Sister Dana sez, “Did everybody do their patriotic duty during Fleet Week – and take a sailor home?!”

By Sister Dana Van Iquity

Sister Dana sez, “Did everybody do their patriotic duty during Fleet Week – and take a sailor home?!”

The trans community has been an intriguing topic to TV networks, espe­cially after the success of the Ama­zon original series Transparent, which this year won the Golden Globe for Outstanding TV Series – Comedy or Musical in its freshman season. TRANSCENDENT on Fuse TV chronicles the multi-faceted lives of a group of bold and vibrant trans women who perform at the AsiaSF Cabaret and Restaurant in SF while creating their own surrogate family. Sister Dana was privileged to view the first two riveting half-hour episodes of six at AsiaSF during a screen­ing party. World Of Wonder, run by executive producers Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey, also is behind Fuse’s Big Freedia, the network’s high­est-rated series. Barbato, Bailey, Tom Campbell, Larry Hashbarger, Chris Shifflett, Brad Tiemann, and Cameron Kadison are exec producing this one. Hashbarger noted Transcendent had its premiere in Los Angeles very recently – to great acclaim. It has been seven years in the making. It stars Bambiana, Bion­ka, LA, Nya, and Xristina – all gorgeous ladies from AsiaSF – with spe­cial guest stars. It’s about transgender women with the courage to “become who they are.” As Hash-barger said, “It’s all about diversity.”

SPARK! was the TRANSGENDER LAW CENTER’s 13th anniversary celebration at Sir Francis Drake. Mas­ter of Ceremonies was Ian Harvie, Comedy Central co-star on the two-time, Golden Globe Award-winning TV series Transparent. Josh Klipp and the Klipptones returned, partner­ing again with Breanna Sinclairé to perform an exciting selection of jazz standards. And, Go BANG! DJs Steve Fabus and Sergio Fedasz served up delicious disco. Several awards were given. Herman Hoy­ing and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP have made giant strides for trans­gender and gender nonconforming people. Hoying received the Com­munity Partner Award. Reverend Louis Mitchell’s extraordinary activism has spanned decades and radically transformed the lives of many in the racial and economic jus­tice movements, as well as LGBTQ communities. He received the Van­guard Award. As prominent speaker, advocate, and educator about laws that target trans women of color and sex workers, Monica Jones received the Authentic Life Award. Zoey Luna, a trans youth leader, and Ofe­lia Barba, Zoey’s supportive and affirming mom, were both recognized with the Inaugural Youth & Family Award. Kimpton Hotels & Restau­rants received the Ally Award. TLC Executive Director Kris Hayashi thanked the host committee co-chairs Mark Huggins & Kristen Ver­rastro for putting on such a glorious event. Hayashi proudly announced the brand new TLC co-office has been inaugurated in Atlanta, Georgia.

PEACHES CHRIST PRODUC­TIONS presented another gem of a live show, WHATEVER HAP­PENED TO BIANCA DEL RIO? as a delightful parody of the clas­sic flick, Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? The Baby Jane movie perfor­mances are over-the-top, its dialogue is iconic (“But’cha are, Blanche! Ya are in that chair!”), and its place in the drag canon is secure thanks to the on- and off-screen bitchery between stars/sworn enemies Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. But even bet­ter was the bloody hilarious take-off live show starring Bianca Del Rio & Peaches Christ as themselves as aging drag queens at the Castro Theatre. Heklina and Martiny were the nosy mother and daughter next door, Mahlae Balenciaga was “Elvira the help,” and Lady Bear co-starred as Edwin Fagg. I know I say this with just about every Peaches Production, but really – she outdid herself this time! Sooooooo clever! If you saw the movie, you got all the in-jokes; but it wasn’t necessary to have seen the flick to enjoy the hilarity.

HORIZONS FOUNDATION held its annual Gala Dinner & Casi­no Party at the Fairmont Hotel. Horizons honored Evan Wolfson, Founder and President of Freedom to Marry with the Leadership Award, and LGBT refugees and asylees Ger­trude Metsiegoum & Carine and Subhi Nahas – now living in the Bay Area – with Courage Awards. In 2004, Time magazine named Wolf­son one of the “100 most influential people in the world,” and in 2012, he won the Barnard Medal of Distinc­tion alongside President Barack Obama. Horizons Executive Direc­tor Roger Doughty spoke about the foundation, the many victories accomplished, and those to attain in the future.

