Table of Contents
Dates
With Alice
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Alice Membership Meeting
Monday, July 14, 2008
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
LGBT Community Center
1800 Market Street @ Octavia
Special Guest Speaker: Susan Leal
also on the agenda
"Dishfest": Inside scoop on local, state and national politics
featuring Guest Speakers:
Matthew Bajko, Bay Area Reporter
Brian Leubitz, Calitics.com
NLGLA/BALIF Lavender Law Kick Off Party
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
6:00-9:00 pm
Varnish Fine Art Gallery, 77 Natoma Street
Coming back to where it all began 20 years ago in San Francisco, the
National Lesbian and Gay Law Association joins up with its co-founders
of Lavender Law, BALIF, to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Lavender
Law and extend a welcome to LGBT
Summer Associates. All friends of Lavender Law, NLGLA and BALIF are
welcome - judges, attorneys, law students, and summer interns. Admission free, must be over 21.
RSVP to David Sims social@balif.org
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July Co-Chairs' Report
TO THE MONTH THAT WAS AND TO THOSE YET TO COME
June 2008 will long be remembered by Alice as a month of victory, pride and promise. But let’s not lose sight of the important work ahead of us. If June was at all reflective of Alice’s ability to accomplish its goals, then our detractors should be wary.
Alice began June off with an amazing victory, when on June 3, our very own Mark Leno overwhelmingly won the California Senate District 3 Democratic primary. It was a victory of nearly two years in the making, with Alice at the forefront and campaigning for our endorsed candidate. Special thanks to our Field Committee of Lamonte Bishop, Rodney Clara and Larry Handerhan for the fantastic organization that helped to get out the vote and helped to secure the election for soon-to-be Senator Mark Leno. Despite our support of Mark, Alice salutes the incredible work of his opponents, Senator Carole Migden and former Assemblymember Joe Nation.
June 3 also saw the re-election of Alice Board members Scott Wiener, Laura Spanjian, Robert Haaland, and Rafael Mandelman, as well as some Alice members and supporters to the San Francisco DCCC. Although Alice Board member Luke Klipp, was not victorious in his bid for a DCCC seat, but San Francisco took notice of his rising star in the political arena. All of these individuals deserve our respect for their advocacy of our community. As many of you know, Alice will lead the campaign to re-elect Scott Wiener to the Chair of the DCCC. Please look for a special message from us regarding the election and we hope that each of you can join us at the State Building (455 Golden Gate Avenue) at 7:00 p.m. on July 23.
Alice also extends a hearty “thank you” to all of its members and its Board for a successful Pride Breakfast held on June 29. We were honored to hear from such notables as Jerry Brown, Ron Dellums, Gavin Newsom, Tom Ammiano, Kamala Harris, Alice’s own Mark Leno, and a host of others on the vanguard of California’s political scene. We were also honored to hear special letters of welcome from Senator Hillary Clinton and from Democratic Presidential nominee, Senator Barrack Obama. Alice made National news when former Co-Chair Rebecca Prozan delivered Senator Obama’s message that he opposed the discriminatory proposition that would rewrite the State’s Constitution to include a hateful measure to ban same sex marriage. This declaration of acceptance and unity coming from the highest levels of our Party sent a message of unity and respect throughout California and beyond. Special thanks to Charles Sheehan, Jason Chan, Cecilia Chung, Francis Tsang, Michael Costa, and to each of you for a tremendous Pride Breakfast.
Finally, within the month of June, Senator Obama secured the Democratic nomination for President. Within our Party, his candidacy represents another milestone toward the goal of equality. It is with pride that we take note that on August 28, 2008, when Senator Obama formally accepts our Party’s nomination, the Nation will celebrate the 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech. The symbolism of the day and the event is almost overwhelming to think of. Yet while we celebrate, let us remember the lessons taught by another voice. This Nation, this Party and this Club owe a deep debt of gratitude to Senator Hillary Clinton for bringing focus and voice to the issues of women and the economically disadvantaged. Her love of this Country compelled her to fight a vigorous campaign. Both she and Senator Obama represent two sides of a unique American experience. The unification of their abilities brings a promise for needed change that has never been seen before.
Celebrate our victorious June and prepare for the vigorous course we are about to embark on. Let us be the first to say “thank you, Alice,” for your promise, pride and the victory to come.
Julius Turman and Susan Christian
Alice B. Toklas Co-Chairs
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Reese's World: Perspectives from the Editor
"NeoGenesis"
by Reese Aaron Isbell, M.P.P.
