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Oakland Pride
From page 1
broader East Bay,” said Carlos Uribe, a 35-year-old queer man who is the board co-chair at Oakland Pride. He hopes the parade and celebration will bring out 50,000 people, which is on par with previous years. Lesbian TV host and San Francisco Pride board President Michelle Meow will again emcee the parade, announcing and interviewing more than 80 contingents from the grandstand, said Uribe. This year will also be the first time that Congresswoman Barbara Lee (DOakland), a straight ally, will march in the parade. Lesbian Oakland City Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan and her council colleague, Annie Campbell Washington, are also expected to march. Lee told the Bay Area Reporter in an email interview that “protecting LGBTQI rights is one of the most pressing civil rights issues facing this generation.” “While we have made tremendous progress against hatred, and discrimination against the LGBTQI community, there is still work to do,” said Lee, who is a founding member and vice chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus. “I will continue working to
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Homeless council
From page 9
forward to bringing to the council.” Commenting on McCoy’s appointment, Rick Zbur, executive director of Equality California, said, “Gary McCoy has an intimate knowledge of
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HIV testing
From page 10
“For MSM who are prescribed preexposure prophylaxis, HIV testing every three months and immediate testing whenever signs and symptoms of acute HIV infection are reported is indicated,” they continued. “MSM who experience a specific high-risk
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Bail reform
From page 12
included being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to prosecutors, on July 16, Mims and Fantasy Decuir, 20, murdered Edward French, a gay 71-year-old, at Twin Peaks. Mims and Decuir have both pleaded not guilty in the case. Mims is being held without bail, according to jail records,
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News Briefs
From page 16
introduction of the first motor buses. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which operates Muni, will hold the heritage event Saturday and Sunday, September 9-10, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. San Franciscans and visitors can ride the vintage Muni streetcars from the F-line Steuart Street stop, out Market Street, and Church Street to the J’s original outer terminal at 30th and Church streets. Riders will enjoy spectacular views of the city from the top of Mission Dolores Park. Many other vintage vehicles will
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DACA
From page 10
depraved directive and to stand with these young people.” Initially, the San Francisco rally was small, but as more people showed up, the protest moved out into the street, blocking traffic on both Seventh and Mission streets. Numerous police officers were present, but there was no animosity between the officers and the protesters. There were no formal speakers, though some protesters carried bullhorns and made impromptu
September 7-13, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 21
The Pride parade kicks off at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at Broadway and 14th streets. Parade viewing is free to the general public. VIP/grandstand is $5 in advance and $10 at the gate; free for ADA access. The festival celebration is from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday. Tickets are $10 per person and $5 for children under 12. Entrance is at 20th Street and Broadway. For more information, contact info@oaklandpride.org or visit http:// www.oaklandpride.org. Hella Pride, Oakland Pride’s afterparty hosted by Good VBZ and That Queer Party, will have the hip-hop, rap, R&B, and trap going with DJs Dutch Boy, Drow Flow, Kream, Yng Gma, and Moscone Sunday from 5 to 11 p.m., at Brix 581, 581 5th Street. Cover is $10. t
pass legislation that respects the love and dignity of all people.” She said that it’s important to celebrate, even as national leaders seek to roll back gains for LGBTQs, immigrants, and others. “Oakland Pride is the only LGBTQI celebration of this magnitude in the East Bay and it is important to celebrate the rich and significant culture of the LGBTQI community,” added Lee. “It also serves as a reminder that every person is worthy of dignity, love and respect – regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. We must continue to combat homophobia, transphobia, and all forms of discrimination and we can do that by joining together in love and mutual respect.” Festival headliner will be Grammynominated “Rise Up” singer Andra Day and special guest pop singer Alex Newell on the main stage. They will be joined by bisexual Broadway diva and “American Idol” and “The Voice” alum Frenchie Davis; Elettrodomestico, a two-piece band made up of musicians Jane Wiedlin, of the Go Go’s fame, and Pietro Straccia; gay Oakland native urban pop and R&B singer Princetonation; and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” contestant Latrice Royale. “The song, ‘Rise Up,’ has been used ... as an inspirational song to
overcoming adversity,” said Uribe. “I think that is really important, given the current political climate in the country, that folks can have a sense of coming together, especially [at] Oakland Pride.” There will be performances on the popular Latinx stage, and the community and women’s stages, among others. Our Family Coalition’s children’s and family area, hosted in the parking lot of one of Oakland Pride’s major sponsors, Kaiser Permanente, will feature the traditional animal petting zoo and a new “instrument” zoo in association with the Oakland Symphony. “The symphony brings out a bunch of instruments and kids can pick them up, check them out, and try to play a couple of instruments,” said Uribe, “and really inspire kids to get into the music and learn an appreciate and love for that.” Community organizations, like Equality California, will be in one of more than 150 booths at the festival. Pridegoers searching for volunteer opportunities with EQCA will receive free entrance into the celebration and a T-shirt. It costs around $275,000 to produce this year’s Oakland Pride parade and festival, said Uribe. There are also a number of unofficial Oakland Pride
weekend parties being thrown by independent promoters.
