just as the intruder is running out of the apartment. Andrius chases him, to no avail. The police are of no help. They do not take Andrius seriously and give him a brochure on managing his mental health. Andrius decides to take the law into his own hands. He shaves his head and infiltrates a group of neo-
Alief.co.uk
Robertas Petraitis in ‘The Activist’
Nazis, hoping to find the killer.
Politics and pride
In an interview with the Bay Area Reporter, Zabarauskas addressed what inspired him to make the film and whether or not it was based on a true story. “Look at the world we live in,” Zabarauskas said. “Think about western societies, including the LGBT+ community. Are you feeling optimistic, or do you feel tension? I’m cautiously optimistic, but the tension is there, and it’s interesting for me to address it. I’m frustrated with both the growing far right and with the flaws of liberal politicians and activists that fuel this growth further. As an Eastern European, I was always more cautious before embracing every hot-button issue that quickly becomes unmovable
within certain circles, and ‘The Activist’ is my way to discuss this complexity. It’s not really based on one true story, though if you do a quick Google search, you can find real-life examples on any of the plotlines in our film.” Though the story of Andrius is the film’s main plot, there is a sub-plot involving Jonas (Simas Kuliesius), a trans man who reconnects with Laima (Tekle Baroti), a lesbian with whom Jonas had had a relationship with before he transitioned. Jonas had worked with Deividas at Rainbow Kaunas, the town’s LGBT advocacy group, and continues to be a major part of the organization. “I was particularly touched by two parents of trans children who reached out to thank us for trans representation in our film, which I think is pretty unique also outside Lithuania,” said
‘The End of Oak Street’ by Gregg Shapiro
I
n the 33 years since Steven Spielberg first unleashed the lab-grown dinosaurs of Michael Crichton’s “Jurassic Park” on movie audiences, the franchise has lost some its luster. Not even gay dreamboat Jonathan Bailey could keep the latest installment, 2025’s “Jurassic World Rebirth,” afloat. Now, the creatures invade the suburbs. Set in not quite prehistoric 1982, in a town near Detroit, David Robert Mitchell’s “The End of Oak Street” (Warner Brothers) introduces us to the Platts, a family on the brink of falling apart. Unhappily married Denise (Anne Hathaway) and Greg (Ewan McGregor) are trying to keep it together for the sake of their teens Au-
drey (Maisy Stella) and her younger brother Brian (Christian Convery). Denise finds solace in her basement office where she types away on her novel. Meanwhile, Greg is doing odd jobs, including pizza delivery, covering for being laid off at Chrysler (which he has kept a secret). One summer night, following bright flashes of light from what appears to be a storm, everything in the Platts’ world changes. Their neighborhood is suddenly transformed into the land of carnivorous dinosaurs and giant vegetation. Naturally, this change in circumstances emphasizes the need for the family to stay together as a unit. As neighbors are being devoured, dragged into the underbrush, or carried away by winged creatures, the
Zabarauskas. “The Activist” is an ambitious film that covers a lot of ground. It features strong performances, particularly from Petraitis, who carries the film beautifully. The actor is more than able to convey the courage it took to pull off such a dangerous con game, thereby expressing his own form of activism. There are a number of memorable scenes, such as when Deividas’ mother tells Andrius that she won’t contest her son’s will, as well as the scenes in which Andrius “hangs out” with his neo-Nazi “friends.” Zabarauskas’ direction is strong and precise throughout. The film was funded by the Lithuanian Film Center and was supported by Lithuanian National TV LRT, according to Zabarauskas. It enjoyed a wide release in cinemas across the country. “I think the real challenge for this film isn’t linked to Lithuania at all, to be honest,” he said. “It’s some of the progressive Western tastemakers and audiences that are irked by my vision. Still, it continues to travel across festivals and has been screened in repertoires in Paris, London, Frankfurt, as well as Palm Springs so far. I’m grateful for the continuing journey of the film, but sometimes I do wonder why some viewers are so uncomfortable with a work of art that aims to address political complexities rather than just send a message they already agree with.” Zabarauskas would love to see the film play in San Francisco and hopes to come here one day. “I’ve never been to San Francisco
