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 mattymatt@gmail.com • 415-244-9943 • vCard • |
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AIM: mattbaume
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Date:
04/14/2011Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » Bay Area Reporter
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published Over the last three decades, the Eagle Tavern at 12th and Harrison streets has provided a welcoming home for countless community fundraisers, musicians, drag acts, beer busts, and LGBT patrons. But there's one person who has seldom put in an appearance: property owner John Nikitopoulos. "He doesn't stop in," said Eagle co-owner John Gardiner, whose business rents the space from Nikitopoulos. "I've seen him twice. Maybe three times." That disconnect... [Read more...]
Date:
02/22/2011Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » Bay Area Reporter
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published In the span of just a few days, a group of entertainers, event promoters, and city officials have sprung into action to address safety problems at electronic music dance parties, prompted in large part by a surprise attempt by Assemblywoman Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco) to ban a broad range of music events altogether. Ma's proposed legislation, known as Assembly Bill 74 or the Anti-Raves Act of 2011, would have... [Read more...]
Date:
02/22/2011Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » Bay Area Reporter
· Writing » Topic » lgbtEquality California held its annual Equality Awards gala at San Francisco City Hall Saturday, February 12, honoring state Attorney General Kamala Harris and Alameda County Superior Court Judge Victoria Kolakowski. But this year, much of the conversation was devoted to Executive Director Geoff Kors's announcement that he will step down from his position at the end of March. "It's been fun," Kors told the Bay Area Reporter. "I still... [Read more...]
Date:
12/30/2010Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » Bay Area Reporter
· Writing » Topic » lgbtstory and photos by Matt Baume The cozy ambiance of The Gangway What makes a dive bar divey? Is it the decor, the clientele, the prices, the paucity of decorative soaps in the gentlemen's room? Or maybe it's just a way of life. On a recent survey of bars reputed to be "dives," we found that their one common trait is an inclusive atmosphere that invites all comers and asks... [Read more...]
Date:
12/23/2010Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » Bay Area Reporter
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published Supervisor Bevan Dufty wants to allow the Merchants of Upper Market and Castro to maintain rainbow banners on lamp posts along Market Street, but even in the Castro, rainbows face a labyrinth of bureaucracy, protest, and environmental review. The existing law allows banners to appear on Market Street lamp posts only within several days of a special event. Afterward, they must be promptly removed. But due to an apparent... [Read more...]
Date:
12/09/2010Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » Queerty
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published The future of Grinding is more than just hookups and flirty texting, its creator told Queerty in an interview this week. These days, Joel Simkhai is looking at expanding his social app in directions that include community, events, matchmaking, and even -- get this -- women. The very idea! "Our goal is to increase the number of people you're meeting. That's what Grindr is for us," Joel explains. For... [Read more...]
Date:
10/28/2010Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » Bay Area Reporter
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published The owners of Gold's Gym in the Castro took action this week to distance themselves from a Texas billionaire whose company licenses the Gold's Gym brand name and has given millions to conservative outside political groups. The controversy erupted last week when Federal Election Commission filings showed that businessman Robert Rowling donated $2.5 million to a conservative organization called American Crossroads, as well as an additional $2,341,880.38 from his... [Read more...]
Date:
09/30/2010Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » Bay Area Reporter
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published Six months after the passage of health care reform, big changes are under way for the ways that LGBTs access health care. With lower costs and expanded protections on the horizon, the LGBT Community Center hosted a forum Monday to explain the ways that health care has already changed and may shift in the months and years ahead. Hosted by Dan Gould, director of the California LGBT Health and... [Read more...]
Date:
09/23/2010Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » Bay Area Reporter
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published There may be no better example of San Francisco's priorities than the city's giddy anticipation of two upcoming events: the November elections and this Sunday's 27th annual Folsom Street Fair.The city's long-established leather community tends to enjoy a strong relationship with city government."There have certainly been a lot of people at various appointed positions who identify as leather folks," said Gayle Rubin, an anthropologist and LGBT historian whose doctoral dissertation... [Read more...]
Date:
09/09/2010Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » Bay Area Reporter
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published Jerry Abrams didn't want to leave San Francisco. But when the United States denied a visa to his Pakistani partner, the retired IBM employee was forced to relocate to South Africa last month, where immigration law recognizes same-sex couples.Abrams met his partner Miel online about four years ago."We started e-mailing each other, and then chatting by phone, and I was encouraged by a friend to go visit him," Abrams told... [Read more...]
Date:
08/25/2010Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » Daily Casserole
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published Gay Couples and Straight Couples are Fundamentally the Same -- but How Can we be Sure? by Matt Baume; published in conjunction with Spot.Us For all the emotion surrounding gay couples' freedom to marry, there's a remarkable dispassion to Judge Vaughn Walker's landmark ruling that Proposition 8 is fundamentally unconstitutional. In his sweeping decision, Walker went one-by-one through the arguments of the Prop 8 proponents, shooting down each one in... [Read more...]
