San Francisco Bay Times - January 15, 2026

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LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area

CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES Est. 1978

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January 15–28, 2026 http://sfbaytimes.com

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San Francisco’s ‘Trump Regime Takedown’ Strengthened ‘ICE Out for Good’ Nationwide Weekend of Action Minneapolis, MN. Good’s wife Becca recorded the shooting, with the video and subsequent other videos of the incident contributing to mounting outrage over the Department of Homeland Security’s increasing deployment of ICE into neighborhoods within democratic strongholds where the agency often uses aggressive tactics for immigration law enforcement.

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Indivisible SF and 50501 were among the organizers of the January 10 protest at Van Ness and O’Farrell. A statement was released that included, in part: “We mourn the death of Renée Good and vow to protect our communities against ICE. Join us to raise your voice against ICE and the MAGA regime and learn how you can protect your neighborhood.” Hundreds answered the call, including numerous well-known LGBTQ+ community members and allies such as San Francisco Bay Times columnists Joanie Juster and Dr. Marcy Adelman, Sister Roma, Gert McMullin, Robert Holgate, and Kelly Rivera Hart. PHOTO BY KELLY HART

The single Weekend of Action has been increased to additional days of ICE Out for Good-related protests. In addition to the weekly Trump Regime Takedown each Saturday at noon at 999 Van Ness Avenue, there is a weekly gathering on Sundays in

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There have been at least 24 shootings by immigration agents since January 2025, 6 of which have resulted in deaths. Analysts have noted an unusually large proportion of immigration police shootings in this period involved officers firing into moving vehicles, as was the case with Good.

Santa Rosa starting at 11 am on the corner of Bicentennial and Mendocino calling for ICE Out of Home Depot. These protests, organized by Indivisible Sonoma County, have been happening since day laborer Robert Carlos Montoya was struck and killed while being pursued by ICE on August 14, 2025. (Day laborers often gather at hubs like Home Depot for work.) On January 17, there will be a Vigil for Black Lives at Fruitvale Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard in Oakland starting at 10:30 am. For information about other upcoming assemblies, go to: https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/

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Human Banner at Ocean Beach: ‘IT WAS MURDER - ICE OUT!’ Local activists Brad Newsham and Travis Van Brasch on January 10 organized a massive human banner at Ocean Beach in San Francisco that read, in all caps, “IT WAS MURDER - ICE OUT!” and included an American flag that rotated upside down, signifying distress and danger. The words were etched into the sand in 100-foot letters before many of the participants arrived by 11:30 am. The organizers and several of the participants helped with the prior “NO KINGS” human banner at the same beach 2

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last year. Their efficiency and accuracy are evident, as each letter had a Letter Captain who helped participants stand facing the ocean, an arm’s apart from the next individual, and to stay within the lines. In the early afternoon, drones flew overhead to capture the dramatic resulting human banner and the coordinated turning of the flag. Such images, clearly evoking California and San Francisco, continue to be shared worldwide and thereby continue to spread the powerful statements they contain.

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Since early 2025, demonstrators have been gathering at the Tesla showroom in San Francisco at 999 Van Ness Avenue near O’Farrell for weekly rallies—originally part of the #TeslaTakedown movement—to protest Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s political actions and particularly his involvement with the Trump administration and the “Department of Government Efficiency.” On January 10, 2026, this weekly protest, now called the Trump Regime Takedown, was added to the nationwide ICE Out for Good demonstrations following the shooting by an ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agent of Renée Nicole Good on January 7 in

Statement by Widow Sheds Light on the Life and Legacy of Renée Nicole Good (1988–2026)

Oakland ‘Ice Out for Good’ Protest on January 11, 2026

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“ICE, CBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection), and all of Trump’s thugs are anti-American bullies.” Joey Raff, organizer of the January 11

Renée Nicole Good, who was shot and killed by an ICE agent on January 7, 2026, sparking nationwide protests, was an award-winning poet, musician, and writer. In recent years, she was dedicated to being a stay-at-home parent to her 6-year-old son with her wife Rebecca “Becca” Good. From a previous marriage she also had two older children, ages 12 and 14, who now live with their biological father. PHOTO BY JERRY PARMER

Demonstrators gathered at Splash Pad Park in Oakland on January 11, 2026, as part of the ICE Out for Good Weekend of Action following the shooting of Renée Nicole Good by an ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agent in Minneapolis. San Francisco Bay Times contributing photographer Jerome Parmer, who previously documented the injury of Reverend Jorge Bautista by another ICE agent in East Oakland on October 23, 2025, was among the demonstrators.

Oakland protest, said. “They want fear and submission, but we aren’t afraid. We will never stop standing against them and their hate.” Attendees waved signs and chanted at the corner across from the historic Grand Lake Theatre. As cars passed, hundreds of drivers honked their horns in support of the anti-ICE movement. At the event, organizers led a moment of silence as they honored Good and read the names of those believed to have been killed or abducted by the Trump administration’s ICE and CBP enforcers. A demonstrator named Virginia told Parmer, “I am here because I want my country back and I am in solidarity with the immigrants being placed in concentration camps.” Another individual, Todd, said, “I am horrified by what happened in Minneapolis and by ICE’s actions.” Lucy, also at the protest, said, “I am here because my heart is

In 2020, Renée won the Academy of American Poets Prize for her poem “On Learning to Dissect Fetal Pigs,” which explores reconciling science and faith. The poem may be read in its entirety at https://bit.ly/4sKqfw7

Renée Nicole Good

More recently, Renée and her wife were part of an effort to document and resist ICE activity through an informal network that trains participants to use whistles to warn others of ICE presence, to know their rights, and more. There are several other loosely structured such groups here in the Bay Area. Becca referenced the whistles in the statement that she released following the shooting of her wife: “First, I want to extend my gratitude to all the people who have reached out from across the country and around the world to support our family. This kindness of strangers is the most fitting tribute because if you ever encountered my wife, Renée Nicole Macklin Good, you know that above all else, she was kind. In fact, kindness radiated out of her. Renée sparkled. She literally sparkled. I mean, she didn’t wear glitter but I swear she had sparkles coming out of her pores. All the time. You might think it was just my love talking but her family said the same thing. Renée was made of sunshine. Renée lived by an overarching belief: there is kindness in the world and we need to do everything we can to find it where it resides and nurture it where it needs to grow. Renée was a Christian who knew that all religions teach the same essential truth: we are here to love each other, care for each other, and

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Transgender Law Center Reports That ICE Has Killed 39 People Since 2025 Data on the number of people who have died in recent years as a result of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions widely varies, depending on the source, questions over how the individuals died, and more. For example, some people in ICE custody have died as a result of heart failure and stroke, which were preceded by earlier reported conditions. ICE maintains its own database of detainee deaths: https://bit.ly/4sAcv6U But The Transgender Law Center, two days after the shooting of Renée Nicole Good on January 7, 2026, reported that ICE has “murdered” at least 39 individuals since 2025. Accompanying the graphic listing the names was this statement: “We hold Keith Porter in our grief. Keith was killed by an ICE officer in Los Angeles: a life lost to a system that relies on detention, force, and criminalization to govern migration. His death, alongside the killing of Renée Nicole Good, reflects a pattern of harm that continues to devastate families and communities, particularly Black, trans, disabled, and immigrant folks.

We speak the names we know. We honor the people whose names were never recorded, never released, or never made public. Every person lost to ICE custody and enforcement carried a history, relationships, and a future that mattered. This violence is structural. It is upheld by policies that treat immigrant lives as disposable. Immigrant justice, racial justice, and trans justice are deeply connected, and our movements are strongest when we grieve together and organize together. We remember Keith. We remember Renée. We honor all those taken, named and unnamed, and continue building a future rooted in dignity, safety, and freedom for all.” The Oakland-based Transgender Law Center is the largest transgender civil rights organization in the U.S., and its statement and data have received widespread attention. In terms of ICE-related issues, the organization helps trans individuals with immigration status challenges and has a dedicated Black LGBTQIA+ Migrant Project. https://transgenderlawcenter.org/ S AN FR ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

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Happy New Year? Hmm ... a blizzard of horrific headlines before the New Year’s Eve champagne had even gone flat. Like Juneau, the onslaught has been overwhelming, and it’s going to take epic amounts of hard work and grit to dig ourselves out. If you thought Project 2025 was bad, Project 2026 has ratcheted up the insanity to a whole new level.

In Case You Missed It Joanie Juster For the past month, Juneau, Alaska—the only state capital that can only be accessed by air or sea—has been buried under record amounts of snow. Every day for weeks, Juneau has been experiencing Snowpocalypse, Snowmageddon, Snowtopia. Boats in the harbor have sunk under the weight of all that snow. Roofs have collapsed. Roads have closed. The residents of Juneau—tough and resilient Alaskans that they are—have dealt with it as best they can, but even they have had to say, “C’mon, enough is enough already!” That’s how these past couple of weeks have felt on the news front. Just when we thought we could slam the door on 2025 as a bad fever dream, 2026 showed up as last year’s evil twin, smacking us upside the head with

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We have a man in the White House whose brain is clearly not functioning properly, surrounded by minions and sycophants motivated by hate, greed, and personal ambition, rather than a commitment to public service. It’s like a missing episode of The Twilight Zone. They have shown no allegiance to the Constitution, the American people, the rule of law, international treaties, or rules of common decency. They will gleefully deny healthcare, childcare, and human rights to Americans, while terrorizing any non-white people here at home and around the world, and threatening countries throughout the Western Hemisphere. From Venezuela to Cuba, to Mexico, Panama, Canada, and even Greenland, no country seems safe from

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Activist Leandro Gonzales organizes volunteers to make tamales, raising money for various causes in the community.

their overreach. Like the other countries in the Western Hemisphere that the administration has been threatening, Greenland deserves to be left in peace. Being a Good Neighbor, Part 1 The tragic killing of Renée Nicole Good in Minneapolis on January 7, 2026, felt like another major inflection point for our country in these troubled times. Most of us did not have the privilege of knowing her. Most of us only know what little has been gleaned from her social media, learned from her

grieving family and friends, and what has been endlessly shared by media outlets, sometimes incorrectly. However, one thing we do know is that, thanks to alert witnesses, a video record exists of the confrontation that ended in her death. Volunteers were on the street to witness and record the actions of the ICE agents in their neighborhood, so we now have proof of what was done to her—proof that makes it harder for the DHS to spin lies, and claim that she was a radical terrorist. Watching out for our neighbors and bearing witness to injustice is a responsibility we all (continued on page 14)

Protecting Marriage Equality in the New Year focuses on her pursuit of a religious exception to her obligations as a Justice of the Peace. When Obergefell was decided in 2015, Hensley initially stopped performing any marriages, but, in 2016, began marrying only heterosexual couples, citing her religious beliefs. She referred same-sex couples to other officiants, some of whom were nearby, but others not even in the city of Waco.

6/26 and Beyond Stuart Gaffney and John Lewis Late last December, Waco, Texas, Justice of the Peace Dianne Hensley filed a federal lawsuit, claiming she had the right to refuse to marry same-sex couples because of her religious beliefs. As part of the lawsuit, she also argued that the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell decision establishing nationwide marriage equality should be overruled. The filing garnered some headlines, reporting a new threat to Obergefell. One outlet termed Hensley “the new Kim Davis,” referring to the notorious Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples for religious reasons back in 2015 and who last year asked the Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell but was rebuffed.

In 2018, the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct, an independent constitutional state agency composed of both judges and citizens and charged with enforcing the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct promulgated by the Texas Supreme Court, began an investigation of Hensley’s actions. In 2019, the Commission issued Hensley a public warning, stating that her actions violated Canon 4A(1) of the Code, requiring a judge to “conduct all of the judge’s extrajudicial activities so that they do not ... cast reasonable doubt on the judge’s capacity to act impartially as a judge.”

Justice of the Peace Dianne Hensley

We take any effort to undermine marriage equality very seriously—indeed, no one should be County Clerk Kim Davis trying to undercut our fundamental constitutional rights. And we look behind the headlines to try to understand the exact nature and status of any possible threat. At present, we don’t consider Hensley’s case as a likely direct threat to Obergefell itself.

In response to the warning, Hensley again stopped performing any marriages but also filed a state court lawsuit challenging it. At essentially the same time, Jack County Texas Judge Brian Umphress filed a separate federal lawsuit challenging the Commission’s interpretation of Canon 4A(1), claiming that he, too, had the right to refuse to marry same-sex couples based on religious reasons.

Hensley in late December filed the new federal lawsuit, seeking to be able to use her religious beliefs to justify refusing to marry LGBTIQ+ couples, while still marrying heterosexual couples. The federal courts should flatly reject her case. The U.S. Supreme Court was unambiguous in Obergefell and the subsequent Pavan case: “the Constitution entitles same-sex couples to civil marriage ‘on the same terms and conditions as opposite-sex couples.’” Any other outcome would not only undermine same-sex couple’s dignity and equality, but also as a practical matter could create substantial impediments to same-sex couples being able to marry in some geographical areas. Even if a county issued a same-sex couple a marriage license, every eligible government official in the county could use religion as a basis for refusing to conduct a wedding ceremony for the samesex couple. Finding a qualified and willing private officiant could prove extremely difficult, too, because no private officiant can be forced to marry a couple they do not want to. Moreover, chaos would reign if judges— elected or appointed to serve all citizens— were permitted to use their religious beliefs as a basis to refuse to marry particular couples. Those beliefs could include refusals based on race, national origin, religious belief or identity, or political affiliation, just to name a few. Indeed, the lower court judge in the landmark Loving v. Virginia case,

establishing the constitutional right of interracial couples to marry, justified his upholding Virginia’s ban on such marriages on his religious beliefs. He stated: “Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay, and red, and he placed them on separate continents ... [and] did not intend for the races to mix.” The ultra-conservative supermajority of the U.S. Supreme Court in recent years has established religious exceptions to exempt some private parties from particular antiLGBTIQ+ discrimination laws. It has expanded such religious exceptions in other contexts as well. But broadening these exceptions to include state court judges would be a dangerous expansion that we hope even this Court would resist. So far, no same-sex couple has been denied the right to marry since Obergefell, and marriage equality retains broad public support nationwide. Together as a nation, we must ensure that remains the case. We’ll continue to report on significant developments in the ongoing Texas litigation as it unfolds. John Lewis and Stuart Gaffney, together for over three decades, were plaintiffs in the California case for equal marriage rights decided by the California Supreme Court in 2008. Their leadership in the grassroots organization Marriage Equality USA contributed in 2015 to making samesex marriage legal nationwide.

After years of litigation of Hensley’s state court lawsuit, the Commission in October 2024 rescinded its warning to Hensley. Meanwhile, in April 2025, the Fifth Circuit Federal Court of Appeal in Umphress’ litigation asked the Texas Supreme Court to explain whether Canon 4A(1) “prohibit[s] judges from publicly refusing, for moral or religious reasons, to perform same-sex weddings while continuing to perform opposite-sex weddings.”

