Fall 2019 Issue 8

SF State’s student-run publication since 1927

Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019

Volume 110, Issue 8

‘Color your world’ lights up the campus Abortion pills to be required at UC and CSU campuses

BY JUAN CARLOS LARA STAFF REPORTER

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ov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 24 to mandate that all University of California and California State University campuses provide medical abortion pills to students by 2023.

Left to right: Matthea Nava, Colin Hollander, Tea Alexander, Jasmine Cook, Jasmine Afshar and Christopher Orozco rehearse “Color Your World” in the Little Theater Oct. 9. (Photo by Paige Acosta / Golden Gate Xpress)

BY FELICIA HYDE STAFF REPORTER

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he tearing of tape echoed in the background. The switches of light and sound boards clicked into place. Flashes of red, yellow and orange light warmed the stage.

Hurried footsteps paced back and forth across the stage as crew members rehearsed “Color Your World: A Children’s Musical.”

The student-led production team previewed the musical last Friday.

The production team, filled with faculty and students from SF State’s School of Theatre and Dance, worked through late-night weekly

practices, managing sound and lighting boards with complex costume changes and technical rehearsals. Production began a week before the semester with full-day music rehearsals.

“The cast is wonderful and have dedicated themselves to this project,” said SF State lecturer Terry Amara Boero, director and scriptwriter of the new musical. “We’ve been spending some long nights in the theatre teaching the show with student designers for lighting and costumes.”

Boero teaches playwriting, theater management and acting. She directed the play, “Mojada: A Medea In Los Angeles” last fall along

with staged readings and workshops for the new series called “The Fringe.”

Musical Composer Christian Cantrell, a junior studying theatre with an emphasis in musical theatre, wrote the music and lyrics of the musical, focusing on living life with splashes of color instead of ordinary tones of black and white. Cantrell said he became involved after hearing Boera’s vision to bring theater to children in San Francisco.

“We have to inspire the next generation of theatrical artists, because if we don’t, our form will die out,” Cantrell said.

The plot revolves around two main characCONTINUED ON PAGE 3

PG&E imposes largest blackout in CA

BY DAVID MAMARIL HOROWITZ CITY NEWS EDITOR

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an Francisco’s investor-owned utility imposed preemptive power outages on 738,000 premises in Northern California last week to prevent its equipment from sparking wildfires during forecasts of strong winds and dry weather.

Pacific Gas and Electric executed a series of phased blackouts from

late Wednesday night to early Saturday evening, 10 months after declaring bankruptcy while owing money to victims of wildfires that were sparked by its equipment.

The cautious choice, resulting in the most expansive planned power outage in California history, prompted a hue and cry that

Campus Safety Week

BY JESSE GOMEZ STAFF REPORTER

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n October 14, SF State hosted its 3rd annual Campus Safety Week event.

SF State on-site resources including Enterprise Risk Management, Environment, Health and Safety, and the University Police Department will conduct a variety of trainings throughout the week promoting health and safety both on and off campus.

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the utility acted preemptively to avoid legal damages.

PG&E CEO Bill Johnson denied that narrative at a press conference last week.

“These outages were intended solely — solely — to keep our community safe from wildfires,” he stressed.

An electrical wire creates an

electrical arc and spark when struck by vegetation, Johnson explained. About 25,200 miles of the utility’s electrical wires pass through wildfire-prone areas, according to the company’s Wildfire Safety Plan.

That interaction between vegetation and power lines — CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

“This event was created because it provided us with the opportunity to provide training that would help the community both on campus and in their personal lives,” said Risk Manager Mike Beatty.

A new exhibit on display yesterday was the “Shake Truck” which gave attendees a realistic yet fun firsthand experience on what an earthquake, up to a magnitude 8.1, would feel like. More earthquake preparedness information will be available on Wednesday in the library room 121, 2:30-3:30 p.m.

“Actual items fall from the walls,’’ said Administrative Analyst Wendy Lopez. “It’s cool because it gives

The law will provide students on-campus medical abortions through two pills that would terminate pregnancies within their first 10 weeks. Students undergoing medical abortions on-campus will not have to pay out-of-pocket, according to Roger Elrod, SF State’s Student Health Services director.

Many universities already provide emergency contraceptives like Plan-B, which can prevent pregnancy when taken in the hours following unprotected sex.

However, emergency contraceptives do not terminate pregnancies that are already underway.

Between 322 and 519 UC and CSU students obtain medical abortions every month, according to a study by the UCSF reserach group Advancing New Standards In Reproductive Health (ANSIRH).

“By ensuring that abortion care is available on campus, college students will not have to choose between delaying important medical care or needing to travel long distances or even missing classes or work,” said Sen. Connie Leyva, D-Chino, who introduced SB 24.

The California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls will administer a reproductive health fund subsidized by private funds. Several hundred thousand dollars would go to each public university’s on-campus health center to implement the law, which also provides 24-hour backup medical support by teleCONTINUED ON PAGE 4

people the chance to really interact.”

Self-defense workshops, active threat training and emergency fire extinguisher training will be offered throughout safety week. Campus resources will also emphasize personal well-being this year regarding mental health, suicide prevention and perscription drug awareness.

All attendees will be entered into a raffle drawing with a chance to win free goody bags, including preparedness and emergency kits for the household.

More information, including a schedule of events, can be found at http://www.erm.sfsu.edu/.

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Editor’s note on last weeks ethnic studies issue

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s a publication, we want to sincerely apologize to the Africana Studies department, Black Student Union, Arab and Muslim Ethnicities Diaspora departmentand any other groups who were affected by the lack of representation in our Oct. 8, 50th Anniversary of Ethnic Studies Commemoration Week issue. We wanted

to celebrate the diversity on our campus with this issue and sought out subjects for the cover from the college of ethnic studies, but there were significant gaps in our coverage. We deeply regret this, especially given the Black Student Union’s critical role in founding the ethnic studies programs at SF State. We are making changes in our news-

room policies to improve the way we represent the diverse campus community that we serve. We seek your participation in a town hall meeting where members of the College of Ethnic Studies can share their concerns with Xpress surrounding this issue and future reporting. In the meantime, we invite you to send a letter to the editor

in response to this or any other issues of concern to be published in upcoming issues. If you want to submit a letter, have suggestions for coverage or are interested in participating in a future town hall meeting, please email the editor-in-chief, Carly Wipf, at ggxnewsroom@gmail.com.

Global Museum exhibit focuses on indigenous communities

BY MJ JOHNSON CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR

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ygrocybe noelokelani or “the pink rose in the mist” is a species of fungi found in the high elevation wet cloud forests of Maui. These pink little mushrooms are being threatened by climate change.

Professor of mycology Dennis Desjardin has dedicated his life to documenting disappearing fungi species in Hawaii. He worked with local elders to name newly discovered species in the Hawaiian language. He has discovered over 49 new species so far.

His work is part of “Climate Stories” a new exhibit that opened Oct. 1 at the Global Museum, an on-campus exhibition gallery in the Fine Arts building.

