Q
UARTERLY
SUMMER ISSUE 2019
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Gearing for 2020.
Join the "Club That Gets Things Done"as we prepare for 2020. PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
#OURBIGGESTYEAR
UPDATES
Hear from the our President, Tim Kamermayer
Learn what's in store for 2020.
Hear from our members and supporters like YOU.
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR PAGE 1
By Lanz Nalagan, Communications Chair Are you ready Sacramento? 2019 is the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and we're quickly approaching 2020 - we're not just living our motto of "Getting Things Done..." we're amplifying our work to jump ahead in 2020. Won't you join us?. - The Stonewall Quarterly is published 4 times a year by the Stonewall Democrats of Greater Sacramento and distributed to all members of "The Club That Gets Things Done!" I encourage you to submit news, advertisements, and features for publication. The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the contributors and not necessarily of the Stonewall Democrats of Greater Sacramento.
SPECIAL MESSAGE By: City Councilmember Steve Hansen Our community is strong, resilient, and living openly – without shame – to fulfill the promise that love conquers hate. In the 50 years since the Stonewall uprising, we have seen tremendous sacrifice and progress for our LGBTQ community at the ballot box, in the courts, in legislatures, and in the hearts of our family, friends, and neighbors. The last decade has seen the LGBTQ community overcome the hateful passage of Proposition 8 with the victory for marriage equality at the US Supreme Court. We’ve seen state after state and city after city pass progressively stronger laws to ensure our rights are protected. LGBTQ elected officials are a driving force for these achievements in equality. While our rights are being rolled back at the federal level, we are building momentum in state and local offices to stand up for our community and to fight for our rights in every corner of America. PAGE 40 This hard won representation is what Pride is all about. Standing Up. Standing Being Out. Standing for Equality. Being Out to Win. As an out & proud LGBTQ-person and the first-ever LGBTQ member of the Sacramento City Council, I see every day that it matters that we run for public office & win. Every day, we have a chance to fight the silence and stigma that still haunt many of our civic institutions. My work has included appointing more openly LGBT city commissioners than ever before, helping create the firstever City Employee LGBT Affinity Group, and keeping LGBT diversity at the forefront of our recruitment and hiring decisions. I’ve also partnered with the LGBT Center to create a city funded LGBT Youth Shelter in Midtown to get our most vulnerable into a safe space to get back on their feet. I’m also working with the LGBT Center on creating a permanent home for their programs that they will own. While we are making much progress, there is still violence and discrimination directed at our LGBTQ communities of color, especially our transgender family. Further, we cannot forget those fleeing oppression and violence who need asylum to save their lives. Many of these migrants wait at our southern border risking their lives to find safety. Our march for equality must continue every day. Our families deserve to thrive in safe communities. Our city, state, and country must continue to be a beacon for equality and liberty for LGBTQ-people worldwide.
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Huge announcement from a member...
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As the eldest of 16 siblings, I learned at an early age the importance of stepping up and serving others. Growing up in poverty, I saw firsthand how access to wealth greatly determined a person’s quality of life. I also saw each day the resilience of families striving to get by and fight for a better life. Today, I’m announcing my campaign to serve this community on the City Council and to continue my life’s work to improve the quality of life for south Sacramentans. I'm running to serve...to serve our diverse community that is my home....to serve the community that has provided me the tools to lead....to serve the people that inspire me each day to fight for a better future. Our community campaign is about the lives of those who live in District 8.No matter a person’s race or ethnicity, gender, age, socialeconomic status, mobility, or identity – everyone should have access to good jobs, affordable housing, clean and safe parks and neighborhoods. Together, I know that we can build a collective future where everyone in Sacramento is included in our prosperity and no one, no matter where they live, is left behind.My Hmong refugee grandparents and parents instilled in me a strong sense of giving back to the community that gave us so much. These are the values that have guided me as a community organizer, a school board member and I hope, as your future City Councilmember. I would be honored to have your support.In Solidarity,