but I would love to visit,” he said. “Any ideas for a film screening or panel discussion are welcome, email me. I’m currently studying for my PhD in film at the Lithuanian Music and Theater Academy, so also open to opportunities within academia. Harvey Milk is my inspiration, which can be clear from ‘The Activist’ as well, I think. I’m proud to mention that I was awarded the LGBTQ Champion Award from the Harvey Milk Foundation in 2021. The awards were held in Florida, where I had the chance to meet Harvey Milk’s nephew, Stuart Milk, leading the initiative.”t “The Activist” (in Lithuanian with English subtitles) is now streaming at TLAvideo, Amazon Prime, Vimeo, Dekkoo, Fandango, Google Play, and Apple TV. alief.co.uk instagram.com/rzabarauskas/
Tallinn Black Nights | Mia Tohver
Filmmaker Romas Zabarauskas
Dinos in the hood
pressure is on the Platts to do all they can to survive and maintain their personal secrets. For Greg, it means that he starts drinking again (to calm his nerves, as he says). Of course, this set off Denise who, as it turns out, has been writing a warts-and-all book about the family. Brian is doing his best to find the missing family dog Starbuck, as well as avoid the neighborhood bully who is out for revenge. We also see Audrey struggling with her own identity. In one scene, after everyone else is asleep, she sneaks out to the family car and sings along with the Steve Winwood song “Valerie” in the cassette deck as tears roll down her cheeks. The emotions on display are hard to miss. It’s one of the subtlest and most effective ways of revealing a clue about her identity. Later, in the movie, after the body count continues to rise, and the wildfires burning in the distance begin to encroach on the neighborhood, Audrey and Brian encounter new teenaged neighbor Jeanette (Jordan Alexa Davis). Brian’s interest in her is obvious, but there is an undeniable spark
Warner Bros.
A scene from ‘The End of Oak Street’
between Jeanette and Audrey. Writer and director Mitchell does a decent job of capturing the era (including the music), and he even gives the movie a kind of ’80s visual texture. The depicted dinosaurs achieve maximum scariness, too. But there were some unexpected bumps, including distracting references to religion, that
felt like they were thrown in almost as an apology for the movie’s queerness. Rating: B-t ‘The End of Oak Street’ now playing at AMC Kabuki 8 and Apple Cinemas Van Ness IMAX. warnerbros.com/movies/ the-end-of-oak-street
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t
TOP 20+ ARTS & NIGHTLIFE EVENTS
AUG. 27-SEPT. 4 Meet up with old friends or make some new ones, possibly at The Edge bar (see photo). We’ve got bar listings, nightlife fun, and arts events, every week online in Going Out.
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Film>>
August 27-September 2, 2026 • Bay Area Repor ter • 17
‘Cocoon - One Summer of Girlhood’
Schoolgirl crushes amid wartime
by Joshua Polanski
B
<<
Kyle Motsinger
From page 15
ent, and as soon as he hit puberty, he began lusting after the other boys in the locker room. He tried to suppress it for many years but finally lost his virginity in the back of his car on a dirt road during his first year of college. His song, “Try It,” from his first album is about that experience. He wrote a little bit of music while in high school but didn’t start writing seriously until he moved to New York City almost fifteen years ago. “I finally had a lot to say,” he said. He added that being gay definitely informs his music. “I think it can’t help but inform it,” Motsinger said. “I’m liberal because I’m gay. I care about people who are different because I’m gay. I’m a theatre gay and not afraid to be flamboyant and over the top. I reject the idea of things being cringe because they are silly or whimsical.” Motsinger does it all. Besides singing and songwriting he also plays keyboard on his albums and in his club appearances. Singing is his favorite of the three because he’s done it the most.
Piano man
“I also get to sing more often because I work at a famous musical theater sing-along bar in New York called Marie’s Crisis,” he said. “I get to use my degree to sing Broadway solos for the customers. Songwriting is amazing but it takes me awhile to write and come up with the stories I want to tell. I love playing the piano but my abilities are limited to playing what I compose
GKids
Both photos: GKids
Scenes from ‘Cocoon - One Summer of Girlhood’
the bodily effects of war, though it wouldn’t be fair to go as far as to say this is a sanitized adaptation. Young girls die and assaulters still assault, but the focus shifts from the violent acts themselves to the effect of these actions on the young women, and that seems to be an important distinguishing vantage point. The victims become so humanized that Ina refuses to confine them to victimhood.
