Breed opens Transgender History Month

Mpox has declined dramatically since the outbreak peaked late last summer, and it remains at a low ebb in the United States, including San Francisco. To date, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified 30,647 cases and 46 deaths in the U.S. and 88,600 cases worldwide. Most cases outside of Africa have been among gay and bisexual men, usually linked to sexual contact.

According to the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s database, there hasn’t been a reported mpox case in the city since June 30.

Around 40% of people diagnosed with mpox in the U.S. were living with HIV, but HIV-positive people accounted for more than 80% of those hospitalized, and most people who have died of mpox in the U.S. were Black gay men with AIDS, according to the CDC.

Earlier this year, Dr. Chloe Orkin of Queen Mary University of London reported that mpox can be much more severe for people with HIV who have a very low CD4 count, leading her to call for mpox to be classified as an AIDSdefining opportunistic infection.

At the IAS meeting, Dr. Ana Hoxha of the World Health Organization presented findings from a larger analysis based on global surveillance data reported to WHO. Among the more than 82,000 mpox cases reported between January 2022 and January 2023, about 40% had available information on their HIV status, and of these, just over half were living with HIV.

would “deeply inform” state legislator’s conversations on what policies and legislation were needed to address the issues the report detailed in specific arenas, from housing and health care to education and the legal system, plus the vaguer “and more” catchall phrase.

“I fully recognize that my experiences as a white woman are different than those of Black Californians, but I share the goals of equality, equity, and justice that this report seeks to advance,” stated Atkins. “We all need to read this report, truly reflect on the pain and inequality it so clearly details, and take action. We can’t lose this moment.”

Black LGBTQs could play roles

In interviews with the Bay Area Reporter two out Black elected officials who could play key roles in the statehouse in coming years on

Overall, people living with HIV were more likely to be hospitalized than HIV-negative people with mpox (4.3% versus 3.0%) and they had a higher risk of death (0.3% versus 0.03%). But while immunocompromised people with HIV were about twice as likely to be hospitalized, the risk for HIV-positive people with an adequate CD4 count was similar to that of HIV-negative people without immune suppression.

These findings indicate that HIV treatment that leads to viral suppression and CD4 cell recovery can help prevent severe mpox. Therefore, people who present for mpox testing or treatment should be tested for HIV if they do not already know their status and should be linked to care if they are not already on antiretroviral therapy.

“For individuals with unknown HIV status, mpox testing can be an opportunity for HIV testing, prevention, and care,” Hoxha said at the IAS news briefing.

As the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, IAS conference participants heard about global progress toward ending HIV, another person cured of HIV after a stem cell transplant – the sixth such case ever – and a new World Health Organization brief reaffirming that people on antiretroviral treatment with an undetectable viral load have zero risk of transmitting HIV to their sex partners t

Gay state Assemblymember Corey Jackson, Ph.D., (D-Perris), the first LGBTQ Black member of the Legislature who notes he is a direct descendant of slavery, has made anti-racism a main focus of his freshman term this year. Speaking to the B.A.R. in the spring, he said he supports “any and all reparations.” But providing reparations “is not just a dollar amount,” Jackson also stressed.

“It means to me dismantling current systems to ensure future generations of African Americans are not being harmed by the state,” said Jackson. “I think reparations means a series of policies, investments and, yes, it could also mean financial recourse as well. But that is not the totality of what reparations is.”

He noted that few of the task force’s recommendations will require “writing out a check to people.” As for how much he thought eligible Black Californians deserve in fiscal compensation, Jackson

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San Francisco Mayor London Breed, center, was joined by trans performer and activist Donna Personna, second from right, in raising the trans flag Wednesday, August 2, to open Transgender History Month. “San Francisco has been, and always will be, a place where we embrace our diverse communities to ensure everyone has the freedom to be who they are,” Breed stated in a news release. “Last year we declared August Transgender History Month in San Francisco, making it the country’s first of its kind. We are proud of what this city stands for, and today and the entire month of August reflect the resilience of the transgender community and San Francisco’s commitment to supporting and protecting the rights of trans people.”

Transgender History Month honors the 57th anniversary of the Compton’s Cafeteria Riots, which occurred in August 1966 in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district, marking the beginning of transgender activism in San Francisco. A response to violent and constant police harassment, this incident, the date of which has been lost to history, was one of the first LGBTQ uprisings in United States history, preceding the better-known 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City.

Breed has budgeted city resources to help the trans and gendernonconforming communities, including funds for behavioral health programming and housing, the release stated.

Trans people praised the city’s recognition of trans history month.

“Transgender history should not be understated. Now, more than ever, it is imperative to lean into transgender history to understand the reemergence of extremist and violent antitransgender rhetoric. It is rhetoric that is not new - in fact, it draws from the tumultuous decades of the 1970s and 1980s that led to the pathologization of transness which resulted in devastating consequences for the safety and livelihood of trans people,” stated Jupiter Peraza, transgender activist and manager of statewide coalition at Openhouse SF.

