June 12, 2025 edition of the Bay Area Reporter

SF, Oakland, raise Pride flags

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Gail Ann Dorsey

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Pink triangle shines at 30

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Vol. 55 • No. 24 • June 12-18, 2025

LGBTQ veterans, electeds slam Milk ship renaming by John Ferrannini

Courtesy NCLR

Imani Rupert-Gordon is the president of the National Center for LGBTQ Rights, formerly the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

SF-based LGBTQ legal organization changes name by Cynthia Laird

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he National Center for Lesbian Rights, which has long served the broader queer community, is changing its name to reflect that. The San Francisco-based nonprofit is now known as the National Center for LGBTQ Rights. The change became official June 9. NCLR, which will keep its well-known acronym, has been discussing the name change for over a decade, a news release noted. The agency was founded in 1977 by attorney Donna Hitchens, who went on to become the first openly lesbian judge elected to the bench in the U.S. when she served on the San Francisco Superior Court, and lesbian attorney Roberta Achtenberg, who became the first LGBTQ person appointed to a position requiring U.S. Senate confirmation when she took a post in the Clinton administration. Imani Rupert-Gordon, a queer Black woman who has led the agency for five years, said in a June 6 phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter that the name change was overdue. “We didn’t really have a choice,” she said. “This isn’t going to change the work we do. This will make it crystal clear to everyone.” Shannon Minter, a trans man, is vice president of legal at NCLR, where he has worked for decades. He told the B.A.R. that he is excited about the name change. “I’ve been wanting us to do this for a while,” he said in a phone interview, “to make it clear that we represent the whole community.” NCLR’s original name reflected that it was founded by lesbians and specialized in legal advocacy for lesbians, particularly around family law cases. Over the years, however, NCLR helped establish new areas of civil rights law that would benefit the entire LGBTQ community, the release noted. Rupert-Gordon reiterated that in the interview. The agency has long worked with gay men, those living with HIV/AIDS, immigrants, and transgender people. In fact, the Transgender Law Center, now its own nonprofit based in Oakland, was born out of NCLR years ago. See page 10 >>

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GBTQ veterans and local elected officials expressed their opposition to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s renaming of a Naval vessel for the slain San Francisco gay supervisor and civil rights pioneer Harvey Milk, calling it an insult. They also emphasized the matter is a distraction from cuts and other issues at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Zoe Dunning, a lesbian and former naval commander who fought against “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and was the only out person to have remained on active duty after coming out under the policy, was one of those who spoke during a news conference at Jane Warner Plaza in San Francisco’s Castro LGBTQ neighborhood June 6. “This is an affront to every LGBTQ veteran and servicemember who wears the uniform or has worn the uniform,” said Dunning, who retired from the Navy in 2007. Dunning was a naval officer in 1993 when she declared she was a lesbian at a rally in support of another gay service member. She appealed a decision to be discharged, and the Navy administrative board agreed her remarks did not violate the rules as they were written at the time, because she did not reveal her sexual orienta-

John Ferrannini

Retired Navy Commander Zoe Dunning, at podium, spoke at a June 6 news conference in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s reported plan to strip Harvey Milk’s name from a navy vessel.

tion to the armed forces, and because she did not engage in “homosexual conduct.” (The rules were later updated to close this loophole before DADT – the military’s ban on open service by LGBQ people – was lifted in 2011.) Dunning said those days were dark, saying

investigators would take down license plate numbers at gay bars to try and find closeted servicemembers. Of one lesbian colleague she said, “her diary was confiscated and she was forced to resign.” See page 10 >>

San Francisco sees 1 queer bar 2017 0 change Media a Kit open, others owners by John Ferrannini

“Drink Masters” some years ago. Entree dishes are between $16 and $20 and include a smash burger, fish and chips, and meatloaf his year’s Pride Month in San Francisco is with a side of mashed potatoes. seeing a new women’s sports bar open in the Lurie said he showed up to thank Yergovich and LGBTQ Castro neighborhood. Meanwhile, Thoe “on behalf of a grateful city.” two queer watering holes in other parts of town have The Los Angeles Blade covers Los Angeles and California news, He added, “You can expect to see me here watchseen ownership changes. politics, opinion, arts and entertainment and features national and ing women’s sports. Sports bring us together. They Rikki’s, a women’s sports bar, had its ribbon cutting unite us.” reporting Tuesday with Mayor Daniel Lurieinternational attending the cere- coverage from the Blade’s award-winning team. Be part of this exciting publication serving LGBT GayLos BoardAngeles of Supervisors President Rafael Manmony. It officially opened Wednesday, June 11. As the from the team behind the Washington Blade, the nation’s first LGBT delman, who as District 8 supervisor represents the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, queer womnewspaper. From the freeway to the Beltway we’ve got you covered. Castro on the board, gave the pair a certificate. He en Sara Yergovich and Danielle Thoe, business partexpressed optimism and gratitude for a greater lesners and friends, have spent the last several months bian presence in the Castro. working to open Rikki’s at 2223 Market Street, the “It is wonderful to have a bar opening in a neighformer location of Copas, which closed in 2024. Rick Gerharter borhood that, I think we all know, is everybody’s The bar is named for Elizabeth “Rikki” Streicher, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, queer neighborhood, but not everybody queer althe late longtime lesbian activist, bar owner, and center, was joined by Rikki’s sports bar ways feels totally welcome here and so having an exFederation of Gay Games co-founder. It is a few co-founders Sara Yergovich and Danielle plicitly women’s sports bar is so great,” Mandelman doors down from the gay-owned sports bar HiThoe, holding scissors, during a June 10 said. “I want to congratulate the visionaries who Tops at 2247 Market Street. ribbon cutting ceremony. made this happen.” “There’s no better time to open a women’s sports Thoe thanked Mandelman and the city’s Office bar than right now.” Yergovich, who also identifies “It should not be this hard to watch women’s of Small Business for help “in navigating city buas lesbian, said at the June 10 news conference. The sports, so Danielle and I thought, why don’t we do reaucracy and helping us get open in just over six Golden State Valkyries just started playing in the something about it? … Now, every day can be a months’ time from when we signed the lease.” The WNBA this season. Bay Football Club in the Nawatch party at Rikki’s,” she said. first time business owners, she said, “learned a lot tional Women’s Soccer League began play last season. The menu includes cocktails crafted by Christian throughout this process.” Yergovich said the idea for the bar came after hav“Suzu” Suzuki, who, as general manager at the Mising tried, with mixed success, to watch professional sion district bar Wildhawk, competed in Netflix’s women’s sports elsewhere. See page 11 >>

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2 • Bay Area Repor ter • June 12-18, 2025

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Bi man convicted in ‘gay grifters’ case talks to B.A.R. by Ed Walsh

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he bisexual Bay Area man serving a life sentence for the murder of a gay Palm Springs retiree in the notorious 2008 “gay grifters” killing is breaking his silence. In an exclusive telephone interview from California State Prison, Corcoran, Miguel Bustamante is speaking publicly about the case for the first time since the conviction in his second trial in 2023. Bustamante, 41, told the Bay Area Reporter he was found guilty on perjured testimony from two witnesses. He said he was not in Clifford Lambert’s house when the retired art dealer was stabbed to death. Bustamante told the B.A.R. that his former co-defendant, Kaushal Niroula, told him while they were both in the same prison in 2012 that another man killed Lambert after Niroula got into an argument with Lambert over the signing of a document. The B.A.R. is not naming that man because he has not yet responded to a request for comment about his involvement in the case. Niroula was murdered by a cellmate in 2022. (Niroula’s parents filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit against Riverside County in 2023 stating that Niroula identified as a transgender woman and shouldn’t have been put in a cell with a violent sex offender. Denisse Gastélum, an attorney representing Niroula’s parents, stated in an email that the case is in litigation with trial set for September 23.) When told of Bustamante’s interview with the B.A.R., Riverside County Senior Deputy District Attorney Lisa DiMaria, who investigated and prosecuted the first case against Bustamante and his co-defendants, told the B.A.R in an email, “The only thing I can say is every time these guys open their mouths, a new story flies out of it. I believe the evidence produced at trial was accurate and I don’t believe a thing they say.” Craig McCarthy told police in 2009

Courtesy California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Miguel Bustamante is shown in a 2023 photo from prison.

that Niroula had surreptitiously let him and Bustamante into Lambert’s home while Niroula was meeting with Lambert. Niroula had pretended to be a lawyer who was arranging an inheritance due Lambert. (McCarthy, who was Bustamante’s roommate, testified against the other men and pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, avoiding a life sentence.) Lambert heard a noise in his kitchen and confronted Bustamante and McCarthy when, according to McCarthy, Bustamante used Lambert’s kitchen knives to stab him multiple times. McCarthy says he and Bustamante cleaned the scene and took Lambert’s body away in Lambert’s Mercedes. Lambert’s killing took place in early December 2008. His remains were not discovered until 2016 and 2017 near Castaic, in northern Los Angeles County. But the remains were not identified through DNA as being Lambert’s until 2020. As part of the plea deal, McCarthy will be eligible for parole next year. Besides McCarthy’s testimony implicating Bustamante in Lambert’s killing, a jailhouse informant told police that Bustamante confessed the murder to him. Bustamante told the B.A.R. that the

informant threatened him twice with a knife to admit to the crime and draw up a map where Lambert’s body was left. The informant was given a reduced sentence as a result of what Bustamante said was a coerced and false confession. At one point, Bustamante said that the informant sexually assaulted him, forcing him to perform oral sex on him. Bustamante, gay former San Francisco resident Daniel Garcia, and gay former San Francisco lawyer David Replogle were convicted of murder twice in the case. Their first convictions were thrown out after the original trial judge was secretly recorded by Garcia stating that he didn’t want to open envelopes from Niroula because he was HIV-positive. Niroula was killed before he could be retried. Prosecutors say the men were motivated by greed and had plotted to steal Lambert’s home and other possessions.

One man awaits sentencing

Replogle is the only defendant in the case who is awaiting sentencing. He will be sentenced on June 27 and is expected to get the same sentence as Garcia and Bustamante – life without the possibility of parole. In separate jailhouse interviews with the B.A.R., Garcia and Replogle maintained their innocence and are appealing their respective cases. Bustamante was a former bartender at the long-closed Jet bar in San Francisco’s Castro LGBTQ neighborhood where he first met Niroula. Niroula had falsely claimed to be Nepalese royalty. Bustamante recalled that Niroula arrived at the bar with bodyguards and would tip $100 for every drink. He had asked Bustamante to travel to Palm Springs to act as an interpreter to help with a deal he was working on there. Days after Lambert was reported missing, Bustamante was arrested at Lambert’s home after he was asked by Niroula to retrieve a painting from the residence. Bustamante told the B.A.R.

that he had no way of knowing that there was anything nefarious about what he was doing. He said Niroula showed him the deed to the house that was in Niroula’s name. Bustamante added that if he really had killed Lambert, it would make no sense to return to the scene of the crime. Bustamante told the B.A.R. that he moved from Guatemala to San Francisco when he was 18 to join his mother, who was already living in San Francisco, and that he had a green card and was a legal U.S. resident. He had been attending Heald College, along with McCarthy, and gave him a place to stay with him in his apartment in Daly City. Although McCarthy did not respond to the B.A.R.’s letter asking for comment, he did respond to Kim Kantner, a producer of the recently released 12-part podcast on the case entitled “American Hustlers.” Kantner said that during her in-person prison interview, McCarthy backed off what he told police about what happened, telling Kantner that if the lawyers had gotten hotel surveillance video then “they would know I wasn’t there when everything happened.” Kantner said McCarthy spoke intelligently, politely, and articulately. She added that he became emotional and cried during her conversation with him. When asked about McCarthy apparently backpedaling on what he initially told police, Bustamante cited McCarthy’s reluctant testimony during the second set of trials in the case. “He doesn’t want to testify. He pleads the fifth. He says he doesn’t feel comfortable,” Bustamante said, adding that the judge forced him to testify, citing the plea agreement he made with the prosecution to avoid a murder charge. Bustamante told the B.A.R. that he is bisexual and had been living with a woman in Daly City at the time of his arrest. He was able to marry her in January 2021 while in custody and, because of his good behavior in prison, he is allowed conjugal visits.

His now-wife, Michelle Bustamante, wrote in an email to the B.A.R., “Miguel was wrongfully convicted of a crime he did not commit. Craig McCarthy has submitted a declaration admitting that he gave false testimony during the first trial. During the retrial, Miguel presented clear and convincing evidence proving his innocence beyond a reasonable doubt. The district attorney knowingly pursued charges against Miguel despite clear evidence of his innocence – a grave abuse of prosecutorial power. Even more disturbing, the judge actively steered the jury toward a guilty verdict, undermining the fairness of the trial and violating the very principles of justice.” Michelle Bustamante forwarded to the B.A.R. a copy of a declaration from McCarthy written in 2021 that McCarthy sent to Bustamante in prison. McCarthy was seeking to have his plea deal rescinded and to be exonerated of any involvement in Lambert’s killing. In the declaration, McCarthy completely took back what he told police, writing, “Was (sic) a lot of inconsistencies in my details because the cops fed me bullshit to say. I made up a lot just to be left alone.” McCarthy wrote that he was being used to get to Niroula and Garcia because of the bias the Riverside County District Attorney’s office has against gay people. The Riverside County District Attorney’s office did not respond to a request for comment. Bustamante is appealing his conviction and said that he hoped the judicial system would eventually see the mistakes made in this case that will ultimately lead to his conviction being overturned. “I hope people will be able to see the errors ….and I hope I will be able to continue with my freedom,” he told the B.A.R., referring to the fact that his freedom has been interrupted by his imprisonment. t

Vandalism at Manny’s probed as hate crime, SFPD says by John Ferrannini

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andalism at a cafe in San Francisco’s Mission neighborhood owned by a gay Jewish man is being investigated as a hate crime, according to police. Manny Yekutiel’s eponymous cafe, Manny’s, at 3092 16th Street, was vandalized with antisemitic and anti-Israel graffiti – including one that reads “the only good settler is a dead 1.” The incident came amid protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in Los Angeles and President Donald Trump that also embroiled San Francisco June 9. It’s the second time in 12 months this

has happened. Last October, the business was also tagged amid a protest one year after the October 7, 2023 attacks at the outset of the latest Israel-Hamas war. “It looks like they did go inside when they broke the second window,” Yekutiel told the Bay Area Reporter in a June 10 phone call, though he added that nothing was stolen from inside the business. “It’s saddening,” he said. “It’s a manifestation of the hatred we’re seeing permeate our whole country right now. … We should be united against hatred, united against Trump and united against fascism.” A GoFundMe has been set up to help with repairs and security upgrades. Ye-

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kutiel has raised $27,239 of a $100,000 goal on GoFundMe as of 3 p.m. June 10. The GoFundMe states urgent repairs and security measures are needed for the cafe and event space. In the meantime, it is still hosting planned events. Organizers of a discussion between gay Assemblymember Corey A. Jackson, Ph.D., (D-Perris), the first out gay Black man elected to the California Legislature, and Otis Taylor Jr., managing editor at KQED, San Francisco’s public broadcast station, being presented by statewide LGBTQ rights organization Equality California told the B.A.R. that it will take place as scheduled from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, June 12. Yekutiel said the incident was ironic, since he was at a protest himself earlier that day. Protests have flared up as ICE has become more aggressive in its tactics, targeting undocumented people for deportation who haven’t been charged with crimes, and amid policies allowing the agency to target people at courthouses, schools, and churches. In response to protests, mostly in Los Angeles, Trump federalized the California National Guard – the first time that has happened over the objections of a governor since desegregation. Trump then said California Governor Gavin Newsom should be arrested, though he did not give a crime of which he says Newsom is guilty. Trump also said he ordered U.S. Marines to respond to Los Angeles. As a result, protests took place in San Francisco on Sunday and Monday nights. SFPD Public Information Officer Eve Laokwansathitaya stated to the B.A.R. that officers “were notified that multiple individuals were vandalizing businesses in the area.”

Scott Wiener

Alleged vandals attacked Manny’s cafe in San Francisco’s Mission district June 9.

“Officers responded to a business located on the 3000 block of 16th Street and observed graffiti to the business and a broken window,” Laokwansathitaya stated. “At this time the vandalism is being investigated as a hate crime. This kind of vandalism to our local businesses is unacceptable. “We are in communication with the business owner and gathering additional details and evidence to assist in the investigation,” she added. “No arrests have been made at this time.” Yekutiel, a former member of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency board, has floated running for office. He lately has spearheaded events in San Francisco such as the Castro Night Market and Downtown First Thursdays. He noted that, “There’s been a lot of violence against Jews in this country lately. It’s sad.” Indeed, the Anti-Defamation League reported instances of anti-Jewish harassment, vandalism, and assault skyrocketed from the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict to September 2024 increased

140%, which the group called a “totally unprecedented number.” In recent weeks, Jews were attacked at an event advocating for the release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip in Boulder, Colorado, and two Israeli embassy staffers were killed in Washington, D.C. Yekutiel specifically has faced criticism in the past for his support for Israel, to which his father immigrated from Afghanistan, as the B.A.R. previously reported. Gay state Senator Scott Wiener (DSan Francisco), who is also Jewish, posted about the vandalism, stating, “Another major example of antisemitism targeting a Jewish-owned business in the Mission. Manny’s has been targeted for years because the owner is Jewish. And now this vandalism calls for the death of Jews. Antisemitism spans the political spectrum. And it’s always toxic & dangerous. It has to stop.” Anyone with information is asked to contact the SFPD at 415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD. t

< < Pride 2025

4 • Bay Area Repor ter • June 12-18, 2025

SF pink triangle display marks 30 years by David-Elijah Nahmod

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elebrating Pride Month and learning about a dark chapter of world history has, since 1996, been a tradition in San Francisco. That was again the case Saturday, June 7, when several hundred people made the trek to the top of Twin Peaks for the 30th installation of the pink triangle on a hillside facing the city’s LGBTQ Castro district and downtown. But the ceremony also delved into current events that many in the LGBTQ community and allies consider equally dangerous due to policies implemented by Republican President Donald Trump and his administration. San Francisco Pride Executive Director Suzanne Ford, a trans woman, referenced anti-trans legislation in states around the country and Trump’s executive orders that take aim at trans people, including a ban on military service and an executive order “defending women from gender ideology.” “We look forward to the day when we will be liberated from this MAGA regime,” Ford said. “This year on Pride Sunday, as we recommit to liberating our people, coming to Pride this year is a revolutionary act.” This year’s Pride theme is “Queer Joy is Resistance.” District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman referred to himself as “the very pink, very gay, president of the Board of Supervisors.” “Happy Pride, everyone!” he proclaimed. He referred to this year as a “weird” Pride, what with a hostile federal administration trying to erase the late gay San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk. Mandelman was referring to reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will strip a navy vessel of Milk’s name. “I am so grateful that I live in a city and a state that recognizes and celebrates not just Harvey Milk but all of

Alert Alert

Rick Gerharter

Some of the several hundred volunteers who turned out to install the 30th rendition of the pink triangle on Twin Peaks June 7 looked at their completed work.

our amazing queer ancestors, leaders, folks who helped change the world,” Mandelman said. San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie appreciated the milestone year for the pink triangle and also mentioned the changed national climate. “Congratulations on the 30-year pink triangle commemoration,” Lurie said. “Here, on this hill, San Francisco has transformed it into a beacon of Pride. A call to remember, a call to resist, and a call to love, openly, defiantly, and without apology. Thank you to all of the volunteers here today. “This year, as we face a national rise in anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and legislation, the pink triangle takes on an even deeper meaning,” the mayor added. “It reminds us that silence is not an option. That San Francisco must continue to be loud, to lead with action, compassion and pride. We will fund health care for trans San Franciscans, we will protect

LGBT youth from hate. To the LGBT elders who survived persecution, this triangle is for you. To the artists and activists who made beauty out of pain, this triangle is for you. To the trans and queer youth still finding their voice, this triangle is for you.” Referring to Milk’s mantra of giving people hope, Lurie noted, “Today from the top of Twin Peaks, hope is louder than ever. Happy Pride, San Francisco, let’s keep shining.” Many in attendance were volunteers who arrived early that morning to install the bright pink tarps. For cofounder Patrick Carney, it was quite the achievement. “I had no expectation I’d be working on a 30th pink triangle of Twin Peaks,” Carney, a gay man, said in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter. “The first one was done rather spontaneously just to add some color to the Pride parade and to spread the celebration to the

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other end of Market Street so those in the parade would be marching toward the pink triangle atop Twin Peaks. “It was only afterward that it became apparent many people didn’t know what it really meant, some thought it was just another colorful symbol to represent the LGBTQ+ community,” Carney added. “That is why the project continued and why the commemoration ceremonies were introduced, to teach the lessons of the Pink Triangle.”

