|
|
|||
|
Table of Contents
July Co-Chairs'
Report:
Reese's
World: Perspectives from the Editor
Then I stare into his beautiful eyes and I jokingly query, "Wanna freak out the tourists?" by which I mean kissing with passion and lips locked and tongues lashing, right in front of the flock of midwesterners lost in the big Gay city. But you knew that, didn't you? We smile. It's Pride in San Francisco, the city is rainbow draped and flags are flying, millions of Gay people are here or coming here for the weekend, and tourists are the voyeurs of americana, so it's safe to say we felt the power to freak these people out without repercussion. And they probably wouldn't have been that freaked out anyway. We smile at each other. I grab his soul patch between my thumb and my forefinger as I dart off, smiling once again at the thought of us having any power at all, in a larger society as close-minded and troubled and discriminatory as it is. I hearken back to my very first Pride parade in my hometown of Kansas City. I was an awkward skinny young thing in awe of people being openly Queer. Kansas City's Pride at that time was small enough to be held in a tiny triangular park no bigger than our own City's Duboce Park. But, somehow, even within that small group and that small space, on that day, at Pride, there was a slight glimpse of a newfound power-the power to freak people out. And with that power came smiles and laughter because for a brief shining moment we were able to let loose and just be. The usual Kansas City tourist trolley would go rolling by the park and all of Pride's celebrants would wave and yell "Hi! Welcome to Kansas City!" And I instantly realized we all did this because it was a time to be open and public, to have fun, to break out of the standard silence, and a chance to freak out the minds of the tourists by simply being Out. By our openness about who we were, by being in public, by simply existing without shame, by being happy and Proud, we were a 'freak' of the usual norm, and it was a time to revel in that. And I think this may be part of what drives our community's celebration of camp, brazenness, and loudness. Now, this year at San Francisco's Pride, we changed the standards. Not many people are freaked out anymore by our wearing leather, baring breasts, or standing on 10-inch heels in makeup, Catholic habit, and little else. Our ultimate freak this year was for all to see the utter normalcy of our lives: to walk hand in hand, to hold aloft a real marriage license, to kiss the love of our life, to be as everyday-freakin'-normal as everybody else in this freakin' society. Our last and ultimate freak-out is the fact that the culmination
of our lives is becoming as blasé and americana as everyone
else's and that's freaks out them as much as it freaks me out sometimes.
Because who would have believed we were so freakin' normal after
all? Reese Aaron Isbell, M.P.P.
Join us at the Alice-sponsored Out Front for Kerry event on July 18th. This is the one and only official LGBT event for Kerry in the Bay Area prior to the Convention! Travel across the bay to sample some of Berkeley's finest cuisine along with fine wine from Sonoma at the DoubleTree Hotel right on the Berkeley Marina convenient to I-80 (and not far from the North Berkeley BART). You know how much is at stake in the election, from the Supreme Court to the environment to our LGBT issues. This is your chance to contribute to John Kerry's election through an LGBT-specific fundraiser; cumulatively, our contributions through this event will send a powerful message to John Kerry and the Democratic Party in support of full equality for our community. Featured guests at this gala event include House Democratic Leader
Nancy Pelosi, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, consultant and LGBT activist
David Mixner, singer/songwriter Margie Adam, and our Assemblyman
Mark Leno. The event will also include surprise appearances by well-known
and beloved celebrity guests. Join us for an afternoon of great
food, great company, uplifting entertainment, and exciting surprises. Over one hundred community leaders and organizations are supporting
Out Front for Kerry! as hosts or co-chairs, including House Democratic
Leader Nancy Pelosi, Mayor Gavin Newsom, Treasurer Susan Leal, Supervisors
Bevan Dufty and Tom Ammiano, State Senator Sheila Kuehl, folksinger
legend Ronnie Gilbert, Daniel Ellsberg, Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin,
and Alice members including Jeff Anderson and Jeff Soukup, Kirk
Oatman, and Reese Aaron Isbell. Go to http://www.lgbt4kerry.com/july.htm for more information; or call 510 644-0172; email OutFrontforKerry@lgbt4kerry.com Even if you can't make it on the 18th, by contributing to support
our Out Front for Kerry event (any amount helps), you help show
the clout of our community while we work to defeat Bush and elect
John Kerry!
