October 30, 2025

by John Ferrannini

Per Sia, a Latina trans drag performer who is one of the founders of Drag Story Hour in San Francisco, has been selected by Mayor Daniel Lurie as the city’s second drag laureate. Lurie made the announcement October 29.

“Everything I do is because I love doing what I do,” Per Sia told the Bay Area Reporter in a phone interview prior to the announcement being made public. “From being a founding member of Drag Story Hour performing all over the Bay, when I heard of this news, it really sort of made me feel kind of a stamp of approval, of really celebrating everything I am and everything I do.”

The announcement was made at the garden of Rooftop Elementary in San Francisco’s Twin Peaks neighborhood, Wednesday afternoon. Per Sia works there at an after-school arts program and wanted her students to share in the joy.

“When I was selected the first thing they asked was, ‘Where would you like the announcement?’ so for me it was important for it to happen at the school where I work,” Per Sia said. “The way you are who you are is perfect. Being celebrated in this way says to my students, my coworkers, and my younger self there’s no one way of being yourself.”

Lurie stated Per Sia comes from a long line of San Francisco drag artists.

As San Francisco’s Drag Laureate, Per Sia will lead the way for new representation that uplifts and highlights the storied drag history of our city and the significant contributions of the LGBTQ+ community to San Francisco,” Lurie stated. “Our city is known all over the world as a place where people are allowed to be who they want to be, love who they want to love, and live the lives they choose without fear of persecution. I look forward to working with Per Sia to support and celebrate our LGBTQ+ community.”

Also celebrating is San Francisco drag icon Juanita MORE!

See page 11 >>

US House candidate Wiener hosts pumpkin carving contest

Gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) greeted young pumpkin carvers at his 12th annual Halloween contest in Noe Valley Saturday, October 25. Wiener, who last week announced he will run in 2026 for the San Francisco congressional seat currently held by fellow Democrat Nancy Pelosi, was met by supporters and protesters at the event. For the fourth year, according to a flier, anti-trans demonstrators affiliated with Women Are Real protested Wiener’s pro-trans bills that Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed into law, including one to protect the privacy of trans people and another that bolsters the state’s trans refuge law that was first enacted two years ago.

Revamped Halloween to greet Castro

by John Ferrannini

It’s not the old Halloween in the Castro, but residents and visitors of San Francisco’s LGBTQ neighborhood are nonetheless donning costumes and getting ready for a treat with this year’s final Castro Night Market Friday, October 31.

The night market, sponsored by the Civic Joy Fund and produced by CG Events, had been monthly on the third Fridays of the month. For October, it is being moved to the fifth Friday to coincide with Halloween, a decision ratified by a unanimous vote of the city’s Interdepartmental Staff Committee on Traffic and Transportation (or ISCOTT), which oversees street closures, at its October 9 meeting.

Chris Carrington, a gay man who is CG’s cofounder, said the street closure will run along 18th Street from Noe Street to Diamond Street, one block longer than the Pride Month edition of the night market, which also featured an expanded footprint.

Neighborhood leaders and local officials are painstakingly stressing that the event will be different from the old Halloween festivities that eventually were suppressed by the city. Halloween – long

See page 10 >>

SF bookstore warns of transphobic stickers, pamphlets

by John Ferrannini

ASan Francisco bookstore has been targeted with transphobic stickers and pamphlets, it has announced via a social media post. The nearly one-year-old business in the city’s Noe Valley neighborhood also has posted a sign close to its entrance to warn customers about the unsanctioned insertions they may find in books at the store.

Similar anti-trans stickers were found several months ago at Fabulosa Books in the LGBTQ Castro neighborhood, the owner told the Bay Area Reporter.

Noe Valley Books, at 3957 24th Street, is just up the hill from the city’s Castro district. It had announced via its Instagram on September 6 that, “A person who is not part of the Noe Valley Books family has been hiding transphobic flyers and stickers in our store and books.”

“We want to be clear: transphobia or hate of any kind is not welcome in our store,” the post continued. “If you see transphobic material in the store, please alert us immediately. We take this very seriously, and are on the lookout for the person responsible.”

A physical sign asking patrons to let the store know immediately if they see these stickers or pamphlets was placed near the front of the store, as KRON-TV first reported October 20.

Noe Valley Books declined requests to be interviewed for this report, referring to the September Instagram statement.

“It is heartbreaking to see this kind of messaging anywhere, let alone among books with the capacity to increase awareness, understanding, and kindness for fellow humans,” the store

continued. “Books with LGBTQIA+ characters and perspectives make the world better for everyone – and can be a lifeline for trans and queer people. So, we plan on drowning out the hate the best way we know how: uplifting amazing trans stories.

See page 10 >>

South Bay man accused of sexual assaults

by John Ferrannini

AMountain View barber extradited from Guatemala stands accused of sexually assaulting dozens of men and exposing them to HIV. Franklin Enrique Sarceno Orla was arraigned Monday but did not enter a plea.

Sarceno Orla, 35, was arraigned on 46 sex crimes charges in Department 84 of Santa Clara County Superior Court in Palo Alto. Officials say there may be more victims.

Medical records and other evidence reveal that Sarceno Orla is HIV-positive, according to prosecutors.

Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Brian King is handling the case while a colleague is in trial on another matter. He told the Bay Area Reporter that Sarceno Orla did not enter a plea. Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Thomas Kuhnle ordered the defendant remain in custody, as he is considered a high flight risk. The order was met without objection from Sarceno Orla’s attorney.

“We’re going to be back on January 26 for him to potentially enter a plea,” King said.

The amended complaint adds 18 victims that the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office “learned about and discovered while he was outside of our jurisdiction.”

Richard Weese, Sarceno Orla’s attorney, didn’t immediately return a request for comment.

Defendant fled to Guatemala

Sarceno Orla was initially arrested on suspicion of a single sexual assault in August 2024. After posting $250,000

bail, but before an October 29, 2024 court date, he fled to Guatemala, from which he was extradited earlier this month. It was during his time in the Latin American country that 18 new victims came forward, King said.

Added King, “There was one victim in the original complaint. Further investigation revealed over 60 total victims. We reviewed the evidence and were able to file charges for 19 total victims, including the original victim.”

Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen thanked a team of federal, local, and Guatemalan officials who helped return Sarceno Orla to custody in the U.S.

“You can run but you can’t hide,” Rosen stated in the release. “This violent criminal thought that fleeing to Central America would protect him

from facing justice for his violent attacks on so many people. We have never let time, resources, or international borders stop us from seeking justice.”

Mountain View police began investigating Sarceno Orla in July 2024 after a man said he woke up with injuries and feeling groggy after having had drinks with the suspect, according to prosecutors, who added that forensic testing showed the man had been sexually assaulted. Another person came forward and said he also lost consciousness after having had beers with Sarceno Orla, who he identified as his barber.

In a brief for a motion opposing bail for the defendant provided to the B.A.R., prosecutors paint a picture of a serial predator who routinely drugged his victims before anally and orally penetrating them.

“There are nineteen John Doe victims listed within the forty-six charges,” the brief states. “The investigation, however, has led to information and belief by both law enforcement and the People that the defendant has drugged and/or assaulted over 60 male victims. This information is based on video evidence seized from the defendant’s phone, victims’ statements to law enforcement, and/or other various means. To the People’s understanding, there are a number of male victims depicted in videos found on defendant’s phone that were found by Mountain View police department that have remained unidentified that are included in this number of over sixty victims. These are of course just the victims that the People and Mountain View Police Department are aware of at this particular time.”

The brief states that victims awoke with otherwise unexplained injuries and the presence of bodily fluids in their underwear, pants, and mouth, to cite specific victims’ accounts.

“The defendant also knowingly exposed victims to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (also known as ‘HIV’) as far back as 2020. This sexually transmitted infection, which is common knowledge that it can develop into Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (also known as ‘AIDS’),” the brief states.

He has been charged with case enhancements due to the potential exposure to HIV. King stated, “He committed the crimes with knowledge he had AIDS and knowledge that he carried AIDS antibodies. In order to charge this enhancement, we have sufficient evidence … Thus, an order was not necessary.”

According to the brief, “The charges reflect dozens of charges involving drugging, sexual assault (including oral copulation, digital penetration, sodomy, et. al.), exposure to various victims of HIV, great bodily injury, robbery, kidnapping with intent to commit various sex crimes, et. al. involving great public risk, the defendant faces significant consequences for his actions including life exposure in state prison as well as lifetime sex registration for these crimes alleged, and no less restrictive means would sufficiently safeguard public safety.”

Sarceno Orla “utilized one of two ways to entice and ensnare his victims,” the brief continues.

“He would either meet or find victims at a bar or establishment where alcohol was served and in many of

these scenarios seemed to either drug the victims or take advantage of very intoxicated (with alcohol) victims or he would drug and assault his victims at his apartment in Mountain View when they were barber clients of his,” the brief states. “The defendant clearly utilized one or more types of substances in most of his sexual assaults he committed against these victims.”

Which substances Sarceno Orla allegedly utilized are not stated in the brief.

“Once the victims would be in a heavy state of intoxication and/or unconsciousness, the defendant would assault them in various ways,” it continues. “Some of these assaults were captured on video by the defendant on his phone. These incidents are spanning a range of time that lead right up until the defendant fled the country in October 2024. This shows the defendant, even after arrest and release from custody on one initial charge of sodomy against John Doe #1 (later that charge was changed), cannot control his depraved and heinous desires to drug his victims then assault them without their consent or knowledge in many instances.”

KDTV-DT reported a text conversation between Sarceno Orla and one of the alleged victims, in which the victim confronted Sarceno Orla about their interaction the night they visited the Monte Carlo Nite Club in Mountain View. The victim stated, in a translation from Spanish, they had wounds “down there” and that he went to the doctor right after, who detected DNA after testing fluids. Sarceno Orla stated maybe the victim fell and scratched himself and that he didn’t have sex with the victim. t

Supes reappoint trans Latina commissioner

by John Ferrannini

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to reappoint a transgender Latina activist to the Immigrant Rights Commission. The body made its decision just days after President Donald Trump backed down from his earlier plans to send federal immigration agents to the city.

The issue was taken up October 28 one day after the supervisors’ Rules Committee unanimously voted to forward the nomination of Jessy Ruiz Navarro to the full board, which approved the decision in a 10-0 vote.

Ruiz Navarro was one of two people to apply to the commission, on which she is already serving, for a term ending June 6, 2026. Gay Board of Supervisors

President Rafael Mandelman said at Rules on October 27 that it’s important she continue serving at “a time trans folks and people from Latin America in

particular are experiencing extreme hate and oppression in this country … from the federal government.”

Mandelman moved to forward Navarro’s nomination to the full board as a committee report, with Rules Committee colleagues Supervisors Matt Dorsey, a gay man who represents District 6, and Stephen Sherrill, who represents District 2, voting yes. Dorsey was filling in for District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton, who was excused.

Navarro, who has been living in San Francisco since 2017, has been serving on the commission since 2019. She is one of a handful of trans city commissioners.

