Magnet Anniversary: Eight Years of Medicine and Culture in the Castro

Most of the Magnet staff made an appearance at the eighth-year anniversary party on July 9 at their beautifully designed space. On Magnet's inauguration day, Mayor Willie Brown exclaimed that it “looks like the W Hotel!” The design is a combination of blue and a shade of green not favored by many outside of art schools, with clear and colored plastic panels. The ceiling panels appear like they will fly out onto the street momentarily.

Steve Gibson, Magnet’s director, spoke about the clinic before it opened, and as he gathered support its importance became known when community activists realized that the San Francisco LGBT Community Center would not be hosting men and women’s health clinics. The Los Angeles and New York City centers provide HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, and other health services for people who would rather be at an LGBT center to receive those services. Those centers receive millions of dollars for those clinics, and millions more for youth services.

Initially conceived as the health place for 1,500 clients, now Magnet sees more than 9,500 clients yearly. There are special flu shot opportunities, and considering the city’s charges for Hepatitis A and B shots, Magnet is the preferred location for those all-important injections. STD and HIV/AIDS testing and treatment is the clinic’s main function, and its most noticed difference from other clinics is the friendly staff and volunteers. Many of the clients are agitated and distraught about a sudden change in their health, and the Magnet greeters and treaters are able to provide an educational and calming experience. An array of young men and more seasoned gay and bisexual men are sprawled daily on modern seating, and the tension level rises and subsides with the glances and the music.

There is a monthly art or photography display, and on the evening of each month’s first Friday there is an opening party that draws a varied audience of sometimes intense locals and also friends of the presenter.

Cupcakes from Luna Bakery, a mother-and-son business, were served instead of the traditional anniversary cake, and Steve Gibson’s eloquent comments about the future for the health center drew the attention of San Francisco Human Rights Commissioner Mark Kelleher and psychiatrist and sex therapist David Ortmann and three dozen other guests.

The Mr. Hayes Valley Leather Contest: S&M Fetish Wear in Hayes Valley?

Mr. Hayes Valley Leather 2011 J.B. Kern, runner-up Rik Lopes, and host Marlena

Black leather in San Francisco's Hayes Valley? That was a question that drew curious regulars and new customers to Marlena’s popular drag bar to check out the tenth Mr. Hayes Valley Leather Contest on Jan. 22.

Mr. SF Leather 2010 Lance Holman and Monistat

A swarm of leathermen, and some women, squeezed into the watering hole that usually is known for a mix of LGBT locals, their friends, and tourists in casual barhopping wear. The high energy of the leather aficionados created a beguiling, sexually-tense atmosphere over Hayes Valley.

Human dogs and their masters outside Marlena's

Marlena’s has been open for 21 years and its namesake Marlena — who is a philanthropist, a former San Francisco Empress, and a leatherman — has fashioned an environment that welcomes the diversity of the newly rejuvenated neighborhood.

The bar is also known for its glorification of the Imperial Court of San Francisco with its magnificent wall displays of artwork, photographs, and jewelry of one of the leading charities in the United States.

Memorial display for Absolute Empress VIII Maxine

Seven years ago, Ray Tilton and Sandy "Mama" Reinhardt suggested to Marlena that a leather contest would enhance the bar, raise much-needed funds, and bring new thrills to the neighborhood.

This year’s impressive winner was J.B. Kern, who is single and serious about S&M sex. He enjoys the hospitality of Marlena’s exciting bartenders and their stiff, quickly served cocktails.

Jay Harcourt (Mr. Hayes Valley Leather 2005), J.B. Kern (Mr. Hayes Valley Leather 2011), Sean Kline (Mr. Hayes Valley Leather 2006), Rik Lopes (2011 runner-up), and host Marlena

Runner-up Rik Lopes, and the other stimulating contestants Lex King and Kelly Rivera Hart drew guys close to them on the crowded sidewalk after the contest finale. Striking Hart is as aggressive in his leather life as he is in his political activism and he did not hesitate to make a primal invitation to the newly chosen Kern, mentioning his king-size bed.

Kelly Rivera Hart (center) with friends

The panel of demanding judges included former Mr. Hayes Valley Leather Sean Kline, Mr. SF Leather Lance Holman, former Miss SF Leather Queen Cougar, former Mr. SF Leather Ray Tilton (who had two man pups growling at his feet), and Leather Daddy Jason Ladd. Lenny Broberg, a former International Mr. Leather, did another fine job of MC’ing.

High-quality leather hats, belts, and other well-crafted items were available from Paul Johnson of Off Ramp Leathers at the back of Marlena’s doomed smoking lounge. Johnson generously provided the contest with their winner’s leather patch, which is traditionally attached to a leather jacket or vest.