Educational tool

That lesson was that the pink triangle symbol was used by the Nazis at the concentration camps during World War II to brand suspected homosexuals. Similar symbols, such as a Star of David for Jewish prisoners, marked others who were imprisoned, millions of whom died at the camps during the Holocaust. Much later, the pink triangle was reclaimed by the LGBTQ community as a symbol of empowerment. Carney said that he was elated to have reached this anniversary. “It is actually quite gratifying and rewarding that so many people are still interested in helping to construct this giant warning and reminder of what extreme hatred can lead to,” he said. “There have probably been 10,000-plus volunteers over the decades. This is a massive community building project and a giant in-your-face educational tool to teach people of what can happen if we don’t remain vigilant.” The B.A.R. also spoke to some of the volunteers. “The pink triangle is such a huge symbol for the start of Pride for the entire Bay Area,” said Britnee Barnes, 35, a bisexual woman. “I think it’s important to us because it takes a previously negative symbol of our community and turns it into something positive. I’m so happy to be here. It’s so important that our community comes together, especially in these political times. It’s a reminder that we’re all as one.” The commemoration ceremony, which took place at 10:30 a.m., featured a variety of speakers in addition to Ford, Mandelman, and Lurie. Gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), spoke, as did Carney, among others. Tammy Sandhu, an ally who is the British consul general in San Francisco, was a special guest, and there was a musical performance from lesbian chanteuse Leanne Borghesi, accompanied by the San Francisco Pride Band. It was a chilly morning, but the crowd was upbeat, listening to the speeches in rapt attention and applauding. Many of the speakers touched upon the current political landscape and Trump’s antiLGBTQ, anti-immigration policies. “Part of any Pride is knowing where we’ve been,” said Carney, speaking from the podium. “And this pink triangle is exactly where we’ve been, and it’s more important than ever these days, after what’s going on in D.C. Personal freedoms, free speech, even due process

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and habeas corpus are under attack from the current administration. The transgender community, drag queens and even Pride celebrations themselves are being targeted.” Before the other speakers took to the microphone, there was a blessing from Sister Vina Sinfurrs of the drag nun philanthropic group Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. “Blessed be this pink triangle, a symbol of hate and fear transformed into a symbol of Pride and power,” Sinfurrs said, in part. “Blessed be St. Patrick the Pink, instigator of this mighty tradition, and his noble band of twelve thousand helpers, we all count on the helpers, let’s all be helpers. Blessed be all those in need everywhere, and blessed be the helpers, blessed be diversity, equity and inclusion, what the hell is wrong with that?” The audience applauded the sister’s words, and Sandhu spoke. “The pink triangle was first used by the Nazis in concentration camps to identify and persecute the thousands of gay men who were imprisoned by the regime,” Sandhu said, recalling the history. “This symbol, which had first been used as a label to stigmatize, has since been embraced by the gay community as a symbol of Pride, of defiance and of memory. But in the 1930s and 1940s there was nothing to celebrate. Triangles of various colors were used to identify each category, and I quote, ‘undesirables.’ Gay men were forced to wear the pink triangle on their pockets in concentration camps as homosexuals to identify them and to set them apart from their fellow prisoners.” Sandhu pointed out that 60% of the gay men held by the Nazis were killed. “It’s the same kind of irrational, senseless hatred that haunts us today,” she said. “So, prejudice is not just historic, it is contemporary, it is still with us today, both abroad and closer to home. That is why the Twin Peaks pink triangle is so vitally important.” Wiener pointed out that the Nazis were duly elected to power, and drew parallels between the actions of the Nazis and the actions of the current administration. “We have to be in this for the long run to defend our community, to defend health care, to defend democracy, to defend our immigrant neighbors,” he said. “We have to be committed to it for the long run.” The senator presented Carney with a state proclamation, thanking him for the 30th anniversary of the pink triangle as the crowd cheered. Mandelman handed Carney a certificate of honor from the city. “Thank you, Patrick, we love you,” Mandelman said. “These proclamations belong to all the volunteers, all of us,” said Carney. Others who spoke were gay District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio, Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco), gay San Francisco Treasurer José Cisneros, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu, San Francisco AssessorRecorder Joaquin Torres, former empress Donna Sachet, current San Francisco Emperor Ashlé Blow, and Honey Mahogany, a trans person who is executive director of the San Francisco Office of Transgender Initiatives. All talked about the attacks that the community is facing, and how the community must never back down. Carney thanked everyone for speaking and concluded the morning with a champagne toast while the Pride Band played “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” The B.A.R. spoke to some attendees about how they felt about the festivities. “I come here every year to be part of a citywide celebration of liberation and determination, and to share love,” said Bruce Beaudette, a gay man. “It feels like a special San Francisco way to celebrate Pride,” added Brad Harris, also a gay man. The Pink Triangle will remain on display until after the Pride parade on Sunday, June 29. t

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Pride 2025 >>

June 12-18, 2025 • Bay Area Repor ter • 5

Pride party set for SF’s Excelsior district compiled by Cynthia Laird

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Pride block party will be held in San Francisco’s Outer Mission/ Excelsior neighborhood Sunday, June 22, from 2 to 5 p.m. Ahead of the third annual party, freshman District 11 Supervisor Chyanne Chen, a straight ally, presented the organizers with a certificate of honor for holding outdoor activations, including the upcoming Pride event. Geoffrey Stott, a gay man, is coowner of the Check-In Lounge, which is co-sponsoring the event. It will take place on Otsego Avenue between Ocean and Onondaga avenues. The afternoon will be hosted by drag artist Nitrix Oxide and feature an exciting lineup of talent, including DJ and drag performances, a news release stated. Chen presented the proclamation at the Board of Supervisors June 3 meeting to Stott and his business partner and close friend, Check-In Lounge co-owner Richard Lugo, who is also gay, for their work hosting regular outdoor activations. “We’re thrilled to celebrate our third year bringing together such an amazing group of performers for a fun, inclusive Pride celebration right in the heart of Outer Mission/Excelsior in San Francisco’s District 11,” the two stated. There is no admission to the party. Food and drinks will be available for purchase from the Check-In Lounge, located at 201 Ocean Avenue. The family-friendly event is open to all ages. Stott and Lugo are partnering with Excelsior Action Group and the New Mission Terrace Improvement Association. The Check-In Lounge is a neighborhood wine and cocktail lounge that holds regular community events that promote resiliency and social space for the neighborhood. To RSVP, go to https://tinyurl. com/4u6w8tt4.

MCC-SF to hold fundraiser ºfor LYRIC

Metropolitan Community ChurchSan Francisco will hold a Pride Month fundraising event for LYRIC Center for LGBTQQ Youth Saturday, June 14, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Hot Johnnie’s Smokehouse, 4077 18th Street in the city’s LGBTQ Castro neighborhood. The event celebrates MCC-SF’s 55th anniversary. There will be a cash bar, food, dancing, drag, and more, a flyer noted. Performers scheduled to appear include Alex U. Inn, Olivia Hart, Queen Cougar, and Alexis Miranda. Tickets are $10-$30, sliding scale, and available at Brown Paper Tickets at https://tinyurl.com/ywe7rwj5.

Courtesy Geoffrey Stott

San Francisco Supervisor Chyanne Chen, left, presented a certificate of honor to Check-In Lounge co-owners Geoffrey Stott and Richard Lugo at the board’s June 3 meeting.

take place at the fair’s Village stage. It’s hosted by drag performer Amelia Need More and Vallejo trans rapper Angel Fox, a flyer stated. Other performers include DJ Carols Penavar, metal band Galvanize, comedian Wonder Dave, singers Chance McCauley and Xavier Toscano, and comedian Irene Tu. There will also be drag performers Ryder Knightly, Solbux, Chai Auntea, Ana Filaxis,

Ling Ling, Starlight Erotica, and Mizz Grace Jones of the Bay Area. The headliner will be the Nathan X Moody Band from San Francisco. Sponsors include the Solano Pride Center, Vallejo Gay Network, Solano AIDS Coalition, Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive, and the Solano Serenity Center. For more information on the Solano County Fair and to purchase fair

admission tickets, go to scfair.org. Separately, the aforementioned Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive has a collection of historic trans posters for the Pride exhibit at the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum, 734 Marin Street. People can view the exhibit through Saturday, June 28. Ms. Bob Davis, a trans woman who founded the archive in 2017, said that she has 60 posters going back 75 years that make up the exhibit. The archive is named in honor of Lawrence (1912-1976), a northern California transgender pioneer who began living full-time as a woman in 1942, first in Berkeley then San Francisco, as the B.A.R. noted in a 2017 article. She, along with Virginia Prince and others, published the first incarnation of Transvestia in 1952. Lawrence’s address book was the initial subscription list, and she was instrumental in developing the trans community’s connection to pioneering sex researchers such as Alfred Kinsey and Harry Benjamin, according to Davis. The Vallejo museum is open Tuesday-Friday from noon to 4 p.m. and Friday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5

p.m. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students and seniors. For more information, go to vallejomuseum.net.

Juneteenth celebrations in SF, Oakland

Juneteenth celebrations are planned in San Francisco and Oakland. June 19, a federal holiday, commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S. In San Francisco, the third annual Juneteenth Parade is set to take place on Sunday, June 22, bringing a vibrant celebration of freedom, unity, and community resilience, commemorating the historical significance of Juneteenth, a news release stated. The parade begins at Market and Spear streets at 11 a.m. and proceeds west on Market to Eighth Street. The Juneteenth Parade, sponsored by the San Francisco Human Rights Commission and the City of San Francisco, will feature captivating floats representing various community organizations, schools, and corporate partners, the release stated. See page 10 >>

&

l u f i t u a e B with

Car wash to benefit Castro CBD

A car wash benefit for the Castro Community Benefit District will be held Sunday, June 15, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Noe Street between Market and Beaver streets. While the CBD did receive encouraging news that two grants that help it have been retained in Mayor Daniel Lurie’s proposed balanced budget, officials said the district still relies on donations to help it keep the Castro clean, safe, and vibrant. The suggested donation is $50. People can also donate directly to the CBD if they can’t make it to the car wash. Go to castrocbd.org/donate.

Solano County LGBTQ events

Solano County has two LGBTQrelated events in Vallejo that people can attend. First up is a celebrating diversity event at the Solano County Fair Saturday, June 14, from noon to 7 p.m. at the Solano County Fairgrounds and Event Center, 900 Fairgrounds Drive. Dubbed “Solano Comes Out,” it’s a day of unity, joy, and celebration that will

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6 • Bay Area Repor ter • June 12-18, 2025

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Social media companies must improve P

ride Month is here, and with it, the multitude of events, gatherings, and celebrations for the LGBTQ community. Many will find out about these festivities on social media feeds. Yet, as most of us also know, social media companies haven’t exactly been the most LGBTQ-friendly. That realization was brought to the fore in January, when Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, announced it was doing away with independent fact-checkers. It now includes new exceptions expressly allowing hate speech, such as stating that LGBTQ people are “abnormal” and “mentally ill.” YouTube, owned by Google, has also taken significant steps backward, removing gender identity as a protected characteristic in its hate speech policy. Those are just some of the findings of GLAAD’s 2025 Social Media Safety Index, which was released last month. None of the companies in GLAAD’s report received a great score, though TikTok came out on top at 56 points out of 100. The rest were dismal: Facebook and Instagram were each at 45; YouTube, 41; Threads, 40; and X, 30. (GLAAD used a different methodology this year for the scorecard, which was done in partnership with Ranking Digital Rights. The platform scorecard focuses on the existence of policies and does not measure the enforcement of those policies.) The scorecard measures data privacy, moderation transparency, training of content moderators, and workforce diversity, along with several other indicators, according to GLAAD. But the bottom line is that the social media companies are all failing to meet basic standards across most safety metrics on the scorecard. Jenni Olson, a lesbian who is senior director of GLAAD’s social media safety program, told us in a recent phone interview that this year the LGBTQ media watchdog agency has zeroed in on Meta and YouTube. “I still can’t believe how radical it is,” she said of the changes at the two social media giants. “The extreme anti-LGBTQ animus coming from Meta is just shocking. Equally shocking is YouTube’s removal of gender identity as protected hate speech.” Olson noted that YouTube denies its hate speech policy has changed. But it no longer says gender identity and expression, she said. YouTube is the only company in GLAAD’s survey that does not have a policy prohibiting targeting misgendering and deadnaming, the GLAAD report stated. While YouTube has a public-facing policy that clearly pro-

to always self-report policy violations,” GLAAD’s report noted. In spite of all of these shortcomings, however, social media sites remain widely used, and have helped many LGBTQ people find supportive friends and organizations. Bluesky, which amassed millions of followers in the aftermath of last year’s presidential election, wasn’t evaluated by GLAAD this time, though Olson hopes it is next year. So far, she said that she’s been impressed by the site. From the companies

Social media companies fell short in GLAAD’s recent Social Media Safety Index.

hibits advertising content promoting so-called gay conversion therapy, it does not have a similar policy prohibition for user-generated content. Conversion therapy has been debunked and condemned by leading medical associations, the United Nations, and other organizations. Numerous states, including California, ban its use on minors. On a more positive note, TikTok’s hate and harassment policies provide the most comprehensive protections for LGBTQ people, according to the report. TikTok also clearly states that public figures are protected under its community guidelines. “However, the platform continues to fall short of sufficiently protecting LGBTQ privacy, safety, and expression in other key areas,” the report states. “TikTok should show greater transparency around the wrongful removal and demonetization of LGBTQ-related content and accounts, and clearly explain the steps it takes to address such actions.” Of course, TikTok has close ties to the Chinese government, which worries some privacy experts. Just before President Donald Trump took office in January, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court upheld a federal ban on TikTok that Trump, so far, has ignored. As for X, it has become a free-for-all space since Elon Musk purchased it in 2022. It is supposed to target misgendering and deadnaming of transgender people, but we see instances of these all the time, including for public figures such as Congressmember Sarah McBride (D-Delaware), a trans woman. “The policy also does not provide sufficient protections for public figures, and X says it ‘must always hear from the target to determine if a violation has occurred,’ effectively requiring targeted individuals

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LGBTQ artists and performers constantly promote their events on social media, as do LGBTQowned bars, nightclubs, nonprofits, and other businesses. Content creators also post on social media, such as this newspaper. That doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon, and Olson was asked what people can do to maintain social media safety to a certain degree. GLAAD has issued a quick guide for a safer online experience. https://glaad.org/smsi/lgbtqdigital-safety-guide/ Olson pointed out that users can review and adjust their privacy settings, which is included in the guide. Other advice includes discovering what personal information is available online and learning how to recover your social accounts if hacked. Reporting hate speech is also an option, though how quickly or seriously social media platforms will respond to requests can be an issue. There’s also a Slate article that GLAAD recommends, “What to do if You’re the Target of Online Harassment,” though it was published in 2020, before Twitter became X. Olson pointed out that LGBTQ people who work for Meta, YouTube, X, and TikTok, particularly in the Bay Area, can also help. She said the GLAAD report urges LGBTQ employees at social media sites “to do whatever they can to make these platforms safe.” Let’s not forget that while the sites are free to use, people give up some degree of their privacy when they join these platforms. These are for-profit companies that, for the most part, answer to shareholders (X and TikTok are privately held.) They don’t necessarily have the best interests of LGBTQs in mind. But that doesn’t mean that online safety should take a backseat. “We all deserve to feel safe on social media, and in the world,” Olson said. So, check your feeds but do so knowing that the social media landscape has changed, and not for the better. t

ing through nature walks, quiet times, meditations, and breathwork. If your body communicates something is too much, too fast, or does not feel right, listen to it. With our bodies regulated and calm, we can take strategic action against the atrocious attacks against our communities.

