Fundraiser for Sup Daly

Location: El Rio
3158 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA, CA View Map
When: Thursday, October 5, 7:00pm
Support Chris Daly, have fun, and meet cool people

Please join

Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club
Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club
Richard Allman
Bill Barnes
Cecilia Chung
Kelly Dugan
Michael Goldstein
Robert Haaland
Rafael Mandelman
John Newsome
Greg Shaw
Laura Spanjian
Debra Walker
And many other queer progressive activists

To raise funds to support the re-election of:

District 6 Supervisor
Chris Daly

Thursday, October 5
7-9 PM
El Rio

Tickets $35-$50-$100-$250; No one turned away for lack of funds.
Please make checks payable to Daly 06
Supervisor Chris Daly has been a strong ally for the LGBT community. He has led many efforts to protect funding for services, such as affordable housing, for people living with AIDS/HIV. He has been a leader in the fight for full equality for transgender people, including recently supporting, with Supervisor Dufty, an appropriation of $300,000 in this year’s budget to address the economic and employment needs of the transgender community. He has stood with the LGBT community, often on the picket line, to fight discrimination at Badlands in the Castro. And he is supportive of full marriage rights for the LGBT community, marrying many couples at City Hall in 2004.

Please join us in supporting a tireless and passionate advocate
for issues important to our community.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

SFSOS, Schwarzenegger, Grover Norquist, the coming attacks on Labor, and Daly’s revenue measure

Anti-labor rhetoric is so part of our common discourse that most people don’t even notice it or sometimes even repeat it without noticing. I even see people who consider themselves lefties parroting anti-labor rhetoric.

We tend to think we are an island in San Francisco-that what happens here and what happens nation-wide is not connected. That it isn’t part of a long-term right wing agenda. I disagree. The shift to the right has impacted our dialogue, our discourse, our values, and even what we think is possible. This shift paves the way for groups like the SFSOS (which I refer to as Starve our Services) to make arguments in San Francisco one would never have thought possible.

Schwarzenegger and his political advisor Grover Norquist, head of Americans for Tax Reform, have openly bragged about their desire to “starve the beast.” While SFSOS hasn’t used that particular phrase, they are eager to support privatization, eager to cut vital city services in ways that are reminiscent if not mirroring Schwarzenegger or Grover Norquist.

Unfortunately, the beast in San Francisco sometimes looks like a Public Health Nurse, a medical translator, adequate staffing in the Emergency Room so people aren’t turned away.

There is no question that the Right has shown vision and the left is on the defense. The right has dedicated serious resources to moving their agenda.


The Right’s vision

The economic right created a vision 33 years ago and has been relentlessly implementing it ever since. In 1971, Lewis Powell was commissioned to write a confidential memorandum to take back America by the National Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber was terrified by the Anti-War movement, the Civil Rights movement, and as he put it, “the ATTACK ON THE AMERICAN FREE ENTERPRISE SYSTEM.”

Powell’s memo has become a blueprint for the economic right that has created a conservative infrastructure. The memo outlined four areas that needed to be targeted and changed: the academe, the media, the political establishment, and the court system. Business leaders like Joseph Coors and others took his memo seriously and created conservative think tanks and policy institutes like the Heritage Foundation, the Cato Institute, the Manhattan Institute, and Brent Bozell’s Media Research Center. In California, the state Chamber of Commerce helped set up the seed money for the Pacific Legal Foundation. All of these organizations have been moving Powell’s vision for the last 33 years. The conservative infrastructure and power has become incredibly powerful and contrary to what most progressives believe, they do include evangelicals as part of their movement.

The Conservative Message Machine

Rob Stein, Ron’ Brown’s Chief of Staff in the Commerce Department under Clinton, has created a power-point presentation of the money matrix behind the corporate counter-attack which has now become a conservative message machine and is taking it on the road. Stein’s presentation is devastating but it offers some powerful recommendations and even hope. He believes that many organizations have the kind of assets necessary to create an effective progressive movement and is doing his best to create it by taking his presentation to large donors who could fund the type of infrastructure we need.

The Coming PR campaign against Unions

But again, we will be on the defensive. As Sasha Magee reported last week, the right is trying to intentionally create a "phenomenon of anger" the LA Times listened in on a call between Arnold Schwarzenegger and some big Republican contributors. The Republican advisors outlined a strategy "based on a lot of polling" to create a "phenomenon of anger" among voters toward public employee unions. Firefighters, police officers, teachers and other state-paid workers have become the governor's harshest critics this year. And probably nurses. Yep. Starve the beast. Privatize. Cut vital Services. Maybe SFSOS will get in on the fun.