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BUILDING THE BENCH By: Tim Kamermayer, President It was the Summer of 2018 when a local public official backchanneled our club to let us know they would be stepping down at the end of their term. The call was important because the official wanted to know if anyone from our Club would be interested in running for the seat when it became available. The underlying implication was easily interpreted to mean: Do you have someone that would want to run that I could meet with and potentially support for the position? In many ways, that inquiry alone should be considered a victory for our Organization. Yet, our answer was NO. We did not have any members at that time who were interested, and so we missed out on an opportunity to go from “issues represented at the meetings through allies” to “LGBTQ representative at the seat of the decision-making table.” For over 16 years the Sacramento Stonewall Democrats have been a force in the community, and our presence has only grown since those small informal house meetings. Concerned about our issues being represented, we spent the past decade growing our financial coffers, fostering deeper relationships with local officials, and ensuring that the endorsement of Stonewall meant something. And, the fruits of our labor can be seen across the Greater Sacramento Area. Over the past ten years, we have endorsed over a hundred public officials for office. With that success comes the need to ask, “What does the next level look like”? I believe the next level is building a proverbial bench. Identifying members of our club who would be interested in office, long before a seat is available. It means providing our LGBTQ members who are serious about representing their community in a public official capacity the appropriate training to ensure they have the best tools available to succeed. To achieve the above ends, we have started collaborating with the Victory Fund Institute on building Sacramento-specific curriculum. This will take time, as all great game-changing efforts demand. But, the program is now in the planning stages. With a little bit of luck, there will be a pilot program by Winter 2019, a few months before the March 2020 primaries. Every Stonewall Quarterly, I’ll provide an update on our efforts.
The Language of Gender
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Precise use of terms in regards to gender can have a significant impact on demystifying many of the misperceptions associated with gender. However, the vocabulary of gender continues to evolve and there is not universal agreement about the definitions of many terms. Nonetheless, here is some working language and examples of frequently used (and misused) terms. We offer them as a starting place for dialogue and understanding, rather than asserting they represent the final or only definition of the various terms. Agender – person who sees themself as not having a gender. Some agender-identified people see themself as being gender neutral, rather than not having any gender Cisgender – Refers to people whose Gender identity aligns with their assigned sex at birth (cis- from Latin, meaning, “on this side [of].” In contrast to trans, from the Latin root meaning “across,” “beyond,” or “on the opposite side [of]”). Dimensions of gender – Our body, expression, and identity are three distinct, but interrelated, components that comprise a person’s experience of gender. Gender binary – A system that constructs gender according to two discrete and opposite categories: boy/man and girl/woman. Gender dysphoria – According to Merriam-Webster, dysphoria is “a state of feeling very unhappy, uneasy, or dissatisfied.” So, in the broadest sense, gender dysphoria is when someone feels dissatisfied in relation to their gender. This is something many people experience, including feeling a tension between how someone feels about their body compared to how society genders their body, or a conflict between how someone sees themselves in contrast with expected gender roles. Gender dysphoria is related to gender congruence, which is the degree of harmony we feel in each dimension (body, identity, social) of our gender. Gender dysphoria can encompass a broad range of feelings, from mild discomfort to unbearable distress; the intensity, pervasiveness, frequency, and triggers of gender dysphoria vary widely from person to person. Feelings of gender dysphoria can, and often do, change over time. Keep in mind that “gender dysphoria” is also a clinical term and is found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The labeling of gender dysphoria as a disorder or condition has been controversial, but it is helpful to understand the clinical definition and use if considering support from a mental health professional.
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Gender expression – This is our “public” gender. How we present our gender in the world and how society, culture, community, and family perceive, interact with, and try to shape our gender. Genderfluid –Genderfluid people move between genders, experiencing their gender as something dynamic and changing, rather than static. Gender identity – our deeply held, internal sense of self as masculine, feminine, a blend of both, neither, or something else. Identity also includes the name we use to convey our gender. Gender identity can correspond or differ from the sex assigned at birth. The language a person uses to communicate their gender identity can evolve, especially as someone gains access to a broader gender vocabulary. Gender role – functions, activities and behaviors commonly expected of boys/men and girls/women by society. Genderqueer – term to describe someone who doesn’t identify with conventional gender identities, roles, expression and/or expectations. Intersex – about 1% of children are born with chromosomes, hormones, genitalia and/or other sex characteristics not exclusively male or female as defined by the medical establishment. In most cases, these children are at no medical risk, but most are assigned a binary sex identity by their doctors and/or families. Non-binary – An umbrella term for gender identities that are not exclusively masculine or feminine. Sex – Used to label a person as “male” or “female” (some US states and other countries offer a third option) at birth, this term refers to a person’s external genitalia and internal reproductive organs. Sexual orientation – our sexual orientation and gender are separate, though related, parts of overall identity. Gender is personal (how we each see ourselves), while sexual orientation is interpersonal (who we are physically, emotionally and/or romantically attracted to).
