Table of Contents
Dates
With Alice
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Alice Membership Meeting
Monday, July 9, 2007
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
LGBT Community Center
1800 Market Street @ Octavia
Topic: City Hall Dish: Did someone say 'District 4'? Just who is running for Mayor? And other political gossip inside City Hall
Guest Speakers include:
Paul Hogarth, BeyondChron
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July Co-Chairs' Report
Working in politics, I've come to realize that change doesn't come easy. I've had a few times where real tangible change occurred. I'm proud to include the 2007 Alice Breakfast as one of those moments.
Thanks to the invitation of Jeff Anderson and Jeff Soukup, First Lady hopeful Elizabeth Edwards graced our annual event as the speaker of the morning. For those of you who missed it, she touched upon all of the values of the Democratic Party we work so hard to ensure. Mrs. Edwards spoke of her time as a child growing up in the South, in the 1950's where she witnessed discrimination against African Americans, to now, seeing discrimination in all of its forms – of class, race, and gender. Perhaps most importantly, she relayed a personal story related to the death of Wade, the Edwards' son. After his death, she became involved in a computer chat room that focused on helping people cope with the loss of a loved one. There she met a lesbian who had suddenly lost her partner in a car accident. According to Mrs. Edwards, this woman was immediately shut out by the family of her partner, was unable to obtain any death benefits, and was forced out of the house she and her partner had called home. It became clear to me, as I'm sure to others in that room, that Mrs. Edwards has a clear understanding of some of the most basic and fundamental issues that too often present stumbling blocks or outright barricades to members of our community. More importantly, she includes our community in the values the Democratic Party should represent: ending discrimination in all of its forms, assisting the poor, and stopping global warming.
At that time, most of us (or at least I was) unaware that just after the breakfast, Mrs. Edwards would announce that she supports same sex marriage. By the way, every time someone thanked her for coming, she made it clear that she should be thanking us for asking her to come – she had no idea she was the 'first' Presidential candidate or spouse to attend a Gay Pride event, and she felt it was too long in coming.
I think back to the presidential campaign four years ago when John Kerry and Howard Dean were some of the few candidates to support civil unions. This time around, every Democratic presidential candidate supports civil unions, and Mrs. Edwards' coming out in support of same sex marriage widens the door for others to do the same. We are in a lucky spot this round, as for the first time in a long time, people don't feel like they are choosing between the lesser of evils. Most folks I speak with believe they are supporting their candidate because of a particular issue such as the war, the particular identity of a candidate, or their message. Let's be sure to keep the positive energy coming…..and for those who ask, yes, I am still a huge Barack Obama supporter.
We had a phenomenal sold out breakfast this year. Special thanks to Treasurer Michael Costa, the Finance Committee headed by Charles Sheehan and including Jeff Anderson and Jeff Soukup, Julian Chang, Jody Hoeninnger, computer tech guru Kirk Oatman, our Event Committee Chair Owen Stephens, Brett Andrews, Jason Chan as well as press handled by John Newsome & Susan Christian, door folks Shane Caya, Anna Damiani, David Weinreich, Luke Klipp. I'm sure I forgot someone, and I'll thank everyone for your help now….for a day I'll never forget.
Stay tuned for more to come. I'll see you in late July……
Rebecca Prozan and Julius Turman
Alice B. Toklas Co-Chairs
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Reese's World: Perspectives from the Editor
The Wind
by Reese Aaron Isbell, M.P.P.
When I was a young child, I used to sit my head right next to the open car window as we drove along and would feel the wind blow strong and hard across my face and through my hair. It was one of a favorite pastime of mine. It always seemed to have a clean feeling: of strength, of simplicity, of calm. My mind would feel at ease, as the troubles of the day seemed to vanish in a rapid succession of simple blasts of cool air.
When not in a moving vehicle, I would often love just a good old-fashioned windy day. As I became an adult, I enjoyed visiting, and love now living in, the Bay Area. The winds are robust and clean and constant here. To sit outside and feel the brisk ocean wind blow through my hair and swish past my arms is a casual pleasure of mine in the midst of a normal workday. One can imagine how much joy I get simply walking along Van Ness Avenue at any time of day or night-the gusts blasting so hard that they nearly knock one down.
I was reminded of this simple pleasure on a recent spring afternoon while driving around Sonoma County in my CityCarShare, as I left the window down and the clean natural spring air flushed through and blasted my gelled hair out of its perfectly coifed alignment. What was it about the wind that made me feel so calm? Why did it ease my mind so?
Personally, I think that the flow of wind, similar the seduction of a good waterfall, is a natural occurrence that showcases the everyday evolution of life. This life force through its natural elements continues on and on regularly. We can feel it and see it and recognize it, and even if we ignore it, it is there for us. And just as in the Japanese gardening philosophy of Zen landscapes and sand gardens, the simple forms of nature can calm us and bring us to peace while allowing for further contemplation on the larger schemes of life.