Chapter 1
1 And, lo! The Court was sorry for the injustice on the earth, and it grieved them to their heart. 2 So the Court said, "I will blot out the injustice which was created from the face of discrimination, for we are sorry that this was the past." 3 For Love found favor in the eyes of the COURT. 4 These are the generations of Love. Love was righteous, blameless in its generations; Love walked with the Court and with the people. 5 And Love had many sons and daughters; Stuart and John and Del and Phyllis among them. 6 Now the discrimination was unjust in the Court's sight. 7 And the Court said to Love, "We have determined to make an end of all of this injustice. 8 For behold, we will bring a flood of change to the legal waters upon the earth, to destroy all injustice. 9 And we will establish our covenant with you; and you shall come into the future, you, your sons and your daughters. 10 And of all the men and women, you shall bring two of each sort into the chapel; they shall be male and male, female and female; male and female. 11 Of the people according to their kinds, and of the love according to their kinds, of every loving thing of the ground according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you. 12 Love can do this; Love did all that the Court decreed to the land.
Chapter 2
1 Then the COURT said to Love, "Go and prepare, you and all your households, for we have seen that you are righteous before us in these generations. 2 For we will send a flood of change upon the earth thirty days and thirty nights; and every thing will change." 3 And Love did all that the COURT had decreed. 4 And after the waters of the flood came upon the earth. 5 In the six thousandth year of Love's life, in the fifth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of great joy burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. 6 And rains of change fell upon the earth thirty days and thirty nights. 7 The flood continued thirty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bore up the future, and it rose high above the earth. 8 The waters prevailed and increased greatly upon the earth; and the future could be seen high floating on the face of the waters. 9 And the waters prevailed so mightily upon the earth that all the high mountains of injustice under the whole heaven were covered; 10 the waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen inches deep. 11 And all injustice died that moved upon the earth. 12 Only Love was left. 13 And the waters of justice prevailed upon the earth a hundred and seventy days.
Chapter 3
1 But the Court remembered Love and all the men and women that were with them for the future. And the Court made a wind of change blow over the earth, and the waters subsided; 2 the fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, 3 and the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end of a hundred and seventy days the waters had abated; 4 and in the eleventh month, on the fourth day of the month, the future came to rest upon the mountains of the Electorate. 5 And the waters continued to abate until that eleventh month; in the eleventh month, on the fourth day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen. 6 At the end of those hundred and seventy days Love opened the window of the future which had been made, 7 and a Vote was sent forth of all the people; and it went to and fro, to see if the waters had truly changed the injustice and discrimination from the face of the ground; 8 and the Vote came back to Love in the evening, and lo, in her mouth a freshly plucked olive leaf; so Love knew that the waters had subsided from and changed the earth for the better. 9 In the thousandth and first year, in the eleventh month, the fifth day of the month, the waters of change were glorious on the earth; and Love removed the covering of the future, and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was glorious. 10 Then the Love said to all, 11 "Go forth to the future, you and yours, and your sons and your sons' husbands, and your daughters and your daughters' wives with you. 12 Bring forth with you every living thing that is with you that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply upon the earth." 13 So Love went forth, and its sons and daughters and its sons' husbands and its daughters' wives with them. 14 And everyone went forth by families out into the future. 15 Then Love built an chapel and put incense and flowers and rings upon hands. 16 And when the Court saw the pleasing views, the Court said in its heart, "I will never again allow injustice in the land. 17 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, justice shall not cease."
Chapter 4
1 And the future was blessed to Love and its sons and its sons' husbands and its daughters and its daughters' wives, and Love said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth." 2 Then Love said to its sons and daughters with them, 3 "Behold, we establish our covenant with Love and each other and our descendants after us. 4 We establish our covenant with you, that never again shall injustice dominate and destroy the earth." 5 And Love said, "This is the sign of the covenant which we make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 6 We set our rainbows in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between us and the earth. 7 When clouds are brought over the earth and the rainbow is seen in the clouds, 8 we will remember our covenant which is between Love and all of us; and the injustice will never be again. 9 When the rainbow is in the clouds, we will look upon it and remember the everlasting covenant between Love and all of us." 10 And so it was to be for all time in all the future over all the land.
Reese Aaron Isbell, M.P.P.