As we’ve discussed previously in this column, nothing currently Judge Brian Umphress suggests that a majority of the The Texas Supreme Court then, Court would vote to overturn in late October 2025, added a comment to Obergefell. Hensley argues that the reasoning Canon 4, stating that a judge’s “publicly of the 2022 Dobbs decision overturning Roe refrain[ing] from performing a wedding v. Wade means that Obergefell should be ceremony based upon a sincerely held relireversed as well. The Dobbs majority, howgious belief ” did, in fact, not violate the ever, made clear: “to ensure that our deciCode. But the Commission on Judicial sion is not misunderstood or mischaracterConduct in a December 2025 lower court ized, we emphasize that our decision filing in the ongoing Hensley state court liticoncerns the constitutional right to aborgation asserted that the Supreme Court’s tion and no other right. Nothing in this opinion should be understood to cast doubt comment did not explicitly answer the question whether a judge could refuse to on precedents that do not concern abormarry same-sex couples, while still pertion.” The Court was explicit in saying that forming different-sex weddings. It these rights and precedents include sameexplained that the comment “only gives a sex couples’ fundamental right to marry judge the authority to ‘opt out’ of officiatrecognized in Obergefell. The majority ing due to a sincere religious belief, but stressed that its assurances were “unequivodoes not say that a judge can, at the same cal” and that any suggestion that Dobbs time, welcome to her chambers heterosexu“will imperil” rights such as marriage al couples for whom she willingly offers to equality is “unfounded.” conduct marriage ceremonies.” Hensley’s lawsuit, whose head-spinning procedural history goes back over a decade, With her state court litigation still pending, S AN FR ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

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Congress CA-11 Candidate Forum on January 7, 2026 State Senator Scott Wiener, Supervisor Connie Chan, and political advisor and software engineer Saikat Chakrabarti participated in the Congress CA-11 Candidate Forum on January 7, 2026. The forum was held at UC Law San Francisco and was co-hosted by the California Working Families Party, the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club, and the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club. It was moderated by Cynthia Laird, News Editor of the Bay Area Reporter, and Joe Eskenazi, a columnist and investigative reporter at Mission Local. San Francisco Bay Times lead photographer Rink attended, along with other Bay Times contributors. The candidates are all vying for the Congressional seat held by Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. She announced her retirement in November 2025 and will leave Congress at the end of her current term in January 2027, which will mark the conclusion of the 119th Congress.

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The California Working Families Party has posted a video of the entire forum, which may be viewed at: https://bit.ly/4sCcoaX

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GLBT Fortnight in Review By Ann Rostow And So Begins Another Year at SCOTUS On Tuesday morning, January 13, 2026, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases challenging laws against transgender athletes. One case involved a woman named Lindsay Hecox, who was barred from the Boise State University track team in 2019 after the state of Idaho passed a bill prohibiting transwomen from playing organized sports. Hecox sued and was allowed to play, thanks to a federal ruling in her favor, but she failed to make either the soccer team or the track team. After a two-year break from school, Hecox returned to Boise State with in-state tuition, joined the women’s club soccer team and tried out again for track. Oh, and for the record, she had already taken a year of whatever hormones the NCAA required for transgender sportswomen. In 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit overruled the Idaho court and reinstated the Idaho law, ruling that the law could not be applied to Hecox while she was still litigating the case. Hecox appealed the Ninth Circuit decision to the Supreme Court, but, last September, Hecox withdrew her appeal. Now 25 years old, Hecox said in a statement the she was afraid “that if I continue my lawsuit, I will personally be subjected to harassment that will negatively impact my mental health, my safety, and my ability to graduate as soon as possible.” I’m sure I reported all these details to you at the time, right? I seem to recall that I remained in command of every twist and turn in the Byzantine paths taken by our transgender legal allies last year. What were they up to again? Oh, the right to military service, the right to youth healthcare and access to hormones, the right to a legitimate passport, the right to use a public bathroom, the right to use high school facilities, basically the right to exist. To be honest, I did lose some of Lindsay’s machinations in the chaos of it all. But here’s the weird part: the state of Idaho turned around and begged the justices to keep the case on the docket even though Hecox withdrew it. That’s obviously because it’s pretty clear to everyone with a working brain cell or two that this Court will almost certainly rule against transgender women, just as they ruled against transgender youth. Indeed, the Court doesn’t even need Hecox (although, of course, they kept her abandoned case alive) because they have another sports lawsuit. Becky Pepper-Jackson is a West Virginia girl who has been trans since she was a small child. Her supportive parents noticed her feminine instincts from an early age, when she insisted on dresses and dolls. Starting in third grade she presented as a girl in school, and, in sixth grade, she began an estrogen therapy that allowed her to avoid male puberty. (In the murky science of gender transition, one thing is clear. And that’s the negative effect of going through male puberty as a transgender girl. Transwomen can mitigate the impact with female hormones after the fact, but it’s far better to avoid male puberty in the first place.)

When Becky tried to join her middle school track team, she learned that the state had just passed an anti-trans sports law, which is particularly noteworthy since elsewhere I’ve read that Pepper-Jackson is the only recognized transgender athlete in the state. (I should really confirm that before I put it in writing. I’ll check later.) The family sued, and the law was put on hold by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Subsequently, Pepper-Jackson has been on her school track team, focusing on shot put and discus. Now a sophomore, she is good but, at times, beatable. Well, naturally the Coal State lawyers appealed the Fourth Circuit decision to the High Court and here we are. Although we won’t get a ruling until next spring or late June, we gained a sense of how the Court feels from reporters in the room during arguments. Why don’t you guess their overall impressions? One more thing. I was reading a Washington Post article on the Pepper-Jackson case, and I was shocked by the comments. I glanced at the first two dozen, and these supposedly liberal readers were almost unified in their opposition to transgender women in sports. Moreover, their hostility was not based on science or transition issues, but more frequently based on a simplistic notion that, if you’re born male, you’re male, period. Quite a few people wrote, eyes rolling, that the Democrats were insane to raise this issue that sunk them in 2024—as if Democrats brought these cases to the Supreme Court. I Still Remember Dan Quayle I’ve been refreshing and going back to my news pages, in search of more Supreme Court dirt. There, I’ve encountered many intriguing stories that do not relate to transgender girls or anything GLBT, for that matter. Still, aren’t you intrigued to learn about the best way to cook baked potatoes? I mean I never thought baked potatoes were complicated enough to merit their own clickbait headline. Do we need tips on how to boil an egg or make a piece of toast? At the same time, I wondered if there was something I didn’t understand about potato baking. Reader, I clicked. It turned out that many people (by implication) were wrapping their potatoes in foil before they baked them. I am not guilty of this error in judgment because I am too lazy to bother with foil, and it didn’t occur to me in the first place. I just stab my potatoes with a sharp knife, throw them in the oven, hit 350, and set a timer for an hour and a half. The people who use foil are accidentally steaming their potatoes and making them mushy and gross. I wonder, however, how the authors of this helpful note learned that most people were using foil to begin with. I think that’s a false assumption. I also learned that, if you put a little oil and salt on the potatoes, the skin will be crispier. Okay then! Actors Behaving Badly The other big digression was the search for (continued on page 10) S AN FR ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

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Fighting Back, Pushing Forward: Horizons Hosts its Annual State of the Movement As 2025 drew to a close, Horizons Foundation hosted the organization’s 22nd annual State of the Movement event virtually on Thursday, December 4, offering a candid yet forward-looking assessment of LGBTQ political realities. Horizons President Roger Doughty moderated the 90-minute discussion and Q&A with four powerhouse national LGBTQ leaders: Shelby Chestnut, Executive Director of the Transgender Law Center; Kevin Jennings, CEO of Lambda Legal; Kierra Johnson, President of the National LGBTQ Task Force; and former San Francisco Bay Times columnist and NCLR leader Kate Kendell, who is now the CEO of The Gill Foundation. The mood was sober but not defeatist. Doughty’s introduction set an emotional register, describing a “fraught moment” marked by budget cuts, hostile federal actions, and escalating legal threats to the broader LGBTQ community. “We’re seeing the weaponization of every part of the federal government,” Doughty said. “I personally used to avoid the use of the word ‘weaponization’ because I always thought that it sounded often overstated. Now it is not overstated.” Yet, he continued, the LGBTQ movement has endured existential crises before and prevailed through persistence, creativity, and collective courage. This dual message—grave danger paired with historical resolve—ran through the entire conversation. A prompt asking panelists to summarize the state of the LGBTQ movement in three words provided a compact map of contemporary sentiment. The Gill Foundation’s Kendell characterized the movement’s trajectory as “forward but murky.” She conveyed confidence that progress will continue, but warned that the path is obscured by volatility and noted that the speed and scale of recent changes require many of us to relearn the landscape—a testament to the crisis-driven transformation now underway. Transgender Law Center’s Chestnut offered a more agency-centered perspective with the phrase “building trans power.” They pointed to explosive growth in youth organizing— exemplified by a spike in GSA (Gay Straight Alliance) clubs—as evidence that anti-trans attacks are catalyzing new forms of leadership rather than suppressing them. Their framing subtly repositioned the movement from defensive response to hopeful expansion. 8

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The National LGBTQ Task Force’s Johnson deepened this point with the notion of a “leaderful” movement. Rejecting hierarchical models, she described a distributed ecosystem in which queer and trans people are central, not only within LGBTQ organizations but also across progressive movements. Her assertion that “no one was prepared” for the current onslaught reframed disorientation as a shared condition. The task, she argued, is not retrospective blame but rapid, collective preparation. Lambda Legal’s Jennings injected a sharper, confrontational note with his summary—“kicking their ass.” His remarks emphasized litigation as an active battlefield and highlighted the fragility of legal protections under a far-right Supreme Court. Yet he underscored the symbolic power of even narrow wins, such as having a trans attorney argue recently before the court for the first

time in history. His overarching theme was strategic realism: victory is difficult but possible, and each legal effort builds long-term capacity. Shifting from diagnosis to strategy, Johnson critiqued the way “intersectionality” has often functioned as jargon. She saw a turn toward genuine intersectional practice: collaboration across labor, immigration, democracy protection, education, and care movements. Kendell offered a historical perspective, comparing today’s crisis to the AIDS epidemic and describing how activists, facing government mockery, built lifesaving infrastructure from the ground up. Movements have survived worse, she said, and carry “muscle memory” from past struggles. The message: draw strength from history, show up fully, and be able to answer, “What did you do?” when future generations ask. Chestnut extended this analysis by describing the post-marriage-equality vacuum in which the trans community became the primary target before the (continued on page 14)

Community Treasures From the GLBT Historical Society Archives Photos courtesy of The GLBT Historical Society

A Digital Archival Collection Spotlight: Victoria Fernandez/Vicki Starr Papers By Ian Fullmer Found within the GLBT Historical Society’s digital archives, and made available in collaboration with the Digital Transgender Archive, the Victoria Fernandez/Vicki Starr Papers document the life of Victoria Fernandez, who performed professionally as Vicki Starr. Fernandez was a Puerto Rican trans woman known for her work as a dancer in San Francisco’s topless clubs during the 1960s. The collection shows how Fernandez used photography to explore and express her gender, identity, and personal life from the 1950s through the 1980s. Materials include photobooth strips, Polaroids, and personal snapshots, Photograph of Victoria Fernandez in a blue dress. c.1965

This 1966 advertisement for El Cid, a topless club in San Francisco’s North Beach, featured Victoria Fernandez, who performed as Vicki Starr. Fernandez, a trans woman, is misgendered in the advertisement’s top billing. c.1966

often capturing moments with partners, friends, and members of the queer communities she was part of. They offer a glimpse of everyday trans life across several decades, reflecting both private relationships and broader social worlds. Select photographs of Fernandez are currently on view in I Live the Life I Love Because I Love the Life I Live at the Victoria Fernandez posed with a telephone and a dog, at home. GLBT Historical Society Museum. Co-presented with the Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive, the c.1985

Victoria Fernandez posed in profile with a companion, with a landscape of palm trees in the background. c.1955

exhibition highlights the resilience, creativity, and cultural impact of Black, Latinx, Asian, and Pacific Islander trans and gender-nonconforming people. To view the exhibition, visit the GLBT Historical Society Museum at 4127 18th Street in San Francisco’s Castro District. To explore the Victoria Fernandez/Vicki Starr Papers, and additional digital collections, visit https://bit.ly/4qNUqk1

Giving Back to the Communities That Support Us By Kate Brown, Ph.D.

Photos courtesy of Dykes on Bikes®

Dykes on Bikes® Tales From Two Wheels

SF Dykes on Bikes Patch-holders and Prospects with the Golden Gate Riders for the 36th Annual Toy Drive at the San Mateo Medical Center. December 6, 2025

As the year came to a close, San Francisco Dykes on Bikes® (DOB) focused on what has always mattered most: showing up for our community. Through partnership, visibility, and direct service, our Patch-holders and Prospects supported neighbors across the Bay Area during the holiday season. The following moments highlight just a few of the ways we worked alongside others to care for, uplift, and give back to the communities that support us year-round. Over Thanksgiving, DOB Patch-holder Pam represented the organization at SOCKSgiving, an annual fundraiser hosted by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and benefiting the San Francisco Night Ministry. SOCKSgiving provides socks and outreach supplies to people experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity. Pam’s participation reflected DOB’s long-standing commitment to showing up for the community in practical, meaningful ways, especially during times of heightened need. On Saturday, December 6, Vice President T-Bone led the San Francisco Dykes on Bikes as they joined the Golden Gate Riders for their 36th Annual Toy Drive. Escorted by the San Mateo County Fire Department’s hook and ladder fire (continued on page 10)

SF Dykes on Bikes preparing for a day connecting with the community at St. Anthony’s Dining Hall. December 7, 2025

Patch-holder Pam dropping off supplies at SOCKSgiving with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. November 26, 2025

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ROSTOW (continued from pg 7) Roland Schembari and Bill Hartman, Co-Founders Randy Alfred, Founding News Editor, 1978 Kim Corsaro, Publisher 1981-2011

2261 Market Street, No. 309 San Francisco CA 94114 Phone: 415-601-2113 525 Bellevue Avenue Oakland CA 94610 E-mail: editor@sfbaytimes.com www.sfbaytimes.com The Bay Times was the first newspaper in California, and among the first in the world, to be jointly and equally produced by lesbians and gay men. We honor our history and the paper’s ability to build and strengthen unity in our community. The Bay Times is proud to be the first and only LGBTQ newspaper in San Francisco to be named a Legacy Business, recognizing that it is a longstanding, community-serving business that is a valuable cultural asset to the city.