“For me, remaining in this position is not only important but necessary, in particular representing the immigrant community and my trans community,” Navarro said, speaking in Spanish that was translated by an interpreter. “In the current political context, our voices,

those of trans women, are often unheard or ignored. It is therefore essential we continue to fight for fair policies and representation.”

Since returning to office in January, Trump has made it a point to sign executive orders attempting to delegitimize the transgender community. The Biden administration had interpreted federal civil rights statutes referring to sex as inclusive of gender identity, citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2020 decision in Bostock vs. Clayton County, but Trump has rejected that.

Trump has also sent Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection agents, as well as federalized National Guard troops, to several U.S. cities, including Los Angeles and Chicago. San Francisco was about to be added to that list, with border patrol agents showing up to the Alameda Coast Guard facility last week shortly before Trump called off a planned “surge” in the Bay Area.

As the Bay Area Reporter reported, Mayor Daniel Lurie stated Trump phoned him last week and called off the operation after he told Trump the city’s economy was recovering and public safety had been improved.

“We appreciate that the president

understands that we are the global hub for technology, and when San Francisco is strong, our country is strong,” Lurie stated.

Trump wrote on social media that “friends of mine who live in the area” were key to the decision, including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, who he said spoke highly of Lurie and of the city’s efforts to turn the corner on crime.

(Benioff had previously told reporters he welcomed National Guard troops to the city before backtracking amid fierce criticism from local leaders.)

Trump stated October 23, “I spoke to Mayor Lurie last night and he asked, very nicely, that I give him a chance to see if he can turn it [San Francisco] around. I told him I think he is making a mistake, because we can do it much faster, and remove the criminals that the law does not permit him to remove. I told him, ‘It’s an easier process if we do it, faster, stronger, and safer but, let’s see how you do?’ The people of San Francisco have come together on fighting crime, especially since we began to take charge of that very nasty subject.”

Even before Benioff’s comments, Trump had referenced sending National Guard troops to San Francisco on more

than one occasion. The operation that was expected to begin last week did not include Guard troops, though San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins told the B.A.R. city leaders thought an immigration enforcement surge was a pretext to do so later on.

Navarro, who works for the Mission Neighborhood Health Center, said her asylum claim was recently accepted.

Four trans commissioners

Navarro is one of four trans-identified commissioners on the city’s oversight bodies – the others being Monroe Lace of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, Joaquin Guerrero of the Homeless Oversight Commission, and Cecilia Chung of the Commission on the Status of Women.

In late September, Lurie took some heat for opting not to reappoint Jane Natoli, a trans woman, to the airport commission.

Navarro had a competitor for the seat in city resident Samim B. Shaikh, who is a co-chair for the Yaseen Women’s Committee, an Islamic community association in Burlingame.

Shaikh said October 27 that she has a degree in international relations and did “research centering on the factors driving global migration.”

In her application seeking appointment, Shaikh said, “As an immigrant myself I believe it is important to recognize and understand the diversity in immigrant communities, the diversity within countries of origin, and the reasons for immigration as well as the immense challenges that immigrant communities face.”

Mandelman said that ultimately, “It’s not great when you have two folks who you want to see both on the body come forward, but I do feel at this particular moment, the balance comes for Jessy Ruiz Navarro.”

One person spoke during public comment at the committee in favor of Navarro. t

Sadler’s Wells and Shaolin Temple present Sutra

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui / Antony Gormley / Szymon Brzóska with the Monks of Shaolin Temple

Nov 8–9

Jeremy Denk, piano

Bach’s Six Partitas for Solo Keyboard

ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY

Manual Cinema

The 4th Witch

Inspired by Macbeth

The 4th Witch tells a story inspired by Shakespeare’s Macbeth featuring shadow puppetry, actors in silhouette, and live music. It’s a gloriously handmade production and an “analog throwback” (Chicago Tribune) that will captivate the whole family!

Nov 22

ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY

Ensemble Cherubim Chamber Chorus

Carols of Birds, Bells, and Peace rom Ukraine: A Holiday Celebration Contemporary dance and ancient martial arts meet in this award-winning collaboration that explores the Shaolin kung fu tradition in the context of modern culture. Follow 20 Buddhist monks as they lend their skills to a humorous fable about a European outsider learning about their monastery.

Renowned pianist

Jeremy Denk lends his keen interpretive insight and captivating virtuosity to Bach’s six keyboard partitas, compositions known for being as technically intricate as they are sublime.

Nov 14

ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY

Lift your spirits this winter with Ensemble Cherubim! Led by choral director Marika Kuzma, the acclaimed choir brings a stirring program performed in Ukrainian and other languages that reflects music traditionally sung in Ukrainian homes, churches, and town squares during the holidays.

Dec 13

ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Riccardo Muti, conductor

One night only!

Revered conductor Riccardo Muti and his beloved Chicago Symphony Orchestra reconvene in Berkeley for a program of orchestral gems by Brahms, Stravinsky, and Ravel.

Jan 17 ZELLERBACH

Disney’s MOANA Live-To-Film Concert

Gather friends and family for a screening of the beloved Disney animated movie, with live accompaniment from an ensemble of top Hollywood studio musicians, Polynesian rhythm masters, and guest vocalists!

Nov 23

ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY

Soweto Gospel Choir Peace

In this special holiday season concert, the multiGrammy-winning South African cultural ambassadors return to Berkeley singing of love and peace. The program ranges from gospel classics and spirituals to feel-good pop songs by artists like Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, and Leonard Cohen.

Dec 14

ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY

WEST COAST PREMIERE

Mark Morris Dance Group MOON

Wendall K. Harrington, projections Isaac Mizrahi, costumes

In his latest creation, the wildly creative Mark Morris looks upward—at the Moon!—to explore our fascination with our constant celestial companion. MOON celebrates the wonder and poetry of the night sky, through arresting visuals, lively music, and exquisite movement.

Jan 23–25

ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY

Vienna Boys Choir

Strauss For Ever

Nov 16

ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY

MOMIX

Alice

Moses Pendleton, artistic director

Alice in Wonderland fan? Follow the mesmerizing dancer-illusionists of MOMIX down the rabbit hole in this series of vignettes that are a wild and fantastical take on Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland!

THANKSGIVING WEEKEND

Nov 29–30

ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY

San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus Holiday Spectacular 2025!

A little naughty, but mostly nice, the much-adored chorus returns for its annual Christmas celebration. Revel in the warm sonic embrace of a few hundred talented tenors, baritones, and basses dressed in ugly Christmas sweaters. By popular demand, two performances this year!

Dec 20

ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY

An Evening with Kelli O’Hara

A marquee Broadway star, opera diva, and acclaimed television actor, what can’t Kelli O’Hara do? Don’t miss this special chance to hear her radiant voice, where she sings favorite show tunes and classics from the Great American Songbook!

Jan 31

ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY

SF filmmaker plans doc on late gay activist Kohler << LGBTQ

by Matthew S. Bajko

Among those at the forefront of New York City’s gay rights movement in the 1970s and 1980s was the late activist Bob Kohler. The native New Yorker and Navy veteran helped form the Gay Liberation Front and managed the Club Baths during the early days of the AIDS epidemic.

When city officials shuttered such businesses in an attempt to stop transmission of the disease, Kohler opened clothing store The Loft with locations on Christopher Street in Manhattan’s gay West Village and in the gay resort town of Fire Island. He was a member of ACT UP and worked with such groups as Sex Panic! and Fed Up Queers in the 1990s.

“We all owe Bob our gratitude for a life devoted to our liberation and an obligation to keep his memory alive,” Matt Foreman, a gay man who at the time led the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, told the Bay Area Reporter after Kohler died December 5, 2007, at the age of 81.

Yet, nearly two decades later, Kohler is hardly a household name when it comes to LGBTQ history. He is mentioned in a National Park Service writeup about Christopher Park, part of the Stonewall

National Monument, and how Kohler had befriended the “street youths” who frequented it due to his living on nearby Charles Street and walking his pet schnauzer Magoo to the tiny green oasis.

“The street kids had bag-woman drag,” Kohler is quoted as telling author David Carter for his 2004 book “Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution.” “They wore sandals and tied their blouses or shirts in a big knot midriff, and that was basically it. It was just ragged, hausfrau drag, whatever they could get together.”

Very little has been written about the role Kohler played in the early days of the modern LGBTQ rights movement since his obituaries ran 18 years ago. His family and friends fear Kohler could fade into obscurity as his contemporaries and loved ones pass away.

“I am Bob’s nephew and I don’t want Bob Kohler’s name to be anything else than inspirational. I need to do my part,” said Gary Kohler, 71, who lives with his wife in Pleasanton, California.

Unlike the names of others from the

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Stonewall generation who have become well known LGBTQ figures in recent years, Gary Kohler told the B.A.R. during a recent phone interview that his uncle “Bob’s name is not really mentioned as much as matched his actual output and efforts and results.”

Gay San Francisco-based filmmaker Dan Goldes aims to change that via a documentary he currently has in development about the late Kohler via his Urbanstreet Films. It has the working title of “Bob’s Queers: The Life and Activism of Bob Kohler.”

“One thing that makes Bob’s story special to me is the intergenerational reality of it. He was an older gay man very interested in ensuring young queer people coming up really had kind of a sense of history and also a sense of enthusiasm,” Goldes told the B.A.R. “I think he matched really well with the 19and 20-year-olds in ACT UP. He was a 60-year-old man by then.”

While Goldes’ film will not premiere in time for what would have been the centennial of Kohler’s birth on May 17, 2026, he is hopeful of seeing it debut at an LGBTQ film festival, such as San Francisco’s Frameline held each June, in 2028. He is actively fundraising from individual donors to support the making of the expected 80-minute feature and will begin seeking institutional backers in December.

“We are talking at least two or three years down the road, at least,” said Goldes when asked how long he expected it would take to make the film.

Archive search planned

A big part of his focus will be on searching various archives across the country to see what they have about Bob Kohler in their holdings. One “invaluable” source he came across is a three-hour recorded interview the poet and rock singer Penny Arcade did with Bob Kohler for her Lower East Side Biography Project. She had posted about it on Instagram just before Christmas last year.

“He tells his life story. It is kind of invaluable to me,” said Goldes, who has also been speaking with and filming Bob Kohler’s nieces and nephews as part of his research and early prep work for the documentary.

Gary Kohler, president of the TriValley branch of the Sons In Retirement, an organization for men when they retire, spent his teenage years in Pasadena, California and later, after moving to the Bay Area, worked as the director of sales and marketing at a San Francisco hotel on Market Street where he routinely worked with LGBTQ leaders hosting events at it. While his four older siblings got to know their uncle fairly well, Gary Kohler didn’t get to see him much, as Bob Kohler preferred to remain in New York.

He did know his uncle had a male partner even though, as a “little kid,” Kohler’s family didn’t explain to him what that actually meant, recalled Gary Kohler, who as an adult was able to visit his uncle several times in Manhattan.

“When I had business trips to New York, I had a couple meals with my uncle,” he said.

His late father, Raymond Kohler, was a “fairly conservative” Republican but also employed as his assistant at the airline where he worked a gay man with a partner, whom the Kohlers befriended and would visit for dinners. Due to his job, Raymond Kohler would offer his brother Bob first-class tickets to visit his family in Southern California.