what it’s like to live on the street and what it takes to get off the street because he’s been there himself. “As a rising LGBTQ leader, Gary will be in an excellent position to be a strong advocate for all people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco, especially the LGBTQ youth who
make up so much of San Francisco’s homeless population.”, added Zbur. One other San Franciscan, Gail Gilman, chief executive officer of the nonprofit Community Housing Partnership, which helps homeless people find housing, is a member of the statewide committee.
McCoy’s other work includes stints on the LGBT advisory committee of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission; vice chair of the mayor’s San Francisco Shelter Monitoring Committee; and a member of the California Democratic Party’s disabilities caucus.
For the past six years, McCoy has serviced on the board of directors of the Castro Country Club and the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club. A news release from Brown’s office said that the position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. t
sexual exposure or have symptoms of recent HIV infection should seek immediate HIV testing, and clinicians should be alert for the symptoms of acute HIV infection and provide appropriate diagnostic testing.” Two of the major care providers for gay men in San Francisco are among those that recommend more frequent HIV screening.
“Quarterly testing facilitates early detection of HIV,” said City Clinic’s Cohen. “Early identification coupled with rapid linkage to care optimizes individual health and reduces the time to virologic suppression, which decreases the chance for ongoing transmission.” The San Francisco AIDS Foundation’s Magnet sexual health service at
Strut also favors quarterly testing for those at risk of acquiring HIV. “At Magnet, we recommend that everyone get an HIV test once in their life and people who are more frequently sexually active with multiple partners get tested every three months along with routine gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis testing,” Magnet director of nursing Pierre-Cédric Crouch told the B.A.R.
“Frequent HIV testing identifies people with new HIV infections earlier, allowing them to engage in their health,” Crouch continued. “Once you are engaged in care with early treatment, you can have a full life with the career you want, the children you may want to have, and the partner you love, but none of that can happen until you get tested.” t
while Decuir’s bail is set at $5 million. Asked about Mims, Adachi said, “According to all the reports that I’ve seen, this gentleman would not have been recommended for release had the correct information been input into the bail algorithm, and it was only because a prior jail commitment was misinterpreted that he was recommended for release. That particular instance wasn’t a failure of the test, it was a human error that caused the
recommendation for release. ... You can never predict the future, and no tool is capable of being able to predict what a human being does if released. What’s the answer? Keep everyone in jail? We can only manage risk. We can’t control it.” Wiener called French’s killing “a horrible, tragic situation,” and he said the assessment error needs to be investigated to “make sure those mistakes don’t happen in the future.” (Nancy
Rubin, interim CEO of the San Francisco Pretrial Diversion Program, told officials in an August 15 letter that the agency was conducting an internal review of the Mims assessment.) What happened in Mims’ case “is not an argument against doing risk assessments,” but an argument “in favor of doing good risk assessments and not making mistakes,” said Wiener. “There are people who have been
released on bail and have committed crimes against people,” he said. “Anytime someone is released pretrial, with or without bail, they can commit a crime.” Hertzberg, SB 10’s author, also attributed Mims’ release to “human error,” and said mistakes happen “on both sides,” whether assessments or cash bail are used. “These are sensitive things.” t
also offer special service. The San Francisco Railway Museum, located at 77 Steuart Street, will be holding a special sale of transit books and memorabilia both days to benefit Muni’s nonprofit preservation partner Market Street Railway. Talks on the city’s transit history will be given at the free museum at 2 p.m. both days and authors of local transit books will hold book-signings. For a schedule, visit http://www.streetcar. org. For more information, visit http://www.sfmta.com/calendar/ muni-heritage-weekend.