Paul Johnson, Gary, and friend

The beneficiary of this year's event was Magnet. Beguiling redheaded stud Jay Harcourt, a board member at Magnet and a former Mr. Hayes Valley Leather, was thankful for the $500 that was raised. Harcourt’s quote from the 2009 contest still rings true: “The title holders are a group of friends that has become a family, and there is a change in their lives for the better because we work together on fundraising. And it comes from the top down from Marlena, who has made a commitment to the community to help out Magnet and improve peoples’ lives.” Magnet is the medical and cultural center of the Castro and serves over 9,000 men a year.

St. Patrick’s Day on Castro Street: A Wild Night for the Big Green Holiday

Sarah Al-Kassab, unidentified guest, DJ Joan Crawford Texas, and Alex Hannun at Café Flore

One of San Francisco’s premiere party areas, the Castro, did not disappoint on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17.

The neighborhood’s last blue collar bar, The Mix, was even more packed than usual, and an ocean of green beer was consumed. Men and women in green T-shirts and hats were crushed up against each other, and they celebrated in grand style.

Bruce Beaudette and friend at Café Flore

Café Flore served multiple shepherd’s pies, green mojitos, and quarts of green beer with a smile. Shimmering green absinthe was poured with a sugar cube.

Absinthe is linked with the infamous pairing of famed French poets Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine. Rimbaud was 17 and Verlaine was 28 when he introduced the boy to absinthe and sodomy. Their relationship was realistically displayed in the 1995 film “Total Eclipse” with Leonardo DiCaprio as Rimbaud and David Thewlis as Verlaine. Reportedly DiCaprio’s mother placed a protective pillow over his butt before Thewlis engaged in an infamous sodomy scene after multiple glasses of absinthe were drunk. DiCaprio was 21 at the time, but he did seem to have a fully involved stage mother. Gay audiences have embraced the film and it is especially popular with queer college youth, who drink absinthe during screenings.

Carl With Records at Magnet's Smack Dab

Larry-Bob Roberts and Kirk Read hosted another Smack Dab open mic show at Magnet on the big green holiday, and a literary crowd converged on the Castro’s cultural and medical center. Featured performer Carl With Records showed up to sing wearing a Baby Jane Hudson wig and makeup, a green spangled gown, and a hat with frog dolls wrestling each other on it. Guests were divided on his singing, some calling it caterwauling and others said it was sophisticated, expressive karaoke.

The Q Bar placed green lighting throughout the bar and in its doomed smoking lounge, so that all of their imbibers had a St. Patrick’s Day glow, and green drinks were popular.

Steve Adams, the president of the Merchants of Upper Market/Castro (MUMC) was checking out the festivities with congressional aide Miguel Bustos and the Castro’s ubiquitous three naked guys added green hats and beads to their usual flip-flops and cock ring attire.

It was a wild celebration but not out of control, as seen in some neighborhoods. No one tried to turn over a bus and there were no mass street fights, so the Castro St. Patrick’s Day is a moderate traditional party for locals and tourists.

Chaz Bono Denounced at Magnet’s Smack Dab

TrashCanPoet, aka Gabriel Burke with his poetry book "Bloom"

Smack Dab, the monthly open mic show at Magnet, the Castro’s cultural and medical center, featured the TrashCanPoet, aka Gabriel Burke, on Feb. 17. Magnet has been providing medical services for seven years and operates on the core value that gay men have a right to health and well-being, and that they should expect empowerment.

The shows are coordinated by sfqueer.com’s Larry-bob Roberts and writer Kirk Read, and there is an unusual and unpredictable mixture of music, comedy, spoken word, and more with all genders and ages welcome.

Roberts promotes idealist cultural activism, visionary independent music, and altruistic electoral politics. His highly regarded sfqueer.com website has an extensive list of Queer Things to Do in San Francisco, and it is not unusual to hear the community’s marginalized event promoters emote “I love Larry-bob!” because he stresses diversity. Robert’s exacting holytitclamps.com webzine presents hilarious satire, which he calls ranting foaming at the mouth. Some of his impudent jeers: boring mainstream homos’ websites with zero content, zines that do not get past issue #1, bland gay magazines, skinny body obsession, guys who beg for boyfriends online, and businesses that profit from death.

Kirk Read is the restless author of two books, and he also coordinates performances at Kvetch. He produced Smegma at the Eros sex club, worked at the St. James Infirmary sex worker clinic, and produced a stupendous sex worker variety show at Mama Calizo’s Voice Factory.

Featured performer TrashCanPoet, aka Gabriel Burke, is a beguiling high-level slam poet, writer, and spoken-word activist. He has been in the Bay Area for three years, and is welcomed as an honorary queer boy with the Queer Girl Theatre Project and contributed to Artists Against Rape. He has also been featured at the venues Heavy Rotation, SF Queer Open Mic, and the Berkeley Poetry Slam. Burke’s first book is “Bloom” and he is working on a second book of poetry.