And while winds can change and move in differing directions, the point is that they still move. And we are part of the overall culture and vibrancy of life. As a favorite philosophy of mine states, "We cannot direct the wind; but we can adjust our sails," it is the importance of the movement itself, not in the basic desire to travel from Point A to Point B, that is our fundamental choice of life.
In politics, winds often change and carry with them realities that cannot be avoided. But if we appreciate the natural occurrence of the winds, adjust ourselves to the tenor of them, while continuing towards the goals we hold dear, we will have calmed our own souls as well. This is not to say that our choice is to follow the wind or let the wind pull us into directions where we wish not to go. This is to think more naturally and recognize that the wind is a factor in our cause. And we can utilize the natural forces of the wind to our advantage, not only to achieve our goals, but also to arrive with a greater sense of peace.
I still love to feel the simple push of a good strong cool wind on my face. It reminds me of my own presence in nature. When I put my face in the midst of a great gust of wind, it is not with a sense of intrusion or imposition, but instead with a proud recognition of its and my place in the larger scheme of life. We all share this space and time together wherever it may take us next. The wind's rush breathes life into us all.
Reese Aaron Isbell, M.P.P.
Editor
P.S. Sorry I missed so many of you at the Alice Pride Breakfast this year-- my first Breakfast I've missed in the years since I arrived into San Francisco. As I was personally in charge of organizing the Mark Leno contingent this year, which included our Alice and SFYD friends, I needed to start down at the Embarcadero very early to get us all set up. And we had a wonderful time! You can see some terrific pictures of us in the parade here. My thanks goes out to my Alice friends for doing such a terrific job this year with the Breakfast, for all those hundreds of people who joined us in the parade contingent, and to Rebecca and Julius for directing such a terrific club. I'm honored to be a part. Thanks to you all!
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First Lady Hopeful Elizabeth Edwards Attends
Alice Pride Breakfast
Photo by Brian Leubitz
"Elizabeth Edwards is John Edwards' most important proxy, so her attendance at the Alice breakfast serves as a strong signal of the Edwards' commitment to equality for all people. Alice welcomes Mrs. Edwards, and we all look forward to hearing her address."-- Alice Co-Chair Julius Turman.
"Alice is committed to putting a pro-equality Democrat in the White House in 2008, and we are excited that candidates like John Edwards are proving their commitment to our community and our issues"-- Alice Co-Chair Rebecca Prozan.
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A Personal Challenge
by Assemblyman Mark Leno
Dear Alice Friends,
Hunger is the most extreme form of poverty. The hopelessness it brings is truly unimaginable. And yet, for 26 million Americans, and nearly 2 million Californians, the unimaginable would come crashing down on them were it not for our federal food stamp program.
One has to wonder though, with a national average food stamp benefit at $94.05 a month, how is it possible to eat nourishing food and avoid hunger? I decided to find out. In June, I accepted the "Food Stamp Challenge." I lived on the national average food stamp benefit-- $3 a day for a week or $1 per meal. Let me tell you that from my experience, it's not possible.
I shopped carefully for food that I could prepare quickly and easily, using only $21. I opted for soups, cereal and milk. Foods I normally eat such as yogurt, brown rice, whole grain bread, fruits and vegetables were too expensive. I couldn't afford to be label conscious; I needed foods that would fill me up. This became clear midway through the week when I needed more carbohydrates and protein, so I traded some soup for nutrition deprived white bread and peanut butter. It's no wonder that 64 percent of California adults who report going hungry are also overweight or obese, according to one UCLA study.
Throughout the week, hunger gripped me. It greeted me each morning when I woke and was never more than dulled by what I could afford to eat. As I looked forward to completing the challenge, I knew that the week's end meant nothing to the child forced to live constantly in such a state or to the parent who must work long hours on an empty stomach. For these families, the food stamp program must be a godsend. But as I learned, we can be doing much better.
In the midst of this challenge, on Hunger Awareness Day, my Assembly colleagues voted to pass AB 1382, which would cut unneeded bureaucratic red tape for millions of hungry Californians, while recovering billions of federal dollars. It will be heard next in the Senate Appropriations Committee. The fix is simple- to join 48 other states who fight duplicate-aid fraud without finger printing every adult household member to qualify for food stamps.
While some states such as Missouri and Tennessee enroll more than 83% of eligible residents in their food stamp program, California ranks last in the nation with only 46%. We lose more than $2 billion in federal funds per year that could be going to eligible California families and fueling our local economies. Why does California rank last even though the federal requirements to qualify are the same everywhere? The answer is our own poorly conceived policy requiring unnecessary layers of bureaucracy which discourage and prevent our citizens from participating in this valuable program.
