New city for Sonoma Pride
09
Grants for API LGBTQ projects
ARTS
02
17
Monthly British Film Fest
25
Heckelina roasted
The
www.ebar.com
Since 1971, the newspaper of record for the San Francisco Bay Area LGBTQ community
Vol. 48 • No. 7 • February 15-21, 2018
SF health dept. promotes PrEP for AfricanAmericans by Liz Highleyman
T
he San Francisco Department of Public Health has launched a new campaign to increase PrEP use among African-Americans, in an effort to help end disparities in new HIV infections, especially among black gay and bi men. The campaign includes Muni and BART ads, billboards, social media, a phone and text hotline, and will later add direct mail. It also features a new website, www.askaboutPrEP. org, which offers information, support, and stories from people using PrEP. The initiative aims to help African-Americans learn about PrEP and engage in discussions with their health care providers about HIV prevention, as part of a larger conversation about sexual and overall health. “Some people have trouble finding a provider willing to talk openly and honestly about sex, HIV, and PrEP,” said Dr. Hyman Scott, a physician at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital’s Ward 86. “Stigma is still an important barrier to seeking sexual health services for many men. We want people to be able to talk with their providers about all aspects of their health, including their sexual health, and how PrEP can be part of the conversation.”
Local and national disparities
Nationwide, African-Americans accounted for 44 percent of new HIV diagnoses in 2016, though they make up about 12 percent of the U.S. population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. New HIV infections among gay and bisexual men overall finally started to decline between 2010 and 2014, but rates were stable, rather than falling, among African-American gay men, and rose by 30 percent among black gay men in the 25to-34 age group. San Francisco’s latest HIV epidemiology report shows that HIV incidence declined for all racial and ethnic groups – down to an alltime low of 223 new diagnoses in 2016. But African-Americans account for 15 percent of new HIV cases while making up only about 6 percent of the population. “African-American men have the highest HIV diagnosis rate among all groups in San Francisco,” Health Director Barbara Garcia, a lesbian, said in a DPH press statement. “While the rate is declining, we need to do a better job of reaching the African-American community with tailored prevention messages and information. PrEP is a medication that prevents HIV and saves lives.” Clinical trials have shown that when taken consistently, Gilead Sciences’ Truvada (tenofovir DF plus emtricitabine) reduces the risk See page 15 >>
Mayor signs SRO bathrooms law
San Francisco interim Mayor Mark Farrell signs Supervisor Hillary Ronen’s legislation Wednesday mandating gender-neutral bathrooms in single-room occupancy hotels. Kelly Sullivan
by Matthew S. Bajko
S
an Francisco officials have adopted a first-of-its-kind policy requiring singleroom occupancy hotels to designate their single-stall bathrooms and shower facilities as gender neutral. The change to the city’s building codes is meant to aid transgender residents of such
housing as well as seniors and disabled people with caretakers of the opposite sex. It is also seen as a benefit for parents with children of the opposite sex who live in SROs. Interim Mayor Mark Farrell signed the new rule into law Wednesday afternoon on the mayor’s balcony at City Hall surrounded by members of the Board of Supervisors and transgender advocates. The signing
ceremony, landing on February 14, served as a Valentine to the LGBT community from San Francisco’s elected leaders. According to Jordan Davis, a transgender woman who serves on the San Francisco SRO Task Force and advocated for the code change, no other jurisdiction in California or another state has implemented a similar
4 public defenders run for San Francisco judge seats
See page 13 >>
by Seth Hemmelgarn
F
our San Francisco deputy public defenders, including a Latina lesbian, have filed papers to unseat incumbent Superior Court judges in the June 5 election. While the attorneys who spoke to the Bay Area Reporter said they want changes on the bench, they didn’t provide specifics on what they’d do differently. One of their main complaints was that the incumbents were appointed by Republican governors, but they didn’t point to specific judges’ decisions they disagreed with. Deputy Public Defender Nicole Judith Solis, 49, said she’s running to defeat Seat 11 Judge Jeffrey S. Ross because if she’s elected, she’ll be “the first lesbian Latina on the bench in San Francisco.” Referring to the fact that Republican former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Ross, a Democrat, Solis also said that judges should reflect the values of the community, and “a Schwarzenegger appointee doesn’t reflect the values of our community. It’s that simple.” As for Ross being a Democrat, Solis said, “I don’t know what he is. I know he was appointed by Schwarzenegger.” Asked to name one specific change that she would bring, Solis, who’s also a Democrat, said, “There are many changes. When we go to debate, I am happy to debate those with my opponents.”
Nate Allbee
Deputy Public Defenders Kwixuan Hart Maloof, left, Nicole Judith Solis, Phoenix Streets, and Maria Elena Evangelista are each challenging a sitting San Francisco Superior Court judge in June.
She didn’t share any specific decisions of Ross’ that she’s disagreed with, saying, “I don’t want to discuss my opponent.” However, she said, people have expressed concern to her “that the criminal justice system is broken, and I think it’s time for something new. ... I bring a brand new perspective that nobody has ever seen before.” Among other achievements, Solis said that
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she sat on former mayor Gavin Newsom’s criminal justice steering committee when the Community Justice Center was being formulated. Governor Jerry Brown appointed Solis to the state bar’s Criminal Law Advisory Commission, and she’s also served as president of the San Francisco La Raza Lawyers Association. Additionally, Solis sat on the city’s pretrial See page 14 >>