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Castro cultural district to have survey on Pride flag by John Ferrannini
Jane Philomen Cleland
Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill July 9 allowing nonbinary people to be identified as such on death certificates.
Newsom signs nonbinary death certificates bill by Matthew S. Bajko
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Vol. 51 • No. 28 • July 15-21, 2021
eceased Californians who are nonbinary will be able to be identified as such on their death certificates under legislation Governor Gavin Newsom signed July 9. It is the first LGBTQ-related bill that the governor approved this legislative session, with 10 more currently making their way through the Legislature. Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (DOrinda) authored the death certificate bill, Assembly Bill 439. It was one of a slew of bills that Newsom signed into law late Friday without comment. Another bill he signed that Bauer-Kahan authored, AB 378, will update state codes to refer to statewide elected officials by gender-neutral pronouns. Currently, the codes use only male pronouns. “I am beyond thrilled that Governor Gavin Newsom has signed these two bills into law, and has helped correct these egregious injustices within our code. It’s 2021 and our laws need to reflect that anyone, regardless of gender, can hold California’s highest offices,” Bauer-Kahan told the Bay Area Reporter. Both of her bills will take effect January 1. The nonbinary option on death certificates adds to similar legislation enacted in 2017. Senate Bill 179, authored by lesbian Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), authorized people to use nonbinary on their birth certificates, court documents, and driver’s licenses. “For too long, nonbinary individuals have been inaccurately identified, an unjust labeling that violates their right to equal treatment” noted Bauer-Kahan. “AB 439 ensures that nonbinary people will be respected and remembered accurately for who they were.” Melissa Shuen-Mallory, a nonbinary queer femme who is on the East Bay’s New Haven Unified School District board, hailed the signing of the bill. She told the B.A.R. that such legislation not only benefits nonbinary individuals but also intersex people who do not identify as male or female. “I think it is great. This is just one step closer to having all of your official documents affirm your gender identity,” said Shuen-Mallory, who is planning to update their driver’s license so it states they are nonbinary when it is time to renew it. See page 10 >>
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he Castro LGBTQ Cultural District announced it will launch a community survey later this month, to be followed by a town hall, on the subject of raising a more contemporary Pride flag at Castro and Market streets. This comes weeks after the Castro Merchants Association, which pays for and maintains the 20 by 30 foot flag, proposed (https://www.ebar.com/ news/news//306341) installing a second flagpole in the Castro neighborhood to fly a Pride flag design newer than Gilbert Baker’s rainbow flag. “We believe it is absolutely time for us to show our Black, Brown, and trans siblings how much representation matters to us on this board by raising a contemporary Pride flag that prioritizes and highlights diversity and inclusivity, atop Harvey Milk Plaza,” the cultural district stated in the July 12 news release. “The future flag we seek to fly proudly at the gateway of Castro’s main street does not take away from the legacy of Gilbert Baker and the gay rights movement of our queer predecessors, but honors that legacy by affirming our emerging and intersecting racial and sexual, gender and nonbinary identities, while acutely addressing the current realities we collectively face today.”
Courtesy exp1.com
The rainbow flag flies at Castro and Market streets.
The release, survey, and town hall come after the cultural district’s advisory board voted last month 7-2 that the Baker-designed rainbow Pride flag that currently flies above the plaza should be replaced with the Progress Pride flag. The Progress Pride flag (which includes a chevron with the colors of the transgender flag, as well as brown and black stripes) was unveiled in June 2018 by nonbinary designer Daniel Quasar.
Last month, many cities in San Mateo and Alameda counties flew the Progress flag in lieu of the rainbow flag as part of annual Pride Month commemorations. “The Castro LGBTQ Cultural District recognizes the importance of representation and visibility for our LGBTQ+ communities in the neighborhood and across the city,” Elizabeth Lanyon, the co-chair of the cultural district’s advisory board, stated in the release. “As the LGBTQ movement continues to evolve, we will do our part to be sure every LGBTQ person who comes to the Castro knows they are safe, celebrated, and welcome. We are eager to hear from you, our neighbors, business owners, visitors and friends, about what this means and how we can be part of an inclusive and thriving Castro.” Tina Valentin Aguirre, a genderqueer Latinx person who is the manager of the district, told the B.A.R. that the release, survey, and town hall (tentatively set for August or September) follow up on the vote the advisory board took last month. When asked the cultural district’s thoughts about the proposed second flagpole, such as placing it in Harvey Milk Plaza, Aguirre referred to board member Sacred Mitchell, who did not respond to a request for comment by press time. See page 7 >>
SF museum exhibit highlights LGBTQ scientists
by Matthew S. Bajko
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groundbreaking exhibit at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park is highlighting the work of queer scientists. It is believed to be the first such display in a museum setting to showcase LGBTQ+ women and gender minorities of color working in STEMM professions. The acronym is short for science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine. “New Science: The Academy Exhibit” can be found mounted on a wall of the main floor to the right of The Swamp gallery that houses Claude, an albino alligator. The first of the eight colorful panels declares, “Queer and intersectional identities are revolutionizing how science gets done.” On the subsequent panels are photos and brief bios of 11 scientists with QR codes that visitors can use to bring up fuller information about each individual on their smartphones. Among the featured STEMM professionals are herpetologist Chelsea Connor, a Black queer woman from Dominica, and environmental scientist Oliver Nguyen, who is trans nonbinary and from a Vietnamese American family. An additional 12 out scientists are featured on the accompanying website for the exhibit, which officially launched June 24 during Pride Month. The exhibitory project is derived from a visibility campaign called “500 Queer Scientists” that
Matthew S. Bajko
Lauren Esposito, Ph.D., left, welcomed Exploratorium intern Felix Duley to the “New Science: The Academy Exhibit” at the California Academy of Sciences.
Lauren Esposito, Ph.D., a curator of arachnology at the Cal Academy, launched in 2018 to foster a sense of community among LGBTQ people in the sciences. “It is a topic I feel passionate about,” said Esposito, who six years ago became the first out LGBTQ curator in charge of a research lab at the 168-year-old institution. Esposito, 39, who is queer and resides in San Francisco, grew up along the border in Texas. Af-
ter earning her doctorate in New York, she came west in 2011 to do her post doc at UC Berkeley. Hired by the Cal Academy to study spiders and scorpions in the field, Esposito felt isolated and alone as a queer scientist. Looking for a way to mirror her professional pursuits with her personal interests and identity, Esposito landed on the idea of profiling queer STEMM professionals on a website accessible to anyone in the world. See page 10 >>
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