The exhibit showcases the impacts of climate change on indiginous communities around the world and highlights the efforts of activists globally, including those at SF State, fighting for climate action. Only the second exhibit at the Global Museum, established in 2018, “Climate Stories” began as a collaborative effort between educators, designers and graduate students within the Museum Studies program, Museum Director Paige Bardolph said.

“SF State is a great place to have an exhibit like this,” Bardolph said. “We’re such a social justice oriented campus and its good for university students to be part of this conversation which is at the forefront of everyone’s minds.”

The exhibit includes artifacts from the university’s collection and objects on loan from the California Academy of Sciences.

Cultural artifacts from indigenous communities in Papua New Guinea — the first place to order mandatory relocation from rising sea levels in 2015 — the Amazon

and Australia speckle the pathway of the museum. Each artifact, like a colorful headdress or bone carving, tells the troubling story of communities on the brink of extinction.

“I’m excited to see the Global Museum is tackling this in a way that is people focused,” said Katheryn Papoulias, a graduate student who helped to set up the exhibit.

Since the beginning of spring semester, graduate students produced the design and executed the creation of the exhibit down to the smallest labels. Now that the exhibit is open

“Museums are unique places because they provide an alternate venue for learning.

Whether you’re from a background in history, art, science or social science, there is a museum for everyone.”

- Kathryn Papoulias to the public, the students will develop tours and answer questions to anyone visiting the museum. The museum can also be booked for facilitated tours by classes on anthropology, art, ethnic studies, and even for k-12 classes.

“Museums are unique places because they provide an alternate venue for learning,” Papoulias said. “Whether you’re from a background in history, art, science or social science there is a museum for everyone.”

The climate change theme for “Climate Sto-

ries” was one that Director of Museum Studies and chief curator Edward Luby said he felt passionately about. Luby said the Global Museum produced the exhibit to start a conversation on the issue within the museum community.

“It is the essential issue of our times,” Luby said, “Especially for these often overlooked indeginous communities who are on the frontlines and are disproportionately affected by human induced climate change.”

The Global Museum partnered with various campus departments to create installations that are interactive and relevant to the campus community. Notably, the section on wildlife and plants features the work and research of Professor Dennis Desjardin of the Biology Department’s Herbarium. Desjardin’s photographs documenting fungi threatened by climate change in Hawaii are displayed against the ocean blue backdrop of the exhibit.

The Story Lounge, an area where visitors can sit and read from storybooks related to climate change, and the Magic Table Display, a Google Earth projection on a rotating table, are two displays that require visitor participation. The final section of the exhibit features cardboard signs from the recent climate justice rally on campus, organized by students from the College of Ethnic Studies. The rally focused on themes like environmental racism and colonization as related to climate change.

“Even though its in a small space, the exhibit moves through the global effects on other continents and back to our own backyard,” said Aya Yamamoto, an exhibit visitor. “It goes full circle and shows solidarity for those indeginous communities being impacted.”

The Global Museum is open to the public Tuesday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The “Climate Stories” exhibit will run until May 2020.

Crime Blotter:

Update on criminal activity on and around campus O

ct. 9 saw a string of crime reports, particularly in the northern part of campus.

At around 6:30 p.m., two people suspected of committing a strong arm robbery near 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard fled toward SF State. The suspects, described as juvenile males, were last seen near Lot 20. SFPD and UPD conducted a search but were unable to locate the suspects.

Later that night, two assaults were reported in the area. The first report came at approximately 8:40 p.m. from the McDonald’s near Stonestown Galleria.

The second was at 65 Buckingham Way three hours later. UPD directed all inquiries to SFPD, who did not respond to multiple requests for this information regarding these incidents.

In the same area, a couple hours earlier, another call was made to police. According to Devyn Samson, a student who lives in the UPN area, her roommate came home to find a person asleep on their doorstep, blocking the entry to their home. The individual was described as being a man in his late 30s to early 40s. This roommate honked her car horn at the man in an attempt to stir him; in response, the man rose and reportedly charged at the vehicle before leaving the area.

The student called UPD and sent a picture of the man to Samson. When Samson was headed home later that night at 11:30 p.m., she recognized the man from the picture while he was surrounded by SFPD officers at the Stonestown and 19th Avenue Muni station. An officer at the scene informed Samson that the man was known for roaming around UPN. Deputy Chief of Police for UPD Wailun Shiu refused to identify the man because he was not arrested.

Compiled by Juan Carlos Lara, staff reporter.

Museum Studies graduate students Kathryn Papoulias and Tiana Raihn share a laugh at the Global Museum exhibit opening of “Climate Stories” Oct. 1. (Photo by William Wendelman / Golden Gate Xpress)

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A guide to safer Bay Area cycling

BY COREY BROWNING STAFF REPORTER

ing the correct bike (in the correct size!) for the job. Besides the guidance, shopping in brick-and-mortar shops can come with valuable perks like maintenance plans and warranties. Bike buying is like car buying — some haggling on price is ok, especially on pricier items.

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hough San Francisco has made great strides in its effort to be bicycle friendly, pedaling through the cities congested streets, dodging Lyfts and Ubers, suffering up steep hills, all while avoiding getting your tires caught in MUNI tracks, can be a daunting endeavor.

The good news is there are plenty of free and affordable resources available to help students realize their cycling ambitions.

I’ve compiled a list of those resources, plus some helpful tips learned as a cyclist in the city and in the near decade I’ve spent working as a bicycle mechanic.

Hands-on approach

Safety first

From 2010 to 2018 San Francisco saw an average of less than three cycling-deaths per year. Per capita, New York City had about a third less fatalities than San Francisco for the same years, and Los Angeles had just slightly more than San Francisco, according to city data.

So is San Francisco a safe place to ride?

It can be, and efforts are being made to improve safety. The number of bike lanes is ever-increasing, and the city has promised 20 more miles of protected bike lanes in the next two years as part of the city’s goal of eliminating traffic fatalities by 2024.

But your actions, not the city’s, play the greatest role in your safety.

Though most of the same rules of the road that apply to cars apply to bikes as well, common sense is key. Never ride the opposite way of traffic, avoid riding on the sidewalk, and don’t ride so close to parked cars where an opening door could cause an accident.

If you feel it is safer, you may occupy an entire vehicle lane, even if a bike lane is present (though many drivers are unaware of this). Use hand signals when riding in busy areas, especially around other cyclists.

Whether or not it is reasonable to expect cyclists to stop at every stop sign has been a point of contention. Advocates have petitioned city leaders to adopt a policy that would allow cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs. Idaho adopted such a policy in the 80s, and more recently Colorado, Oregon, Delaware and Arkansas passed similar laws. Some of these laws also include the right for cyclists to treat red lights as stop signs.

Rogelio X, a Power to the Pedal student assistant, diagnosis an issue with a bicycle Oct. 10.

(Photo by Corey Browning / Golden Gate Xpress)

Always plan out your route. Needlessly climbing a steep hill is extremely frustrating, and ending up on a busy street without a bike lane can almost always be avoided.

The cycling option on Google Maps is a great place to start and can help you avoid both these things — though you’ll likely perfect your route over time.