Yet, recalled Gary Kohler, his uncle rarely accepted them.

“He was always too busy. My dad was always so frustrated with how busy he was,” recalled Gary Kohler, a registered Republican for much of his life until the party first nominated Donald Trump as its presidential candidate, prompting him to re-register as a Democrat.

It was his political posts on Facebook during that time that had caught the attention of Goldes, who knew Gary Kohler from his time working for

the city’s tourism bureau in the 1990s and 2000s. They struck up a friendship via the social media site, and Goldes pitched Gary Kohler about filming him for a short feature about his political evolution.

Last summer, Goldes spent an afternoon at Gary Kohler’s East Bay home and interviewed him on camera. During the course of their conversation, Kohler mentioned the political irony of his conservative dad having a brother who was a “big gay rights activist” in New York City.

“I thought, ‘Huh. Not only was it interesting that this family produced such two polar opposite people, but also how come I never heard about Bob Kohler,’” recalled Goldes, whose short film about Gary Kohler can be seen at https://www.5blocksproject. com/of-good-heart/

With a trip to New York planned last October, Goldes decided to do some research into Bob Kohler’s life and got in contact with some of his contemporaries from back in the day. He met with several of them on another trip last December, filming them with the thought he would produce a short film about Bob Kohler.

“The more I got into it, the more I realized it was a much bigger story,” explained Goldes about his pivot to wanting to make a full-length documentary. “It also became clear what was happening in Washington, D.C. and the rest of the country via the Trump regime was akin, in many ways, to the circumstances when Bob was protesting and really repeating his activism. There was a story there about somebody who showed up every day to try to make life better for people in the face of really daunting odds.”

And he did so as an attractive white man with money and privilege who could have not bothered to show up for the various causes and people of lesser means that he fought for and alongside throughout his life, noted Goldes.

“He used every one of those privileges to bring attention to gay rights, the fight for civil rights, the fight for women’s rights, the fight for antipolice brutality, the anti-war fight. I just thought about the fact that he just showed up every day, and coming out of that background really struck me. I found it quite inspiring, particularly in the times we are in right now,” said Goldes.

He is working, for the first time, with gay film producer Mark Smolowitz, who came on board as a consulting producer for the film about Bob Kohler. Goldes estimates he needs to raise at least $500,000 to complete the documentary about a gay forefather who was okay with being another face in the crowd during his lifetime yet left a lasting legacy nonetheless.

“I think he showed up – literally,” said Goldes about Bob Kohler’s prolific presence at demonstrations and protests throughout his life. “He didn’t have to be the guy in the front and the lead organizer, but he showed up at a demonstration to support the people who were arrested. He would be in court with people who had been arrested.”

Since his uncle’s death, Gary Kohler said he has come to realize just how much of a leader his uncle was and the impact he had.

“As I got older, I learned here is somebody who we hardly talked about when I was a kid who is a major source of pride. He is someone our family should be super proud about,” he said. t

Tax-deductible donations to assist Goldes in making his documentary can be made via the Center for Independent Documentary. Information on how to do so online or by check can be found at https:// www.documentaries.org/films/ bob-kohler-documentary/

Volume 55, Number 44 October 30November 5, 2025 www.ebar.com

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GOP needs to SNAP to it

If the federal government shutdown isn’t resolved soon, millions of Americans will experience significant hardship, in addition to the thousands of federal employees who are working without pay or furloughed. That’s because benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, will end come November 1. President Donald Trump could have reconfigured the budget to provide those benefits, otherwise known as food stamps. The Department of Agriculture, which administers SNAP, could tap into its reserves. Or Trump could have received a donation to pay for them, like Timothy Mellon provided $130 million to help pay U.S. troops. But no, Trump and his administration would rather see low-income Americans suffer.

The agriculture department stated that the contingency funding was “not legally available,” according to a New York Times report. However, that didn’t stop the department from blaming trans people and immigrants for the shutdown. At the top of its website, as of October 28, the department states, “Senate Democrats have now voted 12 times to not fund the food stamp program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Bottom line, the well has run dry. At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. They can continue to hold out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive critical nutrition assistance.”

It’s appalling that the agriculture department seeks to conflate gender-affirming care with food security. Never mind that it’s clearly stated on healthcare.gov, the government’s own website, that “Undocumented immigrants can’t get Marketplace health insurance,” referring to the Affordable Care Act. “They may apply for coverage on behalf of documented individuals.”

(California has expanded its state-funded Medicaid program to offer health insurance to undocumented immigrants.)

department for indefinitely suspending SNAP benefits during the government shutdown.

Closer to home, elected officials and others have expressed their concern about the possible lapse in SNAP benefits. Last Friday, Congressmember Lateefah Simon (D-Oakland), held a news conference where she was joined by six mayors and a vice mayor in her congressional district.

On Tuesday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Governor Gavin Newsom joined a coalition of 23 attorneys general and three governors to sue Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and her

“This is a Republican shutdown,” Simon said. “House Democrats have been clear we want to negotiate.”

However, the sticking point is rising health care premiums under the Affordable Care Act and Republicans’ refusal to extend expiring subsidies. Trump and Republican leaders say they will consider extending the tax credits that expire at the end of the year, but only after Democrats vote to reopen the government. Democrats shouldn’t believe them. Republicans hate the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, but over the last 15 years have failed to offer an alternative. Plenty of house-

holds, Republican and Democratic, are now receiving notices that their health insurance premiums will increase, just as open enrollment is scheduled to begin November 1.

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee recalled her previous job as a congressmember when she served in the seat Simon now holds.

“I’ve been through so many shutdowns,” she said. “Here we are now, once again, trying to save health care for everyone. Here in Oakland, there are thousands of federal employees working without pay and our essential workers. Local businesses are feeling the ripple effect.”

Lee said that county food banks are stepping up, but many are also soliciting donations.

Berkeley Mayor Adena Ishii said city officials are concerned about the SNAP benefits and health care. “You shouldn’t have to pick between health care and food,” Ishii said. “I think it’s important that we continue to fight.”

How Prop 50 fights Christian nationalism, protects LGBTQs

by Annie Laurie Gaylor and Tony Hoang

Christian nationalists understand something too many of us forget: Control the map, and you control the laws. After President Donald Trump told Texas Republicans to “find more seats,” Governor Greg Abbott’s new congressional map did exactly that – rewarding loyalty to Trump and punishing anyone who stands for secular government.

California’s Proposition 50 is the response. It allows California to temporarily rebalance its congressional districts – canceling out those rigged gains and protecting the constitutional wall between church and state.

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The stakes are clear when you look at who Texas already sends to Washington. Some of America’s leading Christian nationalists already represent the state in Congress. Congressmember Michael Cloud (R) declared that Christians are called to “establish God’s government on Earth,” and Congressmember Chip Roy (R) demanded “protection against religious discrimination from Biden’s bureaucrats.” With Texas’ new gerrymandered maps, we can expect even more extremists like them headed to Washington.

That should alarm all of us – especially LGBTQ+ and secular Americans. More Christian nationalists in Congress means more attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, more interference in personal health care decisions and bodily autonomy, and more dangerous rhetoric that puts our communities at risk. We could expect efforts to roll back decades of progress – to erase protections that safeguard both equality and the separation of church and state.

other states and ensure that every Californian’s vote still counts. California’s bold response has already inspired other Democratic-led states to follow suit.

But let’s talk about what Prop 50 will actually do.

Prop 50 allows California to rebalance its congressional maps, but the changes are temporary. After 2030, the state will return to maps drawn through the U.S. Census and the independent California Citizens Redistricting Commission. Voters will decide on Prop 50 in the November 4 statewide special election, and ballots have already been mailed.

A pro-separation of church and state majority, made possible through Prop 50 and California voters, can stop that. A pro-separation majority can block religious school voucher bills, stop sectarian giveaways in reconciliation, and hold the Trump administration accountable through committee oversight.

It’s a terrifying prospect. Hard-won protections for all Americans could be rolled back, and we could find ourselves living in a future that looks far too much like a past we thought we’d left behind.

Right now, California is the epicenter of the fight to stop that from happening. By redrawing its congressional districts, the state can neutralize the unfair advantages Republicans have engineered in

We’ve already seen what happens when Christian nationalists gain power in Congress: attempts to gut the Johnson Amendment to allow churches to engage in political campaigns, passage of a national religious school voucher, and the defunding of Planned Parenthood. With more safe seats and a larger Republican majority, the Trump administration and its MAGA allies in Congress will have a freer hand to advance a Christian nationalist and anti-democratic agenda.

Prop 50 is a line in the sand. It stands up to bullies who want to rig elections, silence secular Americans, and enshrine Christian nationalism into law. That’s why the Freedom From Religion Foundation Action Fund and Equality California support Prop 50 and are encouraging their advocates to vote yes on Prop 50. Prop 50 allows California voters to defend their own representation, create a fair national playing field, secure a Congress that protects constitutional principles, block sectarian overreach, and hold Trump and his allies accountable. t

Annie Laurie Gaylor, a straight ally, is president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation Action Fund. https:// ffrfaction.org/ Tony Hoang, a gay man, is executive director of Equality California, the statewide LGBTQ rights organization. https://www.eqca.org/

Gay attorney Dixit wages history-making House bid

by Matthew S. Bajko

Should gay attorney Anuj Dixit win election next November to a Southern California U.S. House seat, he would bring to at least three the number of out members among the Golden State’s congressional delegation. He would also make history as the first LGBTQ Indian American elected to Congress.

And, in his mid-30s, he would be one of the youngest members serving on Capitol Hill. The Democrat is part of a growing group of younger party members running for Congress in the 2026 midterms.

“I have a track record of fighting to defend our democracy. We need a new generation of leadership to do that,” said Dixit, 34, in a recent video interview with the Bay Area Reporter about his candidacy.

The Riverside resident, who lives in his parents’ home along with his maternal grandparents, had launched his House bid in the spring thinking he would be running against conservative Congressmember Ken Calvert (RCorona) in the state’s 41st Congressional District. It includes the LGBTQ retirement and tourist mecca of Palm Springs, making it one of the few purple House seats in the state.

In the last two election cycles gay Democratic attorney Will Rollins came up short in his bids to oust Calvert from the seat. Dixit had worked on Rollins’ 2022 campaign, serving in a senior adviser role overseeing various duties.

“I was really disappointed to see Will fall short,” said Dixit, who graduated from Columbia Law School. “I am proud to be carrying on that legacy and finish the job.”

in Riverside County. That is what I am focused on,” said Dixit, who happens to specialize in election law and has been involved in various lawsuits related to voting matters.

Asked how he felt about the likely pivot in his election plans, with Prop 50 likely requiring him to face a different incumbent than he had planned to run against, Dixit told the B.A.R. that his focus this fall has been helping to see that the ballot measure passes. He sounded unperturbed about Prop 50 shaking up the races for the House seats held by Issa and Calvert.

