Compiled by Dennis McMillan
Finally, the Promised Castro at 18th Streets Repairs and Replacement Will Happen This Month
After several delays to assure that the work is coordinated and then completed as fast as possible, San Francisco Department of Public Works is finally ready to repair drainage and other issues from last year’s Castro Street Sidewalks Widening Project, and to replace the Rainbow Crosswalks later unintentionally damaged by a film location crew—all at the Castro and 18th Streets intersection. Work is tentatively scheduled for the week of September 12, with an overnight work session on that Monday night.
castromerchants.com
1015 Folsom Cancels Upcoming Performance by Anti-Gay Reggae Artist
On September 23, controversial reggae artist Sizzla was set to perform at 1015 Folsom nightclub. However, 1015’s owner, Ira Sandler, recently announced that the show was canceled. Sizzla is known for “murder music,” a type of reggae whose lyrics incite violence against the LGBTQ community and glorify killing individuals who identify as gay. Sandler initially learned of Sizzla’s upcoming San Francisco show via an email from the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. They heard about Sizzla from Todd Larsen of Queer Humboldt, who launched an awareness campaign about Sizzla’s anti-LGBTQ statements when he saw that Sizzla had been booked for shows in Humboldt County, at Petaluma’s Mystic Theatre, and at 1015 Folsom. Sandler was deeply apologetic about the booking, explaining that in late July, when the show was booked, he had just suffered a heart attack and a double bypass. “We at 1015 have had a long love affair with the LGBTQ community, and will fight tirelessly for their equal rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” said Sandler. “To that end, there was no hesitation in my heart to do the right thing and cancel this show.” hoodline.com
Change at Our Family Coalition
After over ten years at the helm of Our Family Coalition, Judy Appel will be concluding her time as Executive Director next month. She will join California School-Based Health Alliance as Executive Director, building on the educational equity she is so passionate about in her role on the Berkeley School Board. Renata Moreira-Bilella—Our Family Coalition’s Communications and Policy Director and last summer’s Acting Executive Director—has the Board of Directors’ unanimous endorsement as Interim Executive Director this fall, as the Board conducts a comprehensive search and review process for the next Executive Director. ourfamily.org
Incarcerated Transgender Woman’s Lengthy Hunger Strike Ends with Her Release
Athena Cadence, a transgender woman who had been incarcerated, went on a hunger strike beginning June 1. Cadence’s demands included that she be housed with other women in a San Francisco jail and searched only by women officers there. The hunger strike lasted 64 grueling days, earning headlines in outlets ranging from the San Francisco Examiner to Mother Jones, and ending only with Cadence’s recent release from custody.
transgenderlawcenter.org
Rainbow Honor Walk Salutes New Honorees and Amelia’s Lesbian Bar
The Rainbow Honor Walk, which recently announced 24 new honorees saluting historical LGBT leaders, raised a glass—and funds—in honor of LGBT heroes with “One Night At Amelia’s.” The event was held at the Elbo Room, which was previously the lesbian bar Amelia’s from 1978–1991. Amelia’s founder and owner, Rikki Streicher, is one of the newly selected Rainbow Walk honorees. Amelia’s was one of the last dedicated lesbian bars in America. Streicher is one of 24 newly selected Rainbow Honor Walk heroines to have plaques and photos installed on Castro Street sidewalks. Donna Sachet emceed the evening. hoodline.com
Opportunity Coming to Join Castro Community on Patrol
Volunteering just three hours a month with Castro Community on Patrol improves the safety of the Castro neighborhood. Castro Patrol volunteers have been an active part of community safety since 2006, making a real difference. The next free volunteer workshop will be on Saturday, September 17, from 1 to 4 pm. Patrol Volunteer training is a combination of a written training manual that candidates must read, followed by a three-hour practical certification class that was developed in cooperation with the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), San Francisco Safety Awareness For Everyone (SFSAFE.org) and officers of the Community Patrol Service USA (CPS-USA) organization. After successful completion of the written and practical training, newly designated Trainee Patrollers must complete four supervised patrols with supervisory Patrollers in order to advance to full Patroller status.
