January 11, 2024 edition of the Bay Area Reporter by Bay Area Reporter

Sex shop workers seek union

Leather entrepreneurs get help

'Babes in Ho-lland'

ARTS

David Bowie's queer roots

The

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Vol. 54 • No. 2 • January 11-17, 2024

Gay Alameda County judicial candidate blasted for possible ethics breach by John Ferrannini

A Courtesy Law Offices of Justice Ojo

Lauren Ganderson is suing grantmaking nonprofit Groundswell Fund after she was terminated.

Trans woman sues SF-based nonprofit for retaliation by John Ferrannini

transgender woman fired by a San Francisco-based nonprofit has filed a lawsuit alleging retaliation after she said that she was harassed by a supervisor and terminated after she complained. Lauren Ganderson is being represented by attorney Justice Ojo of the Law Offices of Justice Ojo. She is suing the grantmaking organization Groundswell Fund, where Ganderson worked from 2021 to 2023, according to a civil complaint filed in August in San Francisco County Superior Court. The complaint alleges six causes of action – including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wrongful termination. “Groundswell Fund is an organization that externally purports to advance the causes of marginalized people, including transgender people,” the complaint states. “However, internally Groundswell Fund furthers a hostile culture for marginalized people, including transgender people.” According to its website, Groundswell Fund operates several grant programs, including a Black Trans Fund, which it states is the “first U.S.-based national fund in the country dedicated to uplifting, resourcing, and building the capacity of Black trans social justice leaders.” The nonprofit also has a Birth Justice Fund, a Rapid Response Fund, and others, according to its website. “I’m filing my suit because I was attracted to this organization because of their mission statement,” Ganderson told the Bay Area Reporter on January 8 during a phone call where she was joined by her attorney. “I love the cause; I loved my position. I had worked my way up through the ranks.” Ganderson is alleging that she “has been subjected to a continuous pattern of severe and pervasive harassment based on her gender identity,” the complaint states. When she brought it up with her supervisor, IT director Robin Bundy, she was “consistently ignored,” the complaint alleges. See page 8 >>

gay Alameda County Superior Court commissioner who is running for judge said that he voted for District Attorney Pamela Price in 2022, a move that could violate judicial ethics and raises questions about impartiality. Price herself is under the threat of a recall, which could go before voters sometime this year. Mark Fickes made the pronouncement at a meeting of the Alameda County Democratic Party Central Committee on Wednesday night; a video (https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=lPWl1B5-7lg) posted by reporter Steven Tavares, who publishes the East Bay Insiders newsletter, shows a member of the committee – which decides the Democrats’ endorsements in county races, including for the bench – asking “can the candidates tell us who they voted for for district attorney in 2022?” Answered Fickes: “Well, I guess I’ll say I voted for Pamela Price.” Several people began to applaud and one shouted, “Yes!” Subsequently Price, who in addition to serving as DA is an elected member of the central committee, voted to endorse Fickes.

Courtesy the candidates

Alameda County judicial candidate Mark Fickes, left, told members of the county Democratic Party’s central committee that he voted for District Attorney Pamela Price last year, which could violate judicial ethics.

Fickes went on to receive the Alameda County Democratic Party’s endorsement with 30 votes, according to Tavares’ newsletter. Fickes did not return a message seeking comment.

Fickes’ opponent in the March 5 race, attorney Michael Johnson, told the Bay Area Reporter over the phone January 5 that he did not answer the question himself. See page 8 >>

Website, political initiative offer support for transgender community by Matthew S. Bajko

an Jose native Thomasine “Tamzin” Caroline Selvi has been a tech entrepreneur since graduating from UC Berkeley in 2014 with a degree in electrical engineering and computer science. Years later Selvi came out as a trans woman and began to transition her gender. She also became more vocal about being a trans advocate in the public sphere as she witnessed the transgender community come under attack in state legislatures across the country. “Unlike them, we have something serious to lose. Their livelihood is not at stake,” said Selvi, 34, who is demisexual and moved to the East Bay city of Richmond four years ago. “It is why trans people are going to step up and fight. It is why so many trans people are willing to join this effort and move forward. We are not going to let our rights be stripped away.” Wanting to put her professional skills to use in fighting back and benefitting the trans community, Selvi used her savings to buy the rights to the domain transgender.org last year for $10,000. Years prior she had first become familiar with the site, which had been owned by JoAnn Roberts, a well-known trans activist and website designer who died in 2013. In the late 1990s to mid-2000s, Roberts had

Courtesy Tamzin Selvi

Thomasine “Tamzin” Caroline Selvi bought the domain rights to Transgender.org.

co-owned 3-D Communications Inc. with two other trans women, Jamie Faye Fenton and Angela Gardner, and created several websites for the trans community. By purchasing transgender.org Selvi was ensuring one of the women’s legacy sites wouldn’t be used for nefarious reasons, such as duping trans people into buying fake drugs. “I really didn’t see what else I could spend my money on and was more important than owning that domain. If I buy this, I can guarantee

someone else will not buy it and use it for malicious purposes,” said Selvi during a recent phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter. “We share in the mission and goal to give transgender people better access to resources and a support network.” She took over the site last August and set about making it a trans resource repository, similar to its original purpose when it first went live online. See page 8 >>

<< Community News

2 • Bay Area Repor ter • January 11-17, 2024

Bay Area events honor MLK compiled by Cynthia Laird

he Bay Area will commemorate the birthday of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Monday, January 15, the federal holiday designated for the slain civil rights leader. In San Francisco, there will be a march and ceremony sponsored by the San Francisco Interfaith Council and the Northern California Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Foundation. The march will begin at 11 a.m. at the Caltrain station at Fourth and Townsend streets and proceed to the Yerba Buena Gardens Esplanade for a program. Faith leaders are encouraged to invite their congregations, a newsletter stated. The public is also welcome to attend. Congregations and organizations can bring their banners. This year’s theme is “Social Justice and Beloved Community.” Participants in groups of 10 or more are encouraged to register at http:// tinyurl.com/rndftscj. The East Bay city of El Cerrito will also have events honoring King this weekend. The two-day celebration, the city’s 35th annual, is themed “Living the Dream: It Starts With Me! Spreading Hope, Courage, and Unity.” On Sunday, January 14, at 4 p.m. there will be a screening of “The History of El Cerrito Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration,” a film created by the El Cerrito Historical Society, at the El Cerrito High School Performing Arts Theater, 540 Ashbury Avenue. On Monday, January 15, there will be a parade and rally. People should gather at City Hall, 10890 San Pablo Avenue, at 9 a.m. and the parade steps off at 10, heading to El Cerrito High School. From 11 a.m. to noon there will be a rally at the high school’s performing arts theater. A news release stated the El Cerrito King day parade and celebration is the

Courtesy SF Interfaith Council

A crowd is expected in San Francisco for the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 15.

longest consecutive running celebration in the state. Organizers are expecting 1,000 people to participate, including the Black Cowboys, Girl and Boy Scouts, political leaders, high school marching bands, churches, and community activists. In addition to the city, cosponsors are St. Peter Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, the El Cerrito branch of the NAACP, and the West Contra Costa Unified School District. For more information, go to http://tinyurl. com/3hxueed2.

San Mateo County to honor bi woman

Jenny Walter, a bi woman and founding member of Coast Pride in Half Moon Bay, will be one of six women inducted into San Mateo

County Women’s Hall of Fame. Coast Pride opened its LGBTQ community center in 2021, as the Bay Area Reporter previously reported. It fosters connections for coastal San Mateo County residents from Pacifica to Pescadero. Walter is a former board president of Coast Pride. According to the release from the San Mateo County Commission on the Status of Women, which is holding the event, Walter was the first co-chair of the San Mateo County LGBTQ Commission and during her five-year service, the commission conducted a countywide needs assessment of LGBTQ+ residents and promoted the establishment of the San Mateo County Pride Center. She served as a task force member on the Coastside Recovery Initiative and as counsel to the California Tribal Court-State Court Forum at

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Christine Padilla, who was born and raised in San Mateo County, has spent her career at the intersection of service and government working to improve women and children’s lives. She is currently the director of Build Up San Mateo County, a countywide collective impact initiative that preserves, expands, and improves the supply of child care facilities. Catalina Gonzalez Johnston is a senior at Half Moon Bay High School living in Pescadero. She has been a member of the leadership team since her sophomore year and has served two years on the Cabrillo Unified School District Board. She also has been a volunteer member of the school site board. Maya Thompson is a senior at El Camino High School. She recently received the National African American Recognition Award for her strong academic performance on the PSAT and Advanced Placement exams. Outside of school, she has volunteered as a tutor for Project Speak Together, an online tutoring program that helps Ukrainian students learn conversational English skills. San Mateo County Commission on the Status of Women President Susan Kokores praised the inductees. “We are very excited to honor four extraordinary women and two youth at our Women’s Hall of Fame,” she stated. “This iconic event is celebrating its 40th anniversary, and we are thrilled to recognize the talents, contributions and vision of these women who improve and strengthen the community for all of us.” The upcoming March 8 ceremony will be held at 4 p.m. at Skyline College. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased via Eventbrite at http:// tinyurl.com/yzdbmuyv. t

Puerto Vallarta’s LGBTQ center closes

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the Judicial Council. Before that Walter was directing attorney of Legal Advocates for Children and Youth in San Jose and staff attorney at Legal Services for Children in San Francisco. She presently serves as a tribal appellate judge for the Northern California Tribal Court Coalition and law partner at Hedger & Walter LLP, which is committed to helping tribal courts and nonprofits achieve their vision to serve their communities. Walter graduated with a degree in linguistics from UC Berkeley in 1982 and a J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law. She lives with her wife, two dogs, one chicken, one canary and one minipig in Half Moon Bay. Walter will be inducted on Friday, March 8, which is International Women’s Day. In addition to Walter, five others will be welcomed into the hall. They are: Rosanne Foust, president and CEO of San Mateo County Economic Development Association. The release stated that Foust has built SAMCEDA into an influential and highly regarded inclusive association with membership of Fortune 500 corporations including technology, life sciences, financial services, energy, construction, health care, education and nonprofits. Maria Lorente-Foresti, Ph.D., a bilingual, bicultural woman, immigrated to the United States from Argentina and has called the San Francisco Bay Area home since 1978. In her current role as the director of the county Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Office of Diversity and Equity, Lorente-Foresti spearheads efforts to enhance the county’s public behavioral health system to be more culturally responsive and inclusive for San Mateo County workforce and community members.

