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Drag history
ARTS
This cider is Sincere
Pelosi to run again
ARTS
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Film forum
The
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Serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities since 1971
Vol. 53 • No. 37 • September 14-20, 2023
CA lawmakers send pro-LGBTQ school bills to governor by Matthew S. Bajko
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alifornia lawmakers have sent a number of proLGBTQ school bills to Governor Gavin Newsom to sign amid an assault on the rights of queer Jackson’s Facebook page and transgender Assemblymember students waged by Corey A. Jackson, conser vative-led Ph.D. school boards this year. Among the legislation is a bill aimed at prohibiting school districts from banning LGBTQ-themed books and curriculum. Assembly Bill 1078, authored by gay Assemblymember Corey A. Jackson, Ph.D., (D-Perris), prohibits the censorship or removal of books, instructional materials, or curriculum resources that state law requires be reflected in instructional materials from classrooms and school libraries. The contributions of the LGBTQ community are among the social studies lessons schools in California are required to teach. “We’re taking a firm stand against book banning in California’s schools, ensuring that our students have access to a broad range of educational materials that accurately represent the rich cultural and racial diversity of our society,” stated Jackson. Due to the bill having been amended, AB 1078 passed out of the state Senate on a 31-9 vote September 7. That same Thursday the Assembly adopted the revised bill by 61-17 vote with two abstentions. As Jackson had worked with the governor’s office on the legislation, Newsom is expected to sign it into law. Earlier this year the governor threatened a $1.5 million fine against the Temecula Valley Unified School District in Riverside County after its board rejected instructional materials due to their inclusion of the late gay San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk. Faced with such a stiff penalty, the board members later reversed course. Newsom rarely comments on bills before they reach his desk. But he praised the Legislature’s passage of AB 1078 in a statement released by Jackson’s office last week. “California is the true freedom state: a place where families – not political fanatics – have the freedom to decide what’s right for them,” stated Newsom, a former San Francisco supervisor and mayor. “With the passage of this legislation that bans book bans and ensures all students have textbooks, our state’s Family Agenda is now even stronger. All students deserve the freedom to read and learn about the truth, the world, and themselves.” See page 12 >>
Courtesy Cannata O’Toole and Olson
San Francisco Assistant Fire Chief Nicol Juratovac is suing the city claiming whistleblower retaliation and discrimination.
Civil trial underway in SFFD bias case
Oakland shows its Pride T
Jane Philomen Cleland
he contingent from Pixar Animation Studios was one of nearly 90 that participated in the Oakland Pride parade Sunday, September 10. The parade featured groups from schools, community organizations, health care companies, and political leaders. Organizers said the weekend of activities was a success as Pridefest Oakland and Oakland Pride came together for a unified event.
by John Ferrannini
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he lesbian San Francisco Fire Department assistant chief suing the city in civil court claiming whistleblower retaliation and discrimination wept on the stand during dramatic testimony at the trial’s opening day. The jury trial in San Francisco Superior Court is before Judge Suzanne Ramos Bolanos. See page 12 >>
Oakland Pride breakfast highlights queer youth by Cynthia Laird
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harley, a 15-year-old high school student in Hayward, doesn’t think highly of the attacks on trans and nonbinary students that have been sweeping the country, even in liberal states like California. “I think it’s stupid,” Charley, who identifies as nonbinary and asked that their last name not be used, told the Bay Area Reporter during an interview at the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club’s 10th annual Pride Breakfast in downtown Oakland September 10. “There’s something going on with their brain in passing bills to stop me from existing,” Charley, who’s in 10th grade, added. “Why would I change my gender just to please yourself?” Charley attended the breakfast with their mom, high school art teacher Carrie King; and Rochelle Collins and Robert Lopez from Project Eden’s Lambda Youth Project. All were there to see the project receive the club’s Frontline Changemaker Award for its service to LGBTQ youth. Project Eden started in the 1960s, Collins said, and the program remains as relevant today. It has provided LGBTQ services for over 26 years. One of those is the Pride Prom. Formerly known as the Gay Prom, it first took place in Hayward back in the 1990s. Lopez explained the
Jane Philomen Cleland
High school teacher Carrie King, left, and her child, Charley, joined in accepting an award for Project Eden’s Lambda Youth Project at the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club’s Pride Breakfast September 10 in Oakland.
name was changed so that it’s more inclusive of today’s LGBTQ youth. In the interview, Charley said that their experiences at school this year have been “OK.” “Not much horrible happened,” they said. Last year, however, was more problematic, particularly with antisemitism that broke out on campus, which they asked not be identified. “My dad is Jewish,” they explained. But Charley has heard other students mocking
queer students and feels that the internet, particularly TikTok, has a lot to do with the hurtful comments. “So much hatred is engraved on our minds,” Charley said. “It affects us all extremely negatively. I feel a lot of people don’t understand the internet and online is different from the real world.” King also had thoughts on the increase in antiLGBTQ legislation. In many states, governors have signed laws banning gender-affirming care for trans youth, and limiting sports teams that trans girls can participate in to the sex listed on their official school records. In California, several conservative school boards have passed forced outing policies that require district staff to notify parents without the student’s consent when a student requests names or pronouns be used other than those listed on their official records. Attorney General Rob Bonta has already sued one district, Chino Valley, and last week won an initial victory when a San Bernardino Superior Court judge issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting the district from enforcing the policy. Even in the East Bay city of Hayward, where King teaches, the school board has one member who is anti-LGBTQ. As the B.A.R. noted in an editorial in June, Trustee Joe Ramos protested See page 12 >>