DJ's giving back to Oakland
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Drag King Contest
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'Save the seats!'
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Bodies, Bodies, Bodies
The
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Serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities since 1971
Vol. 52 • No. 33 • August 18-24, 2022
SF Latino gay men are hard hit by monkeypox outbreak by Liz Highleyman Courtesy Governor’s Office
Alameda County Superior Court Judge Kelli Evans was nominated to be an associate justice on the California Supreme Court.
Newsom names 1st queer female judge to CA Supreme Court
by Matthew S. Bajko
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overnor Gavin Newsom has nominated queer Alameda County Superior Court Judge Kelli Evans to the state’s Supreme Court. If confirmed, she will be the first out LGBTQ woman and second out African American to serve on it. A Black married mother, Evans would double out representation on the state’s highest court, as Newsom in 2020 named Martin J. Jenkins, a gay Black man, as an associate justice. He was confirmed November 10 that year. Newsom had appointed Evans to the superior court in the East Bay last year. Evans and her wife, Terri Shaw, have a daughter in college and live in Oakland. Wednesday, August 10, Newsom announced his nomination of Evans to serve as an associate justice on the California Supreme Court to fill the vacancy being created by his elevating Supreme Court Associate Justice Patricia Guerrero to be its next chief justice. Guerrero is set to succeed Chief Justice Tani CantilSakauye, who is retiring when her current term of office ends January 2. A first-generation Californian, Guerrero was the first Latina to serve on the California Supreme Court and, if confirmed, will be the first Latina to serve as its chief justice. Curiously, Newsom’s announcement of the dual judicial picks made no mention of the historic significance of Evans being the first out LGBTQ female jurist to likely serve on the state’s highest bench. In praising Evans, Newsom noted her lifelong dedication “to helping all Californians” access justice equally. “Raised by her grandmother in public housing, Judge Evans was inspired from a young age to find ways to help expand justice and opportunity for everyone, especially marginalized and vulnerable communities,” stated Newsom. “I have seen firsthand her commitment to the highest ideals of public service, and her passion to protect and advance civil rights and liberties for all Californians. I have no doubt that her exemplary talent, wide-ranging knowledge and experience, strong moral compass, and work ethic will make her an outstanding Supreme Court justice.” In the statement released by the governor’s office, Evans said she was “truly honored” by the opportunity to serve on the state’s highest court. See page 14 >>
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atino gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men account for nearly 30% of monkeypox cases in San Francisco, almost twice their share of the population, according to the latest data from the San Francisco Department of Public Health. In Santa Clara County, Latinos make up more than 40% of cases. This disparity is also reflected in nationwide numbers, as more than half of people with monkeypox in the United States are now Black or Latino. The shift toward gay and bisexual men of color increasingly mirrors long-standing inequities in the U.S. HIV epidemic. “The question we should be asking is why our system continues to fail our vulnerable communities,” Jorge Roman, director of clinical services at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, told the Bay Area Reporter. “If our systems do not use equity as the lens to respond to health crises, we should not be surprised when they disproportionately affect BIPOC (Black, indigenous and people of color) individuals.” As of August 16, DPH has reported 600 monkeypox cases in San Francisco. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified 12,689 cases in the United States and more than 38,000 cases worldwide, mostly in countries outside of Central and West Africa. While anyone can get monkeypox through close physical contact, cases remain overwhelmingly concentrated among gay, bisexual, transgender, and other men who have sex with men. A new report from the CDC shows that 99% of cases with available data were among men, and 94% reported sex or other close intimate contact with other men. SFAF and the Getting to Zero Consortium will hold a second monkeypox community town hall Tuesday, August 23. (More info below.) The current monkeypox outbreak was first reported in May in the United Kingdom, with
Liz Highleyman
Jorge Roman is director of clinical services at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
cases soon appearing in major cities in Europe, Canada, and the United States. While many of these early cases were among white men who reported international travel, the picture has since shifted. The latest demographic breakdown from DPH shows that among cases with available data, 46% are white, 28% are Latino, 10% are Asian, 5% are Black, and 6% are multiracial or other. For comparison, the city’s population is 40% white, 15% Latino, 35% Asian or Pacific Islander, 5% Black, and 7% multiracial. Santa Clara County is now reporting 100 monkeypox cases. In late July, when case numbers were lower, health officials released a breakdown showing that 41% of cases were among Latinos, who make up 26% of the county’s population. Alameda County, as of August 10, had 117 confirmed cases. No racial breakdown was available. In contrast, in Los Angeles County, with 962 reported cases, 37% are Latino, 35% are white, and 11% are Black. The county’s population is 49% Latino, 25% white, and 9% Black, so while Latinos account for the largest percentage of cases, it falls below their share of the population.
