Dem club dinner celebrates Milk
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Report highlights lack of LGBT CA judges
Vol. 45 • No. 30 • July 23-29, 2015
AIDS Walk ‘re-energizes’ HIV fundraising
by Matthew S. Bajko
A
new report is highlighting a fact often overlooked about the state’s judiciary – LGBT judges are largely missing from the state and federal bench in California. There is only one gay judge out of 62 Alameda County federal district court Superior Court judges in California Judge Victoria and just three openly Kolakowski LGBT federal magistrate judges among the 65 in the state. Of the state’s 58 counties, 45 have no selfidentified LGBT judges on the local state superior court. “In other words, the LGBT community is not represented in the judiciary in 78 percent of the counties in California,” states the “first in the nation survey” released July 14 by the California LGBT Bar Coalition. Representatives of LGBT bar associations in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County, and Sacramento compiled the report, written in the style of a law journal article, in an effort to draw far more public scrutiny to the need to appoint or elect LGBT judges in the Golden State. “I think a lot of people do not know, or they have a false impression there is LGBT diversity on the bench. There is not,” said attorney Denise Bergin, who co-chairs the Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom’s judiciary committee. Bergin, who did not write the report, added, “I think there has been a lack of energy around this from the LGBT community, and that is something that needs to change.” Titled “The New Frontier of LGBT Equality: The California State and Federal Judiciary,” the 15-page document concludes that “LGBTs are just treading water” when it comes to being appointed or elected to serve on state and federal courts in the state. The report highlights the fact there has never been an out justice on the California Supreme Court and that the number of LGBT state judges remained the same at 41 between 2013 and 2014, the most recent year for which there is data on the demographic makeup of the state bench. As the report notes, “even with recent appointments and election victories, the percentage of openly LGBT sitting California judges and justices still remains at a disappointing 2.4 percent.” “The report describes a real problem with See page 13 >>
by Sampson McCormick
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ast weekend’s AIDS Walk San Francisco saw a resurgence in fundraising that left organizers pleased, especially in light of donor fatigue when it comes to HIV/AIDS causes. The July 19 event at Golden Gate Park saw about 20,000 participants raise $2.27 million for Project Inform, the lead nonprofit, and 42 other Bay Area agencies. The total is slightly larger See page 13 >>
An estimated 20,000 people took part in last Sunday’s AIDS Walk San Francisco in Golden Gate Park.
No change in percent of SF LGBT homeless Rick Gerharter
by Seth Hemmelgarn
leviate the homelessness and poverty that exists in our community,” an Francisco officials have Avicolli Mecca said. “... We need a released a report showing huge effort. We need the kind of that 29 percent of the city’s effort we put into gay marriage.” homeless population identify Avicolli Mecca lauded gay Superas LGBT – the same figure that visor David Campos for his efforts was reported in 2013, the last to increase affordable housing in time such numbers were released the Mission neighborhood, which locally. the District 9 supervisor oversees. City leaders and homeless adCampos also helped create vocates are expressing frustration Jazzie’s Place, the 24-bed shelter with the numbers, and are calling that opened in June and is defor more affordable housing. signed to be welcoming to LGBT Rick Gerharter “We’re not getting anywhere, homeless people. and even with increased resources A man, left, sleeps at the ATM on Market Street near Noe Street. In response to interview refinally starting to target the comquests, including an offer to email munity, we’re not gaining any questions to the supervisor, Caminclude sexual orientation. The margin of error ground,” said Brian Basinger, pos aide Carolyn Goossen replied is plus or minus 3 percentage points. director of the AIDS Housing Alliance/San that he would be out of town during the reBasinger called the homelessness problem quested times and unable “to do an interview.” Francisco. “We should not be seeing flat or in“one of the social needs that you can actually creasing rates of homelessness over time. They throw money at and fix. The cure to homeless- Castro changes should be decreasing.” ness is to build affordable housing.” The 2015 Point-in-Time Count includes people As the report noted, the number of homeless He added, “We need increased investment in without shelter, as well as those staying in homepeople in District 8, which includes the Castro less shelters, jails, and treatment centers. Counts a housing infrastructure to keep people in the neighborhood, almost doubled since 2013, homes they already have, and to help people were conducted January 29. There were a total of going from 95 to 183, according to the report. 7,539 homeless people, a 2 percent increase from move into homes after they lose their housing.” The figure doesn’t include youth. Tommi Avicolli Mecca, who’s another gay the 7,350 counted in 2013. At 29 percent, there Greg Hug, 29, who was sitting in the Castro’s longtime housing activist and works at the Jane Warner Plaza last Saturday, said he came were about 2,186 homeless LGBTs in 2015. Housing Rights Committee, said the new re- to San Francisco last month after staying at a The city’s Human Services Agency released port is “a wakeup call.” the report Thursday, July 16. shelter in Contra Costa County. “I wonder if now the community will take After the main count, 1,027 people comSee page 12 >> [the] challenge and start to do something to alpleted surveys, revealing characteristics that
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ASIAN ART MUSEUM
JUN 5–AUG 16, 2015 W W W. A S I A N A RT. O R G
#28CHINESE
28 Chinese is organized by the Rubell Family Collection, Miami. Presentation at the Asian Art Museum is made possible with the generous support of China Art Foundation, Gorretti and Lawrence Lui, Silicon Valley Bank, The Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang Fund for Excellence in Exhibitions and Presentations, William Mathews Brooks, Lucy Sun and Warren Felson, and an anonymous donor. Media sponsor: The California Sunday Magazine.Image: Rain-washed Sky, 2008, by Lan Zhenghui (Chinese, b. 1959). Ink on Xuan paper mounted on canvas. Courtesy of Rubell Family Collection, Miami. © Lan Zhenghui.