Dreamlike imagery
As expected for a war film named after a buggy biological process, “Cocoon” leans into metaphors, including magical ones, without embarrassment. San’s dreams, for example, transport her to the clouds, a symbol of safety in a time of war. When another girl is shot, beautiful flowers pour from her leg instead of blood. This makes us look more intentionally and resensitizes us to the violence of getting shot in our desenor my unique arrangements of other songs. I can’t fill in as a piano player at my bar because most of the repertoire is too difficult for me to play.” Though some of the songs on “Take It Back” are downbeat, Motsinger seems to be gaining confidence as the album progresses. By the time he reaches the title track, he’s singing about taking back his power. It’s a compelling story song, in which he seems to be cutting someone out of his life, someone who used to judge him, but he isn’t taking it anymore. “‘Take It Back’ was the last full song to be written last September,” he said. “It was a specific story I wanted to tell and I had written another song that was less hopeful. When I came up with the idea of taking my power back the song practically wrote itself. I realized it was what I was building to all along. I journey through all the insecurity to a place of confidence and resolution. It was the perfect way to end the album and summarize the themes of the album.” Motsinger hopes listeners will realize that they’re not alone in their feelings of self-doubt. He’s had those feelings and he’s not afraid to express them. With “Take It Back,” he shows that those feelings can be overcome and that people can indeed reclaim their self-confidence. “I write because I feel I have stories that others can relate to,” he said.t ‘Take It Back’ by Kyle Motsinger is now streaming at Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music and on other services. www.kylemotsinger.com
sitized media landscape. Unlike the typical red liquid, we usually associate flowers with life. Her life flees her body. A soft piano from noted composer Kensuke Ushio (“A Silent Voice” and “Chainsaw Man”) breathes into the film’s otherwise silence. Rarely does the score seem to turn up during dialogue itself, instead waiting for its own turn to talk. There also just isn’t that much music, which allows for the clash between mundane and wartime sounds to take greater prominence. The subtlety of the music almost whispers a gentleness back into the plot of gun-induced and bombsustained belligerence. San and Mayu are never given the opportunity to be anything more than friends if they wanted to. War takes that from them too. They do share a platonically intimate moment in the cave. In a kneeling embrace, Mayu puts a “spell” on San to comfort
her. They hold hands as if in prayer… but gayer. And when San opens her eyes, Mayu gently washes her hand over her face as if to tell her the spell isn’t finished yet. They don’t consummate any simmering feelings by intertwining lips, and while it’s technically possible to read this interaction as fully aromantic, it’s too easy to find sapphic undertones. Because of the lack of girl kissing, some critics accuse “Cocoon” of queerbaiting. The marketing materials and cover imagery certainly tease a Girls Love direction. They are even holding hands! The title, a protective, safe shelter for silkworms, also evokes closeted imagery. Being closeted can be protective in unwelcoming (or violent) contexts. Gender performance is essential to the story though, making this argument challenging to maintain. When we meet the girls, they are wearing traditional Japanese schoolgirl clothes.
At least, San is. Mayu is wearing pants instead of a skirt, our first indication something gay is going on. The ending, a “shocking” revelation related to one character’s gender identity, takes the theme a step further. The short one-hour runtime never cares to tell us about the enemy or why the war is being waged. In the context of Japanese imperialism and WWII, this can be seen as overlooking or even (lightly) pinkwashing Japanese complicity. But the film intentionally divorces the story from the WWII context, and its opening text recalls the wars of the present. Young people, regardless of their country’s political power, must be afforded the opportunity to live in order to be free. “Cocoon” understands this.t ‘Cocoon - One Summer of Girlhood’ opens in theaters Sept. 4. www.gkids.com
American Conservatory Theater presents An Emma Rice Company, Kay & McLean Productions and Jonathan Church Theatre Productions co-production
“A heck of a lot of fun”
—The Telegraph
ALFRED HITCHCOCK’S ADAPTED AND DIRECTED BY EMMA RICE
Danny Collins, photo by Rich Soublet II
