Gay 9/11 Hero Mark Bingham Remembered: An Audacious Gay Jock Became a Hero

With the ten-year commemoration of one the most horrible tragedies in American history being marked on Sept. 11, 2011, a remarkable gay hero is also being honored. Mark Bingham was a passionate San Francisco rugby player and a charming public relations executive who found himself on hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 over the state of Pennsylvania. He led three other men into the cockpit to prevent the plane being used to attack a target in Washington, D.C. His cell phone conversation with his mother Alice Hoagland, the flight data recordings, and the calls of other passengers confirm that Bingham rose to the occasion. He had wrested a gun away from a criminal who was threatening his boyfriend on the street, and he used his 6'-4", 220-pound physique to play a determined and aggressive rugby game. Shouts of “Let's roll!” are heard on the cell phones from the doomed flight, as it is heard when a rugby team charges at a game.

Bingham played for the San Francisco Fog rugby team, and they are well known as formidable, but also as uninhibited and fun-loving. They barely blinked when emcee Donna Sachet cut off their jockstraps and they danced naked with their soccer balls at a Big Gay Fraternity House charity benefit in the Castro. The international gay rugby championship is named in Bingham’s honor, the gym at the Castro’s Eureka Valley Recreation Center features a large plaque honoring him, and his mother is adored for questioning any family’s separation from their children because of their sexual orientation.

"With You", a fascinating documentary film about Bingham, was screened to great acclaim at this year’s San Francisco Int'l LGBT Film Festival at the Castro Theatre. It was heart-rending to hear Bingham’s mother speak about her loss and to see multiple videos of Bingham with her, his boyfriends, his team, and his relatives. More than 1,200 people rose to their feet and applauded as Alice Hoagland walked down the aisle to ascend the stage.

Mark Bingham's mother Alice Hoagland on stage after the screening of "With You" at the Castro Theatre

The film’s message and the knowledge of Bingham’s actions have been a notable answering point to bigots who question the lives and morality of the LGBT community. Members of San Francisco’s congressional delegation and Senator John McCain have credited Bingham for possibly saving their lives. This journalist (and his extended family) is thankful because Flight 93 flew over his family’s farm 20 miles from the crash site when it was swarming with young relatives, and his father was at the U.S. Capitol that morning.

For more information on the Mark Bingham Foundation, visit markbingham.org.

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.

An Internet-Inspired Poetry Book Release Party at the LGBT Center

Musician Andre dos Santos Morgan, author Robert Philipson, and drummer Nancy Geimar

Cool music and a friendly audience saluted author and videographer Robert Philipson at his poetry book release party at the San Francisco LGBT Community Center on May 22 — Harvey Milk Day in California.

Even though the new holiday honoring Harvey Milk drew large crowds to more than a dozen venues, Philipson was fêted by a sizable group of fellow Oakland citizens, and some fans from Marin and Danville. His family also joined to hear jazz/R&B musician Andre dos Santos Morgan on keyboard and Nancy Geimar on percussion before Philipson read, Q&A’ed, and then mingled in the Center’s 4th floor Ceremonial Room.

Morgan was exceptional in creating a mood with his unique music, and the sound system that was brought in certainly helped. His CDs are something to be experienced and are highly recommended.

The book “Very Good-Looking Seeks Same: Gay Profiles in Search of Love” is inspired by the male-on-male personal ads on the internet. There was a lot of lust and sexuality to wade through to get to the love part, and the gathering enjoyed the humor. The direct approach to the narrow types that were wanted was harsh but also realistic for many.

This journalist may be too used to Bruce Vilanch jokes that are more biting and topical with multiple meanings, and Tom Ammiano political humor (“Those gay Republicans! Their motto is We’re Here! We’re Queer! We’re Sorry!”) to relate to the book.

The wine and taste treat reception following the reading was jovial and books were signed and introductions made all around. Jack Vincent, the partner of much-missed acclaimed filmmaker Marlon Riggs made an appearance and greeted fellow Oaklanders, as did author Philipson’s editing teacher Peter Freund.