A

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What people can do

We have what it takes, and it takes what we have

by Lisa Collins

Bay Area Reporter

t

re we living in a world upside down? The term, “World Turned Upside Down,” originated from an English song from the 1600s written to protest Parliament’s policies regarding celebrating Christmas. According to the website LyricsTranslate.com, the song’s last line says, “Yet let’s be content, and the times lament, you see the world turn’d upside down.” It is impossible not to lament our current state of affairs in the United States. The blatant attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives has left us emotionally and spiritually in a whirlwind. Our communities have experienced awe and disbelief, which is duplicitous as we prepare to celebrate and uphold LGBTQ+ Pride Month and the Juneteenth celebration. As an author, trauma practitioner, life coach, and assistant professor in higher education, I cannot help but wonder how local communities are handling the trauma of the up-and-down, topsyturvy Trump administration. It is vital to have a roadmap to follow while looking toward the future. However, as the song suggests, we can also strive to be content, because while our world is seemingly upside down, we will survive it together. It is because we are resilient; we have been here before in history, in fight and victory. The glorious upcoming celebrations in June will continue, and we will persevere during this period. Remember Proposition 8, a state constitutional amendment in California barring same-sex marriages? I sure do. My wife-to-be and I drove from Los Angeles to San Francisco to get married in March 2004 after then-Mayor Gavin Newsom gave direction to marry same-sex couples officially. When we arrived at San Francisco City Hall, protesters almost blocked its doors – large signs damn-

Rebranding

The term “DEI” does not define the actions we take to move diversity, equity, and inclusion work forward. Science has shown us that flowing water moves in the place of least resistance. We are all water and will rebrand the name of our work as we focus on the goal and impact of the DEI initiatives while remaining focused on our targeted data. Courtesy Lisa Collins, Ed.D.

Author and life coach Lisa Collins, Ed.D.

ing same-sex couples filled the space in front of the entrance. I caught my breath as I saw the degrading signs and news cameras. There was a moment when I paused and did not want to walk in front of the protesters and chaos. Yet, I took a breath and stood up for my rights as I marched into City Hall. We are in those times when we take a breath and walk forward. I suggest five steps to pivot, practice self-care tools, and unapologetically stand up for who we are.

Self-care

The first step in caring for ourselves and our communities is body awareness. These traumatic times are difficult and require each of us to care for our bodies and minds. Trauma is the body’s response to a threat or a seeming danger. We can clearly state that trauma has emerged boldly in 2025, yet it does not have to rule the roost. Pay attention to your body during these times by integrating peaceful liv-

Community organizing

Much like in the civil rights era, we will use a variety of community experts to guide us toward our goals. Some will collect data that strategically guides our efforts. Others will assist with money markets and trends that best support our financials. Publicfacing community members will be vocal and keep the pressure on in the public eye to interrupt oppression. Behind the scenes, other community members will keep all the logistics of the work moving forward. All of these actions and more are part of what is needed.

Hearing marginalized voices

We have to center the voices of our communities with love and care. Attunement is “resonating with another person’s inner world and feelings.” Marginalized voices require safe places and spaces to share, listen, and heal our experiences as we create grassroots foundations. These foundations are the taproot of our movement to build coalitions across identities. See page 10 >>

t

Politics >>

June 12-18, 2025 • Bay Area Repor ter • 7

LGBTQ leaders stump for gay SJ council candidate Tordillos by Matthew S. Bajko

W

ith his special runoff election hitting right in the middle of Pride week observances at the end of June, gay San Jose City Council candidate Anthony Tordillos is getting a Pride Month assist this weekend from South Bay LGBTQ leaders. He is aiming to return out leadership to the governing body for the Bay Area’s largest city. Chair of the San Jose Planning Commission, Tordillos, 33, is an engineering manager at YouTube. He lives with his husband, Giovanni Forcina, a cancer biologist, near the San Jose State University campus. “I am a big fan of celebrating Pride. Given I will be the only third ever out elected councilmember in San Jose, and we have a special election happening during Pride Month, and I have a number openly gay officials and queer leaders backing my campaign, we want to highlight some of my endorsers and community supporters we have from the queer community and bring folks together to celebrate Pride and help get the word out about the campaign,” Tordillos told the Bay Area Reporter when asked about his Pride-themed weekend of events. This Saturday, June 14, Tordillos’ campaign is holding a Pride Day of Action with LGBTQ+ community members and allies at the city’s Raymond Bernal Park. There will be a rally with Tordillos and a number of his backers making remarks before attendees are dispatched to door knock on his behalf and get out the vote. The night prior, Friday, June 13, gay former San Jose city councilmember Ken Yeager, the first out person to serve on the council who went on to be the first gay Santa Clara County supervisor, is among the hosts of a fundraiser for Tordillos where tickets begin at $50. Former gay Assemblymember Evan Low and BAYMEC, the LGBTQfocused Bay Area Municipal Elections Committee, are also co-hosts of the gathering at the home of Jean MarieWhite and Bryan Rodriguez. Low, now president and CEO of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, and Yeager had endorsed Tordillos ahead of the special April 8 primary for the District 3 council seat. Marie-White and Rodriguez had supported Matthew Quevedo, deputy chief of staff to San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, in the race. But Quevedo fell short by six votes behind Tordillos to land in third place, which an automatic recount of the results confirmed. Tordillos is now running against primary first-place finisher Gabriela “Gabby” Chavez-Lopez, 37, in the June 24 runoff, and Quevedo threw his support behind Tordillos in the contest. “Anthony showed us he isn’t going to be held back by the same old political divides. He’s laser-focused on moving our city forward on the issues that matter most,” stated Quevedo. “I’m confident Anthony will be an outstanding advocate for our neighborhoods, and I’m proud to endorse his campaign.” The District 3 seat covers much of downtown San Jose and its Qmunity LGBTQ district. The special election is to serve out a council term that expires at the end of 2026. It has been represented since earlier this year by engineering firm owner Carl Salas. He was selected as a caretaker of the seat by the council following the resignation last fall of gay former councilmember Omar Torres due to his arrest for allegedly molesting a cousin years prior. Torres has since pleaded no contest to child sex crimes. He is awaiting his sentencing and must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. Elected in 2022, Torres was the first gay Latino and out person of

Courtesy the candidates

Anthony Tordillos, left, and Gabriela “Gabby” Chavez-Lopez are in a June 24 runoff for the District 3 San Jose City Council seat.

color to serve on the San Jose City Council, and only its second out councilmember. The governing body had gone 16 years without a member from the LGBTQ community until Torres took his oath of office two years ago. With Quevedo supporting Tordillos to be the next District 3 councilmember, it potentially gives him a leg up in the runoff race since their combined support in the primary dwarfed that of Chavez-Lopez. Last month, she was hit by a report in the San Jose Spotlight that a friend of hers who works for electric utility company PG&E had closely coordinated her campaign activities earlier this year, which ChavezLopez denied. Seen as more to the left politically of Tordillos, and a potential check on the more moderate agenda of Mahan, Chavez-Lopez has received support in recent weeks from a number of prominent progressive South Bay leaders. Congressmember Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) appeared at a recent fundraiser for her, while bisexual Assemblymember Alex Lee (D-San Jose) is backing her in the race. “Gabby is committed to strengthening the ties between City Hall, the County, and Sacramento because building a stronger San José takes collaboration at every level,” stated Lee. “With her determination and deep community roots, Gabby is ready to deliver real results for District 3!” Chavez-Lopez, a single mom who is the executive director of South Bay nonprofit the Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley, also has a host of campaign events and fundraisers lined up in the coming days, information for which can be found on her Instagram page at https://www.instagram. com/gabby4d3/. Coincidentally, she is scheduled to be at the same public park this weekend as Tordillos but on Sunday, June 15, where she will be doing a get out the vote walk with Santa Clara County Supervisor Susan Ellenberg, who succeeded Yeager on the board. “We’ve built a campaign rooted in community, compassion, and showing up. Now it’s time to bring that same energy to the finish line,” stated Chavez-Lopez. Information about Tordillos’ Pride rally can be found at https://www. mobilize.us/anthonyforsanjose/ event/795175/. It begins at 9:30 a.m. at the park located at East Hedding and North Seventh streets in downtown San Jose. His Friday the 13th fundraiser begins at 6:30 p.m., and those who want to attend can purchase tickets and get the location for it at https://secure. numero.ai/contribute/LGBTQLeaders-Supporting-AnthonyTordillos “We are feeling really good. We have had some great momentum recently,” said Tordillos.

Let’s talk cannabis.

Gay Oakland port officials depart

The Port of Oakland is losing a third gay longtime official this year. It began with Danny Wan’s retirement on February 28 after five years as its executive director, followed by the retirement on April 22 of longtime port spokesperson Robert Bernardo. Now comes the pending departure of Michael Colbruno, president of the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners. He will be stepping down when his current, third four-year term comes to an end on July 10. “My Port Commission term is up and after talking with the mayor, I won’t be continuing my service. Only three commissioners have served longer than 12 years over the commission’s 98-year history,” Colbruno informed the B.A.R. this week. His departure allows recently sworn in Mayor Barbara Lee the opportunity to appoint someone to one of the East Bay city’s more high-profile oversight bodies at a time when concerns are growing about a drop off in overseas trade and redevelopment of port property continues to draw debate. She likely will seek advice about the appointment from Wan, who served as director of her mayoral transition and was the first out person to serve on the Oakland City Council. Colbruno, a founding partner in the government affairs firm the Milo Group, had previously served on the city’s planning commission. During his tenure on the East Bay maritime body, he helped to bring together out port commissioners and officials at the 11 publicly-owned ports scattered throughout California, such as Oakland Port Commissioner Jahmese Myres, a queer Black woman who was appointed last year. This winter he also had a key role in selecting Kristi McKenney to succeed Wan as the port’s executive director. In February, the port board approved a three-year contract for McKenney, first hired on to the port staff as an environmental planner and also served as its assistant aviation director and interim executive director. “As a port veteran, Kristi McKenney will bring solid leadership and management skills to the position,” Wan had noted at the time. “She will also bring continuity and stability to port operations which are essential to helping us build for the next generation.” As for Bernardo, a former San Mateo County harbor commissioner, he retired this spring two months shy of working 23 years for the maritime agency. A Taylor Swift fan, he announced on Facebook that he was now in his retirement “era,” was leaving the Bay Area and planned to become a global traveler. “Thank you Bay Area for giving me the opportunity to build a career, make meaningful friendships—and live in one of the most beautiful places in the world. You will always hold a special place in my heart,” he wrote. “My goal is to spend these retirement years exploring the world, and trying not to stay in any one location too long.” t

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<< Pride 2025

8 • Bay Area Repor ter • June 12-18, 2025

t

SF leaders exhibit Pride at flag raising event by John Ferrannini

M

ayor Daniel Lurie invited San Francisco’s LGBTQ leaders to raise the rainbow flag with him on his City Hall balcony as he proclaimed June as Pride Month. He gave an address in which he promised the City by the Bay would always retain its uniquely San Francisco values. “At a time when LGBTQ+ rights are under attack across the country, in San Francisco we are sending a different message: You are welcome here, you are seen here, you are safe here,” Lurie said at the June 6 event. “When transaffirming health care is being attacked, we support Lyon-Martin’s primary and mental health care. For our LGBTQ+ immigrant community who find refuge in our city, we are committed to funding immigrant legal services and remain committed to organizations like the LGBT Asylum Project and Parivar. When our LGBT youth are scared for their safety, we support them through amazing organizations like LYRIC, which empower and uplift our young people.” As other outlets have reported, Lurie has been attempting to balance staying true to those values while not getting caught up in a war of words with the Trump administration, with which the city has significant financial entanglements. (The mayor has responded in the past to Trump’s assertion he wanted to reopen a federal prison on Alcatraz and an executive order targeting the Presidio Trust.) Asked through a spokesperson to comment on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s decision to rename a ship that had been named for slain San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in California, Lurie stated, “From the Board of Supervisors to the U.S. Navy, Harvey Milk dedicated his life to serving our city and our country, and he did it with courage and distinction. Our city has proudly followed his leadership, marking what would have been his 95th birthday last month and now Pride Month. Harvey was a model for how all of us, across

Courtesy SFGovTV

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, center, welcomed LGBTQs and allies to his City Hall balcony for a Pride Month proclamation Friday, June 6.

this country, can contribute to our communities.” In his remarks, the mayor invoked Milk, saying, “When we raise this flag we are celebrating everyone here today, and the activists who came before us. … We remember those who spoke loudly, like Harvey Milk, and we remember the everyday residents: our LGBTQ+ seniors who blazed a trail, our trans neighbors who demand safety, and our young people who deserve to dream big and grow up in a city that protects them.” In his $15.9 billion balanced budget proposal released at the end of May, Lurie preserved funding for legal services impacting LGBTQ and immigrant communities, as well as grants for Castro neighborhood community ambassadors and Jane Warner Plaza. Gay state Senator Scott Wiener (DSan Francisco) did speak to the Milk ship matter, saying bluntly that, “This country is being run by psychopaths, and I don’t say that lightly. It’s like they get joy out of hurting people.”

“What a petty, despicable move,” Wiener added, regarding the Milk ship. He had just come from a news conference on the matter at Jane Warner Plaza. Wiener invoked the name of gay makeup artist Andry Jose Hernández Romero, a Venezuelan national who had been seeking asylum in the U.S. when he was extrajudicially sent by the Trump administration to a megaprison in El Salvador without a hearing. “Sometimes the news cycle passes us by and people forget that there are still hundreds of Venezuelans sitting in a gulag in El Salvador,” Wiener said. San Francisco Pride Executive Director Suzanne Ford, a transgender woman, had declined to name Romero an honorary grand marshal after longtime community leaders called upon her to do so; however, SF Pride did hold an event in May and will hold another later this month on issues facing queer migrants. But all this has made Wiener more proud to be a San Franciscan, he said.

“I am particularly proud now with everything happening in the country,” he said. “It warms my heart knowing the beauty of San Francisco and the beauty of this city.” Honey Mahogany, a Black queer trans person who is executive director of the city’s Office of Transgender Initiatives, agreed. Introducing Lurie, Mahogany said, “The fact that we are willing to fight for what is right and the fact that we will never back down” is what makes the city so special. Gay Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman, who as District 8 supervisor represents the Castro on the board, saluted the LGBTQ community’s ability to handle bullying provocations from people and forces against equality. “I love that the theme of Pride this year is ‘Queer Joy is Resistance,’ because nobody knows how to deal with schoolyard bullies better than the queers,” Mandelman said. “It’s just true. I have experienced it and I think we learned how to be sassy, have fun, but

resist at the same time. I think that is why it was trans folks and drag queens who led the way in so many of these uprisings that started our queer movement back in the 1960s.” Mandelman also saluted Ford during his remarks, saying it is no easy task to satisfy everybody when putting together the annual Pride festivities. (This year’s parade is Sunday, June 29, starting at the foot of Market Street.) “We are a difficult community to try to organize a giant queer party for, but Suzanne Ford manages to do it each year, come what may,” he said. “And each year the challenges are different and they’re always awful and overwhelming, but you manage to get it done.” Ford, who is from Kentucky initially, thanked the city for being welcoming and inclusive. “I knew that if someday I could get to this city that I’d have a chance to be me,” Ford said. “I will tell you: I want that for everyone in our country, and now that I’m in San Francisco, I get to bring my full self to my job every day. … The world will be watching the last weekend in June to see that here in San Francisco, we still hold the same values.” Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis (D) also made an appearance, saying America – and the liberal bastion on its Pacific coast – will not bow down to autocracy. Kounalakis served as ambassador to Hungary during the Obama administration and has experience with that country’s autocratic leader, Viktor Orbán. “This is the United States of America and we are not going back,” said Kounalakis, who is running for governor in 2026. “This is the State of California and the City of San Francisco, and we will always recognize that because of our diversity, because we celebrate everything that makes us human, we are the fourth largest economy in the world, and the greatest democracy that has ever existed.” At the end of the event, before a light reception, Lurie presented the Pride Month proclamation to Ford. t

Harvey Milk praised at Oakland Pride flag raising by Cynthia Laird

T

he late gay San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk was praised by East Bay elected officials Friday, as Oakland held its Pride flag raising ceremony outside of City Hall. Milk, who was assassinated in 1978, was in the news last week after it was reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth plans to strip his name from a naval ship that was christened in his honor several years ago. “I am reminded of our beloved Harvey Milk,” Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee said. “Right now, as you know, Pride is under attack by the White House. Just like they’re trying to make trans lives disappear, they’re trying to erase Harvey.” Milk’s name is on a John Lewis class Navy refueling vessel, the USNS Harvey Milk. It made its maiden voyage to San Francisco in March 2024. But on Tuesday, Military.com reported that Hegseth plans to strip Milk’s name from the ship and may jettison names of other civil rights leaders that grace the names of other ships in the class. Lesbian former city councilmember Rebecca Kaplan also invoked Milk during her remarks. Kaplan, who decided not to seek reelection to the at-large council seat last year, temporarily filled the District 2 seat after Nikki Fortunato Bas was elected to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors and took office in January. New District 2 Councilmember Charlene Wang, a lesbian, was sworn into office May 20, the same day as Lee. Both won special elections April 15 – Lee to replace recalled mayor Sheng Thao, and Wang to replace Bas.

Cynthia Laird

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee spoke outside City Hall June 6 before a Progress Pride flag was raised.

“One of the first people I read about was Harvey Milk, who was murdered for his work,” Kaplan said of her early years as a queer person. She also mentioned gay Native American actor Jonathan Joss, who was killed in San Antonio, Texas June 1. His husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, has told media outlets the couple was harassed by neighbors and that Joss’ death was a hate crime. (A neighbor, Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, was arrested in connection with the shooting death of Joss.) “Milk always said we have to uplift hope,” Kaplan said.

