Trailer For Upcoming Revival Of Armistead Maupin's 'Tales Of The City'

Murray Bartlett and Laura Linney in 'Tales of the City'

Netflix’s highly anticipated revival of Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City has released its first official teaser trailer.

Based on the serial novels by Maupin, Tales of the City chronicles the lives of a group of friends living at 28 Barbary Lane in San Francisco.

“When I first got off the bus years ago,” says Laura Linney’s character at the beginning of the trailer, “I had the strangest feeling that I’d come home.”

Before HBO’s Looking or Showtime’s Queer As Folk, Tales of the City developed a huge following due to the acclaimed PBS miniseries in 1993. That success spawned two sequels (More Tales of the City in 1998, Further Tales of the City in 2001) produced by Showtime.

More than 20 years later, original cast members Laura Linney and Olympia Dukakis are back, and they are joined by new cast members including Ellen Page, Charlie Barnett, Murray Bartlet, Daniela Vega and Molly Ringwald.

In the 10-episode series, Mary Ann Singleton (Laura Linney) returns to San Francisco after 20 years and is reunited with her ex-hubby Brian (Paul Gross) and daughter Shawna (Ellen Page).

Despite a "picture-perfect" life in Connecticut, a mid-life crisis sends Mary Ann back into the world of Anna Madrigal (Dukakis) and Maupin’s signature slate of eccentric San Francisco characters.

Look for RuPaul’s Drag Race alum, Bob the Drag Queen, in the mix along with more of the rich tapestry of community that is San Francisco.

Olympia Dukakis and Bob the Drag Queen (courtesy photo)

The series is scheduled to have its world premiere at the San Francisco Film Festival this Friday, April 10.

The rest of the world will have to wait until the June 7 debut on Netflix.

Check out the new teaser trailer for Tales of the City below.

Homophobic Swordsman Arrested After Nearly Severing Man's Hand In Attack

Leor Bergland arrested for attempted murder with a sword (mugshot via SF Police)

San Francisco police have arrested a man accused of slashing and nearly severing the hand of a gay man at a roller rink on March 29.

The alleged attack happened about 9:50pm outside the Church of 8 Wheels roller rink.

The accused, 30-year-old Leor Bergland, was reportedly hanging around the roller rink with a sword tucked in the back of his pants and wearing a red flannel shirt and red MAGA hat, the preferred head gear of Donald Trump supporters.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports the victim, 27-year-old Gabriel Gaucin, passed Bergland on the street and swatted the MAGA hat off his head.

Prosecutors wrote in court papers that Bergland “suddenly reached back, as if to punch the victim, but instead quickly brought his hand down, hold what the victim thought was an umbrella or nightstick.”

Instead, it was a sword which partially severed Gaucin’s hand. The victim was treated at San Francisco General Hospital where he had to undergo emergency hand surgery.

The owner of the roller rink, David Miles Jr., told NBC News that Bergland was “mostly yelling anti-gay rhetoric.”

Police tracked Bergland down after matching fingerprints on a beer bottle and the MAGA hat left at the crime scene with a sword found by a security guard two days later. The weapon, wrapped in a red flannel shirt, had a matching fingerprint on it.

MAGA hat left behind by Bergland (image via 

The MAGA hat is notable in reporting the story because hate crimes have surged since Donald Trump took office. The FBI has reported that hate crimes had their biggest increase since 9/11 in 2017.

And, as Miles reported, Bergland used anti-gay slurs during the attack.

Bergland told the arresting officers he was home at the time of the assault and challenged them saying, “What do you have on me? Nothing, cause I didn’t do it.”

He was charged with attempted murder, mayhem, and assault with a deadly weapon.

The Chronicle reports Bergland was “defiant” during his first appearance in court.

He didn’t enter a plea, but argued with Deputy Public Defender Eric Quandt, saying, “Why are you telling me to be quiet? You just basically implied that I did it.”

Judge Donna Little set his bail at $250,000.

A spokesman for the district attorney’s office told the Chronicle, “No one has a right to strike someone with a sword because their hat was knocked off their head.”

But Quandt pointed out in court that Bergland didn’t instigate the incident.

“What the reports seem to suggest is that this defendant reacted to being either attacked, or a hat thrown off his head, or something along those lines,” said Quandt.

San Francisco: Two Violent Attacks On Gay Men Days Before Pride Weekend

Tim Tait of San Francisco

Two men in the San Francisco area were separately attacked on the same night. The violent beatings have left police in both Oakland and San Francisco searching for answers.

According to the local ABC affiliate, the beatings of two Bay Area men have police in Oakland and San Francisco baffled as they search for motives.

Tim Tait of San Francisco was stunned to be attacked in San Francisco in the year 2018.

"San Francisco, 2018 - there is so much diversity and so much acceptance and this is still happening," said Tait.

He was targeted because he's a drag queen who goes by the name “Ginger Snap.”

Tait left the Eagle Bar at South of Market at around 10 o'clock, also on June 9. After making a left on Bernice Street to go home, Tait felt a blow to his head.