In mid-June, the group filed complaints with the City Attorney's Office, the California Office of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), and the San Francisco Human Rights Commission (HRC). IsBadlandsBad seeks from the HRC a recommendation for Natali's full compliance with civil rights law and accountability for past harm. Moreover, IsBadlandsBad has urged the ABC to investigate Natali's establishments and, should Natali be found in violation of state antidiscrimination laws in employment and accommodation, to revoke his liquor licenses. "The Castro is, at its best, a place of celebration, community, and for so many GLBT people from around the world, a place of homecoming," says group spokesperson and Alice Board member John Newsome. "Yet for many people of color and others, that homecoming has long been bittersweet. We're here to encourage those values the Castro should represent to the rest of the world-diversity, inclusion, justice, and prosperity. To that end, we're starting a movement to do three things: First, to stop Les Natali's bad practices; Second, to create a greater awareness of recourses available to those experiencing discrimination in the Castro and beyond; Third, to spur dialogue about issues of racial discrimination and inclusion in our community." For more information about the ongoing investigation, details of race and/or gender discrimination, LGBT leaders' responses, and other strategies to spur discussion about our community's discrimination and inclusivity, visit www.IsBadlandsBad.com. _________________________ Alice Supports
New Anti-Discrimination Movement for Castro Inclusion Editor: The Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic club was established over thirty years ago to fight for equality and inclusion for all members of our community. We do not accept discrimination against us by anyone, particularly by those within the LGBT business community and community at large. Too often we turn a blind eye to discrimination in the heart of our gay mecca-because it's hard to make sense out of discrimination by members of our own community. Too often we talk about not feeling included in the Castro, not seeing ourselves in the Castro restaurants or stores, not having any bars for lesbians and very few that are truly diverse. Yet we often do not take a stand and address these acts of discrimination. We are proud that members of our community have voiced what many of us have felt: discrimination exists in the Castro-it exists in one of the most liberal neighborhoods in one of the most liberal cities in the country. Alice B. Toklas firmly supports the efforts of the group, Isbadlandsbad.com, to address and combat discrimination in our community. We stand with Supervisor Bevan Dufty and others who have called on the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and the San Francisco Human Rights Commission to investigate allegations of discrimination at Badlands and the Detour. And we strongly support a broader dialogue about discrimination in our community to continue to occur. By bringing forth these allegations, many people who have experienced discrimination will now feel free to come forward and not feel alone or afraid. Alice members remember fighting this exact type of discrimination years ago, when many bars asked for two forms of identification and made women and people of color feel unwelcome. They fought it then, and though we should not have to fight those same battles now, we will fight them, stronger than ever before, and we will work to have businesses respect each and every customer that walks through their doors. If they do not, then we should not patronize them. Period. We believe in a Castro and a San Francisco that is open to all and we will fight to ensure that our gay mecca is a mecca for all. Sincerely, _________________________ At the June membership and board meetings, Alice passed a resolution in support of this process. The resolution follows: The Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic club was established over thirty years ago to fight for equality and inclusion for all members of our community. We do not condone the existence of discrimination of any kind within the LGBT business community and community at large. Alice strongly supports the efforts of the group, Isbadlandsbad.com, to address and combat recent allegations of discrimination in our community. We support the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, the San Francisco Human Rights Commission and the City Attorney in their investigations into the allegations of discrimination at Badlands and the Detour in the Castro. And Alice strongly supports a broader dialogue about discrimination in our community to continue to occur.
Community
Announcement Special Guest Speaker: Ronald Walters, Ph.D. Professor Walters, a nationally known columnist and political commentator who appears frequently on C-SPAN and CNN, teaches Politics and Government at the University of Maryland. He was the principal advisor to the 1984 Presidential campaign of the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson. His practical experience and academic background have given him unique insights into energizing and organizing grassroots communities for effective participation in the democratic process. Don't miss this important training opportunity! Co-sponsored by the San Francisco Chapter of Black Women Organized
for For more information, call (415) 398-4876
Last month I began with the first of three parts of an interview Alice's own Leslie Katz, newly elected as Chair of the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee (DCCC), and asked her for her thoughts on the DCCC, her role as Chair, LGBT rights, and the upcoming national elections. She recently conducted the DCCC's first ever all-day Strategic Planning Retreat to hone in on common goals, detail specific action plans, and focus the DCCC agenda for the coming year. This is the second of three parts, with the final piece in next month's Alice newsletter. Reese Aaron Isbell (RI): Where was the DCCC retreat? DCCC Chair Leslie Katz (LK): At the LGBT Community Center, which I think certainly does send a message. That was no accident on my part when I chose from a couple of different locations when I had some money to spend, actually it came out of my pocket, but I wanted the rental fee to go to the LGBT Center. It may be that we'll have meetings throughout the term in other facilities. RI: Since it was at the Center, had some of the members of the DCCC never been there before? LK: I'm sure there were some that had never been there before. RI: How do you think they viewed that? LK: You know I did have an interesting discussion with one person about same-sex marriage and his concern that it's becoming a Democratic issue. RI: What was his concern? LK: He's an associate member and was concerned that by focusing on same-gender