Yet, with polls showing California voters likely to pass Proposition 50 in Tuesday’s special statewide election, Dixit will no longer find himself running against Calvert. Rather, the ballot measure will redraw the state’s House districts and put Riverside and the Coachella Valley into the district of Congressmember Darrell Issa (RVista).

Democratic legislative leaders and Governor Gavin Newsom elected to put Prop 50 before voters in response to Republican President Donald Trump pushing GOP leaders in Texas and other states to redraw their House maps to favor GOP candidates. The new map Prop 50 would impose on the Golden State’s 2026 House races aims to give Democrats an edge in five more of California’s 52 congressional districts. Currently, 43 are represented by Democrats.

The prospect of seeing Issa forced to run in a redrawn 48th House District that tilts Democratic has drawn the interest of a number of the party’s leaders in the area who now plan to take on the wealthy congressmember next year. Ammar Campa-Najjar, who lost to Issa in 2020, is set to do so, as is bisexual San Diego City Councilmember Marni von Wilpert, who suspended her 2026 state Senate campaign to enter the House race.

Gay attorney Curtis Morrison was already running against Issa prior to Prop 50 being placed on the ballot, while gay entrepreneur and trained economist Brandon Riker will find himself vying for Issa’s seat if the ballot measure passes. The Palm Springs resident had planned to take on Calvert, but like Dixit, will be redrawn into Issa’s new House district.

Even though House candidates do not need to live in the district they wish to represent, Dixit told the B.A.R. he won’t run against Calvert in the incumbent’s redrawn district. He sees running against Issa as having the same goal as that of his initial decision to try to oust Calvert from office.

“I got into running for Congress to get rid of MAGA members of Congress

that prominently refer to her as being an out candidate.)

The youngest of two sons in a military family, Dixit grew up on what is now called March Air Reserve Base south of Morena Valley, California. He came out to his parents in his 20s.

“My coming out story had its ups and downs, as is true for many people in our community, but ultimately, you know, I am proud to be part of a supportive fam ily,” said Dixit.

On the campaign trail, he doesn’t shy away from talking about being gay. Another candidate running in the Palm Springs area had told the B.A.R. he’d heard Dixit discuss his personal back ground at a local gathering the two had attended to promote their candidacies.

Dixit’s campaign had pitched an in terview to the B.A.R. by noting he is an “LGBTQ Congressional Candidate” in the subject line. But in preparing to speak with Dixit earlier this month, the B.A.R. found nothing online directly re ferring to his sexual orientation. He had posted a brief video via his social media accounts of his attending an Equality PAC Pride Gala in June. “It was an in credible evening with LGBTQ allies, and a great and inspiring opportunity! On to the next,” Dixit, who is single, had noted.

Asked about his plans to draw more attention to his potentially pink-polit ical-glass-ceiling-breaking candidacy, Dixit said he is seeking the endorsements of LGBTQ political groups and expects to have a presence at Palm Springs Pride next month.

“First of all, we have to pass Prop 50. That is an incredibly important part of Democrats fighting to have fair maps and to have fair congressional representation,” said Dixit. “In terms of what I am bringing to this race, I have a record of someone who can deliver results. As an attorney who has dedicated my career to protecting fair elections, I have done the work to fight Republican attempts to undermine the basic fabric of what we believe in as Americans.”

While he has been registering impressive fundraising numbers for a first-time candidate, tapping into a diaspora of friends and family across the state, including in Silicon Valley where he held a recent fundraiser  – he had raised $430,000 as of October 1, $7,000 of which came from him, with more than half still in his campaign account –Dixit was trailing Issa and several other Democrats in a poll released this month by Equality PAC, the political arm of the Congressional LGBTQ Equality Caucus. It had Issa at 41% with von Wilpert at 21%, Riker at 10%, Campa-Najjar at 8%, and Dixit at 4% among the 598 registered voters surveyed. (It had a margin of error of +/- 4%, while the PAC has yet to endorse in the race.)

“This poll confirms what we already know – voters in California’s 48th District are hungry for change,” stated von Wilpert in touting the results.

Her standing in it is hardly surprising, since she is the lone Democrat among the quartet included in the survey results to be a current elected official. Thus, she has more name recognition than the trio of male challengers to Issa included in the polling results.

It does indicate von Wilpert has a strong chance of surviving the June 2 primary, where the top two vote-getters regardless of party will advance to the November election. And because of Prop 50, LGBTQ voters throughout the House district are set to have an impact on which two candidates end up competing next fall for the seat.

So far, Dixit isn’t highlighting his being a member of the LGBTQ community in his bio posted to his campaign website at https://www.anujdixitforcongress.com/about. (Neither for that matter does Riker, while von Wilpert’s campaign site has links to news articles

“I plan to talk to LGBTQ voters and I plan to talk to every voter,” said Dixit, no matter what the boundaries are for the House district he ends up seeking in the coming months.

What won’t change, he said, is his core message focused on the need to elect a congressmember who will address the “affordability crisis” people are facing, whether it be how hard it is to afford a home or the sky-rocketing prices for groceries and other goods. At the moment, the incumbents are more interested in rubber-stamping Trump’s agenda than lowering prices for their constituents, contended Dixit.

“It is one of the reasons why we are go ing to flip this seat and a big part of what I am focused on,” said Dixit. “Ultimately, we need to make Southern California affordable for middle-class families.”

Family tragedy

Three years before he was born, Dixit’s fraternal grandparents, fa ther’s sister, and two cousins died in the Pan Am 103 bombing on December 21, 1988. There were no survivors aboard the flight headed to New York City that exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland. The Libyan government later accepted respon sibility after two of its intelligence operatives were charged in the case brought by American and British investigators.

The tragedy left an indelible mark on Dixit.

“I grew up learning about the government fighting for justice for my country. I was really inspired by that, to see my country fight for me and my family,” recalled Dixit.

He also drew inspiration from his father, an Air Force veteran, stepping up to fight and defend the country in determining the professional path he has taken. It is partly why he is now a candidate for public office.

“Running for office has been one of the most meaningful things I have done in my life,” said Dixit. “It is an opportunity to go out and talk to my neighbors about our community, and what we care about, and how we can fight to make sure our country lives up to the values we need it to be upholding. That is energizing and exciting.” t

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Gay SF cannabis advocate Terrance Alan dies

by Liz Highleyman

Terrance Alan, a gay man, longtime cannabis activist, nightlife advocate, and entrepreneur, died Friday, October 17, after difficulty recovering from surgery, according to his longtime personal assistant Gary Driscoll. He was 73.

Mr. Alan was the proprietor of the Flore Store, a cannabis dispensary in San Francisco’s LGBTQ Castro district, and he formerly served as president of the Castro Merchants Association. In 1996, he co-founded CHAMP (Californians Helping to Alleviate Medical Problems), one of the nation’s first nonprofit cannabis dispensaries. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence dubbed him “Saint Cannabis Beneficious, Keeper of the Flore and CHAMP of the Afflicted” in 2017.

“Terrance and I met in the 1990s and became fast friends. We worked together, played together, fought battles, marched and planned events, and partied together,” Sister Roma of the drag nun philanthropic group told the Bay Area Reporter. “He was a unique life force, full of energy and ideas. His enthusiasm for a project or new business venture was contagious, and the twinkle in his eye made it impossible not to be 100% Team Terrance.”

In an obituary, friends and family noted Mr. Alan’s history of contributions to San Francisco.

“Terrance was San Francisco in human form: part activist, part showman, part saint with a wicked sense of humor,” the obituary stated. “Whether he was challenging City Hall, curating a party, or comforting a patient, he did it with that signature Terrance sparkle

– one part velvet revolution, one part street theater, and all heart.”

Cannabis activism

The Flore Store, located at 258 Noe Street, is across the street from the legendary Cafe Flore, where the late Dennis Peron and the late Mary Rathbun (aka Brownie Mary) reportedly first met over a shared joint on the patio in 1974, and where Mr. Alan and others met to share information about experimental HIV therapies before the advent of effective treatment. Decades later, Mr. Alan and Aaron Silverman bought the restaurant, hoping to turn it into a cannabis-friendly gathering place.

The COVID pandemic put an end to those plans, however, and Mr. Alan instead opened the Flore Store in 2021. The restaurant was later known as Fish & Flore, but it closed this sum-

Mr. Alan later chaired San Francisco’s Cannabis State Legalization Task Force, which advised the city on the implementation of legal recreational cannabis under Proposition 64, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, which California voters passed in 2016.

“A true bridge between the underground medical era and today’s legal industry, Terrance’s work shaped how San Francisco approached cannabis with compassion and equity. He always centered people – patients, small farmers, and the LGBTQ+ community that built this movement from love and survival.” Sara Payan, a policy advocate and host of the “Planted” cannabis podcast, wrote in a tribute on Facebook.

Nightlife advocacy

mer and will pivot to a cafe concept, as Hoodline reported.

In 1992, Mr. Alan, who was living with HIV, was arrested for growing medical marijuana for himself and his partner, who was dying of AIDS. Peron mentored him as a cannabis advocate. That arrest was an early test case for San Francisco’s Proposition P, which directed the San Francisco Police Department to allow medical use of cannabis.

As part of Peron’s “gay weed mafia,” Mr. Alan was active in the effort to pass Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, the California ballot initiative that made it legal to use marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation. Soon thereafter, he helped start CHAMP, located at the corner of Church and Market streets in the former home of Peron’s pioneering Cannabis Buyers Club.

Another arrest put Mr. Alan on the path of nightlife advocacy. In 1995, police raided a New Year’s Eve party Mr. Alan hosted “for all the freaks, queers, and pot users that were my friends.” Despite being told he did not need a permit for the alcohol-free event, 28 people were arrested. “It was that event and that moment that cemented me as an activist,” he said in a 2024 GreenState interview.

Mr. Alan co-founded the San Francisco Late Night Coalition, which spearheaded the reform of the city’s event permitting system with the help of gay former District 8 supervisor Mark Leno, who later went on to be elected a state legislator. The coalition helped push the Board of Supervisors to establish the San Francisco Entertainment Commission in 2003.

Mr. Alan was the commission’s first chair and served until 2010, when he

resigned to deal with “minor health issues,” as SFGate reported.

That same year, he co-founded the California Music and Culture Association, an alliance of entertainment business owners, industry professionals, artists, and fans.

Over the years, Mr. Alan created numerous small businesses, according to his LinkedIn profile. He served as president of the Castro Merchants Association in 2022, but he lost his bid for reelection a year later, largely due to the controversy surrounding Another Planet Entertainment’s acquisition and management of the Castro Theatre

Ultimately, the merchant group supported APE’s proposed changes to the theater, including flexible seating to accommodate live entertainment and concerts, which won approval from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. APE recently announced that a $40 million renovation project would be completed early next year, and the theater is scheduled to reopen in February.

Mr. Alan is survived by his husband, Cameron Eng, and a sister. A public celebration of his life will be announced soon, according to a statement from loved ones. To honor his legacy, community members are invited to share photos, stories, and reflections and can email them to press@theflorestore.com.t

Cynthia Laird contributed reporting.

Disclosure: Liz Highleyman was a board member of CHAMP.

