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6 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 21-27, 2017
Volume 47, Number 38 September 21-27, 2017 www.ebar.com PPUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman BARTAB EDITOR & EVENTS LISTINGS EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • Seth Hemmelgarn CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ray Aguilera • Tavo Amador • Race Bannon Erin Blackwell • Roger Brigham Brian Bromberger • Victoria A. Brownworth Brent Calderwood • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Belo Cipriani Richard Dodds • Michael Flanagan Jim Gladstone • David Guarino Liz Highleyman • Brandon Judell • John F. Karr Lisa Keen • Matthew Kennedy • Joshua Klipp David Lamble • Max Leger Michael McDonagh • David-Elijah Nahmod Michael Nugent • Paul Parish • Sean Piverger Lois Pearlman Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota Bob Roehr •Donna Sachet • Adam Sandel Khaled Sayed • Jason Serinus • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith • Sari Staver • Jim Stewart Sean Timberlake • Andre Torrez • Ronn Vigh Charlie Wagner • Ed Walsh Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood ART DIRECTION Max Leger PRODUCTION/DESIGN Ernesto Sopprani PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland • FBFE Rick Gerharter • Gareth Gooch Jose Guzman-Colon • Rudy K. Lawidjaja Georg Lester • Dan Lloyd • Jo-Lynn Otto Rich Stadtmiller • Steven Underhil Dallis Willard • Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge • Christine Smith ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION Colleen Small Bogitini VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING Scott Wazlowski – 415.829.8937
Brown must sign these 3 bills G
overnor Jerry Brown will soon decide the fate of hundreds of bills that legislators passed this session. There are many that he should sign, but we’re focusing on three that would help the LGBTQ community. Senate Bill 239, authored by gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), would modernize the state’s HIV criminalization laws adopted during the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. It has not generated much controversy as it made its way through the Legislature, but some public health advocates may have concerns. They shouldn’t. Under current law, willful transmission of HIV is a felony, while willful transmission of other diseases, no matter how severe, is a misdemeanor. Wiener’s bill repeals the felonies and narrows the misdemeanor charge so that intent and actual HIV infection must be proved. The Health Officers Association of California, which represents the physician health officers of the state’s 61 city and county jurisdictions, now supports the bill after Wiener made amendments that allow health officers to issue a verbal order to address potentially dangerous emergency situations like Ebola or tuberculosis outbreaks. In a letter to Wiener last month, HOAC pointed out that “SB 239 removes outdated, stigmatizing penalties that were written into the California code at a time of great fear and mystery surrounding HIV.” Today, those laws don’t serve to protect the public, and in fact disproportionately impact women, sex workers, and people of color. Wiener has taken on the difficult task of modernizing the state’s HIV criminalization laws. Brown should sign this bill so the state can move forward and help end the stigma that so often accompanies HIV/AIDS. Another of Wiener’s bills, SB 219, would create an LGBT seniors bill of rights. It’s modeled after a San Francisco ordinance and would protect LGBT seniors from discrimination in long-term care facilities in the state. Not surprisingly, antigay groups used scare tactics by falsely claiming that employees would go to jail if they used the wrong pronoun for a patient. Actually, the bill would ensure that long-term care facilities provide proper training so that employees can appropriately care for LGBT patients. LGBT seniors
by Gilda Gonzales
LEGAL COUNSEL Paul H. Melbostad, Esq.
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Don’t blame Pelosi
The young Dreamers who crashed House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco news conference Monday unleashed their anger on the wrong person. The San Francisco Democrat, who was joined by Representatives Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) and Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), was trying to address the Dream Act, which would protect immigrants who were brought to the country as children from deportation. Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (DNew York), and others are trying to build support for it, now that President Donald Trump has rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. President Barack Obama established DACA by executive order a few years ago to help these young immigrants, after the Senate quashed any hope for immigration reform by
rejecting the Dream Act back in 2010. The problem with the Monday protest, which clearly caught Pelosi off guard, is that screaming at politicians who are trying to help you is not constructive. Yes, Pelosi and Schumer met with Trump to reach a deal that would revive DACA in some form so young immigrants can stay here. And the reason they’re working with the president is because for now he is exhibiting a willingness to work with them, rather than his fellow Republicans – an unexpected opportunity. The demonstration that shouted down and ended up forcing Pelosi to leave was a naïve tactic without an understanding of basic civics. As Pelosi has said, Democrats control nothing. They are in the minority in the House and Senate, and, of course, did not win the White House. That means Democrats must work with Republicans to get laws passed, and then signed by Trump. After the administration announced its DACA decision, many Republicans in Congress indicated they wanted to keep the program. That gave an opening to Democrats, who have seized on it in the hopes of getting a bill to Trump. The president, by all accounts, is deeply conflicted about DACA, and would probably sign something if it reached his desk. That’s the political reality under which Pelosi is operating. And that’s the political reality that the Dreamers must accept. Protest at your own peril, because friends don’t like being yelled at. We want the Dreamers to stay – and we didn’t expect Trump’s abrupt turnaround on the matter when we opined on this topic last week; indeed, things looked pretty grim. The only way Dreamers will be able to continue working or going to school is to get some sort of DACA or Dream Act passed in Congress and signed by the president in less than six months. Picking on Pelosi is easy. Sucking it up and advocating for action in a Republican-controlled federal government is harder. Dreamers should be putting pressure on congressional Republicans, especially vulnerable ones in next year’s midterm elections. There are several in California. It’s counterproductive to piss off your strongest ally. Yes, the Dreamers got their 15 minutes of fame but it was at a steep cost. The demonstration made national headlines because it was an embarrassment to Pelosi in her home district rather than the plight of the Dreamers or their urgent message.t