Date:
08/17/2010Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » Bay Area Reporter
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published It was pandemonium at the Castro Theatre Saturday night as drag celebrity Peaches Christ unleashed a hundred lap dancers on a screaming audience. The occasion was the 15th anniversary screening of Showgirls , the bizarre 1995 Paul Verhoeven film in which Saved By The Bell's Elizabeth Berkley plays Nomi Malone, an aspiring dancer who flails her way to infamy as a Las Vegas showgirl. "It's definitely one of those... [Read more...]
Date:
08/05/2010Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » Bay Area Reporter
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published Attempts to open two Target stores in San Francisco may have hit a roadblock in the form of the company's support for an anti-gay politician. Target gave $150,000 to Minnesota Forward, an independent expenditure committee backing Republican Tom Emmer for Minnesota governor. Emmer, a state representative, authored a proposed constitutional amendment to ban marriage equality, and has promoted the work of a religious rock band whose frontman described countries... [Read more...]
Date:
08/05/2010Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » Bay Area Reporter
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published A jubilant crowd took to the streets in San Francisco on Wednesday night to cheer Chief U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker's decision that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, addressed a crowd of around 800 people from the steps of City Hall. "The last time I stood on these steps, we were in pain because Prop 8 had just... [Read more...]
Date:
07/13/2010Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » Bay Area Reporter
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published Responding to several violent incidents that occurred during Pride weekend, local leaders and police this week appealed to the LGBT community for help in combating crime. This year's Pride was marred by a shooting at the Pink Saturday street party in the Castro that left one man dead and two others wounded, a late-night assault against a former Mr. San Francisco Leather title holder, and a confrontation caught on... [Read more...]
Date:
07/01/2010Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » Bay Area Reporter
· Writing » Topic » lgbt
· Writing » Topic » scienceView article as originally published An Eagle Tavern patron at a recent cigar event. Photo: RichStadtmiller The open-air patios at Castro-area bars like The Pilsner and The Mix are great places to catch a little sun, meet up with friends, pick up a phone number or two ... and if you smoke, maybe develop a little erectile dysfunction. Although the health consequences of smoking are well known, LGBTs are 40 to 70 percent more... [Read more...]
Date:
06/30/2010Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » Bay Area Reporter
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published Bevan Dufty was standing near the main stage at Pink Saturday when he saw the crowd suddenly turn and run. He instantly recognized what had just happened. "San Francisco has a homicide problem," the openly gay District 8 supervisor told the Bay Area Reporter. "The city has worked mightily to address it, and homicide has reduced significantly last year. But it hasn't gone away. And that problem came to... [Read more...]
Date:
06/24/2010Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » Bay Area Reporter
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published Gay etiquette expert Steven Petrow has an important message for San Francisco Pride celebrants. "Share your water and sunscreen," he urged, "don't blow a whistle in someone's ear," and, if you're marching alongside a float, "don't hold up the parade to cruise someone on the sidelines, unless you're a very talented homosexual and can march and flirt at the same time." In the 15 years since he wrote The... [Read more...]
Date:
06/10/2010Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » The San Francisco Appeal
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published This is the third part of a three part series (parts one and two here) funded with the help of Spot.us.A POLICE FORCE THAT MATCHES ITS COMMUNITYThe SFPD's improved relationship with LGBTs is no accident. It's thanks largely to the work of organizations like the SF Police Officers Pride Alliance , a five-year-old organization that's grown to be the city's second largest police employee group.The Pride Alliance advocates on behalf... [Read more...]
Date:
06/09/2010Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » The San Francisco Appeal
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published This is part two (see part one here) in a three part series funded with the help of Spot.us. INVISIBLE VICTIMSTracking hook-up violence is particularly challenging due to a reluctance on the part of victims to come forward. Everyone seems to have a story about victims declining to file a report. "Not wanting to report is very odd to me," said Castro Community on Patrol Chair Greg Carey. "In one... [Read more...]
Date:
06/08/2010Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » The San Francisco Appeal
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published Part one in a three part series funded with the help of Spot.us.On May 18th at 5:41am, someone robbed a store at the corner of 18th and Castro. A week earlier, at 18th and Sanchez, there was a strong arm robbery on the street at 2:30am. And at 1:45am on May 9, there was a mugging involving bodily force at Market and Sanchez.That's an average rate of crime in the... [Read more...]
Date:
06/02/2010Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » Bay Area Reporter
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published This year the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club's dinner marked a milestone: the first official statewide holiday in recognition of their club's namesake. But the club's 32nd annual dinner, attended last week at the Hotel Whitcomb by the leftmost members of the city's political community, was also a time to observe the organization's role in a wide range of progressive issues. "We're one of the few groups that connects... [Read more...]