"The process is like peeling an onion," Sipple said, describing a multi-step plan for persuading voters that public-worker unions are "motivated by economic self-interest" instead of "doing the best job for the state."
So don't be surprised if in the next few months you start to hear some orchestrated campaigns about "greedy state workers" and the like.

And Daly

On a final note, much has been said the last couple of days about Supervisor Daly’s health care measure. It raises the sales tax by a quarter percent and dedicates it to Public Health. While some are quick to dismiss its viability, I would remind people that Sup Daly moved a sales tax dedicated to Public Transportation that passed handily at a rate of 74%. I know the left cares about Public Health as much as it did two years ago for Public Transportation so I’m confident that he will be able to get groups like the Bike Coalition to support the sales tax just like they did last time. Love him or hate him, few supervisors could reach out to the left like Daly can.

Will Mayor Newsom support it? Time will tell. Some say he won’t because Daly authored it. I think that analysis sells the Mayor short. I’m confident that he will rise above his personal animosity against Daly and do the right thing. If our entire civic family rises above personal differences, we can get it across the finish line together.

Queer Notes: Come to the Trans March and all our boats will rise!

Queer Notes: Come to the Trans March and all our boats will rise!

Recently, I have been pushing on some of my straight
progressive brothers and sisters about transgender issues. And about queer inclusion issues generally.

I'm always ready to walk a precinct for rent control, for public power, or walk a picket line for my brothers and sisters in the Labor movement.

And all our boats will rise when we do these things.

What I have been trying to make some of my straight progressive brothers and sisters understand is that they need to do more than say just say they support us. When 70% of my trans brothers and sisters are unemployed because of bigotry and stigma, I cannot wait. We cannot wait.

And all our boats will rise when we do these things.

Truth be told, some of my gay and lesbian brothers and sisters are not perfect in this regard either. Not every gay man is as willing as Mark Leno to advocate for us like he has. Plenty of my best friends could do alot more. Some parrot the words, but when push comes to shove, they don't have your back.

And truth be told, I could do a lot more. And I will.

When I first came out as transgender, the first line I heard was, “We will do it next year. Wait until next year.” Typically, it goes like this. Some piece of legislation has to pass this year and it is really, really important to my gay and lesbian brothers and sisters that this legislation pass and transgender inclusion or a piece of transgender legislation is a hindrance to the legislative effort or it just isn't our priority. Because, well you know, um, well you know. So wait until next year.

And all our boats sink when we do these things.

Someone recently told me we are all in the same boat and we have to work together. Well, yes. And no. Some people have better, more powerful boats than others. And if we only ride in your boat, we will always be waiting for next year. We will always be walking on the picket line, but we will never have jobs. We will always be walking precincts for rent control, but we won’t get an apartment because who wants to rent to a trannie? And well, we will have public power but no healthcare.

And really, the irony is that trans inclusion in laws that protect lesbians and gays really strengthen protections for everyone. If you are a butch lesbian or a feminine gay man, until recently, you could be fired for your gender expression. Because of Mark Leno’s bill prohibiting gender identity discrimination in housing and employement, we are all safer from discrimination, straight, gay or trans.

You don’t have to be transgender to care about transgender issues. Many of us are happy to spend time with you explaining and sometimes, in fact most times, folks in the trans community will disagree about what we should be explaining. And isn’t that great that we disagree. But mostly, we will know that you care if you listen.

Come to the Trans March and all our boats will rise!

Stand Proud, Spread Love!


Next week is Pride. Struggling with our pride is an interesting challenge. More later on that. But for now, let me invite everyone to the Second Annual Trans March. I know many of you weren’t there last year, so set a precedent. Come to the march. Last year there were close to 2000 people. Join us. Sam Davis, a trans march organizer, sent out this announcement:


Date & Time: 2005-06-24 3:00 PM
Location: Dolores Park
*** Trans March! ***
Friday June 24th, the Friday before Pride, 7 pm March.
3 pm - 7 pm Speakers and Performers
Dolores Park, Dolores and 19th Street
Calling all transfolks, friends, allies and admirers!

We are calling for this march to demonstrate that we are a significant and growing portion of the lgbtiq community; to increase our visibility and presence in the tgiqlb community and the overall community at large; to encourage more trans and gender-variant people to come out; to build connections among ftm, mtf, bayot, crossdressers, sadhin, hijra, transvestites, bantut, drag queens, drag kings, mahu, transsexuals, bakla, travesti, genderqueers, kathoey, two spirit,intersex and those with other labels for themselves and no labels for themselves, those who see gender as having more than two options, and those who live between the existing options; to support one another as a community, through all of our struggles; to speak out against violence, hate, transphobia, and the oppression of any and all of us under the existing social structure; and to be fabulous and powerful in the company of others that are fabulous and powerful.

Dress up, show up, bring signs, speak out, and be what happens!