"Got about one-quarter of the way down the block when I felt a bang to the head and started to get attacked," says Tait. During the beating Tait was punched, kicked and dragged.

Officer Joseph Tomlinson with the San Francisco Police Department says surveillance camera video has been found and is being reviewed for any details that may help identify the attacker.

San Francisco Police are treating the attack as a hate crime.

Scott Long of Oakland, California

Scott Long, a human rights activist on LGBTQ issues in Oakland, was struck from behind with what he thinks was a tire iron on June 9, near the corner of 35th Avenue and Kansas Street in Oakland.

"I suddenly felt this huge blow right upside my head over my ear," says Long. His injuries were so severe he had to have surgery to reconstruct his jaw and cheekbone.

Describing his assailant as “very thin white male, shorter than he,” Long recalls being struck at least four times.

Long has no clue as to why he was attacked. Oakland Police continue to followup on the investigation.

With Pride Weekend beginning tomorrow, Robert Rueca of the San Francisco Police Department is recommending that people travel in groups.

"If you have the ability to move with a group, absolutely do so," said Rueca.

News Round-Up: May 2, 2018

(image via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• Yes, in case you were wondering, folks do make passes at guys who wear glasses. Especially if you look like Germany's Obaid Habibi (above).

• The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has unanimously approved a resolution to recognize the South of Market neighborhood as the Leather and LGBTQ Cultural District, ensuring the location will remain an LGBTQ haven protected from overzealous gentrification efforts.

• The oh-so-handsome Jake Gyllenhaal will portray gay legendary composer (West Side Story, Candide) and conductor Leonard Bernstein in an upcoming film The American. Gyllenhaal is also set to produce the pic.

• As the Boy Scouts prepare to welcome girls into the organization, they are dropping the word 'boy' from the name of its signature program. Boy Scouts, which includes kids from 10 to 17, will become Scouts BSA in February.

• Anthony Shelton 20, and Cameron Ajiduah, 19, were sentenced to 20 and 15 years in prison, respectively, after having been found guilty of federal hate-crimes charges for assaulting and robbing gay men in four home invasions in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The two men used the dating app Grindr to target their victims.

• The two black men who were arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks while waiting for a business colleague have settled with city officials for a symbolic $1 plus the promise to set up a $200,000 program for young entrepreneurs.

• And how about one more shot from "Hunk of the Day," Mr. Obaid Habibi...

what a good day ..☀️🔥👌🏻 .. Hat by @jjmalibu 💕

A post shared by O B A I D 🐻 (@obaid_habibi) on Apr 19, 2018 at 9:18am PDT

"Hot Cop Of Castro" Arrested For Hit-And-Run

(photo via Facebook)

Sad to hear, and I should note we don't have all the details. But the arrest was certainly not done without some certainty.

Via SFExaminer.com:

A well-known San Francisco police officer, also known as the “Hot Cop of Castro,” was arrested Sunday and booked on two felony charges of hit-and-run, Sgt. Michael Andraychak said.

Christopher Kohrs, 38, of San Francisco is alleged to have struck two pedestrians early Sunday morning in North Beach, police said.

About 2:20 a.m., officers arrived to the intersection of Broadway and Montgomery Street and discovered two pedestrians who had been struck by a car, Andraychak said.

The car, a Dodge Charger, was left at the scene but the driver reportedly fled the scene.

The two pedestrians, both men in their 40s, were taken to the hospital with serious but not life threatening injuries, Andraychak said. The men were apparently crossing Broadway when they were struck by the vehicle that was traveling west on Broadway.

(photo via Facebook)

(h/t TRR reader Aaron)

Friday Night In San Francisco

I've been attending the annual National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association conference this week in San Francisco.

Lots of seminars, conference sessions and all that jazz, but the best part is meeting up with so many friends from all over the country and from different parts of he media.

This pic of hubby Michael with our friends Reed McDowell and Javi Morgado was how our festive Friday night started out.

It still made me laugh when I woke up this morning.

And then there's the part where I told a photographer that Michael has 500,000 Twitter followers, so the photog kept taking Michael's picture but that's another story... :)

San Francisco Mayor Bans Travel By City Staff To Indiana

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee has decided to halt all non-essential travel on the city's behalf to the state of Indiana over the "license to discriminate" legislation signed into law by Gov. Mike Pence yesterday.

Via press release:

"We stand united as San Franciscans to condemn Indiana’s new discriminatory law, and will work together to protect the civil rights of all Americans including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals.

"Effective immediately, I am directing City Departments under my authority to bar any publicly-funded City employee travel to the State of Indiana that is not absolutely essential to public health and safety.

"San Francisco taxpayers will not subsidize legally-sanctioned discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people by the State of Indiana."

San Francisco: "Person of Interest" sought in connection to Feather Lynn murder

The San Francisco Police Department has released video footage of a "person of interest" sought in connection to the homicide of "Feather Lynn"/Bryan Higgins.

Apparently there had been inconsistencies about the color of hoodie worn by a possible assailant, but in this video the man who is pursuing Feather Lynn (who is blacked out in the video) is shown wearing a dark hoodie over a red hoodie which could explain somethings.