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.

GAPA Banquet Gala: Beauty, Glamour, and a Ten-Course Feast

Trevor Nguyen, Dawn Avanuday, Estée Longah, Lawrence Wong and BeyonSoy at GAPA Banquet Gala 21

The Gay Asian Pacific Alliance (GAPA) presented their annual Lunar New Year Banquet Gala at the Empress of China Restaurant in San Francisco's Chinatown. The Feb. 6, 2010, event was year 21 for the banquets that are known as a gay Asian vortex of socializing, fashion, and some politics.

GAPA is an all-volunteer organization that encourages gay men from the various Asian communities to draw on their personal resources for camaraderie and self-esteem. Members of GAPA have spoken out as a group against racism and for LGBT awareness in schools, and they countered Asian fundamentalists’ “Yes on Prop 8” campaigning.

There is a challenge for GAPA to add and retain members because of the internet. The annual banquet and GAPA Runway Pageant draw a large turnout of members and guests, especially now that erotic film actor Brandon Lee has been a star attraction. But after some strategic planning meetings it was decided that there is also going to be an emphasis on happy hours, ski weekends, ice skating, movie nights, and brunches.

Fashion excitement rose throughout the pre-banquet cocktails and viewing of the silent auction items. API Wellness Center executive director Lance Toma drew admiring glances to his multi-textured black-on-black attire. San Francisco Community College Board member Lawrence Wong — who was the first openly-gay Asian man elected in the U.S. — wore a custom-made Mandarin suit and kid gloves. AIDS activist Ed Mah wore a Versace scarf and a black leather harness accessories to mix the kept man look with S&M.

Punk drag Monistat was poured into a sleek Halston gown but the classiness evaporated when she loudly announced that she was not wearing underwear. This turned out to be a theme of the evening.

There were various interpretations of drag and a couple of them reared up to over six feet. Two of the most impressive female impersonators were Miss GAPA 2009 BeyonSoy in a zebra-striped ensemble and event coordinator Estée Longah in a luscious pink satin gown. Both sported futuristic hair styles that defied gravity, and it was the crowd’s good luck that they shared the hosting duties without indulging in catfight histrionics. Longah yelled from the stage repeatedly for co-chair Alex Baty, and the joke was that Longah is Baty in drag.

The stage came alive with a performance by the Rice Rockettes, followed by co-chair Felix Tsai’s remarks, which ended with his revelation that guys join GAPA and attend the banquet “for the hot men.” Then a scholarship was given to a young woman named Phuong Tseng who is a queer educator at LYRIC. The Endup’s Sydney Leung received the George Choy Award of Recognition for his leadership contributions to the well-being of GAPA. Horizons executive director Roger Doughty received the Douglas Yaranon Award for the Horizons Foundation’s commitment to LGBT communities of color. The much sought after Godzy Award was given to Dion Wong, who revived the group’s 35-plus program.

Dion Wong accepting his Godzy Award

Jeff Sead was memorialized by a slide show that gave the audience a cavalcade of not only Sead’s life, but also of GAPA events that included a striking Lunar New Year Parade float that Sead coordinated. Daniel Lee was remembered by the GAPA Men’s Chorus, a group he joined, with song.

Conductor Randy Kikukawa and the GAPA Men's Chorus

The chorus’ conductor, Randy Kikukawa, is an historical figure. He was barred from a Castro leather bar in 1980, and after a week of large angry protests it was made clear to the bar owner and bigoted others that people of color and their friends would stand up to discrimination in the Castro district.

California State Senator Mark Leno and San Francisco Assessor Phil Ting spoke and bestowed proclamations on GAPA, and then the Community College Board’s Lawrence Wong addressed the throng. The openly gay Wong was exposed as gay over and over in local Chinese tabloids, but received the vote of every Chinatown precinct when he ran for City Supervisor. Supervisor Bevan Dufty spoke about his plans if he is elected the first openly-gay San Francisco mayor.