THE CASTRO STREET FAIR is a community street celebration found­ed by Harvey Milk in 1974. Sister Dana checked out the hundreds of local artists, vendors, craftspeople and organizations here in the heart of the Castro. Some of my faves were as follows: THE TREVOR PROJ­ECT, founded in 1998, is the lead­ing national organization focused on suicide prevention efforts among LGBTQ youth. Trevor noted Queer youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their straight peers. thetrevorproject.org OPEN­HOUSE was announcing that they and Mercy Housing California are partnering to open LGBT-welcoming affordable housing for older adults 55+ and that applications for 55 Laguna are anticipated to be avail­able in March 2016. openhouse-sf.org RAMP (RECYCLED AIDS MEDICINE PROGRAM) offered helpful information on how to donate unused meds. rampusa.org BAY AREA MUSICALS announced their upcoming schedule of shows: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, HAIR, and La Cage aux Folles. bamsf.org

On the main stage, I caught the SAN FRANCISCO LESBIAN GAY FREEDOM BAND; the amazing cheerleading acrobatics of CHEER SF; THE WHOA NEL­LIES! groovy hootenanny band; and THE ETHEL MERMAN EXPE­RIENCE, flawlessly femceed by DQ Honey Mahogany. Because the fair was dedicated to the late, great DQ of DQs, Cookie Dough, there was the 18th Street Cookie Dough Stage fea­turing D’ARCY DROLLINGER & SEXITUDE; AVENUE Q; gay all-male revue BALONEY; local band EJECTOR; and of course, THE MONSTER SHOW, co-emceed by Sue Casa & Sugah Betes. The wonderful DJ MC2 (also known as Michael Chu, Cookie Dough’s part­ner) played between sets. He was also sainted on-stage by The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. For the grand finale, the cast gathered on-stage to lead us all in Queen’s “We Are the Champions!”

BULLDOG BATHS MURALS: CELEBRATION was held at THE GLBT HISTORY MUSEUM in the Castro. The Bulldog Baths in San Francisco’s Tenderloin opened in the early 1930s as the Club Turkish Baths (a hetero steam baths). Starting in 1979, the new “Bulldog” brand­ing emphasized a virile working-class sexual allure that reflected commer­cialized fantasy. The redecorated inte­rior included murals by New York homoerotic artist M. Brooks Jones, including a few self-portraits. .

Hurry! You still have time to witness this gay leatheriffic historic experience before the next awesome exhibit takes over. The 19th annual ART FOR AIDS brought together an unprec­edented gathering of contemporary art generously donated by some of the finest artists, galleries, and collec­tors in the Bay Area as a fundraiser for UCSF ALLIANCE HEALTH PROJECT at City View Metreon. The program began with remarks by AHP Community Advisory Board Chair Kate Shumate. This year’s auction presented 180 works of art in the mediums of painting, drawing, sculpture, prints, photography, and more. Patrick Walsh was auction­eer for the 19th time in a row. There was a noticeable lack of homoerotic art this year. But still, my faves: Rusty, painting with oil based lithography of a sailor in a tank top by Matt Pipes, mattpipes.com; because I am so patri­otic, I Love You, California by Annie Galvin, 3fishstudios.com, acrylic on canvas of a bear lovingly hugging the state of CA; Jeremy Novy, jnovy6.wix.com, Transformation is spray paint on glass window of five koi fish – representing his controversial spray paintings on SF sidewalks; Kristine Mays’ Mama’s Girl, kristinemays.com, as a black wire lattice sculpture of a gorge dress I wish I could copy in life-size to wear as a fabulous Halloween drag costume. And everybody loved the painting by the celebrated artist, Rex Ray, Platismatia 2014, who died in February 2015 – and whose name was dedicated to the night’s event.

COMING UP!

THE GLBT HISTORICAL SOCI­ETY is presenting OPENING PARTY! “REIGNING QUEENS: THE LOST PHOTOS OF ROZ JOSEPH” on Friday, October 23rd, 7pm at The GLBT History Museum, 4127 18th Street. Enjoy wonderful photos with music, food, drinks, com­ments from curator Joey Plaster, and a diverse cross-section of the City’s arts, nightlife, and drag scene. glbthistory.org

The San Francisco Bay Area chapter of HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN is honoring the admirable winners of three local awards presented at the 31ST ANNUAL GALA DINNER at the Westin St. Francis Hotel on Satur­day, October 24th, including Frank Woo, recently retired after serving 13 years on the Human Rights Cam­paign’s National Board of Governors and National Board of Directors, and trans activist Candis Cayne. sfhrcgala.org

HUSH UP SWEET CHARLOTTE, written and directed by critically acclaimed Film Director/Writer, Billy Clift is an homage to the 1964 Hush…Hush Sweet Charlotte film star­ring the iconic actresses Bette Davis & Olivia de Havilland. In Clift’s film at The Castro Theatre on Octo­ber 28th, the leads are parody perfor­mances by gender-illusionist super­stars Matthew Martin & Varla Jean Merman. castrotheatre.com

PASSPORT MAGAZINE and THE SISTERS OF PERPETUAL INDULGENCE are hosting HOL­LYWEEN, a night of cocktails, auc­tions, and dancing to benefit the RICHMOND/ERMET Hollyween will take over Madame Tussauds wax museum on Thursday, October 29th. hollyween.org
Sister Dana sez, “I cannot believe we are again facing another government shutdown! What are these RepubliCAN’T Congress people thinking??!”