LGBT Committee Member Profiles
Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Advisory Committee
Minutes of the June 15, 2004 Meeting
Committee Members Present: Dora Balcazar, Melchor Bustamante, David Cameron, Ben Chan, Jay Dwyer, Julie Frank, Rebecca Freund, Ted Guggenheim, Danny Kirchoff, Aidan Kotler, Nancy Lawlor, Patrick Mulcahey, Ellise Nicholson, Ren Phoenix, Johnnie Pratt, Aleem Raja, Jorge Romero-Lozano, Stephen Schwichow, Brooklynne Thomas, Morningstar Vancil, Lauren Williams.
Committee Members Absent: Commissioner Pat Norman (excused), Sally Buchmann, Scott Campbell (excused).
Staff Present: Marcus Arana, Larry Brinkin, Domenic Viterbo.
Guests Present: Jason Stein.
- Call to Order and Roll Call:
Julie Frank called the meeting to order at 5:38 p.m. Mr. Brinkin called the roll.
- Approval of Minutes of May 18, 2004:
Stephen Schwichow moved to approve the minutes as written. David Cameron seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
- Public Comments for Items Not on the Agenda:
There was no public comment on this item.
- Approval of letter to SF 49ers regarding employment discrimintion (action item):
Marcus Arana described the process for drafting the letter that was submitted for Committee approval. He also proposed an amendment to the letter that will remind the 49ERS of their contractual obligation to implement City nondiscrimination laws. Stephen Schwichow stated that he was happy they came to speak and that they are determined to make changes. Ren Phoenix moved that the letter be approved with the suggested amendment. Patrick Mulcahey seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
- 2004 Pride Day Planning:
Larry Brinkin asked which Committee members would be volunteering for a shift at the HRC booth at the Pride Celebration. He stressed the need to be on time for each shift. Larry Brinkin also advised the group on typical duties while working the booth, and described aspects of HRC work, such as complaint handling, equal benefits, and sensitivity training about which booth workers could inform the public. He stated that petitions will be at the booth that support state legislation AB 1967 regarding same-sex marriage and AB 2208 that would require equal coverage by insurance carriers in California for domestic partners and and spouses. He also told the group that the booth will be located approximately across the street from last year’s site on Larkin between McAllister and Golden Gate. Dora Balcazar asked if there would be handout materials in other languages, and she advised the group she is a certified translator in Spanish. A conversation ensued concerning possible ways to translate HRC materials. Per Larry Brinkin, there is one HRC brochure in Spanish.
- Intersex Public Hearing - Debriefing:
Marcus Arana said that the Public Hearing, which was held on Thursday, May 27, was a success then thanked the Committee members who spoke and volunteers on various tasks. He said that written and anecdotal information collected for and at the hearing will help produce a great report. He added that written testimony will continue to be collected until June 25. He added that the information received will be distilled by staff and a summer intern, who will then draft findings and recommendations. He hopes to have a draft report for the Committee’s approval by the August meeting then to have it presented to the Commission in September for approval. Committee volunteers are requested to read the court reporter’s transcript of the oral testimony as soon as it’s received. Committee members shared their thoughts on the hearing. Copies of the Public Hearing can be purchased through SFGTV Cable Channel 26, the City government channel, from their web site, www.sfgov.org/site/sfgtv_index.asp, in VHS and DVD formats for $10.00 per copy. David Cameron said that when picking up any ordered copies, go to Room 092, in the basement level at City Hall. Mr. Brinkin suggested that Committee members interested in purchasing copies of the public hearing video should place their orders with staff. Mr. Arana thanked the Committee members who serve on the Intersex Task Force: David Cameron, Danny Kirchoff, Aidan Kotler, Ren Phoenix, and Brooklynne Thomas.
- Sub-committee and task force planning:
Larry Brinkin called for members to begin planning the panel presentations for the next year. Members agreed that on the following schedule and the named individuals volunteered to be the primary point persons:
- Crystal Meth in the LGBT Communities – Patrick Mulcahey – September 21, 2004
- Beyond the Binary – David Cameron – October 19, 2004
- Homophobia and Transphobia in Schools – Stephen Schwichow – November 16, 2004
- Transgender Marriage – Brooklynne Thomas – January 18, 2005
- Racism in LGBT Communities – Dora Balcazar – February 15, 2005
Mr. Brinkin explained the need to narrow the scope of panel presentations and advised members to keep the number of panelists to a minimum. He explained that tasks often come from panel presentations, such as the creation of a racism brochure. Other Task forces and their primary point persons:
- LGBT Immigration issues – Dora Balcazar and Ben Chan
- Outreach to Communities of Color regarding Homophobia
- Same-Sex Marriage Public Forum in February at the SF LGBT Center – David Cameron, Jay Dwyer, and Ted Guggenheim
- Sex Positive training modules – letter to be drafted by Ren Phoenix by September 2004.
Danny Kirchoff requested that the LGBTAC Recruitment Committee meet earlier than last year to work on new member recruitment. Larry Brinkin recommended that the Committee convene in October, which is one month earlier than customary.
- Commissioner’s Report:
There was no Commissioner’s Report.
- Staff Report:
Larry Brinkin reported on a German/American human rights conference he recently attended in Berlin, a follow-up to November’s conference in SF. He described programs in Germany used to fight right wing extremism, which is primarily perpetuated by neo-nazi groups. HRC staff presented on same-sex marriage issues, environmental racism, and how the initiative process has been used against civil rights for certain groups, e.g. Prop 209 and Prop 187. Larry Brinkin described staff work in trainings: Marcus Arana will train staff at Macy’s (same-sex marriage) and Morrison Foerster (SFPD Transgender Task Force work on General Order Revisions and training bulletins). Hadas Rivera-Weiss and Yong Lee conducted an HIV in the Workplace training for Positive Resource Center. Larry Brinkin reminded members about the KQED Local Hero celebration on June 16, 2004 that will honor Cynthia Goldstein and himself, Co-Managers of the LGBTH Division of the HRC. He announced that there was nothing new to report on the budget situation: there will be no staff layoffs projected for the upcoming fiscal year, though the position previously held by Ellise Nicholson has been eliminated.
10. Old/New Business:
No Old/New Business was discussed.
- Announcements:
No new announcements were presented.
- Adjournment:
The meeting was adjourned at 7:10 p.m.