Notable GAPA guest supporters included playwright Charles Belov, attorney Paul Melbostad, and Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club board member Michael Costa, who spoke about his successful Haiti Relief Fundraiser at the Infusion Lounge.

Mayor Evan Low, Brandon Lee, and Trevor Nguyen

Evan Low, 26-year-old Mayor of  Campbell, California, was the keynote speaker and he painted a vivid image of himself flying out of Washington, D.C. just ahead of a giant blizzard to arrive on stage to talk about Prop. 8 and the 2010 and 2012 elections. GAPA had inspired him to run for office, and he had faced severe recrimination and threat of recall because Campbell is a hotbed of “Yes on Prop 8” types. Then Low surprised the audience and also film star Brandon Lee, when he invited Lee onto the stage to auction his underpants. Miss GAPA BeyonSoy held up her voluminous gown’s train and Lee stripped and redressed behind it, and held up the sexy white underpants which earned a large sum for GAPA. Lee is well known for his charity fundraising, sharp personality, the splendor of his body, and that he is an Asian primal top who is assertive as a businessman and as a character in his movies.

Mayor Evan Low, Trevor Nguyen, Brandon Lee, and BeyonSoy

Abalone, duck in a bun, and quail and a giant fish with their heads on were taste treats, and then a supreme delicacy arrived — shrimp and walnuts minus the added mayonnaise seen at Brandy Ho’s.

Drag star Keri Hanna, consort to gay comic Marty Grimes, performed followed by another Rice Rockettes show led by the irrepressible Doncha Vishyuwuzme, followed by a last-minute rush for silent auction items that included some from co-founder Donald Masuda’s treasure house.

Doncha Vishyuwuzme

This journalist has covered every GAPA Banquet Gala, and this one surpassed the other 20 by a wide margin.

Brandon Lee and Monistat

A Center of Sodomy in the Haight Celebrates

Joey Cain and Maher Sabry

An effervescent, barefoot Joey Cain individually welcomed each of over 100 guests to the 30-year anniversary of the 501 Ashbury Gay Collective in San Francisco on Jan. 17, 2010. He carefully eyed their potluck offerings and cautiously warned about the possibility of “difficult people” joining the throng.

The collective has been a center of altruistic and caring activism in the Haight district that has promoted and enhanced the San Francisco Pride Committee, Bound Together Anarchist Bookstore, gay Middle-Eastern culture, and the Radical Faeries. It has also been a source of charity fundraising for those groups and for queer homeless youth and HIV/AIDS charities.

This has been possible because of the wonderment that is rent control. Joey Cain has lived at the collective for 30 years, filmmaker Maher Sabry has lived there 7 years, alluring Joey Paxman is a one-year resident, and Pesto has lived there 17 years.

Sabry’s film “All My Life,” is a triumphant story on celluloid about gay men in Egypt, with their pleasures and terrors blatantly displayed in a realistic fashion. The movie is a popular Middle-Eastern LGBT addition to festivals in the U.S. and overseas.

Culture, politics, personalities, and dazzling biblical sex at 501 Ashbury was talked about at the party late into the late evening by activists David Smith, Larrybob Roberts, Tab Buckner, Marty, Ric LeBlanc, Tommi Avicolli Mecca, Cleve Jones, and others.

[Photo caption: 1/17/2009 — The 501 Ashbury Gay Collective 30th Anniversary Party. Activist Joey Cain and filmmaker Maher Sabry
greeted over 100 guests who celebrated the long-time charity fundraising center for AIDS, the Radical Faeries, and queer homeless youth.]

Religion vs. Sexual Orientation with a Shot of Hypocrisy

Filmmaker Parvez Sharma with Rev. Lea Brown

More than 100 mostly white gay men squeezed into San Francisco’s historic Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) in the Castro for a screening of "A Jihad For Love" on Jan. 16, 2010. The film is a breathtaking, landmark documentary about some religious Muslims who are lesbian and gay, and who are balancing their religion and their sexual orientation. Or as director Parvez Sharma put it without much subtlety, “It is about who you fuck and where you pray,” which drew nervous laughter from the throng.