Commonwealth Club launches LGBTQ series

compiled by Cynthia Laird

Club World Affairs

Commonwealth

is launching a new LGBTQ+ cultural series with a special election night event featuring drag horror icon Peaches Christ. The program takes place Tuesday, November 4, at the club’s offices at 110 The Embarcadero from 6 to 9 p.m. and includes a rooftop party, a news release stated.

Peaches, the drag persona of Joshua Grannell, will host “Camp, Chaos, and Democracy: Peaches Christ on Making Queer Art When Politics Gets Ugly.” It’s a bold fusion of cultural celebration and political engagement in California as voters decide on Proposition 50, the congressional redistricting initiative, the release noted. The polls close Tuesday at 8 p.m.

“People will literally be voting in the same building where we’re celebrating queer art and resistance,” stated Chris Knight, creative director and co-producer of the event series.

There will be a panel discussion titled “When the Real World Gets Scarier Than Horror Movies,” featuring Kochina Rude, a local drag artist, activist, and safe nightlife advocate, and Tom Temprano, a gay man who is managing director of statewide LGBTQ rights group Equality California. They will be inter viewed by Celso Dulay, one of the co-producers.

Peaches will then hold a fireside chat moderated by Michelle Meow, a lesbian and one of the event’s co-producers. It will explore the cultural significance of camp, horror, and drag in preserving queer history and resisting political erasure.

General admission tickets are $25. There is a VIP reception with Peaches from 4 to 5:15 p.m. and tickets for that are $50, which includes the program. For tickets and more information, go to https://tinyurl.com/mu7nw8ju.

Plaque for queer young men to be unveiled

affixed on the exterior of the building, near the entry door.

Gay longtime activist and AIDS Memorial Quilt co-founder Cleve Jones will be one of those speaking at the ceremony. The plaque includes a quote from Jones from his “When We Rise: My Life in the Movement” memoir. Also taking part in the commemoration will be Shawn Sprockett, who is queer and has led walking tours through Polk Street, https://www.ebar.com/story/150976 and the Reverend David Borysewicz, a gay man who is provisional interim pastor at Metropolitan Community Church-San Francisco.

Ostendorf noted before the Castro became a globally known LGBTQ neighborhood, the Polk in the 1970s was a refuge for queer youth.

“The plaque is dedicated to acknowledging and remembering the historically resilient youth who once forged a sense of community and identity within the Polk Street area, particularly around Austin Alley,” Ostendorf stated in an email. “It serves as an important recognition of their legacy and the spirit of that era.”

LGBTQ nonprofits establish legacy funds

The release stated that the new cultural series came about after the successful human rights summit Meow and the Commonwealth Club produced for San Francisco Pride.

A new commemorative plaque remembering the historically resilient young men who once forged a sense of community and identity within the Polk Street area will be unveiled during a ceremony Friday, November 7, at 1 p.m. at 81 Frank Norris Street (Austin Alley) at Polk Street. The “Boys Like Me” memorial is the brain child of Henry Ostendorf, a gay man and licensed clinical counselor who is a homeowner in the building at 81 Frank Norris. He told the Bay Area Reporter that he received permission from the condo board and building management to install the plaque. It is

Two San Francisco LGBTQ nonprofits have set up legacy fundraising efforts named after their leaders who are both stepping down soon.

First is the Rebecca Rolfe Legacy Circle named after the lesbian longtime executive director of the San Francisco LGBT Community Center who is departing in December. A planned giving program, supporters are encouraged to include the center in their estate plans.

Jen Valles, a queer femme who will take over as executive director in January, stated in an email announcement that planned giving helps ensure the center’s long-term stability and strengthens its programs, services, and spaces.

a high queer holiday – has had a torrid history in the Castro, with the technically unsanctioned street party held each October 31 eventually shut down over a decade ago following violent incidents. In recent years, community leaders have attempted a Halloween comeback but at a fraction of the size and shorter duration than the original unofficial gatherings.

That started in 2023, when the Civic Joy Fund spent over $100,000 on 43 storefront activations throughout the Castro. The nonprofit funds night markets and other outdoor cultural events citywide and was co-founded by now-San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, a straight ally, and Manny Yekutiel, a gay man now running for District 8 supervisor.

The following year, Civic Joy Fund launched the Castro Night Market. This year, Civic Joy Fund decided to supplant the storefront activations with a special edition of the night market, as the B.A.R. previously reported.

Yekutiel was the executive director of the Civic Joy Fund until last month, when he announced his candidacy for supervisor. District 8 includes the Castro, where Yekutiel lives. He is the owner of the eponymous Mission district civic event space and cafe.

“Once I became a candidate for supervisor I stepped down from my position as the executive director of the Civic Joy Fund, but I’m immensely proud of the work that the fund has done and is doing including Halloween in the Castro, the Castro lights, and the Castro Night Market,” Yekutiel stated to the B.A.R. “The night market has brought in over 100,000 customers right into the heart of the Castro to spend money and bring joy to our streets. It’s exactly what the neighborhood needs, and I can’t wait to see what combining Halloween and

“Planned giving is more than a gift – it’s a bold act of solidarity and hope,” stated Valles, who is currently deputy director.

For more information about the legacy circle and to donate, go to https:// tinyurl.com/4ucd4bpp

The second organization is the New Conservatory Theatre Center. Its founder and longtime artistic director

Albany Mayor Robin López pointed out over 50% of his city’s residents are renters. “We are mindful and we are aware of the struggle,” he said. “It shouldn’t have to be a privilege of being an elected official to have access to affordable health care.”

Even Piedmont, the wealthy enclave that is surrounded by Oakland, is not immune. Vice Mayor Conna McCarthy pointed out that residents work

the night markets feel like!”

Yekutiel was replaced as executive director by Luke Spray, a straight ally who told the B.A.R. in a phone interview he had been working at the organization for a couple of months before he was asked to step into the executive director position.

“It’s big heels to fill,” he quipped. “It’s a joy to go from one slice of the Civic Joy pie to the whole thing. … The city has come to cherish our events and activations in our streets. We have so many community partners who are anchors in our neighborhoods. We make sure these events celebrate the local community.”

Spray said Civic Joy Fund is “very excited about Halloween” in the city’s LGBTQ neighborhood.

“Halloween in the Castro has been a key part of the neighborhood for so many years, and it’s a joy to bring it back in a way that is very fitting for 2025,” he said, adding he hopes the event brings people to shop at the Castro’s small businesses.

Also certainly hoping for dollars from revelers, Nate Bourg, a gay man who is president of the Castro Merchants Association.

“I’m thrilled to see the Castro Night Market return for its 2025 finale this Halloween,” Bourg stated. “Thanks to

Ed Decker, a gay man, will step down in January. As the B.A.R. noted, Ben Villegas Randle, a queer Latine man, will then take the helm as artistic director.

NCTC has launched the Thanks a Million Campaign, which is anchored by the Ed Decker Legacy Fund. In a letter to subscribers, NCTC Executive Director Barbara Hodgen stated Decker has been the heart of the organization for 45 years.

“We understand that leadership transitions are pivotal moments and thanks to thoughtful planning, this one

and shop in Oakland. Piedmont is also home to federal workers, she noted. LGBTQ residents who receive SNAP benefits are also worried. Ray Tilton, a gay leatherman in San Francisco, posted his concerns on Facebook October 23. Shared with his permission, Tilton wrote, “I don’t usually publicly talk about my financial stuff, however ... I got the official email that my SNAP/CalFresh benefits will not be there for November.

“I live on a very LOW fixed income and count on that benefit for over half of my food costs,” he added. “Living with the stress every month, day to day has

“Please, continue to read and love and share queer books!” the store added. “Wear hats and stickers and other goods that show off your pride and allyship. Plan and join events that celebrate community for all. Join us in supporting nonprofits like Books Not Bans, whose mission is to send queer books to communities that struggle to get them. No matter what, spread love and Trans Joy wherever you go.”

Annalee Newitz, a queer and nonbinary author who wrote “Automatic Noodle” and had a book launch in August hosted by the bookstore and held at the nearby progressive and LGBTQaffirming Bethany United Methodist Church, told the B.A.R. that the shop has “always been hugely supportive of LGBTQ authors like myself.”

“I felt terrible that they were targeted like this, but appreciate that they responded immediately with a post on social media warning shoppers and apologizing (not that they should have to apologize!),” Newitz stated in an email. “Honestly, as a resident of Noe Valley for over 10 years, I can tell you that we’ve had some truly strange – and usually amusing – stunts like this. Once, someone slipped weird apocalyptic zines about the evils of Noe Valley into all the mail slots on our street. I hope the next stunt involves people leaving friendly stickers and flyers everywhere about how trans and queer people are the best and sunshine spills out of our butts and noses every day.”

Books Not Bans is a program of Fabulosa Books, 489 Castro Street, that sends LGBTQ-affirming books to more conservative states, as the

CG Events’ hard work and collaboration with multiple city departments, we can look forward to a safe, wellorganized, and truly special night in the heart of the Castro. I’m also deeply grateful to the Civic Joy Fund for helping make this celebration possible, and to SFPD for their partnership in ensuring everyone can celebrate with confidence.”

Event details

CG Events will be producing the night market, which is slated to run from 5 to 10 p.m. Carrington told the B.A.R. in a phone interview that there will be three stages – one at Noe Street, another across from Mollie Stone’s at Collingwood Street, and another in the parking lot behind Walgreens and Toad Hall.

Queer arts collective Comfort and Joy will be activating its annual Glow in the Streets Halloween edition – which heretofore was on Noe Street the Saturday before October 31 – at the parking lot stage from 5 to 6:30 p.m. where, later at 8:45, there will be a costume contest with prizes. There were between 35 and 40 exhibitors who’d signed up for the event as of the B.A.R.’s call with Carrington last week.

is strong, steady, and filled with promise,” Hodgen stated.

The goal is to raise $1 million by August, when Decker is expected to leave NCTC following a transition period. The organization is already over halfway there, the letter noted.

“This special fund both honors Ed’s visionary work and ensures that NCTC continues to flourish under the artistic leadership of Ben Villegas Randle, who brings deep history with NCTC and a bold vision for its next chapter,” the letter stated.

been heavy to say the least. I am really only sharing this because the impact is real. Please, now more than ever be kind and gentle.”

Tilton had written about what so many other people were feeling. And his Facebook friends quickly responded with assistance.

“Good morning everyone. For those who saw my post yesterday regarding the loss of SNAP benefits due to government shut down,” he wrote the following day. “The purpose was to show by example how many of us in our queer circles are facing the same challenges. Also to

B.A.R. previously reported. Reached for comment for this report, Fabulosa’s Alvin Orloff stated that something similar had happened at the Castro neighborhood bookstore several months ago.

“Yes, it did happen here,” Orloff stated. “We just threw out the offending stickers.”

Asked to comment on what had happened in Noe Valley, Orloff stated, “Not sure we have anything to add or say other than we wish the people doing this would cut it out.”

Orloff couldn’t remember more details about the transphobic pamphlets and stickers at Fabulosa.