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Transgender – sometimes used broadly to describe anyone whose gender identity differs from their assigned sex. It can also be used more narrowly as a gender identity that reflects a binary gender identity that is “opposite” or “across from” the sex they were assigned at birth. Transition – transitioning is a term commonly used to refer to the steps a transgender, agender, or non-binary person takes in order to find congruence in their gender. But this term can be misleading as it implies that the person’s gender identity is changing and that there is a moment in time when this takes place. More typically, it is others’ understanding of the person’s gender that shifts. A transition is taking place, but it is often other people (parents and other family members, support professionals, employers, etc.) who are transitioning in how they see the individual’s gender, and not the person themselves. For the person, these changes are often less of a transition and more of an evolution. A person can seek harmony in many ways: Social congruence: changes of social identifiers - clothing, hairstyle, gender identity, name and/or pronouns; Hormonal congruence: use of medical approaches hormone “blockers” or therapy to promote physical, mental, and/or emotional alignment; Surgical congruence: addition, removal, or modification of gender-related physical traits; and Legal congruence: changing identification documents - birth certificate, driver’s license, or passport.
Where Pride Began... By: Matt Nielsen, Secretary Treasurer This summer, 50 years after the Stonewall Uprising, I had the humbling experience of visiting the site where our Pride began. The Stonewall Inn, an unassuming neighborhood tavern in New York City’s Greenwich Village, was birthplace of the gay rights movement. A small park across Christopher Street commemorates the 1969 riots with several plaques, statutes, and even a National Monument designation. The bar itself, with one tiny window up front, is dark and secluded, as was required to create a safe place for the LGBT community to congregate and stay out of view of the police. The crowd on a Tuesday afternoon was aged and docile, and I can’t help but think that some of these patrons had been here half a century ago and had seen the uprising firsthand. As we sat and drank some original Stonewall Ale in a dimly lit corner of the bar, I began to reflect on how things have changed in the past 50 years, and how our own organization is carrying on the fight. I had the opportunity to lead the Political Action Committee (PAC) over the past two years, working to support local LGBTQ candidates for office. While the number of LGBTQ public office holders undoubtedly needs to increase, we must appreciate the fact that we have representation in politics. Having LGBT representatives as school board representatives, city council-people, mayors, congress-people, governors, and even U.S. senators must have seemed an impossible feat 50 years ago. Having members from the LGBT community represent us in office ensures that issues important to us have the consideration they deserve. It also helps to create opportunities for others through appointments to boards, commissions, and other positions of importance. Having LGBT representation in local, state, and national government fosters a safer and more comfortable environment for us to each feel free to express ourselves. As we walked down Christopher Street that humid afternoon leaving the Stonewall Inn behind us, it was hard not to reflect on the sacrifices our community has made over the past 50 years. The fact that I can walk down a street in New York holding hands with my partner without fear of being arrested is a right that was earned during those faraway nights in 1969 in Greenwich Village. As for the next 50 years, I have hope that we will continue to make great strides in securing our rights. I hope to see the first LGBTQ president, the eradication of hostility towards queer persons of color and our transgender neighbors, the inclusion of LGBT history into school curriculums nationwide, and the elimination of antiLGBT laws worldwide. It may seem like a lot to accomplish in the next half century, so we must all gather together and continue to push for a better world.
