November 5, 2020 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter

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Serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities since 1971

Vol. 50 • No. 45 • November 5-11, 2020

Vote counting goes on in prez race State Senator Scott Wiener won reelection to a second term.

Rick Gerharter

Wiener fends off progressive challenger by Matthew S. Bajko

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ay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) easily defeated queer educator Jackie Fielder Tuesday to secure reelection to his 11th Senate District seat. Joining him in the Legislature will be Assemblyman-elect Alex Lee, the first out bisexual elected to the Statehouse, and gay former Assemblyman John Laird, who easily won a Central Coast Senate seat. Meanwhile, lesbian Senate candidates Abigail Medina, a Democrat running for the open 23rd Senate District seat, and Assemblywoman Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton), who is running for the open 5th Senate District seat, both were holding on to first place in their contests, according to the unofficial returns Wednesday morning. Either would be the first LGBTQ woman of color to serve in the state Senate if they win. And if both win their races, then California’s Legislative LGBTQ Caucus will number nine members, all Democrats, the largest in its history. Since its creation in 2002, the LGBTQ caucus has had at most eight members at one time. The affinity group for out legislators currently is at seven members. It has yet to see a transgender member and no transgender legislative candidates were on the November ballot. According to the unofficial returns Wednesday morning, Wiener garnered 59.1% of the vote while Fielder received 40.9%. It tracked what Democratic Party insiders had expected to see in the race, and Wiener was one of the first legislative candidates to declare victory on Tuesday night. “I am just so grateful to the voters for seeing my work for the community and trusting in me to represent them in the Legislature,” Wiener, who gathered with his campaign team at a private residence in Russian Hill Tuesday night, told the B.A.R. shortly after San Francisco posted its first returns before 9 p.m. Fielder conceded the race Tuesday night shortly after 11 p.m. when additional returns were posted showing the vote split had remained the same. “We have so far won 127,000 of votes. It’s not enough, but we worked damn hard for See page 11 >>

Marvin Dunson wore his most patriotic outfit to an election night street party on Valencia Street sponsored by Manny’s Cafe.

by Lisa Keen

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resident Donald Trump made a shaky pitch early Wednesday morning that he should be declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election and that he would be “going to the U.S. Supreme Court” to make it so. But standing in the way of that plan are outstanding vote counts in Pennsylvania,

Georgia, and Nevada. All eyes are on those states, which likely will determine whether Republican Trump or Democrat Joe Biden achieves 270 electoral votes. The Associated Press, Fox News, and the Arizona Republic newspaper declared Biden the winner in the Grand Canyon State, as of Wednesday morning. Biden has a slim lead

in Nevada, where Democrats have won every presidential election since 2004. Wisconsin showed Biden with a lead. As of Wednesday morning, Biden opened up a lead in Michigan, as Politico reported that a significant number of votes need to be counted in Detroit’s Wayne County, a Democratic stronghold. CNN called Wisconsin and Michigan for Biden Wednesday. See page 11 >> Rick Gerharter

Kaplan, Taplin lead in E. Bay council races by Matthew S. Bajko

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esbian Oakland City Council President Rebecca Kaplan had a strong lead in her bid for a fourth term in the city’s at-large council seat against her gay opponent, Derreck Johnson, based on the ranked-choice voting results released to the Bay Area Reporter Wednesday afternoon. And in Berkeley, gay political newcomer Terry Taplin was also in a commanding first place position in the race for the city council’s District 2 seat against the incumbent, Councilwoman Cheryl Davila, who was in second, based on the unofficial rankedchoice voting returns. In Alameda, gay City Councilman Jim Oddie lost his bid for reelection. He landed in fourth place with 19.01% of the vote in the contest for two seats on the council. Meanwhile in Livermore, professional photographer and branding consultant Brittni Kiick, a married mother of two who identifies as pansexual, is winning her bid for the city’s newly created District 3 council seat. She finished first in the two-person contest with 61.38% of the vote. Lambda Democratic Club of Contra Costa County President Devin Murphy, the first Black person to lead the LGBTQ political club, Tuesday became the second gay man to win election to the Pinole City Council. His victory – Murphy took first place with

Courtesy Rebecca Kaplan

Oakland City Council President Rebecca Kaplan

54.01% - had been expected, as just two people filed to seek the two council seats up this year, but their races were on the November 3 ballot due to voters being able to write in a different choice. Moraga Town Council Member Renata Sos, who lives in the city with her wife, took first place with 27.12% of the vote in the race for three seats on the governing body. She won a full term after being appointed to her seat in 2018 following the death of council

member Jeanette Fritzky. Lance Kwan, a gay man who is president of the South Alameda County Young Democrats, appears to have won a seat on the Ohlone College Board in Area 2. He came in third with 20.39% in the race for three seats on the oversight body for the community college. In Berkeley, Andy Kelley, a gay man, and Xavier Johnson, who is queer, are headed to be seated on the city’s rent stabilization board. Kelley was in second place with 12.38% of the vote in the contest for five rent board seats, and Johnson was close behind in third with 12.03%. Lucy Shen, a nonbinary candidate for Fremont Board of Education, was in second place in their contest for the body’s Area 5 seat. Shen, who had been the target of transphobic anonymous attacks on Twitter, had 34.28% of the vote, according to the unofficial returns Wednesday. The first place finisher, Vivek Prasad, was leading with 36.17% of the vote. In San Ramon, 21-year-old Sameera Rajwade, who is nonbinary, fell short in their bid for the newly created District 3 seat on the City Council. They landed in fourth place with 11.51% of the vote. And Carolyn Wysinger, president of the board that oversees San Francisco Pride, See page 10 >>