Date:
05/25/2010Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » NewsTilt
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published With rallies, protests, dedications, and ceremonies across the state, it was hard to miss California's inaugural celebration of Harvey Milk's birthday. And if you live in a conservative-voting neighborhood, Equality California may have even brought Harvey Milk Day right to your door. Since the passage of Proposition 8 in 2008, EQCA has significantly beefed up its organizing for marriage equality by hiring a Marriage Director, opening field offices in conservative... [Read more...]
Date:
05/20/2010Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » Bay Area Reporter
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published It's been 16 years since the Employment Non-Discrimination Act was first introduced in Congress, and according to organizers of a Tuesday rally at Speaker Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco office, it's closer than ever to being finally passed. Braving wind and a light rain, a crowd of about 100 gathered to call for a vote on ENDA. According to media reports this week, Pelosi promised LGBT leaders on Monday that... [Read more...]
Date:
05/18/2010Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » Queerty
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published Why is Fabulis, the newly-minted homo-social planning site, rubbing elbows with The Office, Grey Gardens, a tiny dachshund, and Bill Clinton's White House? And more importantly, how you can you jostle your own elbows into that scene? We've been talking about Fabulis for months -- from its boy-happy music video to its bank woes turned viral goldmine to its delicious Manhunt smack-down. When it launched a casual popularity contest... [Read more...]
Date:
05/05/2010Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » Bay Area Reporter
· Writing » Topic » lgbt
· Writing » Topic » scienceView article as originally published Confronting the end of a relationship is difficult enough, but for same-sex couples, the legal and emotional obstacles can be magnified. Overcoming those obstacles is the focus of "Separating with Heart and Smarts: LGBTQ Separation, Divorce, and Alternative Dispute Resolution." The free two-part workshop takes place at the LGBT Community Center in May and June. Organized by Our Family Coalition with support from First 5 and the San Francisco Department... [Read more...]
Date:
04/29/2010Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » Bay Area Reporter
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published Professional networking and hors d'oeuvres drew an estimated 210 LGBT professionals to a political brunch at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts on Saturday, April 24, including several candidates for District 8 supervisor. The event, organized by dot429 and Equality California, was a chance to provide local LGBT politicians an opportunity to meet and mingle with their community. Founded approximately a year ago, dot429 facilitates face-to-face networking among LGBT... [Read more...]
Date:
04/26/2010Category:
· Writing » Op-Ed » Gays
· Writing » News Coverage
· Writing » News Coverage » NewsTilt
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published The announcement that gays, their families, and their friends had all been dreading came on Monday, April 12. A frantic signature-gathering campaign had officially failed, and Prop 8, the ban on equal marriage for same-sex couples, had just received a new lease on life. Back in late 2008, every progressive in California -- and beyond -- was riled up and ready to fight. Celebrations over Obama's presidential victory were dampened... [Read more...]
Date:
04/14/2010Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » Bay Area Reporter
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published Equality California's efforts to fine-tune its voter outreach continued last Thursday night at the LGBT Community Center, with marriage director Marc Solomon seeking community members' opinions on the future of marriage campaigns. In an informal chat, Solomon presented new research confirming that personal stories and one-on-one conversations are the most effective methods of moving public opinion in favor of marriage equality. The research was compiled earlier this year by EQCA... [Read more...]
Date:
03/26/2010Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » NBC Bay Area
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published San Francisco's LGBT Center can breathe a sigh of relief: a likely loan from the Board of Supervisors will save the Center a boatload of cash. The pricey new building at Market and Octavia still owes about $3.2 million in debt, but a restructuring of their mortgage made possible by the Supes' loan will cut their repayments by about $200,000. Mayor Gavin Newsom opposed the transfer of funds, saying,... [Read more...]
Date:
03/24/2010Category:
· Writing » Op-Ed » Gays
· Writing » News Coverage » Queerty
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published Their name's mispeld, The Awl called them "retrograde," their dancing-gays video missed the mark, and nobody's seen their actual product yet. And judging from the results of a sneaky trick that we pulled during its beta launch, Fabulis.com is going to be a hit. Fabulis made a name for itself a month ago, when Citibank inadvertently did them the favor of shutting down their business account in a move... [Read more...]
Date:
03/12/2010Category:
· Writing » Essay
· Writing » Topic » lgbtWriting on a local real estate blog, I noted the repair of some holes in a hillside sidewalk-staircases, and compared the city's filling-in of crumbling concrete steps to a time that I had repaired a partially-disintegrated cake by stuffing it with bread and slopping on layer upon layer of desperate icing. I was pretty pleased with that analogy until it was published, at which point commenters let me know exactly... [Read more...]