Statewide, California has identified 1,945 monkeypox cases as of August 11. Among those with available data, 40% are white, 38% are Latino, 11% are Black, and 7% are Asian. The state’s population is 35% white, 40% Latino, 7% Black and 16% Asian or Pacific Islander, so white people are somewhat overrepresented, Asians are underrepresented, and Latinos are about on par with their population percentage. Turning to the national numbers, the CDC had received case reports with demographic data for just 1,195 of the 2,891 cases identified through July 22, highlighting major gaps in state reporting. Of the cases with available data, 41% were white, 28% were Latino and 26% were Black. For comparison, the U.S. population is 59% white, 19% Latino, and 14% Black. The CDC report may actually understate these disparities, as some jurisdictions with greater racial and ethnic diversity have not submitted demographic data and the proportion of cases among Black people has risen in recent weeks. The national monkeypox public health emergency announced August 4 could encourage more states to share data with the CDC. “This public health emergency will allow us to explore additional strategies to get vaccines and treatments more quickly to impacted communities, and it will allow us to get more data from jurisdictions so we can effectively track and attack this outbreak,” new national monkeypox response coordinator Bob Fenton told reporters during a media briefing.
Equitable vaccine distribution
Elsewhere in the country, some of the greatest monkeypox disparities are seen in the South. In Georgia, which now has 1,013 cases, 82% of cases with available data are Black, according to an August 8 provider webinar. What’s more, 67% are living with HIV. See page 7 >>
Castro merchants demand beds for unhoused residents in letter to SF officials by Eric Burkett
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letter decrying the increasingly difficult circumstances under which small businesses in the Castro find themselves struggling has been emailed to various city officials, including Mayor London Breed. In it, the group demanded that 35 beds in the city’s unhoused system be designated for unhoused people in the Castro and offered other suggestions. David Karraker, co-president of the Castro Merchants Association that sent the letter, told the Bay Area Reporter the situation has become untenable. “We’ve reached a point where people feel like they can’t run a successful business in the Castro with this kind of barrier,” he said, adding that civil disobedience may be business owners’ only solution if the city doesn’t act. Castro merchants could begin withholding the fees they pay to the city until they see action, he said. Dated August 8, the email reminds officials of the numerous efforts the group has made over the years to get help from city leaders and that the neighborhood be made “a priority area for services, given its stature as one of the most visited (and photographed) neighborhoods in the city.” “For the past four years, we have sought city help to address the rising problem of people with behavioral health/substance use disorders
Rick Gerharter
In May 2020, tents appeared on narrow Prosper Street near the Harvey Milk Branch Library. The Castro Merchants Association wrote in a recent email to city officials that problems associated with unhoused residents in the LGBTQ neighborhood have become untenable.
taking up residence on our sidewalks, dramatically impacting the quality of life in our neighborhood and the ability to run a successful business,” the letter begins. Many of the people the letter describes are well known to the merchants and denizens of Castro Street and the surrounding area, and “this group of people regularly experiences psychotic episodes – screaming, acting out irrationally, vandalizing storefronts. They need
shelter and/or services and they need them immediately,” the message continued. The email was addressed not only to Breed, but to gay San Francisco Department of Public Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax and top DPH staffer Hillary Kunins; Police Chief William Scott; City Attorney David Chiu and Director of Executive Affairs for the City Attorney Luis Zamora; bi Department of Homelessness and See page 15 >>