Getting Outdoors and Loving Nature other’s eyes while standing shoulder to shoulder in a circle during a pre hike talk. With all these nature trails leading towards such happy, happy times, it’s hard to realize that you are part of a mission, a mission started by our founders 25 years ago who wanted the LGBT community to have a greater voice in the environmental movement in general, because their voices and contributions were being overlooked in the larger chapter membership. Through the years, the GLS has strived to involve non- Sier ra Club members, w it h t he hope t hat t hey too w i l l embrace what the Sierra Club stands for and become mem-
Kim Corsaro Publisher 1981-2011
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Russ Hartman & Deb Riat Gay and Lesbian Sierrans
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Juan Ordonez
It’s a lifestyle, f itness and nature. A very posit ive l ifest yle t hat contr ibutes g reat ly to an indiv idual’s health and well-being. Shar ing t hat l i fest yle w it h ot her LGBT people is a meaning ful and sat isf y ing exper ience. A nd unlike many of the f iner things in life, it is dirt cheap by comparison. The Gay and Lesbian Sier rans (GL S), an act iv it y sect ion of the San Francisco Bay chapter of the Sierra Club, has been br ing ing f itness and nature lovers together for more than 25 years. Many a fr iendship has been built step by step on that beautiful latticework of trails that lace these dazzling gems of natural beauty in our Bay A rea toget her. Many passionate lovers and long time couples f irst glanced into each
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ADVISORY BOARD Tracy Gary Nanette Lee Miller, CPA James C. Freeman Judy Young, MPH Gary Virginia CONTRIBUTORS Writers
Rink, Sister Dana Van Iquity, Ann Rostow, Melissa Myers, Linda Ayres-Frederick, Annette Lust, Kirsten Kruse, Natalia Cornett, Teddy Witherington, Kim Corsaro, Lori Major, Christine Dumke, Alexandra Bringer, David Grabstald, Kate Kendell, Pollo del Mar, Linda Kay Silva, Albert Goodwyn, Tom W. Kelly, Heidi Beeler, Lynn Ruth Miller, Jeanie Smith, K. Cole, Gary M. Kramer, Dennis McMillan, Tom Moon, Kelly Fondow, RoiAnn Phillips, Paul E. Pratt, Terry Baum Dayna Verstegen, Liz Bell.
bers themselves. You can’t preserve what you don’t love, and you can’t love what you don’t know. GLS provides the f irst step to help the LGBT communit y get to k now our natura l world a nd to con nect i nd iv idua ls w it h t he environmental movement, to help them f ind their own place in that movement. A long the way you learn about, explore and experience places you might never experience otherwise. You meet like-minded people you might not meet otherwise. You learn about local history and the local f lora and fauna and how they
all inter-relate. And, as a bonus, you get some healthy exercise. The SF Bay Chapter of the national Sierra Club serves A lameda, Contra Costa, Mar in and San Francisco count ies. There are 30,0 0 0 chapter members. There are 39 0 ind iv idua ls on t he GLS ema i l l ist, of whom approximately 130 are Sierra Club members. Our members are varied and come from all walks of life. They are adults from all age groups and genders. We of fer something for most f itness levels. Our act iv it ies are rated w it h a sca le for exer t ion. We offer city walks, day hikes, backpacking trips, car camping trips, biking trips, habitat restoration work, trail maintenance and other conser vat ion related work, as wel l as v isits to nature centers/preserves, public gardens, and museums. We have outings all year long. So, come play w it h us! A nd bond w it h us! I ncrease your f it ness level and get awe inspired by a large and ever f lowing helping of the fabulous natural beaut y that surrounds us here in the Bay A rea. Meet lots of nice, new folks along the way. Whether it is playing “two truths and a lie” around a crackling f ire on a camping trip high in the Sierra, or pausing w ith your new found friends at the top of Mt. Tamalpais to take in the astoundi ng, gl i sten i ng beaut y of t he bay a nd t he Pacif ic Ocean a l l sprawled out before you, both visible at the same time, these memories w ill stay w ith you for life. You do not have to be a member to come on our outings. You can test dr ive us for free. So what are you waiting for? To v i e w a cal e ndar of upcomin g out in gs a nd t o l ea r n more abo ut o u r orga nizat i on , pl ea se v i s it www.glshikes.org.
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PHOTO SOUR CE: SF BAY AR EA GAY & L es bi an Sierrans
Rink, Dennis McMillan, Steve Underhill, Phyllis Costa, Biron.
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12 BAY TIMES MARCH 8, 2012
San Francisco Bay Area Gay & Lesbian Sierrans at play.
Person of the Week: Commander Zoe Dunning To d a y t h e 2 012 I n t e r n a t i o n a l Wo m e n’s D a y S u m m i t a n d Aw a r d s L u nc he on i s honor i n g Com ma nder Zoe Dun n i ng w it h it s Sue Bier ma n E x t r aord i na r y P ubl ic S er v ice awa rd. T he B ay Times applauds this decision, and h a s c ho s en t h i s e x t r a or d i n a r y woman as the Person of the Week. Commander Dunning, SC, U S N R ( R et .), i s a U. S . Nav a l Academy g raduate a nd a gay r ights act iv ist. In Januar y 1993, she publicly came out as a lesbian while ser ving as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Nav y Reser ves. This brave decision resulted in a t wo and a half year legal battle, which she won, allow ing her to remain in the Nav y Reserves. Commander Dunning at that point became the f irst and only openly gay per-
son allowed to remain on act ive dut y in the militar y prior to the end of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. She subsequently was promoted twice, receiv ing the Nav y & M a r i ne C or p s A c h ie v e ment Meda l a nd t he Nav y & M a r i ne Corps Commendation Medal. Commander Dunn ing ret ired from t he m i l it ar y in June 20 07, but that led to a new beg inning. She received her MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business and present ly ser ves a s C o - C h a i r of t he G over n i n g B o a r d o f t he S e r v ic e me m b e r s Legal Defense Network (SL DN ). In December 2010, Commander Dunn ing stood beside President Oba ma as he sig ned t he DA DT repea l. She now res ides i n Sa n Francisco with her wife Pam, and
is a principal at Quintas Associates , L L C , wher e s he pa r t ner s w it h execut ives and t heir teams to lead major change initiatives. She has been a tremendous supporter of countless local LGBTQ e f for t s , i nc lud i n g t he “ B et t y ’s List” Smart Women Network, for wh ich she frequent ly ta kes t ime out of her incredibly busy schedule to advise, mentor and inspire others. She does so with both humor a nd he a r t fe lt c ompa s s ion , m a k i ng ot her s feel goo d about t hemselves and g iv ing t hem t he con f idence to pur sue t hei r personal and career dreams. We are lucky to have her here in the Bay Area, where she will soon be announcing her campaign for a seat on the Democratic Count y Central Committee.