Dr. Betty L. Sullivan/Jennifer L. Viegas Co-Publishers & Co-Editors

Beth Greene, John Signer, Michael Delgado Design & Production

Kate Laws Business Manager Blake Dillon Calendar Editor Kit Kennedy Poet-In-Residence J.H. Herren Technology Director Carla Ramos Web Coordinator Mario Ordonez Distribution Juan R. Davila Volunteer Coordinator CONTRIBUTORS Writers Rink, Sister Dana Van Iquity, Ann Rostow, Patrick Carney, Leslie Sbrocco, Kate Kendell, Gary M. Kramer, Joanie Juster, Robert Holgate, Eduardo Morales, Dennis McMillan, Tim Seelig, John Chen, Rafael Mandelman, Jewelle Gomez, Phil Ting, Rebecca Kaplan, Philip Ruth, Bill Lipsky, Elisa Quinzi, Liam Mayclem, Beth Schnitzer, Rowena Brown, Andrew Freeman, Kippy Marks, Ian Fullmer, Catherine Stefani, Donna Sachet, Gary Virginia, Derek Barnes, Marcy Adelman, Jan Wahl, Stuart Gaffney & John Lewis, Brandon Miller, Jamie Leno Zimron, Howard Steiermann, Fernando Camino, Honey Mahogany, David Landis Photographers Rink, Paul Margolis, Bill Wilson, Jerome Parmer, Michael Kirschner, Sandy Morris, Karina Patel, Abby Zimberg, Joanie Juster, Debra Reabock ADVERTISING Display Advertising Standard Rate Cards http://sfbaytimes.com/ or 415-601-2113 Custom ad sizes are available. Ads are reviewed by the publishers. National Advertising: Contact Bay Times / San Francisco. Represented by Rivendell Media: 908-232-2021 Circulation is verified by an independent agency. Reprints by permission only. CALENDAR Submit events for consideration by e-mail to: calendar@sfbaytimes.com © 2026 Sullivan Communications, Inc

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“Timothy Busfield,” whom I had never heard of. Was this a murder case? Missing person? It only took a couple of seconds to learn that he was a semi-famous actor accused of molesting pre-pubescent children. Normally I’d leave it at that, but I didn’t recognize Mr. Busfield and I read he was on West Wing. Really? I then had to look up the cast of West Wing, where I discovered this creepo was Danny the journalist who had a crush on Allison Janney and gave her a goldfish. I sort of liked him! Anyway, I guess he went into hiding once his dark sins emerged into the light. Oh, and he is married to Melissa Gilbert, who formerly starred on Little House on the Prairie and is the sister of out gay actress Sara Gilbert. After these brief sidebars, I returned to GLBT news and learned, among other things, that the gay ice hockey series Heated Rivalry is a big underground hit in Russia, where discussion or promotion of anything gay is against the law. The draconian rules against the rainbow community are about as harsh as you will find anywhere in the world. I don’t think the death penalty is on the table, but I don’t think a gay homicide victim would get much sympathy either. Heated Rivalry is about two players, a Canadian and a Russian, who are rivals on two different NHL teams. Under the radar, however, the two are having a passionate affair. Based on a novel, the show was picked up by HBO last fall and renewed for a second season last month. In an article in Vanity Fair, a Russian expatriate who now lives in the U.S. described a gay community in hiding, hungry for access to the rest of the world, but consigned to pirate services and secret streaming apps, thanks to Russian blackouts of Western media. It’s looking more and more like Mel and I are going to have to add yet another monthly bill to our growing list of subscriptions. It’s overwhelming, but now we must have HBO. Outrage Transcends Orientation My inbox is filled with articles about the ICE murder victim, Renée Good, who was married to Becca Good, with whom she had a son. Part of me thinks that Good’s sexual orientation is tangential to the situation. She was killed by a right-wing MAGA brute, infuriated by a woman who ignored his commands. The killer represented a lawless force of what I’d call mercenaries, who have been given the power to rough up and kidnap our neighbors without warning or warrant. Now, they seem to be adding murder to the list of sanctioned activities. Good was not killed for being gay. She was killed for disrespecting a violent and insecure loser, who was released onto the streets of Minneapolis with a gun and no restraints. Will this break the camel’s back? We will see. But that said, it appears that the continued attacks on Renée Good’s character by our government may be fueled by homophobia. I gather that six prosecutors out of the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office have resigned rather than launch an investigation into Becca Good’s

“activist” ties. Yes, we’re talking about Renée Good’s wife, who, as far as I’ve read, was only an activist in the sense that she and her wife opposed ICE policies and joined the many protests against the rabid immigration crackdowns. The Department of Justice is now targeting Becca, presumably to paint a picture of the family as domestic terrorists. Domestic terrorists, as you may have noticed, are now defined as anyone opposed to Trump and his incoherent power plays. Welcome to the club. Is there any doubt that anyone now reading this column or this newspaper would be labeled an enemy of the state were they to find themselves in trouble with the government? Even straight allies would be vulnerable, just as citizen allies of immigrants to this country might now designated as traitors or criminals. The six prosecutors resigned for two reasons. First, the Justice Department refused to launch a civil rights investigation into Good’s death at the hands of a federal agent. Instead, they began looking into the Good family ties to anti-ICE protestors. Second, the Department ordered the U.S. Attorneys to open a case against Becca Good, an order they refused to follow. And it was likely an order that was bolstered by the Trump administration’s war on the LGBT community. To be accurate, none of these lawyers provided any explanation to the press, but these are logical assumptions, based on the context. Happy Ending With our last few words, I have an interesting story out of Alexandria, Virginia, where a gay man was verbally and physically attacked by a woman while he was shopping for groceries on Christmas Day. The incident, in which the woman told him, “Boy, get out of here with your gay ass,” was posted on TikTok, but, for reasons unclear, I couldn’t see the video without wasting fifteen minutes on the effort. Normally, this wouldn’t make the news. But police were called to the store and a report was filed as required under Alexandria’s new hate crime rules, which aim to stem an increase in hate crimes that started in 2019. The increase stabilized last year with a slight dip. The woman, 34-year-old Shibritney Colbert of Landover, Maryland, left the store before she could be arrested, but was later tracked down and extradited to Virginia to face the consequences of her actions. She was charged with assault, but I don’t have details. I was just pleasantly surprised that the attack, on a man she had never met or seen before, was dealt with so decisively. “Hate crimes are not just crimes against individuals,” said Alexandria Police Chief Tarrick McGuire. “They are offenses that threaten the entire community and undermine the fundamental principles of dignity, equality, and safety.” Wow. I haven’t heard that kind of talk for a while. I’ve missed it. arostow@aol.com

DYKES ON BIKES (continued from pg 9) truck, dozens of motorcycles and a classic red pick-up truck delivered toys to San Mateo Medical Center, where roughly 500 toys and gifts were handed out to over 300 children. The next day, DOB volunteers, organized by Secretary Ellen, spent half a day preparing and serving more than 1,000 meals in the Dining Room at St. Anthony’s Church. Food insecurity remains a critical issue in San Francisco, and, according to St. Anthony’s, one in five adults lack reliable access to food; in the Tenderloin as many as one in two adults lack reliable access to food. Each year during Pride, the motorcycles that ride with us in the LGBTQ+ Pride Parade park along the street in front of St. Anthony’s, and serving meals was a way for Dykes on Bikes to express our gratitude to the community that hosts us each year. We look forward to additional service days this spring as we look to deepen our relationship with St. Anthony’s community. These end-of-year efforts reflect how the DOB puts its mission into action. Supporting SOCKSgiving hosted by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence demonstrated how civic participation and

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visibility can meet immediate community needs with care and dignity. Riding with the Golden Gate Riders for the annual toy drive highlighted how motorcycle culture and public presence can be used to educate and build connection. Serving meals at St. Anthony’s offered a tangible expression of our commitment to our community, grounding our visibility in direct service to neighbors facing food insecurity. Together, these moments illustrate how Dykes on Bikes uses rides, education, and service, not as separate efforts, but as connected ways of empowering community, advancing understanding, and giving back. As we look ahead to the months to come in 2026, we carry these experiences with us and remain grounded in gratitude, strengthened by collaboration, and ready to continue showing up where it matters most. Kate Brown, Ph.D., is the President of the San Francisco Dykes on Bikes® Women’s Motorcycle Contingent. https://www.dykesonbikes.org/

IN MEMORIAM Janis Marie Zivic (1942–2025) Janis Marie Zivic was born July 17, 1942, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the youngest child of former 1940 World Welterweight Boxing Champion Fritzie Zivic and his wife, Helen Stokan Zivic. She grew up alongside her brothers, Fritz and Chuck. Jan earned a master’s degree in teaching from the University of Pittsburgh, beginning a lifelong dedication to education. She taught American literature and writing at Upper St. Clair High School in Pittsburgh, where she created and taught the elective The Art of the Cinema. She believed deeply that literature and film illuminate the human experience, and viewed teaching as a way to foster curiosity, empathy, and insight far beyond the classroom. She also served as an advisor to the school’s literary magazine and maintained a lifelong love of reading and writing. After relocating to San Francisco, Jan transitioned into the corporate world, working in the personnel department at Crown Zellerbach. Following a series of promotions, she founded The Zivic Group, Inc., which she led for eleven years, specializing in the recruitment of senior executives for major corporations. The firm was later acquired by Spencer Stuart. In 1986, with her partner Paula Chamberlin, Jan embraced the joy of raising her daughter, Jessica Zivic Chamberlin, who became the pride and center of her life. In 1998, Jan sustained traumatic brain injuries following a collision with a truck, bringing her executive career to a close. After extensive rehabilitation, and driven by her desire for meaningful contribution, she co-founded vibrantBrains, a “health club for the brain,” with her then-partner Lisa Schoonerman. Committed to growth and creativity at every stage of life, Jan later earned a master of fine arts from the University of San Francisco, an achievement of which she was immensely proud. Throughout her life, Jan was an educator, a corporate recruiter, and a passionate force for good in her community. She served in leadership roles across numerous educational, cultural, and philanthropic organizations, including as President of the boards of the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Lambda Literary Foundation, the James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center, the Katherine Delmar Burke Independent School, the San Francisco Library Commission, the California Executive Recruiters Association (as its first female president), and the San Francisco Family Service Agency (also as its first female president). In recognition of her extraordinary leadership and service, Jan was named Woman of the Year by the San Francisco Cable Car Awards and received the Maya Angelou Community Leadership Award from the University of California. Jan was a fighter—not in the way her father was, but with remarkable resilience, grace, and determination. Over the course of her life, she survived brain cancer and pancreatic cancer, facing each diagnosis with courage and deep gratitude for the healthcare professionals who cared for her. To honor the nurses and caregivers who supported her through these medical journeys, Jan established the Jan Zivic Career Development Award for Patient Care Assistants at UCSF. This fund supports exceptional Patient Care Assistants who aspire to become licensed nurses, helping remove financial barriers to advancing their education and careers. Through this lasting gift, Jan sought to strengthen the healthcare community and uplift those whose compassion and dedication make a profound difference in patients’ lives. Despite her many accomplishments and honors, Jan remained grounded, warm, and deeply kind. She treated everyone with care and respect, possessed a wonderful sense of humor, and could light up any room. Family always came first, and her love for her daughter Jessie was unwavering and boundless. Jan had recently relocated to Living Out, an LGBTQ+ community in Palm Springs, where she died suddenly following a fall. She is survived by her daughter, Jessie Zivic Chamberlin; her nieces, Jennifer, Melissa, and Sarah; and her nephews, Fritz and Jeffrey. She was predeceased by her niece, Charlotte. Her loving pets, Ashby and Biscuit, will be taken care of by Jessie. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Jan Zivic Career Development Award for Patient Care Assistants at UCSF (Project ID 7032088) by donating here: https://bit.ly/49ylTiN A memorial celebration in San Francisco and Palm Springs will be announced at a later date. Details will be shared on her memorial website: https://bit.ly/4qOCo15

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Welcoming 2026 - New Year’s Eve Celebrations New Year’s Eve celebrations were captured by San Francisco Bay Times contributing photographers throughout the Castro, on Polk Street, in Walnut Creek at Rossmoor, and more.

Rossmoor Lesbian Alliance, Walnut Creek

The Academy SF 12

Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena (with AI addition of Sister Roma)

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The Academy SF

PHOTO BY RINK

SCREENSHOT/BETTY L. SULLIVAN

The Academy SF

PHOTO BY RINK

PHOTO BY RINK

Fireworks over the Bay Bridge

SISTER ROMA/FAKE NEWS

PHOTO BY RINK

The Cinch Saloon

The Cinch Saloon

PHOTO BY RINK

PHOTOS BY RINK

PHOTO BY RINK

The Academy SF

The Academy SF

The Academy SF

PHOTO BY RINK

440 Castro

PHOTO COURTESY SELISSE BERRY

Also garnering attention was a “fake news” photo of Sister Roma waving at the crowds lining the street in Pasadena for the 2026 Tournament of Roses Parade. (The actual “Believe in San Francisco” float was striking and used over 100,000 blooms, but had previously garnered some criticism for not including any LGBTQ-related imagery.) Replying to those who had posted about the image on social media, Sister Roma said, “It’s not real, but maybe next year!”

PHOTO COURTESY GARY VIRGINIA

Columnist Donna Sachet joined Gary Virginia and friends at 440 Castro, while Dr. Dee Spencer was among the performers at the annual New Year’s Eve Party at The Academy SF. LGBTQ+ community members also gathered at Polk Street venues, including The Cinch Saloon. Still others joined the crowds gathered to observe the annual fireworks show at the Embarcadero, which could be seen from multiple vantage points throughout the Bay Area.

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” —African proverb

By Donna Sachet

2026,

here we come! While New Year’s resolutions per se have never been appealing to us, we do intend to use lessons learned in 2025 as we move into this new year. For instance, we are so fortunate in San Francisco to be surrounded by artistic presentations. When we look back at those that brought us the most enjoyment, we come back again and again to the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC). With so many December obligations we nearly skipped their Holiday Spectacular, but a call from good friend Gary Virginia put it back in our sights and we attended with him on Christmas Eve at Davies Symphony Hall. The venue was splendid, the chorus was resplendent, and the music was infectiously joyful. Artistic Director Jake Stensberg truly came into his own with this concert. We won’t be missing anything SFGMC does this year! After all, we started singing with them over 30 years ago and have so many wonderful memories on stage and off with this award-winning choral ensemble.

Sunday, January 25 Sunday’s a Drag Drag in Union Square Donna Sachet & friends Starlite, 450 Powell Street 5:30 pm www.beacongrand.com/starlite

On the other hand, it is easy to continue to support the same artistic groups year after year and miss out on newer groups, perhaps bringing a fresh approach to the city. One of our most pleasant evenings was spent at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts at Smuin Contemporary Ballet’s The Christmas Ballet’s LGBTQ Night, featuring RuPaul’s Drag Race finalist Lady Camden. The first half demonstrated the classical discipline and mastery of the dancers, while the second half explored some more contemporary music and dancing styles, all with delightful mixed gender pairings. The evening benefited several local charitable groups, including The Imperial Court of San Francisco; and the afterparty in the lobby of the building next door was hosted by the Reigning Emperor Ashlee Blow and Reigning Empress Afrika America, performing a crowd-pleasing number. Our takeaway: support those proven bastions of entertainment while opening the door to new experiences with up-and-coming artistic endeavors!

Yes, some things are just so good that they are well worth bringing back ... like the Castro Theatre, about to open its doors again in February, bringing an extraordinary jolt of energy back to the Castro neighborhood and all of San Francisco. Imagine lines of people wrapping around the block, patronizing local businesses before and after shows, dining and drinking, and meeting friends for films and

Friday, February 6 Castro Theatre Opening Priscilla, Queen of the Desert Benefits Castro Community Benefit District 7 pm doors open 8 pm stage show & film www.ticketweb.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF GARY VIRGINIA

And sometimes we find a way to combine something tried and true with a new approach, creating an unbeatable experience. After starring in Sunday’s a Drag at the Starlight Room in Union Square for 15 years and then colliding with the COVID pandemic and subsequent closing of the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, we had moved on to other ventures. But, as loyal readers know, Club Fugazi and Patrick Rylee invited us to produce a series of shows that reminded us how well this particular formula worked. Harry Denton and Michael Pagan knew what they were doing long before there were drag brunches at every venue all Donna Sachet and Gary Virginia attended the San over town. Most recently, the new Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus annual December 24th Starlite atop the remodeled and “Home for the Holidays” show held this year at Davies renamed Beacon Grand Hotel Symphony Hall. The show will return in 2026 to The invited us back to reinterpret Castro Theatre, its original home since 1990. Sunday’s a Drag as an evening event. After a few adjustments and welcome changes, we have now done several shows in this significantly altered but equally gorgeous room, including a special holiday version in December, reenacting the legendary Miracle on Powell Street! (Does it ever snow in San Francisco?) Along with Khmera Rouge, Mahlae Balenciaga, and Amoura Teese, we brought a little bit of magic back to Union Square. Expect to see future shows at Starlite once a month, starting January 25 at 5:30 pm, with a rotating cast of drag performers.

