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'Dissing' the disabled
Digitizing LGBT history
ARTS
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Vol. 43 • No. 41 • October 10-16, 2013
Rick Gerharter
People filled the Board of Supervisors committee hearing room Monday as the board’s Land Use and Economic Development Committee met to consider Supervisor Scott Wiener’s legislation to establish park closing times.
Rick Gerharter
Volunteer Troy Brunet, left, helps Kendra Dunson select the right pair of reading glasses during the first LGBTQ Connect event. Looking on is Megan Rohrer, another volunteer with the project.
Connect event draws crowd by Seth Hemmelgarn
L
ow-income and homeless people seeking help with housing, employment, food, and other services swarmed San Francisco’s LGBT Community Center this week for the first-ever LGBTQ Connect event. Jackie Ybarra, 50, was one of the hundreds of people looking for assistance that would usually require visiting several different agencies to find. Ybarra, a gay homeless man, came for housing and employment assistance, as well as reading glasses, a flu vaccination, a haircut, and other services. He found the Monday, October 7 event “extremely helpful.” “This would’ve taken me six months to get See page 12 >>
B.A.R. election endorsements General election
San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera San Francisco TreasurerTax Collector Jose Cisneros San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Carmen Chu San Francisco Supervisor, Dist. 4 Katy Tang
Ballot measures
SAN FRANCISCO PROPS Vote YES on A, B, C Vote NO on D Remember to vote on November 5!
Park closure plan moves forward
Castro fair’s buff bods D A Rick Gerharter
s is the norm during San Francisco’s Indian summer, bare-chested men took advantage of the warm temperatures to show off their six-pack abs at the Castro Street Fair Sunday, Octo-
ber 6. The fair saw large crowds and brisk beverage sales on its 40th anniversary as visitors and locals alike took in entertainment, vendor booths, and other neighborhood delights.
Fight continues over trans student law
by Seth Hemmelgarn
of its kind in the country and goes into effect January 1. nti-trans activists are In a recent call with reportcontinuing to fight ers, members of the coalition against a new Califorbacking the new law apnia law designed to support peared cautiously optimistic transgender students, and the that the “fringe hate group,” woman behind a proposed as one member called Engballot measure told the Bay land’s organization, would Area Reporter that she is not a fail in its efforts. Backers of homophobe. AB 1266 have been reluctant In late August, Secretary of to fight for the bill too pubState Debra Bowen announced licly, fearing that they would that Karen England, executive just draw more attention to director of the Capitol Re- Karen England, whose Capi- the anti-trans groups’ efforts. source Institute and its affili- tal Resource Institute has But that may be changing. been dogged by questions ated Capitol Resource Family “Recent developments put over its IRS status and who Impact, has a month – until us on higher alert,” said John is fighting a trans-inclusive November 10 – to submit at education law, said she is not O’Connor, executive director least 504,760 valid signatures of Equality California. a homophobe. to put their attempt to repeal In late August, just after Assembly Bill 1266 on the state the bill’s opponents got clearballot next year. ance from the secretary of state, Proposition 8 AB 1266, which Governor Jerry Brown mastermind Frank Schubert “announced he signed into law August 12, aims to make sure is providing strategy for the campaign,” said that transgender youth can fully participate in O’Connor. all school activities, sports teams, programs, During the September 27 conference call, and facilities that match their gender identity. O’Connor said he and others “got a little bit Gay Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San See page 13 >> Francisco) authored the law, which is the first
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by David-Elijah Nahmod
espite pleas from advocates that closing San Francisco parks overnight would further criminalize homeless people, Supervisor Scott Wiener’s proposal moved forward this week and will be heard by the full Board of Supervisors later this month. At a packed hearing of the board’s Land Use and Economic Development Committee Monday, October 7, the panel heard from proponents and critics of the plan, which would close city parks between the hours of midnight and 5 a.m. The committee voted 2-1 to move the proposal to the board. Wiener said that closing city parks was necessary due to constant incidents of vandalism, theft, and dumping, which he said overwhelmingly take place in the middle of the night. He pointed out that 30 major cities already close their parks during the midnight hours, and that even the most progressive of cities, such as Berkeley, had adopted this policy. Violating the closures could carry a penalty of $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second offense, and $500 for a third offense. LGBT homeless advocates feel that the law will leave homeless people who sleep in the parks with nowhere else to go. “LGBT people are 15 percent of the city population, but 29 percent of the homeless population,” said Brian Basinger, director of the AIDS Housing Alliance. “I’m opposed to this legislation because of its disproportionate impact on LGBT people. LGBTs are safer in parks: they are often victims of hate crimes in shelters.” Basinger was referring to the recent biennial San Francisco Homeless Point-In-Time Count and Survey that included statistics on LGBT people. The report found that out of a total of 7,350 homeless people, more than one in four (29 percent) identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or “other” for a total of 2,132. Phil Ginsburg, general manager of the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, See page 13 >>