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Exciting news for LGBT Community Center
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Today, the Sacramento LGBT Community Center announced a $500,000 capacity building investment from Sutter Health as it opened its new location at 2012 K Street in Lavender Heights. The investment will support increased access for LGBTQ+ people to preventive sexual health and mental health support, homeless and at-risk LGBTQ+ youth support services, youth development activities, and cultural competency education over the next three years. Funding will increase the organization’s physical space, staff and development capacity.“We are extremely grateful for Sutter’s investment in our community’s future. Both the scale of this contribution and engagement by Sutter employees in our programs are an acknowledgement of how severe the need is in our community and demonstrate their commitment as a partner in our work to create a region where LGBTQ people can focus on all aspects of their health and well-being,” said David Heitstuman, executive director of the Sacramento LGBT Community Center. “As a not-for-profit organization, Sutter Health is proud to reinvest in the communities we serve,” said Keri Thomas, Vice President of External Affairs for Sutter Health Valley Area. “Improving the health of our communities starts with innovative thinking, diverse voices and inclusive approaches. We’re glad to team up with others within the community to help the Center expand services, which can now reach even more LGBTQ+ youth and foster youth so they may feel supported, safe and empowered.” The announcement came the same week that the Sacramento City Council approved a $750,000 grant to help the Center purchase a permanent home that will meet the LGBTQ community’s current and future needs. Its long-time headquarters on L Street and annex office at 25th and J had significant structural deficiencies and were drastically undersized to keep up with recent growth. Since 2016, the organization launched six new programs, including three housing programs, and added 24 staff positions.Sutter Health’s transformational funding commitment, and grants from the Johnson Family Foundation and Golden 1 Credit Union announced earlier this year, has allow the Center to meet urgent space needs by relocating to a temporary site at 2012 K Street, while simultaneously executing its plan to purchase a permanent home for the Center. The 6,000-square foot temporary space will accommodate all current programs and provide a slightly larger Q-Spot youth center. It also offers more confidential and community meeting space, improved connectivity across the Center’s continuum of health services, full accessibility via an elevator and three gender neutral restrooms, and more adequate workspace for staff, which will deliver greater opportunities for collaboration and better client outcomes.
,This expanded capacity is especially important for hundreds of LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness who will have access to food, clothing, survival supplies, showers, transportation, life skills development, mental health respite, crisis intervention, counseling case management, emergency shelter and transitional housing on a pathway to self-reliance. Additional square footage creates opportunity for more onsite mental health services, community education workshops, social justice advocacy, and community and cultural enrichment activities for thousands of LGBTQ+ community members who visit the Center each year.“More than 40 years after the organization’s founding, we are elated to have the confidence and support of Sutter Health and the City as catalysts in our campaign to establish a permanent home for the LGBTQ community in Lavender Heights,” said Center Board President Carlos Marquez.The Sacramento LGBT Community Center works to create a region where LGBTQ people thrive. It supports the health and wellness of the most marginalized, advocates for equality and justice, and works to create a culturally rich LGBTQ community.Sutter Health is more than 60,000 people strong thanks to its integrated network of clinicians, employees and volunteers. Headquartered in Sacramento, Calif., Sutter Health provides access to high quality, affordable care for more than 3 million Northern Californians through its network of hospitals, medical foundations, urgent and walk-in care centers, home health and hospice services. Nearly 14,000 physicians and advanced practice clinicians care for Sutter patients.
Update from the Vice-President By Kim Angulo, Vice-President On December 23, 2018 Dharia, the Vice-Chair of the Sacramento Stonewall Foundation and a founding member of the Capitol LGBTQ Association, emailed Nate a draft letter from the Stonewall Foundation in support of proposed LGBTinclusive curriculum in Elk Grove. Dharia spoke of mounting opposition to the inclusive curriculum, which the Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD) board members would be voting on in the coming months. Nate, a former board member of the Sacramento Stonewall Democrats, contacted the Sac Stonewall PAC about the upcoming vote and the importance of Stonewall getting involved in this issue. After speaking with the PAC Nate drafted a letter of support for adoption of the curriculum to the EGUSD board members. Nate reached out to me asking me to send the letter directly to Board Members to show the club’s support. On December 23, 2018 I sent individual emails with Nate’s letter attached to the EGUSD Board Members expressing Stonewall’s support for adoption of curriculum that follows the requirements of the FAIR Act. The next day Board Member Nancy Chaires Espinoza responded thanking Stonewall for our advocacy and indicating that the comments she had heard thus far at largely been in opposition to the proposed curriculum. In January 2019 following a Stonewall Board meeting discussion of the issue, I emailed Nancy to ask if she was available to talk with our members about the issues EGUSD is facing. Nancy was unavailable but suggested we invite Board Member Bobbie Singh-Allen, an ally of the LGBTQ community to come talk. On January 14, 2019 EGUSD Bobbie spoke at the January Stonewall meeting. She said that our advocacy was needed, asked members to send letters and to attend EGUSD board meetings to speak during the public comment period in support of the proposed curriculum. At the time of the January meeting it was unclear when the board would be voting on whether or not to adopt the curriculum because agendas are posted just 72 hours in advance. Later that night I took the tips and information shared by Bobbie and created resources such as template emails to board members, email addresses for board members, and information about the issue. (sacstonewall.org/egusdtextbooks) Stonewall members responded by sending emails expressing their support to EGUSD board members. The Sacramento Area Rainbow Families and other LGBT groups shared the resources provided by Stonewall. On Tuesday February 5th the Stonewall board got notice that EGUSD would be voting that night.