Thursday, February 5 My Life in Business Suits, Hospital Gowns, and High Heels Donna Sachet interviews author Tom LeNoble Manny’s, 3092 16th Street 6 pm Free! www.eventbrite.com

Saturday, February 7 D’Arcy’s Drag + Disco Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street 8–11 pm $40 www.ticketweb.com top-notch live entertainment. Just a glance at the posted schedule of upcoming events is enough to take your breath away. And what better way to open than with a bevy of drag queens on stage on Friday, February 6, to introduce Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. This will be your first chance to see the incredible results of painstaking work over these many months, plastering, painting, gold-leafing, and bringing this historic landmark back to life. And beyond all the beautiful restoration, you’ll enjoy new, comfortable seats, a spacious refreshment bar, completely redone restrooms, and a brand-new pipe organ, ready to rise from the floor to welcome a new generation of supporters. We’ll see you there! Donna Sachet is a celebrated performer, fundraiser, activist, and philanthropist who has dedicated over two decades to the LGBTQ Community in San Francisco. Contact her at empsachet@gmail.com

PHOTO BY SHAWN NORTHCUTT

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JUSTER (continued from pg 4)

ICE OUT OAKLAND (continued from pg 3)

share. Want to learn more? You can find trainings here: https://tinyurl.com/WitnessTrain Being a Good Neighbor, Part II When the current temporary resident of the White House took office the first time, in January 2017, his first acts included the Muslim travel ban, and building an enormously expensive wall along our border with Mexico in a vain attempt to halt immigration. One of San Francisco’s leading activists—the son of immigrants from Mexico himself—decided to do something about it. Honoring his family’s heritage, Leandro Gonzales made over 300 tamales from his family recipe, building a symbolic “wall” of tamales at Lookout, and selling them off to raise money for La Raza Centro Legal. Since then, Leandro has organized teams of willing volunteers to make thousands of delicious tamales to benefit our community. On January 3, I was lucky enough to be part of the Tamale Time team, helping to make over 600 tamales, this time benefiting the Castro Country Club and Castro Community on Patrol. As Leandro said on Facebook, “Our volunteers ... come together to assemble the tamales made with tradition, care, and purpose. Every order placed now directly supports safe spaces and the neighbors and community members we serve.” If you missed out on this round of tamales, you can still honor Leandro’s work by supporting the Castro Country Club and Castro Community on Patrol, an all-volunteer organization that helps keep the Castro community safe. Now celebrating their 20th year, CCOP is currently recruiting volunteers, and could really use your help. Since 2006, they have distributed over 130,000 free safety whistles, conducted thousands of safety patrols, and supported hundreds of other community nonprofit events, rallies, and functions. Even volunteering just three hours per month can make a difference. All necessary training and equipment are provided. On your once-a-month walking safety patrols, you can provide information to tourists, guidance to residents and workers, and call in professional emergency responders when necessary. For more info, or to sign up: https://www.castropatrol.org/

What’s Next: Elections, Marches, and More Midterm elections are coming up in November, but, long before then, there are important elections on the calendar. In many states, there are local races coming up soon for county clerks that will determine how votes are cast, counted, and certified. You can help keep elections fair and safe by supporting the State and Local Election Alliance, which has been keeping an eye on the most strategic races: https://www.state-elections.org/ The date for the next nationwide No Kings Day will be announced soon, but, in the meantime, your presence is requested and needed on Monday, January 19, for the annual Martin Luther King, Jr., Day March, which proceeds from San Francisco’s Caltrain Station at 11 am to Yerba Buena Gardens. Thousands march in San Francisco each year to pay homage to the historic Selma-to-Montgomery marches, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, legacy of justice, equity, and nonviolent protest. This year, the NorCal MLK Foundation, which hosts the march, will be featuring an array of other events throughout the week leading up to January 19. From theological discussions and music festivals to an immigration workshop, there are plenty to choose from. Details here: https://tinyurl.com/NorCalMLK26 Some Good News: A Sweet Way to Support Trans Kids Girl Scout Cookie season is almost upon us, and the good news is that you can support trans kids by buying your cookies online. Erin in the Morning, an online journalist who specializes in queer news and legislation that affect the trans community, has put together a list of links for trans kids across the country who are selling cookies to support their scout activities. Buy some cookies and show these kids they are loved and supported: https://tinyurl.com/TransGSC It has been said that action is the antidote to despair. Let’s go out there and make this a happy new year, against all odds. Joanie Juster is a long-time community volunteer, activist, and ally.

broken by what is happening to our communities. If we all use our voices, we can end this.” AJ, yet another demonstrator, reflected the sentiment of many: “We are here protesting Trump’s police state jeopardizing the lives and safety of our neighbors in the community. I am here on behalf of families that are too scared to appear in public to speak out.” Raff and his team added, referring to the shooting of Good: “This killing is part of a broader pattern of unchecked violence and abuse carried out by federal immigration enforcement agencies against vulnerable and innocent people. We will not sit by while violence goes unanswered and our communities are terrorized, so we met ICE’s violence with steadfast nonviolence and lawful protest.”

RENÉE NICOLE GOOD (continued from pg 3) keep each other safe and whole. Like people have done across place and time, we moved to make a better life for ourselves. We chose Minnesota to make our home. Our whole extended road trip here, we held hands in the car while our son drew all over the windows to pass the time and the miles. What we found when we got here was a vibrant and welcoming community, we made friends and spread joy. And while any place we were together was home, there was a strong shared sense here in Minneapolis that we were looking out for each other. Here, I had finally found peace and safe harbor. That has been taken from me forever. We were raising our son to believe that no matter where you come from or what you look like, all of us deserve compassion and kindness. Renée lived this belief every day. She is pure love. She is pure joy. She is pure sunshine. On Wednesday, January 7th, we stopped to support our neighbors. We had whistles. They had guns. Renée leaves behind three extraordinary children; the youngest is just six years old and already lost his father. I am now left to raise our son and to continue teaching him, as Renée believed, that there are people building a better world for him. That the people who did this had fear and anger in their hearts, and we need to show them a better way. We thank you for the privacy you are granting our family as we grieve. We thank you for ensuring that Renée’s legacy is one of kindness and love. We honor her memory by living her values: rejecting hate and choosing compassion, turning away from fear and pursuing peace, refusing division and knowing we must come together to build a world where we all come home safe to the people we love.”

HORIZONS (continued from pg 8) movement had recalibrated. Their focus on material survival— housing, food, healthcare—signaled a shift from rights-based advocacy to broad community well-being. They added that recent progressive electoral wins show that campaigns can still succeed with pro-trans, pro-worker, and anti-poverty platforms, arguing that economic concerns drive voter behavior more than ideology. Progressives must therefore highlight economic issues and counter narratives that portray LGBTQ rights as zero-sum. Jennings’ historical and financial analysis reinforced the need for generational planning. Citing decades-long conservative strategies and a Supreme Court likely to remain hostile for another generation, he stressed that the LGBTQ movement must rely on itself through sustained grassroots funding and legacy giving. “Let’s be really honest,” he said. “Corporations are fair-weather friends. Mainstream philanthropy? Excuse my language, [they] could give a s--t about LGBT causes. The reality is that less than 1% of foundation giving in this country goes to LGBT causes, and most of it comes from LGBT funders like the Gill Foundation and Horizons Foundation. So, the only people who are gonna save us are ourselves.” Taken together, the discussion portrayed a movement under immense pressure yet undergoing profound strategic evolution—increasingly intersectional, materially grounded, historically informed, and oriented toward long-term power-building. To watch the State of the Movement, go to https://bit.ly/4qTXnQj 14

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Frederick Gotthold Enslin: ‘Dismiss’d [From] the Service With Infamy’ delphia on September 30, 1774. The ship had been built in Philadelphia and then registered for passengers barely six months earlier, on April 2, after a journey that originated in Rotterdam with calls at Portsmouth and Cowes. Enslin joined the fight for American Independence as a lieutenant three years later.

Faces from Our LGBT Past Dr. Bill Lipsky On March 10, 1778, Gotthold Frederick Enslin became the first soldier to be tried, convicted, and expelled from the Continental Army for “Infamous Crimes” with another serviceman. Commander in Chief George Washington personally approved the court-martial decision. Whether Washington signed the discharge order because Enslin had been found guilty of intimate relations with a private, or because Enslin had been discovered socializing with someone below his rank, which was equally forbidden and scandalous, or because Enslin had lied about the matter to a superior officer, Washington secured the lieutenant’s place in history. Almost nothing is known of Enslin’s life before he joined the army. He had traveled to the newly proclaimed United States of America on the Union, a recently built ship of “250 tons burthen” that arrived at Phila-

Infantry Continental Army by Henry Alexander Ogden, circa 1897

Valley Forge (1778)

On February 27, 1778, his moral integrity became the concern of “a Brigade Court Martial” when “Ensign [Anthony] Maxwell of Colonel [William] Malcom’s Regiment [was] tried for propagating a scandalous report prejudicial to the character of Lieutenant Enslin.” Fortunately for Maxwell, but not for him, “the Court after maturely deliberating upon the Evidence produced could not find that Ensign Maxwell had published any report prejudicial to the Character of Lieutenant Enslin further than the strict line of his duty required and do therefore acquit him of the Charge.” The summary of findings did not include information about what Maxwell had reported to his superiors about Enslin. That became all too clear at another Court Martial eleven days later, when he was “tried for attempting to commit sodomy with John Monhort, a soldier [and] secondly, for perjury in swearing to false accounts.” Found “guilty of the charges exhibited against him, being breaches of 5th Article 18th Section of the Articles of War,” his judges “sentence[d] him to be dismiss’d [from] the service with Infamy.”

Drawings by Friedrich von Germann (1744–1794) of an American Revolutionary War officer (left) and soldier (right)

months during the first year after conviction. If he be a married man, he shall also suffer castration, and the injured wife shall have a divorce if required.” Instead, the General allowed him, although Enslin was greatly humiliated, simply to walk away.

ilton and John Laurens, both officers, who lived together at Valley Forge. Theirs was an impassioned, emotionally intimate, and enormously loving relationship. Although both men eventually married, the deeply expressive language contained in the letters they wrote to each other, stated one biographer, “raises questions concerning homosexuality” that “cannot be categorically answered.”

Enslin left Valley Forge just sixteen days after Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben arrived there. Before that he had been busy reforming and modernizWhile at Valley Forge, Steuben entered into ing the army of Frederick the his own “extraordinary intense emotional Great of Prussia, but was relationships” with William North and forced into exile for Benjamin Walker, two military offiallegedly becoming too No transcript of the proceedings, cers, then in their 20s. After the no statement of evidence, and no close to some of the war, he legally adopted them list of witnesses survive. Only Alexander Hamilton young men under his both. When he died, they Washington’s review of the court’s command. Although $10 bill standard inherited the bulk of his estate. decision and the punishment he Benjamin Franklin, (North, who married, named ordered survives. “His Excellency Commissioner for two of his six children after his the Commander in Chief approves the senthe United States to France, mentor.) John Mulligan, who tence and with Abhorrence & Detestation of knew all the stories about him, also considered himself one of such Infamous Crimes orders Lieutenant he still recommended him for “Steuben’s sons” and who was Enslin to be drummed out of Camp tomorthe position of Inspector Genwith him during his later years, row morning by all the Drummers and eral of the Continental Army, received his books, maps, and Fifers in the Army never to return; the which he accepted. $2,500 in cash, then a considerable Drummers and Fifers to attend on the During the bleakest of times for Grand Parade at Guard mounting for that Baron Frederick William sum. the American Revolution, Steuben von Steuben by Charles Purpose.” Almost nothing is known about presented himself at Valley Forge Willson Peale (1780) Enslin was literally drummed out of the Enslin’s life after he crossed the with his own servants, a service on March 15, 1778. His colleague, Schuylkill. He may have French cook, an aide-deLieutenant James McMichael, later moved to Boston, where camp, a miniature greydescribed Enslin’s disgrace in a diary entry: hound, and his 17-year-old he—or another man with “He was first drum’d from right to left of the personal secretary and the same name—married parade, thence to the left wing of the army; companion, Pierre-Étienne Elizabeth Geye on July 24, from that to the centre, and lastly transportdu Ponceau, his presumed 1784. More is known ed over the Schuylkill with lover, who shared his about Monhort, however. orders never to be seen in Camp accommodations. Serving He was born in New York in the future. This shocking directly under Washington, around 1760 and enlisted scene was performed by all the he shaped the disarrayed as a private in Malcom’s drums and fifes in the army— Continentals into an orgaRegiment in 1777. Prothe coat of the delinquent was nized, disciplined, and moted to the rank of corturned wrong side out.” effective fighting force that poral in May 1779, he was able to win the war. As harsh and unenlightened as remained with the army The army continued to Enslin’s punishment may seem John Laurens by Charles Fraser, circa 1802 until the spring of 1780. follow the principles of the now, Washington had actually Never tried for his intimacy training program he implemented for showed great leniency and with Enslin, he died in 1835. decades. restraint. At the time, PennsylBill Lipsky, Ph.D., author of “LGBTQ+ vania law required that anyone Steuben barely spoke English, but he could Trailblazers of San Francisco” (2023) and convicted of sodomy “shall sufspeak excellent French, so Washington “Gay and Lesbian San Francisco” (2006), is fer imprisonment during life and assigned his own secretary and one of his be whipped at the discretion of aides-de-camp to assist him. Who were they? a member of the Rainbow Honor Walk the magistrates, once every three They were his dear friends, Alexander Ham- board of directors. S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

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Prelude know what the prelude in church is for. It’s the time set aside to talk, catch up on the past week’s happenings, discuss what people chose to wear to worship, and arrange where you’ll be meeting for lunch. When I was growing up, restaurants weren’t open on Sunday, but, as soon as that changed, we traded in the pot roast at home for the cafeteria line. All of that is what this prelude is for, so turn down the volume on the organ so we can talk. The organ has its own chapter.

TLC: Tears, Laughs and Conversation Dr. Tim Seelig (Editor’s Note: On January 10, 2026, Dr. Tim Seelig not only celebrated his 75th birthday, but also the 40th anniversary of his coming out. He now has a gift for all of us: his publisher, Good Faith Media, has just released a free ebook, More Tales 2020–2025, which can be downloaded at https://goodfaithmedia.org/tim-seelig/ This book covers his life following his leaving San Francisco. We also recommend reading Tale of Two Tims: Big ‘Ol Baptist, Big ‘Ol Gay, his memoir, which may be purchased via the publisher’s site. Here, Tim shares the “prelude” that appears in the new free ebook.) This prelude is what most people would call the introduction. I’m not most people. You already knew that. Since my life, and the new book addendum, are cram packed with music, it feels right. Those of us who grew up in church

When I turned 70, it seemed like the right time to pen a memoir. At that point, my life had been divided into two exact halves: 35 years as a Baptist and 35 years as a gay. Okay, I was obviously gay during the first 35 years, but I didn’t get the memo. Then I came flinging out. And, boy, am I glad. So, I wrote Tale of Two Tims. You’d think that would be enough. But, no, I just had to write some More Tales! “Why?” you may ask. I asked myself the same thing. I said, “Self, why would you want to put people through that?” I responded, “Because I have so much more to share.” I’ve experienced many new things from a pandemic to a river-front recliner to jumping out of a plane! I’ve learned a lot. I hope some of those things will make you laugh, bring a tear, and encourage you in your own life. My life has always been “enthusiastically overbooked.” I know exactly who’s to blame for that: me. Sing along: “I’m just a girl who can’t say no.” The five-plus years since the release of my memoir haven’t exactly been a masterclass in slowing down. When I

announced I was “retiring,” people laughed—to my face and behind my back. Turns out, the laughter was justified. I could hear eyes rolling all over the place. One of these days, I swear I’ll have the last laugh ... probably from a hammock in Hawaii or maybe from my recliner looking at the Columbia River like I am doing as I type! The intro to Tale of Two Tims was fancy. I had lots of wonderful people who read advance copies and said really nice things. This intro is not so fancy. Just so you know, not everyone liked Tale of Two Tims. They were in it and have chosen to no longer be in my life. Maybe I’ll share that in More More Tales one day. It’s okay. More Tales includes things like the following: • • • • • • • •

COVID (painful memories) “Retirement” (air quotes intentional) Bipolar 1 close to home Portlandia Puppies and Kittens Wedding Bells TEDx and Moth Storytelling New Chorus. What?