Get a helmet that fits and isn’t expired.

Most manufacturers will tell you a helmet lasts five years before the crush properties in the foam are compromised. That said, an old helmet’s better than no helmet. A helmet that’s been crashed should be replaced.

If you ride at night, lights are a must. A front light is required by law as are reflectors.

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is a bicycle advocacy group which offers an array of free workshops centered around urban bicycle riding safety. Their website is also a great resource for good-to-know information, from laws, locking techniques, and routes.

On Campus resources:

Power to the Pedal is SF State’s bicycle outreach program, which offers free basic bike maintenance and advice from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, usually between the Humanities and Fine Arts

buildings, or by appointment. Innertubes and other basic supplies are provided free of charge to students.

Follow Power to the Pedal on Instagram or Facebook to get the scoop on group rides.

Need to make a quick adjustment or pump up your tires? Purple work stations with pumps and rudimentary tools are located between the Library and Administration building and along the bike path adjacent to the West Campus Greens.

Need a bike?

Pick the right bike for the job. A hybrid, road, or commuter specific bike will serve you well for commuting where heavier and slower mountain or cruiser bikes may be less ideal. Consider the steep hills if a single-speed or fixed-gear catches your eye.

Expect to pay at least $350 for a decent quality bike from a local shop. Used bikes can be had for less, though are often a gamble for beginners. Stay away from department stores to buy bikes (they are low quality and often poorly assembled) and be cautious if buying online. Bikes purchased online usually require assembly and a tune up before being ridden.

A local bike shop can assist you in find-

Bike Kitchen Interested in learning to wrench? For a $6 fee, the San Francisco Bike Kitchen in the Mission District offers their workspace including tools and volunteers to guide you through fixing your bike or even building one from scratch. Second and fourth Mondays are geared specifically toward women, transgender people and femmes.

Mikes Bikes Mikes Bikes, with a San Francisco location in the SoMa and several others throughout the bay, offers free classes to learn to wrench on Tuesday nights (previously taught by yours truly). Sports Basement in the SoMa offers a similar free clinic on Saturday afternoons.

Bicis Del Pueblo Bicis Del Pueblo is an organization which holds free hands-on bike repair and riding skills workshops in the Excelsior District. With a particular focus on inclusivity toward black, indigenous, and people of color, the workshops are taught in Spanish and English. Students who commit to three sessions can build their own bike and receive a helmet, lock and lights after completion.

Locking Up

Personally, I always ask to bring my bike inside wherever I go and avoid locking up around the city at all costs — though maybe working at a shop where customers come in daily after having had their bikes stolen has made me paranoid.

The brazenness of thieves is astounding, and often even the best locks do nothing.

On several occasions I’ve seen the thin tubing of bike frames cut by thieves in order to steal the bike for its components alone.

For locking on campus, invest in a good U-lock and park in areas where the presence of people is more likely to deter theft.

A cable lock is great for securing wheels and the seat, but can be cut and should never be relied upon for a whole bike.

Behind the scenes of ‘Color your World’

Jasmine Ashfar (left) and Tea Alexander (right) are assisted by a stage crew member before the rehearsal of ‘Color Your World’ in the Little Theater Oct. 9. (Photo by Paige Acosta / Golden Gate Xpress)

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 ters, Natalia and Gigi, and nine colors that represent emotions.

Together they learn how to become more positive on an everyday scale.

“This isn’t a musical for just children. It’s a musical for everyone, the messages echo through our daily lives; work together, keep a happy thought, be brave,” Boero said.

The collaborative work between Cantrell and Boero consisted of weekly meetings with non-stop edits.

“We picked colors and dis-

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cussed their personalities and how they would interact and at one point another color showed up unannounced and demanded she be included.” Boero said.

“It was a happy surprise for both Christian and I.” Strong visuals allow the story’s message to unfold through changes in light. Colors are used in the musical to express emotion, thoughts and the changing perceptions of life. The lighting designer, Charlie Mejia, a sophomore majoring in theatre arts with an emphasis in technical theatre, designed the lighting look for the

show. He used colored gels to show the shift in emotions of the characters.

“This is all important because the lights help tell the story of ‘Color Your World,’” Mejia said. “When Natalia is upset, the lighting is dull, but still beautiful and when she uses her imagination, the lighting is magical.”

Students operate every piece of equipment and fulfill roles that make the musical ready for its final debut. They also run the front of the house and staff the Family Room, where children who can’t sit through the performance have a place to stretch and play.

In order for the theatrical performance to be the best it can, plenty of preparation is involved such as checking the lighting, sound and microphone

checks and logistical tasks audiences aren’t aware of.

“I got involved as a soundboard operator here at state because I enjoyed doing it in the past and saw a need in the program for a consistent sound op,” said Camille Rassweiler, a sophomore theatre major with a focus in technical design. Rassweiler will also work on the sound design for “Ghost Sonata” which premieres in November.

Although it is a theatrical production, it is sometimes hard to remember that students take the time to be involved in department projects voluntarily or to fulfill a requirement for class.

“Long nights are unavoidable so to do this job you need a lot of patience and tasks to do on your downtime,” Ariel Webb, a junior majoring in dance said. “We are required to be there for a specific amount of hours to pass the class.

Working this show is stressful

because we have to be at school really late and still make it to our morning classes the next day.”

Webb is enrolled in Theatre Arts 217: Production Run Crew for Live Performance class in which she was required to choose to be part of a production at SF State by helping with costumes, microphones and running, fixing or organizing the set.

Without the students who run lights, sound, handle microphones, set up props and stage equipment, the production would not be able to function as the colorful musical it was meant to be.

“Putting up an original musical is very difficult. But the stage management team, and all the designers have been great to work with,” Cantrell said. “Countless hours have gone into not only writing but designing and managing the show. It’s good to see it hopefully pay off the next few weekends.”

“This isn’t a musical for just children. It’s a musical for everyone, the messages echo through our daily lives, work together, keep a happy thought, be brave.”

- Terry Amara Boero

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La Cocina brings the kitchen outdoors

Newsom signs campus abortion pill legislation CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 phone to patients obtaining abortions.

Leyva introduced the bill after former Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a similar bill, SB 320, last year. Both bills spawned from a movement in 2015 made up of UC Berkeley students pushing for campus-wide access to medical abortions.

Students United for Reproductive Justice at UC Berkeley (SURJ), the main group behind this movement, eventually contacted Leyva, who wrote a bill to expand that goal to more public universities in California.

BY LANCE TISUELA STAFF REPORTER

Pitmaster G-Stacks bastes barbeque on a spit at the 10th annual La Cocina Street Food Festival Oct.12. (Photo by MJ Johnson / Golden Gate Xpress)

undreds of people gathered Oct. 12 at Potrero Power Station for the 10th annual La Cocina Street Food Festival. The festival pushed for equity among women, people of color and immigrants in the restaurant industry.

More than 50 chefs and restaurants transformed a barren industrial lot into a bustling celebration of the diverse culinary terrain that reflects San Francisco food scene. The air was filled with savory aromas which entranced guests as they traveled throughout the space.

