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

Vol. 54 • No. 18 • May 2-8, 2024

CUAV helps LGBTQ survivors work through tough times by John Ferrannini

Courtesy Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza

Honey Mahogany is the new executive director of the San Francisco Office of Transgender Initiatives.

Mahogany tapped to lead SF trans initiatives office by John Ferrannini

trans person who was once passed over by Mayor London Breed for an open supervisor seat will now join her administration as leader of the San Francisco Office of Transgender Initiatives. The office is also being brought under the auspices of the city’s department in charge of human rights issues. Breed announced Thursday she’s appointing See page 10 >>

hen Alex’s 12-year-old child came to them and said they’d discovered child pornography on their soon-to-be-exhusband’s electronic device, the trans and queer parent didn’t know where to turn. “I had him out the next day, because I’m a strong and determined person,” Alex, who asked that that name be used and declined to give their last name, told the Bay Area Reporter in a phone interview. “Trying to find anti-violence services – nobody had been physically hurt – there were not a lot of services available,” said Alex, who lives in San Francisco. “He [the ex-partner] is a child sexual assault survivor himself, and while I had to get him out and get my child safe, I still had a lot of empathy for him. CUAV was a place I could come to talk to about this.” CUAV, or Community United Against Violence, is a Mission neighborhood-based nonprofit that addresses homophobic and transphobic violence. Alex showed up at a support group held on Tuesdays. “I don’t remember how I found them – it was days of calling, going in circles and trying to find someone who could help,” Alex said of discovering the organization. “I just knew if I could find someone to help me, I could find a way to help [their child] as well.”

John Ferrannini

Pablo Espinoza, the executive director of Community Against Violence, is working to add capacity to the longtime San Francisco nonprofit.

Showing up at Take Care Tuesdays “was an outof-body experience,” Alex said. “I was so confused,” Alex added. “I couldn’t relate to people laughing and smiling around me.” But as the session continued, Alex realized it was structured so that people’s traumas could come out “in a more measured way.” At one point, they were flummoxed by the book title “Rest is Resistance.” “Are you kidding me?” Alex said. “All I could do was worry about this.”

But as time went on, it became clear to Alex that some things just didn’t have adequate answers. CUAV is hoping to bring on more staff now that it has been a recipient of state and local grants. As the B.A.R. previously reported, these include $750,000 that came from the Stop the Hate campaign of the California Department of Social Services, and a three-year, $420,000 grant to provide trauma-informed services to victims and witnesses of crime from the San Francisco District Attorney’s office. “We’re hoping to hire maybe one to two more people,” Pablo Espinoza, a trans man who is the executive director of CUAV, said in a recent interview. “These grants are cyclical, so we are hoping for a renewed cycle of the grants. We’ll definitely be doing work with the grants in the next couple years – more courses, support groups, and trainings – and when the time comes to reapply for the money, we’ll hopefully be first in line.” CUAV has already recently hired a new peer advocate and outreach coordinator, bringing its permanent staff to five. Another position opening up is to be a co-executive director alongside Espinoza, he confirmed.

LGBTQ nonprofits make the case for Give OUT generosity 2017 0 DayMedia a Kit by John Ferrannini

Courtesy Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza

A rendering of a remodeled Harvey Milk Plaza shows a rose-colored canopy above the escalator and stairs leading to the Muni subway.

Breed’s bond measure includes $25M for Milk plaza by Matthew S. Bajko

s part of a $360 million bond measure she wants to put before voters in November, San Francisco Mayor London Breed is carving out $25 million for the project to reimagine Harvey Milk Plaza in the city’s Castro district. If passed, it will move the project significantly closer to the $35 million proponents need to raise before construction on it can begin. See page 2 >>

See page 10 >>

Horizons’ website hosts a list of 385 participating nonprofits. The site allows one-time or monthly donaGBTQ community nonprofits are maktions for each. ing the case for why they are worthy reAmor Para Todos , which means “Love for cipients of donations through Horizons all,” is based in Petaluma and is participating in Foundation’s Give OUT Day, which started the fundraiser. Founded in 2019 by Renee Ho, May 1 and wraps up May 30. Last year, some The Los Angeles Blade covers Los Angeles and California news, a straight ally, the organization seeks to serve $1.2 million was raised, according to the founpolitics, opinion, arts and entertainment and features national LGBTQIA+ youthand in Sonoma County. dation. international “If folksreporting need any motivation to donate, it’s Give OUT Day started in 2013 and was run coverage from the Blade’s award-winning because ourAngeles work is life-saving,” Ho said in a for several years by Bolder Giving.Be Horizons team. part of this exciting publication serving LGBT Los phone interview with the B.A.R. “We do an took over the event in 2016from and later expanded the team behind the Washington Blade, the nation’s ﬁrst LGBT inclusive curriculum for schools, eleit from its initial 24-hour cycle to a monthFrom as newspaper. the freeway to the Beltway we’ve got yougender covered. mentary-based. We advocate for inclusive sex a way to increase giving to nonprofits. While education. We also have Amor Para Todos stuHorizons is based in San Francisco, Give OUT Courtesy Renee Ho dent clubs. We have 20 now and the majority Day has always been a national endeavor and Renee Ho, founder of Amor Para Todos in of those are for elementary schools. We’ve also remains so. It includes participating nonprofPetaluma, spoke at last year’s Give OUT designed gender restroom signage that’s interits from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Day finale event. sectional and not binary.” Puerto Rico. Ho said that Amor Para Todos hosts a RainThis year, as the Bay Area Reporter previOUT Day are the backbone of our commubow Awareness Art Project to highlight the ously reported, it was decided to move Give nities,” Roger Doughty, a gay man who is the need for representation. OUT Day to May rather than hold it during president of Horizons, told the B.A.R. in a “It’s important for one to see themselves,” Ho Pride Month in June. Horizons officials noted phone interview. “They’re often the organizasaid. “We use art, imagery, and books. We have in a statement earlier this year that many orgations that are closest to the ground, that do the a raise-to-save campaign, so we’ve purchased nizations have fundraising campaigns of their work to take care of and advocate for our comhundreds of Pride flags for different school own in June and the back-to-back events limitmunity every day, and this year in particular, districts, businesses, and we’ve helped advance ed creativity and flexibility. Most of those who with the stakes as high as we all know, giving and broaden Pride flag resolutions in school responded to a survey expressed a preference through this unique national day for LGBTQ districts. ... We advocated and funded the first for May, Horizons’ statement read. giving is more important than ever.” “The organizations that participate in Give See page 8 >>

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