Editor
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Why We Support Re-Electing Scott Wiener as SF Democratic Party Chair
By Julius Turman, Susan Belinda Christian, Theresa Sparks, Connie O'Connor, Cecilia Chung, Thom Lynch, John Lewis, Stuart Gaffney, Laura Spanjian, Rebecca Prozan, Bob Dockendorff, Neil Sims, John Marez, Linda Scaparotti, Dean Goodwin, Martha Knutzen, Fran Kipnis, Jeff Soukup, Jeff Anderson, Luke Klipp, Michael Costa, Kirk Oatman, Brian M. Wong, Kevin Cheng, Sabrina Riddle, Elizabeth Falkner, Frank Woo, Amy Errett, Myong Leigh, Reese Aaron Isbell, Charles Sheehan and Brian Leubitz.
This is an exciting, and risky, time for the LGBT community. We need to elect Barack Obama in November. We need to beat back the anti-marriage ballot measure and preserve our freedom to marry. We need to make sure that the Democrats have strong majorities in Congress, so that our civil rights are protected. And, now more than ever we need strong, competent, and ethical LGBT Democratic Party leadership. Leadership to protect our civil rights and to make sure that the Democratic Party is strong and responsive to our community's needs.
That is why we support reelecting Scott Wiener as Chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party. Scott - whose reelection is also supported by Assemblyman Mark Leno - has done a tremendous job as Chair and has a long track record of leadership in the LGBT community. We urge the Democratic County Central Committee to reelect Scott when the DCCC convenes in mid-July.
Under Scott's leadership over the past two years, the Democratic Party has been highly successful. The party has registered 15,000 voters. It has been financially strong and thus been able to hire talented field organizers to build the party. And, because of Scott's inclusive leadership style, all segments of the Democratic Party - from left to moderate - have been included, welcomed, and urged to participate. The past two years have seen far less division and rancor on the DCCC than in the past, which allows the party to focus less time and energy on internal turf wars and more time and energy on the nuts and bolts of building the Democratic Party.
Scott Wiener has also had a long and distinguished track record of leadership in the LGBT community. Scott played a significant role in building the LGBT Community Center and co-chaired the Center's board. He co-chaired Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom (BALIF), co-chaired the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club, and has been active in efforts to improve the Castro by making it a safer, more livable, and more inclusive place. Some of us do not agree with Scott's decision to remain on the board of directors of the Human Rights Campaign. However, we all support his leadership in the Democratic Party and in the community.
We must be unified going into the fall elections, and we need a Democratic Party Chair who knows how to bring people together. Scott Wiener fills this role. We also need to promote LGBT leadership in the Democratic Party. We cannot afford to lose a successful LGBT Chair.
We understand that Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who is the President of the Board of Supervisors, may be running against Scott. By supporting Scott, we are not expressing any negativity toward Aaron, or toward Supervisor Chris Daly, who is promoting Aaron's candidacy. We respect Supervisor Peskin's and Supervisor Daly's work on the Board of Supervisors and urge them to focus on that important body, which needs to resolve the City's budget crisis, implement universal health care, and address our crime problems. We were particularly distressed to learn that Supervisor Daly threatened to "take out" any member of the DCCC who voted for Scott. That kind of threat has no place in politics.
Scott Wiener has been an effective and successful LGBT Democratic Party Chair. We encourage the Democratic County Central Committee to reelect Scott so that we can continue this strong LGBT leadership.
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An open letter to the LGBT community & our allies
After much consideration by our board and members, it is with regret that we write this letter announcing our decision to forgo this year's Human Rights Campaign (HRC) dinner in San Francisco, scheduled for July 26, 2008. We also encourage others in the LGBT community and our allies to forgo HRC's gala event this year, due to HRC's ongoing refusal to advocate for federal legislation that protects all Americans from discrimination based on gender identity and expression - as well as sexual orientation.
At the end of the last century, the LGBT community arrived at a consensus: that the full membership of the LGBT community would be honored and embraced, regardless of differences among us, be they based upon race, class, gender, gender identity and expression, or other factors. What was once called a "gay" community in the past, now self-defines, and is known internationally, as the LGBT community. United, the LGBT community works diligently to ensure that all LGBT community members are protected from discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or gender expression.
It is especially important that our leading civil rights institutions, like HRC, uphold our shared commitment to diversity and inclusion, and lead our movement in a responsible and forwardlooking manner.
Unfortunately, last Fall HRC betrayed its own legacy and values, and betrayed the LGBT community, when the organization's leadership reversed its long-standing commitment to inclusive legislation, suddenly advocating passage of a federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) that, for sake of expediency, deliberately excluded gender identity and expression protections. This cynical move left millions of Americans vulnerable to gender discrimination in employment, and implied that, while discrimination based on sexual orientation was unacceptable, bias and intolerance based on gender identity or expression were negotiable. Even worse, HRC's leadership made its decision in secret, breaching its collaboration with every other national LGBT organization, including PFLAG, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the Stonewall Democrats, the National Center for Transgender Equality, the Transgender Law Center, and over 350 other national, state, and local LGBT organizations - including the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club.
