By Sister Dana Van Iquity
Sister Dana sez, “Congratulations, Apple CEO Tim Cook, for coming out gay! Your official Smart [TM2014] i-Toaster Oven is on its way to you.”
As the largest, global, nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to workplace equality for the LGBTQ community, Out & Equal Workplace Advocates are proud of Cook’s decision to come out as a gay man. Out & Equal sees firsthand the power in coming out and being public about who you are and who you love. When a CEO of a global company like Apple comes out, it opens the doors for queer employees around the world to be their authentic selves. It also paves the way for more out executives and CEOs to do the same; once the queer ceiling has been broken, it gives employees the freedom to put all their energy into their work without having to hide their personal lives. That means it’s only a matter of time before more talented LGBTQ professionals in the pipeline become tomorrow’s leaders.
THE CASTRO COMMUNITY BENEFIT DISTRICT (CBD) produced the festive CASTRO STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT PARTY at the Castro & 18th Streets rainbow crosswalks. The queer community and friends celebrated the completion of the eight month long project (which in reality will be truly completely complete by Thanksgiving). There was great entertainment including Matt Alber, SF Gay Men’s Chorus, Amoray, Gypsy Love, and DJ Liam Shy. A great surprise for everyone was the beautiful 65-foot-long by three feet wide rainbow ribbon created by Gilbert Baker, original creator of the rainbow flag, specifically for the ribbon-cutting. Supervisor Scott Wiener spoke of the many improvements, including widened sidewalks with a Rainbow Honor Walk of past queer heroes, as well as a History Walk of the Castro – from its early beginnings with Native Americans through the gaying of the district and the start of the AIDS epidemic and first AIDS fundraiser. Other improvements are special LED color themed lighting, new foliage, leaning posts, and bike racks. The supervisor thanked the merchants, residents, and everyone for their patience during this long process of beautification. He thanked CBD Executive Director Andrea Aiello for heading up the project, who thanked the Department of Public Works figureheads and fellow board members and volunteers. First Lady of the Castro Donna Sachet acted as emcee and introduced The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to give a blessing and make the Castro a continual source of joy for all generations to come. They led the crowd in a litany of joy. The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus sang “If You Were Gay” from the musical Avenue Q and a special rendition of “Thursday Night in the Castro.” Donna sang the official gay national anthem, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and led the audience in a sing-along of the number. Senator Mark Leno and Mayor Ed Lee gave rousing speeches. Leno said, “Our job is not complete until we find a way to make sure the Castro stays welcoming and affordable for as many people as possible.” Lee joked, “I want to introduce you to another Lee, Final Lee we got this done!” He added, “We must stop these evictions and get truly affordable housing for everyone.” Veteran activist Cleve Jones spoke of the Castro’s history as being basically Gay Central for Progressivism and Activism, and handed a giant scissors for Wiener to cut the giant rainbow ribbon. “Cut it on the seam!” we sew&sews screamed urgently – wanting the ribbon to be salvaged for further use.
BAY AREA LAWYERS FOR INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM (BALIF) is one of the nation’s oldest and largest associations of LGBTQ persons in the field of law. Founded in 1980, BALIF represents its members’ interests in the wider San Francisco Bay Area. BALIF members and supporters include San Francisco Bay Area judges, lawyers, law students, and legal workers. BALIF joined AABA, the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area, to co-host a costumed fundraiser
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