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Frameline programmer departs
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Gay History Month
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Mill Valley highlights
The
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EQCA: No Prop 8 repeal in 2012
Key SB 48 date looms by Seth Hemmelgarn
O
rganizations that support the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful Education Act are facing the likelihood that opponents of the measure will succeed in putting their referendum on Karen England the ballot in 2012. Anti-gay activists have until Wednesday, October 12 to collect more than 500,000 valid signatures to place the issue before voters. Among other things, the act – also known as Senate Bill 48 – amends the state Education Code to require that schools teach about LGBT people’s contributions to the economic and social development of California and the U.S. Openly gay state Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) authored the bill. Governor Jerry Brown signed it into law in July. The Stop SB 48 campaign is believed to have collected 415,000 signatures, although that figure could not be verified. Karen England, one of the repeal leaders, hasn’t responded to interview requests. In recent emails, however, the Stop SB 48 campaign has spoken of needing to gather 100,000 more signatures. “Based on what we’ve been hearing from our opponents over the last week in particular, indicating they only need 100,000 more signatures, we realize that indicates they could in fact qualify for the ballot. We always believed we should not underestimate their ability to do that,” Equality California spokeswoman Rebekah Orr said during a conference call with reporters Thursday, September 29. Having paid signature gatherers has been seen as key to the anti-gay activists’ efforts. It’s not clear whether they’ve been able to collect the money needed to do that. But Orr said if the Stop SB 48 campaign is able to launch a paid signature gathering campaign, “they could very likely qualify for the ballot.” Efforts to preserve SB 48 have been largely invisible. EQCA Executive Director Roland Palencia said they’ve sent out “hundreds of thousands of emails to our supporters,” and their coalition partners have been engaged in “a number of activities.” EQCA has been working with Gay-Straight Alliance Network, among others, to support SB 48. Orr said EQCA and the other groups would “continue to do preparation work on our end” for “a really strong, aggressive campaign and [to] win at the ballot,” she said. But as in previous conference calls, Orr indicated research was one of the main activities in which EQCA has been involved. See page 8 >>
by Seth Hemmelgarn
E Jane Philomen Cleland
Dancing at the fair
K
allisto Damore finishes a dance behind Walgreens as attendees mingle during the 38th annual Castro Street Fair Sunday, October 2. The day featured lots
of entertainment and plenty of food, along with vendor and community booths. The fair expects to distribute proceeds to various nonprofits later this fall.
quality California has opted not to pursue a repeal of Proposition 8 in 2012, the statewide lobbying group announced this week. Instead, it is partnering with other organizations to launch Lydia Gonzales The Breakthrough Conversation, a public Roland Palencia education project designed to soften people’s views on LGBT issues. “For decades, opponents of equality have used prejudicial and dehumanizing myths about LGBT people being a harm to kids and See page 12 >>
Exploratorium staff reaches out to LGBT youth by Matthew S. Bajko
O
ne transgender employee discusses being picked on for looking like a man on a female basketball team in high school. A woman discusses attempting suicide as a teenager and being glad as an adult that she was unsuccessful. More than a dozen staffers of the Exploratorium, a science-based learning museum located near San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, appear in a video released this week aimed at reaching LGBT youth struggling to accept their sexual orientation or gender identity. It is part of the ongoing It Gets Better project started by gay Seattle writer Dan Savage in the wake of a rash of teenage suicides last year. Adrienne Barnett, 34, a lesbian who is the program manager of the teacher institute at the Exploratorium, instituted the creation of the video after seeing both the California Academy of Sciences and the San Francisco Giants produce their own versions. Watching those videos prompted Barnett to recall her own struggles as a teen coming to terms with her sexual orientation. “I thought this would be a great way for the Exploratorium to give back as well as bring our team as a staff together,” said Barnett, who is one of the employees featured in the video. After discussing the idea with a select few coworkers, Barnett then pitched it to Exploratorium management, who quickly
Rick Gerharter
Exploratorium employees who participated in the filming of an It Gets Better video include, back row: Jeff Hamilton, Adrienne Barnett, Kurt Feichtmeir, and Diana Buchbinder; seated: Kate Roddy, Ryan Ames.
signed off on the project. A staff-wide call for help elicited 70 volunteers and led to a packed meeting to throw out ideas on how to make the video unique. Jeff Hamilton, 52, a gay man who works as the Exploratorium’s government relations
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director, agreed to take part. He said it became evident working on the video how the topic ties into the museum’s mission of exploring not only science but also the human experience. See page 12 >>