But with the large crowds descending upon the Castro – including gay bashers – it became hard for the city to ensure public safety at the street party. In 2002, four people were stabbed on Halloween night in the Castro; but the death knell for the old-time Halloween festivities was in 2006, when nine people suffered gun-related injuries in a mass shooting while a 10th victim was trampled in the melee that marred the annual street party.

A heavy police presence stopped the event from occurring again, and by 2011 stakeholders agreed that the Castro shouldn’t be the focal point of a region-wide celebration. Government policy became to direct people, as much as they’d listen, to diverse events in other neighborhoods, as well as to strictly enforce alcohol consumption and sale laws in the Castro.

Over the years, gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman has spoken positively about bringing the old Halloween back – or something like it; he told the B.A.R. in 2021, “I’ve always felt it’d be great if we could figure out a way of how we can do these great parties,” referring to Halloween and Pink Saturday. (The party held in the Castro on the eve of Pride Sunday in late June was also shut down after the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, which produced it, cited safety concerns and pulled the plug in 2015. An effort by the San Francisco LGBT Community Center to produce the event lasted one year.

Yekutiel agreed; he told the merchants that he participated in a meeting at Queer Arts Featured, the gallery that is located at the site of gay slain supervisor

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“I don’t have a dollar amount to argue for. I don’t have enough expertise to say that,” said Jackson, adding that he would look to the financial remedy that the task force came up with and the formula it used to determine such payments. “Certainly, it is not a subjective thing. It has to be more objective.”

Lesbian AC Transit board member and former Richmond city councilmember Jovanka Beckles, who is both Black and Latina, has made her support for reparations a key talking point in her 2024 campaign for the East Bay’s open 7th Senate District seat that spans western Contra Costa and Alameda counties.

Highlighting the issue of reparations in an email she sent out ahead of the first observance of Juneteenth as a state holiday in June, two years after it was designated an official federal holiday, Beckles argued, “We will never achieve the equal society so many of our forebears dreamed of without them.”

Harvey Milk’s camera store, where reviving the Halloween party was broached.

“The original idea was to bring Halloween back,” Yekutiel said, adding that he sought advice from Mandelman, gay former District 8 Supervisor Bevan Dufty, the merchants’ group, the Castro Community Benefit District, the GLBT Historical Society, and the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District.

Mandelman is pleased with the plans being proposed for this year’s holiday.

“I’m excited to welcome Halloween back to the Castro,” Mandelman stated to the B.A.R. August 7. “This year’s Halloween will focus on our Castro small businesses and family-friendly activities for all ages to enjoy. I want to thank the Civic Joy Fund, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the Castro Merchants, the LGBTQ cultural district, and APE for their hard work and leadership.”

Dufty declined a request to comment for this report.

Those at the business group’s meeting last week agreed that “it’d be cool to bring something back,” but Yekutiel acknowledged there wasn’t an appetite for the Halloween block party of years past.

“There was a spirit of Halloween when it started in the Castro that was a community feeling, so we thought how could we bring that back,” Yekutiel said. “And that is what we’re talking about today.”

Yekutiel said that Another Planet Entertainment, which manages the Castro Theatre, proposed having a fivefilm “long, queer Halloween marathon” October 28, with tickets costing $5. Yekutiel said the proceeds will go toward the merchants association so it can host more events.

APE spokesperson David Perry, a gay man, told the B.A.R. that the costume

U.S. with her parents in 1972, took part in local listening sessions that the state reparations panel held. She told the B.A.R. she made it a point to bring up that it is not just Black people born in the U.S. and descendants of slaves who have been impacted by the country’s systemic racism.

“We talked about the African diaspora and the ways Black people throughout the world have been subjected to oppression and racism,” said Beckles, adding that the reparations conversation needs to include people regardless of which country they were born in. “We were born in Black skin and it was still used ... even in countries like Panama and Latin American countries Black folks experience racism. When we come to this country, we still experience racism.” contest run by the Sisters will be held inside the theater at 8 p.m. that Saturday, followed by ‘Rocky Horror’ at 9, with further “details and specific films will be announced in the coming days.”

She noted that the same discriminatory policies faced by American descendants of enslaved Africans, such as redlining laws that restricted where they could own homes or bias in workforce hiring, impacted Black immigrants to the country.

“October 28 will be a wonderful day in the Castro,” Perry stated August 7. “Another Planet is working with the Castro Merchants, the Civic Joy Fund, Sister Roma, and the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District to produce a day of community-focused activities and film and 100% of the proceeds will benefit the local Castro Merchants.”

Tickets are $5 per film, while attendance at the contest is free with a costume, according to Roma.