Dog Eared Books, 900 Valencia Street, used to have a Castro location in the storefront now occupied by Fabulosa. Asked via email if they’d had a similar experience, manager Ryan Smith replied, “Nothing recently, to my knowledge.”

Bands and “some other kind of nonmusical acts, like a magician,” will be performing on the stage closest to Noe Street, and the Collingwood Street stage will feature “mostly DJs,” Carrington said.

“We’re thrilled about this happening,” Carrington said. “I think we’ve been happy to see the Castro Night Market in general well received by the neighborhood, and so the Halloween Castro Night Market is expanding on that, so we’re overall excited to bring it to the neighborhood and featuring a lot of local artists and entertainers.”

Among those entertainers, Sister Roma of the drag nun philanthropic Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and Carne Asada will move among the three stages emceeing various portions of the event, Carrington said.

“Halloween has been the high (un) holy holiday of San Francisco for decades,” Roma stated. “I have been hosting Halloween in the Castro since the 1990s and I am thrilled to be back this year as co-host of the Castro Night Market. Y’all better bring your best looks – the world is watching!”

Asada stated, “I’m beyond thrilled to be hosting the Castro Night Market alongside the legendary Sister Roma! This is truly a keystone event – one that brings excitement, energy, and the magic of Halloween back to the heart of the Castro where it belongs.

“Now, more than ever, our community needs events like this. In today’s political climate, where so many are trying to dim our light, moments of joy, visibility, and togetherness are acts of strength and resilience,” Asada added. “The Castro Night Market is a celebration of exactly that – our pride, our creativity, and our unwavering spirit.

Safety plans in place

The San Francisco Police Department is ready to ensure safety at the event. The B.A.R. reported at the start of this month that Mission Station

For more information and to donate, go to https://tinyurl.com/4ucd4bpp

SF’s City Clinic has new website San Francisco City Clinic, which provides sexual health services, including for HIV and sexually transmitted infections, has a new website and URL, the Department of Public Health has announced.

Montica Levy, manager for STI/HIV health education and evaluation for the health department, stated in an email

let anyone know going through these hardships, you are NOT alone.”

He noted that he received private messages from people facing the same challenges and concerns. And he added what turned out to be a positive result.

“I did not post it in asking for help but WOW did some of you come through,” Tilton stated. “I am now food secure for the foreseeable future.”

While we were pleased to see that Tilton received help, it’s distressing that the federal government’s actions, or inactions, have led to this quandary. Food, like health care, is a basic human right.

City Lights Booksellers and Publishers, 261 Columbus Avenue, the historic beatnik haunt in the city’s North Beach neighborhood, did not return a request for comment for this report.

As President Donald Trump mused about sending federal agents to the city for an immigration crackdown – which he called off after a discussion with tech billionaire friends and Mayor Daniel Lurie –City Lights posted a banner quoting the late founder Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s “Pity the Nation,” which reads, “Pity the nation whose leaders are liars, Whose sages are silenced and whose bigots haunt the airwaves. Pity the nation that praises conquerors and acclaims the bully as hero. Pity the people who allow their freedoms to erode and their rights to be washed away. My country tears of thee. Sweet land of liberty!”

Captain Sean Perdomo told the Castro Merchants, “We’ve ordered in 130 to 140 police officers” for the event. He asked barkeeps to stop serving liquor to-go – as is allowed for the event as it activates the new Castro entertainment zone permitting outdoor alcohol consumption within the footprint – one hour before the 10 p.m. end time for the night market.

“When people start to loiter when the event is over, that’s when we start to see problems start to manifest,” Perdomo said.

The SFPD’s James Pandolfi helps the department coordinate special events. At the merchants’ meeting he said, “Our goal is to make sure everyone is safe and has a great time.

“Our goal is to keep Castro [Street] open to traffic,” he said, adding there will be 25-30 parking control officers, as well as security guards, “to help with the whole thing.”

Pandolfi said 18th Street should be reopened by last call “so it doesn’t become another party from 2 to 4 o’clock in the morning.”

Perdomo concluded, “We do anticipate it’s going to be a good event.”

Dave Burke, a straight ally who is District 8’s public safety liaison, told the B.A.R. last week those plans were still in place.

“The San Francisco Police Department will have a visible presence during the Castro Halloween Night Market,” Burke stated. “This will be a vibrant, fun and safe event for everyone.”

Gay Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman, a gay man who is the current District 8 supervisor, is similarly optimistic for All Hallows Eve.

“I’m hopeful it will be a safe, fun event for all,” he stated. “The organizers have put a lot of work into ensuring that, and I am grateful to them for it.”

Carrington said there are tentative plans for the Castro Night Market to return after the wintertime hiatus next year, but it’s “a little early to say anything” definitive about 2026. t

that the new website is now more accessible and secure, and easier to navigate and use.

The old URL redirects to the new website, which can be viewed at sf.gov/ cityclinic.

As the B.A.R. recently reported, City Clinic will also be getting a new physical space, but likely not until 2028. It will move out of its dilapidated site at 356 Seventh Street and relocate to 1660 Mission Street, after the city acquired the building for $18.5 million. t

And the U.S. is the wealthiest country in the world. Yet congressional Republicans are only too happy to let SNAP benefits temporarily end with no alternative program. This is certainly not limited to blue state residents. Plenty of people living in red states – and lots who voted for Trump – will experience food insecurity if this administration won’t provide a workaround. If there’s one thing we know about Trump, it’s that he can do what he wants. In this case, he should help people who need assistance to buy food. t

Gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), who was protested by anti-trans activists at his annual pumpkin carving contest last Saturday in Noe Valley, told the B.A.R. that he hadn’t heard about the issue at the local bookstore.

“People have every right to express their viewpoint and to protest,” Wiener wrote in a text message. “But when protest becomes vandalism and hyper-aggressive disruption – including being aggressive toward families with kids just trying to carve pumpkins – it crosses a line.”

He added that this was the fourth year the anti-trans protesters came to his pumpkin carving contest.

“Each year they become more inappropriate,” he stated. t

by Jim Gladstone

The titular dish of local icon Marga Gomez’s latest solo show, her 15th, now playing at New Conservatory Theatre Center, is a simplified English description of Caldo Gallego, a specialty of her Cuban father. The rough translation comes courtesy of Jessie, a buxom blonde waitress at the café where 20-year-old Gomez worked after moving to San Francisco from Harlem in 1976.

While Gomez portrays her younger self as slightly (and rightfully) irritated by her colleague’s bland description of her garlicky roots-conscious cookery, she’s quickly distracted by Jessie’s hippie charms and sexual come-ons.

Bright-eyed and bushy-bushed, Gomez delivers her upbeat account of coming out, coming-of-age, and becoming her idiosyncratic San Franciscan self with just a pinch of annoyance amidst a boatload of buoyance; plenty of identity, but blissfully little politics.

In rather oddly informal comments to the audience at both the show’s opening and close, Gomez makes her mission clear: We are living “in

The Los Angeles Blade covers Los Angeles and California news, politics, opinion, arts and entertainment and features national and international coverage from the Blade’s award-winning reporting team. Be part of this exciting publication serving LGBT Los Angeles from the team behind the Washington Blade, the nation’s first LGBT newspaper. From the freeway to the Beltway we’ve got you covered.

‘Blue Moon’

by Brian Bromberger

Few know the name of Lorenz Hart (1895-1943) today, but along with his musical partner Richard Rodgers, they were the most famous Broadway songwriting duo in the first half of the twentieth century. Hart wrote the words, Rodgers the music.

And though his name may have been forgotten, the songs he wrote with Rodgers such as “My Funny Valentine,” “The Lady Is A Tramp,” “Isn’t It Romantic?,” “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered,” “Manhattan,” and “Blue Moon” are very much remembered in the 26 musicals they created in over 20 years.

Director Richard Linklater’s new film “Blue Moon” (Sony Pictures Classics), named after the song, tells the sad tragic story of Hart as his professional life unraveled at the opening night party for his former partner’s hit show “Oklahoma,” with his new lyricist Oscar Hammerstein. Following that night over the course of 17 years, Rodgers and Hammerstein became the most successful songwriting team in American musical theater history (“South Pacific,” “Carousel,” “The King and I,” “Sound of Music”), overshadowing his work with Hart.

Sharp wit

Many critics now consider Hart among the greatest American lyricists, with the notable exception of Cole Porter. His lyrics have a sharp wit, but are also bittersweet and melancholy. He was a short man, standing below five feet tall with a lousy comb-over, considered himself ugly, but was a captivating raconteur with a charismatic personality. He was a closeted Jewish homosexual (an open secret of that era) who was addicted to alcohol, acting as a painkiller, which destroyed his partnership with Rodgers. The film

Club. What made you want to draw on it?

“Joy Luck Club” was so influential in my life in my formative years. There was such a lack of Asian representation in Western media that anything Asian that came out, I was so excited. Also, as a closeted gay boy, a strong female lead cast? I was in heaven.

I always love an ensemble cast in a story, where everyone’s lives are intertwined but each person gets to share their unique perspective. I think Amy does that in a very special way. I was inspired, too, by some archetypes. You look at “Sex and the City” or “The Golden Girls,” you’ve got Mommy, Daddy, Clown, and Whore. Those are my characters (laughs). I don’t pretend to be Dostoevsky. It’s just a dynamic that works and a structure I love.

I admire how the book takes its time. It opens with a big story, A.J. coming to Seattle and trying to find his way, and other stories develop for the others. But as a whole it has more of a sense of being invited to live and enjoy this community.

I wanted to be able to document certain things that I don’t see represented often, but I’ve had many conversations about. And I wanted a gay Asian person to read this book and feel very seen. I realize that not all of us have had the experience of community that I did. It makes such a difference when there’s someone saying, “You’re not crazy, this is very real. Let’s laugh at it together and support each other through it.”

So yeah, I did want to take my time and explore all the nooks and crannies of this identity that has mostly been portrayed in a very two-dimensional way, and give it more depth, texture and volume.

Ethan Hawke stars as the tragic gay lyricist Lorenz Hart

also serves as a kind of breakup movie, despite their love for each other as artists (Rodgers was straight).

The film opens with an inebriated 47-year-old Hart (Ethan Hawke) falling down drunk in the street in late 1943, then dying of pneumonia a few days later. Then the film circles back to that opening night party eight months earlier in the bar at Sardi’s. He watches the premiere of “Oklahoma” with his mother and walks out on the show’s title number.

He hates the show, criticizing its sentimentality, corniness, and phoniness. He’s bitter and jealous because he recognizes the show is a landmark achievement, even though he didn’t write it. We later find out he was invited by Rodgers to write some songs, but was too incapacitated to finish them.

He vents to Eddie the bartender (the terrific Bobby Carnavale). Although he swears he’s on the wagon, he sweet talks Eddie into pouring him drinks, that at first he just gazes at and admires, but later gulps down greedily to drown his sorrows. He’s waiting for twenty-year-old beautiful college student Elizabeth Weiland (Margaret Qualley) of whom he’s enamored. He wants that night to be the one he confesses his love for her, despite his insecurity and self-hatred, and the fact that everyone around him assumes he’s gay.