“The goal of La Cocina at the end of the day is making sure that people can make a living doing the things that they love,” Michelle Magat, Director of Communications and Development for La Cocina said. “We do this in three ways: We provide affordable commercial kitchen space, provide technical assistance with marketing, finance, or operations, we also provide access to markets.”

La Cocina is a non profit organization born out of the desire to provide culinary entrepreneurs who were operating under and informal economy the opportunity to grow their business. La Cocina provides the bread and butter that entrepreneurs need to develop half baked ideas into reality. Guests who visit and support the street food festival are simultaneously supporting La Cocina’s mission.

Liliana Ramirez and Ricardo Cespedes are a married couple who own and operate Bocadito, a Colombian snackeria. Bocadito served oblea, a popular South American snack, with dulce de leche, blackberry sauce and whipped cream as toppings as well as Columbian coffee.

“We came here two years ago and immediately we applied to La Cocina with Bocadito, and they helped us make our dreams come

true,” Ramirez said. “The best part is everybody [La Cocina entrepreneurs] came here with the same dream, and we are here and proud.”

The festival allured guests with the promise of diverse flavors and vendors, but captivated them with their mission of bringing equity in an industry with lapses of opportunity and wage based on race and gender.

Micah Lewis was visiting San Francisco and chose to attend the festival because the small town in Texas where he lives doesn’t have events like this. He and his wife enjoyed eating fish sauce on grilled corn, tostadas and fried chicken.

“To see this many different cultures in one area is great and to see people mingling and getting along, everyone’s friendly and we’re loving San Francisco,” Lewis said.

La Cocina’s Street Food Festival was created because other food festivals were inaccessible to La Cocina entrepreneurs, as many don’t cater to street food.

It is much harder for women of color and immigrant women to enter the restaurant business. Despite over 50% of culinary school graduates being women, less than 23% of food businesses are owned by women, according to La Cocina’s Executive Dishwasher Caleb Zigas. La Cocina has become a catalyst for women to overcome institutional, systemic and intentional barriers that prevent them from entering the marketplace.

Alma Rodriguez is a mother of three who immigrated to San Francisco 15 years ago. Rodriguez grew her business, Mixiote, through La Cocina’s incubator program.

Mixiotes are traditionally marinated

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meat or vegetables wrapped in banana, plantain or avocado leaves, then cooked in their own juices. Rodriguez noticed mixiotes were sparse in the Mexican food scene of San Francisco. Her business was born from her desire to bring a dish from her home of Mexico City and share it in San Francisco.

La Cocina is about to have a lot more than food festivals on their plate. They are set to open a “Municipal Market” food hall on the Corner of Golden Gate Avenue and Hyde Street in the Spring of 2020.

Despite over 50% of culinary school graduates being women, less than 23% of food businesses are owned by women.

The focus of the food hall is affordability and creating space within the city that is accessible to everyone and will feature seven businesses.

“Over the last 10 years its gotten increasingly expensive to open a business in San Francisco. And we’ve found it harder and harder to place businesses which would be self sufficient in an affordable environment,” Zigas said, during a media tour at the food festival. “We will be opening what we understand to be the country’s first all women led food hall.”

CHECK OUT A VIDEO PROJECT ABOUT LA COCINA’S FOOD FESTIVAL @ggxnews on Instagram and Twitter .

Trump’s ‘public charge’ policy blocked

BY SHELLEY WANG STAFF REPORTER

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ederal judges in New York, California and Washington temporarily halted President Donald Trump’s policy to potentially deny immigrants green cards based on their usage of government benefits, four days before the law would have gone into effect.

If the policy takes effect, the Department of Homeland Security would redefine who becomes classified as a “public charge.” That classification, which refers to immigrants primarily dependent upon government funding or longterm institutional care, can prevent an immigrant entering or living in America from obtaining permanent residency.

The law would redefine the term to refer to individuals more likely than not to receive public benefits for more than 12 months in aggregate within a 36-month period. For example, receiving two benefits in one month would comprise two months’ of benefits.

New York City Judge George B. Daniels ruled in favor of a nationwide injunction to block the policy.

“No less important is the immediate and significant

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impact that the implementation of the rule will have on law-abiding residents who have come to this country to see a better life,” Daniels stated in his injunction.“[It] discourages them from lawfully receiving available assistance intended to aid them in becoming contributing members of our society.”

Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia have filed lawsuits against the policy, voicing concerns over discrimination against immigrants and the divisions the policy might create for families across the nation.

With Daniels’ temporary injunction, residents trying to receive their citizenship will not have to fear for now that receiving public benefits could become grounds for denying them U.S. citizenship. Over 13.5 million people — 7.6 million of them children — live in a household with at least one noncitizen or are noncitizens themselves, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Since the policy was introduced, there have been many updates which heavily affect immigrants trying to establish their livelihood in America.

Medicaid, food stamps, housing assistance, treatment of

Medical abortions are conducted to terminate pregnacies within the first 10 weeks by taking two pills.

But Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed SB 320 after it passed through both houses the previous September.

“It was quite hard for all of us. We had done what we had thought was everything right,” SURJ member Noël Jones said.

Jones said the veto felt like a slap.

Leyva introduced SB 24 nine weeks after its predecessor was vetoed. The bill was nearly identical to its predecessor, aside from minor changes such as the year of implementation, which changed from 2022 to 2023.

More than two-thirds of both the Assembly and the Senate voted for the bill — enough to override a governor’s veto.

“This bill will set a new standard we can all be proud of and eliminate barriers students currently face to obtaining an abortion off campus,” said Phyllida Burlingame, the ACLU of California’s Reproductive Justice & Gender Equity Director.

“By ensuring that abortion care will be available on campus, college students will not have to choose between delaying important medical care or needing to travel long distances or even missing lasses or work.”

- Sen. Connie Leyva,

communicable diseases, disaster relief, immunizations, and health care programs and children’s nutrition are all included in Trump’s public charge rule, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The Immigrant Legal Resource Center says the benefits not counted in the pending policy include school-based benefits given to applicants at or below the eligible age for secondary education, Medicaid benefits received by non-citizens under the age of 21, pregnant women and people who receive services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Congress has specific rules for certain groups exempt from the public charge policy. USCIS states that these include refugees, asylees, and Afghans and Iraqis with special immigrant visas.

KFF says if the new rule leads to 15% to 35% disenrollment in Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), 2.1 million to 4.9 million individuals would disenroll.

“This rule would topple the American dream,” San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera said in an August statement when Trump first announced the rule. “This rule is not only illegal, it’s un-American. It’s bad for the economy, it’s bad for public health and it’s bad for our country.”

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Nor Cal blackouts leave residents in the dark CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 combined with low humidity and strong dry winds caused by California’s recent drought — raises the chance that a spark will generate a wildfire, PG&E senior meteorologist Evan Duffy said.

“We faced a choice here between hardship on everyone or safety, and we chose safety,” Johnson summed up.