As for the Sisters, they had initially planned on hosting the costume contest atop a flatbed truck outside near the theater but that has now changed. Sister Roma stated August 7 that half of the proceeds would benefit the Sisters.

“Anyone in a fabulous costume will get into the theater for free, and the Sisters will be walking around the Castro with a golden ticket to entice people in,” Roma stated. “Dress fabulously: there will be prizes!”

“We really wanted to make sure this goes back to our roots – queer people coming together to celebrate Halloween – high queer holiday,” Roma said August 3. “We want to keep it contained while still welcoming people.”

Ideas for merchants

Ideas Yekutiel suggested the merchants could participate in included pop-up drag performances, face painting, and dry ice.

“You can do whatever you want,” Yekutiel said August 3.

Terry Asten Bennett, a straight ally who is president of the Castro Mer- final report issued by the Reparations Task Force, Jackson said he endorsed and stood behind its findings. While he didn’t specify any dollar amount owed to the state’s African American community, Jackson pledged to champion the task force’s recommended measures in the Legislature.

“These findings not only resonate with my personal experiences, but they reflect the lived reality of the African American community,” he stated. “Now that the task force has finalized its recommendations, it is incumbent upon California to take decisive action and rectify the deeprooted systemic racism that has permeated our state’s institutions.” chants Association and co-owner of Cliff’s Variety, suggested specialty cocktails.

Talking to the B.A.R. Jackson said that reparations are “absolutely” in order due to the discrimination African Americans have faced for generations.

“If you’re a bar and want to do over 21, that’s in the realm too,” Asten Bennett said.

Pumpkin carving, bobbing for apples, a petting zoo, sidewalk chalk, and drag queer ghost story hour were also proposed, potentially for a family-friendly Sunday event October 29.

Patrick Batt, a gay man who owns Auto Erotica on 18th Street, questioned the marketing strategy – how was it possible, he asked, to get the word out without drawing a crowd? Castro Halloween had been a “victim of our own success,” he said.

“The only events we are actually going to plan are the costume contest and the Castro Theatre, opening the doors of the Castro Theatre for a movie marathon,” Yekutiel said. “The beauty of this is that it’s going to be by the people in this room.”

Yekutiel and Roma said they were not planning to speak to the media to promote the event.

“There’s a lot of events going on that weekend,” Yekutiel said. “We’re not doing big interviews, paid ads, or anything like that.”

Yekutiel said there will be paid security, and advised merchants who want to request funds from Civic Joy to do so by mid-September. He told the B.A.R. August 7 that Civic Joy Fund is willing to spend $100,000 to $150,000 on the project, and said Asten-Bennett would be a liaison to individual merchants.

“There is so much excitement about this activation,” Asten Bennett told the B.A.R. Monday. “It is really taking Halloween back old-school, and we think it will create positive buzz

African American could get themselves,” said Jackson. “If they even got one, there were clear advantages and disadvantages based on your skin color. For the majority of the existence of this nation, that has put African Americans in the type of dire situations we find ourselves in.

“So, if you ask, ‘Are reparations in order?’ Absolutely, yes,” he added. “If you don’t say yes then you have no clue about the history of this nation whatsoever or worse.”

Beckles told the B.A.R. she supports direct payments for those who qualify but also acknowledged that checks of $1 million or more are likely “not going to happen so let’s be realistic about it.” in the neighborhood without being overwhelming. We think we noted concerns in the meeting and want to keep it positive, upbeat and safe.”

Andrea Aiello, a lesbian who is the executive director of the Castro Community Benefit District, is also supportive.

“I hear from residents all the time that they want Halloween to come back on a small neighborhood scale,” she stated to the B.A.R. on August 7. “The idea for Halloween proposed by Manny Yekutiel and the Castro Merchants just might work. People come out for experiences. What better holiday to celebrate with unique experiences be it retail, food or drink than Halloween in the Castro! Keeping it small but busy is the key. It’s time we step our toes back into a fun and celebratory Halloween.”

Tina Aguirre, director of the cultural district, told the B.A.R. that “it promises to be a fun day in the Castro.”

“We acknowledge that Halloween has a long history in the Castro as a time to celebrate, dress up, and have fun,” Aguirre stated to the B.A.R. August 7. “I look forward to the Halloween costume contest … and will work with Sister Roma on how to make sure that underrepresented groups are centered at the contest.”

Yekutiel said he hopes it harkens back to the Castro’s early days.

“It really was an opportunity for folks in this community – merchants, families, the LGBTQ community – to come together as a community to celebrate itself,” Yekutiel told the B.A.R. August 7. “The idea is to go back to that original spirit of being a community gathering while meeting the moment.” t people, and the issue of providing people with quality health care always is an issue,” said Beckles. “If we all make health care a human right and provide free health care for all, I believe that just in those savings alone that will help us be able to provide other social safety nets.”