Stand with Planned Parenthood
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BAY AREA REPORTER
often have to go back into the closet when they arrive at what is essentially their home; SB 219 would help alleviate that so our elders can age with dignity. SB 179 – the Gender Recognition Act of 2017 – was authored by lesbian state Senator Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) and Wiener. It is critically important that people are offered the choice to be identified as “non-binary” as the gender on their birth certificates and other documents. Some people don’t identify as male or female, yet government forms almost never offer an alternative. SB 179 would change that in court orders and on state documents. Courts in some counties – and other states – have already started recognizing nonbinary gender markers. The bill would remove the requirement for an applicant to obtain a physician’s sworn statement certifying the extent of medical treatment received during their gender transition, a barrier that Atkins said in a news release is unnecessary. Atkins and Wiener have the support of trans organizations, Equality California, and others. Atkins pointed out that society is “becoming more enlightened every day about gender identity,” and she’s right. The governor has an opportunity to make advances that affect HIV stigma, older LGBTs, and folks who identify as non-binary. He must sign SB 239, SB 219, and SB 179.
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s a trusted health care provider in northern California for nearly a century, Planned Parenthood’s strength and commitment are built on the diversity of our staff, the patients we serve, and the community where we live and work. Simply put, we believe that every body deserves expert care. We open our doors to all people, regardless of gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation. We welcome patients of all income levels, insurance coverage, and immigration status. We refuse to be driven backward into fear, discrimination, and hate. We stand with people of color and marginalized communities in the struggle for full rights, equality, and justice. We are resolute. This is nothing new for us. In the 1980s, we were the first Planned Parenthood affiliate in the nation to provide HIV testing and counseling. As early as the 1970s, we developed groundbreaking programming such as parent/child sex education workshops. In 1929, we began offering health services in San Francisco. We now serve patients from San Francisco to Mendocino to Eureka. We are one of the strongest and most innovative Planned Parenthood affiliates in the United States. We’re proud to offer gender-affirming hormone replacement therapy for transgender patients. We see this as a service that goes to the heart of our mission. In fact, from 2013 to 2015, there was an 80 percent increase in Planned Parenthood affiliates around the country that reported offering HRT for transgender patients. We were among the first in the nation to offer that essential care. We continue to lead by expanding our capacity to conduct much-needed research. A recent survey of female family planning patients about their understanding of, and attitudes toward, pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, for HIV is a great example. We aim to improve our delivery
Planned Parenthood Northern California CEO Gilda Gonzales
of PrEP and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to prevent HIV infection, and to share our knowledge, even as we expand access to infertility services for our patients along with fast, mobile apps for treatment of urinary tract infections and access to birth control. We know that there are individuals and groups who are vehemently opposed to our work – but that is nothing new. That has been the case since the day that Planned Parenthood came into existence. That is why we persist at Planned Parenthood. We stand against white nationalism and domestic terrorism with the people of Charlottesville, Virginia. We march at Pride and hosted our biggest contingent ever this year in San Francisco. Hundreds of patients, volunteers, and local supporters showed their love for our city and 19 other northern California counties. Great challenges are not only familiar to us, they strengthen our resolve. We will stay true to our mission, protect each other, and defend those
who would be hurt the most by attacks on their bodily integrity, health care or freedom. We will continue to honor and fight for the health and lives of all people by providing access to high quality, nonjudgmental, and compassionate health care and education. No matter what. Here are some ways to help Planned Parenthood Northern California: Visit http://www.ppnorcal.org online to book an appointment or call 1-800-230-PLAN (7526) to visit one of our 20 sites in northern California. Chat online or text PPNOW to 774636 (PPINFO) to get answers to your health questions. Condoms, safer sex supplies, birth control, HIV and STD testing and treatment, and cancer screening are always available. We offer PrEP and PEP, gender-affirming hormone therapy, and counseling. With or without insurance, we’ve got you covered. We offer all our patients expert and confidential services and care. No matter what. You can follow Planned Parenthood Northern California on Facebook and Instagram with @PPNorCal. The Planned Parenthood Northern California Action Fund, a separately incorporated organization, is on Twitter. While on social media, you can: 1. Join our network. 2. Donate to Planned Parenthood Northern California at http://www. ppnorcal.org. 3. Join us on the front lines locally. 4. Speak out against hate: Wherever you are (online or in real life), declare your rejection of hate and your solidarity. Show that you believe every single person is deserving of respect, dignity, and equal rights under the law. 5. Show your solidarity on social media with #IStandWithPP. t Gilda Gonzales is the chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood Northern California.