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Serving the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities since 1971
Vol. 43 • No. 49 • December 5-11, 2013
Honda sees Milk recalled 35 years later SF shooting suspect chance for remains ENDA yet at large by Matthew S. Bajko
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espite the House leadership’s refusal to bring it up for a vote, a federal bill banning LGBT workplace discrimination isn’t dead yet in the eyes of a South Bay congressman. Cynthia Laird In an editorial Rep. Mike Honda board meeting last week with the Bay Area Reporter, Congressman Mike Honda (D-Campbell) said he remains hopeful about seeing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act pass out of the House prior to the midterm elections of 2014. “I don’t think it is a lost cause,” said Honda. “I have some hopes it could pass but it is not going to pass without some work.” Early last month the Senate passed the long stalled pro-LGBT legislation on a vote of 64-32, which Honda described as an “eyebrow raising surprise.” The first time the Senate voted in 1996, it failed to pass ENDA on a vote of 49-50. The legislation, which President Barack Obama has repeatedly pledged to sign into law, prohibits most employers with more than 15 employees from taking adverse employment actions against staffers or job applicants based on “sexual orientation” and “gender identity.” It does include exemptions for some employers based on the degree to which they are involved in religious activities. The bill is not as comprehensive as the original legislation introduced by the late Representative Bella Abzug in 1974. According to the Human Rights Campaign’s website, the legislation now known as ENDA was first introduced in 1994 and has been revised and reintroduced over the ensuing decades. The House adopted ENDA in 2007, but like the Senate version passed more than a decade earlier, it did not include gender identity and prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation only. After the Democratic-controlled House, led by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (DSan Francisco), faced heated criticisms from transgender leaders and their allies for omitting gender-based protections, congressional leaders have sought to pass a fully inclusive version of ENDA. According to new research released in mid-November from UCLA’s Williams Institute, a majority of Americans in every U.S. congressional district support laws that protect against employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation such as ENDA. (The LGBT think tank reported there is no
See page 9 >>
by Seth Hemmelgarn
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Peter Thoshinsky
A
drian Babbet holds an image of slain Supervisor Harvey Milk during the November 27 vigil in Harvey Milk Plaza that commemorated the 25th anniversary of Milk’s murder, along with the kill-
ing of then-Mayor George Moscone. The vigil, organized by local activists, put the spotlight on housing issues. For more on that candlelight vigil, along with a remembrance at City Hall, see story, page 6.
an Francisco police are still looking for the man suspected of fatally shooting Melquiesha “Mel” Warren, 23, outside a gay South of Market nightclub almost three weeks ago. Shortly after the inCourtesy SFPD cident, which occurred near Club OMG, 43 Michael Sione Sixth Street, police an- Green nounced they were looking for Michael Sione Green, 23, as the man who allegedly shot Warren and another woman. Green, whom police described as “extremely dangerous,” was last seen wearing a beard and long hair past his shoulders and has been described as Tongan. Superior Court records in San Mateo County, See page 21 >>
Bayview couple faces eviction
by Seth Hemmelgarn
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couple living in San Francisco’s Bayview district is facing eviction from their home after the landlord said he wanted to move in, and then raised the rent $1,000. Their struggle highlights the fact that while much attention has been paid to apartment dwellers facing evictions, people in single-family homes may experience similar problems. Jeffery Lactaoen, 48, and Robert Brownstein, 44, who are domestic partners, received a 30-day notice to terminate tenancy August 30 in which landlord Shazhad Ahmed said his wife was coming from India and they planned to live in the home, which is in the 1100 block of Mendell Street. Ahmed’s brother Shazid Ahmed is also the couple’s landlord and signed the notice as well. Lactaoen, who’s living with HIV and is disabled, said he rejected the letter because it should have allowed for 60 days, rather than 30, and the notice didn’t mention relocation expenses, which are legally required. The Ahmeds rescinded the termination notice in a September 10 letter, saying, “Your tenancy remains in good standing.” However, the couple then received a September 18 notice from Daniel Bornstein, the Ahmeds’ attorney, that as of December 1 their rent would increase from $2,200 to $3,200 a month. The couple thinks the Ahmeds are retaliat-
Seth Hemmelgarn
Jeffery Lactaoen, left, and his partner, Robert Brownstein, holding Scruffy, hope to remain in their Bayview home.
ing because Lactaoen asserted his and Brownstein’s rights, and raising the rent in order to circumvent eviction laws and avoid paying relocation funds. The property is not covered by rent control laws. “I guess my landlord has found a way around having to pay us relocation costs and forcing us out by us not being able to pay that high of a rent,” said Lactaoen. Legal limits on rent increases don’t ap-
ply since it’s a single-family home. Lactaoen acknowledged the three bedroom house “is probably worth a lot more than $2,200” per month. Neither Shazhad Ahmed nor Bornstein responded to interview requests. Lactaoen noted there’s been heavy media coverage of people being evicted from their apartments in recent months as landlords seek to exploit the city’s tech boom to get higher rents or sell properties to developers. However, there’s been little about people having to leave single-family homes. “I get the impression a lot of people don’t want to pursue” working to keep their homes in these situations, said Brownstein, but “we urge other people to not back down.” The couple has been working with agencies including the San Francisco Rent Board, the San Francisco Tenants Union, and AIDS Legal Referral Panel to try to stay in the home, which they share with a dog and two cats. The onestory house has hardwood floors and walls covered with artwork and photos of friends. Lactaoen and Brownstein filed an “alleged wrongful eviction” report with the rent board November 22. On November 25, the agency issued a notice that it had received the report. The Ahmeds had seven days to respond to the rent board’s receipt notice. As of Tuesday, December 3, both Lactaoen and a rent board staffer said that neither the Ahmeds nor BornSee page 22 >>
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