Since that time, HRC has made little effort to reverse course on this issue. HRC's Executive Director, Joe Solomonese, now asserts that his prior statements about HRC's unwavering commitment to inclusion were simply "misstatements". In fact, even to this day, HRC remains uncommitted to introduction of an inclusive employment non-discrimination bill - even though Congress must introduce an entirely new bill during its next session in January 2009.
As the nation's oldest LGBT Democratic club, Alice and its members are deeply committed to inclusion within our community, and expect other LGBT organizations to uphold this commitment as well. While we have supported HRC in the past and look forward to doing so in the future, in light of the above we cannot in good conscience support this year's HRC gala fund raiser and, regrettably, feel compelled to ask our fellow San Franciscans, also, to forgo the HRC gala this year - until such time as HRC reaffirms its commitment to inclusion, especially with respect to introduction and passage of an inclusive employment non-discrimination bill.
Particularly at this point in time, it is important that we support LGBT organizations working actively, on all of our behalf, against non-discrimination and for full equality - and especially those organizations working for passage of an inclusive ENDA. Instead of attending this year's HRC event, we kindly ask that you consider investing in an explicitly trans inclusive organization, such as the Transgender Law Center, or any of the 350+ other local, state, and national organizations working toward this end (listed at www.unitedENDA.org).
Many thanks for your time, attention, and continued commitment to diversity and inclusion in our community.
Sincerely,
Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club
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Letter from Senator Barack Obama to Alice
March 24, 2008
Dear Friends,
Thank you for the opportunity to welcome everyone to the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club's Pride Breakfast and to congratulate you on continuing a legacy of success, stretching back thirty-six years. As one of the oldest and most influential LGBT organizations in the country, you have continually rallied to support Democratic candidates and causes, and have fought tirelessly to secure equal rights and opportunities for LGBT Americans in California and throughout the country.
As the Democratic nominee for President, I am proud to join with and support the LGBT community in an effort to set our nation on a course that recognizes LGBT Americans with full equality under the law. That is why I support extending fully equal rights and benefits to same sex couples under both state and federal law. That is why I support repealing the Defense of Marriage Act and the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy, and the passage of laws to protect LGBT Americans from hate crimes and employment discrimination. And that is why I oppose the divisive and discriminatory efforts to amend the California Constitution, and similar efforts to amend the U.S. Constitution or those of other states.
For too long. issues of LGBT rights have been exploited by those seeking to divide us. It's time to move beyond polarization and live up to our founding promise of equality by treating all our citizens with dignity and respect. This is no less than a core issue about who we are as Democrats and as Americans.
Finally, I want to congratulate all of you who have shown your love for each other by getting married these last few weeks. My thanks again to the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club for allowing me to be a part of today's celebration. I look forward to working with you in the coming months and years, and I wish you all continued success.
Sincerely,
Barack Obama
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Letter from Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to Alice
March 24, 2008
Dear Fellow Democrats,
I am delighted to send my greetings to each of you gathered with the Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club of San Francisco. Please know how much I wish I could join you today for your wonderful breakfast.
As I travelled across America during the course of my campaign, I met individuals and families who were accepting and embracing the gay and lesbian men and women in their lives as never before. This country is changing, and it is individuals like you who are making that change possible and helping to ensure that this country fulfills its promises to every American.
I am so grateful for the work that you do every day, as well as for the work you did on my behalf over the course of my campaign. I have been truly touched by the outpouring of friendship and encouragement from the LGBT community, and going forward I will continue to cherish my relationship with you. I see the courage with which you live your lives, the devotion with which you persevere in the name of change, and the necessity that this country recognizes real equality for all, both in our hearts and in our laws.
You have my very best wishes for an enjoyable breakfast. Working together, I know that we still can bring about change and restore the promise of our country.
Sincerely yours,
Hillary Rodham Clinton
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News and Photos from the Alice Pride Breakfast
From the Editor: Alice made international headlines, once again, with our Pride Breakfast and other recent activities. You can see links to all these news articles on our website and photos from our Breakfast at this flickr link thanks to our Board Member Brian Leubitz.
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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 14
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
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Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club
1800 Market Street, PMB#18
San Francisco, CA 94102
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