Date:
12/04/2009Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » The San Francisco Appeal
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published There are plenty of worse ways to spend a Thursday evening than in the company of an open bar, nerds, and a brisket; and that's where we found ourselves last night, at the showroom of K&D Furniture near the baseball park. "Geek Chic" was pitched as a tech/fashion-themed party, and that's what they got: everyone was a little bit nerd, a little bit chic, and not unlike pretty much... [Read more...]
Date:
09/05/2009Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » NBC Bay Area
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published Earlier this year, civil rights advocates celebrated when several New England states granted marriage rights to gay couples. But opponents are waging a campaign to eliminate the right to marry in Maine, and to eliminate rights like hospital visitation and death benefits for gay firefighters in Washington. These two battles could prove instrumental in California's upcoming battle to repeal Prop 8. The Maine campaign has shown care in learning... [Read more...]
Date:
08/31/2009Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » NBC Bay Area
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published With the goal of seeing a repeal of Proposition 8, California's ban on same-sex marriages, in the coming year, a group of civil rights activists from around the state met at San Francisco State University this past weekend. The debate between returning to the ballot in 2010 and 2012 has reached a fever pitch lately, with some organizations urging swift action and others seeking more time to prepare. Recently,... [Read more...]
Date:
08/20/2009Category:
· Writing » Op-Ed » Gays
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published Anyone who thinks that we learned from our mistakes with Prop 8 needs to take a look at this TV ad that just started airing in Maine. In case you hadn't heard, the anti-gay people who took over marriage in California have packed up and headed east--literally, it is exactly the same company that pushed Prop 8 -- to try to take over Maine's equal marriage laws. And we're starting... [Read more...]
Date:
05/01/2009Category:
· Writing » Op-Ed » Gays
· Writing » News Coverage » The San Francisco Appeal
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published It seems like every day, there's a new online database of people who are publicly opposed to gays -- but each time it happens, the list is shorter and shorter. The latest one is in Arkansas, and it lists the folks who signed a petition to keep foster kids in orphanages rather than placing them with gay parents. (The petition was eventually voted into law, and is now being... [Read more...]
Date:
11/20/2008Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » SFist
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published Before we get to the nitty-gritty, we just want to make sure that everyone knows that tonight's Prop 8 town hall at the Veteran's Building has been postponed indefinitely. We'll let you know if there's an update on that. Everybody got it? Okay, good. Now, on to the details: We'd say between 75 and 100 people showed up for the panel discussion "Prop 8 and Race: What's Next?" The title... [Read more...]
Date:
11/11/2008Category:
· Writing » Op-Ed » Gays
· Writing » News Coverage » SFist
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published So what's the deal with the next round of Prop 8 protests? Oh, we are so glad you asked. The next big one in SF is this Saturday at 10:30am at City Hall. The organizers put out a call for help -- they need folks to put up flyers, among other things. So, if you've got some spare time, what worthier cause could there be? There's also a protest... [Read more...]
Date:
10/10/2008Category:
· Writing » Op-Ed » Gays
· Writing » News Coverage » SFist
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published A few days ago, there was a new ad released by the people backing Prop 8 (the ballot amendment that would allow an out-of-state group to veto whatever California marriages they want). The ad condemned gay marriage and featured "Professor" Richard Peterson (pictured at right) making a number of demonstrably false suggestions. You can watch the ad here -- don't forget to rate! Thankfully, the lawyers for No On... [Read more...]
Date:
08/04/2006Category:
· Writing » Reviews » Film
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published "Finally, we have our own gay American Pie," Frameline board member and friend-of-SFist Glenn Kiser said as he introduced Another Gay Movie. Frameline sneak-peek-screened the film last month to a sold-out audience, and now it finally opens tonight at the Castro. And, yeah, that's a fairly accurate description: it's a naughty, goofy, lowbrow romp (yes! that's right! a romp!) about a team of gay kids who want nothing more out... [Read more...]
Date:
07/28/2006Category:
· Writing » News Coverage » SFist
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published We've been closely following this strange attempt by Bevan & Friends to put a stop to Halloween parties in the Castro -- including private house parties. Check out the coverage of Bevan's Wednesday meeting on our Party-Party friends' site; party member Adam reports that the meeting was populated mostly by businesspeople, not residents, and that the primary complains were that revelers relieved themselves in locations other than restrooms, that hate... [Read more...]
Date:
07/08/2005Category:
· Writing » Interview
· Writing » Topic » lgbtView article as originally published Maybe, like us, you weren't lucky enough to catch the Frameline screening of Joy of Life last month. But fear not: this Monday (the eleventh), Jenni Olson's narrative-documentary-ish film premiers at the Castro, and plays until the fourteenth. It's hard to pin The Joy of Life down to any one genre of film; it consists of contemplative footage of San Francisco, accompanied by a calm voiceover, reading what sound like... [Read more...]
