Monthly Newsletter of the Alice B. Toklas Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Democratic Club
August 2006

Table of Contents

• Dates With Alice
• Co-Chairs' Report
• Alice Co-Chair Scott Wiener Elected Chair of the DCCC
• Alice Board Members Elected to Executive Committee of the DCCC
• Reese's World: Perspectives from the Editor: "Changing Hearts and Minds"
• House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi: 'Federal Marriage Amendment Defiles Our Cherished Constitution'
• District Attorney Kamala Harris: 'United Against Violence'
• Interview with DCCC Chair Scott Wiener
• Alice Membership Form
  

Dates With Alice

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August Co-Chairs' Report
Alice Is Everywhere - All the Time.

A must mention - and yes you'll read all about it later on in the newsletter - but a big kudos to our own Scott Wiener for becoming Chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party. Heartfelt congrats to Laura Spanjian, Rafael Mandelman and Robert Haaland for being elected to leadership roles in the Party.

Unfortunately, this good news does not last as long as it should. If you haven't heard, Les Natali has filed a lawsuit against the Human Rights Commission to overturn its original finding that the bar discriminated against persons of color. The work of the community, and that of the Human Rights Commission, to keep local commercial establishments free of discrimination is at stake. At our last general meeting, the membership voted to send a message to Natali that this act of bad faith is not acceptable. It looks like this issue will continue to permeate the community. Don't we all wish we were working together to make the Castro a community for all. Stay tuned.

On a similar front, Alice was represented at the one-year anniversary of the closing of the Pendulum. Alice will be discussing how we can help bring diverse businesses, with a particular focus on those owned by African-Americans, in the coming months. Please let either co-chair know if you are interested in helping this important effort.

It seems like it was just yesterday (and it really was), yet there's another election season starting. Alice has already endorsed District 8 Supervisor and friend Bevan Dufty. San Francisco will elect (and/or re-elect) Supervisors from the even numbered districts: 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10. In addition, members of the School Board and Community College Board will also be up for election. Long time friend Lawrence Wong will be running for re-election to the Community College Board. Ordinances and statements of policy may also be placed on the local ballot. We are beginning to start the political action process for November.....enjoy your Saturdays now. And contact us if you want to get more involved.

Beyond San Francisco. Of course, we need to make sure that we turn out each and every Democrat to see Gubernatorial candidate Angelides elected. And it's only just the beginning.

We hope to see you at the next Alice General Meeting, August 14th at 6:30p.

Rebecca Prozan
Alice B. Toklas Co-Chair

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Alice Co-Chair Scott Wiener Elected Chair of the DCCC

Congratulations to our own Alice Co-Chair Scott Wiener who was elected in July as Chair of the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee (DCCC)! His election was by acclamation at the July 19th swearing-in of the new DCCC members. He will lead his fellow DCCC members and our Party through the next two-years.

Scott has been a terrific leader for Alice, the LGBT Community, and the Democratic Party and his election is very exciting news for us. For more on this, please see my interview with Scott further in this newsletter.

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Alice Board Members Elected to Executive Committee of the DCCC

In addition to Scott Wiener's election as Chair, further congratulations go to three of our other Alice Board Members who elected in July to the Executive Committee of the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee (DCCC)! Their election was also by acclamation at the July 19th swearing-in of the new DCCC members.

Past Co-Chair Laura Spanjian was elected Treasurer. Board Member Rafael Mandelman was elected Second Vice Chair in charge of party building. And fellow Board Member Robert Haaland was elected Corresponding Secretary.

This is terrific news for Alice and the Party, and we at Alice are very proud!

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Reese's World: Perspectives from the Editor
Changing Hearts and Minds
by Reese Aaron Isbell, M.P.P.

Change doesn't always come quickly. In fact, it often is monotonously slow. But when it comes bearing fruit that couldn't have been imagined before, you know that it's especially sweet.

Back in the late 1980's in Kansas City, Missouri, a huge fight was brewing at City Hall over the very simple-by today's standards-cause of adding the term 'sexual orientation' to the city's human rights ordinance. See, simple-- there was already an anti-discrimination ordinance and this was just adding us to the list of protected classes.

The masses of right-wing bigots who showed up and rallied inside and outside City Hall in early 1990 when this came up for a vote would have one believe that the apocalypse was upon us. But strikingly, the nascent LGBT community of Kansas City began to form and come out to City Hall too. And they also began to 'come out' to their friends and coworkers and families, and to the public in Middle America for many for the first time.

I was actually one of those new-comers. Although, frankly, my own trajectory was more related to my coming of age and timing within my own life-I was all of 19 years old. But one of the very first activities I did upon coming out was traveling to City Hall with others I just met and would meet en masse to watch the civic proceedings and participate in public debate before the City Council.