Double humiliation

Rodgers (Andrew Scott) and Hammerstein arrive to triumphant applause and rave reviews. Hart is facing two possible humiliations, as he now feels he’s a has-been, obsolete. He’s

rather sarcastic to Rodgers, though praises “Oklahoma” in the hope they can continue their professional partnership. Rodgers wants him to write some new songs for a revival of their popular show, “A Connecticut Yankee,” though he insists Hart quit his drinking binges. Rodgers recognizes he owes his career to Hart and doesn’t want to abandon him, despite resenting his lack of professionalism and self-discipline. He also clearly relishes his success with Hammerstein.

When Elizabeth arrives, she’s fond of him but not attracted to him, despite showing him tenderness as he weaves a fantasy of a romantic future with her. It’s her beauty that beguiles him. He lives vicariously by listening to her sexual shenanigans with a college boy.

celebrate Asian beauty. I feel like Asian faces are often westernized in comics. I need to see people like me more looking gorgeous and being taken seriously.

What were some of the things that you felt had been unrepresented or represented poorly?

There are a lot of stereotypes. We’re almost always a supporting character to a white character, whether that’s the white girl’s best friend or the white boyfriend who the story is centered on. We also usually align with the stereotype of Asian women as submissive, gentle and frail. That’s probably why I love “The Joy Luck Club.” Those women are so strong.

toms.” Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with that, but no, we have as much variety as any other ethnic group.

In developing the book, I interviewed somewhere around 30 people of different ethnicities and gender expressions, socioeconomic backgrounds, religions, starting with the three friends that the book is dedicated to, and other people I knew. I think that’s part of the thing, too, showing that we’re not a monolith. We have common experiences, but we’re very different people.

I love K. She leaps off the page. She’s my favorite. And from the beginning we know this is the strongest person in the group.

The film is primarily an almost non-stop monologue by Hart with a few interruptions. If you hate talky movies, “Blue Moon” should be avoided. Yet the film is never dull, even though there’s virtually no action occurring except to observe Hart’s everdeepening desperation and anguish.

Deep wounds

The film would fail if the right actor wasn’t cast as Hart. Fortunately, Hawke gives probably the greatest performance of his career, which with any justice should nab him a Best Actor Oscar nomination. With makeup and clever camera angles to make you think he’s much shorter than he really is, Hawke is unrecognizable and embodies this vivid character in all his contradictions.

The film adroitly conveys how the theater was a safe space for gay men, though it didn’t protect them from derision or downfall if a scandal occurred. There’s a melancholy tone that pervades the film, probably because we know in a few months Hart will be dead.

Scott does reams with little dialogue, conveying both his admiration and exasperation of Hart nonverbally. He’s able to take the focus off Hart for a few minutes which feels like relief after so much unending chatter. Scott reveals the intimacy of their friendship, but also as Rodgers the need to move on. By its conclusion, some viewers will find it a bit exhausting and perhaps claustrophobic. It’s a study in anguished hopefulness and frailty bleeding into despair of a musical genius who wanted to be loved, yet was destroyed by his own worst instincts.t

‘Blue Moon’ screens at AMC Metreon 16 and Cinemark Daly City Century 20. sonyclassics.com/film/bluemoon

leave her there, like many queer stories do with the mother figure. You give her this whole journey of

‘Gaysians,’ by Mike Curato, Algonquin Books, $32 hardcover, $16 ebook, $19 audiobook www.hachettebookgroup.com www.mikecurato.com << Gaysians From page 13

coming out as trans and the hardships and courage that go with that.

I think sometimes we forget that even the strongest among us are human and experience pain, suffering, fear, and doubt. I wanted to make the point that we can’t expect the same people to keep it all together for us all the time. It’s actually up to all of us, and we have to show up for those people in the same way that they showed up for us. That is a hard lesson that they all have to learn.

I think it also represents the trans experience in general. I feel like trans people have always been at the forefront of queer rights and activism, and they’ve always been thrown under the bus by the rest of the alphabet. In the same way that the boys have to show up for K, I feel like the gays really need to show up for trans people, especially right now. It’s so fraught and dangerous.

The book ends with A.J., who starts the novel looking at a flyer for a queer event, now being the one posting them.

The torch has passed to him. He’s the one trying to invite people into the community now. It was important to me, too that the story ends with someone we don’t know, a complete stranger, who sees this poster, just like AJ did in the beginning, and it’s giving that person some hope. I hope that’s what the book is doing for readers.

I want other people to share their stories. Because obviously I haven’t represented every Asian ethnicity, gender expression, or experience. I hope someone reads this and says, “But there’s all this other stuff, so now I’m going to make this other book.” I really hope that happens.t

Visually, too, I wanted realisticlooking Asian people. I wanted to

At one point, John asks, “Do you know how hard it is to be Asian and a top?” And K and Steven both say no (laughs). I think that’s another thing. “Oh, Asian gay men are petite and bot-

She’s very much the mother figure, super-grounded and there for everyone else. But what I found fascinating is that you don’t

Classic pop and rock reissues

LPs and box sets from Joni Mitchell, David Bowie, The Pretenders & The Cranberries

by Gregg Shapiro

The winter holidays are just a few short months away. What follows are essential gift-giving suggestions for almost every music lover in your life, especially those who appreciate new and special reissues by their favorite artists.

We gays already loved Joni Mitchell to the moon and back, but her appearance onstage at the Hollywood Bowl with Cyndi Lauper for the latter’s final date on her farewell tour not only cemented her status but probably also earned her legions of new fans. Those existing and new fans would be wise to listen to the newly re-released in audiophile quality Original Master Recording edition of Mitchell’s 1976 masterpiece “Hejira” (Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab/ Asylum).

Available as an UltraDisc OneStep 180g 45RPM SuperVinyl 2LP Box Set as well as a Super Audio CD, the groundbreaking recording still sounds as breathtaking as it did when it was first released nearly 50 years ago. From immediately accessible classics such as “Black Crow” and “Coyote” to deeply personal epics including the title tune, “Song For Sharon,” “Refuge of the Roads,” and “Amelia,” listeners will have “no regrets.” www.jonimitchell.com

With the new 13-disc David Bowie box set “I Can’t Give Everything Away [2002-2016]” (ISO/Parlophone), which includes four late-career studio albums, two EPs, two live albums, and the latest installment in the “Re:Call” compilation series, fans of the late musical genius should be all caught up with his prodigious output.

Stunningly packaged and including a 128-page book, this set is particularly poignant, as it includes Bowie’s final full-length album, “★ (Blackstar).”

Spanning from 2002’s “Heathen,” Bowie’s first album of the 21st century, and its 2003 follow-up “Reality” (featuring covers of Jonathan Richman’s “Pablo Picasso” and George Harrison’s “Try Some, Buy Some”) through “The Next Day,” Bowie’s return after a 10year hiatus, containing the Grammynominated song “The Stars (Are Out Tonight),” and 2016’s “★,” released two days before his untimely passing. www.davidbowie.com

Contemporary stage musicals continue to evolve, not just sonically, but also in the subject matters they explore. Available on purple vinyl, the remixed and remastered 15th anniversary double LP edition of Next To Normal: Original Broadway Cast Recording (Ghostlight) is a perfect example.

The musical is about Diana (Alice Ripley), a bipolar, suburban mother who never got over the death of her

infant son and imagines him alive as a teenager. Naturally, this not only has a debilitating impact on her life, but also on that of her husband and daughter. With book and lyrics by gay playwright Brian Yorkey, and direction by gay director Michael Greif, “Next To Normal” won three Tony Awards, including Best Actress in a Musical for Ripley, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. www.ghostlightrecords.com

By the time The Pretenders, led by Chrissie Hynde, burst onto the scene with its trailblazing 1979/1980 eponymous debut album, we’d already witnessed the firepower of female vo-

calists leading punk bands in the form of Patti Smith, Debbie Harry, Poly Styrene, Ari Up, Siouxsie Sioux, Poison Ivy, Lydia Lunch, and others. However, no one was prepared for what Hynde and her male band members were going to achieve, including having a massive state-side hit single with “Brass in Pocket.” The Pretenders’ newly remastered and repackaged 16-track 1987 compilation “The Singles” (Parlophone/Real/Warner), available on CD and double LP vinyl, improves on the original in new ways. In addition to being presented as a snazzy gatefold (in both formats), the back cover lists the songs followed by

‘Boys Go to Jupiter’

by David-Elijah Nahmod

CGI or hand drawn, but the film looks good. The voice cast speaks in even, mellow tones, which makes the soundtrack pleasant to listen to.

the years in which they were released, spanning 1979 (“Stop Your Sobbing,” “Kid,” and “Brass in Pocket”) through 1986 (“Don’t Get Me Wrong,” “Hymn To Her,” and “My Baby”). A musthave! www.thepretenders.com

Would a band such as The Cranberries, featuring the late lead vocalist Dolores O’Riordan, exist without the Pretenders and the groundwork laid by Chrissie Hynde? Regardless, when the Irish quartet released its 1993 debut album, “Everybody Else Is Doing It, Why Can’t We?,” containing the massive hit singles “Linger” and “Dreams,” one thing was certain: no one had ever heard a voice quite like O’Riordan’s.

The combination of her distinctive lilt and phrasing with band’s modern rock ethic was as sweet as it was tart.

To mark the 30th anniversary of The Cranberries’ second album, “No Need to Argue” (Island/UMe), featuring the huge hit single “Zombie” and “Ode To My Family,” it is being reissued in various formats. The double LP set includes the newly remastered original album with the addition of new remixes by Iain Cook, a demo, and live recordings. The album cover is also a variation on the original, including a new message along the bottom, reading “We miss and will always love you, Dolores!” www.cranberries.comt

Strange but fun animated

As the story begins, a teenager with the curious name of Billy 5000 (Jack Corbett), has dropped out of school and is living in his sister’s garage. He spends some time hanging out with his slacker friends, but most of his time is spent skateboarding around town delivering food for a Grubhub-like company called Grubster. He hopes to save up $5000 so he can move out of his sister’s garage and into his own place. He also encounters a strange critter that seems to be made of gelatin.

One day Billy delivers food to Dolphin Groves, a family-owned juice company owned by Dr. Dolphin (Janeane Garofalo), in whose greenhouse are bred all manner of experimental fruit, like square tangerines that are “easier to ship.” Dr. Dolphin wants her daughter to inherit the company, but the daughter, Rozario (“Call me Rozebud with a Z,” she says) wants nothing to do with the company. Billy 5000 develops a crush on Rozebud, but she’s more interested in his friend Freckles.

Most of the film deals with Billy 5000’s attempts to raise the money he needs, his relationship with the gelatin creature, his friendships, and his attempts to get a job at Dolphin Groves.

There are interludes that may have some audience members scratching their heads, such as a bizarre sequence in which a worm is crawling through space, singing about fast food. What was that all about?

But most of the film is light, fun, and easy to follow. A few questions are

film

doesn’t

always

make sense

posed as the storyline progresses: Will Billy raise the five grand he needs? Will he decide what to do with his life?