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report released last week detailed the need for more federal and research data collection on the health of LGBT people. Bob Roehr “Lesbian, bisexual, Dr. Robert Graham gay, and transgender individuals health disparities. experience unique LGBT is used as an Although the acronym health needs of this umbrella term, and the grouped together, community are often a distinct each of these letters represents concerns,” health population with its own the report, written stated the summary of of Medicine. by the prestigious Institute lesbians, gay men, “Furthermore, among transgender and women, bisexual men and based people, there are subpopulations status, on race, ethnicity, socioeconomicfactors,” and other geographic location, age, the report continued. statement is not While that summary with the LGBT news to anyone familiar it was made in the community, the fact that commissioned by IOM report, which was of Health, adds new the National Institutes to shaping health meaning and credibility had been policy, which that heretofore lacking. are asked Traditionally, IOM committees priorities gaps and to identify research not does paradigm that within a field. “But Dr. Robert Graham fit for this area,” chair news conference said at the March 31 releasing the report. See page 24 >>

Our new look

decided The Bay Area Reporter that we’re 40. to update its look now slight design So we’ve made some of the paper, changes in both sections the case of the with new fonts, and in a new name. Arts and Culture section, website has Most significantly, our for video with been updated to allow now comment stories, and readers can if they directly on our online content are friends on Facebook.▼

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Vol. 41 • No. 14 • April

communities since 1971

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by Seth Hemmelgarn the Bay Area or 40 years now, entertained, Reporter has informed, people in San and frequently miffed Francisco and beyond. Bob Ross – chef, The paper started when and bar culture Tavern Guild president, with business partner insider – launched it was dated April 1, Paul Bentley. The first issue on April 2, Ross’s 37th 1971 but hit the streets all the pages by hand, birthday. Ross pasted up them to local bars. copied them, and delivered took the paper In the beginning, nobody too seriously. he had an “up and Cleve Jones, who said Ross and who was down” relationship with gay icon Harvey Milk, a close friend of slain after his arrival to started reading the paper San Francisco in 1972. sort of a silly “To be honest, it was who now works with publication,” said Jones, “Most of the other the Courage Campaign. have much use for young people didn’t really about it. It was basically just announcements going on at whatever whatever specials were bar.” many early 1970s The front covers of the Imperial Court’s issues were dedicated to See page 23 >>

F Community looks back at 40 years of the B.A.R . Founding publisher Bob Ross

Despite setbacks, LGBT nt’ ‘vibra scene in San Jose is by Seth Hemmelgarn

several setbacks he past year has seen even in San Jose’s LGBT community, census recently as data from the 2010 Bay berg is now the revealed that the South 10th largest city in the country. have made it Recent events, however, with almost 1 million seem that for a city strength in the gay people, there’s not much community there. DeFrank LGBT Last month, the Billy canceled its 30th Community Center had been planned for anniversary party, which tickets had been sold. March 26. Only about 40 Silicon Valley AIDS Last November, the had organized the Leadership Center, which announced its closure. annual Walk for AIDS, before that, in And about three months Committee August, the Gay Pride Celebrationa parade. to hold of San Jose Inc. opted not LGBT organizations Of course, problems at Several San Francisco aren’t unique to San Jose. financially. And agencies have been struggling the DeFrank center people with Pride and indicate they’re all right. and when “We have a vibrant community, that they’re there,” we can engage them, I think San Jose Pride’s joined said Ray Mueller, who board earlier this year. LGBT night One example is last Thursday’steam. Tickets hockey with the San Jose Sharks sold out in 10 days.

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marched The Pro-Latino contingent Parade; Pride in the 2008 San Jose sure if there will be officials are not yet year, although the a Pride Parade this for August. festival is scheduled

Rick Gerharter

will generate about Mueller said the event which is August 20$1,000 for this year’s Pride, tickets, ranging from 21. A block of about 300 for the hockey night. $36 to $73, were reserved proves there are “I think the Sharks event to something that isn’t people out there to go a gay bar and have a the usual ‘Let’s go to fundraiser,’” said Mueller.

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Center official appears

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been hobbled by The DeFrank center has problems in recent financial and leadership no full-time executive years and currently has Flood, the DeFrank’s director. However, Chris that the center’s board president, indicated appear. He was at a doing better than it might See page 22 >>

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