Within the Information 12.2.21 – San Francisco Bay Instances
By Joanie Juster –
The holidays have arrived, and events and social gatherings are back on a grand scale. From tree lights to the Santa Skivvies Run to concerts, plays, and drag shows, there are plenty of ways to fill your social calendar. When we return to these in-person events, please remember to follow safety protocols so that you and everyone else can stay safe and sound.
Campaign season is coming to the Castro
Just as we are ringing in the Christmas season, it’s election season again – with a special focus on the Castro and the all-important LGBTQ vote.
Governor Gavin Newsom has set February 15 as the special election date to fill the seat in the 17th District Assembly, vacated after David Chiu’s resignation on November 1, to become San Francisco’s first Asian-American city attorney. Chiu was appointed by Mayor London Breed after she appointed former prosecutor Dennis Herrera as the new general manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the two best voters will come to a runoff on April 19th.
In recognition of the political importance of the LGBTQ vote, two of the top candidates for the assembly seat at Castro have opened campaign headquarters. David Campos, on leave as District Attorney Chesa Boudin’s chief of staff, is renting the former Under One Roof space at 541 Castro Street, while District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney, a direct ally, is moving into the vacant retail space on 17th and Market, former home the Pottery Barn. Both rooms had previously housed election campaign headquarters.
Campos held a kick-off party for its headquarters on November 13; Haney’s grand opening is slated for December 10th. Candidates will compete in a debate at Manny’s, Manny Yekutiel’s cafe and function room, on January 16 and 20 in Valencia.
The other two candidates running to succeed Chiu – City College of San Francisco Trustee Thea Selby and former Obama administration clerk Bilal Mahmood – are slated to open their campaign headquarters in early 2022.
Pioneering trans journalists honored
Two pioneering transjournalists, Christina Kahrl and Monica Roberts, are inducted into the LGBTQ Journalists Hall of Fame, as announced by NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists.
Christina Kahrl is the sports editor for the San Francisco Chronicle and the first transgender editor at a major media company in the metropolis. When Kahrl appeared as a transgender in 2002, she was the country’s first openly transsexual sports journalist. She also became one of the first four internet-based writers to be inducted into the Baseball Writers’ Association of America in 2008, as well as its first trans member.
In addition to her achievements as a journalist, Kahrl is a nationally known advocate of transgender civil rights. She has served on bodies such as GLAAD, the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, and Equality Illinois, and worked with the Chicago Police Department and Justice Department on improving police interactions with transgender citizens.
Monica Roberts was a groundbreaking blogger, writer, transgender advocate and activist, sports enthusiast, and founding editor of TransGriot, a blog that tracked the lives and deaths of trans women, especially trans women of color. Roberts described her blog as “a proud, uncompromising black trans woman who tells the truth to power and discusses the world around her.” Her writing has been recognized for treating transgender issues more deeply and authentically than the mainstream media. Roberts died at her Houston home in October 2021. Christina Kahrl praised her friend and journalist and said on Twitter: “Moni has been a tireless campaigner for the claim that Trans-Americans are people who have the same rights as any other American. She was never shy of calling out hypocrisy, be it through words, deeds, or laws. “
Castro Community on Patrol Needs You – Oh, and There’s a Party!
For 15 years, the Castro Community on Patrol (CCOP) has been making sure our community is safe during parades, protests, vigils, marches, parties and more. Now is the time to celebrate – and recruit!
The holidays are an especially busy time for CCOP as many community organizations ask them to help with events. As fun and rewarding as this time of year is, you really could use a few extra hands helping our other community organizations succeed. As CCOP says, “Safety is a collaborative effort.” Register through the CCOP website, complete the initial online training in a three hour session, and you can patrol with them in a bright orange vest for the following week. www.CastroPatrol.org
Now for that party … CCOP is celebrating 15 Years of Improving Castro Security at the Academy (2166 Market Street) on Monday, December 13th from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. You will honor current and former volunteers, hold conversations about the past, and make plans for the future. Please come and bring friends! (And by the way, congratulations to CCOP for receiving the Community Service Award at the Harvey Milk Democratic Club’s latest Gayla. Well done!)
To attend the CCOP 15th Anniversary Party: https://tinyurl.com/ccopparty
Santa Claus Second Saturday!