Gov. Gavin Newsom strongly disagreed, stating that the blackouts resulted from decades of neglect, greed and mismanagement

by PG&E. “They chose not to modernize their (electrical) grid over the course of many, many years. It led to their own demise. It led to their own bankruptcy,” Newsom said.

The governor rattled off some consequences of the two-day blackout: students staying home from school; parents unable bathe their children; people unable to enter their own garages; some left without water or medical supplies.

“This can’t, respectfully, be the new normal,” Newsom said.

Although PG&E isn’t charging customers for electricity during the outages, it has refused to reimburse them for costs they’ve incurred — an estimated $2.5 billion in total, according to Michael Wara, director of the Stanford Woods Institute energy and climate program.

For Petaluma resident Tom Graham, who lost power late Tuesday night, the outages led to his food poisoning. A summertime Camp Maher naturalist accustomed to backpacking in wilderness areas, Graham found himself better prepared than most, skilled and stocked with first aid kits, flashlights, batteries and 25 gallons of water.

Even for him, the outages posed an enormous inconvenience.

He said the threat of a fire forced him to prepare for immediate evacuation. It took three or four gas stations to find one with gas.

Stores ran out of ice.

Graham eventually tried food from the freezer that appeared safe to eat. He called a hospital Thursday morning due to food poisoning.

The former SF State journalism professor, now 71, felt lucky this didn’t exact a greater toll given his age.

“It was sobering,” he said.

Restoration For the vast majority of affected customers, the blackout ended within 48 hours.

PG&E deployed more than 6,300 personnel to inspect, repair and restore its power lines once the winds had passed, according to a release by the utility. They reported inspecting all 25,200 miles of lines in high-risk wildfire areas before turning the power back on.

By the end of the blackouts, PG&E had succeeded in avoiding the creation of wildfires. Meanwhile, PG&E discovered at least 50 incidents of damage to its equipment from winds and vegetation during the high-risk outage period, with 100 other locations suspected to be affected.

Johnson said those incidents led him to believe that PG&E’s equipment would have created wildfires had the company not imposed the blackouts.

But he admitted that the company failed in

The job of the CSU is to prepare students to engage in a society that is multiracial, [multiethnic], [multicultural] and that has a varied and complex history.

- JEFF DUNCAN-ANDRADE

“

Data from PG&E. (Graphic by David Mamaril Horowitz / Golden Gate Xpress)

at least one regard: communications.

Miscommunication Despite doubling down on its website Monday, PG&E experienced seven to eight times its normal web traffic during the outages. The webpage providing live outage data stopped working, and customers became unable to access the locations and times of the planned blackouts, according to the utility’s Chief Customer Officer Laurie Giammona.

The utility commissioned a second, more robust website to map the blackouts Wednesday. It too crashed due to the influx of visitors, but it eventually worked.

Meanwhile, some affected received zero notifications altogether. They were forced to rely on news, social media and word-ofmouth for information.

“They haven’t contacted us,” SF State junior Jannel Lakes said Wednesday.

Lakes lives in an isolated country area of Oakland with little outside light at night.

Her home has been broken into before, she said, and better communication could have allowed her to take adequate precautions against burglars.

“It’s going to be pitch black,” she said.

“So we want to be prepared.”

SF State senior Chris Esquivel said people in his area seemed panicked, as if they

didn’t know what to do.

“Most of the information that I got was from social media,” Esquivel said.

PG&E provided around-the-clock customer service over the phone with a wait time averaging 30 seconds, Giammona said. The utility also opened 33 customer resource centers across affected counties to provide water, air conditioning, restrooms and charging services.

For many, it wasn’t enough.

SF State graduate student Pedro Ramos, an El Grenada resident, woke up to an outage of 5 a.m., five miles from the nearest PG&E center.

Neither his shower nor the toilet were functioning. But he was lucky to have a public bathroom located two city blocks away.

“Not everyone has that,” he said.

Status Planned outages were a key part PG&E’s Wildfire Safety Plan, published earlier this year to detail the steps being taken to prevent its own equipment from generating wildfires.

The utility is on track to harden 150 miles of its power lines in high-risk areas, and manage vegetation for 2,450 miles of lines, by the end of this year.

PG&E is also attempting to conduct

more inspections of its distribution poles, transmission structures and substations; septuple its nine camera stations; and double its 200 weather stations this year.

Sumeet Singh, vice president of PG&E’s Community Wildfire Safety Program, said he anticipates similar shutdowns until such steps are completed.

Future outlook Due to the unreliable nature of weather forecasts, some of the blackouts, conducted across 34 California counties, appeared unnecessary.

In de-energized Petaluma, for example, the wind forecasts proved inaccurate.

“If ... these predicted storms or wind occurrences are not materializing, people are going to be pissed off, and probably are going to be suing them for damages,” Graham said.

Moving forward, Johnson said, his company will improve communications, and upgraded weather prediction technology will more precisely and accurately narrow the scope of planned outages.

But for the governor, the issue wasn’t one to be justified.

“What has occurred in the last 48 hours is unacceptable,” he said at the Thursday conference.

Some new laws from Newsom

California’s legislature adjourned Sept. 13, leaving hundreds of bills awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s final stamp of approval. His deadline was Sunday. Xpress has covered a few.

Spurred by a statewide string of high-profile police year. However, AB32 cannot bind federal law enforceshootings, AB392 mandates that California police ment agencies, according to US Immigration and Cusofficers can legally use deadly force “only when nectoms Enforcement. If the law goes into effect, ICE will essary in defense of human life” beginning 2020. The transfer inmates a greater distance to an arrest location, standard strays from a Supreme Court precedent that has potentially separating them further from their friends and allowed excessive force if it’s “objectively reasonable.” family.

In a compromise, legislators removed the definition of the California will place an eye-popping $15 billion bond word “necessary” from the bill’s text, leaving much of on the primary election ballot to shore up unsafe this law’s impact up to the courts. schools. With voter approval, the facilities upgrades California will phase out private prison facilities and would make preschools, K-12 public schools and colleges prohibit the imprisonment of inmates within them by earthquake and fire resistant, as well as free from lead, 2028. The state’s Department of Corrections and Rehamold and asbestos. “This is a historic down payment for bilitation will no longer enter or renew contracts with safer and healthier school buildings across every level of private prisons inside or outside the state beginning next education, and something that will tangibly benefit mil-

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lions of Californians for generations to come,” Newsom said in a statement. AB48 was signed 10 days before the 30-year, Oct. 17 anniversary of the Loma Prieta Earthquake.

Bundled alongside 14 other gun control bills signed Friday, AB12 will allow school teachers, administrators and employers to file for court-mandated removal of guns from people they consider a danger to the public or themselves. California previously reserved this right for law enforcement and family, but lawmakers expanded it in response to the Parkland, Florida, shooting that killed 17 people last year. The bill also extends restraining orders for gun possession from one year to five.

Others will cap firearm sales for those without licenses and require background checks for guns sold at auctions or similar events.

