Jenner has some regrets
15
ARTS
08
25
The Box
Ginger's Trois redux
The
www.ebar.com
Since 1971, the newspaper of record for the San Francisco Bay Area LGBTQ community
Vol. 47 • No. 19 • May 11-17, 2017
Sheehy calls for ‘respite center’ by Matthew S. Bajko
D Rick Gerharter
Petra DeJesus
DeJesus fights for SF police panel seat
by Seth Hemmelgarn
A
lesbian longtime San Francisco police commissioner is fighting to keep her seat after a labor leader with a history of verbal and physical outbursts who just moved to the city applied for the post. Two of the three members of the Board of Supervisors Rules Committee say they’re supporting Petra DeJesus, an attorney who’s been on the police oversight panel since 2005. People who don’t earn the committee’s recommendation don’t typically make it to the full board, so it’s unclear whether Olga Miranda, who’s See page 11 >>
CA official admits ‘mistake’ on ADAP by Seth Hemmelgarn
T
he head of Ca l i f or n i a’s Office of AIDS got an earful from advocates and others during a hearing this week about problems with the state’s AIDS Drug Matthew Whitley Assistance Program. Among other is- Dr. Karen Mark sues, many people had trouble getting access to medication and data for dozens of clients was breached after the state switched to a new contractor last year to oversee enrollment and eligibility. At an Assembly hearing Monday, May 8, Office of AIDS Chief Dr. Karen Mark explained how AJ Boggs had won the contract over Ramsell Corporation, which had done the work for almost 20 years. Assemblyman Mike Gipson (D-Carson), who chairs the Select Committee on Infectious Diseases in High Risk Disadvantaged Communities, told Mark, “I’m just a little confused. How did AJ Boggs score so high See page 13 >>
istrict 8 Supervisor Jeff Sheehy would like to open what he is calling a “respite center” in the city’s gay Castro district, possibly in a vacant retail space on the edge of the Duboce Triangle neighborhood, that would welcome homeless people off the streets during the day. It is his answer to the call by some homeless advocates to open in his supervisor district a Navigation Center, which can house homeless individuals and their belongings on a temporary basis as the city works to find them permanent housing. “We know there is growing support for a respite center,” Sheehy told the Bay Area Reporter. “I want to get the conversations rolling so enough people are comfortable with it to get it moving forward.” Since being appointed to his board seat in January by Mayor Ed Lee, Sheehy has questioned the need for placing a Navigation Center in District 8 when there are two such facilities on the border of his district. He also has noted the lack of available sites in District 8 that could house a Navigation Center. Instead, he envisions opening a facility in the Castro where homeless individuals could take shelter during the day and be off the streets, grab a bite to eat, and be connected to housing programs and other services. The
Courtesy North Beach Citizens
Supervisor Jeff Sheehy, center, toured the North Beach Citizens homeless resource center with Executive Director Kristie Fairchild and development director Don Spradlin.
model he has in mind is the homeless resource center operated by North Beach Citizens, which Sheehy toured Wednesday, May 3. In a Facebook post about his visit, he promoted replicating the agency’s model in the Castro. It was an idea former District 8 Supervisor Bevan Dufty had talked about when he was in office a decade ago. “The work of North Beach Citizens is truly amazing. They are a community funded
organization that provides meals, support services, and a pathway to housing for hundreds of homeless and low-income individuals,” wrote Sheehy. “The tour of their facility and operations today was very productive and I’m hopeful that we can duplicate this successful model to help our homeless residents in District 8.” See page 12 >>
Jennings steals show at EQCA gala by Cynthia Laird
C
alifornia Attorney General Xavier Becerra told the largely LGBT crowd that he’ll continue fighting for their rights as he accepted Equality California’s Vanguard Leadership Award last weekend in San Francisco. Gay Assemblyman Evan Low (D-Campbell) touted his successful law that instituted a ban for non-essential travel to states with anti-LGBT laws that the attorney general’s office compiled. But it was Jazz Jennings, a trans teenager and reality television star, who stole the show at the May 6 San Francisco Equality Awards gala with her heartfelt message for equality. Jennings, 16, whose “I Am Jazz” show is broadcast on TLC, received EQCA’s Visibility Award. She told the sold-out audience of about 700 people at the Westin St. Francis that she was diagnosed with gender dysphoria disorder at age 3. “Finally, when I was 5, I began my social transition to become the girl I am today, in kindergarten in 2006,” she said, drawing laughter from the audience. Her family has been fully supportive, she said, explaining that her parents have had to fight to let her use the girl’s restroom at school. She would often pee her pants, she said. “I just want to pee in peace,” Jennings added. Jennings told the audience she has battled depression and isolation and experienced bullying. “In the end, the obstacles made me stronger,” she said.
Rick Gerharter
Jazz Jennings speaks at Equality California’s San Francisco gala.
And to those who have seen her YouTube videos or TV show, she acknowledged that giving up her privacy for life in the spotlight has not always been easy. “I’m willing to give up some of my privacy if it helps other trans people,” she said. In the current political environment of President Donald Trump, Republican-controlled Congress, and may GOP-controlled statehouses, Jennings said it’s “a tough year for kids like me, and the whole community, in fact.” “But we won’t be bullied – you hear that,
Mr. President?” she said. “Our community has already shown the world we live authentically. We will not give up.” In accepting his award, Becerra, who was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown after former Attorney General Kamala Harris was elected to the U.S. Senate, pointed out he was one of the few who voted against the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996 when he served as a congressman. But he wanted to look to the future. “I hope you’re giving me this honor not for stands I took 20 years ago,” he said. “I hope you’re doing this because of what I will do to continue the fight.” He pointed to religious liberty, which he described as “an important and cherished value.” The First Amendment, he said, gives people the right to exercise their religious beliefs, but not to force those beliefs on someone else. “The moment I hear ‘discrimination’ I get wound up,” Becerra said. “We need to stand up and get in the way, as [Representative] John Lewis says, and that’s what I will do.” Other honorees at the dinner included Michael Dunn, chairman and chief executive officer of Prophet, a consulting firm that redesigned EQCA’s logo, and Washington Post opinion writer Jonathan Capehart, who received the Leadership Award. EQCA Executive Director Rick Zbur said that the gala was the organization’s largest in San See page 5 >>
{ FIRST OF THREE SECTIONS }
SAY “I DO” WITH NO REGRETS
Why do Zephyr people look so happy? Because they are. Zephyr is known for providing agents with superior support in every way. Agents know it. Clients feel it. | ZephyrRE.com