A cure for winter blues
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Native American agency closes
ARTS
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Arts 2012
The
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Serving the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities since 1971
Vol. 42 • No. 52 • December 27, 2012-January 2, 2013
Court halts CA gay therapy ban
CA appellate justice makes LGBT history by Matthew S. Bajko
by Lisa Keen
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an Francisco resident Jim Humes quietly made history this month when he took the oath of office to become an associate justice of the state’s First District Court of Appeal’s Division Four. Humes, 53, is the first openly gay justice to be appointed to the California Court of Appeals. After hearing testimony December 20 from Humes’s colleagues inside Courtesy Governor’s Office the state Supreme Justice Court’s San Francisco Jim Humes courtroom, the threeperson Commission on Judicial Appointments unanimously approved his nomination to the appellate bench. “I am very honored and humbled to be here,” Humes, whose mother was seated by his side during the hearing, told the commission. “I promise to follow my father’s advice to work hard and to do the best I can. I also promise to be passionate about the cause of justice.” The proceedings happened to fall on the 10th anniversary of the death of his father, Don Humes. His mother, Shirley Humes, said she felt that her late husband was with the family that day and “would be so proud of him.” The Moline, Illinois resident added that during the hearing, “I was thinking he has always been a wonderful son. I am so proud of him.” The Lesbian and Gay Freedom Band surprised Humes, at the invitation of his husband, with a celebratory performance afterwards. Later in the day, at the state Capitol in Sacramento, Governor Jerry Brown presided over Humes’s swearing-in ceremony. Just prior to Thanksgiving Brown named Humes to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Patricia Sepulveda. He also named lesbian lawyer Paula S. Rosenstein to the San Diego County Superior Court. It was the first time that Brown had appointed openly gay or lesbian people to court vacancies since returning to the governor’s office in 2011. Humes’s selection was hardly a surprise, though, as his name has long been floated for a state judgeship. Earlier this year the Los Angeles Times reported that Humes likely would have been appointed to a court vacancy by former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger prior to his leaving office. But Humes dropped out of See page 2 >>
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Saltzman takes BART seat
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ublic transportation advocate Rebecca Saltzman, right, was sworn in to her seat on the BART board by Oakland City Councilwoman Libby Schaaf Thursday, December 20. Saltzman is the first out lesbian to sit on the transit
Elliot Owen
agency’s oversight panel and represents parts of Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Longtime BART board member Tom Radulovich, a gay man who represents San Francisco, was chosen as president for the coming term.
alifornia’s groundbreaking law banning the use of reparative therapy on people younger than 18 will not go into effect on January 1. A 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel issued an emergency order December 21 delaying enactment pending the appeals court’s review of a lawsuit challenging the law. Lydia Gonzales The religious right legal group Liberty Governor Counsel sought the Jerry Brown emergency order after federal district Judge Kimberly Mueller ruled December 4 that a group of plaintiffs were “not likely to prevail on the merits” of their legal challenge to the law. The underlying lawsuit is Pickup v. Brown, pressed by four mental health professionals, the See page 12 >>
LGBT nonprofits count on donors by Seth Hemmelgarn
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ach December, nonprofits approach people one more time to ask for money as the calendar ticks down to December 31, the last day to make donations for tax purposes. Most messages are similar to the one AIDS Emergency Fund recently sent. An email blast from the agency tells how, despite advances in prevention and treatment, many people “will not suddenly fully recover and re-enter the work force.” Thousands still need help from the 30-year-old organization, which helps people pay for housing, utilities, and other needs. “If the average person interprets the good prevention news to mean that AIDS is over, it will push people living with HIV/AIDS farther off the radar of compassion and generosity,” the message says, before stating – in bold red letters – “That’s why we need your help now, more than ever.” Mike Smith, AEF’s executive director, indicated his agency really means it. Without the help the emergency fund and similar organizations provide, “all the money the city is spending on medical care and everything else is wasted. If people can’t live safely and stably with food and shelter, they’re going to end up at SF General, at the emergency room,” Smith said in a recent interview, referring to San Francisco’s county hospital. Such messages appear to be increasingly im-
Steven Underhill
AIDS Emergency Fund Executive Director Mike Smith, left, presented singer Martha Wash with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the agency’s 30th anniversary gala December 1; AEF, like most other nonprofits, is seeking year-end donations.
portant as local nonprofits look to individual donors for support in a time of budget cuts at the state and federal levels and among foundations. There are also different ways for people to gauge how well their money is being spent. Smith said government funding, which accounts for roughly half of his agency’s revenue, has been “relatively steady.” However, founda-
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tion support has decreased, so AEF’s had to make up the difference with corporations and individuals. Like others, Smith, whose nonprofit has a budget of about $2.1 million and serves 2,250 clients, said even small donations help. He pointed to AEF’s long-running See page 12 >>