10/14/19 9:45 PM

6•ARTS&ENTERTAINMENTTUESDAY, OCT. 15, 2019 | GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG Student playwrites perform Bunraku puppetry

BY KARAMEL NUNEZMARTINEZ STAFF REPORTER

P

uppet Show is an experimental and abstract comedy created

by SF State alumna Ai Ebashi and directed by Taylor Wuthrich, is a blend of different styles of Japanese theater with a hefty pinch of existentialism coming to life at the Shelton Theater. Only two performances remain on Oct. 20 and 23.

“It is a puppet play, but the metaphor of ‘Puppet Show’ is the driving idea of the play,” Wuthrich said. “To ask questions about free will [and] manipulation through this metaphor of a puppet show.”

The Japanese-inspired play adds a twist on Bunraku, a traditional form of Japanese puppet theater that started in the early 17th century. In lieu of strings, three puppeteers operate a single puppet to move the left arm, legs, right arm and head. Puppeteers are in full view of the audience but traditionally dressed in all black to appear almost invisible to the crowd.

In the early stages of production, Ebashi and Wuthrich brought in Nick Ishimaru, a dramaturge in Japanese theater, to teach the cast and crew the traditional practices of Bunraku.

“The idea was to create a kind of traditional atmosphere and then break it,” Ebashi said. “It’s a comedy and it’s a parody, but in order to break it you have to know about what you’re talking about.”

Characteristics from Kabuki theater, a stylized Japanese drama, are integrated throughout the play while incorporating the kabuki curtain, an element that’s used to transition from one scene to another, exposing new elements. Ebashi and Wuthrich also added modern

Mimu Tsujimara applies makeup before her performance in PUPPET SHOW at the Shelton Theatre in San Francisco Calif. October 13, 2019 (photo by James Wyatt/ Golden Gate Xpress)

western aspects like metatheatre, a play that draws attention to the fact that it is fictional, and absurdism, where a character intentionally acts in outrageous behaviors. These styles would normally never be seen in Bunraku.

Ebashi’s story revolves around protagonist Sabu, who comes to realize that he is nothing more than a character in a play whose decisions are made by an unknown writer. The story transitions from two-dimensional to three-dimensional characters, all while breaking the fourth wall throughout the performance.

“I’ve never used puppets before

Feeling the ‘Earfquake’

BY KARAMEL NUNEZMARTINEZ STAFF REPORTER

T

he curtains drew as Tyler’s newest persona, Igor, stepped onto the stage in a pink and red block colored suit and a blond bob wig. Igor stood center stage as his theme rang throughout the auditorium and kicked off his performance with a piercing scream.

Tyler, the Creator, performed at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium Oct. 9 for his newest album “Igor.”

Gold Link and Blood Orange opened the show, each performing a variety of old and new songs they’ve released.

Igor sporadically danced across the stage, engaged the crowd and sang along to the new album as well as some older tracks such as “Yonkers.” Each song was accompanied by its own line of visual effects. The pyrotechnics for “Who Dat Boy,” only amplified the energy in the auditorium.

Then “Earfquake” came, calming the arena, allowing the audience to take a breath after Tyler’s hectic flailing and screaming as he played the entire song on piano.

All hype aside, the Igor tour was a visually engaging experience as Tyler put on a full theatrical performance, mesmerizing the crowd while cavorting around on stage from song to song.

“You could tell he’s just having a fun time up there,” said concert

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attendee Ann Kim after Tyler finished performing OKRA, “He’s just doin’ whatever and that’s great.”

“Igor,” which was released in May, was the artist’s sixth studio album and his first to become number one in the U.S. The album is completely written, produced and arranged by Tyler, the Creator himself.

The night before the album’s release, Tyler posted a tweet, “Don’t go into this expecting a rap album. Don’t go into this expecting any album. Just go, jump into. I believe the first listen works best all the way through, no skips. Front to back. No distractions either” The album is an experience for each individual listener, to find their own favorite moments throughout the album. Taking a step back from heavy lyrical tracks, “Igor” takes a smoother approach with a string of varying instrumentals and carefully played out transitions in a medley from one song to another.

“Something about this one [album] was just a lot more fun to play,” an agreed comment from a group of boys wearing blond wigs referring to themselves as the Igors. “We’re always down for the heavier stuff, moshing is always fun but this is a good time.”

so it was a different ballpark completely,” said Kyle Williams, who plays the main character, Sabu.

“Being outside of your body and translating how you would move through the puppet … every emotion has to be amplified.”

Ebashi’s play started as a class project where she had to tell a story through a subject that wasn’t a human. Never thinking the story would ever be more than a stage reading, Wuthrich read the script and loved the concept.

Ebashi began creating new puppets out of wooden rods and air-dry clay. A grant from Theater Bay Area, a theater service

organization, helped turn a barebones production into a full play.

The grant allowed them to give their cast a stipend for their work and add more props to the performance.

“I thought it was incredible, when I did this as a fringe piece at San Francisco State,” said Jessica Ryning, an SF State alumna and former member of the original cast. “I was a part of it as one of the puppeteers so it’s really incredible to see it become a fully actualized performance. It’s so beautiful to see it grow so so much.”

Poetry piece Xpress is publishing creative submissions of art, poetry and photography. Email ggxnewsroom@gmail.com.

El Renacimiento Tu rostro amanece, dorado y distinto de la Alba, como una de las sirenas perdidas de la antiguedad.

The sparks, which you customarily paint

upon your noble cheekbones, glimmer with a gradually growing Violet. The Sun’s clear waves flow through the trees and over the tops of the sleeping hills to caress you with a warm silence.

En todos los artificios, colores, y sentidos

de la Madrugada habia sobre todo un sentimiento de renacimiento que calenta la me-

GOLDEN GATE XPRESS EDITORIAL STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Carly Wipf cwipf@mail.sfsu.edu

PRINT MANAGING EDITOR Frank Sumrall fsumrall@mail.sfsu.edu ONLINE MANAGING AND SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Sahar Swaleh sswaleh@mail.sfsu.edu ART DIRECTOR Paisley Trent ptrent@mail.sfsu.edu CITY NEWS EDITOR David Mamaril Horowitz dhorowitz@mail.sfsu.edu CAMPUS NEWS EDITORS MJ Johnson mjohnson23@mail.sfsu.edu Paisley Trent ptrent@mail.sfsu.edu OPINION EDITOR Andrew R. Leal aleal@mail.sfsu.edu SPORTS EDITORS Jimmy DeRogatis jderogatis@mail.sfsu.edu Robert Juarez rjuarez1@mail.sfsu.edu PHOTO EDITOR William Wendelman wwendelman@mail.sfsu.edu

XPRESS ADVISERS PRINT ADVISER Gary Moskowitz gmoskowitz@sfsu.edu MULTIMEDIA ADVISER Sachi Cunningham sachic@sfsu.edu PHOTO ADVISER Kim Komenich komenich@sfsu.edu

dulla de mi huesos con ternura.

Sin Embargo, en tus ojos almendrados, vi el

mismo dolor de siempre.

@ggxnews @ggxnews

BY PAUL C. KELLY CREATIVE CONTRIBUTOR

Our website, goldengatexpress.org is temporarily down. Staff is working to resolve the issue.

