Day of Remembrance observed
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SJ opens queer youth space
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ARTS
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Three Toscas
The
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Serving the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities since 1971
Vol. 42 • No. 47 • November 22-28, 2012
Federal judge to review nudity ban Labor leader I Howard Wallace dies H by Matthew S. Bajko
by Cynthia Laird
oward Wallace, the first openly gay Teamster truck driver and a force behind the long-standing Coors boycott, died November 14 at Buena Vista Manor Jane Philomen Cleland in San Francisco. He was 76. Howard Wallace Mr. Wallace had been struggling with Alzheimer’s for several years, according to a statement from Pride See page 10 >>
Lesbians look to oust sheriff by Seth Hemmelgarn
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wo politically connected lesbians are exploring whether to launch a recall of Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, whom the Board of Supervisors recently reinstated to his post despite his guilty plea in a domesJane Philomen Cleland tic violence case. Andrea Shorter, Andrea Shorter chair of SF Women for Accountability and a Responsible Supervisor, and political consultant Joyce Newstat are leading the effort. Shorter is a former City College trustee and was the marriage coordinator for Equality California. Newstat served as an aide to former Mayor Gavin Newsom and now runs her own consulting business. “[I]t is clearer than ever that San Franciscans want Ross Mirkarimi removed from the office of sheriff,” Shorter said in an email. “The question is not whether, but when, and how. We recognize the growing momentum See page 12 >>
n expectation that San Francisco will adopt a ban against public nudity, a federal judge is set to review the new law early next year. U.S. District Judge Edward M. Chen, with the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, has scheduled a hearing for January 17 to determine if the new law violates the rights of urban nudists. In response to constituents fed up with naked men who congregate at a plaza in the Castro, gay District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener introduced an ordinance to ban people from being nude on city sidewalks, parklets, streets, on Muni vehicles, and inside transit stations. The law would exempt permitted street festivals and parades; nudity is already banned in city parks, on port property, and in restaurants. Nudists and their supporters have fought back, holding several nude-ins to protest the law. They argue it not only tramples on people’s First Amendment freedoms but also would negatively impact the city’s reputation with tourists and other visitors. The Board of Supervisors was expected to adopt the new ordinance at its meeting Tuesday, November 20 (after the Bay Area Reporter’s print deadline this week). If a majority of the 11-member board votes a second time in
Activists with the Body Freedom Movement staged a celebration of body freedom outside of City Hall Saturday, November 17 to protest the effort by Supervisor Scott Wiener to ban nudity in San Francisco.
Rick Gerharter
December to support the nudity ban, then Mayor Ed Lee is expected to sign it into law. The prohibition against anyone over age 5 from exposing his or her genitals, perineum, or anal region in public would take effect February 1 unless the court blocks it. Due to the pending litigation, the date for when the ordinance would become law was pushed back to give the court time to hear the case. As the B.A.R. noted last week in an online blog post, San Francisco-based lawyer Christina A. DiEdoardo filed the class action
lawsuit on behalf of four nudists claiming the proposed law violates their freedom of expression and the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution. “The proposed legislation impermissibly restricts the free speech and association rights of plaintiffs and all similarly situated persons as it attempts to criminalize nudity even when engaged in for the purpose of political advocacy,” states the lawsuit. “Furthermore, See page 10 >>
Issues facing LGBT seniors tackled at conference by Heather Cassell
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he many issues facing LGBT seniors – including housing, access to health care, and diversity – were discussed at a recent daylong conference presented by the Institute on Aging. About 160 queer health care and social workers gathered with LGBT seniors and allies at the November 7 conference, held at the Event Center at St. Mary’s Cathedral. There are an estimated 25,000 older adults who identify as LGBT in San Francisco and that number is expected to double by 2030, said Marcy Adelman, Ph.D., the founder of Openhouse, an LGBT senior organization in San Francisco. Little is known about LGBT seniors and research, particularly among people living with HIV, LGBT seniors of color, and transgender seniors. Training individuals who work with the elderly is just starting to scratch the surface since the LGBT Senior Care Training bill authored by then-state Senator Carole Migden (D-San Francisco) has only been enacted for four years, said experts. “Older adults are not generic. Surprisingly, See page 12 >>
Rick Gerharter
John L. Andrews shows his HIV medication and medications needed for his various opportunistic infections at the LGBT and Aging conference.
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