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by Ed Walsh

uerto Vallarta’s LGBTQ center, SETAC, which focused on health and wellness and ran the city’s PrEP program, effectively closed late last month amid financial struggles and allegations from employees of mistreatment and management. Meanwhile, gay business owners have already launched an effort to raise money to continue to provide some of the services offered by the center. SETAC stands for Solidaridad Ed Thomas Asociacion Civil. It is named for Ed Thomas, a former Bostonian and one of the center’s founders who retired in Puerto Vallarta. The center was founded in 2009. Paul Crist, owner of Hotel Mercurio, is one of those leading the effort to have the center continue services. “Our first priority will be to continue providing PrEP medication (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and the required laboratory testing to the approximately 700 individuals that were on the now-terminated program at SETAC,” Crist wrote on his Facebook page Saturday, January 6. “A group of business and community leaders, including myself, are working very quickly to put services in place and to set up a new nonprofit association,” Crist added. “There is still much work ahead but we’ve made tremendous progress in just a few days. We have a plan for moving forward, an initial budget, a preliminary draft (still in development) for organization statutes, and mechanisms for patients and the community to contact us.” Emails to SETAC, including to Ex-

Ed Walsh

SETAC Executive Director Paco Arjona, shown here in 2018, did not respond to requests for comment on the status of the Puerto Vallarta LGBTQ health center.

ecutive Director Paco Arjona, were not returned by press time. After the publication of this story online, Arjona responded to a Facebook message. “SETAC is not closed, you will hear soon about all, gracias,” Arjona wrote. Business owner and longtime SETAC supporter Mike Owens volunteered to restructure the organization last year. He told the Bay Area Reporter this week that he left his work with the organization. “Unfortunately, I resigned from my involvement with SETAC two or three months ago,” Owens wrote in response to a Facebook message from the B.A.R. “So, I’ll have to refer you back to Paco (Arjona), the executive director of SETAC. I think what you will find is he will tell you SETAC is not closed. I will just say that there are a lot of things happening behind the scenes, but it’s not my place to discuss publicly.” See page 3 >>

Community News>>

January 11-17, 2024 • Bay Area Repor ter • 3

Staff at Good Vibrations file to unionize by John Ferrannini

he staff of Good Vibrations, a Bay Area chain of sex-positive adult toy retailers, have filed for a union election. Store employees favoring the move said it came about as a result of the COVID pandemic. Good Vibrations has three San Francisco locations, in addition to stores in Oakland, Berkeley, Palo Alto, and Santa Cruz. There are between 35 and 40 employees, according to the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local 5, which made the announcement December 29. If successful, the employees would join that union. “The workers were originally motivated to organize after the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated on-the-job safety issues,” the union stated in a news release. “The fight has since expanded to center better wages, job security, and improved health and safety practices in all areas of the workplace.” Sam Pollack, a trans woman of queer experience who is a member of the organizing committee and an employee at the Palo Alto location, said that the workers had a few gripes but the real catalyst was “a mismanaged COVID situation, which made a number of us pretty angry” last summer.

Rick Gerharter

Staff at Good Vibrations, including its flagship store on Valencia Street in San Francisco, have filed to join the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 5.

“We were frustrated that there was a willful withholding of information from staff,” Pollack said in a phone interview. “The general manager at that location chose not to inform staff they’d been exposed to COVID, so as a result it was not possible to get the outbreak under control and also, broadly speaking, there’s a culture of unwillingness to allow co-workers and employees to call in sick, and pressure to return before they’re feeling well, which also contributed to us not having enough sick time. harmonious workplace. “This unfortunate situation was triggered as a result of what we think is a lack of direction, decision making that was incongruent with the situation, absence of the board of directors, and lack of financial resources. The entire team actively expressed interest and concern in this regard for more than one year, with team members proposing ideas and activities for fundraising, which were sabotaged with actions and threats by the director and legal representative,” the statement read. In his Facebook post, Crist linked to an article in Out and About Puerto Vallarta that noted that a temporary space

Puerto Vallarta

From page 2

An open letter from SETAC employees that was published last week in the LGBTQ magazine Out and About Puerto Vallarta read in part: “Some of the staff were fired, others decided to resign due to lack of payment, and the staff who continue to have worked, have done so without receiving their respective biweekly payments,” the statement read. “Neither those who resigned nor those who were fired have received the corresponding compensation. There are many other problems as well, all of which made for a difficult and

“That was the specific inciting incident, a COVID outbreak that led to a lot of people getting sick in a way that was unnecessary,” Pollack said, adding the workers are seeking “better wages, better job security, better health and safety practices, as well as accountability of management to treat employees with respect.” The workers started to research which union would be a good fit. “UFCW 5 looked interesting to us because they organize a lot of people in alternative retail, cannabis workers, as well as more mainstream – grocery store workers and pharmacists are organized under this union. So they seemed to have a lot of connection with the community, which they super do. So yeah, we reached out to Jim and were able to get the ball rolling that way.” Jim Araby is strategic campaigns director for the UFCW 5, which has 30,000 members across the Bay Area. Araby told the B.A.R. that “typically it takes four to six weeks after you file to schedule an election.” “We’re expecting the election to take place in mid-to-late February,” he said. “We are asking for a mail ballot election rather than an in-person election, since there are eight locations and not very many workers at each location.”

In addition to the COVID incident, Araby said that workers felt unsafe after some “run-ins with customers.” “I think the main issue was there were a lot of folks working alone in the shop, not enough staff, and there’d be incidents: run-ins with customers that people felt were unsafe,” he said. “The other concern was there was a major COVID outbreak over summer 2023 and many workers felt the employers’ response was lacking. Those were the two major issues relative to health and safety – their workers weren’t being heard or respected.” Pollack, who has been working for Good Vibrations for almost three years, said unionization will help the mission of the 47-year-old store, which sells sex toys and erotica and launched a masturbate-a-thon in 1995 that continued for several years. In 2017, the Valencia Street location, which was established in 1977 and is its flagship store, was added to the San Francisco Legacy Business list. Its other locations in San Francisco are downtown on Mission Street and in Lower Nob Hill on Polk Street, which also houses its antique vibrator museum. Pollack said the unionization effort is meant to help workers. “When it comes down to it, the organizing effort is meant to get workers

more involved in the decision-making process within the company, so we can continue to provide better services and education for our community,” Pollack said. “We see ourselves in that lineage of social change and social development that Good Vibrations wants to position itself as a part of.” A different labor group, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, organized Babeland, a similar store in Manhattan, in 2016. It “secured a historic contract that provided health benefits, wage increases, and added safety and security protocols to protect Babeland’s predominately LGBTQ and gender minority workforce,” UFCW stated in the news release. Babeland and Good Vibrations share a parent company, Barnaby Ltd. The Bay Area Reporter reached out to the company through the phone number on the Contact Us webpage of Barnaby Ltd./Good Vibrations. When the B.A.R. did not hear back, the paper reached out to stores individually asking for a manager or press spokesperson. The downtown San Francisco location did not return a call, the Valencia Street location declined to comment, and the Polk Street location took a message but has not called back. t

has been donated inside Thrive IV & MedSpa on Basilio Badillo 277-A, in the Zona Romantica neighborhood so that the medically supervised PrEP treatments can continue. Organizers hoped that that temporary space would be operating by this week. In a news release issued January 6, Jet De La Isla, who runs a gay hostel and boat tour and administers the very popular Puerto Vallarta Gays Facebook page, wrote on Facebook in response to a post reposted by Crist and gay other business leaders: “If you were previously enrolled in the SETAC program you can use the following WhatsApp number 322 128 67 93 and our

contact form http://surl.li/oytjp to follow up with your appointments. New enrollees can also use the contact form to be signed up for new registrations. “Current patients will be asked for a $300 MXN ($18 U.S.) monthly optional donation, as it was with the previous program,” he added. The post included that people can sign up to volunteer, donate, or stay informed at casajojofoundation.org. The Facebook post stated that for U.S. donors Casa JoJo is a tax deduction because the foundation is headquartered in Texas and is a registered nonprofit under section 501(c)3 of the U.S. Tax Code. When donating people should mention