Burke raised the room temperature considerably when he yelled out his “Open Letter to Chaz Bono.” The provocative message was that Bono should shut up and not presume to speak for underprivileged and less-than-famous transgenders. The names of Brandon Teena and Gwen Araujo, who were murdered for being open about who they are, were invoked and Bono was warned that interviewers are patronizing him and treating him as a curiosity. He said that many transgenders are attacked, thrown out of school, and forced into sex work — which is not the world that Bono is experiencing. Burke wants transgenders to feel safe in their living spaces, to be able to afford gender reassignments if they want them, and he wants Bono to shut up and listen.

Bob Siedle Khan, Sean O’Driscoll, Mark Abramson, Jeffrey Lilly, Ed Wolf, and Michael Evans also made memorable contributions to the evening’s entertainment, with satisfying ambiguous moments at odds with sheer bewilderment.

For more information on Smack Dab, contact Kirk Read at kirkread@earthlink.net.

Election Tension Mounts in the Castro

Magnet, the Castro’s medical and cultural center in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco, hosted a District 8 supervisor debate on Oct. 27, 2009. There was anticipation and tension in the air in the space that Mayor Willie Brown described as beautifully designed as the W Hotel, for an election that is happening November 2010. The district’s Supervisor Bevan Dufty will be stepping down due to term limits but some intense political junkies would have you believe that it is happening next week. A party to promote marriage equality in Maine and a Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club meeting occurring at the same time as the debate did not affect the popularity of the event.

Magnet director Steve Gibson welcomed the guests who had packed the space and described the debate ground rules, and then each candidate spoke about their backgrounds and goals if elected.
Then there was a Q&A and a reception for one-on-one opportunities with the four announced candidates.

Attorney and Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club president Rafael Mandelman spoke first about who he is, why he is running, and what the district’s citizens and he can do together. He spoke about being afraid to be near gay Supervisor Harry Britt when he was a City Hall intern because he thought it would make him gay. This is a not an isolated fear. A lesbian couple with a feminist farm in the Deep South, on a fundraising tour through San Francisco, said that backward ministers told people that if women or girls rode past their farm they would become lesbians. He also spoke about his positions on the Board of Appeals and the Democratic Central Committee. And he stressed a need for a progressive coalition to better solve problems and serve citizens. He stated a need to help out children and finished by playfully calling the other three candidates “kids.”

Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Prozan started her presentation by saying that she is humbled and honored to be considered for the district supervisor seat. She spoke about working for Mayor Willie Brown as his LGBT liaison, and how she was able to obtain funding for the community that included money for Magnet. Prozan spoke about having the experience for the supervisor job and that she recognized the need to oversee and enhance funding for HIV/AIDS and childrens’ health programs. She emphasized that her day job of helping victims get justice prepares her for the public safety needs of the district.

Deputy City Attorney Scott Wiener began his presentation with a swipe at the mostly progressive board of supervisors by saying that he would not be “ideological.” That is the word that San Francisco dailies use when the board votes on international issues. Wiener’s said that his job gives him insight to how city departments operate and that he has ideas of how to improve their efficiency. He also spoke about his presidency of the Eureka Valley Improvement Association, his co-founding of the Castro Community on Patrol, and his former position as chair of the Democratic Central Committee as a source of perspective that would make him a good choice for supervisor.

PUC Assistant General Manager Laura Spanjian, the only non-attorney candidate, started her by saying that she did not need a microphone and that her loud voice is something she was known for in high school. She then complimented Magnet by letting the audience know that the medical center is one of the top 6 in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control. Spanjian said that she learned a lot from working for lesbian Supervisor Leslie Katz, working for MUNI just as it went into a meltdown, and then on to the PUC during its multi-billion dollar water and sewer projects. She stressed that she would be a 24-hour supervisor who could be counted on to solve constituents’ problems. She also spoke about her position on the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund board and an advisory board for the newly re-opened Eureka Valley/Harvey Milk Library.

During the Q&A some of the districts’ major issues were discussed. All four candidates agreed with Supervisor Dufty’s closing down of the Halloween Castro that drew hundreds of thousands of mostly non-costumed throngs and Assemblyman Tom Ammiano’s marijuana legislation. Except for Wiener, they agreed with Supervisor David Campos’ legislation to resist the apprehension of undocumented youth who are not convicted of a crime. Mandelman waved the progressive flag to denounce the owner of Whole Foods for his distain for workers’ guaranteed health care plans and unions during a discussion of incoming Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s outlets to District 8.

There was a congeniality among the candidates that could spread to their supporters. Ranked choice voting makes it advantageous to keep the lid down hard on conflicts, since even moderate voters could hand over one vote to a progressive and the other way around. There has been one surprise election victory because of this dynamic, and it could happen again.