Video was taken the same day as the attack on Feather. If you have any information about this man please contact the SFPD at 415-575-4444 or text TIP411 with “SFPD” at the start of the message.

(h/t JMG)

San Francisco: Castro District resident Bryan Higgins attacked, left brain dead

Bryan Higgins, known to friends and family as Feather Lynn, was brutally attacked over the weekend in the Castro District of San Francisco.

Sadly, violent crime has recently been on the rise in the Castro.

Feather’s body was discovered early Sunday morning, unconscious and lacking any identifying belongings. After community outreach by the police, a family member came forward and identified Feather.

From The Castro Biscuit:

Yesterday, police declared the case an attempted homicide after evidence was introduced that suggested Feather was brutally attacked which reports say led to a fatal brain aneurysm that has left him on life support.

The SFPD has little details on a suspect and is asking for the community’s help in tracking down a white male in his late 20′s and early 30′s who was wearing a dark colored hoodie who was captured on Muni and surrounding businesses’ security footage around the time of the assault.

Feather was taken off life support today at 3:33 PM PST. At that same time, a vigil was held at Duboce Park, near where Feather was attacked, to celebrate and remember his life.

Feather’s husband, Brian Haggerty, spoke to The San Francisco Bay Guardian on Feather’s condition:

“Right now, we are just concerned with his spirit, and making sure everyone has a chance to say goodbye," he said. "Too many factors came together in this situation. But the truth is he has left us.”

Anyone who may have been in the vicinity of Duboce and Church in the early morning hours of Sunday, August 10th, - or have any details that may be related to the crime - please contact the SFPD at 415-575-4444 or text TIP411 with “SFPD” at the start of the message.

Ballons let go for Brian "feather" Higgins vigil-- @FOX17 pic.twitter.com/jMq7tTkDoz

— Cassy Arsenault (@CassyArsenault) August 13, 2014

Trans men Ty and Landon celebrate Pride with parents on "Our America"

On this week's episode of Our America on the OWN Channel, Lisa Ling revisits Ty and Landon - two transgender men - three years after documenting their journey from female to male.

In the episode, Ty recalls the first time he attended a gay pride parade. “Maybe one day my family will come to this,” he said.

Kim struggled with the loss of her daughter, Tanya, as she transitioned into Ty. Now, at the San Francisco Pride Parade, Kim tells her son how happy she is for him and how his journey inspired her to change her life for the better:

“You’ve always known who you are and who you wanted to be. And just in the last three years, the man that you have become, that’s why I’ve quit my job and gone back to school. You have inspired me so much.”

Learn more about the two men's journeys at oprah.com.

Video: LGBTQ Connect in San Francisco

Award-winning filmmaker Marc Smolowitz directed & produced this 7 minute video for various nonprofit partners in San Francisco that collaborated on the 1st ever LGBTQ Connect - an event designed to help the City's LGBT Homeless population.


The event was held on Oct. 7th, 2013 at the SF LGBT Center.

You can find out how to volunteer in San Francisco at Project Homeless Connect.

Follow the organization at their Facebook page.

Hosted by The Mayor's Office of HOPE, Project Homeless Connect, and AIDS Housing Alliance, the day was sponsored by Metta Fund, Sass Social Justice Fund of Horizons Foundation, Dignity Fund, Haas, Jr. Foundation.

Accidental Bear's Mike Enders to collaborate with HBO on San Francisco gay series

Mike Enders of Accidental Bear

Congrats to Accidental Bear’s Mike Enders who has been asked by HBO to collaborate/generate original content to help promote the new gay series “looking.”

The new series, “Looking,” revolves around three thirty-something men exploring the highs & lows of contemporary gay life in San Francisco. Viewers will get an unvarnished look at the gay experience as these close friends cope with the challenges of finding happiness, and intimacy, amidst the often fickle & promiscuous gay culture of the Bay area,” says HBO. The new half-hour series is created by Michael Lannan (Remember Me, Lorimer, Interior, Leather Bar)

Enders will work behind-the-scenes capturing video interviews with actor, producers, directors, wardrobe designer, and anyone he can sink his paws into.

Make sure you follow Mike on his Twitter and Facebook social media as well as on AccidentalBear.com

‘Looking” will premiere Sunday, January 19, 2014

San Francisco: Gay sports bar celebrates 49ers in Super Bowl

A photographer snapped a celebration photo at "Hi Tops" in San Francisco's Castro District when the 49ers clinched a spot in the Super Bowl. The image captures the thrill of victory with cheers and kisses at a gay sports bar. And now that photo is included in the current issue of Sports Illustrated.

"Hi Tops" opened a few months ago, bartender Logan Chavarria says, "A lot of people come in and don’t even know it’s a gay bar and then we find out we have common bond."

The 49ers are definitely bringing people together. Randy Report readers already know that the 49ers are part of the anti-bullying "It Gets Better" campaign.

Owner Jesse Woodward says the photo sends a winning message "Sports fans from all walks of life and we’re all a big melting pot everyone can get along."

(via NBCBayArea.com)