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We sent out emails and spread the work on social media about the upcoming vote and encouraged as many people as possible to show up in person. The board meeting began at 6:00pm in a large room with a dais on one side of the room and lines of tables filing the room. Many people were standing around the edges of the room because there weren’t enough seats for everyone. Stonewall members including Tim, Dharia, Charlene, Eric, myself, and other LGBTQ community members attended. There were several news cameras and reporters. Over the course of the regular board meeting people spoke on the proposed curriculum change during the general public comment period near the beginning of the meeting as well as during the comment period when the curriculum agenda item was called. When it came up on the agenda after what already seemed like a long meeting, EGUSD staff did a presentation about proposed curriculum and recommended adoption. Public comment on the textbooks took hours. Each speaker had 2 minutes to talk, but many went over the time limit. It was an incredibly emotional and tense environment.
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The people speaking in opposition talked about how they didn’t want their kids learning about gay sex and advocated for an opt-out option like with sex education. The amount of hostility and misinformation was staggering. Whenever a speaker would say something in opposition the crowd would erupt in applause and cheering. When it was my turn to speak I was admittedly nervous. I had not expected the room to be filled with such hostility and hatred masked by people saying “I’m not homophobic but…” I read my notes and tried not to cry so much that I couldn’t get the words out. When I had finished speaking I stepped out of the room to get a break from the hostility. Friends and strangers came up to me to support me and make sure that I was ok. Two strangers talked with me and hugged me. Once all of the public comments were heard Board Members spoke, and each gave statements about their decision and the issues. Both Nancy and Bobbie were ardently in support of the proposed curriculum. When the final vote was called, the EGUSD Board voted unanimously to adopt the proposed curriculum which is LGBT-inclusive. I plan to use the lessons learned from this experience to help get Stonewall and its members more involved in school board matters and to next time fill the room with so many supporters that we drown out the opposition and fill the room with love instead of hate.
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WWW.SACSTONEWALL.ORG
QUARTERLY SUMMER ISSUE 2019
Paid for by the Stonewall Democratic Club of Greater Sacramento FPPC #1247892 and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. © Sacramento Stonewall Democrats The mission of the Stonewall Democratic Club of Greater Sacramento is to advance equal rights for all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. We will support public policies that advance that mission in the United States, the State of California, and the greater Sacramento area. We help elect to public office qualified Democratic Party candidates who are openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, as well as allies who support equal rights for the LGBT community. \We will work to sensitize and educate all Democratic candidates and office holders, the Democratic Party in general, and the community at large, to the issues and concerns of the LGBT community. Conversely, within the LGBT community we will promote the Democratic Party’s broad message of economic justice and social equality. To achieve this mission, the Stonewall Democratic Club of Greater Sacramento will work: To lead our party to improve its record and speak out on issues of importance to the LGBT communities, and to work for the nomination and election of Democratic candidates, including qualified openly LGBT candidates; To achieve diversity in our membership and our governing bodies; To elect openly LGBT people to local office and to achieve appointments of openly LGBT people to city and county boards and commissions in the greater Sacramento area who will be fully supportive of our fight for equality and against bigotry and intolerance; To take a position on candidates and ballot measures; To register voters who support the Club’s mission and encourage their participation in the electoral process; To educate LGBT communities and supporters about the equal rights issues we face, as well as assist them with those struggles; To collaborate with other LGBT groups and individuals to promote our mission of equality; and to aid other local grassroots Democratic Clubs in the greater Sacramento Area, and our non-gay allies, in order to advance the prominence of openly LGBT people within the Democratic Party. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1