Well, to make a very long political story short, the addition to the ordinance was unfortunately voted down through a procedural vote. We were very disappointed. But there were chants and songs of "We Shall Overcome" heard throughout the halls of the building that day.

One of those who voted against us at that time was a City Councilman named Reverend Emanuel Cleaver. He was an up-and-comer and well respected in Kansas City's African-American and civil rights community. And he received a great deal of anger from our LGBT community at the time for his vote.

However, things began to change for the better soon after.

Astoundingly and graciously, Reverend Emanuel Cleaver took it upon himself to come to the Kansas City Pride Picnic.

This was not a little thing. In Kansas City, politicians don't exactly swarm to Pride like they do here in San Francisco. And this was also 15 or so years ago. So for him to attend our picnic and speak before us was a huge deal. And he spoke to us from the heart. He spoke to us from a little stage that we had at our little picnic in a little triangle park in downtown-no more than maybe a hundred or so people. And he told us about how the right-wing opposition to the Human Rights Ordinance had come to him and talked about how we LGBT people were 'trash' and deserved to go to Hell and all that fire and brimstone stuff.

And then he said something I've still never forgotten, although a bit paraphrased due to my own senility.

He said to us at the picnic, "My God don't make no trash! No one created in His image is trash."

And the crowd went crazy. He pledged to bring the Human Rights Ordinance back. And when he became Mayor of Kansas City shortly thereafter he signed it into law.

I tell you all of this because of a recent event that's even more amazing.

Reverend Cleaver is now the Congressman for the Greater Kansas City area. And during the recent fight in the House of Representatives over the Federal Marriage Amendment, he not only voted against the anti-Gay constitutional amendment, he also led the opposition. He spoke to the House floor as the only one in the whole body who is a practicing minister about how he, as a minister and a man of Faith, finds this constitutional amendment abhorrent. And he not only did this for his colleagues in the House, but he also did it for his community back home by meeting with the Editorial Board with the Kansas City Star and with local community groups and the like to talk about how angry he is that anti-Gay scapegoating is sinful and detrimental to our society and our democracy. And he spoke from the heart.


Now, I must tell you, this column is not about a change in one politician. It's not about a growth in humanity. It's not about faith in politics. It's not even about Kansas City…

This column is about how when we as a community openly and steadfastfully fight for our rights, live honestly and openly, live by the truth, and show the love that we are all about, we can bring change in the hearts and minds of politicians, the public, our friends and families, and even open up doors we never knew were possible.

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House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi:
'Federal Marriage Amendment Defiles Our Cherished Constitution'

Washington, D.C. - House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi spoke on the House floor this morning against a constitutional amendment to prohibit same sex marriage, the amendment was defeated:

"Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Nadler for yielding and for his great leadership in defending the Constitution of the United States. I also want to thank Mr. Conyers for his leadership on the issue, and say to Congresswoman Baldwin and Congressman Frank, what an honor it is to serve with you in the Congress. It is a privilege to call you colleagues.

"Mr. Speaker, the crisis in the Middle East reminds us that it is our responsibility as a Congress to address the urgent priorities of the American people. Yet today, it is painfully obvious that instead of tackling the challenges facing our nation and our world, Republicans want to persist in their agenda to distract and divide.

"That is why the American people are demanding a New Direction. That is why they say in great numbers that our country is going in the wrong direction. The challenges that our country face are too great for Republican politics as usual. The Constitutional amendment that we are debating today has been brought to this floor with the full knowledge that it has no prospects for success, either now or in the foreseeable future. This is a partisan exercise by Republicans to divide the American people, rather than forge consensus to solve our urgent problems.

"Our Constitution, which we all take an oath to support and defend, is an enduring and living document that has throughout our history expanded rights, not diminished them. Though the federal marriage amendment claims to protect marriage, it benefits no one and actually limits the rights of millions of Americans.

"In September, I am happy to say, my husband and I will celebrate our 43rd wedding anniversary. I am a mother of five. We have five children and five grandchildren. We are expecting our sixth grandchild in October. And we certainly appreciate the value of family. We see family in our community as a source of strength, and a source of comfort to people. What constitutes that family is an individual and personal decision, but for all, it is a place where people find love, comfort, and support.

"As we consider this amendment, we must understand we are talking about our fellow citizens-people under the law-who are lesbian and gay, and what it means to them. They are members of our communities with dreams and aspirations, including their right to find comfort, love, and support on equal terms. They have every right-and every expectation as any American-that they are entitled to the very purpose for which this nation was founded: that we are all created equal by our Creator and endowed with inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

"Let me tell you about two extraordinary constituents of mine. I have talked about them on the floor before-Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin-both in their 80s, who have lived together for more than 50 years. They're grandparents by the way-they're grandmothers. Their commitment, their love, and their happiness are a source of strength to all who know them. They are leaders in our community and are held in high esteem by all who know them. Why should they not have the full protection of the law? To be able to share each other's health and bereavement benefits? To be able to share all the protections and rights accruing to financial relationships, inheritance, and immigration? Why should Phyllis and Del and millions of gay and lesbian citizens not be treated equally and not be afforded the legal protections conferred by marriage?