ased on a well-regarded josei manga by Machiko Kyō, the Japanese anime feature “Cocoon - One Summer of Girlhood” opens with an anti-war, pro-peace inscription. “Our hope is that this film will serve as an opportunity for the young generation to feel and think about the cruelty, terror, and futility of war – as well as the profound importance of peace,” the filmmakers instruct, making no attempt to shield their pedagogic means. A sharp transition from this political framing, we now see two school girls in a field. The wind blows. Life looks normal. San (Marika Ito) and Mayu (Hikari Mitsushima) meet in a field during a fictional war with nameless enemies. Based on the real-world Himeyuri students in Okinawa, they attend an all-girls school and are enlisted to help soldiers as nurses in a cave. War barrages without discrimination, and suddenly, too. The idyllic remote island becomes a mass grave in minutes as San and Mayu cling to each other more faithfully than to their own lives. “Cocoon” is not a Studio Ghibli product, though it’s certainly an extension of the famed studio’s legacy. Veteran animators Akihiko Yamashita (“Spirited Away” and “Howl’s Moving Castle”) and Shinji Otsuka (“Princess Mononoke” and “Kiki’s Delivery Service”) bring the studio’s hand-drawn authenticity and warm pastels to the wartime coming-of-age film. Its frames in isolation could easily be mistaken for Ghibli by even the studio’s biggest of fans, though the same cannot be said of its more grueling, edgy themes. Debut director Yukimitsu Ina tones down the more shocking and disturbing images from the graphic novel, including around sexual assault and
Based on the Turner Entertainment Co. Film North by Northwest Produced by special arrangement with Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures and Kay & McLean Productions Originally co-produced by Emma Rice Company, York Theatre Royal, HOME Manchester, Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse and Alexandra Palace Theatre
SEP 22–OCT 18 | A.C.T.’S TONI REMBE THEATER
TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT ACT-SF.ORG
<< Books
18 • Bay Area Repor ter • August 27-September 2, 2026
Stephanie Fairyington’s book, ‘Ugly’ by Tim Pfaff
Among the most painful of her personal stories is her having her very identity questioned in the context of her more standardly attractive family members. Of the first such insensitive charge by another woman, she writes, “It landed as she intended it to –with blunt force… It wasn’t just my face that made me unattractive to her –it was also the legibility of my queerness.”
“L
ookism,” a newish name for a time-dishonored discrimination based on people’s physical appearance, has of late elbowed its way into the toxic company of racism, classism, sexism, ageism, and the like, often as difficult to diagnose as it is to cure. Will it, like the poor, always be with us? Look again, Stephanie Fairyington argues in “Ugly: A Letter to My Daughter” (Pantheon). Her book is not a call to the ramparts. Rather, it addresses how personal this particular form of discrimination is –that if beauty is in the eye of the beholder, its opposite is as likely to lie in the souls of the beheld. LGBTQ people hardly need schooling in its tyranny. If you’re not “best in bar,” who are you anyway? We all know what we’re talking about –or not talking about– here. The putatively “most powerful person in the world” surrounds himself with what are to him good-looking people and insists that no one wants to look at the disfigured, including, even especially, the war-wounded. The Madison Avenue ad machine shows no sign of relenting in its prescriptions of human beauty. New Yorker writer Joshua Rothman grabbed the best line: “‘Ugly’ is an ugly word.” In Fairyington’s new work, it sits right there in the title and on the book cover, promising, and delivering, an examination of the elusive subject, written from the point of view of compassionate selfexamination. For her, such compassion suggests an alternative to ha-
But she digresses
Sabrina Weiss
Author Stephanie Fairyington
tred, never mind that it looks down on the less fortunate as defined from the outside. We all have work to do here.
An inside job
On the second page of her compelling book, Fairyington writes, “Mine’s a face that refuses to lie back and get fucked, which is, perhaps, the ultimate definition of an ugly woman.” Her accounts of the myriad ways her appearance has been harshly judged, including by herself, in that forbidding if all-too-familiar pattern of introjection that imperils most of us. Her frequent references to studies of the phenomenon acknowledge a
central observation, “that ideas of beauty and ugliness throughout history are ever-changing.” Less coolly, she writes about the wounds inflicted by those who have perceived, and informed, her that she is or was –let’s use a PC formulation here– cosmetically challenged. Seeing and believing are twinned aspects of this knotty vice that stalks most of us. Delving into the etymology of “ugly,” she observes that in Middle English the word meant “frightful” or “repulsive,” and that its Old Norse root, uggligr, meant “to be feared or dreaded.” As we moderns know all too well, fear and dread in both directions are not confined to history.