If you’ve read Tale of Two Tims: Big Ol’ Baptist Big Ol’ Gay—thank you. It’s not required reading for this sequel. Think of it as optional homework with no quiz at the end. And if you haven’t? No worries—you’re here now. None of this would have been possible without my friends at the San Francisco Bay Times, Betty Sullivan and Jennifer Viegas. A decade ago, they knew I had written some books about singing and thought I might be able to write about something else—like life. They took a chance and here we are ten years later having written a monthly column for their amazing newspaper. They have been so very patient, and I have tested them. The articles have provided a road map for my

memoir and this addendum. In fact, you’ll find a few articles that I particularly loved just as they appeared in the paper. Thank you, all! When Tale of Two Tims ended, I was in line at a Luby’s cafeteria, deep in the heart of Texas. I love the cafeteria as a metaphor of how to live life. You select the things that are appealing and would serve you well. You leave the rest for others to choose. Simple. You don’t spit on the other items, and you don’t criticize them just because they are not your cup of fried okra. My mama would not let us say we hated something. She taught us to say, “It’s not my very favorite.” The things that did not serve us were left behind for others to enjoy. If only we could do that in life. I was very lucky to conduct at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center many times. I was speaking to the producer about the fact that another group on the program had a larger orchestra than mine. Without taking a breath and without even looking at me, she simply said, “Keep your eyes on your own yoga mat.” Amen. I closed Tales with one of my favorites: You may not remember what you read, but I hope you never forget how it made you feel! The quote is often attributed to my friend, Maya Angelou (1928–2014). The prelude is over. Sit yourself down and get ready for the main event—full of music, some preaching, and what we call the “Invitation.” This is an altar call. It’s the time, on the seventh verse of “Just As I Am,” for you to redecorate your life (some say rededicate). I hope you enjoy continuing the romp through my crazy life. I’ll see you at the end. Dr. Tim Seelig is the Conductor Laureate of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. http://www.timseelig.com/

Dr. Tim Seelig Birthday Fundraiser for the Portland Sage Singers: Q+ Elders and Allies Another Birthday? Nooooo! You’ve all felt that before. On January 10, I marked three quarters of a century on this planet! This year also marks my 40th anniversary of coming out! For decades, I have used round number birthdays to help raise funds for organizations I love. My 70th was for the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, of course. Well, here I am at 75 still waving my arms at people. This big round birthday is benefiting the Portland Sage Singers: Q+ Elders and Allies (PSS). There are now 90 singers with an average age of 70! I can guarantee your donation will be put to great use to help give the Sage Singers a firm financial foundation for the years ahead. The graphic couldn’t accommodate all the music I’ve been lucky enough to make with you! PSS is the 5th LGBTQ+ chorus I’ve had the privilege to conduct over the last 39 years. You know them 16

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well: the Turtle Creek Chorale, The Women’s Chorus of Dallas, Resounding Harmony, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, and now the precious Portland elders. Lucky me! There is a very user-friendly donation portal through Givebutter. The link is https://bit.ly/4pzSpqK When I was younger, I never imagined I would be this old! I certainly never could have imagined the beauty in my life: the place where I live, the husband of my dreams, a completely co-dependent puppy dog, friends far and near, and that I am still making music. You all have kept me going and kept me young! Thank you all for being a part of it along the way! Dr. Tim Seelig is the Conductor Laureate of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. http://www.timseelig.com/

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Entitled After Sleepwalking: Music by Women and Nonbinary Composers, the concert will feature the winning piece from the 2025 E4TT/Luna Composition Lab Call for Scores, as well as five other works by contemporary composers Anna Clyne, Joan Tower, Jungyoon Wie, S. A. Workman, and two-time Grammy winner Andrew Yee. This concert will be performed at the Piedmont Piano Company in Oakland, 1728 San Pablo Avenue, on Sunday, January 25, 2026, at 5 pm. Located in the Uptown Arts and Entertainment District near the Fox Theater, the venue offers a beautiful, intimate setting for concerts amidst some of the world’s finest instruments. After Sleepwalking: Music by Women and Nonbinary Composers The program will feature “A Thousand Mornings” (2020) for piano trio by American Academy of Arts and Letters Charles Ives Fellowship awardee Clyne, “For the Sleepwalkers” (2023) for narrator and piano trio by G. Schirmer Prize winner Wie, “Cinq Petits Morceaux” (2015) for solo piano by SF Conservatory of Music graduate Workman, “The Light After” (2021) for solo cello by Yee, and “Tres Lent” (1994) and its companion piece “Wild Run” (2018) for cello and piano by Guggenheim fellow Tower.

Her current positions include core cellist of the Astralis Chamber Ensemble and principal cellist of Opera San Luis Obispo. Past positions include principal cellist of the Miami Symphony and the Pacific Region International Summer Music Academy; she has also recently performed with the San Antonio Symphony One Found Sound, Nu Deco Ensemble, and the Moscow Symphony Orchestra. A semi-finalist in the 2017 PRISMA Concerto Competition, she won 1st prize in the Ann Arbor Society of Musical Arts’ 2015 Young Artist Com- From left: Megan Chartier, Nanette McGuinness, and Margaret Halbig petition and the 2015 Miami music collective, where she also serves on Music Festival Concerto Competition, conthe board. She is also a member of Freducted by Grzegorz Nowak of the Royal quency 49, a wind and piano sextet, which Philharmonic. performs all over the Bay Area. Halbig earned her DMA from the University of Pianist Margaret Halbig is in high demand California Santa Barbara and also holds as a collaborative artist in both the instruperformance degrees from the University of mental and vocal fields. She is currently Missouri, Kansas City Conservatory, and Associate Chair of the Voice Department and Principal Vocal Coach at the San Fran- University of Evansville, Indiana. cisco Conservatory of Music. During the summer, she is Collaborative Piano Coordinator of Interlochen Arts Camp where she coordinates vocal, instrumental, and dance pianists, collaborates on faculty recitals, teaches piano, and plays piano with students. An advocate of new and contemporary music, Halbig is the pianist for Ninth Planet, a San Francisco-based new

Soprano and E4TT co-founder and Artistic Executive Director Nanette McGuinness has performed in 13 languages on two continents in over 25 roles with the Silesian State (Czech Republic), Opera San Jose, West Bay Opera, Pacific Repertory Opera, Trinity Lyric Opera, and Livermore Valley Opera, among others. Solo concert engagements include Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, as

E4TT (soprano/narrator Nanette McGuinness, cellist Megan Chartier, and pianist Margaret Halbig) will be joined by violinist Maya Victoria. Cellist Megan Chartier is “unafraid to display gutsy abandon” (South Florida Classical Review). She has performed internationally as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral cellist.

Margaret Halbig

Nanette McGuinness

PHOTO BY RUSS FISCHELLA

About the Artists

Megan Chartier

well as Shéhérézade (Ravel), Nuits d’étés (Berlioz), Stabat Mater (Rossini), Requiem (Fauré), Gloria (Vivaldi), Lord Nelson Mass (Haydn), Vesperae Solennes (Mozart), and Handel’s Messiah and Solomon. McGuinness has been featured on seven albums with Centaur and Yuggoth Records, and her CD of music by 19th and 20th century women composers, Fabulous Femmes (Centaur), was called “perfect for the song recital lover” by Chamber Music Magazine. She earned her PhD in Music at UC Berkeley and her MM in Vocal Performance from Holy Names College. Violinist Maya Victoria (Charyyeva) began her musical education at the age of five, studying piano and violin at a specialized music school in Ashgabat where she graduated with honors and toured internationally. In 2016, she was awarded first prize in Turkmenistan’s national competition for music school graduates. She continued her education at the Mimar Sinan University State Conservatory in Istanbul, where she performed with Camerata Saygun and took part in numerous concerts, festivals, and competitions as a soloist and chamber musician throughout Turkey. She completed her bachelor’s degree with honors in 2021. Now based in California, she is an active member of (continued on page 28) PHOTO BY AYDEN GREHORY

Award-winning San Francisco contemporary chamber music group Ensemble for These Times (E4TT) will start the new year with the seventh edition of its popular annual series, a program of music by women and nonbinary composers, and the start of its second collaboration with Luna Composition Lab, as part of their 10th Anniversary Celebration.

PHOTO BY MARTYN SELMAN

Oakland’s Piedmont Piano Company to Feature Music by Women and Nonbinary Composers on January 25

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he is “not a family man.” (That is code for gay; the film does not speak about “the love that dare not speak its name.”)

Film Gary M. Kramer The Choral, directed by out gay filmmaker Nicholas Hytner and written by the out gay Alan Bennett, is a genteel period drama about making rousing music, but, alas, it rouses little more than a yawn. In 1916 Ramden, Yorkshire, Alderman Duxbury (Roger Allam), the local mill owner, is planning to stage a performance of St. Matthew Passion. He hopes to entice the few men left in the town to sing as they need male voices. After the auditions, however, Duxbury’s chorus master enlists— the war is on, after all—and he must find a replacement. He reluctantly agrees to bring in Dr. Guthrie (Ralph Fiennes), but Guthrie is a bit of an outcast; not only did he spend years in—gasp!—Germany, but

PHOTO BY NICOLA DOVE. COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES CLASSICS

The Choral Is a Flat Drama With Queer Undertones

A subplot involves Guthrie regularly checking on his German “friend” (code for lover) who enlisted in the Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Henry Guthrie in The Choral war. Their relastraight (and horny) young men in tionship is discretely implied, as is the sexthe chorus. Lofty (Olvier Briscombe) uality of Guthrie’s current pianist, Robert wants to lose his virginity before Horner (Robert Emms), who tells Guthhe goes off to war. His friend Ellis rie that he would like to be his “friend,” (Taylor Uttley) has eyes for Bella but Guthrie denies him. (Perhaps because (Emily Fairn) whose boyfriend, homosexuality was illegal at the time, but the film never mentions that either.) Robert Clyde ( Jacob Dudman), is missing at war. Meanwhile, Mitch (Shaun instead becomes a conscientious objector Thomas) is attracted to Mary when he gets called up to war. During his (Amara Okereke), a religious Salvainterview with the board, he is asked question Army volunteer. An amusing scene has tions about sports and if he is a vegetarian, Mary’s mother (Cecilia Noble) addressing as if to queer bait him. Robert sticks to the Mitch in a way that is contrary to what he courage of his convictions, acknowledging expects from this formidable woman. that it will result in punishment. The Choral downplays the homosexuality and focuses on the relationships of the

Hytner hits all the expected notes as this polished film unfolds, but the tone, which is meant to be reflective about war, comes off almost too restrained even for the British. The most dramatic moment has Guthrie deciding not to conduct St. Matthew Passion, but instead he selects The Dream of Gerontius by Edward Elgar (out actor Simon Russell Beale, who has only one scene, but it’s marvelous). In tailoring Elgar’s oratorio to the talent on hand, and given the fact that he has a trio and not an orchestra, Guthrie makes some liberal changes, including staging the production with costumes, more like an opera. Another revision involves recasting the older Duxbury with—spoiler alert—the much younger Clyde, who returns from the war, injured, but with a beautiful voice intact. The decision to stage the performance to reflect wartime generates some emotion, but The Choral never gets too heightened. This is the film’s blessing and curse. Hytner thankfully resists creating big operatic moments for minor ones that tug at the heartstrings. “Art is insensitive,” says Guthrie, making the point to be bold and daring, but the film itself never takes much of a chance. When an f-bomb or two is dropped, it is positively shocking; and during a few scenes of a sexual nature—one where a man asks to be pleasured, or another involving a man stripping naked—one can almost hear the pearls being clutched. In contrast, episodes involving a female sex worker are positively benign. The singing is as lovely as the handsome period costumes and sets. The cinematography by Mike Eley is so crisp that one might wonder if wartime Britain should look so

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gorgeous. And the staging of The Dream of Gerontius has some inspired moments; the music is glorious. The performances are as competent as the filmmaking. Fiennes plays Guthrie as fussy—cue him shrewdly admonishing Duxbury for crooning not singing and the contraltos about “having something against a B flat.” But, despite a few angry outbursts, Fiennes mostly underplays his part. His Guthrie could be darker, more intense, and even wounded, but Fiennes leans into Guthrie’s superiority and stoicism (when it comes to his sexuality). He feels both miscast and wasted here. Among the large supporting cast, Allam delivers a poignant turn as Duxbury, a man who comes to appreciate the choral and what it provides him and the other singers, and Dudman is featured well as Clyde struggles to life in England after his duty. His interactions with Bella or some young men who are soon heading off on to war (continued pagestrike XX) wistful tones and hint at how strong the film could be. The Choral is mostly inoffensive. Little is made about Mary being Black, and none of the references to homosexuality are negative. The film is sure to please its target audience, the Masterpiece Theatre crowd, and there is nothing wrong with that. But, for a film where the characters are grappling with the pain of war, loss, and even their sexuality, it is remarkably bland. © 2026 Gary M. Kramer Gary M. Kramer is the author of “Independent Queer Cinema: Reviews and Interviews,” and the co-editor of “Directory of World Cinema: Argentina.” He teaches Short Attention Span Cinema at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute and is the moderator for Cinema Salon, a weekly film discussion group. Follow him on IG @garyemkramer

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After a Year of Bad Films, Finally There’s a Movie Worth Seeing: Song Sung Blue Off the Wahl Jan Wahl

Let there be light. Hamnet, Wicked, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Nuremberg, Marty Supreme ... how many bad movies can they make or remake? We just went through a year of bad films. Now there is good news to begin the year: Song Sung Blue is a supreme example of why and how a movie works. Everything from casting to music, and from sets to plot, knocks it out of the park. If only mainstream Hollywood would pay attention; this is how you make a movie. It all begins with Hugh Jackman. From his first close-up to his last fadeout, he creates a charac-

ter of charisma, drama, eccentricity, and humor. I admit to being a major fan and a camp follower of Mr. Jackman, having seen him on stage, in one-man shows, and in musicals. But this is the most remarkable film performance of his that I have seen; every moment carries the gravitas of a man in love with music and a woman. It irks me that Jackman often doesn’t get the credit he deserves, and I am hoping that he receives an Oscar for this performance.

I haven’t been so engrossed in a movie in a couple of years.

Kate Hudson reaches Jackman’s level of brilliance. Both leading players sing their own songs. It is easy to root for them both;

There is no way you should miss this film. It’s a single, strong narrative with a ridiculously talented leading man. If the Academy doesn’t recognize him, it is due to show business’ jealousy. I have been guilty myself of saying that we do not have stars today along the lines of Gable, Tracy, Power, or Flynn. Roll them all up and you’ve got Hugh Jackman. Sorry to gush, but ask me about him and I will do it again.

Kate Hudson as Claire Sardina in Song Sung Blue

The film is based on the true story of a Milwaukee couple that perform as a Neil Diamond tribute band. We follow them into the highs and lows of their lives and regional fame. Apparently, their story is detailed in a 2008 documentary of the same name, Song Sung Blue. That’s the next one on my list.

