New date for Oakland Pride
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Lara seeks bar review of ‘shoot gays’ attorney by David-Elijah Nahmod
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gay state lawmaker is firing back against a proposed ballot initiative that seeks to shoot to death homosexuals, asking the State Bar of California to investigate the attorney behind the measure. State Senator Ri- State Senator cardo Lara (D-Los Ricardo Lara Angeles) has called on the state bar to review attorney Matthew McLaughlin, who submitted the Sodomite Suppression Act to the state attorney general’s office last week, to determine if he is in violation of the bar’s “good moral character” clause that’s required for bar membership. McLaughlin, a conservative Orange County attorney, has been roundly criticized for the initiative, which most political observers say has no chance of getting the more than 350,000 qualified signatures for the 2016 ballot. In his letter to state bar board President Craig Holden, Lara said he is “deeply disturbed” that a member of the bar would “promote such pitiful, evil, and hateful statements in his proposed initiative.” McLaughlin’s initiative calls for LGBT people to be “put to death by bullets to the head.” The proposal also calls for imprisonment of people who support LGBTs, and that they should be fined, exiled from the state, and barred from public office. “I was shocked to hear that in 2015 we have an ill-intentioned measure that calls for killing gay people, just because of who they love,” Lara told the Bay Area Reporter in a phone interview Monday, March 9. “It reminds me that while we’ve made great strides in LGBT equality, we still have so much work to do, even in a state as progressive as California.” Lara said that McLaughlin’s measure isn’t just offensive, but an actual violation of the California bar’s code of conduct for attorneys. “Qualification to become a licensed attorney not only includes educational requirements and an examination, but also requires demonstrated ‘good moral character,’” Lara said. “The state bar’s admissions rules on good moral character include that those seeking admission to the bar demonstrate respect and obedience for the law, and respect for the rights of others and the judicial process.” Rule 2-400 of the California Bar Association Code prohibits licensed practitioners from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation when rendering legal services, Lara pointed out. The senator also said that he would look into passing legislation barring discriminatory or See page 14 >>
Vol. 45 • No. 11 • March 12-18, 2015
SF Pride honors Dlugacz, Garza, TLC by Cynthia Laird
album of artists who came out to make a musical retrio of San Fransponse to Anita Bryant.” cisco Pride comBryant, at the time a munity grand spokeswoman for Florida marshals have been anorange juice, was waging nounced, with more exan anti-gay campaign. pected to be named soon. “Today we march under Judy Dlugacz, the the banner of Olivia Travel founder and president of and celebrate 25 years of Rick Gerharter Olivia Travel, received the creating exclusive vacations Irene Young Courtesy Alicia Garza Transgender Law most votes from the pubfor lesbians,” Dlugacz said, Center Executive #BlackLivesMatter colic, San Francisco Pride of- Olivia Travel coadding that Olivia takes Director Kris Hayashi founder Alicia Garza ficials said March 6, while founder Judy Dlugacz over the whole cruise ship #BlackLivesMatter coor resort for its vacations. that has caused significant harm to the LGBT founder Alicia Garza was “And throughout this community, SF Pride officials said. named a grand marshal Tuesday, March 10 by time Pride has been there each year celebratDlugacz, a lesbian, has long been involved the general membership of the San Francisco ing and marching, showing the world that we in the women’s community. She founded OlLGBT Pride Celebration Committee. will accept no less than our full rights,” she ivia Records in 1973; the company moved to Pride officials also announced that the added. “The parade also reaffirms that our Transgender Law Center was named orga- Oakland in 1978. She founded Olivia Travel community has a strength of commitment to nizational grand marshal for the June 27-28 in 1990. It is now the world’s largest company the diversity of our community and an underserving the lesbian community, with cruises Pride festivities. standing of the preciousness of freedom.” After counting and verifying the ballots, and resorts, including riverboat trips, and saDlugacz, 63, divides her time between San faris and other adventures. SF Pride officials said that Dlugacz garnered Francisco and Washington, D.C., where she In a brief interview Tuesday, Dlugacz said 39 percent of the vote from a field of 10 canalso has a residence. She has been recognized she’s looking forward to Pride. didates. Pride board Vice President Marsha by the Golden Gate Business Association, an “I am thrilled to be chosen as a grand LGBT chamber of commerce, and honored Levine said the organization received over marshal for the most important Pride in the 7,250 votes, about 350 more than last year. by Ernst and Young as its northern California Rounding out public voting, the anti-gay country,” she said. “I started going to SF Pride Entrepreneur of the Year. in 1978, the year Olivia Records moved to the American Family Association will receive See page 5 >> Bay Area and released Lesbian Concentrate, an the pink brick, a faux award given to a group
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Alzheimer’s a growing concern among LGBTs by Matthew S. Bajko
proximately 3,213 LGBT seniors living with the disease. Another decade ago Lou Bord2,142 LGBT seniors aged 65 and isso found himself lost one older are expected to be living with morning in the downtown other diseases that cause dementia. San Francisco office complex where According to a report commishe worked. He walked endlessly sioned in 2013 by the city’s LGBT down corridors and took fruitless Aging Policy Task Force, the numrides on the elevator desperate to ber of LGBT people living with all find the room where his weekly forms of dementia in San FranMonday meetings were held. cisco will number 6,964 by 2030. “It was in the other twin tower “This will be a major challenge and I just couldn’t find it,” recalled to us as a nation as we age and live Bordisso, 61, a gay man who lives longer if we don’t get our arms Rick Gerharter in Vallejo with his husband. around this sooner than later,” One day he found himself David W. Coon, Ph.D., left, speaks on a roundtable discussion with said gay state Senator Mark Leno trapped in Macy’s, unable to figure fellow panelists Karen Fredriksen-Goldsen, Ph.D., caregivers Joyce (D-San Francisco), whose famout how to exit the department Pierson and Nicky Pyne, and moderator Michelle Alcedo during the ily spent 10 years caring for his store. He would forget passcodes Dementia Awareness and Caregiving for LGBT Older Adults from mother after she was diagnosed Diverse Communities conference. he previously recalled with ease. with Alzheimer’s. “She was very As a case manager he roufortunate though as horrible, “I can’t remember washing my hair or not,” tinely was called upon to testify in horrible as the disease was. She Bordisso said. “I devised a system where I put court. But on the stand he would lose his train turned into a ball of love in the final months, I the shampoo bottle on the other side of the am certain because of the love and support she of thought midsentence. A psychiatrist treated shower after I use it so I don’t wash my hair him for cognitive impairments, but his sympwas surrounded by.” three or four times.” toms continued to worsen. Leno was addressing a recent daylong training As the number of LGBT older adults continues His vision deteriorated to the point where the Northern California and Northern Nevada he couldn’t judge spatial distances. One day he to grow in tandem with the boom in America’s Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association co-sponsenior population, so too is concern about the indrove his car into a pole in a parking lot, ending sored in San Francisco to educate health care creasing number of LGBT seniors diagnosed with providers, such as nurses, physician’s assistants, his time behind the wheel. forms of dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s. Eventually a neurologist diagnosed Bordisso and family caregivers, about the specific issues In San Francisco alone health officials esti- LGBT patients with dementia confront. with early onset Alzheimer’s disease as well as mate that the number of older residents living Lewy body dementia. Even simple day-to-day See page 13 >> with Alzheimer’s will be 26,774 by 2020, with aptasks can present difficulties for him.
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