marriage it could hurt the Party overall. I said I certainly understand his concerns but one of the reasons I'm a Democrat is because we have always championed the civil rights issues. RI: Do you think you would have had that discussion, in the way that you had it, if you hadn't been an openly Lesbian and having the meeting at the Center? LK: I think it definitely was a much more civil and thoughtful discussion as a result of both my being an open Lesbian and our being in the Center at the time. And he was expressing tactical concerns and was very clear that he supports gay marriage. He made sure that that was the focus of his statements. It was a much more interesting tact, that it was purely strategic and not philosophical, although still difficult, it was nice to hear it that way. One of the things that I hope as Chair that people will see, I'm an open Lesbian, but I care about a broad range of issues and can bring groups together and I think certainly in SF with so many elected officials from the LGBT community we have been able to change mindsets. My predecessors on the Board of Supervisors were always identified as "Lesbian Supervisor whomever" or "Gay Supervisor whomever." I love the fact that I was certainly identified as that way at times, but I was also identified as "Environmental Supervisor" or "Technology Supervisor" or the "Pothole Supervisor." We are definitely seeing progress in people's mindsets. RI: Going from that, and understanding that you're not the first openly GLBT Chair, do you view yourself different from the previous Chairs that were openly GLBT, or any commonalities? LK: I think more commonalities, but I think certainly serving now, it's a much easier time, and support for the LGBT community is not an issue for the DCCC membership. RI: There's a resolution supporting same-sex marriage I believe at the DCCC, is that correct? LK: I think we already passed it months ago. Although we may come up with something new along the lines of commending the state of Massachusetts and urging the state of California to go along. RI: Tell me more about what you want to do with the DCCC. LK: As far as what I want to do with the DCCC, my goal is to bring it back into a role of relevance in shaping debate, in shaping issues, in expanding voter registration efforts so that we will once again have the kind of Democratic registration numbers that we did, say six or seven years ago. And we can do this by educating the population about what the Democratic Party stands for and the importance of not only being a registered Democrat but also of voting. One of the most frightening statistics that I have heard recently is the number of special interest groups that we are probably all members of, you know, environmental groups, national LGBT groups, that have a huge percentage of their members who are not registered to vote. If you care enough about issues it's critical that you register to vote. And on issues that we all care about it's critical that you be a registered Democrat in order to have a say. RI: And what are some things that you thought of and that came out of the Retreat in expanding that? LK: Pages and pages of ideas. But doing much more outreach, both to the youth, to communities that have felt like there is no point in voting, doing much more outreach to minority communities, and letting those communities know that their voices will be heard and that they do have a role in our Party. We have ideas for fundraising so that we can get the word out and be stronger and it's no secret that we need raise money and we came up with some wonderful creative ideas so that we can offer all the services that we want to offer. One of the things I want to see us do more is have Op Ed pieces regularly, not only in the major papers, but also the local community papers. I'd like to see "Issues of the Month" and we should address why would need to go after Defense Secretary Rumsfeld for his role in the prison abuse scandals, his connection, what the nexus is, for an example, why we need to focus on climate protection measures, and to stop the acts of the Bush Administration to erode our environment. RI: You know you're welcome to have one in the Alice newsletter any time. LK: Well, thank you. I'll take advantage of that. Other key pieces, why, this "No Child Left Behind" education effort is a sham and the public needs to be aware of that-- that if we don't do our best to educate all of our citizens as a society we're lost. Look at our economy today, versus its vibrancy under Clinton. RI: So, from what I'm hearing, that you see some getting back to general principals, overall coalescing on common and understood and agreed upon principals among all the different DCCC members… LK: Absolutely. RI: And not getting bogged down… LK: I'm hoping to avoid some of the personal fighting that's taken
place in the past. Obviously I want people to share and express
their opinions, but in a civil way that moves us forward as a body.
We've spent so much time fighting in the past that we weren't as
productive as we should have been. But also I want us to become
a strong and effective body so that we can help shape the state
and national platform. We've been very instrumental in helping to
shape the state platform. And I think it would be critical if we
could help shape the national Democratic platform. More from my interview with Chair Leslie Katz in next month's
newsletter In honor of Pride month, we share with you special
Pride Proclamations from _________________________ Senator John Kerry
The LGBT community contributes to our nation in so many ways, in every corner of this country. And in return, you ask only for equal treatment. LGBT Americans deserve the right to make medical decisions for one another in times of crisis, the right to inherit a house purchased together and equal access to health insurance, social security and retirement benefits. Together we can provide this simple justice. The Bush administration repeatedly uses gay rights as a political tool to divide the nation. That's just wrong. I am committed to using the power of the White House to advance equal rights for all Americans, including gay Americans. We don't need a Constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. We need to find a way to provide all American families with full and equal rights. We don't need opposition to hate crime legislation. We need to reject hate and embrace acceptance. And we don't need a President who plays politics with gay adoption. We need a President who works everyday to protect and support all children and families. I want to lead an America where the inscription "Equal Justice Under the Law" has both meaning and value for all Americans, not just some Americans. And I need your help to make that happen. Let's work to make a stronger America where all Americans are treated with dignity and fairness and celebrated with pride.