“Vallarta’s Gay+ Health Clinic.” People can donate using the one-time donate button found at the bottom of the website landing page. The post concluded by listing the effort’s organizing committee members: Mikel Joseph Alvarez, treasurer of the new group and owner of Thrive IV & MedSpa; Crist of Hotel Mercurio; Jet De La Isla; Owens, who owns Studs Bear Bar; Casa Cupula owner Don Pickens; interim manager Fer Bolanos Cruz; and medical advisers Dr. Alain Hernandez and Dr. Galileo Vargas. The post noted major support from Tom Viola, executive director of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.t

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<< Open Forum

4 • Bay Area Repor ter • January 11-17, 2024

Volume 54, Number 2 January 11-17, 2024 www.ebar.com

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Judicial candidate Fickes has a serious lapse in judgment

ark Fickes, a gay man who’s a Fickes, as we report, has not respondcommissioner with the Alameda ed to a message seeking comment. County Superior Court and a candidate That Fickes made such an admisfor judge in March, committed a serious sion is all the more puzzling because as lapse in judgment last week when he a court commissioner, he’s subject to the told members of the Alameda County same rules as judges. Further, in 2020 he Democratic Central Committee, in ran unsuccessfully for judge and is, thus, response to a question from a commitfamiliar with the canons of judicial ethtee member, that he voted for District ics. Canon No. 1 of the California Code Attorney Pamela Price in 2022. Price, of Judicial Ethics states that “a judge shall Courtesy the campaign who’s also an elected member of the uphold the integrity and independence Alameda County central committee, then promptly voted Superior Court of the judiciary.” Canon No. 2 states, “A to endorse him. (Fickes secured the lo- candidate Mark judge shall avoid impropriety and the cal Democratic Party’s endorsement Fickes appearance of impropriety in all of the with 30 votes.) The whole episode reeks judge’s activities.” of a potential conflict of interest and Guidelines on campaigning prepared raises questions about Fickes’ and Price’s impartialfor judicial candidates by the California Judges Asity should Fickes be elected. sociation’s Committee on Judicial Ethics state that Judicial candidates are not supposed to reveal “Candidates may not make statements that commit their personal opinions. That may seem counterinthe candidate with respect to cases, controversies, tuitive, but that’s what the California Code of Judior issues that could come before the courts.” Judicial cial Ethics states. Judicial candidates are asked quescandidates are not allowed to endorse in non-judicial tions all the time, but that doesn’t mean they should races, they are not allowed to talk about how they respond to them, according to the canon. And might rule in a case. in fact, most of the time they don’t. We’ve Arguably, Price’s tenure thus far has sent questionnaires to the judicial canbeen controversial. While Fickes’ vote didates in San Francisco and Alameda for Price in 2022 had already hapcounties; several candidates invoked the pened, Price is currently under threat judicial canons as the reason why they of a recall and county residents may couldn’t answer a question. vote on whether to retain her later this Fickes’ opponent in the Alameda year. Questions surrounding the recall County race, attorney Michael Johncould wind up in court, although likeson, was asked the same question at the ly before Fickes would assume judicial January 3 Alameda County Democratic duties if he’s elected. Central Committee meeting. He deBut more importantly, Price’s deputy clined to answer it. He told us it was an easy decision. district attorneys appear in Alameda criminal “The judicial canons prohibit that kind of response,” courts all the time – that’s their job. East Bay pohe said. litical observer Steven Tavares, who publishes his

East Bay Insiders newsletter and first reported on the apparent quid pro quo, noted that any defense attorney would likely move to get a new judge assigned to their case should Fickes win election and be assigned to criminal court. After all, with Fickes acknowledging that he voted for the DA and with the attorneys Price oversees handling prosecutions, a defense lawyer could well worry that the fix is in, so to speak. Impartiality is crucial for judges, and all judges, including those at the trial court level, must adhere to a higher standard. They should disclose any potential or real conflicts of interest and maintain their impartiality. They should exhibit judicial temperament. All of those are missing in Fickes’ blunder. If he wins election, and Price remains the DA, he should not be assigned to the criminal division. That limits the options of the presiding judge, who makes those assignments, which is not helpful to him or her. In other words, Fickes is putting himself ahead of the good of the court. This goes well beyond criminal assignments and the DA, however. More broadly, it speaks to Fickes’ judgment or lack thereof. It points to a sense of desperation on his part that he will do or say anything to win a coveted endorsement. It’s not a good look. For her part, Price should have recused herself from voting at the county Democratic Party meeting. But she’s not running for judge and, in this case, the onus was on Fickes. Fickes’ unforced error will be difficult, if not impossible, to overcome. We don’t see that an apology will do much good, because the fact that he voted for Price is already out there. Receiving the Alameda County Democratic Party’s endorsement by sucking up to the committee, and Price in particular, was a bone-headed decision, made all the more bewildering by Fickes declining to discuss it. t

San Francisco needs more housing

by Audrey Liu

n 2019, right after graduating from the University of Toronto, I came out to my parents as transgender. While I was still allowed home, there were unspoken rules: I could not transition, I could not be referred to by my name, and I could not be who I was. I was a prisoner in my own home, and my only escape was financial independence. So between the transphobia, the pleas, and the shouting, I applied to every tech job I could. At every application my heart jumped – maybe this could be my ticket out of here. And at every rejection my heart fell – I was stuck again. Although I couldn’t afford to be picky, San Francisco was the city I coveted. Eventually a referral from a family friend became my ticket out. I moved to the city, and now I am free. My tech job paid for my freedom, but sadly, we have created a city where that freedom is out of reach to those unable to pay for it. Soleil Ho’s recent San Francisco Chronicle opinion piece on the Castro is largely right in questioning the neighborhood and San Francisco’s status as a safe haven for vulnerable, queer youth. It is painfully obvious that we do not adequately house our most vulnerable and marginalized populations. We put them at risk of homelessness, and punish them for it. But that begs the question why? I will oversimplify, but it seems that there are two dominant narratives. For the “far-left” the answer is capitalism. Landlords forcibly evict families from their homes to then rent out to techies like me that can pay more. Developers either speculate their permits or build condos for millionaires, gentrifying the neighborhood. Private equity gobbles up rental properties or existing homes to only then jack-up the rent. In capitalism’s never ending chase for profit, the poor are kicked to the curb. For YIMBYs (yes in my backyard) the answer is our city’s obstructionist policies and NIMBYism. San Francisco has a notoriously difficult permitting process exacerbated by NIMBYs (not in my backyard), and bans on apartments and triplexes prevents any homes from being added. Consequently, very little, if anything, gets built. As more people move to the city, prices skyrocket, pushing out those who are least able to afford the rent. Simply put, there is too little supply for the demand. As a trans woman I sometimes feel like a child in the middle of a messy divorce. I strongly believe that the lack of housing, and consequently, our city’s approval process are the dominant reasons why prices are so high. San Francisco has the longest housing

Courtesy Audrey Liu

Audrey Liu

approval process over any other county in California. Last August, I sat through a Board of Appeals meeting with fellow YIMBY members listening to the Mid-Sunset Neighborhood Association fight an affordable housing development. The association, with dubious proof, contested experts from California’s very own Department of Toxic Substance Control over its mitigation plan for PCE, a chemical carcinogen. Why is a neighborhood association debating the experts in their field? And why does a desperately needed affordable development have to go through another hearing when its permit has already been approved? I found it maddening. At the same time, I’m also repulsed by landlords or corporations evicting marginalized tenants for the sake of profit, and I feel guilty for being part of the broader economic forces that fuel this system. The Mission is the city’s poster child of tech-induced gentrification, pushing out existing residents for ones who can pay more, and consequently raising rent and home prices. Housing should be guaranteed, no matter how much you make. In my opinion, you can be angry at both capitalism and San Francisco’s obstructionist housing policies. It’s not farfetched to see how a culture of exclusion and classism works together with capitalism to create our homelessness crisis that puts the queer community at risk. A political stunt from gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman is one example. He introduced a failed amendment to the Constraints Reduction Ordinance, making it harder to replace homes built before 1923.

Effectively it would encase historical neighborhoods like the Castro in amber, inhibiting their ability to change and accept more residents. If neighborhoods can’t change, then individuals with means will pay higher and higher to compete for the few available homes. Landlords will be tempted, sometimes by any means necessary, to profit by renting or selling their properties to those who can afford it. In a neighborhood where almost 50% of households make more than $200K per year, we cannot introduce legislation that blocks new homes while also harassing homeless queer people. Tensions can run high when policies like rent control or inclusionary zoning are on the ballot, which are often a litmus test to sort you as a “moderate” or a “progressive.” But this test has nuanced questions to answer beyond our political affiliations. How do you balance the immediate need for below-market-rate units without slowing down development overall? How do you reconcile that rent control may preserve housing for some marginalized individuals, while also incentivizing landlords to evict tenants and sell off their affordable units at market rate? We have valid reasons to disagree or agree with the aforementioned questions. But I believe the research is settled – San Francisco needs more housing. Cities under the same capitalistic system, like Houston, have learned from California’s mistakes and built a robust housing supply to reduce homelessness. And, when paired with strong supply, I think below-market-rate development, community land trusts, and rent control can be powerful tools to build, protect, and preserve affordable housing for low-income people. I have no doubt that I will need to learn and unlearn policies and beliefs as our housing landscape changes. This political battle between YIMBYs and the farleft has maintained our city’s status quo for too long, and there are people who want to keep it that way for the sake of parking, property values, and neighborhood character. I coveted San Francisco because it was a safe haven at a time when my own home was not. In many ways it still is, but only because I can afford to be here. Unless San Francisco is willing to build more homes and accept more people, then capitalism will continue preying on the marginalized, and our historic LGBTQ neighborhoods will no longer be safe havens for those fleeing persecution for their sexuality or gender identity. t Audrey Liu is a District 1 immigrant resident, local transit advocate, a member of SF YIMBY, and a cyclist with a few too many close calls.