As for requiring any reparations cash payouts be spent on certain purchases, Jackson told the B.A.R. he was open to such a stipulation. After all, he noted generational wealth for American families has long been gained via property ownership or financial investments like stocks.

Beckles, who was born in Panama City, Panama, and immigrated to the

“We still feel the oppression that all descendants of enslaved Africans are experiencing,” said Beckles.

In a statement responding to the

“Mind you, if you are white and have ancestors who have been here since the Louisiana Purchase, many got free land as their economic foundation. If you were white before the 1960s, or during the 1960s and 1970s, the likelihood is that you got a good mortgage loan or business loan that was way better than any

Recognizing any payments will be dependent on the state’s budget, Beckles suggested it could start out with smaller amounts that assist those eligible in building up their self worth. She pointed as an example to a $400,000 reparations housing program approved by Evanston, Illinois leaders last year that gives qualifying households up to $25,000 for down payments or home repairs.

“In America, the best way to build wealth is to own assets, such as to own land or own property, and that was denied to African Americans for centuries,” said Jackson. “Not just denied, it was even taken away and stolen. And so I think that at the minimum it should be a part of reparations.”

The Milk club echoed those sentiments in its statement and called out Dorsey for a recent interview in which he compared the city’s fentanyl crisis to the AIDS epidemic. (Dorsey is HIV-positive.) “It was both stunning and painful as many of us remember the push from Lyndon LaRouche in 1986 to put people with HIV/AIDS into quarantine camps,” the club stated.

It also added that according to media reports, of the 191 people arrested from the Tenderloin and SOMA since June 1 solely for using drugs in public, not one person accepted offers of services and treatment through Jail Health Services, which is where Dorsey wants the Wellness Hub money to go. Ronen said that Jail Health Services has 27 funded positions that are not filled, in part because it is so difficult to find qualified mental health workers for such jobs.

Elected San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju has also panned Dorsey’s proposal, stating that the city’s policy of arresting drug users has been an “utter failure.” “The city’s latest program of arresting and detaining individuals for public drug intoxication has been an utter failure by all accounts, and calling for increased funding of this cruel program defies all logic,” Raju stated. “These sweeps ignore evidencebased solutions to our city’s public health crisis and have not been successful in connecting people who have been arrested to treatment.”

Many of those who have been arrested have been forced to go through withdrawal in a cage, often in lockdown conditions, Raju added. Therefore, it’s not surprising that they haven’t accepted offers from Jail Health Services. Raju added that studies have shown that forced treatment can have negative effects.

That’s something Dorsey should be aware of.

In his letter to the mayor, Dorsey noted that supervised consumption sites are not part of the Wellness Hubs and that is correct. As we mentioned above, Chiu has argued that city funds cannot be used for the supervised consumption sites because of federal laws.

Another huge obstacle is Governor Gavin Newsom’s veto last year of a bill that would have created pilot programs for supervised consumption sites in San Francisco, Oakland, and Los Angeles. (That veto, which we strongly opposed, has helped

“Money is always an interesting obstacle, whether talking about reparations or just feeding and housing set the city up for failure in getting a grip on the overdose problems of today, as we have noted, and furthermore Newsom has sent California Highway Patrol officers to the Tenderloin, another example of over-policing instead of providing services.)

The state’s reparations report can be downloaded at https://oag. ca.gov/ab3121/report t people who use drugs, have resulted in generational harms, abhorrent racial disparities, overfilled our prisons, and led to increased distrust in police,” HealthRIGHT 360 stated. “Reallocating any funding designed for Wellness Hubs would be misguided and shortsighted.”

Yet, as we’ve also noted, several nonprofits are committed to working to get supervised consumption site(s) opened.

In the meantime, Mental Health SF and the creation of a network of Wellness Hubs crafted in the overdose prevention plan are meant to provide the infrastructure necessary to provide treatment immediately when needed for anyone who voluntarily or forcibly enters care, Ronen stated. That includes harm reduction supplies like clean needles and counseling.

Ronen stated that the three Wellness Centers in the budget that was just approved have the support of the Department of Public Health, as does Mental Health SF. The Tenderloin Center provided services like food, counseling, and benefit application assistance to thousands of people during its 11-month run. One of the reasons the city is in such dire straits now is that when Breed closed the Tenderloin Center, she did so without another facility in place where people could go. The Wellness Hubs are supposed to be that plan, although they should have been operational when the Tenderloin Center was shuttered. Put another way, the closure of the Tenderloin Center shows exactly why the hubs are needed – people returned to the streets, where many of them use drugs. Carting them off to jail won’t solve the problem, but it will exacerbate the issues that are already present on the city’s streets.

Breed should reject Dorsey’s letter and the city needs to go about getting the Wellness Hubs open. t