Jan Wahl is a Hollywood historian and film critic on various broadcast outlets. She has two Emmys and many awards for her longtime work on behalf of film buffs and the LGBTQ community. Learn more at www.janwahl.com

Hugh Jackman as Mike Sardina in Song Sung Blue

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The Storm (fiction - hardcover) by Rachel Hawkins

The latest Gothic thriller by Hawkins is set in St. Menard’s Bay, a town known for its hurricanes, the Rosalie Inn, and Lo Bailey. Bailey is infamously known for being accused in 1984 of the murder of her lover, the political golden boy Landon Fitzroy. Decades later, she has returned to St. Menard’s Bay with a true crime writer in tow, determined to set the record straight. Firestorm: The Great Los Angeles Fires and America’s New Age of Disaster (non-fiction - hardcover) by Jacob Soboroff National reporter for MS NOW Jacob Soboroff was one of the first on the ground covering the 2025 Los Angeles fires. Firestorm is a love letter to his home of Los Angeles and the story of one of the most ruinous wildfires in American history. 24

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This Is Where the Serpent Lives (fiction hardcover) by Daniyal Mueenuddin

This highly anticipated novel from Daniyal Mueenuddin takes place in the cities of Pakistan and its feudal countryside. The novel follows the lives of twelve characters who are inexorably linked. This Is Where the Serpent Lives is an examination of culture, social power, castes, and morality. Upcoming Events Sunday, January 18 @ 4 pm (non-ticketed - Ferry Building store) Lucas Cantor Santiago, author of Unfinished: The Role of the Artist in the Age of Artificial Intelligence Emmy Award–winning composer and producer Lucas Cantor Santiago was commissioned by a technology company to work with AI to finish Franz Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony. This successful endeavor led Santiago to explore the relationship between technology and the art in his

new book Unfinished. He will be joined in conversation with Adam Becker. Tuesday, January 20 @ 5:30 pm (non-ticketed - Ferry Building store) Taleen Voskuni, author of Our Ex’s Wedding Wedding planner Ani is struggling to try to make ends meet. When the opportunity presents itself to plan a high-profile wedding in Napa, she takes it. To her surprise, the bride turns out to be her ex-girlfriend who broke her heart. Voskuni will be joined in conversation with Laura Marie Meyers and Jessica Joyce. Sunday, January 25 @ 4 pm (non-ticketed - Corte Madera store) Laurie E. Smith, author of The Flow Habit: Creating Peace, Passion, Purpose, and Everyday Miracles The Flow Habit is an easy-to-follow guide to help reach a flow state—that feeling you get when you lose track of time. Smith believes that, by doing something you love for a few minutes every day, you will change your life dramatically. https://www.bookpassage.com

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A Tribute to Bob Weir (1947–2026) Photos and Story by Mike Kirschner

I’ve been a Deadhead since I first heard the album Live Dead when I was 15 in 1974. So, Bob Weir has been part of my life for over 50 years. The photos of Bob here in the San Francisco Bay Times were taken starting in September 1983, a month after I got my first SLR camera, at a show down in Watsonville, through mid-1986. Bob was a powerful and innovative rhythm guitarist who formed the predecessor to the Grateful Dead with Jerry Garcia at the young age of 16. Bob was particularly outspoken. While most of the Grateful Dead’s audience was/is straight and white, the band and the fans are—for the most part (like any random population in the U.S.)—all about “good vibes, man.” It was then no surprise that, in 2016, Bob—playing at Bonnaroo the day after the tragic terrorist massacre in Orlando—told the audience: “If you got gay friends, tell them you’re sorry about that—sorry about what happened today. You know, it’s funny—the Lt. Governor of Texas and a distinguished representative in the house from Georgia ... well, that guy last week was reading quotes from the bible saying how gay people deserved to die. And today, after the incident down in Florida, the Lt. Governor tweeted that, well, ‘They’re gonna reap what they sow.’ I tell you what. I want to ask you a question: Is there a difference between that mindset and the mindset of the folks in the Taliban or ISIS? The hatred and intolerance are the same. They may pull it from different books, but it’s the same f-ing thing. Register and vote. Get those a-holes out of there.” Bob and the Grateful Dead left us an enormous legacy of music and songs. There are many bands, comprised of solid musicians, who are dedicated to keeping this music alive. Go see them. And, especially, go see BERTHA: Grateful Drag, a Nashville, Tennessee, band that pays tribute to the Grateful Dead, plays in full drag, and embodies the good vibes of the scene. May the four winds blow you safely home, Bobby. Mike Kirschner, a 2024 Visions of Pride Award recipient, is a photographer with over four decades of professional experience, particularly in covering concerts and performers such as the Grateful Dead. View more of his work at https://mikek.photography/

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Sister Dana Sez: Words of Wisdumb from a Fun Nun

By Sister Dana Van Iquity Sister Dana sez, “So, the new year is here, and you’ve already broken your new year’s resolution? Well, take my resolution solution, because it’s unbreakable: ‘I resolve to be the best me I can be.’ You can’t break that one!” Trump’s manic, erratic, angry December 17 Address to the Nation was basically just a huge 18-minutes-long scream-a-thon: “it’s the Democrats’ fault”; “it’s Biden’s fault”; “it’s Obama’s fault”; “I was handed a bad economy”; “it’s the immigrants ruining our nation”; “I’m fighting a war on drugs and bravely attacking Venezuela”; not to mention, “I am busy building my $400 million ballroom!” Adding to that depressive nature of what should have been encouragement and pride in America, Dictator Donald installed very expensive (for taxpayers), permanent plaques essentially rewriting history, blaming past presidents, and just plain lying. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stated, “President Trump’s speech last night showed he lives in a bubble completely disconnected from the reality everyday Americans are seeing and feeling.” On January 3, Trump claimed that he and the U.S. will “run” Venezuela, and he won’t rule out U.S. boots on the ground. That very day, Senator Scott Wiener called for Trump’s impeachment for his illegal invasion in Venezuela, stating, “This lawless coup is an invitation for China to invade Taiwan, for Russia to escalate its conquest in Ukraine, and for Netanyahu to expand the destruction of Gaza and annex the West Bank. Trump cares nothing for the human or economic cost of conquering another country—he cares only about enriching his billionaire donors.” The awful news continues. Trump has moved to end Gender-Related Care for Minors, threatening any hospitals that offer it. This is a major attack on transgender rights! It’s an attack on transgender existence! The Trevor Project has done an extensive September 2024 study to find that anti-transgender laws cause up to a 72% increase in suicide attempts among transgender and nonbinary youth. Note that right before their “holiday break,” House Republicans had been working on advancing sweeping anti-trans bills. One of these would put doctors in jail for up to ten years if they provide gender-affirming care

It was the latest attack of the Trump-branding machine, because Trump’s name had been swiftly added to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, just one day after its board (all members of which had been approved by Trump) moved to rename it. The Center was built as a living memorial to the 35th president, and it has been generally understood that the power to change its name lies with Congress. The expensive new DJT gold letters appeared without Congressional action. It has become obvious that any way he can slap his name onto a preexisting building, Trump will do so without hesitation. Sister Dana sez, “So what’s next? The Trump Lincoln Memorial? The Trump Washington Monument? The entire Trump District of D.J.T. Washington, D.C.?! But wait! There’s more: Trump has announced plans for a new class of military vessels bearing his name, unveiling what he called “Trump Class” battleships as part of a broader vision for a revamped American fleet. Sister Dana sez, “That’s great! Big boy battleships at $5 billion each!”

Dennis McMillan (aka Sister Dana Van Iquity) was surrounded by friends at the 2025 Light in the Grove fundraiser at Golden Gate Park for the National AIDS Memorial on November 30.

until it all somehow goes away? Or, as the DOJ explains/justifies: “Due to the mass volume of material, this process may take a few more weeks.” Nevertheless, this all fails to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. And, by the way, is ANYONE in the Trump group showing the least bit of empathy for the true victims of the

files? The young girls and women who were sexually abused?! Will Trump continue to investigate and indict his political enemies as part of his retribution campaign? Will he use his powers of pardoning in cases like the thousands of violent January 6 election deniers, crooks (continued on page 28)

We grew up learning in our civics classes that there were THREE branches of government, but with the modern presidency, we now learn that there are only TWO branches of government: the executive and the judicial—leaving the legislative branch as powerless and subject to Trump & Company rules. With fewer than 40 bills signed into law as of December 23, the House and Senate have set a modern record for lowest legislative output in the first year of a new presidency, according to data maintained by C-SPAN and Purdue University. Sister Dana sez, “Maybe if the Republican Congress spent less time supporting autocracy, while the Democratic Congress spent more time supporting democracy—and the two could possibly work together negotiating and compromising instead of acting as enemies—maybe more bills could be passed!” In the new year, several legal cases will come before the High Court. It used to be the Supreme Court, but now its overt leaning towards Trumpism takes away that title and makes it the Inferior Court. Three key cases will come before that Court: firing of federal workers, deploying the National Guard in blue cities, and the presidents’ tariffs. All will be in the spotlight. Over two million more potential Epstein documents have been uncovered. What? Were they all behind a hidden door somewhere that they had overlooked and suddenly came tumbling out? Or is this rather the same old style of delay and denial— S AN F RANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

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to minors—including prescribing hormone replacement therapy to adolescents or puberty blockers to young kids. Three Democrats joined Republicans to pass the bill, 216–211. However, thankfully the bill is unlikely to pass the Senate because it cannot bypass the 60-vote filibuster threshold to become law.

ENSEMBLE FOR THESE TIMES (continued from pg 21)

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MTAC, teaches violin and piano, and regularly performs as a soloist and with various ensembles, including the Pacific Chamber Orchestra.

like former attorney Rudy Giuliani, and (unfortunately openly gay) disgraced Congressman George Santos who committed wire fraud and identity fraud—who was set free after serving less than three months of his three-year sentence?

E4TT’s five albums have all medaled in the Global Music Awards: Emigres & Exiles in Hollywood (2024) featuring music by some of the talented émigre ́ composers who fled persecution during WWII for Hollywood, changing movie music as we know it; The Guernica Project (2022), commemorating the 85th anniversary of the horrific carpet bombing of civilians and Picasso’s masterwork in response; Once/Memory/Night: Paul Celan (2020), honoring the centennial of the seminal 20th-century poet; The Hungarians: From Rózsa to Justus (2018), with works by Hungarian émigre ́ Miklós Rózsa, and three of his compatriots who perished in the Holocaust; and Surviving: Women’s Words

(2016), new music to poetry by women Holocaust survivors. The group recorded its sixth album, El Tiempo Latine, in summer 2025 for release in spring 2026 on the Aerocade label and launched the second season of its podcast of conversations with underrepresented creatives, For Good Measure, in 2024. After Sleepwalking: Music by Women and Nonbinary Composers Sunday, January 25, 2026, 5 pm Piedmont Piano Company 1728 San Pablo Avenue, Oakland Tickets Advance Purchase (recommended) $25/$15/$5 At the Door $30/$20/$10 For more information and to purchase tickets: https://bit.ly/4jXPoiZ

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The Trump Administration has ordered nearly 30 U.S. Ambassadors to leave their posts. Sister Dana sez, “That will do just wonders for our already sinking reputation with our allies and others overseas!” Just days before OASIS, the glittery gay nightclub in SoMa, was poised to close, a surprise twist gave us a post-holiday miracle. Months after its announced closure, the Stevens Family came forward with a significant financial gift to OASIS ARTS, the nonprofit arm that is responsible for programming at Oasis, allowing its iconic and award-winning shows to continue— after their New Year’s Eve blowout blew us away. So, unfortunately Oasis must close for several months, but will return in all its glory to blow our minds once again!

I’m so thrilled that INDIVISIBLE NATIONAL has been among the groups spearheading huge anti-ICE demonstrations nationwide—including throughout the San Francisco Bay Area! MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., DAY is January 19. Celebrate this civil rights leader, even if Trump denies it’s a National Holiday! As we wrapped up 2025, we could sadly see that hate and extremism were on the rise in America. There were more than 1,000 hate groups last year vilifying others for their race, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Hate crimes against Blacks, Jewish people, and LGBTQ Americans have increased across the U.S. This violence has no place in a just society. So, since 1971, the SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER has been fighting against hate and for equality and justice. https://www.splcenter.org/ Sister Dana sez, “We must fight hatred in all its forms—although a teeny tiny bit of hate against Trump and his awful autocracy is okey-dokey with me!”

Use The News Foundation http://www.usethenews.org

Centinelle Twilly Scarves There’s something undeniably charming about using a ribbon to adorn your outfit; it’s a simple yet transformative accessory that elevates an everyday style. Designed in California and made of silk, these double-sided scarves have infinite possibilities. $60

Vornado Lucerna Alchemy Ultrasonic Humidifiers Are you and your houseplants drying out now that your heat is on for the winter? Flu season got you sniffling miserably? Use an ultrasonic humidifier to keep your skin, your sinuses, and your plants happy. The Lucerna Alchemy comes in halfgallon and gallon sizes and includes an independently operated light for three levels of cozy illumination. $79 and $89 Keep up with Cliff’s Variety news at Facebook ( https://bit.ly/4qh1Xbb ) & IG @hilario_sf 28

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Let’s Go Home!

Take Me Home with You! Smart Stella Loves to Play and Is Ready for Adventures

A Cuddle-Loving French Bulldog Mix and a Comforting Bunny Who Is a Volunteer Favorite

Bubba Gump

Here are two of the many pets now available for adoption at Oakland Animal Services (OAS): Bubba Gump is an 8-year-old, 28-pound little guy who loves to give hugs when he’s feeling especially affectionate. He enjoys playing with his toys, chewing on his favorite bone, and going on leisurely walks. Treats are a big motivator for him, and he already knows “sit,” “come here,” and “go to your bed.” Pumpernickel is a prize and a volunteer favorite, bringing a quiet, comforting, and peaceful presence to every occasion. He is a huge cuddler and will absolutely melt into your lap or your Pumpernickel arms if you’ll let him! Pumpernickel is looking for a home that will shower him with love and affection, just like he knows he deserves! The OAS adoption process focuses on matching you with a pet who is a good fit for you and your family. Come by during open adoption hours Thursdays 12–7 pm and Fridays/Saturdays/Sundays 12–3 pm to adopt your new best friend, or to learn more about the OAS adoption process. Please see the OAS website to learn more about how you can help by adopting, fostering, volunteering, and donating: www.oaklandanimalservices.org

Stella is the kind of dog who turns an ordinary day into a plan. At 2 years old, this pit bull terrier is full of bright, joyful energy and is ready to make friends the moment she spots a new face. Recently transferred to us from our friends at San Francisco Animal Care and Control, Stella arrived with one clear goal: get out there and experience everything.

Stella

She loves to explore and play, and she definitely loves an audience. Give her a soft squeaky toy and she will light up. Hand her a rope toy and you will be recruited for an all-day tug of war tournament. Underneath that playful buzz is a smart girl who is treat motivated and eager to learn. Stella already knows sit and she has started practicing check-ins by looking to her person for direction, a great sign for anyone excited to keep building her skills. Stella would thrive in an active home where she can get plenty of exercise, training, playtime, and love. Bonus points if you want a buddy who will happily help you stay moving. Stella is now hoping to meet her new family at the SF SPCA, located at 250 Florida Street. You can visit us Tuesday through Thursday from 1 pm to 7 pm, Friday and Saturday from 11 am to 7 pm, and Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm. Her adoption fee has been generously sponsored. https://www.sfspca.org/

FITNESS SF Trainer Tip The Perfect Pull-Up By Raymond Li, FITNESS SF SOMA “The pull-up is an amazing exercise to do. It targets your entire back, but also focuses on the biceps, deltoids, chest, and abdominal muscles. A good tip is to pop your chest out, look up as you do the pull-up, and roll your shoulder blades back and down. This way, you are not rounding your shoulder/spinal complex while going up on the exercise.”