Politics >>

January 11-17, 2024 • Bay Area Repor ter • 5

Gay GOPer DeMaio could find cold welcome from LGBTQ caucus by Matthew S. Bajko

The City and County of San Francisco invites you to share input on the topics of affordable and fair housing, community services, and economic and workforce development.

vote the year prior for an increase in the state’s gas and car taxes. More recently DeMaio has focused on pushing statewide ballot measures via his Reform California position. He is well known in the San Diego area Attorney at Law and seen as a formidable contender to succeed termed out Assemblymember Marie Waldron (R-Escondido), as evidenced by the nearly $1 million he has netted ahead of the March primary, • Divorce w/emphasis on in which the top two vote-getters will Real Estate & Business Divisions advance to the November ballot. • Domestic Partnerships, Support & Custody Ward told the B.A.R. DeMaio “is • Probate and Wills a known quantity” and “has a shot” www.SchneiderLawSF.com at winning the Assembly seat, which borders on the east his own 78th Assembly District. *Certified by the California State Bar “He has a following amongst the Republican base in that Assembly 315 Montgomery St., Ste. 1025, San Francisco, CA 94104 District,” noted Ward, adding that DeMaio speaks to some very “hateful feelings in order to achieve cheap political points. If that is a recipe to win that is unfortunate.” Wiener told the B.A.R. the issue of DeMaio’s membership in the LGBTQ Vice President of Advertising caucus would need to be addressed advertising@ebar.com should DeMaio win his race. He expressed concern about seeing DeMaio try to derail the affinity group’s legislative work as a caucus member. “I think we have to definitely take a look at it. I don’t want to go too far out on this, as it should be a caucus discussion and I would want to know what our leadership thinks,” said Wiener. “There The is also a range when it comes to Republicans, and Carl has proven himself to 44 Gough Street #302, San Francisco, CA 94103 be untrustworthy and hostile in many, (415) 829-8937 • www.ebar.com many ways to our community. I think it could be very problematic; he could end up being a saboteur in our caucus.” The issue of his being allowed into the affinity group, added Wiener, “is certainly a conversation we will have to have and be respectful of our leadership.” As for his bill that DeMaio lambasted, Wiener said it makes no sense for the state to be putting foster youth into homes that could be hostile to them. He noted LGBTQ youth can come out at any age and years after being paired with their foster parents, so it is important to have the policy in place when screening potential foster families. “The idea we would put a kid in a foster home that is then going to kick that kid out when the kid comes out makes no sense. Why on earth would we ever do that?” asked Wiener. “Foster parents can have any opinion they When you plan your life celebration and lasting remembrance in want. But when you are taking care of advance, you can design every detail of your own unique memorial a child on behalf of the state of Califorand provide your loved ones with true peace of mind. Planning ahead When your celebration lasting nia, you should be aware of and able to protectsyou your plan loved ones fromlife unnecessary stress and and financial burden, comply with the legal requirementWhen not you remembrance plan your celebration and lasting in allowing themlife to focus what will matter at design that remembrance time—you. in on advance, youmost can every to discriminate against these kids.”

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s soon as gay former Republican San Diego city councilman Carl DeMaio in December jumped into the race for the open Assembly District 75 seat, LGBTQ state legislators were wondering if the firebrand conservative would want to join their affinity group for out members of the Legislature should he be elected. And if he did, they jokingly asked who wanted to volunteer to tell him he wasn’t welcome. They were obvious questions to raise as the 49-year-old DeMaio has vocally disparaged the priorities of the Legislative LGBTQ Caucus on his radio show, social media accounts, and the website of Reform California, the organization he chairs “dedicated to taking back our state from the far-Left politicians and special interests.” Several laws authored or supported by caucus members last year made DeMaio’s list (https://reformcalifornia.org/news/top-5-worstnew-laws-in-california-in-2024) of the top five worst California laws in 2024. Among them was Assembly Bill 1078 authored by gay Assemblymember Corey A. Jackson, Ph.D., (D-Perris), which restricts school boards from censoring instructional materials based on their LGBTQ content or coverage of topics like race. The law, which took effect in the fall as soon as Governor Gavin Newsom signed it, also prohibits public schools in the state from banning books that address those two topic areas. DeMaio lambasted the bill for only serving “as an infringement of local control over curriculum decisions” and for limiting “the ability of parents and communities to have a say in what is taught in schools.” He also criticized Senate Bill 407 by gay state Senator Scott Wiener (DSan Francisco) that requires foster care officials ensure LGBTQ children in the system are placed with foster families that will be supportive of their sexual orientation or gender identity. DeMaio derisively referred to the bill as requiring foster families “to support genderbending surgeries and therapies for minor children” if they don’t want to lose their ability to be foster parents. “At a time when there is a severe shortage of foster homes, this new law is insane and only will hurt foster kids!” argued DeMaio, who had railed against the bill last spring for targeting “foster parents who aren’t woke enough.” It is no wonder there is already speculation about what a victory by DeMaio in his Assembly bid might mean in terms of his membership in the caucus, which currently has a historic 12 members. Three are set to depart come December, lesbian Senators Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), the soon-to-step-down Senate president pro tempore, and Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton) due to term limits and gay Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Cupertino) because he is running for Congress this year. The LGBTQ caucus formed in 2002; members are required to identify with one of the letters of the LGBTQ acronym. To date, straight legislators with LGBTQ children or siblings have been told they are ineligible to join. There has never been a Republican member. Gay former GOP senator Roy Ashburn came out in 2010 due to being arrested for drunk driving after leaving a Sacramento gay club, but he never joined the caucus and left office later that year when his term expired. There are at least 30 LGBTQ candidates running for state legislative seats

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Barry Schneider

family law specialist*

Courtesy the candidate

Assembly candidate Carl DeMaio

in the March primary that the Bay Area Reporter is aware of, with several seeking the same office. Come November it is expected that at least half of them, if not more, will win their races, with DeMaio seen as having the greatest chances of becoming the first out Republican elected to the California Legislature. Those who do win will help decide if DeMaio, should he also be declared the winner of his contest, should be allowed to become a member of the LGBTQ caucus, gay Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego) told the B.A.R. in December when he happened to be in San Francisco for a holiday party and meetings with local leaders and housing advocates. As he is currently vice chair of the affinity group, Ward is set to become chair of the LGBTQ caucus during the 2025-2027 legislative sessions. “We have not had a conversation about the qualifications for membership. I would imagine the caucus members would find it very difficult to accept someone who is not in support of marriage equality, who is married incidentally, or someone who is not consistent with our core priorities,” said Ward, who endorsed Democrat Kevin Juza in the Assembly race with DeMaio. Dylan Martin, a spokesperson for DeMaio’s Assembly campaign, did not respond to the B.A.R.’s questions about DeMaio’s interest in becoming a member of the LGBTQ caucus. DeMaio routinely boasts that he was the first “openly gay man” elected to the San Diego council with his 2008 victory. Yet ever since DeMaio has been harshly criticized for not fighting for LGBTQ rights and cynically using his own sexual orientation in his political campaigns. While running for his council seat DeMaio did nothing to oppose Proposition 8, California’s 2008 ban on samesex marriage. He later accepted campaign donations from backers of the homophobic ballot measure during his failed mayoral run in 2012, reportedly after promising not to push an LGBTQ agenda at City Hall. Two years later he featured his then-boyfriend, Johnathan Hale, in an online ad for his ultimately failed congressional bid, winning praise for being the first known GOP candidate to do so. The men married in 2015 on the occasion of their sixth anniversary of meeting, though DeMaio makes no mention of his husband in his Assembly campaign bio. In 2020, DeMaio failed to survive a heated primary race when he again ran for Congress. Despite his personal electoral setbacks DeMaio has scored some victories at the ballot box, particularly the successful recall he led of former Democratic state senator Josh Newman in 2018. Newman had drawn DeMaio’s ire for casting the deciding

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<< Business News

t SF program assists leather, kink entrepreneurs 6 • Bay Area Repor ter • January 11-17, 2024

by Matthew S. Bajko

icensed marriage and family therapist David Khalili opened his Rouse Relational Wellness in San Francisco’s LGBTQ Castro district three years ago and now employs seven practitioners. The name is a play on the word arousal, as the practice focuses on sex therapy and has a particular focus on individuals and couples who are members of the leather and kink communities. With an eye toward expanding his therapy practice (https://www.rousetherapy.com/) with a second location in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood, Khalili was looking for some assistance with his business plans. It led him to apply for an entrepreneur training program offered by the city’s Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District based in western SOMA. “I trained as a therapist and went to a great school but had very little training about running a business,” said Khalili, who authored the “Mental Health Workbook for Men: Exercises to Improve Your Emotional, Psychological, and Social Well-Being” published by Rockridge Press last year. Khalili, 42, who is queer and lives in Daly City, was accepted and took part in the entrepreneur program’s third cohort last summer. While he plans to maintain the location at 4124 18th Street, Khalili’s goal is to find a second office within the boundaries of the leather district. Uncertain of the timeline to do so, he said the entrepreneur program provided him with a roadmap for how to expand his business. “It helped me look at parts of my business I didn’t know to look at or was avoiding. I feel a lot more equipped in like my passion for the future of my business because of that,” said Khalili. “It also helped to really validate the work that I am doing and the path I am on.” He had previously participated in other programs for business owners, yet Khalili told the Bay Area Reporter that he didn’t find them to be very welcoming because of the focus of his therapy practice. “I found myself surrounded by people who weren’t in sexual wellness or weren’t sex-positive or weren’t in the kink community,” said Khalili, who is a member of the leather and kink scene. “I didn’t feel comfortable sharing things we were working on. I sought out the leather district program because I knew it would be a place I could be understood and fit in with my goal and mission to reduce anxiety and shame around sex and one’s sexual identity.”

