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2 • Bay Area Reporter • April 19-25, 2012
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EQCA honors gay doctor by Seth Hemmelgarn
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gay San Francisco doctor who primarily provides care to lowincome transgender women and people living with HIV/AIDS was honored last weekend by Equality California. Dr. Royce Lin, 39, accepted the first-ever State Farm Good Neighbor Award at the statewide LGBT lobbying group’s Saturday, April 14 gala at the Fairmont Hotel. Lin told attendees he’s felt lucky to be able to reach out to those “whose voices so often go unheard.” “Our clients are among the bravest, most tenacious, and generous people I know,” he added. Among other positions, Lin works at the Ward 86 HIV clinic at San Francisco General Hospital and for the Tom Waddell Health Center’s Transgender Clinic. Equality California board President Clarissa Filgioun said in a statement that Lin “provides a lifeline for marginalized gay and transgender people who often lack access to basic health care or for whom a trip to the doctor can be a traumatic experience because of a lack of culturally competent health care providers who understand and empathize with the unique health care needs of LGBT people.” Lin told the crowd, “It is not I who
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Equality California honorees Dr. Royce Lin, left, and Senator Dianne Feinstein greeted each other at the gala.
deserve this award,” saying there are many people doing similar work “day in and day out.” A doctor since 2000, Lin said in a phone interview that he chose the profession because “as a gay man coming of age during the height of the AIDS epidemic, I was always drawn to the way that our community gathered” in response. “It was not just for the science, but really the story, the heroism of people who are affected by HIV, and it was a great fit for me,” said Lin. “HIV is
something that certainly has affected my life, as well, so to be able to help others is something that’s tremendously rewarding.” Lin attended college in Boston in the early 1990s. He said that among the memories that stand out to him are volunteering at Fenway Health, which provides HIV care and other services. He recalled “trying to navigate being a sexually active gay man during a time when there was a lot that See page 12 >>
SF supes call for LGBT seniors task force by Matthew S. Bajko and Seth Hemmelgarn
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hree months after holding a hearing on the needs of LGBT seniors, three out San Francisco supervisors are calling for an advisory panel to report on the issue. Gay Supervisors David Campos and Scott Wiener, along with bisexual Supervisor Christina Olague, introduced legislation this week that would create an 11-member LGBT Seniors Task Force appointed by the board. The city’s Department of Aging and Adult Services would staff it. According to the legislation, the body is to spend 15 months addressing the specific needs of LGBT seniors in San Francisco. Areas it is expressly asked to investigate include housing needs, legal issues, and health services. It would then present the board with a plan detailing its recommendations, timelines for implementing them and estimated costs of the programs. The legislation has a built-in exit clause, stipulating that the task force would be disbanded 18 months after its creation. Once approved by the board and Mayor Ed Lee, applicants would need to apply through the regular Rules Committee appointment process. Meanwhile, District Attorney
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Supervisor Scott Wiener
George Gascón has announced the launch of an elder fraud outreach campaign for Elder Abuse Awareness month, which is in May. Such abuse involves any type of fraud aimed at an elder and can range from withdrawing money from an elder’s wallet to an “elaborate scheme” to have the person turn over their property, the DA’s office stated. In a meeting with reporters Thursday, April 12, Gascón said that people from “marginalized” communities, such as LGBTs, might be especially afraid to report incidents. Gascón met with representatives from several LGBT groups Wednes-
day, April 11, to discuss the creation of an LGBT/DA advisory forum, similar to what he created when he was police chief. He said that at the meeting, he was told LGBT elders “have a whole different set of needs,” since they often don’t have the “more traditional family support” that others may have. He also said that he was “surprised” to learn of discrimination and harassment at some senior centers, which isn’t something “I would have expected in San Francisco.” Four subcommittees were created, including a seniors abuse committee to focus on challenges faced by LGBT seniors. The elder fraud outreach campaign, which will cost $25,000 and begins May 1, includes bus stop ads and is being funded by a two-year grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance. Thursday, Gascón also announced the creation of a multilingual hotline to encourage San Franciscans and people who work in the city to report fraud. The hotline is available in English, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Spanish and allows users to report elder financial abuse and other types of fraud anonymously. The number is (415) 553-9535.t