Her elusive if inescapable subject inevitably explores its tributaries. Sexism is everywhere, of course, but this almost freakishly honest book largely skirts the pain gay men feel in their endless competition for trophies. Welcomingly, her survey extends to transphobia. She also has sympathy for her daughter’s place in the “Selfie Generation” and the way it increasingly bleeds into the difficulties many children her daughter’s age have in acknowledging their own “two mommies” situations. That she gives scant attention to the comparable two-daddies “problem” is not a slight but a measure of the specific ways she has observed, and endured, the matter. Despite its many references to academic explorations of the subject, some of the most potent writing is about her own life and her two-mommies family, with her and her life partner Sabrina’s devotion to the young lady who is clear that having gay parents does not make you gay but retains a curiosity about her sperm-donor father.
Tessa Yang’s ‘The Jellyfish Problem’
by Laura Moreno
B
rilliantly bridging the mythic, the scientific, and the profound, Tessa Yang’s debut novel, “The Jellyfish Problem,” tells the tale of a colossal, seemingly sentient jellyfish that terrorizes a remote island off the placid coast of Maine. The protagonist of the story is Dr. Jo Ness, a marine biologist whose life is as compartmentalized and orderly as her meticulous lab work. Jo finds herself still healing from the loss of her best friend Aldo 7 months earlier. His presence lingers amidst their
unfinished research for better, for worse as she attempts to finish the project alone. One day when an old flame from college, Nadia, reaches out with a request for Jo to help with what appears to be a giant, glowing jellyfish, Jo’s carefully constructed routine is disrupted and her world begins to fracture even as she is interested in helping to solve the mystery. The book “Jellyfish Problem” (Penguin Random House), like the jellyfish problem the characters grapple with in the sea, defies easy categorization. The book is considered speculative
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The mysteries of the ocean blue
To quote a line from the book, “Dr. Jo Ness prefers jellyfish to people.” The jellyfish is something of an enigma in that with no eyes or face, it is almost impossible to relate to. And yet it serves as a symbol, a plot device, and a powerful metaphor for the fragility and resilience of life, while the ocean itself is also a symbol of the unknown.
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fiction, science fiction, psychological and contemporary fiction, but it also weaves in aspects of magical realism and fantasy including supernatural and surrealist layers of the story, which are not always appreciated by some scientifically-minded readers. Other readers find shifting between the very different lenses jarring. It’s a problem Anne Rice ran into with her fans once she started writing about Jesus Christ. She had her vampire and erotica fans, and then she had her Christian fans, but few readers were able to appreciate the entire gamut of her ingenious body of work. Tessa Yang has managed to pull off a similar –although less pronounced– dynamic with her first novel by appealing to disparate sensibilities that not all readers possess. Another similarity between Anne Rice and Tessa Yang is the role of grief in their books. For Rice, vampires were the perfect embodiment of it. For Jo, the faceless, spineless sea-creature ironically dubbed Clementine becomes a focal point for her own unresolved grief, and gradually becomes the perfect symbolic representation of grief. Yang told Writers Digest the film “Jaws” was the initial inspiration for writing this book, and the pandemic deepened her thoughts about community and the importance of relationships. Currently based in Upstate New York, Yang has an MFA from Indiana University, where she served as the editor of the Indiana Review.