Rainbow crosswalks and Pride

The program celebrated the fact that

Oakland now has three out women on the City Council. Kaplan was the first when she was elected in 2008. “I may be the first, but I’m not the last,” Kaplan said, “and that’s how it’s supposed to be.” Kaplan also noted that one of her final acts of legislation was getting the council’s approval for rainbow crosswalks in the Lakeshore LGBTQ Cultural District, which has the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center as its anchor. She told the Bay Area Reporter in a brief interview that it was now up to the city’s transportation department to implement the program but hopes to have at least one crosswalk in place by early September for Oakland Pride. Wang told the crowd that the Pride flag “symbolizes so much.” From the

Stonewall riots in New York City in June 1969, which gave birth to the modern LGBTQ rights movement, to the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s, Wang said, “Our community has been through it before ... and we will rise. Protest is so important – and joy.” She urged the LGBTQ community and allies to “be on the forefront resisting what’s being done at the federal level.” Federal actions include executive orders by President Donald Trump to ban transgender service members from the military and ban trans girls and women from playing on female sports teams. The Trump administration has also curtailed diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in federal agencies. That has led some universities and corporations to roll back their own DEI policies. Queer at-large City Councilmember Rowena Brown pointed out, “Visibility is a radical act.” Councilmember Janani Ramachandran, who is queer, said it was exciting to have herself and her two out colleagues – all women of color – on the body. “Representation is great, but also doing the work on the ground everyday” is important, she said. “We need to make sure we have the lens of inclusivity.” Richard Fuentes, a gay man who, with his longtime partner, Sean Sullivan, owns the Fluid 510 LGBTQ bar in Oakland, gave a fiery speech, encouraging people to “fight.” “We need to fight, we need to activate our base and advocate for funds,” he said, specifically mentioning county resources for the LGBTQ center. He said that Bas recently pledged $100,000

in county money for the center and said the other four supervisors should do the same. The Oakland center has seen its budget cut by losing federal grants, as co-founder Jeff Myers said at the ceremony. “We saw what AIDS did to the community in the 1980s,” Fuentes said. “The time to act is now – go to the county and ask for resources.” In an interview, Fuentes said it is a prideful time, despite the various federal efforts to restrict rights for LGBTQ people. “People should be very excited that it’s Pride Month and it’s amazing we have our elected officials supporting us.” During her own remarks, Bas didn’t mention the possibility of county funding for the center. But she did reference a meeting she held June 5 that looked at federal financial hits on county services, including those in Oakland such as the LGBTQ center. George Smith, a gay Black man who’s president of Oakland Pride, also encouraged local leaders to find resources for LGBTQ nonprofits. Perry Lamont, the LGBTQ liaison to the Oakland Fire Department, said it was an honor to speak at the event. “I’m a proud member of the LGBTQ community myself,” he said. “The Oakland Fire Department recognizes the values of LGBTQ members. “Pride is our legacy that refuses to hide,” he added. “LGBTQs have been knocked down many times, but we get up stronger. We’re a movement of moving forward, not backward.” t

t

Business News>>

June 12-18, 2025 • Bay Area Repor ter • 9

Contractor seeks to open gay bathhouse in SF by Matthew S. Bajko

A

contractor known for his work on luxury homes who co-owns a nightlife venue in San Francisco is seeking to open the city’s first traditional gay bathhouse in decades. The project is believed to be the first of its kind to be seeking formal approval from city officials to open. Kevin Born, CEO of Ashbury General Contracting & Engineering, wants to turn the two-story building he owns at 40 12th Street into a luxurious bathhouse catering to a queer clientele. He had used the roughly 7,700 square foot space for his 25-year-old company’s headquarters and as a cabinet shop until moving with his family to Mill Valley several years ago and began working from home. Told the property wasn’t zoned for use as a cabinet shop, even though Born said that was what it was built for, he decided to take advantage of new zoning approved in recent years to allow for the return of bathhouses marketed to men who have sex with men. An adult sex venue is allowed on that stretch of 12th Street between Market Street and South Van Ness Avenue in the first and second stories of a building. “I feel like you go to places like West Hollywood and, man, the restaurants, bar scene, everything is cool and hip. I don’t know what the fuck is happening with the Castro, but it feels tired, old, and half ass. We are a better city than that,” said Born, 63, who is straight and used to live in the city’s Glen Park neighborhood. “My goal really is to elevate the bar.” In his application for a conditional use permit to operate a new bathhouse at the site, Born told city planners that he wants to convert the building’s two floors and a mezzanine into a venue with “shower rooms, locker rooms, a steam room, and multiple rooms for patrons to engage in sexual activities or watch other patrons engaging in sexual activities.” Speaking to the Bay Area Reporter by

Cynthia Laird

Kevin Born owns this building at 40 12th Street that he plans to turn into a traditional gay bathhouse.

phone Tuesday, Born promised the space would not be “dingy and gross” with nary a plywood wall painted black in sight. While he is working with an architect from Mexico City to finalize the design, Born described the aesthetic he is going for as that of high-end gym chain Equinox or the Four Seasons chain whose hotels and resorts routinely earn Five-Star rankings from the Forbes Travel Guide. “I want you to feel like it is an extension of your own home or someone’s really cool home,” said Born, who in his 20s frequented bathhouses in Los Angeles with his four gay roommates during the 1980s when they would go out partying and dancing. Back then bathhouses served as a social gathering place for gay men in addition to being places to find sexual hookups. It was also a time when AIDS was decimating the gay community, and Born said he lost many friends to the epidemic. “It was a period of time when gay men in America felt all this liberation and could express themselves freely. Then this epidemic hit,” recalled Born, who likened that era to “the Holocaust. It was a dark time.”

Bathhouse history

In San Francisco, the gay community was embroiled in a heated debate over whether city health officials should shutter the bathhouses as a way to halt the spread of the then little understood disease or utilize the venues as a way to educate their patrons about AIDS and how to protect themselves and their sex partners from acquiring it. Ultimately, the San Francisco Department of Public Health enacted rules in 1984 that not only banned private rooms with locked doors at bathhouses but also required staff to monitor the sex of their patrons. The regulations resulted in gay bathhouse owners closing their doors, leaving just gay sex clubs without locked rooms for rent, with Eros in the Tenderloin currently the only one operating today. In 2020, gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman pushed through an ordinance that rescinded the health code bathhouse rules. He then introduced in 2022 anoth-

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er ordinance to update the city’s zoning codes to allow for gay bathhouses to be situated in the city’s LGBTQ neighborhoods of the Tenderloin, South of Market, and in the Castro district that Mandelman represents at City Hall. But as those interested in getting permits to open a bathhouse began inquiring with city officials about the process, it became apparent that the Board of Supervisors also needed to rescind the police code’s Article 26 that also prohibited having locked rooms in bathhouses. First added to the code in 1973, but apparently unenforced for the most part, that section of the police code also required owners of public bathhouses to keep a daily register of their patrons that at any time can be demanded to be seen by either police or a health department employee. As the B.A.R. reported last year, it was repealed in late 2024 and seen as the last hurdle to be cleared in order for gay bathhouses to reopen in San Francisco. Born told the B.A.R. he hopes to have a hearing date before the planning commission in the next 60 days. A spokesperson for the planning department said Tuesday that Born’s application is still in intake with it so no hearing date has yet been set. The department doesn’t track conditional use authorizations for bathhouses specifically, so it is unable to say if another such project is also seeking to be approved. Robert Goldfarb, a gay man who is executive director of the city’s Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District in western SOMA, told the B.A.R. he believes that Born is the first applicant to formally seek a bathhouse permit approval. While he has not spoken directly to Born about his project, Goldfarb recalled talking to another person who was advis-

ing Born on it some time ago. The leather district had advocated for the various bathhouse zoning updates and has been hopeful of seeing one open within its boundaries, though Born’s property is outside of it by several blocks. “I don’t have a lot of information about it, so we are delighted to hear about this bathhouse opening or potentially opening,” said Goldfarb, who noted of the 11 people he has spoken with about opening a bathhouse since 2020, “most of those have gone away.” He expects Born should have a relatively easy go of it in terms of winning approval for the conditional use permit he needs since the project falls within the allowable zoning parameters for a bathhouse in that part of the city. It is situated in what planners had dubbed The Hub where several new high-rise residential towers have gone up in recent years. “With that location, I doubt he is going to get much objection from a conditional use permit hearing. I would be very surprised if he did, so I would be very optimistic for him being able to use that location for a bathhouse,” said Goldfarb.

Focus groups planned

Once the project is approved, Born told the B.A.R. he intends to hold focus groups with gay men and others to seek their input into the project. He expects it will take roughly seven months to submit architectural drawings to the city and secure the various signoffs from different departments on the plans before construction can begin. Estimated to cost $5 million with the buildout taking 10 to 12 months, Born said he is hopeful of having the bathhouse open in time for Pride Month in 2027. Once he has the approved permit from the city, Born added he expects to easily line up investors to help finance the project. See page 10 >>

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<< Community News

10 • Bay Area Repor ter • June 12-18, 2025

<<

LGBTQ legal org

From page 1

Hitchens and Achtenberg’s initial goal was to provide legal support to lesbian mothers fearful of losing custody of their children after coming out. That quickly expanded to advocating on behalf of gay parents living with HIV, transgender parents, asylum seekers, and young people seeking justice in schools and on the playing fields, according to the release. “NCLR’s feminist roots have always called on us to support and amplify the most underrepresented communities and those often left out of the mainstream movements,” stated RupertGordon. “At a time when the LGBTQ community is facing increasing attacks, it is critical that we are crystal clear that we represent the entire community. “Without losing touch with our roots, NCLR will continue its nearly 50-year commitment to protecting the most vulnerable members of our community, forging new partnerships, and working toward a day when every LGBTQ per-

<<

Milk ship

From page 1

In the years since the repeal, the military’s attitude toward LGBTQ people has largely been dependent on the occupant of the White House. Democratic former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden allowed open service by trans people while President Donald Trump banned it under both his administrations. June 6 happens to be Hegseth’s deadline for transgender service members to identify themselves and begin to leave, CBS News reported. On June 3, it was revealed Hegseth wants the Navy to rename ships named for civil rights pioneers, including Milk, the late Latino labor leader Cesar Chavez, slain Black civil rights activist Medgar Evers, and Harriet Tubman, the abolitionist and Union spy who led slaves to freedom through the Underground Railroad after she escaped from slavery herself, among others. All the ships are in the John Lewis class of naval vessels, which are named for civil rights leaders. The move was done during Pride month deliberately, military.com reported when it broke the story. The juxtaposition incensed gay Marine Corps veteran Commander Mario Benfield, who now leads the Alexander Ham-

<<

News Briefs

From page 5

Building on decades of neighborhood-based planning and open streets activation, the nonprofit Livable City and Burges LLC will be leading event production with Fillmore- and Bayview-based organizers to bring the procession to the city streets, according to the release. The event is supported and made possible through the support of sponsors

<<

Guest Opinion

From page 6

Global outreach

While organizing, we must be mindful not to withdraw from the conflict to preserve ourselves in this difficult time. In order not to burn out, we have to widen our scope to include valuable allies throughout the globe. There is a true intersectionality of oppression worldwide. It is time to unite globally in our efforts to fight against discrimination in all forms.

<<

Business Briefing

From page 9

“My vision calls for making this a flagship and going into other markets with it,” he said. Advising him on the project are a number of his gay friends and his gay nephews. Dr. Joshua Slocum, an anesthesiologist based in Las Vegas, is married to Born’s biological nephew, whom he began dating 16 years ago. When the

son can live with full dignity, equality, and freedom under the law,” she added.

t

In the interview, Rupert-Gordon was asked what took so long. A number of nonprofits serving the LGBTQ community have changed their names, including, in 2018, the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, formerly the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund. In 2016, Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders changed its name to GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders, or GLAD Law, because of its expanded mission to advocate for all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. “GLAD is a great example,” RupertGordon said, referring to the Bostonbased LGBTQ legal organization. Rupert-Gordon said that NCLR has thought about a name change for many years. “It takes a bit of thought,” Rupert Gordon said, adding, “change can be difficult.” But she said that NCLR’s board of

directors was completely on board with the name change, as are Hitchens and Achtenberg. The organization has an annual budget of between $10 and $12 million, Rupert-Gordon said. Minter said that NCLR had been “gearing up” to move forward with the name change in the past, but things happened, including lesbian longtime executive director Kate Kendell departing in late 2018 and the COVID pandemic in the spring of 2020, about a year after Rupert-Gordon took the helm. “It took us awhile to get to the right moment,” he said. Hitchens could not be reached for comment. Achtenberg did not return a message seeking comment. “Donna and Roberta are very supportive,” Rupert-Gordon said, “and supportive of my leadership.” Rupert-Gordon was hired in late 2019. Kendell recently accepted a job as CEO of the Denver-based Gill Foundation, an LGBTQ philanthropic organization. In a Facebook message to the B.A.R., Kendell said she’s supportive of

NCLR’s name change. “I think it’s a great move and one I fully support,” Kendell wrote. “Even as NCLR will always center lesbian leadership, this name reflects the fact that we have always represented the breadth of our community.” Rupert-Gordon said she was on an NCLR retreat before she started formally working at the agency and the topic was discussed. Her sister, Maya Rupert, a straight ally, once worked at NCLR as the policy director and the subject was brought up then, Rupert-Gordon said. In the release, Minter noted that NCLR has long taken cases that hinge on all LGBTQ people. “This change reflects what has always been true: NCLR works tirelessly to defend, protect, and advance the entire LGBTQ community,” Minter stated. Minter also noted how times have changed for the LGBTQ community now that Republican President Donald Trump has returned for a second term. Trump’s executive orders since January have singled out the trans community, including banning trans troops from

serving openly in the military and barring trans women and girls from playing on female sports teams. NCLR was the first LGBTQ legal organization to file suit after Trump issued his trans military ban. “Since this administration took office, NCLR has filed four lawsuits challenging discriminatory and unconstitutional executive orders, and we are preparing for additional litigation,” he stated. “I have devoted my more than 30-year legal career to working at NCLR, an organization committed to putting the community first, supporting LGBTQ people and their families, and using the power of the courts to fight for a better and more just world. “I am excited that our new name captures and expands that spirit and vision,” Minter added. In the interview, Minter said now is the right time for the change. “The situation for LGBTQ people is so dire right now,” he noted. “It is the right time.” To see NCLR’s new brand, go to nclrights.org. t

ilton Post 448 of the American Legion. “These red-blooded Americans volunteered to serve in our military and now they are supposed to give it up because of his [Hegseth’s] homophobia,” Benfield said. “This demonstrates poor leadership. Not only has he done this but he’s sowing mistrust in the armed forces. Instead of building trust, he’s creating havoc in the military.” Benfield referred to Hegseth’s move to oust General Charles Q. Brown Jr. as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the country’s highest ranking military officer. Brown, a Black man, had been appointed by Biden, replacing General Mark Milley. (In the past, the chairmanship had not been a partisan position.) “There were so many others more qualified than him,” Benfield said of Hegseth, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan before becoming executive director at Vets for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America and a host on Fox News before Trump tapped him to lead the Pentagon. (His tenure at the veterans’ groups garnered controversy.) Hegseth was on duty with the District of Columbia Army National Guard from 2019-2021. He was

barred from serving at Biden’s inauguration that year due to having a Crusader slogan as a tattoo that sports the phrase “Deus Vult,” or “God Wills It.” Jimmy McConnell, who served in the Oklahoma Army National Guard from 1983-1989, said during the press event that he is “heartbroken.” “In two years we can take the House back,” he said, referring to the 2026 elections. Echoing remarks Milley made several years ago, McConnell said, “We swore an oath to defend the Constitution, not some dictator, and I am not bowing down to a dictator. “This is America,” he said. “This isn’t North Korea.” Milk, the first openly gay elected official in California, was assassinated November 27, 1978, along with then-mayor George Moscone, at San Francisco City Hall by disgruntled ex-supervisor Dan White. Nearly two decades prior Milk had served in the U.S. Navy, but threatened with being court-martialed on a charge of “participation in a homosexual act” with another serviceman, he opted to resign and was given an “other than honorable” discharge on February 7, 1955, according to a trove of naval records obtained by the Bay Area Reporter five years ago.

Veterans service cuts

shifts, limiting deliveries to our clinics,” stated Future Zhou, a disabled veteran who was fired as inventory manager at the Puget Sound VA Medical Center in Washington state, in the report. “I saw nurses going down to the warehouse to collect their own supplies in order to continue to provide quality care to our veterans. I am not confident that the hospital can remain open under these conditions.” NBC News reported that Trump’s budget, the Big Beautiful Bill now before Congress, would push the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (also known as food stamps) onto states at a time when veterans are two and a half times more likely to face food insecurity, a fact Mandelman mentioned when he said the administration is attacking “even food for veterans.” Dunning said, “The cuts to the VA we are seeing is an affront to our veterans.” Wiener pronounced, “How dare they claim to be supporting veterans when they are undermining their ability to get health care … and removing the name of a veteran from a Navy vessel.” Wiener said that the renaming is an attack on all LGBTQ people. “We need to be very clear – they want all LGBTQ people to go away, and we aren’t going anywhere,” Wiener said. t

including the San Francisco International Airport and GLIDE Memorial Church. “San Francisco thrives when our city comes together for events that bring vibrancy and joy into our communities,” stated Mayor Daniel Lurie. “The Juneteenth Parade is an opportunity to celebrate freedom, unity, and the history and resilience of the African American community, and I look forward to this year’s celebration.” Mawuli Tugbenyoh, a gay man

who is acting executive director of the Human Rights Commission, praised the upcoming celebration. “Commemorating Juneteenth in San Francisco means welcoming all and including all,” Tugbenyoh stated. “I am thrilled that this month we are making our third annual parade down Market Street to mark the holiday for the entire city to enjoy.” For more information go to livablecity.org/citywide-juneteenth. In Oakland, Hella Creative has announced the return of Hella June-

teenth Festival at the Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak Street, on Thursday, June 19, from noon to 5 p.m. The celebration expands this year with new events and activations designed to honor Black freedom through art, movement, food, and collective joy, a news release stated. Tickets range from $10 to $90. For more information, visit museum.ca.org and click on “Juneteenth.” Friday Nights at OMCA takes place June 20, from 5 to 9 p.m., with an evening of Black joy and music

across the museum’s campus. The event is free. “OMCA is proud to partner with Hella Creative for a second year of Hella Juneteenth,” stated Lori Fogarty, OMCA’s executive director and CEO. “As a cultural institution rooted in community, we believe deeply in honoring Black history and supporting events that bring Oakland together.” t

Staying safe and healing from ongoing and continuous harms is essential to moving this vital work and living as peacefully as possible. In my new book, “The Truth About Trauma,” I wrote three healing levels to combat and heal trauma. Each level is based on my lived experiences, healing my trauma. The three levels include focusing on the body, being curious about the thoughts that dominate your mind, and nurturing a more peaceful spirit. Healing and advocacy during these challenging times require us to consider what occupies our

headspace and how our bodies react. Try not to be distracted by the continuous harm on the airwaves. This tactic is intended to create chaos and distract us from inclusion goals. We have what it takes, and it takes what we have, community. We are not down and out; we have each other. We have been here before in the civil rights movement of 1964, the women’s rights movement, the Stonewall uprising of 1969, the disability rights movement, the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, marriage equality, and transgender equality,

to name a few. Much like the protesters who stood in front of City Hall during the weddings in 2004 in San Francisco, we know there is only one way to proceed – forward. t

leader, Conscious Freedom life coach, organizational consultant, and medium. Her acclaimed TEDx Talk, “Healing from Racial Trauma,” has garnered over 6,000 views and chronicles the healing modalities resulting from her research. She is an assistant guide at Love Is King, an organization dedicated to creating safe and inclusive natural spaces for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. She makes her home in Portland, Oregon. Learn more at LisaYCollins.com.