*** Performing in Dolores Park 3-7 pm: ***

7PM: TRANS PRIDE TAKES IT TO THE STREETS


Please pass this on to any groups, lists, or individuals who might be interested.
Special Thanks to Trans March Sponsoring Partners:
Assemblyman Mark Leno; Supervisor Bevan Dufty; Jimmer Cassiol, Mayor's LGBT Liason; Good Vibrations; SF LGBT Pride; SF LGBT Community Center; Dyke March; National Gay and Lesbian Task Force; National Center for Transgender Equality; Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence; FTM International; TGSF; San Francisco Transgender Empowerment Advocacy and Mentorship; CUAV; SEIU Local 790 - Health Care Division; Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club; Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club; John Newsome/ And Castro for All; Jay Shaeffer; Robert Haaland; and Tranny Talk

A Few Good Moments in the Life of a Queer Labor Organizer-I’m a Lucky Guy

Queer Notes: A Few Good Moments in the Life of a Queer Labor Organizer-I’m a Lucky Guy

As most know, I work for SEIU Local 790. Our union represents over 30,000 workers and we have members who live in Richmond, Sacramento, Fremont, San Francisco, and Stockton. The bulk of our membership is in San Francisco and I spend most of my time there. But I do get to work with my brothers and sisters in Stockton, especially during the Stockton strike about a year and a half ago. And as an out Trannie, I sometimes get the privilege of explaining what Transgender is to a member from Stockton who has never heard the word before in his life.

I’m a lucky guy to be part of the Labor community.

Or sometimes I get the privilege of being part of an effort to educate my LGBT brothers and sisters about why we need to support the boycott of the hotels by HERE Local 2 in San Francisco. Last night, GLAAD had its annual fundraising dinner at Fort Mason instead of at the boycotted hotel, the St.Francis. Supervisor Dufty who had pushed hard on GLAAD to move their dinner and honor the boycott sold ten tables to help them recoup their losses from moving the event. I'm sure GLAAD appreciated his efforts, but in an open letter about why they moved, GLAAD said, "We have, instead, elected to act on what we do know–that in this as in all situations, GLAAD must be guided by its foundational commitment to the pursuit of fairness and equality for all. Finally, that must be our bottom line."

I’m a lucky guy to be part of the LGBT community.

Both of my communities, the Labor community and the LGBT community will be under attack during the next year. The LGBT community will be facing an initiative on the June 2006 ballot that will ban same sex marriage and the Labor community will be facing an initiative that will silence the voice of Labor by making it nearly impossible for members to contribute political money to oppose Schwarzenegger or any other right winger. Neither initiative is endorsed by Schwarzenegger, but both are being moved by the people who back him.- people that have been empowered by his election.

Yesterday, our union met to start planning the battle to fight Schwarzenegger’s special election. Hundreds and hundreds of members rallied in Berkeley and we spent a good portion of the day educating folks about the initiatives that Arnold is moving. Congresswoman Barbara Lee spoke, former Congressman Ron Dellums was the key note speaker, and Phil Angelides and Steve Westly stumped about their respective campaigns for Governor. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger stopped by. Arnold is expected to announce that he is calling the Special Election on Monday at 5:01PM.

Labor is and will continue to face over the coming years one of the most intense fights ever, particularly in California. Recently I went to a lecture by Bill Fletcher, longtime labor activist and President of TransAfrica. He argued that the Right is simply making a pre-emptive strike, hoping to knock us completely out of the game. The same could be said of what the Right is trying to accomplish in their attack on the LGBT community. Last fall, eight more states passed laws that prohibit same sex marriage and domestic partner benefits.

There are obvious and natural coalitions to be made and I’m going to my best to be part of making them. If you have some time, try to make some coalitions of your own. A lot is at stake over the next year or so, and our respective movements could use your help. I’m happy to report that Molly McKay, from Equality California, spoke at Local 790’s rally yesterday about same sex marriage. SEIU Local 790 supports same sex marriage and wants to do the walk, not just the talk.


Molly McKay talking to Vice President Maria Guillen prior to her speech on Marriage Equality. Pride at Work Co-Chair Sally Buchman watches on.


On Tuesday, Equality California is coming to the United Farm Workers rally to kick-off the Gallo Boycott. Equality California is walking the walk of being a great coalition partner. You could too if you show up on Tuesday at noon on the front steps of City Hall for the UFW press conference.

The SF Labor Council , which represents 80,000 workers in San Francisco, is going to do a forum for rank and file members to educate them on how marriage equality is an economic justice issue. SEIU International passed a resolution supporting same sex marriage, so it isn’t just a San Francisco thing. Great work is being done. Coalitions are being made. And we hope history too.

And if you want, you could be lucky too.