Harvey Milk’s name was mentioned because the District 8 seat was mentioned as a legacy seat. This journalist knew Milk well and we discussed politics and community service over dinner at the Sausage Factory. All four candidates sounded like they understood that constituents expect attention to their needs, which is what Milk worked at day and night. But Milk did not have to deal with handheld phones that can take incriminating pictures and videos, political junkies with no life who follow the online 24-hour news frenzy, and unhappy café types and the gay far right that can pick apart and even distort altruistic civil servants’ best work and send it out instantly on blogs.

Election Tension Mounts in the Castro

Magnet, the Castro’s medical and cultural center in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco, hosted a District 8 supervisor debate on Oct. 27, 2009. There was anticipation and tension in the air in the space that Mayor Willie Brown described as beautifully designed as the W Hotel, for an election that is happening November 2010. The district’s Supervisor Bevan Dufty will be stepping down due to term limits but some intense political junkies would have you believe that it is happening next week. A party to promote marriage equality in Maine and a Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club meeting occurring at the same time as the debate did not affect the popularity of the event.

Magnet director Steve Gibson welcomed the guests who had packed the space and described the debate ground rules, and then each candidate spoke about their backgrounds and goals if elected.
Then there was a Q&A and a reception for one-on-one opportunities with the four announced candidates.

Attorney and Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club president Rafael Mandelman spoke first about who he is, why he is running, and what the district’s citizens and he can do together. He spoke about being afraid to be near gay Supervisor Harry Britt when he was a City Hall intern because he thought it would make him gay. This is a not an isolated fear. A lesbian couple with a feminist farm in the Deep South, on a fundraising tour through San Francisco, said that backward ministers told people that if women or girls rode past their farm they would become lesbians. He also spoke about his positions on the Board of Appeals and the Democratic Central Committee. And he stressed a need for a progressive coalition to better solve problems and serve citizens. He stated a need to help out children and finished by playfully calling the other three candidates “kids.”

Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Prozan started her presentation by saying that she is humbled and honored to be considered for the district supervisor seat. She spoke about working for Mayor Willie Brown as his LGBT liaison, and how she was able to obtain funding for the community that included money for Magnet. Prozan spoke about having the experience for the supervisor job and that she recognized the need to oversee and enhance funding for HIV/AIDS and childrens’ health programs. She emphasized that her day job of helping victims get justice prepares her for the public safety needs of the district.

Deputy City Attorney Scott Wiener began his presentation with a swipe at the mostly progressive board of supervisors by saying that he would not be “ideological.” That is the word that San Francisco dailies use when the board votes on international issues. Wiener’s said that his job gives him insight to how city departments operate and that he has ideas of how to improve their efficiency. He also spoke about his presidency of the Eureka Valley Improvement Association, his co-founding of the Castro Community on Patrol, and his former position as chair of the Democratic Central Committee as a source of perspective that would make him a good choice for supervisor.

PUC Assistant General Manager Laura Spanjian, the only non-attorney candidate, started her by saying that she did not need a microphone and that her loud voice is something she was known for in high school. She then complimented Magnet by letting the audience know that the medical center is one of the top 6 in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control. Spanjian said that she learned a lot from working for lesbian Supervisor Leslie Katz, working for MUNI just as it went into a meltdown, and then on to the PUC during its multi-billion dollar water and sewer projects. She stressed that she would be a 24-hour supervisor who could be counted on to solve constituents’ problems. She also spoke about her position on the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund board and an advisory board for the newly re-opened Eureka Valley/Harvey Milk Library.

During the Q&A some of the districts’ major issues were discussed. All four candidates agreed with Supervisor Dufty’s closing down of the Halloween Castro that drew hundreds of thousands of mostly non-costumed throngs and Assemblyman Tom Ammiano’s marijuana legislation. Except for Wiener, they agreed with Supervisor David Campos’ legislation to resist the apprehension of undocumented youth who are not convicted of a crime. Mandelman waved the progressive flag to denounce the owner of Whole Foods for his distain for workers’ guaranteed health care plans and unions during a discussion of incoming Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s outlets to District 8.

There was a congeniality among the candidates that could spread to their supporters. Ranked choice voting makes it advantageous to keep the lid down hard on conflicts, since even moderate voters could hand over one vote to a progressive and the other way around. There has been one surprise election victory because of this dynamic, and it could happen again.

Harvey Milk’s name was mentioned because the District 8 seat was mentioned as a legacy seat. This journalist knew Milk well and we discussed politics and community service over dinner at the Sausage Factory. All four candidates sounded like they understood that constituents expect attention to their needs, which is what Milk worked at day and night. But Milk did not have to deal with handheld phones that can take incriminating pictures and videos, political junkies with no life who follow the online 24-hour news frenzy, and unhappy café types and the gay far right that can pick apart and even distort altruistic civil servants’ best work and send it out instantly on blogs.