10/14/19 9:47 PM

SPORTS•7

GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG | TUESDAY, OCT. 15, 2019

Oakland A’s in deadlock Cross country teams discussing relocation finish in top three

BY KERASA DIMITRIOS TSOKAS STAFF REPORTER

M

ajor League Baseball commissioner Robert Manfred told Oakland officials earlier this month that unless the city drops its lawsuit, the Oakland A’s might have to relocate. The lawsuit, issued Sept. 27, prevents Alameda county from selling its half of the Coliseum ownership.

The A’s are offering $85 million for the county’s ownership rights.

Relocation will leave Oakland with no professional sports teams, which is a first for the city since the early 1940s. The city even hosted an NHL team, the Oakland Seals, from 1967-1976.

Having no sports team in “the town” risks economical problems. However, there is a better chance that thousands of homeless people will receive housing if the team does leave.

The city’s main problem is if Alameda sells their half of the Coliseum, they will be violating the Surplus Lands Act. The state law prioritizes affordable housing when there is selling or leasing of land from cities, counties and local agencies.

The lawsuit and deal go into effect after the 2020 season, leaving the city of Oakland to still be considered the disregarded middle child.

Research conducted by EveryOne Home, a collective effort to end homelessness in Alameda County, found that 51% of homelessness in the county is from Oakland.

If the city bails on the lawsuit, Alameda will sell its half to the A’s. Eventually, the city will follow and before we know it, a

BY ROBERT JUAREZ SPORTS EDITOR

155-acre site at Howard Terminal—that could’ve been given to the city’s eight thousand homeless people — will become a privately owned, privately operated ballpark.

Even if the city does decide to stay true to its suit and push for better living situations for the people of Oakland, not much will change.

The government will always find ways to get money and build new structures they want. Something that isn’t guaranteed though is if the people of Oakland and Alameda county will get the affordable housing promised.

EveryOne Home’s research shows that there is a 43% increase in homelessness within Alameda county from 2017 to 2019.

Even while the A’s were in Oakland, any possible money the city received from the team wasn’t used effectively for the people of Oakland.

Without the Warriors, A’s and Raiders, there will be plenty of money and space for Oakland to house their homeless residents and give the residents who have grown up in the city to continue to live in it without having to leave.

Whatever the outcome might be with the lawsuit, unless the people of Oakland are the main priority for the city and county when they make decisions, nothing will change.

The next court hearing is on Nov. 14 where we will see if the city changes its stance on selling the Coliseum land.

S

weat-drenched runners hustled through the humidity Oct. 11 at Golden Gate Park’s Speedway Meadow as the men’s and women’s Cross Country teams raced the competition at the SF State Invitational.

The women’s team placed well enough to earn a third-place finish behind firstplace Fresno Pacific and second-place Notre Dame de Namur, with senior Diani Ellis leading the pack of four Gators to finish in the top 25 of the women’s 5K run.

Ellis finished with a time of 23:03.9, and said that though the heat was an unforeseen challenge, she knew it was important to push through for the team.

“I’m from SoCal, so I should be used to the heat, but that was hot Ellis said. “I just know that most of them are depending on me, I’m something like a ringleader for this team.”

Ellis also finished first in last month’s Capital Cross Challenge in Sacramento, and Tom Lyons, Director of Track & Field and Cross Country, recognizes Ellis as a leader of the women’s team.

“She’s been our top runner since she got here last year, and this year for the most part,” Lyons said. “She’s so experienced, she knows what she wants to do at conference and at regionals and she knows how to practice for that.”

The men’s team also finished within the top three, earning second place only behind Biola University, with redshirt-ju-

nior Carlos Gonzalez (33:48.9) and redshirt-senior Austin Sanchez (33:51.5) being the first Gators to finish the men’s 10K run.

While Gonzalez and Sanchez both led the way for the Gators, their teammate who finished three minutes after them is the heart and soul of the team, according to Gonzalez.

“Feels awesome when your peers and your teammates understand how much you care about the team even though you’re not finishing first, and when the fastest guy, Carlos, can say that about you, that means a lot,” said grad student Austin Magin, who has struggled to participate after injuries have slowed him down during the start of the season.

Magin’s most recent setback was a foot injury that happened an estimated two months ago, and Magin has only gotten back on his feet about three weeks prior to Saturday’s race.

“Ever since he got on campus, he’s been a huge part of the team,” Lyons said.

“The spirit and the mentality that he has is amazing. He thinks about everybody else way before himself.”

Magin and the rest of the men’s team, along with the women’s, will be back on the race track Oct. 26, for the CCAA Cross Country Championships in Arcata, California.

Wrestling season is upon us

Alex Felix pulls Elias Rosales body in the air to slam him onto the ground as the San Francisco State Gators host its 44th Annual Purple and Gold Scrimmage at the Main Gym at Don Nasser Family Plaza on Saturday, Oct. 12. (Photo by Kameron Hall / Golden Gate Xpress)

BY JIMMY DEROGATIS SPORTS EDITOR

M

any of SF State’s great wrestlers that have walked through the school’s wrestling program gathered at an alumni wrestling ceremony including some canvas combat between the current 2019 Gators wrestling team.

The wrestling team hosted the 44th annual Purple and Gold Scrimmage on Oct. 12 at the main gymnasium at the Don Nasser Family Plaza. Following the reception dinner ceremony honoring the team’s All-Americans and the 1997 squad that won the Division II championship title,

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the night was filled with great stories and light hors d’oeuvres with a welcome from the coaching staff.

On this year’s team, some of SF State’s stars to watch are transfer students redshirt freshman Alex Felix from Ohio State and redshirt junior Kevin Mulligan coming out of a big-time wrestling program at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Gators’ stand out senior Thomas Turcol and redshirt sophomore Andrew Herrera are also returning.

Sophomore Mason Boutain made some great finesse moves in his matches, breaking down his opponents with his flexibility and tremendous upper body strength. Boutain plays an exceptional style of wrestling known as “Iowa

Style.” Coined by the Dan Gable-led Iowa Hawkeyes wrestling glory days, the strategy is to outwork other opponents, attack and use superior conditioning to break and wear down opponents. Although ultimately overpowered in his final match, Mason looks to be a steady rock for the Gators team this year.

It was a night where fans, parents, student-athletes, alumni and donors all came out to reminisce with former teammates, hear from head coach Jason Welch and his coaching staff and watch an exhilarating Gators wrestling team scrimmage.

10/14/19 9:47 PM

8•OPINION

TUESDAY, OCT. 15 2019 | GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

Gorsuch vote may determine if Title VII protections include sexual orientation and gender identity

BY SAM MOORE STAFF REPORTER

T

he U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Oct. 8 on whether Title VII, applies to workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the cases Bostock v. Clayton County and R.G. and G.R. Harris Funeral Homes, Inc. v. EEOC. In a two-hour long session, justices heard and questioned the lawyers’ arguments from the two cases, one involving two men who were fired from their jobs after coming out as gay and the other involving a transgender woman who was fired after informing her boss of her intent to transition.