Troy Macfarland at FITNESS SF shares monthly tips that he has learned from colleagues, fellow professional trainers, and more. For additional information: https://fitnesssf.com/

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Finding My Path: On Hemp, Hope, and Losing Your Way Cocktails With Dina by Dina Novarr

I’m not sure when I stopped feeling proud to be American. Maybe it was gradual, like roots rotting beneath sturdy timber. Everything looks fine until suddenly the whole thing tips over. Or maybe it happened all at once, like an earthquake so big that the ground splits open and the tree plunges into the void. Either way, 2025 left me lost, unsure how to hold American identity in my hands without feeling like I was clutching something that might combust. It was during this inner turmoil that I ran into Natalie Lichtman at a supplier showcase. It felt like stumbling onto solid ground. I had admired Natalie from afar during my time in the industry. She was one of those people whose name you drop casually to signal you know what’s actually good, and who actually matters. She is smart, discerning, and the kind of professional whose enthusiasm means something because it’s earned, not given. So, when I saw her pouring samples of Pathfinder, a non-alcoholic spirit I’d been curious about, the coincidence felt less like chance and more like the universe throwing me a rope. “This is hemp-based,” she told me, and I nearly laughed. Of course, it was. What makes hemp interesting is that it wasn’t common or grown with abundance

until 2018. Here is what kids should learn from American history class: The 1937 Marihuana Tax Act wasn’t really about marijuana. It was about William Randolph Hearst’s timber empire feeling threatened by hemp’s potential as cheap paper pulp. It was about Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon’s investments and his friends at DuPont, who’d just patented nylon and didn’t need a natural fiber cutting into their synthetic gold mine. It was about Federal Bureau of Narcotics Commissioner Harry Anslinger, Mellon’s nephew-in-law, naturally because nepotism never goes out of fashion in America, drumming up enough fear about “reefer madness” to justify crushing an entire agricultural industry. The tax worked brilliantly. It required special stamps for growers, sellers, and even physicians, set at rates so prohibitive that the legal cannabis and hemp industries simply died—not because hemp was dangerous—it had been an essential American crop since colonial times—but because powerful men decided their fortunes mattered more than farmers’ livelihoods or economic common sense. Nothing says “land of the free” quite like weaponizing bureaucracy to eliminate competition. For 81 years, hemp remained effectively banned, a cautionary tale about what happens when corruption wears the mask of “the good guy.” Generations of Americans were convinced that a plant George Washington grew was somehow a threat to the republic, so newspaper magnates could protect their timber investments and chemical companies could sell more plastic. It’s the kind of story that makes you wonder what else we’ve been sold about American exceptionalism. But here’s the thing about Pathfinder, about finding Natalie again, about hemp itself: sometimes the path does correct. The 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp cultivation, finally acknowledging what should have been obvious decades earlier, that hemp is a sustainable, versatile crop with legitimate agricultural and economic value—not because politicians suddenly grew consciences, but because the economic argument became impossible to ignore. Hemp makes sense: it requires less water than cotton, enriches soil, sequesters carbon, and produces everything from textiles to building materials to, yes, spirits. Common sense regulation loosening for economic benefit? That’s actually democratic. That’s actually American, or at least the version of America I’m hoping to find again in 2026. And Pathfinder is crafted from that redemption story. It is not just made with hemp, but instead made possible by hemp’s unlikely journey back to

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legitimacy from an essential colonial crop, to demonized substance, and to valued resource, all in the span of America’s existence. The bottle in my hand contained both the corruption and the correction, the losing our way, and finding it again. Natalie walked me through the tasting notes—juniper, wormwood, Douglas fir—botanicals that taste like the Pacific Northwest, like American terroir. The spirit itself is complex without pretense, earthy without being crunchy, sophisticated enough for craft cocktail bars but approachable enough not to alienate. It fills the space that a spirit should fill, and creates the ritual without the hangover, the ceremony without the fog. “We’re getting incredible traction with hospitality accounts,” Natalie said, and her enthusiasm wasn’t performative. This was someone who’d found something worth believing in, worth representing. In an indusNatalie Lichtman try drowning in celebrity-backed canned cocktails and cynical cash thirsty, I hope you find your path to hydragrabs, here was a product with an actual tion with Natalie’s help. story, actual substance. Finding her here, representing this, felt like discovering that someone you’d admired from a distance had somehow gotten even better; that their path had led somewhere meaningful, somewhere that aligned with their values. The success didn’t require compromise. I keep thinking about pathfinding as both a metaphor and a literal skill, such as how you navigate when landmarks disappear, and how you orient yourself when the North Star seems dimmed by smog and misinformation and the exhausting realization that so much of what you believed about your country’s foundations was always mythology, always PR, always timber barons and chemical companies writing the narrative. Pathfinder emerged because America slowly course-corrected on hemp and found its way back to sanity, to logic, to recognizing value we’d artificially suppressed. The path was there all along; we’d just convinced ourselves it was illegal to walk it. Maybe that’s what 2026 can be. Natalie handed me her card. “Let’s catch up properly,” she said. “I’d love to hear what you’re working on.” Soon, we will catch up on where our paths have been and where they are going. But, for now, holding a bottle of Pathfinder while writing this article about her during Dry & Damp January ... that’s the path I’m happy to walk. And, if I’m on it alongside people like Natalie and drinking her marvelous cocktails? That’s a direction worth moving. Here are the two drinks for this January that Natalie shared: one dry and one damp. Should your dry January leave you feeling

Mount Ranier (non-alcoholic cocktail) 2 oz The Pathfinder 4 oz cold brew (Natalie uses Stumptown from Portland) Salted Douglas Fir Coconut Cream (see recipe) Pour over ice in a rocks glass, top with coconut cream, and garnish with powdered Douglas fir tips and Maldon salt flakes Salted Douglas Fir Coconut Cream 2.7 oz spiced Douglas fir syrup 15 oz (about 1 3/4 cup) coconut cream blend sea salt to taste Charge in an iSi canister with NO2. (Editor’s Note: Douglas fir syrup can be homemade or purchased online. The drink would be different, but a non-dairy whipped topping with sea salt to taste could be used to top the mocktail.) Reverie (a low-proof cocktail) 2 oz The Pathfinder .5 oz Le Cap Corse Blanc .75 oz Calvados Build in a rocks glass with ice and a lemon twist. Or, stir all ingredients until chilled, and serve in a Nick & Nora with a lemon twist. San Francisco-based Dina Novarr enjoys sharing her passion for fine wines, spirits, non-alcoholic craft beverages, and more with others.

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Bourbon Steak: Champagne Wishes and Caviar Dreams the hotel’s lobby and towards the former lobby, there’s a surprise: a glorious center bar, packed with people, before you even arrive at the restaurant. I’m told you don’t have to make a reservation, but my advice would be to arrive early if you care to imbibe with a proper cocktail there. (You can also reserve at Steph Curry’s fancy Eighth Rule bourbon-driven bar, off to the side of the lobby. But buyer beware: you’ll pay a pretty penny for that privilege.)

Glamorous. It’s the one word that describes the feeling that envelops you the moment you walk into the newly reopened Bourbon Steak at the Westin St. Francis Hotel. Or, as the dearly departed Robin Leach might have said, it’s the stuff of “champagne wishes and caviar dreams.”

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Whole Dungeness crab at Bourbon Steak

This is not just another chain restaurant. It’s touted as an “elevated steakhouse,” and, yes, celebrity chef Michael Mina oversees 11 of these chophouses. His Mina Group also now oversees more than 30 total restaurants, including Pabu Izakaya and International Smoke in San Francisco, and Bungalow Kitchen in Tiburon. But this is a bit of a homecoming for this talented culinary artist. You might recall that Chef Mina collaborated with Chef George Morrone at the now-shuttered financial district icon Aqua, which opened in 1991. Its understated PHOTO BY MICHELLE MIN

Actually, you enter the hotel, not through the former main entrance, but via a side door on Geary Street next to the valet. It’s not the most striking way to arrive at such a luxurious destination. But when you make your way through

Once you ascend the stairs to the restaurant, the dining room delivers a commanding, elegant presence. Grand columns, cozy booths, potted palm trees, and descending globe chandeliers dominate the room, creating a space that impresses memorably. Conceived by design firm AvroKO, there’s an innate sense of grandeur, ala the fictitious Harmonia Gardens. Yes, we could all break into a chorus of “Hello, Dolly!”

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David Landis

sophistication, along with its inventive seafood offerings, made it one of my favorites for years.

Subsequently, the restaurant at the hotel became a private event spot from 2016 through 2023.

A venerable classic, the Compass Rose at the Westin St. Francis, operated in the space beginning in 1982 and was a throwback to old-school refinement. Its wood-paneled walls, high ceilings, and crown moldings reeked of historic style. Fast forward. When Chef Mina took it over in 2004, and named it eponymously, the food was terrific. But I personally was left dumbfounded by the monotonous beige redesign by Barbara Barry (or, as my husband dubbed her, “Barbara Boring”). Mina then moved his namesake restaurant to the former Aqua space and opened his first Bourbon Steak at the Westin, which operated from 2010 until 2016.

But, now, Bourbon Steak has reopened. And that is a cause for celebration.

Chilled shellfish platter at Bourbon Steak

When we arrived on a weekday for our 5:30 pm reservation, there wasn’t a seat available at the bar. By the time we got seated and settled, slowly but surely every seat in the restaurant was filled. Needless to say, it’s a popular place and, I would add, a special occasion destination. That means one needs to reserve early. I ordered my Hendrick’s gin martini (a steal at $17), and my friend John ordered the one Cabernet Sauvignon that’s offered by the glass. That wine, from Chimney Rock, weighed in at a whopping $96 for a 9-ounce pour! Clearly, nothing comes cheap here.

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The Gay Gourmet

We decided on a special menu hand-selected by the chef. (Insider’s tip: the “Big Spread” tasting menu seems to be a better value, compared to ordering à la carte.) The offerings began with a surprise: a mushroom “cappuccino” soupcon of soup that was creamy and flavorful, whetting our appetites for the offerings to come. Our server also brought duck fat French fries served three ways (smoked paprika, parmesan, and herb & garlic). I’d recommend foregoing the added “truffle,” which (continued on page 33)

Next, our server delivered a personal favorite of mine, Chef Mina’s longstanding classic tuna tartare, diced and mixed with quail egg, pine nuts, mint, garlic, and habanero-sesame oil. The combination is refreshing and the addition of habanero adds the right amount of tang and spice. The chef then sent out the crab cake pop tart, which is a playful modern interpretation of a childhood classic. The flaky crust—nothing like the original— melts in your mouth. The traditional Caesar salad added a welcome garlic streusel instead of the usual croutons for additional crunch. For our “main event,” we chose the Kona Kampachi with bok choy, a light and delectable alternative to the steak offerings, along with the boneless wagyu ribeye. That ribeye was a standout, cooked to a perfect medium rare and sliced so the flavor permeates the dish. But the restaurant’s signature steak dishes also include everything from filet mignon to New York strip, as well as lamb chops. Accompaniments included light-as-air onion rings with a spicy dipping sauce; a yummy, creamed spinach (one of the best in town); and luscious, buttery whipped potatoes. You’d think we didn’t have room for dessert—but oh, no! We had to try the warm beignets. They are delightfully crispy on the outside, yet fluffy on the inside, just like the famous ones at New Orleans’ Café du Monde. To gild the proverbial lily, the beignets came with three side sweets: Macallan 12 butterscotch pudding (a hit), crème brûlée with fresh raspberries (delicate, yet velvety), and a well-executed milk chocolate pot de crème. Chef Mina calls these confections a “strong finish,” and I concur.

David Landis at Nora’s

The service is knowledgeable and attentive, without being “in your face.” While it’s a big room, somehow you still can talk to your fellow diners without yelling. Another plus! So, when you’ve got that special occasion coming up—birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, or divorces (lol)—splurge and take your date to Bourbon Steak. It might cost you a pretty penny, but it’s worth it! Bits and Bites I recently got back from another trip to that beautiful coastal town of Carmel. I’ve found a great new (to me) restaurant that spins homey, tasty meals at an affordable price. That eatery? Nora’s. It’s run by the same local folks who own and operate Anton & Michele, Tree House Café, and the Village Corner, and the clan touts their “comfort cuisine” and “cherished family recipes.” There’s indoor and outdoor seating, so it’s ultra dog-friendly (Gaston and Alphonse approved!). It’s a popular place, and when we arrived for our reservation, they weren’t quite ready—so they offered us a complimentary glass of wine! (Who does that anymore?) What to order? My favorites included San Marzano creamy tomato soup to start, and the chef’s meatloaf with mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans for the entrée. But you can also choose from fried chicken and waffles, house chicken pot pie, slow-roasted braised chuck roast, pastas, cioppino, pan-seared salmon, and more. So, put Nora’s on your dining list for the next time you travel down the coast. Bourbon Steak San Francisco: https://tinyurl.com/j8dxaps5 Nora’s: https://www.norascarmel.com/ David Landis, aka “The Gay Gourmet,” is a foodie, a freelance writer, and a retired PR maven. You can email him at: davidlandissf@gmail.com Or visit him online at: www.gaygourmetsf.com

PHOTO BY SEAN DOWDALL

(continued from page 32) isn’t real truffle, but truffle oil (a chemical substitute that, in my humble opinion, masks the real potato taste). An unusual—but tasty—mix of tuna and wagyu beef followed.

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LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area

Start the New Year Right at the Farmers’ Market

Farmers’ Market Finds Stella Singer Now that the new year is upon us, there is a renewed focus for many of us on health-related goals. Start your year right at the farmers’ market, where you can find plenty of local fruits and veggies and get inspired by the variety of in season produce. Although the Castro Farmers’ Market is closed for the season, check out the Divisadero Farmers’ Market, which runs at Fell and Baker streets on Sundays from 9 am to 1 pm, or the Fillmore Farmers’ Market at O’Farrell and Fillmore streets on Saturdays from 9 am to 1 pm. While you’re at the market, grab a head of broccoli to enjoy the essential vitamins, potassium, fiber, and calcium all packed

into this one veggie. Broccoli harvested during the cooler months is often sweeter and very tender, so now is a great time to pick some up. At the market you can find broccoli varieties like gai lan, broccolini, and Romanesco, which can be cooked in very different and delicious ways. Look for broccoli with a uniformly green crown without yellow/brown spots or limp stems. If you want a versatile (and crowd pleasing) companion to broccoli, look no further than potatoes. Potatoes are packed with all sorts of nutrients, especially if cooked with the skin on, and can be prepared countless ways. Fry, boil, bake, or mash them; potatoes can be incorporated into almost any meal. Vendors at the market offer an assortment of potatoes, from

classic russets and Yukons, to fingerlings and blue/purple potatoes. Farmers at the market are a great resource if you’re trying to pick the perfect potato, so chat with them to make an informed decision. A good, fresh potato should have a firm texture and no green spots or sprouting. Potatoes at the market are often fresher than at the grocery store since they don’t travel as far to get to your plate.

The pomelo is large at first, but, once peeled, the fruit itself is about the same size as a grapefruit. Pomelos can have almost a 1/2to 3/4-inch-thick rind and pith. They taste similar to grapefruit, but are slightly sweeter. The Oro Blanco, Chandler, and Tahitian are some of the more common pomelo varieties you’ll find at the farmers’ market. When selecting a pomelo at the market, look for SAN F RANCISCO BAY T I ME S

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Stella Singer is a recent UC Berkeley graduate who writes and designs for the Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association. With a background in environmental journalism and science, she brings a keen interest in food systems and sustainability to her work.