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The lesbian journalist’s look at appearance-based discrimination The toggling between the poles of intellectual understanding and deeply personal narrative can be dizzying at times. But then so is lookism. There’s a recognition of the centrality of her queerness in her self-given family name (you may have wondered), later formalized by an Oakland official. “In queer culture,” she observes, “a woman thought undesirable and unappealing in a heteronormative context is rendered sexy and goodlooking in a queer one. What’s pretty and ugly is truly contextual.” There’s nothing glib about Fairyington’s formulation. She writes of her partner Sabrina, “whose adoring eyes became a reflection in which I could see and feel my own beauty. I could finally face my face, not every day and not always lovingly, but her love showed me to myself in a whole new way.” Hers is not a prescription for happy coupledom as the answer to lookism. Fairyington names meditation and other avenues to awareness and self-acceptance as steps beyond affirmations taped to the bathroom mirror. There’s plenty here for males, biological and otherwise, to take away from this brave book. At a time like ours, when “looksmaxxing” is floated as a viable, even preferable alternative to feeling and therefore acting ugly, it’s no small thing.t Stephanie Fairyington, ‘Ugly: A Letter to My Daughter,’ Pantheon Books, 270 pp., $28, www.penguinrandomhouse.com www.stephaniefairyington.com
Marine biology meets magical realism
Kristen Renee
Author Tessa Yang
Yang writes extremely well. The subject matter of a mythic sea-monster combined with queer romance among other things is a winning formula, not unlike Herman Melville’s classic “Moby Dick” and Julia Armfield’s acclaimed queer horror novel “Our Wives Under the Sea.” “The Jellyfish Problem,” however, is far more grounded in real-world marine science and detailed biological research while simultaneously bending the laws of known biology and physics with the jellyfish’s extraordinary size and frightful effect on the island’s inhabitants. The inclusion of academic-style excerpts from Jo’s research at the start of each chapter adds a layer of depth that makes the reader feel like a member of the team in the lab as we pursue scientific knowledge together. As Yang told HarlequinJunky.com, “I spent about two years researching jellyfish for this novel. Other topics I researched were scuba diving, historic lighthouses, and Japanese folklore.” The setting of Shattering Point Island is a character unto itself. Yang
captures the claustrophobic beauty of island life, where isolation acts as a crucible for internal conflict as residents and visitors flee paradise. Equally important, the islanders’ varying reactions to Clementine offer a fascinating commentary on how communities process fear and uncertainty. Yang’s first book was “The Runaway Restaurant” (2022), a short story collection published by independent publisher 7.13 Books. Just 188 pages in length, it features intriguing speculative fiction that explores dreamlike, surreal, and dystopian scenarios such as bio-hacked relationships and postpandemic survival groups. Ultimately, “The Jellyfish Problem” is a bold, intellectual, and deeply engaging novel. It is a moving story that blurs the boundaries between science, magic, and the mystery of the sea, apt symbols of the depths of the human heart.t Tessa Yang’s ‘The Jellyfish Problem,’ $30, 384 pp., Penguin Random House tessayang.com penguinrandomhouse.com
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Books>>
August 27-September 2, 2026 • Bay Area Repor ter • 19
Andrew Sean Greer’s ‘Villa Coco’ by Brian Bromberger
A
s the summer winds down and you are seeking a witty, charming reading diversion, an escape from the grim headline news, you could do no better than Andrew Sean Greer’s latest novel, “Villa Coco.” While not as brilliant as his Pulitzer-prize winning satire, “Less,” about a gay author traveling on a global literary tour to forget the loss of the man he loves, few writers excel at describing and capturing an exotic locale and its atmosphere more skillfully than Greer. This time we’re in Tuscany and, similar to E.M. Forster’s “A Room with a View,” the main character is transformed by a visit to Italy, and discovers new aspects of himself hitherto unexplored. The novel can best be called slice of life, even a comedy of manners amidst a vivid portrayal of the beautiful Italian landscape and cuisine (including a mouthwatering recipe for stuffed artichokes and eating eels). It’s populated by endearing, eccentric characters with whom you will be glad you spent time. The coming-of-age plot here is almost incidental, as this is a characterdriven story. Geoffrey is a 21-year-old recent American college graduate with a degree in Archives and Record Management in the late 1990s. Having largely wasted his education on sex and bad romantic entanglements with men, he has no idea what he wants to do with his life, nor has any employment prospects. His college adviser gives him a clipped ad for an “adjutant” to catalog the collection of an Italian Baronessa, at a modest country house/villa in the small village of San Drago in Tuscany before Christmas. Accepted for the position, he decides in advance to swear off men and focus on his job, “the bloodless precision of the archivist’s life.”
Buon giorno
Upon arrival, he’s nicknamed Giovedi (Italian for Thursday) because the white-haired 92-year-old formidable Baronessa (an Italian “Auntie Mame”) jokingly refers to him being her “Man Thursday.” Her real name is Lisabetta. “It’s from Boccaccio. She is the one who keeps her lover’s severed head in a pot of basil.” But she’s known to her friends as Coco. The house looks “both like the British Museum and like a child’s bedroom, filled with beloved trash and treasures.” Finding out Geoffrey is neither blond nor British, she orders him to leave, but a fortuitous train strike buys him time. He repairs her ancient septic tank and he can stay as long as he learns to dress properly, learn Italian, and study history and culture. When he accidentally places a hat on a bed, she erupts in superstitious terror, contending that it portends death, which can only be remedied by touching the nearest man’s testicles. Her old close gay friend and art dealer Oscar arrives from Genoa and cheerfully volunteers for the remedy. He tells Geoffrey never to leave the villa, that it will be the experience of a lifetime, “but you must allow an old woman some mysteries…You have to think of her as a magic door. Every time you open it, it leads somewhere new.” Geoffrey does household chores (i.e. hunting the Baronessa’s mortal enemy, the pine marten, a weasel; making olive oil or shaving the dogs) and running strange errands, but eventually starts cataloguing her collection of art works and curios, which includes Picasso and Botticelli paintings, though he notices objects strangely disappearing.