The ideological squabble that ensued not only kicked off the most impactful LGBTQ+ civil rights case in the U.S. to date, but also painted a picture of how harmful misperceptions toward sexual and gender minorities can manifest as laws and policies. As a trans person, this is not a picture I enjoy looking at.

Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 Supreme Court case that resulted in nationwide marriage equality, is hailed by many as the end-all of LGBTQ+ civil rights cases. The results of the cases heard last week, however, will have a much wider scope of impact — one that covers all LGBT+ people, not just those who plan on marrying a partner of the same gender.

“It seems likely the court will conclude that discrimination based on sex, as the statute describes it, includes discrimination against people who are gay or transgender,” Dwight Holton, former U.S. Attorney for the state of Oregon said.

“This should mean sweeping protection for people in the LGBTQ community.”

The decisions on the cases won’t be announced until the end of June 2020.

Though opinions of the justices appeared to be more or less evenly split, it seems possible that the outcome may hinge on conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch, who was appointed by President Trump.

Gorsuch suggested multiple times that the wording of Title VII may already encompass protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and transgender status. It was, he said, “really close, really close.”

“Because it’s just a statute, it doesn’t have the same force as a constitutional decision,” Holton said, “but the application of federal law is pretty broad, so this should affect the vast majority of em-

LGBTQ+ employment discrinimation protections by state created. (Graphic made by Sam Moore / Golden Gate Xpress)

ployers. And I see a zero percent chance that Congress would act to reverse a decision by the Court concluding that Title VII extends to protection for LGBTQ employees.”

Currently, there are 12 states that don’t offer any protection against employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Anti-discrimination laws upheld by some states cover sexual orientation but not gender identity, or vice versa, and many states have exemptions in place which limit how far these laws can extend.

Title VII protections would offer LGBTQ+ people security in places without anti-discrimination laws applicable to them.

Aimee Stephens, the Respondent from R.G. and G.R. Harris Funeral Homes, Inc. v. EEOC, was fired from her six-year job at a funeral home after coming out to her boss as a trans woman.

“Stephens’ case serves as a prime example of the ongoing and everyday violence that is inflicted on transgender people,” Juniperangelica Cordova, the senior organizer of TRUTH, a leadership program for trans youth run by the Transgender Law Center said. “The fact that her case is about em-

ployment underlines how even when trans people attempt to support ourselves and become self-sustained, there are countless ways that this government allows obstacles to be thrown our way.”

When there are no laws in place preventing anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination in the workplace, Cordova said, people often have to choose between enduring a harmful work environment or risking the dangerous consequences that come with unemployment.

“I’ve witnessed and experienced multiple instances of anti-trans actions that create a hostile workplace and lead to a lack of confidence or a fear for one’s safety,” she added.

Twenty transgender people in the U.S. have been murdered this year, 19 of whom were black transgender women. Violence impacts our communities at every level, and gets worse at the intersections of marginalized identities surrounding race, gender, and economic status. This means it’s crucial that LGBTQ+ people are able to access the security of employment without fear of discrimination.

Of course, this is not what conservative

justices were concerned with last Tuesday.

What worried them more were the issues of trans people’s participation in sports, dress codes, and, of course, bathrooms — topics that have nothing to do with the cases at hand but everything to do with the right wing’s stubborn animosity toward anyone who challenges traditional notions of gender and sexuality.

“You’re trying to change the meaning of what Congress understood sex to mean and what everybody understood,” Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. said to a lawyer representing the two Petitioners from Bostock v. Clayton County and R.G. He said that if the Court interprets the 1964 statue to apply to discrimination based on sexual orientation, it “will be acting exactly like a legislature.”

At one point, Gorsuch advised justices to consider the “massive social upheaval” that would follow a ruling in the workers’ favor.

Job security brings with it the securities of housing, healthcare, and economic stability — factors that, for many LGBTQ+ people, can be matters of life or death. With this in mind, it seems that a massive social upheaval might be exactly what we need.

Let’s respect and support youth activists

BY ARIANNE ARCIAGA STAFF REPORTER

G

reta Thunberg, 16, was nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, losing to Abiy Ahmed Ali. However, the work that Thunberg accomplished did not go unnoticed. Her speech to the world leaders at the United Nations Climate Action Summit, on Sept. 23, caught the attention of people around the world.

Turn on the TV and you’ll see Emma Gonzalez speaking at an anti-gun rally saying, “it’s time to start doing something,” Malala Yousafzai preaching at the Youth Takeover of the United Nations about prioritizing education, or Thunberg talking about the harms of the world’s current health state.

News outlets such as CNN, Fox News and KQED reported on young activists showing viewers that the next generation who are trying to help change the world.

But, baby boomers and Generation X consistently talk down to younger generations about their involvement with politics as they criticize young people’s political stances.

After Thunberg’s speech, she received both praise and criticism. At an energy

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forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin called Thunberg a “kind, but poorly informed teenager.” Political commentator Michael Knowles said that Thunberg is a “mentally ill Swedish child that is being exploited by her parents.” Knowles later apologized for his comment.

Millennials and Gen Z should not be judged for wanting to be a part of political, social, and economical conversations.

They are allowed to speak their minds about issues and controversial topics. Older generations should not be criticizing but praising the political involvement of younger generations who will ultimately shape the future. “[The youth] should be involved because it’s their lives. They are going to be around longer than older generations,” Komal Krystal Prasad, a political science major and vice president of events for the political science student association (PSSA) said.

Social media plays a big role as to why young people are more involved in these conversations. Different apps give young people the tools to engage with the issues

that are happening in the world. The youth is more informed now than ever before.

“Because of my work with children I believe that children and youth have the ability to think about the world in different ways,” Mariana Ferreira, a professor for the School of Humanities in Liberal Studies and The College of Liberal and Creative Arts said. “And that sometimes does not coincide with what adults think.”

Alyscia Richards, the President of the PSSA states that politics in general are hard to ignore and it’s hard not to be drawn into being a part of different political topics and not participate. Richards says that critiques from baby boomers are directed towards millennials portraying them as too involved in social media.

“Social media is a powerful tool,” Richards said. “The way they use technology to connect and do digital activism are new tools that are potential game changers.

Young people are in a position to use these technologies to change politics.”

Prasad said youth activism was always active and criticized by the older generation. Prasad said that every generation has

a problem with the next generation.

Many youth activists have risen to the occasion of speaking out during challenging times: Parkland students organized, the March For Our Lives movement, in order to continue the conversation for anti-guns and to encourage people to vote. Malala Yousafzai founded, Malala Fund, an organization that helps young girls to get an education. Jazz Jennings has a series on TLC, “I am Jazz,” that helps trans kids and teens cope with transitioning and the hardships that accompany it.

Thunberg and many other youth activists do not deserve that criticism they receive.

They are going to be the future leaders of the world and the ones to shape the world and their country. It’s important for them to be involved with these political issues now to understand what is going on with the world rather than later.

“I learned to listen to them and take into consideration what they are saying,” Ferreira said. “Even if it sounds far fetched and I have learned to consider what they are saying because I have changed my life.

I respect their ideas immensely.”

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