The season for citrus is here, and, in California, that means a chorus of quintessential, show-stopping fruits, from itty-bitty kumquats, tangy lemons, and red-fleshed blood oranges, to easy-peel manPomelo Paloma darins, tart grapefruits, and Whether you’re hosting family and friends for giant pomelos. The farmdinner or bringing drinks to a cocktail party, ers’ market is the perfect PCFMA’s Pomelo Paloma is a perfect makeplace to try something new; ahead drink bursting with citrusy flavor. This maybe you’ll even find your delicious winter cocktail uses pomelos in their new favorite citrus. peak season (December through February) We’re all about pomelos, the gentle giants of the citrus family, this winter. The non-hybrid pomelo is an oldie but a goodie—they’re even known as “ancestor fruit.” Mandarins and lemons are also ancestor fruits. Crosses between these three citrus varieties are the foundation of almost all citrus seen today. For example, pomelos crossed with mandarins give us oranges. Pomelos crossed with oranges give us grapefruit. The old pomelo has been on stage for hundreds of years!

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heavy fruit without any obvious soft spots or signs of rot. The heavier the juicier! The pomelo is great for snacking, adding to salads, or in a simple cocktail such as the Pomela Paloma.

and is sure to be a new crowd favorite. Ingredients 2 ½ cups pomelo juice 1/3 cup fresh lime juice 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons water 1 ¼ cups tequila or fresh farmers’ market fruit juice (pomegranate, orange, or lemonade) 1 cup club soda or sparkling water tajin salt grapefruit slices or wedges fresh basil leaves Prep In a small saucepan over low heat, combine honey with water. Let simmer until honey is dissolved in the water. In a large pitcher, combine the pomelo juice, lime juice, simple syrup, tequila, club soda, and stir to combine. If you’d like to make an alcohol-free version, substitute the tequila with some fresh farmers’ market juice. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve. Fill a small plate with a rim with water. Place a couple of tablespoons of coarse salt and tajin in another dish, stir to mix. Dip each glass into the water and then into the tajin salt, making sure it coats the rim fairly evenly. Fill glasses with ice and pour the drink into the glasses. Garnish with a citrus wedge or slice and a basil leaf or two.

Smuin’s 2025 Christmas Ballet LGBTQ+ Night Photos and Story by Jerome Parmer The 2025 Smuin Christmas Ballet LGBTQ+ Night was a fun-filled holiday spectacular. Though the weather outside (was not) frightful, the performance inside was indeed delightful. The enduring popularity of Smuin’s Christmas Ballet is evidenced by a nearly 30-year run, and this latest performance was reason to look forward to the version for 2026. The program showcased newer works by Dance Director Julia Adam, Artistic Director Amy Seiwert, and San Francisco Ballet Soloist Myles Thatcher. The multi-talented Lady Camden hosted again, and also wowed us with her dance moves during the production. The event was a successful fundraiser for several important partner organizations including Project Open Hand, The Imperial Council of San Francisco, the Bay Area Rainbow Symphony, and Oasis Arts. The first half of the program included a variety of pieces showcasing the company and their choreography, all set to classic music. The performances were enthralling, with the applause growing as the evening progressed. So many moments on the stage were powerful displays of grace and beauty. The individual pieces were compelling; “Fantasia,” “Veni Veni Emmanuel,” “We Three Kings,” and “The Gloucestershire Wassail” were personal favorites. The second act was lighter and liberal with fun holiday themes. “Christmas in New Orleans” was entrancing, a production in red set to a classic track by Louis Armstrong. Laughter liberally accentuated the applause, which was heard frequently during other numbers as well. “Santa Baby” featured a certain Lady C who heaped disdain on the gifts proffered by her suitors. The tropical themed “Christmas Island” had everyone roaring as a shark sporting a rainbow Santa hat on the dorsal fin pursued a hapless swimmer across the stage. Dialing it up another notch on the dancing, the ferocity of Tessa Barbour’s “Bells of Dublin” step performance was a great addition to the program.

The “White Christmas” finale included falling indoor snow, with at least one wise audience member being well prepared—they put up an umbrella beforehand. The winter micro-cloudburst had moved from the stage to the center orchestra section! At the close, a great majority of the audience showed their appreciation by standing while applauding and cheering. During the ovation, the joy of performing was clearly visible on the beaming faces of the entire company. After the show, enthusiastic attendees made their way over to the adjacent Galleries building for the after party. The extra room afforded there was needed as ticket sales had been brisk. DJ Juanita MORE! had the tunes pumping as folks entered. There was a photo booth that saw more action after folks retrieved their libations from the bar area. The selection of heavy hors d’oeuvres was enjoyable and the queues for all were quite reasonable. Our host Lady Camden got the party started with festive greetings and a champagne toast. She was followed by Terrill Grimes and Emperor Ashlee Blow, who talked about the good work and importance of supporting the evening’s partner organizations. Then we were treated to a splendid entrance and performance by Afrika America. More dancing, music, and celebration followed on a wonderful warm holiday evening. Don’t miss it next season! Jerome Parmer is an Oakland-based photographer who has photographed political, LGBTQ+, music, and other events in the Bay Area. Follow his current work on IG @drj_oakland

SUPER FRIENDS NYC SuperFriends NYC Trip to Philly for the Mummers Parade Fernando Camino, correspondent from New York City and moderator of the SuperFriends NYC livestreams on YouTube, has represented the San Francisco Bay Times at many special events including his visit to the Bay Area for the San Francisco Pride Parade and Festival. Most recently, Camino traveled to Philadelphia to attend the legendary New Year’s Day Mummers Parade 2026. Camino reported: “I returned for the second time to cover this iconic event and was thrilled to experience it again. It truly is one of a kind! There’s nothing else like it—the flamboyant, elaborate, and colorful costumes, the incredible energy of the performers, and the unmatched Philly spirit that fills the streets. I especially love the Wench Division, wildly chaotic and playful, with performers toting umbrellas, sporting exaggerated makeup, and radiating pure fun—the perfect embodiment of the parade’s spirited charm. This year was extra special, marking the 125th edition of the parade, and the creativity, live music of the string bands, and sheer joy of the Mummers made it unforgettable. From babies to elderly performers, the parade is a true family tradition, passed down through generations, keeping Philadelphia’s heritage and festive spirit alive year after year. I will definitely be back next year.” Be sure to visit the SuperFriends NYC page and click “Like”: https://bit.ly/3EdhLc9 S AN F RANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

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San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus 2025 Holiday Concerts and a Preview of Upcoming Events By Jon Finck The 2025 San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus Holiday Spectacular was widely celebrated as one of the Bay Area’s standout cultural events of the season, reinforcing the chorus’ reputation for musical excellence, community engagement, and joyful performance. Audiences packed iconic venues across the region—from San Francisco’s Golden Gate Theatre to Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall, the Green Music Center in Rohnert Park and Home for the Holidays at Davies Symphony Hall—with most of the eight shows selling out, a clear indicator of the concert’s popularity. Critics and attendees alike praised the production for its blend of familiar holiday classics, contemporary works, and the chorus’ signature blend of humor, heart, and queer theatrical flair. Under the expert guidance of SFGMC Artistic Director Jake Stensberg, the program’s mix of traditional carols, pop-infused numbers, and newly commissioned pieces resonated with diverse audiences, helping the SFGMC concert series stand out, not just as a holiday tradition, but as a unifying cultural celebration. From the podium, Conductor Stensberg led the 250+ strong singing members of the chorus, along with a virtuosic 9-piece band, singers from the chorus’ Homophonics and Lollipop Guild, a dozen dancers in all sorts of colorful sparkling costumes—who could give the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes a run for their money—in a performance that was a holiday pageant to be cherished. Stensberg shared, “This year’s Holiday Spectacular is a celebration of love, joy, and togetherness. In a world that feels dim, we lift our voices in song to remind us that music can capture and heal our pain; laughter and joy are a form of resistance; and belonging is a light that already shines within each of us.” Community members described the experience as uplifting and inclusive, noting that the performances brought together people from all walks of life to share in the season’s spirit. Local commentary emphasized that the chorus’ energy and commitment to joy were palpable in every note, and that attendees regularly return year after year, highlighting the concert’s role as a cherished holiday ritual. The success of the 2025 Holiday Spectacular—reflected in enthusiastic crowd response, sold-out dates, and broad positive buzz— underscores the enduring impact of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus as a vital artistic institution that brings light, warmth, and community together through spectacular music-making each December. Coming Up Next

Andrew Lippa

Andrew Lippa & Friends Saturday, January 24, 6 pm, One-Night-Only! Chan Center, 170 Valencia Street, San Francisco Run Time: Approximately 80 minutes Age Guidance: 21+ Tickets: $117 premium includes one drink ticket; $70 and $35 general admission Broadway Tony-nominated composer and performer Andrew Lippa will bring his genius back to San Francisco with Andrew Lippa & Friends. Known for the groundbreaking works I Am Harvey Milk and Unbreakable, Broadway’s The Addams Family, and more, Lippa will thrill audiences with songs, stories, and surprises at the piano. The performance will feature Broadway guest artist Britney Coleman, musicians Tom Regouski (woodwinds), and Billy Liberatore (keyboard), with members of SFGMC. This will be an evening of music and community you won’t want to miss! Queer Lunar New Year Celebration Friday, February 20, 7 pm Chan Center, 170 Valencia Street, San Francisco Run Time: Approximately 3 hours Age Guidance: 21+ only Tickets: $52 general admission includes one drink ticket and light bites (continued on page 37) 36

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(continued from page 36) This Lunar New Year, SFGMC is proud to partner with GAPA (GLBTQ+ Asian Pacific Alliance) in celebrating their 38th anniversary! The night promises vibrant entertainment, delicious flavors, and unforgettable performances that will showcase the strength and beauty of our LGBTQ+ Asian Pacific community. Join us as we honor the Year of the Horse with the Bay’s best and brightest QTAPI (Queer and Transgender Asian and Pacific Islander) voices. ’80s Sing-Along Thursday, March 12, 7 pm Chan Center, 170 Valencia Street, San Francisco Run Time: Approximately 80 minutes Tickets: $26 general admission (ages 13+); free (ages 12 and under) Break out the neon and big hair—it’s time to belt your favorite hits at our totally rad ’80s Sing-Along! From pop anthems to rock ballads, we’ll relive the decade of synths, shoulder pads, and unforgettable hooks. Lyrics: provided. Vibes: electric. Dance floor: carpeted, but that’s the ’80s, baby! Join us for a night that’s all that! Totally ‘80s! Presenting Sponsor: Richard Atkins and Cindy Samuels In honor of Bobby and Michael Kim Saturday, March 21 Curran Theater, 445 Geary Street, San Francisco Stephen Schwartz: Songs and Stories Friday, April 17, 8 pm Saturday, April 18, 8 pm Chan Center, 170 Valencia Street, San Francisco Run Time: 2 hours with intermission Tickets: $125 premium; $70 general admission; $35 general admission Join us at The Chan National Queer Arts Center for Stephen Schwartz: Songs and Stories, an intimate, once-in-a-lifetime evening with the legendary composer of Wicked, Pippin, and Godspell. At the piano, Schwartz will perform his iconic music, share personal stories from a life in theater, and welcome special guest artists—including the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus—for unforgettable collaborations and show-stopping moments. The celebration is also deeply personal: Schwartz shares a long and meaningful relationship with outgoing CEO Christopher Verdugo, and he’s especially excited to honor Chris and send him off in true star-worthy style. Crescendo Gala Saturday, April 25, 5 pm Westin St. Francis, 335 Powell Street, San Francisco Tickets: starting at $450, includes cocktail reception and seated dinner Crescendo is the night where San Francisco shows up loud, proud, and unapologetically fabulous. Think glam looks, powerhouse performances by the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, and a ballroom buzzing with joy and purpose. Last year, Crescendo raised over $1.3 million, helping SFGMC to shine as a beacon of light on stage, in schools, and throughout our community. This season, the chorus will be celebrating 20 years of Crescendo. Grab your sequins and get ready for a night that’s nothing short of legendary. Gilead will be presented with the “Corporate Champion Award” and Christopher Verdugo will be presented with the “Visionary Leadership Award.” The evening’s Special Guest Host is Monet X Change and the Auctioneer is Michael Tate. Crescendo Honorary Co-Chairs are Sheryl Lee Ralph and Greg Sarris and Crescendo Co-Chairs are Bryan Catanzaro and Adrienne Foley. Shine On: An Ensemble Showcase Saturday, May 30, 7:30 pm Chan Center, 170 Valencia Street, San Francisco Run Time: 2 hours with intermission Tickets: $50 premium; $35 general admission Shine On: An Ensemble Showcase will bring the spotlight to the electrifying power of small-group singing—featuring the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus ensembles Homophonics and The Lollipop Guild in a one-night-only celebration of vocal artistry, queer joy, and community. Joining them will be two phenomenal guest ensembles traveling to San Francisco for this special collaboration: Cascade from the Portland Gay Men’s Chorus, and Aftershock from the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles. Together, these standout singers from across the West Coast will deliver an unforgettable evening of bold harmonies, fresh arrangements, and pure vocal fireworks. The Chan National Queer Arts Center Season Sponsors: Anonymous, Bruce Carpenter, Terrence D. Chan + Edward Sell, Janet Cluff, Steve Gallagher/Coldwell Banker, and Nick Harper Main Stage Supporting Sponsors: Janet Cluff, Steve Gallagher/Coldwell Banker, Butch Merideth + Ivan Capanzana, and Chris Stevenson For tickets and additional information about all of these performances and more: https://www.sfgmc.org/ Jon Finck is the Principal Consultant at Encore Communications 2.0 https://www.encorecommunications2.com/ S AN F RANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

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Barbara Higbie and Friends Winter Solstice Celebration 2025

Photos by Sandy Morris

On the night of the winter solstice, longtime Windham Hill recording artist and Women’s Music legend Barbara Higbie performed a sold-out show at The Freight in Berkeley. She was joined by guitarist Vicki Randle, percussionist Michaelle Goerlitz, cellist Mia Pixley, bassist Kofy Brown, and mandolin prodigy Jasper Manning. Each of the artists is well-known in their own right, so it was truly a night of music stars to usher in the season. Higbie is a Grammy-nominated, Bammy award winning pianist, singer-songwriter, and violinist. She was the first female instrumentalist signed to Windham Hill. She has released 20 original albums, and has worked with Bonnie Raitt, Carlos Santana, Terry Riley, the Kronos Quartet, and many other artists, and appears on over 120 albums. The San Francisco Bay Times was proud to be the media sponsor of this event. For more about Higbie: https://barbarahigbie.com/

Happy New Year 2026!

Sandy’s Sketches By Sandy Morris

Sandy Morris has been making art for the last 60 years. She says, “My pen, ink, and pencil drawings usually start with no preconceived idea—just drawing a straight or curved line or two. From there, my imagination takes over. I build upon the piece. My works range from the whimsical to the political, to emotions, and everything in between.”

Tenderloin Tessie Christmas Dinner 2025 Photos courtesy of Juan R. Davila The annual Tenderloin Tessie Christmas Dinner was held on Thursday, December 25, 2025, at the First Unitarian Church in San Francisco. The event attracts more than a thousand participants each year, according to Board Chair Michael Gagne. This is also true for the two other Holiday Dinner events hosted by the Tenderloin Tessie organization each year, for Thanksgiving and Easter. Ahead of the 2025 Christmas Dinner, Gagne told Mission Local, “I expect we’re going to be busier because of the food-stamp situation right now with the current government.” Among the volunteers who assist each year are members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the San Francisco Imperial Court, and other groups and individuals such as the San Francisco Bay Times Volunteer Coordinator Juan R. Davila, who appeared in costume as “The Grinch.” https://www.tenderlointessie.com/

Happy New Year 2026! (Pen/Ink/Pencil) 38

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