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'Berlin & Beyond'
TLC turns 10
The
www.ebar.com
Serving the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities since 1971
Vol. 42 • No. 39 • September 27-October 3, 2012
SF unveils new HIV research offices
Court mum on marriage cases P
by Matthew S. Bajko
by Lisa Keen
erhaps the most historic U.S. Supreme Court session ever for the LGBT community gets under way officially October 1, with a record nine gayrelated cases seeking review, all involving same-sex marriage. Chief Justice John Two of the nine Roberts and the cases include high- court will likely profile landmark hear several gay decisions in federal cases this term. appeals courts – one declaring Proposition 8, California’s ban on same-sex marriage, unconstitutional, the other holding the core section of the Defense of Marriage Act to be unconstitutional. Whether the court refuses to hear the appeals or takes them, the result will set up another landmark in the LGBT civil rights struggle. Six other cases revolve around challenges to DOMA, and the ninth is an attempt by the anti-gay National Organization for Marriage to circumvent campaign reporting laws when it spends money to push anti-gay initiatives.
The Prop 8 climax The Prop 8 case, now known as Hollingsworth v. Perry (formerly known as Brown v. Perry and Schwarzenegger v. Perry) is one of the most anticipated gay cases to reach the U.S. Supreme Court, for the LGBT community and for many others. It is a case that has been drenched with drama since the beginning, when the newcomer organization American Foundation for Equal Rights – against the advice of longtime gay legal activists – hired two of the country’s most prominent attorneys to challenge a voterpassed initiative in California to ban samesex marriage. As attorneys Theodore Olson and David Boies staged their three-week long landmark trial in defense of equal rights for same-sex couples, gay legal activists marshaled behind them. And when, in August 2010, they won a comprehensive victory from U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker (a Republican appointee who, after retirement, acknowledged having a same-sex partner), the momentum throughout the country seemed to begin shifting toward equality. Then, in another victory, the 9th U.S. CirSee page 12 >>
O Rick Gerharter
Folsom fun in the sun J
onah Wilkins, center, visiting from Las Vegas, dances at the Folsom Street Fair, Sunday, September 23 in San Francisco’s South of Market district. The leather and fetish extravaganza drew hundreds of thousands of people, who enjoyed everything from BDSM demonstrations to kink. Folsom
Street Events Executive Director Demetri Moshoyannis said this week that the 29th annual street fair was a success, and that the warmer weather likely helped to increase gross sales for beverages. He also said it appears that attendance was up, although estimates were not yet available.
n the other side of a private street entrance sits a freshly painted whitecolored waiting area with green-hued modern furniture. Ready to greet participants of various HIV research studies sits a receptionist behind an open counter. Researchers summoned to greet their study participants emerge from a closed door, behind which runs a corridor lined with exam rooms fitted with state-of-the-art equipment. Nowhere lies a trace of the long-closed Bull’s Texas Cafe Restaurant that once called the ground floor space at 25 Van Ness home. “When I walked in for my test, my eyes lit up. I couldn’t believe I was in the same study or same location or anything,” said Jim Wick, 45, a San Francisco resident who is part of an HIV vaccine trial. “It was like walking into a brand new doctor’s office waiting area to meet the doctor. It is very sterile, bright, clean and new. See page 13 >>
School board candidates express support for LGBT students by Seth Hemmelgarn
LGBT civil rights movement and included family diversity and gender identity in the district’s health curriculum, she said. Incumbent Rachel Norton, 46, who was also elected to the board in 2008, works part-time as a communications consultant and advocate for families seeking insurance coverage for autism treatment. In a phone interview, Norton said even though she’s an incumbent, “It’s a competitive field. It’s absolutely a competitive field. You never want to be overconfident.” In her B.A.R. questionnaire, Norton said as a result of her advocacy, the school board has “launched a major redesign of programs and services for students with disabilities, and vastly expanded opportunities for mainstreaming.” She also wants to see full funding for the district’s LGBT student support programs. Incumbent Jill Wynns, 64, also expressed support for such services. “The support and expansion of our Support Services for LGBTQ Youth is a high priority for me,” she said.
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he San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education is without an LGBT member, and that won’t change after the November 6 election as there are no out people running. But nine of the candidates who responded to a questionnaire from the Bay Area Reporter expressed strong support for LGBT students. Backing restorative justice, finding more money, and closing the achievement gap were also among the most common themes from the candidates. There are 11 people running for four seats to oversee the school district, which has a budget of $597 million. Sandra Lee Fewer, 55, is one of three incumbents in the race. Fewer, who was elected to the board in 2008, said during those years, “I have been the lead on LGBTQQ issues.” “We have a lot of work to do to change the culture of SFUSD schools” around lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning issues, she told the B.A.R. “Our data tells us that LGBTQQ youth are three to four times more likely to be truant, harassed, bullied and sadly, contemplate suicide. Clearly, we must respond.” Among other achievements, Fewer authored a resolution “to recommit to anti-discrimination” of students. That resulted in the creation of a high school class on the history of the
Rick Gerharter
Incumbent school board candidate Sandra Lee Fewer attended a recent rally in support of Proposition A, a parcel tax for City College.
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New candidates There is one open seat on the board, as Norman Yee’s term is up and he opted to run for supervisor in District 7. As a result, the school See page 13 >>