Four More Years!
November 15-28, 2012 | www.sfbaytimes.com
Using Our Vote for a Better Future By Glendon “Anna Conda” Hyde The election is over and we have piles of mail as a reminder of the cost. After all, we did just witness insane spending by people who “care” deeply about us. Every year my inner environmentalist goes out of her mind. No wonder we beat F into the ground and blame it for the deaths of baby seals. I love radical environmental ideas, but with the American public still sucking up plastics and gas, we are just a tad selfish to hear the message. Prop 35, which criminalizes associates of sex workers more than actually doing anything to protect legitimate workers and catch bad guys, was passed into legislation. This just shows that propositions are often a really bad way to have these conversations. People do not take the time to educate themselves and rhetoric can be very deceiving. As President of the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club, a chartered Democratic organization, I am exposed to all the players and playing of politics on a local level. Endorsements are a place where true colors are shown and players truly exert inf luence and manipulation. For the past two years, I have seen endorsement processes willfully manipulated by straight men to control an outcome in their favor. Even with the implementation of a new system of voting called score voting, which ranks each candidate and prevents stacking the club with voters to get the endorsement, we still had behind the scenes Tom foolery. Most candidates are people with integrity and we are lucky that many of them won. Nationally I knew what would happen all along. I mean come on. I was so certain when I went to bed early Romney was ahead and I was still sure he would not win. I am amazed that all the states did not go for Obama, but that fear slinging does have an effect. It is great to have new lesbian Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin. First ever. We re-elected local heroes Ammiano, Leno, Spier and Kaplan, as well as electing Phil Ting to Assembly. My focus this year as President of the Milk Club and as a not-so-secret socialist (I voted Green for President), was local elections, and there was plenty to concentrate on. Three men whom I support locally (David Chiu, David Campos and John Avalos) were basically no brainer races and/or running unopposed. I did do some Avalos and Campos parties this year, but it was hardly the focus in San Francisco politics. Congratulations to David Campos who won by the most votes of anyone running for Supervisor. (continued on page 18)
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Obama: “What Matters Above All Is the Love”
Editor’s Note: Before his historic election win earlier this month, President Barack Obama replied to a letter sent by 10-year-old Sophia Bailey Klugh. As you can read below, the young girl was bullied for having two dads. The reply, versions of which have gone to other children of gay parents, sheds light on the Obama administration’s stance concerning at least some LGBT issues. On pages 10 and 11, the Bay Times celebrates the administration’s impressive record for our community, but looks to the future on what needs to be done next.
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A Lavender Sweep for the Nation By Reese Aaron Isbell Twenty years ago, the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club led our community into historic “Lavender Sweeps,” as they were then named, in 1990 and 1994. Twenty years later, in 2012, we have had our first “National Lavender Sweep.” During the times of Harvey Milk in the 70’s and the AIDS crisis in the 80’s, the LGBT community of San Francisco began coming together like never before in history. We started coming out, speaking out, fighting against bigotry, and saving lives. From this organizing, our own LGBT power began to take hold on a citywide basis in San Francisco. In the 1990 & 1994 citywide election, these “Lavender Sweeps” elected numerous openly-LGBT candidates to citywide off ice on the Board of Supervisors, School Board, College Board and judgeships. These victories inspired and initiated the next two decades of growing strength of our own voting power and continued to bring about our own community’s activists becoming elected leaders for the City. Now in 2012, this “National Lavender Sweep” can inspire nationally. Consider these facts from the 2012 “National Lavender Sweep” election results: • The first openly LGBT candidate ever winning off ice to the United States Senate (Tammy Baldwin, WI) • The first openly LGBT candidate of color winning office to the United States House (Mark Takano, CA) • The first openly Transgender person ever elected to a seat in a state legislature • Seven openly LGBT House members from around the nation • Seven new openly LGBT officeholders in state legislatures where there were none before • Hundreds of LGBT candidates around the nation winning public offices in their communities In addition, we won four historic statewide initiatives for marriage equality. Further, we have a President, and a Democratic Party, who ran on, and won by, supporting our equal rights and having our community a welcomed and open part of the national coalition. (continued on page 3)