L’aventurra
The Baronessa wants to travel to
Gareth Gooch
James Arthur M, Matthew Martin, and Michael Phillis in ‘Disastrous!’ at Oasis
<<
Disastrous!
From page 15
a many splendored thing that frankly out-dazzle many of the more amplybudgeted national Broadway tours that pass through town.
Think about how “Chicago” and the performance scenes from “Gypsy” feel flaccid on film compared to their sexy electricity when experienced in person. But also think how amazing it is that, days after seeing “Disastrous!”
Author Andrew Sean Greer
Ferrara. Her young handsome cousin Giacomo, a shy book editor from Vicenza, arrives to drive. She mysteriously sends them to the fishing village of Comacchio and then to Ravenna. The car breaks down with Geoffrey and Giacomo romantically spending the night together, ditching his vow of celibacy. Giacomo is married to a college friend Laurine, a lesbian, out of convenience as well as to raise children together. This will later lead to a farcical bedroom scene involving Giacomo’s wife and her female lover, an homage to Noel Coward. Oscar has leukemia and arrives for a final visit, but it’s all about a scheme devised by the Baronessa. Giacomo has proposed he and Geoffrey live together in a pink building in Milan. Giovedi needs to choose whether to accept his proposal. His position with the Baronessa will lead to a madcap
at Oasis, it took me a minute to feel certain that the show wasn’t, like those esteemed others, a musical. There’s so much pop cultural joy to the script and grin-inducing verve to the performances that the show will have you humming and tapping your toes even without a score. Michael Phillis, James Arthur M. and Steven Le May deliver crackerjack multi-role turns, yukking it up with just the right rhythm of lightning-fast quips and applause-baiting pauses. And Nancy French nails her part as a self-righteous and absolutely appalled heterosexual square. But Drollinger’s Champagne truly meets her match in Matthew Martin as the pussycat-petting, urbanelyturbaned villainess, El Cafitan. With restrained, sandpapery Agnes Moorehead vocals and an oleaginous, “I’ll take my time” poise, Martin lends a womanly “W” to 007’s Ernst Blofeld. Good gracious, Oasis, you’ll have to die another day!t ‘Disastrous!’ through September 12. $47 - $68. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com
Refreshing the franchise
The first two installments of this bawdy trio have been adapted into feature films which, while amusing, have suffered from Champagne problems. Triumphant as it may feel to have one’s creative efforts projected on the big screen, these stories and performances lose some of their effervescence when transmuted from stage to cinema. Ironically, a few of the show’s most effective effects involve the clever integration of filmed segments with the onstage action at Oasis. For the most part, though, there’s a buzz to the series’ rimshot schtick that works best when there’s a live energetic exchange between performers and audience members; a vaudevillian thrill to in-person naughtiness that doesn’t quite translate to the screen.
Enchanting Italian comic caper captivates
Gareth Gooch
Michael Phillis, D’Arcy Drollinger, and Ron Brock in ‘Disastrous! at Oasis
adventure (“I have put something in motion from which there will soon be no returning”) which will reveal the real reasons the Baronessa wanted an archivist, a discovery that will decide his fate. The plot can be meandering, though there’s no high drama, but plenty of crazy intrigue. It’s the colorful characters (i.e. the Baronessa’s princess, gin-swilling friend Pippa, who once fell in love with a monkey) and their connections to each other that seduce the reader, especially the romantic, ridiculous, and indomitable scheming Baronessa.