MCC Church has been at its 150 Eureka Street building for 40 years, and the screening is the first of a series of events to mark that anniversary in 2010. The building was built over a creek with an originally questionable foundation, and when a wall shifted a while back the congregation had to evacuate to the San Francisco LGBT Community Center. An extreme rental situation brought the congregation back to 150 Eureka after a building reinforcement.

Numerous church members long for a new building at its present location — the site of notable historic community events including the welcome of gay Cuban refugees in 1980, and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence fundraising bingo games. Multiple joinings and later marriages of same-sex couples, and also too many celebrations of life happened in the MCC Church sanctuary. A food program and sleeping areas for queer youth, meetings space for LGBT Democrats, and outreach to the Buddhist, leather, and recovery communities were and are some of the projects of the church.

Rev. Lea Brown welcomed the audience to the screening, and spoke warmly about MCC Church as a place for free spirituality
and as a center of love in the Castro for 40 years. The well-attended screening was the first of a series of events in 2010 to
celebrate the anniversary. More anniversary events are listed at mccsf.org.

Filmmaker Sharma spoke about the film’s popularity worldwide and that 8 million people have seen it in a year. Copies have been shown at secret screenings in Saudi Arabia, Iran, and in other countries where it would not be allowed to be shown in public. And these are countries where brave gay Muslims have been arrested for attending same-sex marriage ceremonies and parties.

One of the most surprising moments of the evening was when
Sharma spoke about two wild gay parties that he enjoyed in Tehran that he said outdid anything he had seen in San Francisco or New York City, where he lives. Sharma spoke about the hypocrisy that exists in homophobic societies in the Middle East, where lesbians and gays are persecuted but there is rampant, secret, same-sex coupling occurring among straight-identified people.

Muslim lesbians and gay men were introduced in the film in several countries, and they spoke intensely about their lives. Arrests and trials, whippings, public humiliation, rape, and death were a fact of life for them if they were exposed in their native countries. A remarkable feature of the film was the on-film meeting of the lesbians and gays with fundamentalist religious leaders. The shocking responses of the leaders to questions about the compatibility of Islam and homosexuality is enough reason to check out this admirable documentary.

Another example of the hospitality extended by the church was a bountiful Lebanese buffet provided by Ilyas Iliya. The evening ended with conversation and cruisy glances over the Middle-Eastern cuisine and one-on-one discussions with the filmmaker.

For more information on "A Jihad for Love," visit ajihadforlove.com.

Drama and Passion in the "Redwoods"

Writer-director David Lewis with actors Brendan Bradley and Matthew Montgomery

“Redwoods”, one of the most popular films at Frameline’s 2009 San Francisco Int’l LGBT Film Festival, sold out very early, leaving large numbers of people unable to see the film, which was screened at the Victoria Theatre on June 24. The description in the festival program drove the filmerati and the casual film fans to snatch up the tickets.

“Set amidst the romantic splendor of the Russian River, ‘Redwoods’ portrays the difficult choices one faces when confronted with an unshakable love.”

That is Sean Uyehara’s synopsis. The good news is that the film was picked up for distribution by TLA Releasing, and will be on DVD in the near future.

The San Francisco premiere of “Redwoods” drew an eager audience, and for a change the Q&A afterwards was charged with intelligent questions. Director David Lewis revealed that he drew on an experience of his own to create the script. Some of the viewers were there because they enjoyed Lewis’ popular 2007 romantic film “Rock Haven,” which had religious fundamentalism as an obstacle to gay love. Lewis also penned the script for late director Todd Wilson's charming "Under One Roof," an interracial gay romantic comedy filmed in San Francisco.

Coolness in the partners’ relationship in "Redwoods" was obvious, because when one character got naked in front of the other, he did not react. And when the lovers say goodbye for several days, there was not even a kiss on the cheek. Their bond was their adopted autistic son, and the routines of daily life. The arrival of a tourist and the spark of lust with the possibility of a new relationship is the engine that drives the film forward. Passionate sex and the drama of life decisions pull the audience into the story.