couple was just getting started in their careers – Slocum’s spouse works in real estate – they lived with Born rent-free and ended up working for him for a time. They also served as project managers for Born when he built The Midway, an upscale entertainment venue in the city’s Dogpatch neighborhood that hosts gay circuit party events in addition to live music performances, art exhibitions, and interactive experiences. “He’s been a mainstay in our lives,” Slo-

cum, 36, told the B.A.R. Initially, they were taken aback when Born first approached them about opening a bathhouse, recalled Slocum. But as they thought about it, Slocum said they realized the site made sense for such a business being it’s near stops for numerous public bus lines serving several Bay Area counties and a subway station for the city’s Muni transit system, as well as a short walk from the Civic Center station for regional transit agency BART. They

also felt a bathhouse would be a commercial success in San Francisco. “The cost of housing is high in San Francisco, so no one can host,” said Slocum, meaning many queer residents have shared living situations that can prevent them from inviting over a sexual hookup they meet via an app or at a bar. “Providing a space for someone to be able to host and meet up is critical in high housing cost markets.” Although the San Francisco Busi-

Other groups have broadened their names

Gay Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman, who as the Castro’s representative on the board, holds the job Milk once did; and gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) expressed outrage about Hegseth’s move, but spent much of their remarks focusing on the effects of Trump’s policies and proposals on veterans. “This administration is attacking not just queer people, but American people, all of us,” Mandelman said. “They want us to talk about the ship, and we will talk about the ship … but they are trying to distract everyone.” An internal memo at the Department of Veterans Affairs shows the administration is planning on slashing 80,000 jobs, the Associated Press reported. Senator Patty Murray (D-Washington), former chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, came out with a report in April linking the firings of over 2,000 VA employees by Trump and onetime special adviser Elon Musk, who led the Department of Government Efficiency, to the deterioration of veteran services. “Our supply team is now more than seven days behind on placing critical supply requests for medication and equipment in our hospital, and our supply techs have had to cut their night

Lisa Collins, Ed.D., who identifies as gay, is an author, most recently, of “The Truth About Trauma,” which was published June 9. She is also a teacher, assistant professor, Strategies for Trauma Awareness Resilience (STAR) trauma practitioner, and racial healing

ness Times reported the name of the bathhouse as being Maze SF, both Born and Slocum told the B.A.R. it is likely to be called something else when it opens its doors. “There will be a formal brand announcement. This is not the time,” said Slocum, adding that he has no doubt his uncle will deliver on his bathhouse plans once securing the needed city approvals. “It is not a matter of if, it is a matter of when and how big.” t

t From the Cover >> << Queer bar

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There are only a handful of bars catering to queer women in the city, all in or near the Mission district. The Castro hasn’t seen a lesbian-themed bar in decades. Streicher owned the lesbian bars Maud’s in the Cole Valley neighborhood from 1966 to 1989 and Amelia’s in the Mission district from 1978 to 1991. Maud’s and Amelia’s sponsored the first women’s teams in the San Francisco Gay Softball League. A co-founder of the Gay Games, Streicher died of cancer in 1994. The athletic field at the Eureka Valley Recreation Center in the Castro is named after her.

Ownership changes

Former Castro bar the Cafe San Marcos at 2369 Market Street had billed itself as a lesbian club for a time in the 1980s and 1990s until it saw its clien-

June 12-18, 2025 • Bay Area Repor ter • 11

tele become predominantly male and eventually became known simply as The Cafe. This spring, Louis Caputo and Jeffrey Grannis, a married couple who both worked at the venue, took over its ownership on April 1. It’s currently open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, and the new owners are looking toward organizing new events, Hoodline reported, adding that though there will be some upgrades, the club had a pretty extensive remodel in 2019, just before the COVID pandemic. Before the Castro came to the fore, Polk Gulch was a major hub of San Francisco’s LGBTQ nightlife. Now, the only bar that remains there is The Cinch Saloon, at 1723 Polk Street. Scott Taylor, a gay man, will be taking over from Robby Morgenstein, who became The Cinch’s sole owner after the 2023 death of Bob Thornton. Morgenstein found the business too much to maintain by himself, according to a news release. Asked when his ownership officially

starts, Taylor told the B.A.R. that “there’s no simple answer to that because we’re in the escrow process right now,” which takes 45-90 days. For his part, Taylor looks forward to his new role. “I’m very excited,” Taylor told the B.A.R. in a phone interview. “The bar really meant a lot to me throughout my history in San Francisco. I helped out working there over the years … and lived with several bartenders. I took my partner on our first date there, as cheesy as that is.” Drag icon Juanita MORE! vouched for Taylor. MORE! was introduced to the Cinch by venturing down Nob Hill to Polk Street from her first San Francisco apartment in 1982. “The Cinch is where I felt comfortable and began making many new friends (sometimes at the urinal),” MORE! stated. “Years later, as Empress of the Imperial Council of San Francisco, I attended many events with my crown on my head. It is one of the very few queer

bars left in my neighborhood. I am so proud of Scott Taylor for standing up and securing the bar’s future. I will be by his side to ensure it succeeds and lives on for a hundred years.” Across town, Trax, at 1437 Haight Street, likewise the last LGBTQ bar in its neighborhood, is going to be reopening as Mary’s on Haight. Maria Haught, a straight ally who is one of four owners, told the B.A.R. that Trax closed at the end of May, and the new owners hope to have Mary’s up and running by Pride weekend June 28-29. “The vibe of the bar will be the same – making sure that we lean into the gay history of the bar,” Haught stated to the B.A.R. “Other than that, we are making a few small cosmetic changes: some paint, flooring, perhaps some new light fixtures.” The B.A.R. asked Haught why the previous owner, Mark Wilson, decided to sell. Haught forwarded a reporter’s information to him but he has not reached out as of press time. (Wilson, who also

operates the bar 440 Castro, told SFGate it was time to move on.) Aindréas O’Donnell, who is gay and another of the four co-owners, said the new name is a nod to his mother. “Renaming the bar Mary’s is both deeply personal and joyfully communal,” stated O’Donnell. “It honors my mother – whose strength and love helped shape who I am – and it nods to the historical use of ‘Mary’ as a term of affection and kinship among gay men.” When the bar reopens, there will be “events planned to celebrate the legacy of Trax and the rebirth of the space under its new name,” according to a news release. “This bar has always been more than a place to grab a drink – it’s been a safe haven, a front-row seat to history, and a home,” Haught stated. “Our goal is to preserve what makes this space special while inviting in new energy, new faces, and new memories. We’re building on history, not rewriting it.” t

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406433 The following person(s) is/are doing business as NOB HILL TAX ADVISORS, 1441 TAYLOR ST #201, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed by REYSI B GUILLEN. 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 05/19/2025. MAY 22, 29, JUNE 05, 12, 2025

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406415 The following person(s) is/are doing business as BRING BRILLIANCE, 350 GLENVIEW DR #7, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed by BRILLIANCE UNLOCKED, 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 05/16/2025. MAY 22, 29, JUNE 05, 12, 2025

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-25-559841 To all interested persons, the Petitioner BRYANT CHRISTOPHER RANKINS filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name BRYANT CHRISTOPHER RANKINS to proposed name KRISTINA DESTINY HOPE. 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: JULY 03, 2025, 9:00 am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. MAY 29, JUNE 05, 12, 19, 2025

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406473 The following person(s) is/are doing business as LIFTUWELL; CATER4U, 601 VAN NESS AVE #231, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed by LILLY ZOLTAK. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/22/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/23/2025. MAY 29, JUNE 05, 12, 19, 2025

Legals>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-25559824 To all interested persons, the Petitioner BEE HUA TEO filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name BEE HUA TEO to proposed name MIKA BEE HELENA THEO. 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: JUNE 26, 2025, 9:00 am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. MAY 22, 29, JUNE 05, 12, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-25559829 To all interested persons, the Petitioner DEANNA LAM STEINBERG AKA DEANNA RAE STEINBERG filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name DEANNA LAM STEINBERG AKA DEANNA RAE STEINBERG to proposed name DEANNA RAE LAM. 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: JULY 01, 2025, 9:00 am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. MAY 22, 29, JUNE 05, 12, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-25559801 To all interested persons, the Petitioner MICHAEL YAKOVLEVICH BERGER filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name MICHAEL YAKOVLEVICH BERGER to proposed name MIKHAIL TSIRULNIKOV. 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: JUNE 24, 2025, 9:00 am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. MAY 22, 29, JUNE 05, 12, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-25559833 To all interested persons, the Petitioner HANNAH VOGEL MEINKING filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name HANNAH VOGEL MEINKING to proposed name HANNAH VOGEL-MEINKING FINKELSTEIN. 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: JULY 03, 2025, 9:00 am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. MAY 22, 29, JUNE 05, 12, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-25559834 To all interested persons, the Petitioner ANNA LAURA TREVINO filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name ANNA LAURA TREVINO to proposed name ANNE LAURA TREVINO. 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: JULY 03, 2025, 9:00 am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. MAY 22, 29, JUNE 05, 12, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406387 The following person(s) is/are doing business as NOBLE VERITAS MARKETING, 181 LIBERTY ST #4, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed by NATHAN WEBB. 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 05/13/2025. MAY 22, 29, JUNE 05, 12, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406392 The following person(s) is/are doing business as YELLOW ORCHID NAIL SPA, 323 KEARNY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed by THU THIEN NGUYEN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/13/2025. MAY 22, 29, JUNE 05, 12, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406412 The following person(s) is/are doing business as CANDY MICHELLE DESIGNS, 1305 LAGUNA ST #5, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed by CANDY M. SMALLWOOD. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/16/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/16/2025. MAY 22, 29, JUNE 05, 12, 2025

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406441 The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE LUXE LOOP, 3210 GOUGH ST #204, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed by LILY SHABANI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/20/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/20/2025. MAY 22, 29, JUNE 05, 12, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406385 The following person(s) is/are doing business as 1235 STUDIO, 5432 GEARY BLVD #714, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed by WILLIAM STOCK & SEAN MITCHELL. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/12/2025. MAY 22, 29, JUNE 05, 12, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406404 The following person(s) is/are doing business as HANDY PRO BUILDERS AND GARDENING, 3311 MISSION ST #11, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed by GILBERTO ANTONIO VALENZUELA AVENDANO & RAMIRO VALENZUELA AVENDANO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/15/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/15/2025. MAY 22, 29, JUNE 05, 12, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406399 The following person(s) is/are doing business as RIVERS POST ST PROPERTIES, 1115 POST ST #6, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed by JEFFERSON ABINANTI & KELLY KELLY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/14/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/14/2025. MAY 22, 29, JUNE 05, 12, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406401 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SANFRANCISCOGREENCARD.COM, 550 CALIFORNIA ST #303, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed by LAW OFFICE OF KEVIN M. CRABTREE, P.C. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/01/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/15/2025. MAY 22, 29, JUNE 05, 12, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406341 The following person(s) is/are doing business as TOP DOG SF, 2121 TARAVAL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed by TOP DOG PET CARE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/23/2010. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/07/2025. MAY 22, 29, JUNE 05, 12, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406386 The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE GREEN HERON, 1601 HAIGHT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed by FOG CITY BREWS 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 05/13/2025. MAY 22, 29, JUNE 05, 12, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406408 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SECOND SUMMIT, 583 HAIGHT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed by SECOND SUMMIT 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 05/15/2025. MAY 22, 29, JUNE 05, 12, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406413 The following person(s) is/are doing business as ALL STARS DONUTS, 901 CLEMENT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed by CHE & BORY LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/11/2020. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/16/2025. MAY 22, 29, JUNE 05, 12, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406423 The following person(s) is/are doing business as ILLUMINATE BIOTECH CONSULTING, 166 GEARY ST, STE1500 #2103, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed by BRICKMAN BIOTECH CONSULTING (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 05/16/2025. MAY 22, 29, JUNE 05, 12, 2025

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406307 The following person(s) is/are doing business as GOTTABECLEAN PRODUCTIONZ, 28 GEARY ST, STE 625 #1631, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed by GOTTABECLEAN PRODUCTIONZ LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/01/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/01/2025. MAY 22, 29, JUNE 05, 12, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406426 The following person(s) is/are doing business as LAST DROP TAVERN, 550 POWELL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed by BELLINI, LLC (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/05/2022. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/16/2025. MAY 22, 29, JUNE 05, 12, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406427 The following person(s) is/are doing business as ROXANNE CAFE, 570 POWELL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed by PIRANESI, LLC (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/05/2022. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/16/2025. MAY 22, 29, JUNE 05, 12, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406430 The following person(s) is/are doing business as MAMAS WONTON, 1326 11TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed by VEC GROUP LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/14/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/19/2025. MAY 22, 29, JUNE 05, 12, 2025 NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF WESTON MCKAY SMITH IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: CASE NUMBER PES-25-308450 To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of WESTON SMITH AKA WESTON MCKAY SMITH. A Petition for Probate has been filed by STEVEN T. SMITH in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that STEVEN T. SMITH be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: JUNE 17, 2025, 9:00 am, Dept. 204, Rm. 22, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: B. KYLE CHILDRESS, 722 MONTGOMERY ST #201, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111; Ph. (415) 786-4461. MAY 29, JUNE 05, 12, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-25559844 To all interested persons, the Petitioner KATHERINE LUCILLE BROSSMAN filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name KATHERINE LUCILLE BROSSMAN to proposed name KATHERINE LUCILLE KWON-GIBSON. 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: JULY 08, 2025, 9:00 am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. MAY 29, JUNE 05, 12, 19, 2025

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-25-559849 To all interested persons, the Petitioner CANDACE FOREST filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name CANDACE FOREST to proposed name CANDACE MARY MORDUSH. 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: JULY 08, 2025, 9:00 am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. MAY 29, JUNE 05, 12, 19, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-25-559850 To all interested persons, the Petitioner AMANDA RAE CLAYMAN filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name AMANDA RAE CLAYMAN to proposed name KITTEN MARIE CLAYMAN. 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: JULY 08, 2025, 9:00 am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. MAY 29, JUNE 05, 12, 19, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-25-559851 To all interested persons, the Petitioner YUKFUN LEE filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name YUKFUN LEE AKA CINDY YUK-FUN LIU AKA YUKFUN CINDY LIU to proposed name YUKFUN CINDY 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: JULY 08, 2025, 9:00 am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. MAY 29, JUNE 05, 12, 19, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-25-559852 To all interested persons, the Petitioner KAY Q. HUANG filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name KAY Q. HUANG to proposed name KAY HUANG. 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: JULY 08, 2025, 9:00 am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. MAY 29, JUNE 05, 12, 19, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-25-559808 To all interested persons, the Petitioner WEI LIU MARGARET RAPOPORT filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name WEI LIU MARGARET RAPOPORT AKA WEI RAPOPORT AKA LIU WEI AKA WEI LIU AKA LIU W RAPOPORT AKA WEI LIU RAPOPORT AKA LIU WEI MARGARET RAPOPORT to proposed name LIU WEIL MARGARET RAPOPORT. 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: JUNE 24, 2025, 9:00 am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. MAY 29, JUNE 05, 12, 19, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406374 The following person(s) is/are doing business as FIRST PERSON LEGAL, 100 PINE ST #1250, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed by ELINOR LEARY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/01/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/12/2025. MAY 29, JUNE 05, 12, 19, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406461 The following person(s) is/are doing business as OUR FUTURE FLAG, 1830 HARRISON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed by JULIAN GUTIERREZ. 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 05/22/2025. MAY 29, JUNE 05, 12, 19, 2025

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406435 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SERENE INTERNATIONAL REALTY, 182 HOWARD ST #215, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed by SUKHBIR KAUR. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/20/2012. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/19/2025. MAY 29, JUNE 05, 12, 19, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406467 The following person(s) is/are doing business as NATALIE N PHOTOGRAPHY, 375 14TH AVE #206, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed by NATALIE NOEL PEARL. 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 05/23/2025. MAY 29, JUNE 05, 12, 19, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406480 The following person(s) is/are doing business as MISSION BAY CHIROPRACTIC, 330 TOWNSEND ST #232, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed by WAYNE K. YUEN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/20/2008. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/27/2025. MAY 29, JUNE 05, 12, 19, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406390 The following person(s) is/are doing business as HOLIDAY EXPRESS TRAVEL, 677 ARGUELLO BLVD #107, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed by MAHADEV LAMA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/07/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/13/2025. MAY 29, JUNE 05, 12, 19, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406488 The following person(s) is/are doing business as MOHAMED DISCOUNT, 166 TURK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed by MOHAMED ALGAHIM. 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 05/27/2025. MAY 29, JUNE 05, 12, 19, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406485 The following person(s) is/are doing business as JOSE’S HANDYMAN & HOME IMPROVEMENT SERVICE, 126 PRENTISS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed by JOSE M. DELCID. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/27/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/27/2025. MAY 29, JUNE 05, 12, 19, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406450 The following person(s) is/are doing business as PETERSON INJURY LAW, 230 CALIFORNIA ST #501, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed by LAW OFFICES OF ERIK PETERSON APC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/18/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/21/2025. MAY 29, JUNE 05, 12, 19, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406445 The following person(s) is/are doing business as Z. CIOCCOLATO, 474 COLUMBUS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed by FORBES CANDY KITCHEN LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/01/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/21/2025. MAY 29, JUNE 05, 12, 19, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406443 The following person(s) is/are doing business as EVOLVIC TRANSPORTATION, 548 MARKET ST PMB 424288, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed by EVOLVIC INDUSTRIES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/20/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/20/2025. MAY 29, JUNE 05, 12, 19, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406414 The following person(s) is/are doing business as ARQUET RESTAURANT; PARACHUTE BAKERY, ONE FERRY BUILDING #37, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed by ARQUET RESTAURANT, 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 05/16/2025. MAY 29, JUNE 05, 12, 19, 2025

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FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406462 The following person(s) is/are doing business as THYME THAI SPA, 4141 18TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed by VATANA WELLNESS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/22/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/22/2025. MAY 29, JUNE 05, 12, 19, 2025

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406516 The following person(s) is/are doing business as HAIGHT STREET HANDYMAN, 104 BAKER ST #1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed by KIMO M. BAILEY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/25/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/30/2025. JUNE 05, 12, 19, 26, 2025

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406490 The following person(s) is/are doing business as CONNECTED SAN FRANCISCO, CA 5234 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed by MSTMA, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/27/2025. JUNE 05, 12, 19, 26, 2025

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406484 The following person(s) is/are doing business as KP49 SANDWICHES, 49 KEARNY ST #101, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed by CLEMENT FOOD COMPANY 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 05/27/2025. MAY 29, JUNE 05, 12, 19, 2025

