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Serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities since 1971

Vol. 52 • No. 48 • December 1-7, 2022

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The U.S. Senate gave ﬁnal passage to the marriage bill November 29.

Courtesy the campaigns

Alameda school board member-elect Ryan LaLonde, left, and Oakland school board member-elect Nick Resnick, left, will take office in January.

Senate gives final passage to Respect for Marriage Act

Christopher Robledo

Holiday spirit shines in Castro

by Cynthia Laird

he U.S. Senate on Tuesday gave final passage to the Respect for Marriage Act, sending the bill back to the House of Representatives for a vote before it goes to President Joe Biden, who has said he will sign it. It will enshrine in federal law a right to same-sex marriage and interracial marriage. The 61-36 vote included all 49 Democratic senators present and 12 Republicans. The lone Democratic senator absent was Raphael Warnock (D-Georgia), who is a co-sponsor but was in his home state where he faces a runoff next week against Republican Herschel Walker, according to Equality California, the state’s LGBTQ rights organization. The Senate bill contains an amendment to include protections for religious liberty. The House previously passed the bill without the amendment back in July on a bipartisan 267-157 vote. House members now need to have a concurrence vote before the bill can be sent to Biden. Specifically, the Respect for Marriage Act will repeal the discriminatory “Defense of Marriage Act” that was passed in 1996 but had key provisions struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013 (Section 3, U.S. v. Windsor) and 2015 (Section 2, Obergefell v. Hodges). Not only does it require federal recognition of same-sex and interracial marriages nationwide but also mandates states must recognize such unions performed in other states. LGBTQ leaders praised the Senate action. “This vote is an affirmation that the United States will stand up and protect the freedom for all Americans to marry the person they love,” stated Tony Hoang, EQCA executive director. “And it’s a reflection of the fact that for the overwhelming majority of Americans – across political parties, backgrounds and in every corner of the country – the debate over marriage equality is settled.” Biden indicated his strong support in a statement. See page 14 >>

ayor London Breed, center, greeted visitors who attended the annual Castro Holiday Tree lighting ceremony at Bank of America Plaza at Castro and 18th streets Monday, November 28. Spearheaded by the Castro Merchants Association, the yuletide tradition in the city’s

by Matthew S. Bajko

wo out dads scored historic victories in the November 8 election by winning seats on their East Bay cities’ school boards, while two out Bay Area female education leaders also scored historic wins. See page 14 >>

Mayor-elect Thao vows to unite Oakland by Cynthia Laird

alking onto the steps of City Hall November 23 to Queen’s “We are the Champions,” Oakland Mayorelect Sheng Thao thanked those who voted for her and vowed to be a mayor for all residents – even if they supported another candidate during the hotly contested campaign. Thao, 37, will be the youngest mayor in Oakland’s history and its first Hmong mayor. A straight ally, Thao stood with the LGBTQ community during the mayoral campaign when another candidate participated in a transphobic photo shoot with a well-known transphobe, as the Bay Area Reporter previously reported. Thao, who currently represents District 4 on the Oakland City Council, will take office January 2. Thao told supporters and the media at her news conference that she thanked her main opponent, outgoing District 6 Councilmember Loren Taylor, for his concession phone call to her November 22. Taylor also held a news conference that day where he formally conceded the race. “He ran a strong campaign,” Thao said. For his part, Taylor congratulated Thao. “The results are in, and while we ran an extremely competitive race and received a large share of the vote count, we came up short,” Taylor stated in a November 22 release. “I’d like to formally congratulate Sheng Thao on her successful victory in the race to be Oakland’s next mayor.” The Oakland mayor’s race was one of the

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LGBTQ neighborhood kicked off the all-important holiday shopping season as businesses look to recover from the economic hardships brought about by the COVID pandemic. The evening featured the San Francisco Gay/Lesbian Marching Band (the city’s official band), political leaders, and Santa.

Out East Bay dads win school board seats

Cynthia Laird

Oakland Mayor-elect Sheng Thao spoke to the media and supporters at her ﬁrst news conference since winning the mayor’s race Wednesday, November 22, outside City Hall.

last local races to be called when the final votes were released November 21. On election night, November 8, Taylor emerged with the most first place votes and had a 33.07% lead to Thao’s 31.79%. But Oakland uses ranked choice voting and, as those results were tabulated, Thao began to cut into Taylor’s lead. With the final unofficial results, Thao won with 50.30% of the vote to Taylor’s 49.70%, a margin of 682 votes. Thao has quickly worked to unite the city. “To all Oaklanders who voted for another candidate, I will do anything I can to earn their

trust,” she said Wednesday. “I will be a mayor for all of Oakland.” She said she was excited to get to work as mayor in January. “I am also humble,” she added. Thao briefly recited her campaign stump speech, how she escaped an abusive relationship and was homeless and living in her car with her young son 16 years ago. Today, she lives with her partner, Andre Jones; son, Benedict; and daughter, Brooklyn. “So many people have held our hands and lifted us up,” she said. See page 2 >>

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