The scenery of the Russian River was beautifully filmed, and there was a lot of that footage. It conjured up the scent of redwood trees
and romantic memories in and out of canoes, cabins, and hot tubs.

At one private press screening there were outbursts usually heard at horror films. In the movie the partner who was left behind encounters an attractive tourist and is invited to step into his room. Shouts of “No!” and “Don’t do it!” rang out from the nervous married gay men as they watched.

Two scenes remarkably resemble artworks by gay genre painter Robert Morgan. There is a scene of the lover and the tourist walking down a grassy hillside with mountains in the background. The hillside kiss scene in “Room With a View” is brought to mind. Then there is the same pair of guys wearing swim trunks and holding hands while walking into the Russian River.

The opening night after-party was at the Castro neighborhood’s Sausage Factory, where Harvey Milk was a frequent diner. The same owners who served Harvey Milk presented just about every style of excellent pizza on the menu to the “Redwoods” guests. The red wine met with approval all around the crowded event. When director David Lewis stepped into the party he was met with sustained applause, similar to scenes from Hollywood films set in Sardi’s theater restaurant in New York City.

Lewis made a point of thanking the actors and the crew. The fine actors who played the lover and the tourist so well, Brendan Bradley and Matthew Montgomery, were on hand to mingle with their fans. And the young man who played their son so believably in the film, Caleb Dorfman, was there with his family.

Director David Lewis is working on a greatly anticipated third film, which is also romantically themed. He was a guest at Frameline’s Closing Night Party, which was enhanced by visits by actresses Rosie O’Donnell and Sharon Gless.

Popular Author E. Lynn Harris a Big Hit at the Library

Author E. Lynn Harris with writer Sidney Brinkley in San Francisco

[NOTE: E. Lynn Harris’ death on July 23, 2009 is a terrible shocking loss, and to lose him at such a young age compounds the feeling. His books have been eagerly awaited and his avid readers had been looking forward to dozens more. His personal charm and directness at appearances made him all the more cherished, and E. Lynn Harris cared about his fans and it showed.]

Novelist E. Lynn Harris visited San Francisco’s Main Public Library on his latest book tour on February 12, 2009. His popularity is the envy of many writers, and he is the only African-American writer to have ten books on the New York Times Best Sellers list. More than 3 million people have read his books.

The library audience was surprised that he did not read from his latest book “Basketball Jones.” Harris is particular about how his stage appearance would be conducted. He said that he does not read, but that he preferred to speak about his work, and then he engaged in a question-and-answer session with the audience.

His writing process is a revelation. The plots are not drawn up in advance on a chart, and he does not have a preconception of the characters and their motivations. Harris said that the stories and the lives of the people in his novels flow out of him as he thinks about them. It is as if he becomes possessed.

As a gay African-American writer with themes that mirror some of his experiences, E. Lynn Harris assumed that his readership would be mostly gay men. Instead, the majority of his readers are straight African-American women. And more shocking to Harris, when a novel strays into straight story-lines he receives complaints from the women fans. They want to read gay storylines.

The fervor of his fans was demonstrated when a woman in the audience spoke passionately about how much she loved his books, and that she had read all of them. She also said that she wanted to climb into his latest novel and “punch out” some of the characters.

E. Lynn Harris has drawn almost 100 people to small downtown San Francisco book store book parties. His Oakland appearance on the following night was expected to be packed. He is a hands-on author who emails readers personally and manages a large mailing list that updates his work and his appearances. And he edited a book to which local writer Sidney Brinkley was a contributor. Sidney was at the event to welcome him to The City.

And Harris knew how to please his guests. Just before he left the stage to sign books, he said that he had been in San Francisco when he was in his 20’s and enjoyed himself, and that “San Francisco is the most magical place in the world.”

[Photo caption: 2/14/09 — Author E. Lynn Harris at the San Francisco Main Library. He spoke eloquently about his unusual writing process and led a spirited Q&A. And he posed with San Francisco writer Sidney Brinkley and signed a book for him.]