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406530 The following person(s) is/are doing business as HEADBAND CAMERA, 440 N BARRANCA AVE #4499, COVINA, CA 91723. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed by XINFENG HU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/18/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/02/2025. JUNE 05, 12, 19, 26, 2025

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406477 The following person(s) is/are doing business as PENABER MEDITERRANEAN MEZE HOUSE, 835 HYDE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed by PENEBER COUSINS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/28/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/23/2025. JUNE 05, 12, 19, 26, 2025

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-25-559722 To all interested persons, the Petitioner KIMBERLY ANN COPELAND filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name KIMBERLY ANN COPELAND to proposed name KYMBERLY VERA ADAMS. 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: JULY 15, 2025, 9:00 am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. JUNE 05, 12, 19, 26, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-25-559827 To all interested persons, the Petitioner MICHELLE MARIE PRINCE AKA MICHELLE MARIE PRINCE’GIACOPAZZI filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name MICHELLE MARIE PRINCE AKA MICHELLE MARIE PRINCE’GIACOPAZZI to proposed name MICHELLE MARIE GIACOPAZZI. 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: JULY 01, 2025, 9:00 am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. JUNE 05, 12, 19, 26, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-25-559859 To all interested persons, the Petitioner SOHEILA KHAJAVI IZADI filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name SOHEILA KHAJAVI AKA SOHEILA KHAJAVI IZADI to proposed name SOHEILA KHAJAVI IZADI. 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: JULY 10, 2025, 9:00 am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. JUNE 05, 12, 19, 26, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-25559862 To all interested persons, the Petitioner ALANNA CHRISTOPHER-ANTON TORRES filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name ALANNA CHRISTOPHER-ANTON TORRES to proposed name ALANNA CHRISTOPHER-ANTON BEHI. 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: JULY 15, 2025, 9:00 am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. JUNE 05, 12, 19, 26, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-25559856 To all interested persons, the Petitioner DEBRA MARIE JETER filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name DEBRA MARIE JETER to proposed name DEBRA MARIE HEARNE-JETER. 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: JULY 10, 2025, 9:00 am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. JUNE 05, 12, 19, 26, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-25559864 To all interested persons, the Petitioner ALEX CHANG filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name ALEX CHANG to proposed name ALEX HTAYAUNG CHANG. 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: JULY 15, 2025, 9:00 am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. JUNE 05, 12, 19, 26, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-25559839 To all interested persons, the Petitioner BRYAN THOMAS O’NAN filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name BRYAN THOMAS O’NAN to proposed name YAHYA SINWAR. 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: JULY 03, 2025, 9:00 am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. JUNE 05, 12, 19, 26, 2025

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406506 The following person(s) is/are doing business as GALAXY GLASS, 1551 43RD AVE, SABN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed by NARDEIN MIRZA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/01/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/29/2025. JUNE 05, 12, 19, 26, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406527 The following person(s) is/are doing business as COASTWOODS, 891 BEACH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed by GRETCHEN ELISABETH BACH. 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 06/02/2025. JUNE 05, 12, 19, 26, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406295 The following person(s) is/are doing business as STAY CURRENT PRODUCTIONS, 4101 NORIEGA ST #4, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed by LYNN E. MCGLOTHEN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/30/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/30/2025. JUNE 05, 12, 19, 26, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406479 The following person(s) is/are doing business as FRESH & CLEAN, 1934 29TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed by VICTORIA SANDOVAL RAMIREZ & GUADALUPE Y. RAMIREZ SOTO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/27/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/27/2025. JUNE 05, 12, 19, 26, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406519 The following person(s) is/are doing business as THERAPYSTACK, 1539 SHRADER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed by THERAPYSTACK 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 05/30/2025. JUNE 05, 12, 19, 26, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406508 The following person(s) is/are doing business as BELRAE GENERAL ENGINEERING, 2570 14TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed by BELRAE CONSTRUCTION (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 05/29/2025. JUNE 05, 12, 19, 26, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406493 The following person(s) is/are doing business as BAR MOKU, 310 8TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed by DANRICHCHENG (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 05/28/2025. JUNE 05, 12, 19, 26, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406501 The following person(s) is/are doing business as DAN KRAMER LAW GROUP, 350 SANSOME ST #400, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed by DJK LAW GROUP, PC (CO). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/01/2015. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/29/2025. JUNE 05, 12, 19, 26, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406512 The following person(s) is/are doing business as PRECITA SOCIAL, 300 PRECITA AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed by PRECITA HOSPITALITY 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 05/30/2025. JUNE 05, 12, 19, 26, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406439 The following person(s) is/are doing business as MISSION’S KITCHEN 2, 1020 VALENCIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed by SF BEAM, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/02/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/20/2025. JUNE 05, 12, 19, 26, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406489 The following person(s) is/are doing business as ALIEN LABS AREA 41, 5234 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed by MSTMA, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/2023. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/27/2025. JUNE 05, 12, 19, 26, 2025

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FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406517 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SALA THAI MASSAGE, 3893 24TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed by PAVILLION WELLNESS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/29/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/30/2025. JUNE 05, 12, 19, 26, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406466 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SEYMOUR DESIGNS, 3701 SACRAMENTO ST #353, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed by SEYMOUR VENTURES LLC (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/01/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/23/2025. JUNE 05, 12, 19, 26, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406541 The following person(s) is/are doing business as MOVEME24, 665 3RD ST #531, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed by GO MOVING, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/21/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/03/2025. JUNE 05, 12, 19, 26, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406278 The following person(s) is/are doing business as XJJ PICKS; XJJ SUPPLIES, 1866 33RD AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed by XJJ STUDIO LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/29/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/29/2025. JUNE 05, 12, 19, 26, 2025 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-0403104 The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as BYTHELOCALS, 1370 42ND AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business was conducted by a limited liability company and signed by BYTHELOCALS, LLC (CA). The fictitious business name statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/09/2024. The abandonment of fictitious business name statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/29/2025. JUNE 05, 12, 19, 26, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-25559871 To all interested persons, the Petitioner FILIPE JORGE DE CASTRO FERREIRA MARQUES DE ALMEIDA filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name FILIPE JORGE DE CASTRO FERREIRA MARQUES DE ALMEIDA to proposed name FILIPE ALMEIDA. 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: JULY 17, 2025, 9:00 am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-25559873 To all interested persons, the Petitioner RUOQIAN LIU filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name RUOQIAN LIU to proposed name ROSANNE QIAN LIU. 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: JULY 22, 2025, 9:00 am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-25559865 To all interested persons, the Petitioner SHEILA SHEYDA JOHNSON filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name SHEILA SHEYDA JOHNSON to proposed name SHEILA SHAYDA MOGHADDAM. 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: JULY 17, 2025, 9:00 am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-25559878 To all interested persons, the Petitioner VAL D’ORITO filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name VAL D’ORITO to proposed name VAL SECRET D’ORITO. 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: JULY 22, 2025, 9:00 am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-25559854 To all interested persons, the Petitioner DEMARCUS TEASHUN WILSON filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name DEMARCUS TEASHUN WILSON to proposed name ZAYN KAIRO AYAN ZAID. 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: JULY 10, 2025, 9:00 am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2025

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-25559879 To all interested persons, the Petitioner CAROLINE SOFIATTI & GABRIEL PURVIN DUNN filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name CAROLINE SOFIATTI to proposed name CAROLINE SOFIATTI DUNN; present name LEONARDO SOFIATTI-DUNN to proposed name LEONARDO SOFIATTI DUNN; present name RAFAEL SOFIATTI-DUNN to proposed name RAFAEL SOFIATTI DUNN; present name GIOVANNA SOFIATTI-DUNN to proposed name GIOVANNA SOFIATTI DUNN. 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: JULY 22, 2025, 9:00 am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2025 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NUMBER CNC-25-559835 To all interested persons, the Petitioner WAYLAND LIM LEE filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: present name WAYLAND LIM LEE to proposed name ACE LIM 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: AUGUST 28, 2025, 9:00 am, Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406448 The following person(s) is/are doing business as START SHINE, 488 WILDE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 9134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed by LUIS DOMINGO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/17/2024. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/21/2025. JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406522 The following person(s) is/are doing business as INSPIRA HEALTH DESIGN, 3030 CASTRO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed by MAXIM LEE RITZENBERG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/10/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/30/2025. JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406528 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SF DREAM BASEBALL CLUB, 618 SAN BRUNO AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed by RONALD CALLOWAY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/01/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/02/2025. JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406580 The following person(s) is/are doing business as CLEANSHIFT, 368 24TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed by MARK GILYARD. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/26/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/04/2025. JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406610 The following person(s) is/are doing business as POSITIVE CANINE SOLUTIONS, 722 PAGE ST #1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed by MEGAN JOHNSON. 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 06/05/2025. JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2025

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FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406336 The following person(s) is/are doing business as REINA’S RESTAURANT, 5479 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed by REINAS INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/21/1991. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/06/2025. JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406624 The following person(s) is/are doing business as CHARLIE’S PHARMACY AND GROCERY, 1101 FILLMORE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed by KANCHAN LIQUOR INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/07/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/09/2025. JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406553 The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE STINKING ROSE A GARLIC RESTAURANT, 430 COLUMBUS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed by C P C RESTAURANT INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/02/2022. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/03/2025. JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406499 The following person(s) is/are doing business as HIGHWAY WOLF, 555 CALIFORNIA ST #4905, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed by NEANDERTHAL RECORDS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/29/2025. JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406502 The following person(s) is/are doing business as RADIATE CONSULTING SF, LLC, 615 PERSIA AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed by PROFESSIONAL CONSULTING SF, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/21/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/29/2025. JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406536 The following person(s) is/are doing business as GREENWICH CLEAN TIME, 1720 GREENWICH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed by MKSH GROUP LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/22/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/02/2025. JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406607 The following person(s) is/are doing business as CASTRO COFFEE COMPANY, 427 CASTRO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed by GOLDEN BAY COFFEE, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/13/2009. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/05/2025. JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as INNERCHILDCONNECTION, 945 TARAVAL ST #1009, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed by INNER CHILD CONNECTIONS 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 06/05/2025. JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2025

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406606 The following person(s) is/are doing business as CURTIS & KEITH CLOTHING APPAREL, 6295 3RD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed by CURTIS THOMAS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/05/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/05/2025. JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2025

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406614 The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE ALCHEMIST BARBERSHOP, 3422 25TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed by INNERMISSION SERVICES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/06/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/06/2025. JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2025

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406526 The following person(s) is/are doing business as JUN’S BEAUTY SALON, 1373 7TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed by XIAO XIAO CHEN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/02/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/02/2025. JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2025

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406546 The following person(s) is/are doing business as MAHANA, 215 FREMONT ST #4, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed by MAHANA FUSION 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 06/03/2025. JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2025

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406608 The following person(s) is/are doing business as TREEKEEPER SF, 153 LEXINGTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed by ALEXANDER PFEUFER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/12/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/05/2025. JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406531 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SCULPTING AT THE DISCO, 2115 23RD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed by ERICKA CASTLE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/02/2025. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/02/2025. JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406552 The following person(s) is/are doing business as CANNAVINE, 70 SECOND ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed by OHC HOLDINGS INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/01/2018. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/03/2025. JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406602 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SPECIAL TEA, 253 KEARNY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed by SPECIAL T 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 06/05/2025. JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 2025-0406542 The following person(s) is/are doing business as STARBOARD COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE, 49 POWELL ST 4TH FL, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed by STARBOARD COMMERCIAL BROKERAGE INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/14/1991. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/03/2025. JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2025

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Gail Ann Dorsey

Laudable Productions

Singer-songwriter and bass player performs with the David Bowie ‘Blackstar’ Symphony concert

by Jim Provenzano

K

nown mostly in the rock and pop music world for her skillful bass guitar-playing, Gail Ann Dorsey has a career of her own with solo albums and other projects. Although she’s also performed with numerous bands, Dorsey reached a new height of fame while tour-

ing with David Bowie, when she became known for her terrific rendition of “Under Pressure,” the song originally composed by Bowie and members of Queen. A devoted fan of that band as well as Bowie, Dorsey performs with John Cameron Mitchell and saxophonist band leader Donny McCaslin, along with local symphonies, in touring performances of Bowie’s last album “Blackstar.” The ensemble per-

‘Plainclothes’

forms with members of the San Francisco Symphony at Davies Symphony Hall June 26 and 27. Along with several “Blackstar” Symphony concerts, Dorsey is currently playing bass with Joan Osborne and her band. “We’re doing a bunch of Bob Dylan music, which is fun. We’re going to Rhode Island on Thursday, and New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,” said Dorsey in a phone interview

‘I Was Born this Way’

Frameline49: SF films in full International LGBTQ Film Festival expands by Brian Bromberger

A

t a time when the LGBTQ community is being attacked on the local, state, and federal levels in an attempt to rewrite and censor history as well as eviscerate their lived experiences, the power of film to bolster and protect our queer identity is paramount. This is the underlying sentiment as Frameline49 kicks off June 1828, screening nearly 150 films from 40 countries. With the Castro Theatre still unavailable, festival venues include the Roxie Theater, the Toni Rembe, Vogue and Herbst theatres, KQED, The New Parkway Theater in Oakland, and even Oasis nightclub.

A tense psychological thriller, “Plainclothes,” is a festival zenith. Set in 1997 in upstate Syracuse, New York, Lucas (Tom Blyth) is a young closeted gay cop assigned to a special task force on undercover “plainclothes” duty at the bathroom of the local mall, a well-known gay hook-up site. The police cruise and entrap the gay men, getting them to expose themselves and then arrest them for lewd conduct. He falls for one of his marks, Andrew (Russell Tovey) whom he lets go free. Andrew is also closeted, married with children and there’s a shocker when Lucas discovers what he does for a living. They meet in theaters and greenhouses for

sex, despite Andrew having a strict rule about not engaging with a guy more than once. Blyth is a charismatic revelation and on his way to major stardom, while the wonderful gay English actor Tovey plays against type to perfection. Their chemistry is palpable and electric. Opening in theaters in September, not only a peak moment at Frameline49, it’s one of the best LGBTQ films of the year. To celebrate Juneteenth, Daniel Junge and Sam Pollard’s documentary “I Was Born this Way” about Archbishop Carl Bean will be shown. Bean sang the 1977 Motown hit “I Was Born This Way” which was the world’s first gay disco anthem. The song and Bean’s story inspired Lady Gaga’s modern LGBTQ anthem “Born This Way” (2011).

Born in Baltimore in 1944, Bean was the victim of sexual molestation, and at age 15, after a romantic relationship with a neighbor boy was discovered by his adoptive father, Bean attempted suicide. Recovering, he fled to New York City and joined the renowned choir at Christian Tabernacle in Harlem. He began singing professionally, forming his own group, Universal Love. He refused Motown’s offer of a new album of traditional heterosexual love songs, deciding his role “was to be a change agent in society.” In 1985, he formed the Minority AIDS Project. Ordained in 1982, the following year, he began Unity Fellowship Church, the first Christian church for Black LGBTQ people. Using innovative rotoscope animation and

‘Four Mothers’

‘We Are Pat’

from her home in Kingston, New York, which is “right next door to Woodstock.” Dorsey talked about her musical career, the upcoming concerts, and, of course, working with David Bowie. Although Dorsey did work on four Bowie studio albums, she did not work on “Blackstar,” Bowie’s 26th studio album, released on the day of his death, January 8, 2016. See page 15 >>

featuring appearances by Lady Gaga, Quest-love, Billy Porter and Dionne Warwick, the film is primarily an interview with the unapologetic, fearless, compassionate Bean before he died in 2021, with lots of archival footage. The film celebrates his trailblazing legacy. The uplifting Irish comedy “Four Mothers” is a lovely surprise in what could have been a cartoonish, mawkish, clumsy mess. YA novelist Edward (James McArdle) is taking 24/7 care of his mother Alma (Fionnula Flanagan) following a stroke, which left her unable to speak, but not her ability to be opinionated. He’s on the cusp of incipient literary success with his queer novel about a teenager coming out, preparing for a book tour to America. He’s also dealing with heartbreaking feelings about his recently ended relationship with his ex-boyfriend, as well as unresolved anger about his late father. His three gay male friends dump their elderly mothers on him, because they want to escape for a dissolute Maspalomas Pride weekend abroad. Edward must deal with their meal requests and constant bickering. The catty dialogue as well as the acerbic tone, not to mention avoiding the usual clichés of old ladies by making them real, makes this a welldeserving crowd-pleaser. Getting old might actually be fun. Pat, “Saturday Night Live”’s famous, evasive androgynous character, a mainstay of 1990s pop culture, is reimagined by trans and nonbinary folk today in the captivating documentary, “We Are Pat.” Pat was created by Julia Sweeney in the late 1980s when she was a member of The Groundlings improv troupe in LA. Pat was so popular, the character even got their own film, “It’s Pat,” in 1994. Sweeney was trying See page 16 >>

<< Theater

14 • Bay Area Repor ter • June 12-18, 2025

t

Musical celebrates trans and cis sisterhood by Jim Gladstone

Tennessee Williamsesque ‘Steel Magnolias.’ “In the third quarter of the movie, there’s just monologue after monologue, and I realized that this could be a musical. The songs could reveal things the characters wouldn’t be able to articulate in conversation.”

A

new musical with impressive queer cred will have its world premiere production at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley this Pride month. “Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean: A New Musical,” based on the 1976 play by Ed Gracyzk, which was later adapted for film by Robert Altman, has been put together by a trio of accomplished queer creatives. The show’s book is by Ashley Robinson, whose stage adaptation of “Brokeback Mountain,” a hit in London, was called “fresh and deeply moving” by the story’s original author, Annie Proulx. The music is by Dan Gillespie Sells, the openly gay frontman of UK band The Feeling, who collaborated with Robinson on “Brokeback Mountain,” and wrote the score to the teen drag queen musical “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.” And the show’s lyricist, Shakina, who also stars as trans character Joanne, has a multifaceted portfolio that includes writing for and performing in the musical finale of television’s “Transparent,” and founding a music theater development company that helped launch more than 100 shows, including “A Strange Loop.” “Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean” is set in a Woolworth’s store in a small Texas town, fifty miles from where James Dean’s “Giant” was filmed in 1955. The ensemble, a group of local women, gather to mark the 20th anniversary of their Dean fan club and, in flashback, recall their own younger years. When Dean died at age 24, two weeks before filming wrapped, he was fixed in eternal, idealized youth. But the women of “Come Back to the Five and Dime” weather the passage of time and the complications of adult life. Gracyzk, who was never forthcom-

Raising trans voices

Tracy Mart

Shakina, Lauren Marcus and Stephanie Gibson in TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s ‘Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean: A New Musical’

ing about his own sexuality, created a groundbreaking character in Joanne: a trans woman portrayed with warmth, humanity, and realism, in 1976. A quarter-century down the road, the new musical probes further into the psyches of Joanne and her cohort, using songs to illuminate inner feelings about gender, chosen family, motherhood and more.