Rick Gerharter

Licensed marriage and family therapist David Khalili sits in his office at Rouse Relational Wellness in San Francisco’s LGBTQ Castro neighborhood.

That was the goal when the leather district launched in 2022 its business incubator program for entrepreneurs serving the San Francisco leather and kink communities. It is planning to host a fifth cohort of applicants this July and is looking for funding to add a sixth in 2024. “We are quite happy with the success. We think it is a good thing for our community,” said Bob Goldfarb, a gay man who is the leather district’s executive director. “The breathing heart of the leather district really centers around our businesses and all venues that comprise our spaces to gather and meet.” Ideally, the program graduates will open brick-and-mortar locations within the leather district’s boundaries, said Goldfarb. But planning to open ventures within its boundaries is not a prerequisite for those applying for the training. “We are optimistic the graduates from the program will help keep the leather district and SOMA vital and a great place to visit and to play,” he said. The leather district plans to lease a commercial space within its boundaries later this year to be used as a pop-up location for businesses. It would mirror how it showcases leather-focused merchants at its monthly Second Saturday market events but be accessible on a daily basis. “We would have one location and have several pop-up businesses in a single location,” said Goldfarb, who hopes to have it up and running in six months. Sausalito resident Neri Cafri signed up for the entrepreneur program to get help with his plan to open a consignment store for leather and kink gear “ideally” in SOMA by the summer. Seeing a friend have a ton of gear in his

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closet, some of which no longer fit him, as they dressed for the annual Folsom Street fetish event in 2022 sparked his business concept. Cafri, 49, who is gay, asked that its name not be disclosed since he is in the process of registering it with the state and wants to protect it for the time being. He did say it would pay homage to the defunct Worn Out West consignment store that closed its Castro location in 2018, which he learned about after talking to people about his store plans. “I felt there is an opportunity here,” recalled Cafri, who works for a local bakery. In discussing his business plans with former B.A.R. leather columnist Race Bannon, he learned about the leather district’s business coaching classes and decided to apply last year. He took part in last fall’s cohort. “I started the course with very little expectations and I was pleasantly surprised,” said Cafri. “It was a really, really good experience. Without a doubt I would recommend anyone to take it if thinking about starting a business.” The leather district has been allocating funds from its operating budget for the entrepreneur program, which costs about $25,000 per cohort. It so far has not been able to find outside funding for it. The city’s Transgender District for years has had a program aimed at assisting business owners who are trans, nonbinary, or gender-nonconforming, several of whom have been previously profiled in the B.A.R.’s business column. It partially inspired the leather district launching its own such program, said Goldfarb. “There are a number of programs that help beginning entrepreneurs. But a lot of those are not perhaps as familiar or as open to the types of products or businesses that our community might have,” he noted. “I think a number of people in our program went to a traditional program and either their class or instructors might have been uncomfortable with the types of businesses they are pursuing, which is why I think ours is so essential for the district and for our community.” Business coach Eddie Tang, 51, who is gay, has taught all of the program’s cohorts and created the course materials for them. The first began in July 2022, and each lasts nine weeks. He is also a coach for the San Francisco Tech Council, a nonprofit that assists people over the age of 49 who want to open a business in the city. And for nearly six years Tang has managed the small business program for the San Francisco LGBT Community Center. It is what drew the leather district to reach out to him about helping it create its entrepreneur program. But one of the first questions Tang was asked was about his relationship to the leather and kink community. “I personally am not in the kink and leather community, but nothing really bothers me. It doesn’t make any difference to me,” said Tang, who spoke to the B.A.R. last moth via video chat while

visiting family in China. “I always tell people, definitely, the leather district’s training program is the one I enjoy most coaching. Even though I am not part of the community, I really enjoy working with this community.” The reason being, explained Tang, is that in each cohort the participants have all rallied around each other and their respective business plans. Each time he has been struck, said Tang, “by how much they love each other and support each other.” Cafri also extolled Tang’s teaching and resources he provides via the course. “Eddie is phenomenal,” he said, adding that the entire leather district team was great to connect with via the program. “You get the feeling people really care about the community and want to see how we can move forward and prosper.” Because their businesses are focused on the leather and kink communities, the entrepreneurs have spoken about encountering far more challenges when trying to access governmental programs and financial support for business owners than people in the other classes he teaches, said Tang. “They do definitely have a very specific set of challenges,” said Tang, who recalled the negative encounters one owner of a sex toy business recounted. “He said, ‘No one understands what I am trying to do. I don’t want to talk about it anymore because I don’t feel people have any interest in what I am trying to do.’ That has been a common theme.” Unlike other programs he coaches, Tang specifically doesn’t record his sessions with the leather entrepreneurs. It means they can’t learn from watching the recording of classes they miss, but the policy allows for more candid discussions and protects participants’ privacy, noted Tang. “For instance, people could be sex workers and don’t want to be exposed, so we don’t record anything,” said Tang. Maintaining her privacy due to the nature of her business is important to Flirtasia, 50, the owner of The Kinky Matchmaker & Co. The Albany resident, who is “queerish and kinky,” is well known in the East Bay’s leather and kink community for hosting her 10-year-old monthly Titillating Tea Party, “the fastest growing little kink party that nobody has heard about,” she joked. Aiming to be the “village matchmaker” for those wanting connections in the kink, leather, and polyamorous scenes, Flirtasia launched her business last year after being laid off from her corporate recruiter role. She has been working in that field for decades, and with the current downturn in the tech industry, decided the timing was right to start her own matchmaking service. “I had been sitting on this idea of being a kinky matchmaker,” said Flirtasia, who took part in the entrepreneur program’s most recent cohort in the fall. She views her venture as her own startup and is currently focusing on it full time. Though she is looking for a part-time position in the recruiting field, she would like to be fully devoted to working as a kinky matchmaker by 2026. “I don’t know how wide the market is, but I suspect pretty large,” she said. “About 30% of Americans have tried kink and, for some of them, it stuck.” Offering her services on a sliding scale based on clients’ income levels, the bare minimum cost is $5,000 to engage her skillset. Depending on what a person is seeking in a match, they could be looking at upward of $15,000 in fees. “I am not cheap,” noted Flirtasia, though she added, “I want this to be accessible to everybody.” Still working to launch a website for it and register the name, she said potential clients can reach her by email via thekinkymatchmakerandco@gmail.com. Eventually, she would like to find a space

in the leather district to use as a matchmaking salon, so to speak, where she can pre-interview clients and host social gatherings. “It did take me six months to figure out how to do this. Then all of a sudden I learned about this entrepreneur program and it gave me so many of the tools I needed. I am forever thankful,” said Flirtasia. Tang encourages anyone with the idea for a leather and kink business, or owners of established ventures who want to grow their business, to apply for the entrepreneur program’s next class set to begin in July. The deadline to do so will likely be in late spring. “There is a lot of people in the Bay Area in the leather community who want to start a business and there is a lot of interest in the program,” said Tang. “I think there is a lot of need for support to help them start a business. It would be really nice to run at least two cohorts a year.” Khalili told the B.A.R. being in his cohort made him feel less alone as a solo business owner. “It helps you save time and energy by not reinventing the wheel. And you meet really wonderful people to share your experience with and give them support and receive support from them,” he noted. “Eddie does a great job laying it out in a structured way. I went back to my notes two days ago from the program while filling something out for a grant.” With large corporations going after a slice of the sex industry market, such as Sephora and Target selling sex toys, said Khalili, there is no reason why smaller entrepreneurs can’t have successful businesses focused on the local community. “The fact that those products are on their shelves means smaller businesses can absolutely do that and there is a big need for it,” he said. “Why not do it for smaller businesses that really connect with the community rather than these larger businesses?” Information about the application process for the next cohort will be posted to the leather district’s webpage for the entrepreneur training program here https://sfleatherdistrict.org/business/

Food fundraisers for Ukraine

Couple Suki and Katya Skye, whose families hail from Eastern Europe, are hosting a food fundraiser later this month at their DACHA Kitchen & Bar restaurant where a portion of the proceeds will be donated to nonprofit organizations assisting the people of Ukraine as they fend off the incursion by Russia. Their Borsch & Beats event will highlight chef Katya Pervushina’s family-secret version of the classic beet-based dish, with vegan and meat options available. A similar event they hosted in December benefited the organization International Aid Legion and its efforts in Ukraine. The women opened the eatery near San Francisco’s Polk Gulch neighborhood in late October. It is located at 1085 Sutter Street at Larkin Street. The Borsch & Beats dinners also showcase local DJs and will be taking place the fourth Friday of each month beginning at 5 p.m. The next one will be held January 26. It is one of several events the restaurant plans to host monthly, including Mixology 101 classes every second Saturday and Drag Bingo every third Thursday of the month. For more information on the events, visit the restaurant’s dedicated webpage for them at https://www. dachaprojects.com/events t Got a tip on LGBTQ business news? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 829-8836 or email m.bajko@ ebar.com.