_________________________
This weekend is the 34th annual San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Celebration, a time to celebrate San Francisco's proud history of advocacy for equal rights for LGBT persons and to recognize the contributions of the LGBT community. San Francisco is blessed with a large and vibrant LGBT community and has a strong history of advocacy for equal rights for all. That history is the result of respect - respect for the contributions of our LGBT community, and respect for the contributions of all of the many communities that make our city great. Since last year's Pride celebration, we have made progress in the fight to secure civil rights and basic protections for LGBT Americans, especially in California. Serious work remains, however, to protect LGBT individuals from workplace discrimination and hate-related crimes, to provide immigration benefits to same-sex couples, to fully fund HIV/AIDS programs domestically and internationally, and to defeat a mean-spirited constitutional amendment that would enshrine discrimination in our Constitution. Just this week, President Bush exaggerated his commitment to HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, praising programs that he has consistently underfunded in his budgets. During the same speech, he committed to provide some extra money for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, but proposed to take those funds from another part of the health care safety net. We need leaders who are truly committed to making adequate funding for HIV/AIDS a priority, not ones who merely claim to do so. And we need leaders who understand that discrimination has no place in our country, not ones who try to divide the American people for political purposes. This Pride Month, let us stand up and speak out for equality and fairness for all. _________________________
During Pride Month, Democrats are staffing tables at more than 65 Pride events across the country on behalf of the DNC and the John Kerry for President Campaign as part of the most comprehensive GLBT outreach effort in the history of presidential campaigns. As a result, we are engaging tens of thousands of GLBT voters and formally inviting the entire community to join us on the path to victory in November. I am so proud to be a Democrat, in part because the Democratic Party has a long and proud history in the fight for civil rights. And our Party plans to continue to fight until every American, including our friends in the GLBT community, is treated with the respect and equality she or he deserves. Since we are committed to respect and equality, it is obvious why the Democratic Party is resolutely opposed to the Federal Marriage Amendment. Our nation's most sacred document, the United States Constitution, is intended to expand liberties, not limit them; and we will fight any attempt to use our Constitution to discriminate. Instead of preaching hate and discrimination, Democrats support full and total inclusion of GLBT persons and their families into the life of our nation. We believe in equality for all families. We support the right of gay and lesbian Americans to serve openly in our military. We support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act allowing gay and lesbians to work without fear of being fired because of their sexual orientation. We support strengthening HIV and AIDS research in the hope that we will soon find a cure. And Democrats will continue to fight for what we believe in until we all win. The Democratic Party is proud to stand with the GLBT community,
not just during Pride Month, but every month, of every year. And
together, we will declare victory in November - a victory that will
be for all Americans." Alice B Toklas LGBT Democratic Club General Membership Meeting 2nd Monday of each month Download a membership application at www.alicebtoklas.org, or fill out the application below Membership Application Yes, I want to join the Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club! __$35 Regular __I am renewing my membership __I will be a new member __I am a registered Democrat Name ___________________________________________________________________ Address _________________________________________________________________ City _________________________________________State: ______Zip: _____________ Phone: Day _____________________________Eve: _____________________________ Email: _________________________________________ Please send checks payable to “Alice B. Toklas
LGBT Democratic Club” and mail to: |
Thank
you Alice members, friends, sponsors and elected officials for making
the 2004 Alice Pride Breakfast a huge success! We had a full house
and a ton of energy at Padovani's Restaurant. Special appreciation
to Jack Ryder who did a great job with the invitations and the arrangements
at Padovani's and Michael Costa, John Lazar and Jeff Anderson who
secured event sponsors and sold tickets.
I'm
walking to work the other day, just passing the cable-car turn-around
where all the tourists gather like pigeons around half-eaten bread,
waiting for their turn to ride the infamous San Francisco treat,
when I spot N. N is someone I dated very, very briefly a year ago.
He's oh-so-cute and we hug and smile.
As
the nation celebrates Pride Month, I am excited to join the LGBT
community in fighting for equal rights for gay Americans. I believe
that Americans should embrace the diversity that makes our nation
strong and recommit ourselves to ensuring that all Americans are
guaranteed equal rights.
This
Pride Month, Let Us Stand Up and Speak Out for Equality and Fairness
for All
This
year's Gay and Lesbian Pride Month is a time for us to celebrate.
It has been 35 years since the victory of Stonewall and we, as a
nation, have come so far since that time. Millions of Americans
will celebrate this year's Pride in two ways: one, by marking the
progress that has been made over the past 35 years and, two, by
committing themselves to the progress yet to be made. And the Democratic
Party joins this commitment. Democrats across the country are proud
to celebrate the accomplishments the GLBT community has already
made, but we also understand the fight that still remains.