"I will again vote against this amendment, as I have in the past, because it is counter to the noble ideals of liberty, freedom, and equality for which this nation stands. This amendment defiles our cherished Constitution by saying that some members of our society are not equal under the law. This is blatant discrimination. It is wrong. It does not belong in our Constitution. It is contrary, again, to the noble purposes for which this nation was founded, and it is contrary to the principle of ending discrimination, unifying our country, and fostering equality for all.

"The American people demand that this Congress address their priorities: the creation of jobs, a minimum wage that has not been raised in nine years, gas prices that are more than $3 a gallon, and the skyrocketing costs of higher education. That's what they want us to be doing here.

"Mr. Speaker, let us strive to do the work of the American people. Let us strive to unite our country and to take our country to a whole New Direction. Let us honor our Constitution, let us honor all of God's children, and let us reject this amendment."

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District Attorney Kamala Harris: 'United Against Violence'

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Interview with DCCC Chair Scott Wiener

From the Editor: I sat down recently with Alice's own Co-Chair, Scott Wiener, who was elected the new Chair of the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee (DCCC) this month, and asked him for his thoughts on the DCCC, his role as Chair, LGBT rights, and the upcoming national elections.

Reese Aaron Isbell (RAI): Thank you again for agreeing to be interviewed for the Alice Reports newsletter. Obviously, you're our Co-Chair and already contribute each month to the newsletter. But I wanted to talk with you today while you're also wearing the DCCC Chair hat and hear from you with that combined perspective.

So, first, congratulations! I know Alice members everywhere are thrilled to have our Co-Chair be elected to the post of Chair of the DCCC. You do us proud!

Scott Wiener (SW): Thanks, and I'm proud to have come to the DCCC from Alice.

RAI: Alice's three other current Board Members are also now part of your Executive Board team, correct? What are their roles?

SW: Alice did very well in the last DCCC election, which is a testament to the leaders that the club has produced for decades. All four Alice board members were elected as officers. In addition to my election as chair, Rafael Mandelman was elected second vice chair in charge of party building (primarily voter registration and precinct captain operations), Laura Spanjian was elected treasurer, and Robert Haaland was elected corresponding secretary (focusing on our communications strategy).

RAI: This is really terrific! Not just for our Board Members and Alice in general, but also for the Party. What does it say about Alice that we have become so intricately involved and in leadership positions on the DCCC? And similarly, what does it say about the DCCC and the Party itself?

SW: It demonstrates once again the significant place that Alice occupies in the Democratic Party. For almost 35 years, Alice has played a key role in building the Democratic Party and in getting Democrats elected. And, when we do get strong Democrats elected - whether we're talking about Mark Leno, Carole Migden, Dennis Herrera, Kamala Harris, Jose Cisneros, Phil Ting, Bevan Dufty or Gavin Newsom - they take on immediate leadership roles in the party. The same is true of the DCCC. Alice cultivates and elects people who are willing to step up to advance the party.

RAI: On these notes, and from your perspective, where do LGBT issues fall into the discussion within the local, state, and national Party frameworks?

SW: LGBT issues have become a key aspect of the national political dialogue. The Democratic Party has at times been too timid about addressing the needs of our community. But, because of strong LGBT leadership and support from our straight allies, the party has become much more aggressive about advancing our rights. The California Democratic Party is now on the cutting edge of LGBT issues, passing marriage legislation, protections for the transgender community, and so forth. The San Francisco Democratic Party is equally aggressive in advancing our community. The national party is more cautious, but it, too, is moving in the right direction. If you compare the number of Democrats in Congress who support marriage equality to the level of support five years ago, the shift is pretty astounding.

RAI: Where do you see LGBT issues going in the next ten years, within the Party, within our local world, and within the national debate?

SW: I think that marriage equality will be a standard Democratic position and that support for transgender people will not be far behind. We'll see more and more LGBT people elected to office from areas that are not heavily LGBT. And, we'll see an end to the right wing using our community as a wedge. For example, the right has pretty much exhausted its strategy of using anti-marriage initiatives to get its base to the polls. It attempted to replicate that strategy by placing anti-adoption measures on the ballot, but the polling was so bad for those initiatives, that the right has all but dropped the plan. Campaigns attacking our community are more and more viewed by people as mean-spirited and distracting.

RAI: Moving on to another topic, what do you want to do with the DCCC? What are your core objectives and interests during this term as Chair during the next two years?