What about his little gelatin friend?

And what about his dealings with Dolphin Groves?

When the Bay Area Reporter first heard about this film, we were told that the cast included nonbinary actor Cole Escola, who recently won a Tony Award, and Escola is indeed heard in a small role. Escola’s presence is the only connection that “Boys Go to Jupiter” has to the LGBT community. The film has no LGBT content.

Still, the film is a fun romp, easy

on the eyes and ears. Independently produced, “Boys Go to Jupiter” is a far cry from the $200 million extravaganzas produced by Pixar, but it does tell an entertaining story and has an almost dream-like atmosphere. It’s not a great film, but it’s not a bad film either. See it if you’re in the mood for something different, just don’t expect all of it to make sense.t

‘Boys Go to Jupiter’ will play at the Lark Theater, 549 Magnolia Ave, in Larkspur, on November 1 & 2. A Video-on-Demand release will follow. www.larktheater.net

Tchaikovsky miniatures

by Tim Pfaff

There’s so much more to Tchaikovsky than we think. Never mind that composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, a gay icon in music, has beguiled generations of listeners with major works in all genres. A startling number have found permanent places in the repertory, but there’s more where that came from.

Witness two new recordings, an involving set of seldom-heard miniatures played by Daniil Trifonov (DG) and Yunchan Lim’s bracing traversal of “The Seasons” (Decca). Both pianists are at the top of the charts on today’s concert circuit. They also share a personal disposition as introverted as, say, Lang Lang is showman extraordinaire.

While there’s no lack of virtuosity on display in both recordings, it’s the interiority of the musicianship that outshines the feats of prestidigitation.

Saying the quiet part out loud

At 34, Trifonov has graduated from regard as our century’s greatest Russian pianist to an international star of a magnitude of Yuja Wang (though she has better hair and a personal flair one would not even wish from Trifonov). A composer himself who performs some of his own music, his allegiance to the wonders of Russian piano music has remained at the heart of his expansive repertoire. His debut recording of Tchaikovsky’s omnipresent First Piano Concert revealed what is best described as joy in a piece normally viewed as heroic.

His new recording inspects some of the composer’s most intimate and personal music and renders them wholly absorbing. The giddy effervescence of the Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 19, sets a tone of sustained relish in discovery. Then it gets down to business.

The main course is the “Second”

Sonata in C-sharp Minor, despite its advanced catalog number, Op. 80, a product of the composer’s student days. Trifonov declares his affection for and advocacy of the piece both by underscoring the sonata’s seeds for subsequent works and mining the obscure

work for its robust expressive variety. It counts as a piece you might well appreciate in a performance as devoted as Trifonov’s, while it’s also true that you may not wish to hear it from any pianist other than Trifonov. Don’t expect it to feature in anyone else’s recital.

Its companion on this program is the cycle “Children’s Album.” It’s a set that student pianists might well have on their music stands. But the collection is a feast, and Trifonov’s rendition leaves no doubt about his abiding fondness for these child-like pieces, only a few of which are as easy as they sound.

The main course

The recording concludes with movements from the ballet “The Sleeping Beauty,” in transcriptions by fellow pianist Mikhail Pletnev. It’s churlish to say that the beauties of the work are, to a certain extent, sleeping, but once found, they stick with listeners in all the right ways. Balletomanes and dancers consider it the finest of Tchaikovsky’s full-length ballets, this in competition between the evergreen “Swan Lake” and “The Nutcracker.”

It is specialist fare, which accounts for its comparative rarity on ballet companies’ roster. From the percussive Prologue, Trifonov makes clear that he sees beyond the work’s subtle, if absorbing, movements to their inherent drama. This is piano playing that knows the spectacle of the concertos, but from the inside.

Look no further than the second “movement,” “Dance of Pages.” The agility of the playing is arresting. “Andante” breathes the dance of grace and deep feeling. In a little more than a minute, “The Silver Fairy” is airborne, and the ensuing “The Pussed Tom-Cat and the White Cat,” wears its humor cleverly in the “dialogue” between the felines that bristles with character.

Well-seasoned

Tchaikovsky’s “The Seasons” has long been a favorite of Russian pianists, and it’s now making its return in the hands of pianists of a wide range of nationalities and styles. Bruce Liu has just recorded it for Deutsche Gramophone. It’s a fine rendition of the collection, just Liu’s bad luck to have his platter served in the shadow of South Korean Yunchan Lim’s latest.

It’s hard to think of a young pianist who has made a bigger splash on the international scene than Lim, unless it would be Wang. He has vaulted from the competition circuit to Carnegie Hall and far beyond.

The most perplexing aspect of “The Seasons” is the title of its twelve installments, naming months rather than seasons. Beyond that quibble lie riches. “June” has had a life beyond the cycle, but hearing the work as a whole provides an enchanting traversal of time itself. Composed between the First Piano Concerto and “Swan Lake,” it salutes and augments both.

The 21-year-old star –a word that should be saved for musicians of this caliber but is not always– plays the suite as though he has lived it, perhaps even in Russia. With his own native land in the rearview mirror, he tackles the individual movements with a refined sense of the facets of each.

“January” blows in assertively, February with a “Carnaval” so lively it sounds like a precursor to Stravinsky’s “Petrushka.” But both contain surprises as Lim lights up their dark corners fleetingly.

His touch allows for a range of colors that suits each of the individual seasons perfectly. He leaves no doubt the reason “June,” a barcarolle, has endured as a concert favorite. Familiarity with the piece makes Lim’s gradations of dynamics and his lilting, supremely free rhythm all the more amazing. By way of contrast, the staccato phrases of “September: the Hunt” scintillate, magically bring the outdoors in.

There is no clip in speed at which the young pianist forsakes his overriding sense of the music. “October: Autumn Song” moves with the combined strength and finesse more characteristic of dancers, and the protracted feeling of yearning in the playing makes it one of the most alluring of the pieces. The ensuing “November: Troika” captures the energy and playfulness of the sleigh ride and finds Lim at his most fetchingly nimble.

“December: Christmas” is exuberant in a dance-like way, savoring the treats of the season.t

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, miniatures and lesser-known works, Daniil Trifonov, piano, Deutsche Grammophon, 2 CDs and streaming. deutschegrammophon.com

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, “The Seasons,” Yunchan Lim, piano, Deutsche Grammophon. www.decca.com

“I’ve done all kinds of things I said I wouldn’t do and, of course, now I’m glad. Thrilled.”

Diane Keaton 1946-2025

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‘Better to Cry Now’

by Michel Karlsbeg

In “Better to Cry Now: Shaping the Flow of a Gay Black Man,” longtime California resident Geoffrey Newman shares his life lived at the intersection of race, sexuality, and the performing arts, from the segregated classrooms of 1950s Ohio to the dean’s office at Montclair State University. But it’s in California, where Newman finally found the kind of community and inclusion that he spent decades nurturing for others.

At Howard University, he created spaces for students of all backgrounds to find their voices. The homework assignment always reflected a place where art meets activism, and where lived experience becomes curriculum.

He has seen how education transform lives. He has stories to tell because most of us are unaware of what impact we can have on the lives of each other.

Michele Karlsberg: What was the defining moment that led you to write “Better to Cry Now,” and why did you feel this was the right time to share your story?

Geoffrey Newman: I had long considered writing a memoir because I’ve always felt my life has been deeply blessed, especially in the journey of growing up, learning to accept myself, and ultimately learning to love who I am.

In observing the world around me, I saw many young people facing the same crisis of identity I once did. This struggle seemed even more urgent now, given the shifting political climate, the increasing attacks on diversity, and the rising tide of social pressure that too often turns negative. Instead of fostering understanding and tolerance, our society seemed to be leaning into anger, confusion, and chaos. By sharing my path, I hope to offer light in dark times, a reminder that healing is possible, and that hope, even in the face of hardship, still matters.

The memoir explores many personal challenges. What was the most difficult part of your journey to revisit and write about?

Geoffrey Newman discusses his memoir of race, sexuality, and the performing arts

The most difficult part of my story to write was the section about my brother, my feelings about our relationship, and the deep shame I carried for having been so judgmental of him. There were many moments while recounting our experiences when I had to stop, shed tears, and then slowly begin again. It became one of the hardest and most cathartic processes I’ve ever gone through.

You write about breaking barriers. What barriers, internal or external, were the hardest to overcome, and how did they shape your identity?

The most difficult barrier I had to overcome was learning how to love myself, accepting both my shortcomings and my strengths, and finding the courage to be true to the man I was, and the man I aspired to be not the version others expected or wanted to see. Learning from failure, growing through the pain that so often comes from falling down, and finding the strength to get back up and try again was, and remains, my greatest challenge.

The title “Better to Cry Now” is evocative. What does it mean to you personally, and how does it capture the essence of your life’s path?

“Better to Cry Now” comes from a phrase my mother often used to help us face the challenges of public school integration: “Better to cry now than be sorry later.” Her words became more than just comfort. They became a lifelong mantra. That simple adage taught me the importance of preparation, resilience, and the courage to face any battle head-on. It reminded me never to give in to fear or self-doubt. Even now, it remains my guiding principle, a steady light at the end of every tunnel.

How did you find the strength to be vulnerable in your writing, especially when discussing moments of pain, rejection, or failure?

I found the strength and courage to be vulnerable in my writing by refusing to let embarrassment or overthinking hold me back. When I wrote from the heart not just the head and allowed my emotions to flow freely, a

ers to define me; that was a path that never fit. Instead, I realized I had to shape the course of my own life, not just ride the waves. This understanding took years to fully grasp, and even longer to master.

As a gay Black man, I had to define what that identity meant for me. I refused to conform to stereotypes or mimic others just to feel accepted. I had to embrace my uniqueness, my own path, and the way I chose to live it.

If you could go back and speak to your younger self at one of your lowest moments, what would you say and has writing this book changed that message?

I would say, don’t let the fear of making mistakes dampen your resolve to take risks or step outside your comfort zone. As my father used to say, “The greater the risk, the greater the return. The more you give, the more you receive. Always go for the golden ring.”

deeper honesty began to emerge. My words took on greater meaning and power.

At times, I struggled with how much of my vulnerability I should reveal. But I came to understand that true connection requires transparency. I needed to be as open, honest, and emotionally expressive as possible no matter how painful that might be. Only then could my story truly resonate.

What does true acceptance look like for you, and how long did it take to arrive at that place?

Acceptance of myself who I am and who I want to become, was always a deeply personal struggle. I could never be content with simply allowing oth-

What has been the most surprising or rewarding response to your memoir so far, and how has it affected your sense of purpose or direction?

I’ve been genuinely surprised by how the message of my book continues to inspire others. Conversations with readers opened my eyes to the universality of my experiences. When I first told my story, I didn’t fully realize that “coming of age,” building self-confidence, taking risks, and stepping outside one’s comfort zone are struggles and aspirations shared by so many.

As Ralph Remington wrote, “I am certain that ‘Better to Cry Now’ will not only change but indeed save people’s lives. In this harsh and cruel time that we live in, what a gift it is to receive such a precious flower.”

www.geoffreynewmanauthor.com