Un sogno
Fiercely loyal to her friends, with keen tart observations, she’s a force of nature dressed in widow’s black, who steals every scene she’s in. She’s entertained Mick Jagger, dated Salva-
dor Dali, and was friendly with Allen Ginsberg. In her mischievous past, she’s even stolen a toe from a statue in Venice’s St. Mark’s Square. She’s experienced tragedy but didn’t let it destroy her. She has a secret desperate love with whom she wants to be reunited and is plotting her future. In fact, she controls every event that happens in the novel. Geoffrey is irritated by the Baronessa but also has affection for her. Since the novel will probably be made into a film or Masterpiece Theater television, it’s a shame Dame Maggie Smith died, as she would have been perfectly cast as the Baronessa. The irony is Geoffrey was expecting a respectable and orderly position, but his life is continually being upended unexpectedly as he slowly realizes that growth arrives disguised as chaos. There are lessons here on old age, the follies of youth, self-discovery, and how provincial American culture can be. Memories and secrets are draped with warm observational humor and whimsy. Yet “Villa Coco” isn’t as gay-centered, in that it doesn’t dominate the plot as it did in Greer’s previous novels. The book captivates because nothing is precisely what it seems, including the book itself that’s both a frothy romp but also a poignant meditation on what growing up means at any age. It’s a grand sunny adventure filled with hope that’s a slightly disguised morality tale but one spun out of sugar, hinting that people aren’t always what they seem to be nor should we take ourselves too seriously. Don’t we all dream about becoming who we always wanted to be? “Villa Coco” allows us to do it vicariously and with much delight.t ‘Villa Coco: A Novel’ by Andrew Sean Greer. Doubleday, $30. www.penguinrandomhouse.com www.andrewgreer.com
San Francisco Black Pride WeeK Aug 24-30, 2026
VOLUNTEER!
THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2026
SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2026
VOGUE AND TONE WITH SIR JOQ ODC • 8:00 PM
OAKLAND TO ALL CLASSES, DANCE PARTY AND EXHIBITION SOMA ARTS • 6:00 PM - 12:00 PM
Not only will you learn the history of Vogue, but you’ll receive an intense workout. Jocquese will break down each element from Hands to Spins, Catwalk to Duck walk, Dips to Floor Performance. Each element has specific movements that will strengthen and tone different parts of the body. The choreography will be infused with other forms of dances such as jazz, modern, ballet, hip-hop and Afro-Haitian. RSVP ON WEBSITE>
THROW-IT-BACK Q BAR • 9:00 PM - 2:00AM
90s/2000s themed R&B and Hip Hop party at Q Bar. Dress the part! We want to see your best 90s and early 2000s attire — beepers, baggy clothes, jersey dresses, bucket hats, bandanas, oversized hoops, velour tracksuits... bring it ALL.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2026 SEEN EP. 21 THE STUD • 9:00 PM - 2:00AM
We’re joining forces with SEEN FRIDAY, AUGUST 28th for a night rooted in Black queer joy, community, and intentional booty shaking! Together, we’re creating space to celebrate, connect, transcend and be fully seen. This one’s for the community. RSVP ON WEBSITE>
SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2026 SATURDAY FESTIVAL (BLOCK PARTY) SF LGBT CENTER • 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM
The Oakland to All Ball takes over SOMA Arts for a night of legendary ballroom culture. Watch competitors serve face, body, and performance in classic vogue and runway categories, then stay for live performances and a dance party that’ll keep you moving. The night closes with a special exhibition showcasing Black queer artistry. Whether you’re walking a category or cheering from the floor, this is a celebration you won’t forget.
SAPPHIC NIGHT MOTHER BAR • 9:00 PM - 2:00 AM Come join us for our annual night of sapphic celebration—a space where queer women, lesbians, and sapphic folks gather to honor our joy, our community, and our resilience. This is more than a party; it’s a homecoming. Expect vibrant energy, unforgettable performances, and a dance floor that holds space for every version of you. Whether you’re here to connect, celebrate, or simply be seen, this night is yours. Bring your crew, bring your heart, and let’s make magic together.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2026 SWAGER LIKE US X SWEET TOOTH CLOSIMNG PARTY EL RIO • 3:00 PM - 8:00 PM PRESALE LIVE:
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC: Featuring Deja Skye of RuPaul’s Drag Race as well as Pressure K from Drag Kings.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sf-black-pride-closing-partytickets-1993797212133
EXCLUSIVE LGBTQ MEDIA SPONSOR
Sponsored in part by
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