Commentary>>

January 11-17, 2024 • Bay Area Repor ter • 7

We need you by Gwendolyn Ann Smith

recently wrote that last year saw 589 anti-trans bills that were introduced within 49 states. Of those introduced, 85 passed into law. There were another 38 bills introduced at the federal level. This was a huge jump over 2022, which saw 174 bills introduced, and 26 passed into law. As of this writing, we are just over 10 days into the new year and, according to trans journalist Erin Reed, 125 antitrans bills have already been introduced. It is not easy to imagine 2024 eclipsing 2023’s total in very short order. It’s important to know what these bills are about, too. These are going beyond even the care bans and anti-drag bills of 2024, into new and far more dangerous territory. One of the worst of the worst, so far, is Florida’s House Bill 1233. The bill, titled simply “Biological Sex,” amends state code to require that all identification documents only reflect the assigned sex on one’s original birth certificate, and require those requesting an identification card or driver’s license in the state to present a signed affidavit swearing that they have marked it as such. It also requires the state to change “gender” to “sex” throughout state law, and mandates that the state only recognize “male” and “female,” affecting not only transgender people, but also intersex people. It also mandates that insurers in Florida cover so-called conversion therapy, a debunked practice that seeks to force someone not to be LGBTQ, usually through dangerous and coercive means. Finally, it allows the state to collect lists of transgender people with Florida ID cards and licenses. In short, this bill will make it illegal to be transgender in Florida, in any real, legal sense. Meanwhile, the New Hampshire House of Representatives has already passed two bills: one to ban genderaffirming medical care for transgender minors, and one to limit sporting events, bathrooms, and even prisons based on “biological sex.” Of note in that bill: this was not a Republican-only effort, as 12 Democrats – exactly the number needed – joined the GOP effort to pass the bill. Then there is Ohio. House Bill 68 was itself another ban on gender-affirming care for minors, with the incendiary title, “Saving Adolescents From Experimentation,” or SAFE. It also included a ban on trans athletes playing on teams consistent with their gender. The bill went further than the New Hampshire one, not only barring medical treatment, but any sort of puberty blockers or hormones – or even acknowledging a trans person’s identity. In a surprise move, Ohio’s conservative Republican governor, Mike DeW-

Christine Smith

ine, vetoed the bill – but the story doesn’t end there. Instead of accepting the bill as written, DeWine opted to bar genderaffirming care by executive order. DeWine’s order sets up major roadblocks to gender-affirming care for adults as well, with a mandated path to care that is unduly burdensome, if not downright impossible to fulfill. It prohibits hospitals and ambulatory surgical facilities from performing genderaffirming surgery on minors, though, as the Ohio Capital Journal reports, no such surgeries are currently performed by children’s hospitals in the state. DeWine further announced he is also taking steps with the Ohio Department of Health to begin collecting non-identifying data of gender dysphoria cases, the Journal reported. He said collecting aggregate data happens frequently in Ohio – citing flu cases, food poisoning, and abortion data, the publication reported. This step is like those taken in Florida and other states, and I don’t feel I need to explain how making lists of transgender people could lead to more dreadful things down the line. I would have hoped, after all the attacks on transgender people in 2023, and how little those moved the needle for Republicans in last year’s elections, that they may have learned that this is not the winning issue they hoped for. Yet, given they have started 2024 with even worse bills, that lesson seems to have been missed. Indeed, I feel that – much like antitrans animus ramped up in the wake of Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, and the GOP’s need for a new villain – the massive unpopularity of Republican attacks on abortion in the post-Roe era have only emboldened them to push more draconian anti-trans bills. Really, what’s to stop them? You will find very few on the left standing up against these bills in any

massive way. Heck, as in New Hampshire, some Democrats are more than willing to stand against transgender people, too. There isn’t much coordinated pushback from our community organizations, either – beyond the usual money begs, of course. Indeed, it really feels that transgender people are on our own out here – and it doesn’t feel like anyone is riding to our aid. In short, we are in dire, life-threatening times, and we need your help. It is clear that most lawmakers are not going to listen to trans voices on this issue. We are regularly shut out of feedback on these bills, with even trans lawmakers forced out of hearings on trans matters, as we saw in Montana last year – or barred from running to join political office in the first place, such as we have recently seen in, yes, Ohio, when a trans candidate was removed from the ballot because she didn’t follow a seldom-enforced law that would require her to list her deadname. So, we need to call on any allies we may have to speak up on our behalf. Contact your local, state, and federal representatives on our behalf to speak out against these bills. Recruit your family and friends to the cause, and help them to understand just how pressing this is. Know, too, that trans rights are the tip of their spear. They’re not going to stop with our eradication, but will only use us as a stepping stone on their path forward to barring the rights of our whole LGBTQ community, as well as the right to body autonomy, to contraceptives, to divorce, and beyond. It all starts here and now, as they work to eradicate what they view as their easiest possible victory. Help us and don’t let them win. t Gwen Smith calls for aid from Rohan. You’ll find her at www. gwensmith.com.

David Walter Martin David Walter Martin’s remarkable, shining life ended in late November 2023 in Santa Rosa, California. Born in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania on October 18, 1961, David was a bright light and force of nature. One soon learned that this very cute, handsome man held strong opinions, which he expressed with laser clarity and charm. He attracted many friends, who liked and loved him. David graduated from Kutztown University in 1985 with a B.S. in psychology and then moved west. He began his professional career at the University of San Diego, working as a development research assistant, identifying and documenting information on future funding sources for the university. David enjoyed the mid-1980s San Diego scene but his inner being needed more energy and excitement so he moved to San Francisco in 1986, securing work in the same capacity for the University of San Francisco. He worked with the university’s presidents and administration to construct USF’s Koret Health and Recreation Center and other projects. David was in his element in his Castro apartment. For David, the Bay Area was beyond vibrant, and around every new corner was a new, exciting, often exhilarating experience. David thrived and moved to a stunning apartment near Buena Vista Park, where he had amazing times holding weekly “salons” with many enlightened, outrageously-fun, socially conscious friends. The good times took a major pause in the early 1990s as Da vid contracted HIV and experienced full-blown AIDS. David became a fierce AIDS activist and part of ACT UP/ San Francisco as well as other AIDS and gay rights organizations. Combating AIDS became his passion. David testified before National Institutes of Health officials in Washington, D.C. to demand increased AIDS treatments. Many dear friends died and David’s health declined to the point where he could no longer work. He was grateful to the end for USF’s generosity and appreciation. CMV retinitis resulted in the loss of sight in his left eye. David was close to death numerous times. Gradually due to advances in treatment, combined with the love and dedication of numerous friends, volunteers, and medical professionals, David survived. His appreciation for friends and physicians during this period of his life never ended. His friends Walter, Jim, and Neil, three among many, were anchor friendships throughout his life, and he maintained a daily appreciation for the help of physicians Dr. Jay Lalezari and Dr. Lisa Capaldini. He was an early recipient of antiviral therapy, which saved his life. David’s survival further fueled his passion for activism and he continued to fight for AIDS causes, gay rights, the legalization of medical marijuana, marriage equality, and numerous other politically progressive causes. He was proud to attend Barack Obama’s inauguration. David also participated in HIV-related medical studies to contribute to fighting the disease.

US Senate candidate Lee comes to SF

ongressmember Barbara Lee (D-Oakland), who’s running for the U.S. Senate seat on the March primary ballot, visited San Francisco January 5. Lee purchased a coat from a vendor in La Placita, a pop-up market at 24th and Capp streets, as she was welcomed into the Mission district from representatives of the Calle 24 Latino Cultural Dis-

Rick Gerharter

trict and the San Francisco Latinx Democratic Club. Lee will join Democratic Senate candidates Congressmembers Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) and Katie Porter (D-Irvine), and Republican candidate Steve Garvey, in a televised debate from Los Angeles Monday, January 22, which will be broadcast locally on KTVU-TV.

Seasons changed and David spent his remaining years in the Russian River town of Guerneville, Sebastopol, and finally Santa Rosa. In his later years, David became an expert at losing his cellphone, not paying his cellphone bill, and otherwise starting over with a new number, which caused many to lose touch with him. (He might send apologies from the grave, but while he regretted losing touch he never really apologized much!) Neighbors in Santa Rosa would be amazed to regularly spot David walking miles from his home for hours at a time. David continued to make new friends, rekindled old friendships, and never stopped smiling, laughing, skipping, and appreciating the world around him. What a long, beautiful, exciting trip it was. David made a difference and he is survived by kind, compassionate, activists everywhere. Peace.