castropatrol.org
San Francisco Secures $45 Million from State to Expand Muni Train Fleet
Mayor Edwin M. Lee applauded the California State Transportation Agency for awarding $45 million in new cap-and-trade funds as part of the Transit and Intercity Rail Capacity Program (TIRCP) to allow for growth and modernization of San Francisco’s light rail vehicle (LRV) fleet. In addition to improving the system’s safety and reliability, decreasing crowding, and increasing integration with regional operators like BART and Caltrain, the full fleet of new LRVs is expected to deliver 963,000 tons of greenhouse gas reductions over the life of the vehicles. “This funding represents a key investment in San Francisco’s transit infrastructure as the city works to expand and replace its current light rail vehicle fleet, shorten travel times, and keep the system in a state of good repair,” said Mayor Lee. “The funding will also help to address current and future capacity needs, drive smart growth and development to the city’s rail corridors and increase transportation services for riders of all income levels.” sfgov.org
Activists Oppose Reinstallation of ‘Transphobic, Fat-Shaming’ Naked Trump Statue
Thousands of people flocked to the corner of Market and Castro to get a photo with the nude comic rendering of the Republican presidential hopeful. Upon seeing the statue, a number of people took to social media to declare that the “political art,” which was installed in five cities around the U.S., revealed underlying fat and transphobic sentiments in our society. After the Trump statue was removed, District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener took to Twitter, saying that he was working to convince SF Public Works to allow Union Square pub Lefty O’Doul’s to display it until Election Day. “The Trump statue is political art, and different people view and interpret art differently,” Wiener noted. “I interpret the statue—as do many people—as exposing Trump for the fraud, racist and fascist he is. At no point have I said or suggested that we should make fun of the statue for the way Trump’s body is depicted.” hoodline.com
Ace Portis Joins TLC as Director of Development
Transgender Law Center welcomes Ace Portis as the organization’s new Director of Development. Portis is a professional fundraiser with a passion for philanthropy, and most recently served as the Major Gifts Officer at the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR). Portis brings several years of fundraising, project management and event logistics/management experience. She has committed her life to philanthropic service, spending hundreds of volunteer and board work hours in various capacities. At NCLR, she stewarded all individual donor programs and functions, successfully managing the major giving campaign which raises over $2 million annually. Additionally, she crafted donor centric messaging and communications to support the development functions of the organization.
transgenderlawcenter.org
LGBT Center Welcomes Newest Member to Economic Development Team
The latest addition to the San Francisco LGBT Community Center is Carissa Avalos. She joins the Center as the new Economic Development Associate and will work with Employment Services, Trans Employment Services, Financial and Small Business services. Originally from Sacramento, Avalos moved to New York City to pursue her degree at Fordham University. While in New York, she worked in nonprofits focused on connecting low-income individuals to resources in the community. In 2014, she co-founded IgnatianQ: The Jesuit University LGBTQ & Ally Conference. sfcenter.org
Target to Spend $20 Million Adding Gender-Neutral Restrooms to Stores
Target Corp. said it will spend $20 million to add a private bathroom to each of its stores by next year, after customer protests of its policy allowing transgender individuals to use whichever restroom corresponds with their gender identity. Most of Target’s 1,797 locations already have single-occupancy or unisex restrooms, but it will add the option to 277 stores by November and to about 20 remaining stores by March 2017, the company said to Wall Street Journal. Target’s finance chief Cathy Smith said the move is a response to feedback from customers voicing displeasure over the company’s bathroom policy. wsj.com
EQCA Endorses Proposition 63, Gun Safety Initiative
Equality California (EQCA) announced that it has endorsed Proposition 63, the “Safety for All” ballot initiative backed by Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. Following the shootings in June at an Orlando LGBT nightclub, a spike in homicides of LGBT people and an ongoing worldwide epidemic of murders of transgender women, Equality California has made enacting gun safety measures a key part of its program and advocacy work. Proposition 63, representing the strongest set of gun laws that have been proposed in the state of California, will appear on the 2016 November California ballot with the following provisions: “Keeping Guns from Dangerous Criminals: Provides a clear firearms relinquishment process for those convicted of a felony or a violent misdemeanor, and clarifies the law to ensure that theft of a gun—of any value—is a felony, which prohibits the thief from owning firearms.”
edgemedianetwork.com
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