Those festive people who brought you SOMA Second Saturdays! This summer they are back again and produce a multi-location holiday fair with a kinky twist. After a very successful debut summer season for SOMA Second Saturdays! The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District, Folsom Street and SOMA West Community Benefit District have announced their first-ever Father Christmas Second Saturday! At this one-day Christmas fair, the best local leather and knickers, artisans and companies are showcased to usher in the holiday season. The fair will take place on Saturday, December 11th, at several locations in the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District, with a free hop-on / hop-off shuttle from Fogcutter Tours running continuously between the locations from 12:00 to 18:00 .
The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District Manager, Cal Callahan, said that after such a busy summer season of SOMA Second Saturdays, the community was eager to try an indoor holiday event. “Santa Second Saturday! will provide a welcoming, festive space for the leather and kink communities, provide artists and artisans with a place to sell their wares, and generate revenue for local businesses that have been so hard hit by the pandemic. And when you’re done with your Christmas shopping, stay in SOMA to play! ”Https://tinyurl.com/Santa2ndSat
What – another danger! Items?
We recently reported that Bay Area filmmaker Peter Stein was on Jeopardy! on October 28th. Well the Bay Area is still on Jeopardy! Well represented – this time by Oakland-based computer scientist and stand-up comedian Amy Schneider, an openly transgender contestant who dominated the iconic game at the time of going to press with eight wins and a $ 295,200 profit. For the Thanksgiving episode, she wore a Trans Pride flag pin. Schneider is now the first trans person to qualify for the show’s Tournament of Champions.
Although she’s not the first openly transsexual candidate at Jeopardy! Schneider’s participation in the show – and its success – caught media attention, including interviews in Newsweek and USA Today. Their first three sweepstakes were broadcast during Trans Awareness Week. On Twitter, Schneider commented on the importance of representation: “For your information, I am not the first transsexual to appear on Jeopardy! (a couple of friends asked). There were a handful before, including Kate Freeman who was the first trans champion on 12/16/20. I thank you all for paving the way! “
May Schneider continue to pave the way for future candidates.
16th annual illumination of the World Tree of Hope
After another long year of the COVID pandemic, we all need a helping of hope. For 16 years, the Rainbow World Fund (RWF) has been offering just that with the World Tree of Hope – a symbol of global unity that is created every year to promote peace, love and humanity. This year’s tree lighting ceremony will take place on December 6th from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm at Grace Cathedral. The event is free.
RWF was founded in 2000 and is the world’s first and only purely voluntary, LGBTQ-based humanitarian aid organization. RWF works to help people affected by natural disasters, hunger, poverty, disease, oppression and war by raising awareness and funding from the LGBTQ community in support of relief efforts around the world. Their mission is to promote peace, unity and hope by leading and participating in local and humanitarian relief efforts.
The RWF Tree of Hope is the largest origami decorated Christmas tree in the world. This year’s tree, traditionally 23 feet tall, will be 4.50 m tall due to COVID-19 and subsequent temporal and social distancing restrictions, and decorated with over 10,000 origami cranes and stars, each hand folded and with wishes for them Future of the labeled world. The December 6th Light Ceremony features musical entertainment, speakers, blessings from the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and Landa Lakes, host Donna Sachet, and more. The Tree of Hope will be on display at Grace Cathedral through January 8th. https://tinyurl.com/2p89y3bx
World AIDS Day events continue
In addition to the World AIDS Day commemorations in San Francisco on 1st AIDS. The event will take place at the AIDS Memorial Grove on December 3, from 12pm to 3pm, and will include an art installation on the Latinx boulder, Aztec dancers, and mariachis. Tamales and atoles are served. For more information, contact Rosa Mercado at 415-823-3499. https://tinyurl.com/elgrupowad
Two moving displays of the AIDS Memorial Quilt will continue beyond World AIDS Day. Both St. John the Evangelist Episcopalian Church on 15th Street and Julian and Grace Cathedral on California Street in Taylor have exhibited a number of quilt panels indefinitely. Inquire about visiting hours at each location.
That’s it for now. Enjoy this Christmas season and stay healthy!
Joanie Juster is a longtime volunteer, activist, and ally in the community.
Published on December 2, 2021