<< From the Cover

8 • Bay Area Repor ter • January 11-17, 2024

Judicial candidate

From page 1

“The judicial canons prohibit that kind of response,” he said, adding that a formal response to Fickes will be forthcoming. Canon No. 1 of the California Code of Judicial Ethics states that “a judge shall uphold the integrity and independence of the judiciary.” Canon No. 2 states, “A judge shall avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in all of the judge’s activities.” As Tavares reported, “The [Price] vote to endorse Fickes and his proclamation on Wednesday that he voted for her in the 2022 DA’s race raises questions about each other’s impartiality. Any defense attorney in a courtroom with Fickes as judge and Alameda County prosecutors will certainly question whether their client will receive a fair trial.” Further, guidelines on campaigning prepared for judicial candidates by the California Judges Association’s Committee on Judicial Ethics state that “Candidates may not make statements that commit the candidate with respect to cases, controversies, or issues that could come before the courts.” Price’s assistant district attorneys appear in county criminal courts, and she is also currently the subject of a recall effort, which was initiated last October but needs over 93,000 signatures, or 10%

Trans woman

From page 1

The conflict first stemmed from a dispute over pay, the complaint states. “Ganderson’s cisgendered predecessor was paid more than Ms. Ganderson without a struggle,” it states. “Ms. Ganderson complained about the pay disparity she received compared to her cisgender counterparts. After fighting, Ms. Ganderson was then compensated at the rate as her cisgendered predecessor.” Although Ganderson “performed extremely well in her role” – well enough to be promoted to senior IT manager – things soured when Bundy, a cisgender woman, was appointed to IT director,

cannot receive tickets for free and “avoid any activity at the event that might appear to be a public endorsement.” Price and the California Commission on Judicial Performance did not return requests for comment for this report. Fickes, formerly of Cannata, O’Toole, Fickes & Olson LLP (now without his name in the firm’s name), had unsuccessfully run for Alameda County judge in 2020. Price, a progressive attorney who won the DA’s race with 53% of the vote in 2022, has had a controversial tenure since she started in January 2023. Last fall the group Save Alameda for Everyone, or SAFE, launched a recall effort. KTVU-TV reported that critics accuse Price of being soft on crime. She has defended her office’s approach, stating that the office is reducing the use of sentencing enhancements because they contribute to racial disparities. More recently, in late November, Price and members of her media team denied a reporter entrance to a news conference she was having. Emilie Raguso, who publishes the Berkeley Scanner website, reported that she was barred from attending the news conference, first by two staff members and then by Price when she exited an elevator. First Amendment advocates quickly criticized Price, who restored Raguso’s press access, attributing the matter to an “oversight.” t

asked me, point blank, how did I get to where I was at Groundswell,” Ganderson said. “She began to nitpick at my job description. There were a lot of ways she’d belittle me and be condescending and that’s where the harassment took place.” When asked for another example, Ojo said, “We don’t want to give too much at this point.” Mediation between the two initiated by the company was unsuccessful after Bundy “belittled Ms. Ganderson ... during a conversation,” according to the lawsuit. In a second complaint to the company, Ganderson said that Bundy “belittled [Ganderson’s] previous work experience and qualifications” in a video, which Bundy subsequently de-

leted, the complaint states. The video was of a Zoom meeting, Ganderson told the B.A.R. Ganderson took a leave of absence; a report from the company showed Bundy’s “supervisorial style needed reflection,” the complaint states. Upon her return from the leave of absence in January 2023, Ganderson was terminated. Groundswell Fund did not return a request for comment. According to its IRS Form 990 for 2022, Groundswell Fund had a budget of about $53 million. In 2022, the most recent year available, its Black Trans Fund distributed $875,000 in grants to 43 organizations in eight states and six national grantees, according to the program’s annual report.

The suit is seeking lost earnings, benefits, and other prospective damages, as well as lost future earnings and benefits, since the complaint states Ganderson was planning on staying with Groundswell for the foreseeable future. “The foregoing conduct of defendant’s individually, or by and through their managing agents, was intended by the defendants to cause injury to the plaintiff or was despicable conduct carried on by the defendants with a willful and conscious disregard of the rights of plaintiff or subjected plaintiff to cruel and unjust hardship in conscious disregard of plaintiff’s rights such as to constitute malice, oppression, or fraud,” the complaint states. t

than when I started a generation ago.” One such advancement is using artificial intelligence to help curate the site, so it is not dependent on solely human curation, like her own site, said James. “There is still room for human curation like mine. But what we hope to do with transgender.org is take all these sites like my personal site and bring them all together to one global resource that has everything and is easy to keep up to date because it is automated,” said James. “Transgender.org is designed to be as flexible as possible so it can guide you towards the most salient resources.”

“As queer trans people, a lot of our self-determination and self-discovery takes place on the internet. It is where we can connect with people who are like-minded and do research,” said Loveland. He had reached out to Selvi to offer his support after seeing her post the open call for help on Reddit. He had been working on his own similar project, and they agreed to combine their efforts, which Loveland had begun to work on for a web design platform that ended up not hiring for the position he had sought amid a downturn in the tech industry. “I know how to market a product but not how to make it. I kept my eyes open for any kinds of development or people to reach out to,” recalled Loveland, who was laid off in 2022 from a tech job. “One day I ended up opening my Reddit email address, which I don’t normally do, and saw Tamzin’s post looking for people to help them with transgender.org.” When he was coming out as trans, Loveland found it difficult to find information he could trust and that was accurate. He turned to Reddit and the Los Angeles LGBT Center, where he was able to access gender-affirming care. “Providing a centralized area for people to go, whether it be allies or trans people, where they can have these resources and have reputable information, but also ways to connect to other people in the community, is so vital,” he said. Relaunching transgender.org last summer became even more important, noted Loveland, when there was a blackout on Reddit due to the company’s decision to charge third-party developers who wanted access to its data. Operators of its forums, known as subreddits, made them private in protest.

Need for a clearinghouse

As a commissioner who was hired by the court, Fickes is subject to the rules of the California Commission on Judicial Performance, which shares authority with a county court’s presiding judge in discipline matters of commissioners, according to its website. The commission can review the local court’s final action, the website states. In this case, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Thomas Nixon is the presiding judge. Nixon declined to comment to the B.A.R. for this report.

the lawsuit states. “Starting in May 2022, Ms. Ganderson was again subjected to a continuous pattern of harassment based on gender identity and expression,” the complaint states. “From the outset, Ms. Bundy debased Plaintiff and created a hostile work environment. This pattern of abuse continued and Plaintiff informed management of the abuse.” Ganderson gave some examples of the alleged harassment. “It was mostly verbal because we work remotely; we weren’t in an office together but via Zoom or just wherever she and I were in a meeting space,” she said. “For example, we had a meeting and she and I were meeting and she had

Website

“It was not as cutting edge as what we have now. But when it came out it was cutting edge to bring trans news to the digital realm,” said Selvi. “This was back when there was not a lot of information about trans people or how to exist as one. It was a pretty important resource from that perspective.” Selvi put out a call via Reddit and other online platforms seeking help with maintaining and overseeing the relaunched website. A core group of people came together to quickly develop a preliminary redo for the website to get new and accurate information out there for people landing on it. Among them was Los Angeles resident Andrea James, 56, who recalled in a phone interview with the B.A.R. how little information she could find about her gender identity at her local library in Franklin, Indiana when she realized she was trans at age 10. Back then the more common term used was transsexual, which she could find nothing about among the library’s stacks. “One of the things I really wanted to do when I came out as trans at age 27 was to help people find the information I wanted to find when I was 10,” said James, who is also pansexual. In the 1990s she bought the web domain tsroadmap.com, with the “ts” short for transsexual, to do just that while living in Chicago at the time. It served as “an information silo,” she recalled, for the community. “It was very web 1.0. This was in 1996. Google was not around. There was no good search engine, so it was very difficult to find good information,” said James, who moved to Southern California in 2003 and has worked in the entertainment sector, currently handling publishing and editing duties with the gay-owned

LaDoris Hazzard Cordell, a lesbian who is a retired judge of the Santa Clara County Superior Court, asked, “Why am I not shocked?” “Everybody who wears that robe is required to know those canons and to know the rules – there’s no excuses,” Cordell said in a phone call with the B.A.R. January 5. “This Mark person blatantly violated the rules.” (Cordell said she had not heard of Fickes until January 5.) Cordell, who also served a term on the Palo Alto City Council, said that she taught judicial ethics. “It was a mandatory course for all judges when they start their work,” she said. “My belief is that ethics and judicial conduct and ethics is taught and it’s mandatory for everyone who’s a commissioner or a judge so you learn the rules and don’t do stupid things, like violate them and do it so blatantly.”

Cordell continued that part of the required reading for California judges states that the canons apply to both judges and commissioners, “anyone authorized to operate in a judicial capacity.” That reading includes the California Code of Judicial Ethics Canon 5A(2), which states “judges shall not publicly endorse or publicly oppose a candidate for a nonjudicial office. ... endorsement of a partisan or nonpartisan office is prohibited.” Judges can be disciplined by the Commission on Judicial Performance for public endorsement of non-judicial candidates, it continues. When someone is not on the bench at all, they are not necessarily bound by the canons, Cordell said, which would apply to Johnson as he is not a court officer at present. Political activity that creates the appearance of bias or impropriety is also prohibited, Cordell said. One of the examples given in the California Judicial Conduct Handbook specifically discusses “attending fundraising dinner for district attorney candidate.” “A candidate for district attorney is no ordinary nonjudicial candidate,” it states. “Regardless of the facade that mere attendance is not an endorsement, the fact remains that it looks like the judge is supporting this candidate and, in the event this candidate is elected, this ‘support’ could create the appearance of bias.” Judges can attend such dinners, but

the number of registered voters in the county, by March. When a B.A.R. reporter reached out to the judge’s association’s ethics hotline, and identified himself as being press, the call was re-routed to Nicole Bautista, the executive director and CEO of the California Judges Association, who declined to comment for this report. “No I don’t think we’re going to make any comments on that – we try to stay out of elections like this,” Bautista said. “We won’t comment on anything related to ethics where we encourage our members or anyone running for judicial seat to seek ethical advice, but we won’t comment on that.” Johnson subsequently sent an email to the B.A.R. stating, “I commit to the voters that as a Superior Court judge I will always be impartial and act with neutrality on the bench, free of any political alliances or otherwise influencing my decisions, so that everyone who comes before me will have their matter heard only on the merits and not based or influenced by politics or even have the appearance of being influenced by any conflict of interest.” He reiterated a formal response to Fickes would be forthcoming, but appeared to backtrack several days later with an emailed statement that “I am still processing the events from last week and I do not have anything to add to my email comment to you from last week.”