Southern comfort

Ashley Robinson first discovered “Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean” as a kid in smalltown South Carolina. “I grew up in a fairly remote rural

area,” he told the Bay Area Reporter in one of two recent interviews with the show’s writers, “so it was a big deal when we first got cable TV.” One of Showtime’s heavy-rotation staples at the time was the movie version of “Come Back to the Five and Dime...” which boasted a stellar cast, including Cher, Sandy Dennis, Karen Black, and Kathy Bates. “I watched it over and over,” Robinson recalled. “It was just something that spoke to me as a queer kid. There are lots of gay men who love ‘Steel Magnolias’ this way [Playwright Robert Harling was gay]. I do too, but ‘Five and Dime’ is like a weirder, grittier

Shakina, who was introduced to Robinson through a then-mutual agent during the pandemic, embraced the opportunity to collaborate on the project. “I grew up with the play,” she recalled, “because when I was in high school all the girls were doing the monologues as audition pieces. I love the whole genre of queer camp that’s a gay male-derived view on trapped femininity, and how that translates into the portrayal of fragile, broken, or brazen women that these playwrights were forced to channel their desire and fantasies through.” In the musical’s 1955 segments, we meet pre-transition Joanne, assigned male at birth. Asked about the danger of imposing contemporary perspectives on characters who live in the 20th century, Shakina pushes back a bit. “Transexuality was in the zeitgeist of the late 1970s as part of the sexual revolution. Everyone knew about Christine Jorgensen. Had it not been for AIDS and the rise of the conservative agenda, who knows where we’d be today? “When Joanne revealed herself to her old high school friends [in the original play], they asked a few overly personal questions at first, made a few jokes, but then pretty much took it in stride. It was never some shocking reveal in the play; it’s very much a homecoming that gets folded into the rest of the fabric of the story. “I think that’s how transness has generally functioned in society up un-

til the last five years. In some ways, I think that this story, set in the 1970s, has more of a progressive attitude than a lot of society has today, because it’s about an individual person, not about transness as an abstracted idea. Cis people need to have a connection with our human-ness.” Shakina and her collaborators took the notion of trans individuality to heart over the course of the show’s development through workshops and readings, including one at TheaterWorks’ New Works festival last year. While Gillespie Sells’ band, the Feeling, specializes in power pop and his score for “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie” leans into disco and contemporary glam, he’s long had a passion for the rootsy country and western sounds that infused his score for “Brokeback Mountain” (a play with music, in which the characters themselves didn’t sing) and now “Come Back to the 5 & Dime...” “I brought my obsession with Aaron Copland to ‘Brokeback,’” he said. “But this show was even more in my wheelhouse. I grew up traveling through the west of Ireland with my two mums, and in the camper van we’d listen to this triple-cassette collection called ‘Women of Country.’ Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, Bobbie Gentry, all of these legends. And a lot of their hits were in the 1970s. “When Ashley came to me with this show, I felt like I had it in my bones. Its ballads and story songs that take you into the minds of these strong but very different women.”t ‘Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean: A New Musical,’ through July 13. $34-$94. Theaterworks Silicon Valley in partnership with Broadway & Beyond Theatricals, Mountain View Center for the Arts, 500 Castro St., Mountain View. www.theatreworks.org

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June 12-18, 2025 • Bay Area Repor ter • 15 Hang on to Yourself

Invasion Group

Left: John Cameron Mitchell and Gail Ann Dorsey with the Blackstar Orchestra Right: David Bowie and Gail Ann Dorsey on tour in 1997

<<

Gail Ann Dorsey

From page 13

“I was like the rest of the world; I knew nothing of that record,” she said. “I did know he was working on something, but I didn’t know what it was. And I didn’t know he was ill, either. I was just shocked with everybody else when he passed away. I felt between his birthday, his death and the record, the whole combination; no one could do that better than he. That is what it means to really embody being a true artist, and live it to your last breath, basically.” In referencing the popular online meme that suggests a cultural collapse after Bowie’s passing, Dorsey agreed. “I don’t know if it was this was a coincidence, but I feel like that. I feel like something shifted, for sure. And it’s really taken quite a turn at this point.”

Young American

Born in West Philadelphia, Dorsey took to music at a young age, begging her single mother for a guitar. By her teenage years, she adapted to playing bass, since most of the calls for musicians on record store message boards needed bass players. Dorsey often hid in the back and ducked out early from bar gigs, since she was underage. Her London years, where she moved at age 22, included her first record label deals, three solo albums, and after returning to the US, later tours with Gang of Four, Tears for Fears, Boy George, Indigo Girls, Lenny Kravitz, The National and several others. Now, at 63, Gail Ann Dorsey is a musician in-demand, and probably the most prominent out lesbian Black bass guitarist in the world. But it wasn’t until six years after he’d seen Dorsey on a British TV show that David Bowie called her up to tour with him. How she ended up singing “Under Pressure” is explained below. But first, Dorsey shared how she ended up performing with the “Blackstar” project.

Next days

“The last album I worked on with Bowie was ‘The Next Day,’” she recalled. Earlier studio albums with Bowie included “Earthling,” “Heathen” and “Reality,” as well as five live albums. “It was the first album that came out that was done in secret, which I worked on. The same as ‘Blackstar.’ No one knew it was happening, and then suddenly it existed. “But what happened after he passed away and ‘Blackstar’ was released, of course there were many tribute bands or celebrations, with alumni from different eras of Bowie’s band, different musicians who’d worked with him over the years; and some who hadn’t, but who wanted to get together and play his music in celebration. “That’s how I met Donny, when a particular group of alumni from different Bowie bands got together in New York City to do basically more of a birthday celebration. It’s not really a tribute band, in a sense. But we wanted to play his music on the weekend of his birthday. And since he died –other

than one or two years during COVID, when we didn’t do it– we’ve done it every year since he’s passed away on that same weekend in January, just to have a big party and play his music. And Donny was a part of that.”

On tour

Asked when she began performing with the “Blackstar” project, Dorsey said, “Our first show was in 2023. Since then, we’ve done not an awful lot, but this year it’s really starting to pick up, which is great. I think it’s taken a while for it to sink in as to what it is, really. Because it’s not a tribute band. I’ve often been asked to be a part of a lot of different tribute bands, and to sing ‘Under Pressure.’ But I don’t want to do that anymore because that’s done. I did it with the man himself.” Dorsey shared how McCaslin’s project is more than a tribute show. “When Donny approached me about ‘Blackstar,’ I thought this was something that I think David would really appreciate, in terms of an extension of ‘Blackstar,’ which, in my opinion, is a masterpiece. It’s an incredible piece of writing. It’s not very long, but it’s very deep, and very experimental. It’s also very fresh. A lot of people backed away from it because they were thinking it was dark, and it made them sad. “But if you look at it just from a creative perspective, it’s a masterpiece. Who could come up with that in their last days of life? It’s just an absolutely beautiful piece of music. The genius of Donny coming up with the idea, to have orchestrations added to the music, makes it grow. It’s like a tree was already there and now it’s just grown new branches. “A lot of the people who were interested in putting on the show or financing it wanted to know who was going to sing. They wanted a famous person, and we fought very strongly. I thought it was very important that it was not the point. When you hear the music itself, when you hear the orchestrations, you hear the songs, the lyrics. That is the star of this show.” Nevertheless, between Dorsey and “Hedwig” creator John Cameron Mitchell, there’s plenty of star power for eager audiences. In addition to performing the full “Blackstar” album, some of Bowie’s hits like “Life on Mars” and “Space Oddity” will also be performed. “We’re there to serve the music and to enhance the brilliance of the original reason we’re there, which is the man, David Bowie, and what he has contributed creatively to this planet. “For me, as a singer, that part of my life, that part of what I do, it’s magnificent to sing with a symphony,” said Dorsey. “It’s like a dream. How many singers get that opportunity? I feel very blessed.”

Break free

Being a devoted Queen fan since her teen years, Dorsey has said that she was quite nervous when, while on tour in 1996, Bowie casually walked into her dressing room and asked her if she wanted to sing Mercury’s part in “Under Pressure.” She balked at first, but Bowie said, “I’ll give you two weeks.”

Millions of online video views and listens later, “That one song singlehandedly changed my life,” said Dorsey. “It’s funny; I’m a very stressed-out person, so it’s the perfect theme song for me. And also, Queen, my favorite band of all time! Just to think that I would ever have had any opportunity to get anywhere near doing a Queen song, and let alone have it basically change the course of my professional life, changed my creative life forever.” After sharing some mutual stories about attending Queen concerts in our youth, Dorsey admitted that she wasn’t aware at the time that Freddie Mercury was gay. “It just didn’t dawn on me,” she said. “There were so many freaking white guys from England that I was seeing on TV. With Bowie and Queen, I thought, ‘more long-haired guys in unitards.’ But it wasn’t on my radar at first. And then, later on, I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, really? Of course.’ It was when his mustache came, I was like, ‘Oh, for fuck’s sake! How could I not see that?” To be fair, Dorsey wasn’t aware of her own sexuality at the time, either.

“I didn’t really come out until I was about 18,” she said. “I had seen Queen when I was 14, 15, 16. At Cal Arts in college I realized it. I was obsessed with Lindsay Wagner. And she still, to me, was the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” Over the years, Dorsey has performed with some other prominent out women musicians, including Indigo Girls, Sara Lee (Gang of Four), Ani DiFranco and Kate Pierson of The B-52s. “When I left the UK and came back to New York in 1994, Indigo Girls were at the top of the charts,” Dorsay recalled. “That was when they were huge. I went out on the road with them. And then I played Michigan Women’s Festival. I know all of those women. And I do contribute to those things occasionally as well. Last year, I did Women’s Week in Provincetown.” Now single after ending a romance in Paris, Dorsey is focused on new music as well as touring. But a little more background has to be explored, specifically her 1980s solo albums, “I Used to Be,” “Rude Blue” and “The Corporate World.”

Asked if the non-gendered lyrical subjects are intentional, Dorsey said, “I’ve always been that way almost intentionally, just to leave it open. Not that I was ever in the closet, but I was never, ‘I’m coming out as a gay artist and this is who I am.’ I’m more, if you know, you know. It doesn’t matter. I’m not against advocating it or being a champion of gay rights. I’m there. But it’s just not a thing that I was putting in the front, not on my name tag.” Asked about the recent spate of politicians and fans critiquing musicians like Bruce Springsteen for making political statements, Dorsey said. “I don’t feel pressure, but I will damn sure speak up if I have an opportunity. If someone asks me, I will speak up. “Also, it’s about just being a Black woman as well. I grew up at a time in the early ’60s to the ’70s in Philadelphia that were very racist, very segregated neighborhoods. There were fine lines drawn. And I never believed in that, and neither did my mother. We were kind people, we didn’t believe in excluding anyone. In between the “Blackstar” tour dates, Dorsey’s upcoming projects include a new record. “I don’t have a whole album finished yet, because I’ve just been so busy trying to balance that with touring,” she said. As to gender specificity in lyrics, Dorsey mentioned, “One of the songs on the new album is called ‘For Her.’ It’s my lesbian wedding song. I’m hoping every lesbian couple’s going to want to play it!”t

Read the full interview, with music videos, on www.ebar.com. ‘Blackstar Symphony’ $99-$325, June 26 & 27, 7:30pm, Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Ave. www.sfsymphony.org www.linktr.ee/gailanndorsey

<< Music

16 • Bay Area Repor ter • June 12-18, 2025

Pride music: regarding reissues

by Gregg Shapiro

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lasts from the past; Lotti Golden’s 1969 soul-garage-psych breakthrough “Motor-Cycle” is finally getting some long overdue attention. Proto-punk, glam rock band the New York Dolls gets a reissue of their debut album. Industrial post-punk band Cindytalk’s “Camouflage Heart” is back, and the recently-passed Jill Sobule’s first album is rereleased on its 30th

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anniversary. And oh, Mariah Carey? Her 2005 album “The Emancipation of Mimi” is back on vinyl. A recent article in Rolling Stone about the new, expanded reissue of Lotti Golden’s 1969 soul/garage/ psych breakthrough “Motor-Cycle” (Atlantic/High Moon) is finally giving the remarkable album some long overdue attention. Golden, who was a teenager at the time of the album’s release, was taken under the wing of gay songwriter, producer, and allaround music legend Bob Crewe for the production and arrangements of the album. Her queer influences and inspirations extended beyond Crewe as Brooklyn-native Golden spent much of her time hanging out with her entourage, including LGBTQ folks, in the East Village. Musically, Golden sounds like she could be the motorcycle-jacketwearing, slightly younger sister of Laura Nyro. But where Nyro’s songs were succinct pop gems, Golden’s sprawling (and never boring) songs clocked in between six and a half and eight and a half minutes. Daring for its time, the music, including “Gonna Fay’s,” “The Space Queens (Silky Is Sad),” “Motor-Cycle Michael,” and “A Lot Like Lucifer (Celia Said Long Time Loser),” are mind-blowing. With extensive and informative liner notes by Holly

George-Warren, Richard Hell, Lucas Van Lenten, and others, this album is sure to get listeners’ engines revving. www.highmoonrecords.com Proto-punk, glam rock, gender fuck – New York Dolls served it all. And they did it in full hair and makeup and heels (well, platforms). In 1973! Plus, they had the remarkably talented line-up of David Jo Hansen (aka David Johansen), Sylvain Sylvain, Johnny Thunders, Arthur Kane, and Jerry Nolan. Sadly, none of them are still alive (with Johansen’s passing in February 2025 being the most recent). However, New York Dolls’ music continues to enthrall and inspire. The band’s eponymous 1973 album, originally released on Mercury Records, has been gloriously reissued in a 180-gram vinyl, 45 RPM double LP audiophile edition by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab. Whether you’re a longtime fan or a newcomer, roofraising and rocking New York Dolls originals such as “Trash,” “Looking for a Kiss,” “Jet Boy,” “Personality Crisis,” and the gorgeous acoustic number “Lonely Planet Boy,” will make you fall in love, “L-U-V,” with these Dolls. www.mofi.com If the vocals by trans singer Cinder of dark industrial post-punk band Cindytalk sound familiar,

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you may recognize them from their performance of the cover of “Kangaroo” from This Mortal Coil’s 1984 album “It’ll End in Tears.” As you can hear on the remastered, clear vinyl reissue of Cindytalk’s 1984 debut album “Camouflage Heart” (DAIS), Cinder’s vocals alternate between a growl, a yowl, and a whisper, transporting the songs into the stratosphere. Ranging from noise rock to sludgy grind (“Memories of Skin and Snow,” “The Spirit Behind the Circus Dream”) to elegance (“Disintegrate…”), this is an album you won’t soon forget. www.cindytalk.bandcamp.com What should have been a cause for celebration is now being observed in a much more solemn way. The 30th anniversary reissue of queer singer/ songwriter Jill Sobule’s eponymous 1995 album on Rhino/Atlantic/ Lava), debuting on vinyl (in red, no less), has taken on different meaning after Sobule died in a house fire in early May 2025. Her passing is an immeasurable loss felt by many, and tributes across the country, known as Jillith Fairs, are taking place to honor her memory. Thankfully, we still have her singular body of work, including this self-titled album containing her brilliant hit single (and video) “I Kissed a Girl” (which pre-dates Katy Perry’s song of the same name by

to make it as a woman comic in the almost all boys SNL club. “I just wanted something that was funny,” she says. “It was a joy to be Pat because I got to have a break from having to be a girl too.” Don’t miss this sparkling gem.

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Identity, belonging, and forgiveness anchor the stirring documentary, “Between Goodbyes.” During the 1980s, South Korea was under the rule of a military dictatorship, which enforced a strict one-child policy. Because of that policy and financial struggles, birth mother Okygun had to give up her daughter Miok. Renamed, Mieke was raised in the Netherlands by a Dutch single

more than a dozen years), “Supermodel” (also featured on the “Clueless” soundtrack), Sobule’s trademark story songs such as “Karen by Night” and “Margaret,” as well as political statement such as “Resistance Song.” www.jillsobule.com For the diva-hungry gays, the eponymous 1990 debut album by Mariah Carey arrived just in time. Madonna’s “Like A Prayer” had restored her queer fans’ faith in her (get it?), but the 1990 “Dick Tracy” movie tie-in follow-up sent many scattering (with the exception of album closer “Vogue”). So, Carey’s timing was perfect, and according to her gay legions, so was her voice and her look. However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Carey. An ugly divorce and the “Glitter” fiasco caused the fans to flee. But she remedied the situation by leaving Columbia Records (and her ex-hubby Tommy Mottola) behind and found a kind of paradise on Island Records. Carey’s Island breakthrough was 2005’s “The Emancipation of Mimi” (Island), newly reissued in a double-LP vinyl edition to mark its 20th anniversary. In addition to containing the hit singles “We Belong Together,” “It’s Like That,” and “Shake It Off,” the vinyl reissue expands on the original version by six songs. www.mariahcarey.comt There’s a touching scene when the family gathers for a symbolic marriage ceremony. Have the Kleenex nearby. The family shows the honest joys and trials of reconnecting with family and the importance of listening to each other in order to develop a stronger bond. It’s unexpectedly poignant as we view their often fraught, but ultimately rewarding ongoing healing process.

Frameline 49

From page 13

Another winning documentary, “Heightened Scrutiny,” follows ACLU attorney Chase Strangio, the first trans person to argue before the Supreme Court, as he fights a life and death legal battle to overturn Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care (puberty blockers and hormone therapy) for transgender care in U.S. vs. Skrmetti. The film exposes the link between the biased anti-trans tenor of mainstream media in fueling anti-trans legislation, revealing how it drives hate, endangers lives, and threatens democracy. Insights from journalists (i.e. Jelani Cobb) and activists (Laverne Cox) shape the larger conversation around trans rights and bodily autonomy.

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Above: ‘Heightened Scrutiny’ Middle: ‘Between Goodbyes’ Below: ‘Playing with Fire: An Ecosexual Emergency’

adoptive mother, raised in a foreign culture. Mieke found community in an evangelical church, discovered she was queer and met a wife. Okygun and family deeply regretted their decision, so at Christmas they sent a card to say hello, which begins a ten-year reunion process.