Coincidently, just a few weeks ago, New York's governor, by executive order, announced they would remove the finger print requirement, leaving only two other states still using the outdated practice - Texas and California.
In recent years, the Food Stamp Program has improved efficiency. Gone are the actual stamps, replaced by bank debit cards that reduce fraud, which is virtually non-existent today.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that it takes an average of five hours and three trips to a state office to apply for food stamps. For many working poor, it's impossible for every adult household member to take time during work to complete this task.
Removing this outdated requirement would encourage counties to conduct better outreach efforts such as enrollment at schools or health clinics or allowing families to apply online or through the mail.
Hunger has a lasting legacy. Children who go to school undernourished are more likely to fail, putting them at greater risk of dropping out. Students who drop out before high school graduation are seven times more likely to be incarcerated. At the same time, it's estimated that more than half of all Americans will receive food stamps at some point between the ages of 20 and 65. With so many people on the brink of hunger, how can we, as a society, not afford to help our fellow Americans get on their feet with this most basic necessity?
Mark Leno
www.MarkLeno.com
Photos by Michael Polanski
P.S. A special thank you to all my friends at Alice who were able to join me following the breakfast and walk down Market Street as part of my Pride contingent. I was proud to include the Alice and San Francisco Young Democrats banners alongside mine again this year. Additionally, it was an honor to have Guy Clark, of Guy's Flowers in the Castro, whom I was able to name with the Assembly's Small Business of the Year Award, sit by my side in the car. We had a tremendous turnout of over a hundred energetic dancing supporters filling the street and a fun afterparty in my District Office. I have more photos from Pride on my website. Thank you again. Happy Pride!
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Speaker Pelosi Statement on San Francisco’s 37th Annual LBGT Pride Celebration
June 22, 2007: This weekend, San Francisco will recognize the 37th annual LGBT Pride Celebration. Once again, we honor San Francisco’s proud history of standing up for basic rights and commend those individuals who have effectively advocated for the greater LGBT community.
I would like to extend my deepest appreciation and congratulations to the Pride Parade’s 2007 Grand Marshals, including the Lifetime Achievement Grand Marshal, Pat Norman, whose contributions to the LGBT community in the field of health care are immeasurable.
For 37 years, the San Francisco Pride movement has remained a united voice for change, fighting harassment, discrimination, and politics that divide. In assuming my role as Speaker, I am proud to stand for San Francisco values of health care for all children, the protection of the environment, a strengthened middle class for whom college is affordable, and the protection of basic rights guaranteed by our Constitution.
Under Democratic Leadership, the 110th Congress will not condone or consider malicious and mean-spirited measures that target the rights of LGBT individuals or use the LGBT community as a wedge to divide the American people. Instead, we will fight for the dignity of all Americans by supporting legislation to protect, not destroy, basic rights that is consistent with the noble ideals of our nation and the principle of ending discrimination and unifying our country:
The House has already passed Rep. John Conyers’ (D-MI) Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 (H.R.1592), which extends federal hate crimes protection to violent acts based on gender identity, sexual orientation or disability.
Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) has introduced the Employment Nondiscrimination Act (H.R. 2015) that will prohibit workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Rep. Marty Meehan (D-MA) has introduced the Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2007 (H.R.1246) that would replace ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ with a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the Armed Forces.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) has introduced the Uniting American Families Act, which would end discrimination in federal immigration laws by allowing U.S. citizens to sponsor their same-sex partners for citizenship.
I look forward to continuing our work together to combat all forms of discrimination and secure rights and protections for LGBT individuals.
Throughout my years in Congress, I have made fighting HIV/AIDS a priority, and I will continue to fight against the Bush Administration’s cuts to San Francisco’s AIDS funding’ which threaten to diminish the quality of and access to care and services for thousands of San Franciscans.
In fulfilling my commitment to fighting AIDS, I am proud to work closely with Representatives Eliot Engel (D-NY) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) to build bipartisan support for the Early Treatment for HIV Act. This legislation would allow low-income individuals living with HIV to qualify for Medicaid earlier in the course of their disease, thereby providing care to countless Americans in need.
San Francisco’s history of advocacy for equal rights fills me with great purpose in continuing to uphold the rights of all Americans. While we can end discrimination through our laws, we can only address prejudice through our example and pride in our community. This weekend, and every day of the year, we affirm our commitment to social justice and the protection of basic rights, and commit to living with ‘Pride Not Prejudice.’
Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House
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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.
Month of July: Membership Meeting, July 9
You can now join online www.alicebtoklas.org/abt/joinonline.asp,
or fill out the application below
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