From page 1

Andrea James

Andrea James is helping with the relaunch of Transgender.org.

World of Wonder, which produces the award-winning global “RuPaul’s Drag Race” franchise. “It became a pretty important source of information for a lot of people.” The site is still online and now goes by the name Transgender Map. Updating it is a monumental task, though, noted James, so she was excited to learn about Selvi’s ideas for a nationally focused website when she reached out about her buying the transgender.org domain. “Tamzin has a lot of great ideas about how to aggregate resources using newer technologies than I had available with my work,” said James, who signed on as an adviser and joined the board of the website’s nonprofit arm, the Transgender Foundation. “I love that I have been able to help bridge that gap to this new generation and advise on some things I have learned over the years to help make sure the resources we are building at transgender.org are the latest and greatest, and informed by best practices and newer technologies

Retired judge is critical

Debut amid onslaught of disinformation

The website debuted amid an onslaught of not only disinformation campaigns about trans people, but also a coordinated political attack against their rights that is ongoing. As B.A.R. Transmissions columnist Gwen Smith notes in her January 11 column, 125 anti-trans bills have already been introduced in statehouses around the country. It is likely the number of transphobic legislation in 2024 will surpass the 589 taken up by lawmakers in 2023, Smith predicts. “I think that the more visible the community becomes, the more we become targets of hateful legislation and things that seek to erase us,” said Los Angeles County resident Nick Loveland, 26, who is transmasculine and bisexual, in a phone interview. “That has really highlighted this huge need we have in this community for reliable safe spaces. But in particular reliable safe spaces on the internet.” Loveland now serves as the website’s marketing lead and secretariat of its nonprofit board. The Southern California native came out as trans in college at age 20.

It resulted in many users being unable to access them and highlighted the need for a web clearinghouse about trans info that wouldn’t be blocked, Loveland told the B.A.R. Transgender.org not only provides people with important resources easy to find in one place online, he said, it can also foster a sense of community. “It has become a place already, even though it has not been up for very long, where people can find this information and disseminate it to other people, and it becomes a force for change,” said Loveland. “Each person who finds it and shares it combats the hate and anti-trans movement with truth, empathy and connection.” Wanting to ensure it remains an asset for the trans community, Selvi created the nonprofit Transgender Foundation and recruited board members like James to help guide the operations of it and transgender.org. “No one should own this. This should be owned by the community,” said Selvi. It also allows her and the board to fundraise in order to cover the website’s operating expenses, which Selvi has been paying for with her own money. If successful, Selvi told the B.A.R. she would like to hire someone to manage the day-to-day operations, as she plans to remain in a volunteer capacity with the website and nonprofit foundation. “We have a lot of dreams to do much more than provide resources. We want to create a social site for trans people that we can aggregate around and not have to rely on Reddit,” said Selvi. “There isn’t really a de facto social hub that exists for trans people. It is pretty spread out, so being able to centralize things and make it accessible to people is our main goal.” See page 9 >>

t <<

Community News >>

January 11-17, 2024 • Bay Area Repor ter • 9

it to highlight its efforts to pass bills supportive of the transgender community. “If we can establish a national presence here to fight anti-trans legislation and all these bills as much as we can, it will not only help the transgender community. But it will send out waves to the rest of the world to challenge these types of bills in other countries,” said Loveland. “It will create acceptance, if you will, and protect the rights of trans people worldwide.” The website is still a work in progress and will be added to and updated this year. It has a 501(c)4 organization attached to it, allowing it to raise money and take political stands in the various legislative fights. “We can endorse candidates,” noted Selvi of the various actions it can take. “One is registering as lobbyists in a lot of different states to talk to legislators and to be able to communicate about a lot of the policies going forward.” With 2024 being a presidential election year, Selvi said the political arm of the website wants to make

trans issues a key focus of the campaign. “We think it is extremely important that federal trans protections are on the table for the 2024 election. We would like to see the Democratic Party come forward at the front of the 2024 elections with some type of plan to protect the community with legislation federally,” she told the B.A.R. It is also supportive of pushing for a constitutional amendment at the federal level to enshrine trans rights. While acknowledging it is unlikely to receive the necessary support at the state level to come to pass any time soon, Selvi argued it would be a conversation starter at the very least. “It may never work out but will create awareness,” she said. “There is a lot to discuss right now. It has never really been done, and we don’t know how it will play out.” One political development it will be watching this year is if a group representing conservative parents can qualify a statewide ballot measure on California’s November ballot that calls for educators to out trans

students against their wishes to their parents or guardians; the banning of gender-affirming care for minors; preventing trans women and girls from participating in women’s sports; and repeal of a state law allowing trans students to use bathrooms or locker rooms that correspond with their gender identity. It has a May deadline to turn in the required signatures it needs to collect to state election officials. “I am quite worried that these things will come to pass, especially in California,” said Loveland. “I think a lot of people are under the impression in California we are safe because we are a blue state. But that is very far from the truth, just look at Huntington Beach and look at what they have done against the LGBTQ community. It has been particularly heinous for California, and people need to pay more attention to that.” The City Council in the oceanside city last February banned the flying of the Pride flag at City Hall. Last month, it advanced a policy that would effectively ban Pride celebrations in the city, along with other events like Black History Month and Women’s History Month. (The Los Angeles Times reported last month that the City Council, after seemingly voting to omit the honorary months, will recognize Black History Month and Women’s History Month after all. City officials said the earlier move was a “miscommunication.”) While he doubts the statewide ballot measure effort will be successful this year, Loveland told the B.A.R. he is far more concerned about seeing more local cities and school districts in the Golden State advance antitrans and anti-LGBTQ policies in the coming months. “I think what seems to be working

in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner KIMBERLY ZANGER SCHEER is requesting that the name KIMBERLY ZANGER SCHEER be changed to KIMBERLY CLARE SCHEER. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 19th of MARCH 2024 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/12/1995. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/14/2023.

is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: CODI M. DADA (SBN 288909), LAW OFFICE OF CODI M. DADA, 802 GRANT AVE, NOVATO, CA 94945; Ph. (415) 827-1425.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0402059

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23558441

Website

From page 8

James noted how critical it is to have a website that is independent and run by a nonprofit. “So having a resource like transgender.org that we completely control as a community and is not beholden to a corporation is critically important to maintain the integrity of the information and make sure it reflects the needs of the community and not some person trying to make a profit,” she said.

#EndTransHate

One way it is achieving its goal of fostering community is via its #EndTransHate pledge. It is the first thing users of the website see when they log onto it, with a prompt to take the pledge and add their name to the list. (There is a separate sign up for the website’s email list at the bottom of the homepage.) “It is interesting that this seems like such a simple ask, but I have never seen any kind of pledge of this kind before, if that makes sense,” said Loveland. “This simple act of asking people to stand up for the trans community and be allies is a simple ask but one not asked before. It is important we do ask that of allies and start to form a community of advocates to stand up against this very wellcoordinated and financed anti-trans movement.”

Separate legislative initiative site

To separate out the informational from the political, the nonprofit also created the website TransgenderAction.org to focus on the onslaught of anti-trans bills at both the state and federal levels. That site enables

Courtesy Nick Loveland

Nick Loveland is working on marketing for Transgender.org.

for the anti-trans movement is going more local with school boards and cities. They are doing a bottom up approach rather than trickle down,” he noted. James told the B.A.R. that she has lived through several cycles where trans health care access has become a political issue. The pendulum of late has swung back to it being under attack rather than protected, she noted, with the proposed ballot measure just one example. “Our community’s rights require eternal vigilance,” she said. “We are committed to doing everything we can to see our rights are not eroded during this time of challenge in many forms. Certainly, the political action we intend to take is a very important part of that.” One initiative it has underway is using technology to identify the different factions and groups behind the anti-trans legislation and efforts being undertaken across the U.S. Not only is daylighting their activities important, noted James, doing so will help the Transgender Foundation know where to zero in with its limited resources. “We are also working on some data driven work around identifying anti-transgender networks. That’s the piece of the equation I am very excited about,” she said. While the foundation leaders, for the time being, didn’t want to disclose much more information about that aspect of their work, they did express their hope people will visit their two websites and sign up for updates to stay engaged. “It is time to get involved,” said James. “I hope people read this and check out what we are doing and find out what they can do to help. Join us in this fight.” t

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-0402118

Legals>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-23558091

In the matter of the application of MAURA DILLEY & DERMOT HIKISCH, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioners MAURA DILLEY & DERMOT HIKISCH are requesting that the name THADDEUS BJORN DILLEY be changed to BJORN THADDEUS DILLEY. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 1st of FEBRUARY 2024 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.