“Playing with Fire: An Ecosexual Emergency,” made by filmmaker, performance artist, former sex worker and feminist pornographer Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens, her partner of 23 years, explores the ecology from an erotic perspective. Lightning ignites the 2020 CZU devastating fires in Northern California, forcing Sprinkle and Stephens to evacuate their home with the film documenting their joyous adventures despite their grief and losses. Other scenes include cremating Annie’s mother’s body, an ecosex (imaging the Earth as a lover) scene in a burnt forest, and a ceremonial Wedding to Fire by the river. It’s an urgent call-toaction as the climate crisis worsens and a portrait of queer resilience, as it honors the power of fire to destroy and renew. Clearly not for all tastes, but it has a kooky charm. It will appeal to climate activists and pagans. See page 17 >>

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Opera>>

June 12-18, 2025 • Bay Area Repor ter • 17

SF Opera celebrates Pride by Philip Campbell

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pera is proud, but is it gay? And, what is institutional opera’s position on LGBT issues? These questions were posed to a prominent member of California’s musical community and the conversation produced an insider’s take on the state of the art. John Churchwell is Head of Music Staff at San Francisco Opera (SFO), Co-Director of the Music Academy of the West’s Vocal Institute, Merola Opera Program alum and, skillful collaborative’ pianist. He lives in Berkeley with his husband, working at SFO assembling music teams at the service of the conductor for mainstage productions. He has often joined with high-profile gay composers Tobias Picker, Mark Adamo, and prolific Bay Area-based Jake Heggie in creation of their new operas. An advocate for American music, Churchwell has contributed to world premieres of major contemporary operas, including John Harbison’s “The Great Gatsby,” Philip Glass’ “Appomattox” and John Adams’ “Girls of the Golden West.” His recital performances pair him with vocalists like Renée Fleming, Joyce DiDonato, and Susan Graham. He has recorded with skyrocketing countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen and accompanied incandescent mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, with whom he co-directs the Lehrer Vocal Institute Music Academy of the West. His assistant conducting duties at the Met and SFO include collaborations with James Levine, Nicola Luisotti and, current SFO Music Director Eun Sun Kim. His expansive CV (and there are many more credits) puts John in a unique position to observe, critique and, mentor. He does it with genial self-confidence and helpful advice. The youngster from Knoxville, Tennessee has made a very successful career and, accomplished it all proudly out of the closet.

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Frameline 49

From page 16

Not for the squeamish, “A Body to Live In,” is a no-holdsbarred documentary portrait of controversial performance artist and photographer Fakir Musafar (1930-2018), who used painful BDSM mortification practices to access new spiritual planes. He became an icon of the ‘modern primitives’ cultural movement. The film is anchored by a multi-day-long audio interview he delivered from his death bed in 2018 with fellow leatherman Patrick Mulcahey, along with neverbefore-seen personal archive of 100+ hours of home videos, films, TV appearances, and lots of photographs. The imagery is extreme, but you can’t help but be fascinated at what Fakir did to his body even if at another level it repels one. If ever a film was a conversation starter, this is it. BDSM folk will be in seventh heaven. You will be furious after watching the horrifying documentary, “The Librarians.” The film begins in 2021 when Texas House Representative Matt Krause, also a candidate for Texas State Attorney General, issued a list of 850 books for schools to review for obscene and race-related content, urging officials to develop standards to ensure “pornography” and anything that may make students feel “discomfort, guilt, or anguish” be removed.

LGBTQ singers hit rainbow notes for Merola ’96 and, was honored at the Merola Opera Program 2025 gala in April as he received this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award. He can’t attend the upcoming recital because he is giving a Lehrer Vocal Institute masterclass in Santa Barbara that same day. He won’t be working on SFO’s summer season either. He will be in the audience on the eve of Pride Weekend, however. He really deserves a break and some fun time in the War Memorial Opera House.

Puccini & Mozart Reneff-Olson Productions

The War Memorial Opera House in rainbow colors last year.

Year-round celebration

We shared a chuckle at those who want to pigeonhole opera. There are gay-specific operas, think “Fellow Travelers” and “Harvey Milk Reimagined” for recent examples. More than a few works with gay subtexts abound, like almost everything by Benjamin Britten. But opera is gay as it relates to listeners and participants. If everyone who identifies as LGBT left opera tomorrow, the business would suffer more damage than any funding cuts Trump or Musk could ever inflict. Is pride visible at the Opera? That would be a

Music Academy of the West

yes. Integration and mutual trust are an attainable goal. Churchwell says, “Pride is something to be celebrated all year; pride in the work and the excellence of the artists. Being out is safe in San Francisco, but take notice of LGBT performers and offstage workers everywhere. This is a team effort.” The Merola Opera Program Summer Festival begins June 26 with “A Grand Night for Singing: An American Songfest” at San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Concert Hall, 50 Oak Street. Churchwell was a pianist/coach

Destiny Grace

Summer season repertory performances continue through June 21 with two casts singing in a revival of director John Caird’s endearing vision of Puccini’s “La Bohème.” Mozart’s early gem, “Idomeneo,” runs June 14–25. The new to San Francisco production features tenor Matthew Polenzani in the title role, mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack as his son and astonishing Chinese soprano Ying Fang makes her house debut. Eun Sun Kim conducts. Love it or leave it, Opera is proud and sings it out loud as the season wraps Friday, June 27 at 7:30 p.m. with the festive Pride Concert. The extravaganza stars Trans nonbinary mezzo-soprano Nikola Printz; baritone Brian “Yeah, I’m definitely

Dario Acosta

still gay” Mulligan (Instagram post) and Mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, who describes herself as a “proudly queer opera singer into drag queens, bluegrass, social justice, equality, and cats.” Monét X Change, trained in opera and winner of Season 4 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars,” hosts the 80-minute program featuring music by LGBT composers and songwriters including Leonard Bernstein, Tchaikovsky, Jake Heggie, Freddie Mercury, Melissa Etheridge and Indigo Girls. Eun Sun Kim opens with Bernstein’s overture to “Candide,” then passes the baton to Robert Mollicone for the rest of the show. Tal Rosner’s video designs fill the hall. Displays include a lobby exhibit by the GLBT Historical Society, sections of the AIDS Memorial Quilt by the National AIDS Memorial, and an Interactive Pride Altar by the Marigold Project. Divas, divos and opera queens unite. Grab a tiara and join the party.t San Francisco Opera performs Puccini’s ‘La Bohéme,’ June 12-21, and Mozart’s ‘Idomeneo,’ June 14-25. Both $28-$438; also livestreamed. Pride Concert June 27, 7:30pm, $30-$225. Each at the War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Ave. www.sfopera.com

Stacey Bode

Steven Simione

Left: SF Opera Head of Music Staff John Churchwell Middle Left: Mezzo-soprano Nikola Printz Middle: Baritone Brian Mulligan Middle Right: Mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton Right: Pride Concert host Monét X Change

The majority of content flagged had racial or queer themes. We meet librarians in Texas, Florida, Lousiana, and yes suburban blue state New

Above: ‘A Body to Live In’ Middle: ‘The Librarians’ Below: ‘Sally’

Jersey, who are resisting these censorship efforts, thus becoming targets of culture warriors. Often in small towns, queer books are the only sources of information that can help prevent teens from committing suicide. We encounter Moms for Liberty, who police books available in public schools, looking for titles that are “overtly sexual” and “inappropriate” for children. They bombard school board meetings with intimidation, expletive-laden shouting and notat-all veiled threats of violence. This gripping film, sometimes lapsing into a PSA, is essential viewing. The National Geographic documentary “Sally” is one of the festival’s winners, detailing the life of an American hero Sally Ride, the first woman astronaut in space, who flew in the Challenger space shuttle in 1983. The core of the film is an interview with her life partner of 27 years, Tam O’Shaughnessy. Ride wasn’t out publicly in her lifetime. She met Tam as an adolescent at a tennis camp run by Billie Jean King. After King was outed and sued by a female ex-lover, consequently losing endorsements, the negative publicity scared Ride from emerging from the closet (much to Tam’s consternation), despite her sister Bear being a lesbian. Incredibly ambitious and competitive, she could be prickly, all business, and hard to read, attributed to her emotionally closed-off mother.

The film adroitly shows how Ride’s personal and professional lives were intertwined, though cheesy, nondialogue reenactments are unnecessary and distracting. Still, Ride was a trailblazer for women and finally is getting her due, 13 years after dying of pancreatic cancer at age 61.t

Read the full reviews on www.ebar.com, and look for more film reviews in the next two issues. www.frameline.org

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<< Books

18 • Bay Area Repor ter • June 12-18, 2025

Pride books round-up 2025, part 2 by Jim Piechota

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n the second part of our expansive book review series, we present a wondrously queer selection of biography and memoir titles illuminating how members of our community have stood up and struggled throughout their lives. “The Dry Season” by Melissa Febos, $29 (Knopf) Melissa Febos, an award-winning queer essayist who isn’t afraid of probing her own personal experiences of domestic violence or addiction, has now produced a striking memoir involving her year-long ordeal with selfimposed sexual abstinence, but not in the eye-rolling, dreaded sense. Aided by conversational prose and exacting detail, Febos draws readers in with the idea of abstention as a physical and psychological reboot of sorts, which is something many of us have certainly considered at one time or another in our lives after a particularly difficult breakup. The book is a joy to behold as the author deconstructs her romantic life and rebuilds it with more care and conscious self-awareness, but also concludes with a positive event as Febos meets her current wife, poet

Donika Kelly, just as her celibacy was ending. As she notes, this new relationship represents a chance for Febos to continue the work on herself and now devote attention to the intimacy and love she’s found with her new wife. This is an intensive, thought-provoking, relatable excavation of the heart, mind, and the element of desire that will truly dazzle. Melissa Febos will sign and read from “The Dry Season” on June 17, 7pm at The Booksmith, 1727 Haight Street. www.booksmith.com “Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson” by Tourmaline $30 (Tiny Reparations) In this touching and wellresearched biography of 1970s Manhattan trans trailblazer Marsha P. Johnson, Black artist and trans activist Tourmaline respectfully pays homage to the legacy that was Marsha. Best known for participating in the pushback against the police during the Stonewall Bar uprising in 1969, Marsha was born Malcolm Michaels Jr. in Elizabeth, New Jersey in 1945 and by the age of five started wearing dresses as a mode of self-expression. Moving permanently to Manhattan in 1963, she changed her name to

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Memoir and biography

Marsha and soon began to become known for her glamorous drag performances and outspoken opinions. Her death in 1992 at age 47 became shrouded in mystery after Marsha’s body was discovered floating in the Hudson River. Her close network of friends discounted law enforcement’s initial declaration of suicide. They insisted it was a homicide and the case (still unsolved) was reopened for further investigation and amidst a swirl of speculation. This richly drawn history of one of the original gay liberation activists has pride written all throughout it and is simply not to be missed.

“Maybe This Will Save Me: A Memoir of Art, Addiction and Transformation” by Tommy Dorfman $29.99 (Hanover Square) Tommy Dorfman, a television and theater actor best known for playing the role of Ryan Shaver in Netflix’s “13 Reasons Why,” shares the details of her life overcoming addiction and struggling with identity. Born to a wealthy Georgian family in 1992, Dorfman studied theater and came out as a gay teen and then emerged as nonbinary in 2017. In 2021, she identified as a trans woman, and then as a lesbian soon after. Her path toward sobriety as a young person is detailed with an eye on the spiritual aspects of the journey and the transformative power of inner truth and self-awareness. Readers may find the book’s structure and nonlinear timeline a bit of a challenge, but those who stay with Dorfman for the rest of her wild ride will discover lots of intimate details and revelations in a memoir that is honest and forthright at its core. “Actress of a Certain Age: My Twenty-Year Trail to Overnight Success” by Jeff Hiller $28.99 (Simon & Schuster) Queer actor and comedian Jeff Hilles, 49, is probably most recognizable for his work on the HBO series “Somebody Somewhere,” and while punchy and filled with humor, his memoir gets deeply candid about his lean years prior to the upswing in his acting career. With self-deprecating humor and refreshing frankness, the author discusses the midlife crisis that made a toupee purchase seem like a good investment and made his relationship with food and feelings of underachievement almost overwhelmingly heavy to contend with. After a quite lucrative Snickers commercial and a movie side gig as a naked man standing on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, Hiller’s big career break with a role on “Somebody Somewhere” came courtesy of an inquisitive email from Bridget Everett, an actress on the show, who thought he would be a perfect fit for the role of “Joel,” and he was indeed. This is a revealing, grateful portrait of a struggling actor whose ship finally came in. “The Life of Those Left Behind” by Matteo B. Bianchi $17.99 (Other Press) In this searingly poignant autobiographical novel, Italian author Bianchi intimately reflects on a life-altering event that forever changed the way he looked at relationships and himself. How does one recover from finding a former long-term partner dead from suicide in their apartment mere months after a sad breakup? This story tells the story of Bianchi’s heartbreak in the aftermath of such an event and the memories that clouded his better judgment in the months following it. This is an emotional portrait of unbearable loss, redemption, survival, and the struggle to find your way back from an event that detaches and derails everything about life itself.

to counter the sudden pressures that come with instant popularity in Hollywood. Hailey was cast as Alice, a bisexual journalist, while Moennig portrayed edgy bedhopping lesbian Shane, with both contributing greatly to the allure of the series and its longrunning success in portraying sexually active lesbians on contemporary cable television. The actresses’ separate histories before, during, and after the success of “The L-Word” are equally enriching, illuminating, and enjoying. This dual-lesbian success story is a rewarding treat.

Written with eloquent prose and exacting, moving detail, Bianchi tells the tale of his broken life through fictional means, but with all the truths of loss, guilt, and self-forgiveness embedded throughout it. This is unforgettable. “So Gay For You: Friendship, Found Family, and the Show That Started It All” by Kate Moennig and Leisha Hailey $32 (St. Martin’s) From 2004-2009, actors Moennig and Hailey starred in Showtime’s “The L Word” and their dual memoir details how the show emerged as the powerhouse success it became and how it formatively changed lives. In alternating chapters, Moennig and Hailey describe how the show’s development and its name change (from “Earthlings”) came at the most opportune time for both women as Hailey performed in a struggling rock band and Moennig was an actress eager for a career-defining break. The popularity of “The L-Word” came as a surprise to both actresses and each had to make life adjustments

“Judy Garland: The Voice of MGM” by Scott Brogan $65 (Lyons) Brogan, who curates several websites devoted to Judy Garland’s life (1922-1969) and legacy, has produced this 400-page collector’s volume of photographs and detailed narrative focused primarily during her performance era with MGM Studios running from 1922 until 1969. Armed with an enchanting, unique singing voice and a desire to be a frontand-center star, Brogan writes about Garland’s first contract with MGM as an early teenager and the disciplined work it took to continue performing on a schedule that barely allowed her to be a young lady on her own. This showbiz pressure contributed to a daily regimen of diet and sleep medications along with stimulants that the studio felt were necessary to keep their shining star bright and productive. Her film career further pushed her into the spotlight until the light went out on her contract with MGM in the fall of 1950 when the star was just 28. There are over 200 images decorating the book in fabulous style, making this a must-have item for any diehard Judy Garland fan.t

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Books>>

June 12-18, 2025 • Bay Area Repor ter • 19

Edmund White, 1940-2025 by Brian Bromberger

W

hile Edmund White, America’s greatest gay writer, wasn’t the founder of contemporary gay literature, he both popularized and legitimized it. “The Guardian” called him “The Patron Saint of Gay Literature,” which seems apropos. White died on June 3 at age 85 in his Chelsea Manhattan home with Michael Carroll, his long-time husband of 30 years, at his side. White’s long career paralleled the rise of LGBTQ rights and the progress of the movement in the U.S., or as he wrote in his “Farewell Symphony” (1997), “I thought that never had a group been placed on such a rapid cycle, oppressed in the ’50s, freed in the ’60s, exalted in the ’70s, and wiped out in the ’80s.” He represented all these epochal events in his writing, in fiction, memoir (the sublime “City Lives”), biographies (his magisterial “[Jean]Genet: A

Biography” was a 1994 Pulitzer Prize finalist), or critical essays. His output was prolific, with his last book, “The Loves of My Life,” a sex memoir, just published earlier this year to rave reviews. He literally wrote until the moment he died. Unlike other gay writers (i.e. Edward Albee), White embraced being called a gay writer, but his talent was so respected, he attracted many admiring straight readers. At age 15, he wrote his first (unpublished) gay novel, really before the concept even existed, indirectly inventing a genre he later promoted and excelled. He was a born raconteur and could tell bawdy stories or saucy gossip about authors, which was his way of suggesting no subject was off the table when it came to the content of one’s own writing. He later taught at Brown and especially Princeton universities. He was always supportive and encouraging of younger writers, often acting as a mentor. He was best known in the 1970s as the co-author along with psychiatrist Charles Silverstein (who had actually been his therapist) of “The Joy of Gay Sex,” a gay version of the popular, bestselling 1972 heterosexual manual. The book detailed not only the sexual practices (largely written by White), but the emotional joys and pains of the gay lifestyle. His 1982 autobiographical novel, “A Boy’s Own Story,” covered through his fictional persona, life in the 1950s and early 1960s, as he struggled with his shame of being gay. It was a coming-of-age tale about a queer teenager, who was in therapy for years attempting to cure his homosexuality, to no effect. In the two subsequent novels in this boy series (especially “The Beautiful Room Is Empty”) the character learns to accept himself for who he is. This book is now considered a gay classic, de rigueur reading for two generations of queer adults. For Edmund White, writing was always about truth-telling. The broad social and cultural acceptance of queer folk achieved here in the last decade is due in no small measure to his groundbreaking work. He lived life to its creative fullest and had gads of fun along the way, sharing everything with his readers. How lucky we all were to go along for the ride.t

Read the full article on www.ebar.com.

Honoring the trailblazing gay literary lion

Andrew Fladeboe

Edmund White in 2022

Pride Day July 5 � Show your pride colors and join us for Pride Day at the Fair. � Community Stage programming all day long by Out at the Fair. � Free Mom Hugs! LGBTQ+ country singers Chris Housman at 7pm and Brooke Eden at 8pm on the Island Stage Ride the rides, enjoy the fine art and photography exhibits, explore the Barnyard, and stay for fireworks over the Lagoon at 9:30pm.

MARIN COUNTY FAIR FERIA DEL CONDADO DE MARÍN JULY 2-6, 2025 MARINFAIR.ORG

Two New Exhibits!

Life-size dinosaur animatronics Deep-sea marvels & cutting-edge tech

Now Open Get tickets at calacademy.org Unseen Oceans is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (amnh.org).

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