SW: The DCCC's operations need to be more consistent. We can't just ramp up for elections and then disappear. We need to be registering voters and building our precinct captain operation throughout the year. We need to be a constant presence for voters. To that end, we are going to focus significant resources on expanding our voter registration efforts and recruiting more captains to our permanent precinct captain operation. We are particularly excited about the potential for the permanent precinct captain operation. By having a stable presence in individual precincts throughout the City, we will be much more effective at getting and keeping voters registered and then turning them out to vote.

The DCCC also will play a bigger role in advancing issues, particularly at the initiative level, of significance to the Democratic community. And, we will recruit strong Democratic candidates at all levels, particularly down-ticket offices like school board and community college board.

RAI: What about the upcoming elections this fall? Locally, statewide with the fight against Arnold, and nationally with the fight for the Democratic takeover of Congress on the line? What's the role for the DCCC, and for Alice?

SW: Registering voters and turning them out to vote. It's that simple. In a place like San Francisco, people know what's right. They know that we need to elect a progressive Governor. But, they don't always register to vote, and even if they are registered, they sometimes stay at home. We need to achieve a massive turnout in San Francisco to get Phil Angelides and the other great Democrats on our statewide ballot elected.

RAI: After the elections this fall, what happens next? Obviously much of this depends on the results of those elections, but in general, what do you see happening within the Party from the local, state, and national perspectives? And particularly, from your role as Chair for the local Party's DCCC, what do you want to do and focus on after the fall's elections?

SW: No matter what happens this election, we need to focus immediately on continuing to build the party so that we can deliver California for the 2008 presidential nominee. I know it sounds boring, but we have to keep registering voters and keep getting ready, through our precinct captain operation, to turn them out. My role is to keep the party focused and to make sure that we have the resources to do our job.

RAI: Coming from another direction, what does it mean for you to be an LGBT person in the role of Chair of the DCCC? You're not the first, and you directly follow another LGBT Chair-Alice member Leslie Katz-but what does it mean for you personally?

SW: It says a lot about what our community can do when we mobilize and gather political strength. I am humbled to walk in the footsteps of former LGBT chairs like Carole Migden, Matthew Rothschild, and Leslie Katz. We have done so much work building our community's infrastructure - both our community and political institutions. But, we must not rest on our laurels. Given our current success in electing LGBT officials in San Francisco, some take it for granted that we will always have this representation. It's important that we not take anything for granted. Mark Leno will be termed out in 2008, as will Tom Ammiano. Bevan Dufty is being challenged by a straight person and will be termed out in 2010. Carole Migden will be termed out in 2012. We need to cultivate LGBT leadership so that we are prepared to replace these leaders with other LGBT leaders when they are termed out. And, we need to work hard to protect our LGBT leaders, like Bevan Dufty, when they are challenged.

RAI: From another perspective, how's the San Francisco DCCC different from the other DCCC's around the state, and how is it particularly influential? And what are your considerations for the future with that role?

SW: In many other counties, the party has trouble recruiting enough candidates to fill all of the seats on the DCCC. Here, many candidates run for DCCC. When I was first elected in 2004, in the 13th Assembly District, 56 candidates ran for 12 seats. As a result of the intense competition here, the DCCC is much more like a legislative body than in some other counties, in which the DCCC is more like a nonprofit board. I'm not saying that one model is better than the other - they're simply different. Having a competitively elected DCCC can at times make our committee more contentious than it needs to be - reflecting the divided politics of San Francisco - but it also makes for tough Democratic leadership that benefits us all when it comes time to get things done.

RAI: Well, these types of interviews always end up being much longer than the page allows, simply because there's so many questions to ask and so much information to learn. But I feel I must end soon. So with that, is there anything further you'd like to say to our Alice membership?

SW: Alice B. Toklas is my political home and has been since I first got involved in San Francisco politics. I am deeply appreciative that the club elected me co-chair and supported me so strongly in my races for DCCC. Alice is family, and I know that it will always be there for me and for the people I care about. And, we will always be there for the club.

RAI: Scott, again thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Do let me know if there's anything further that I, or we at Alice, can do to assist in your work at the DCCC.

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Alice Membership Form

Alice B Toklas LGBT Democratic Club
1800 Market Street PMB#18
San Francisco, CA 94102
Tel: 415-707-2010
www.alicebtoklas.org
Alice Reports Editor: Reese Aaron Isbell, M.P.P.

General Membership Meeting 2nd Monday of each month

Month of August:
Monday, August 14, 2006
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM

LGBT Community Center
1800 Market Street @ Octavia

You can now join online www.alicebtoklas.org/abt/joinonline.asp, or fill out the application below

Membership Application

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Please send checks payable to “Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club” and mail to:

Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club
1800 Market Street, PMB#18
San Francisco, CA 94102

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