SF Pride volunteer party
RSVP is requested and can be done by emailing info@sfpride.org.
for dignity, legitimacy, and acceptance across the globe. Directors S. Leo Chiang and Johnny Symons will be at the event and will discuss the film following the screening. A $10 donation is suggested. To RSVP, visit http://www.outrun.eventbrite.com. The Pride Center is located at 1021 South El Camino Real in San Mateo. The event is sponsored by the Pride Center in partnership with the San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Office of Diversity and Equity and the San Mateo County Pride Initiative. t
speeches from the sidewalk. Xochitl Johnson, a 43-year-old queer African-American who is part of Refuse Fascism, led many demonstrators in a chant accusing Trump and Vice President Mike Pence of fascism. “I’m here to stand with the Dreamers being targeted by Trump and Pence’s cruel attack,” Johnson said as the crowd applauded. “As a black person I can attest to the ugly and blood-soaked history this country has of ripping families apart and terrorizing and crushing dissent. There’s a reason they defend the statues of slave owners and
Confederate flags – it’s because this is the America they want.” Others blamed Republicans’ dislike of Obama. “The only reason Congress doesn’t pass DACA is to prevent President Obama from having a positive legacy,” said Curtis Jensen, a 51-year-old gay man. DACA recipients also spoke out. “We just want to stay here,” said Alejandra De Lavega, a 29-year-old transgender woman from Costa Rica who is a member of the DACA program. “All my family is here. I’ve been here since age 8 – for me to go
The San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee will hold its volunteer appreciation and community partners check-granting party Saturday, September 9 from 1 to 5 p.m. at the San Francisco Eagle, 398 12th Street. The Pride Committee will acknowledge and thank the hundreds of volunteers who helped out during Pride weekend and throughout the year. Additionally, checks will be provided to community partner participants, and the parade awards will be announced. There will be food and music.
Where to celebrate
Revolve, Oakland Pride’s 10-day creative arts and film festival, started the festivities earlier this month and it continues through September 10 at various locations. Tickets range from free to $40, depending on the event. Oakland Pride’s benefit party for Houston – Life OUT Loud – is September 8, with special guest DJ Jayvi Velasco and DJs DeMarco Holmes and Sir Ellis. It’s from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. at Brix 581, 581 5th Street in Oakland. Cover charge is $10. All proceeds will be donated to FEMA/Red Cross to benefit Hurricane Harvey victims in Houston. Hey Girl Hey will kick off Oakland Pride weekend September 9 with a party with DJs Campbell, Marcus G, and Luna spinning the grooves at Era Art Bar and Lounge, 19 Grand Avenue in Oakland, from 5 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Lee is the keynote speaker at this year’s East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club’s Oakland Pride Breakfast. The event begins at 8 a.m., September 10 at SPUR Oakland, 1544 Broadway. The event is free to members and $15 for non-members. Reservations are required.
San Mateo Pride Center to screen film
The San Mateo County Pride Center will hold a special screening of “Out Run” Friday, September 8. The film documents the journey of Bemz Benedito, the first transgender woman to run for Congress in the Philippines and leader of the world’s only LGBT political party. Culminating on election day, “Out Run” provides a unique look into the challenges LGBT people face as they transition into the mainstream and fight back is going to a new country. I had no choice in coming here.” Governor Jerry Brown called ending DACA “senseless and cruel” and said he would fight to restore it. San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee expressed his support for DACA in a statement. “This country needs to pass comprehensive immigration reform,” the mayor said. “Until we do that, political decisions like these will continue to divide our communities and tear families apart. San Francisco will always remain a sanctuary city – a beacon of hope and a place
Volunteer opportunities for Oakland Pride are still available. For more information, contact (510) 417-4127, volunteer@oaklandpride. org, or visit http://www.oaklandpride.org/volunteer. For more information about volunteer opportunities with EQCA, contact John Madrigal, program associate, at (323) 848-9801 or john.m@eqca.org.
where we embrace all our residents, regardless of their immigration status. We will continue to protect, respect and stand together with our immigrant families.” t
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