LGBT Committee Member Profiles
Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Advisory Committee
Minutes of the July 19, 2005 Meeting
Committee Members Present: Commissioner Cecilia Chung, Whitney Bagby, Dora Balcazar, David Cameron, Cindy Dubuque, Aidan Dunn, Julie Frank, Becky Freund, Ted Guggenheim, Danny Kirchoff, Nancy Lawlor, Ren Phoenix, Aleem Raja, Jorge Romero-Lozano, Stephen Schwichow, Jason Stein, Meredith Wood.
Committee Members Absent: Commissioner Pat Norman, Sally Buchmann, Ellise Nicholson (excused), Rebecca Rolfe (excused), Morningstar Vancil.
Staff Present: Marcus Arana, Larry Brinkin, Yong Lee, Hadas Rivera-Weiss, Domenic Viterbo.
Guests Present: None
- Call to Order and Roll Call:
Commissioner Chung called the meeting to order at 5:36 p.m. Mr. Brinkin called the roll. Mr. Brinkin announced that Ben Chan had left the Committee to return to Hong Kong because he lost his job at API Wellness Center and was here on a work visa. He said that Mr. Chan hopes to find another job where his new employer would apply for a work visa for him so that he can return to the U.S.
- Approval of Minutes of June 21, 2005:
Commissioner Chung moved to approve the minutes as written. The motion passed unanimously.
- Public Comments for Items Not on the Agenda:
No public comments were made.
- HIV in the Workplace Training:
Hadas Rivera-Weiss and Yong Lee of staff led an abbreviated HIV in the Workplace Training due to time restrictions. What normally would be a two-hour training, the presentation was a description of the training rather than the full training. The full trainings are usually held at the Positive Resource Center (PRC) on a regular basis; however, they can give trainings to any organization free of charge. Ms.Rivera-Weiss described what the PRC does and the programs they provide. The goal to offering these workshops to employees and employers is to decrease incidences of discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS. They described the laws and the definitions pertaining to reasonable accommodations to people with HIV/AIDS. They encouraged the Committee to inform any organizations who would benefit from these trainings to contact them.
- Report of the Racism Work Group:
Mr. Raja referred to the minutes taken from the July 6 meeting that were included in the Committee’s packets. He asked for feedback to points that were outlined on how racism works on a group level. Mr. Raja asked that Committee members provide thoughts and reactions rather than debating over the subject. Mr. Raja took notes as Committee members gave individual responses. He said that the work group will meet again to discuss any further action.
- Debriefing of Pride Day activities:
Mr. Brinkin asked for feedback from Committee members who helped work the booth at the Pride Celebration site. Committee members’ responses ranged from very positive to negative experiences, mostly with the location of the booth. While many felt that it was important having a presence in the Transgender Pavilion, some felt that the location was a bad one because of being located in between two areas with very loud sound systems and not being able to effectively converse with passers by. It was suggested to have the booth in an area that was not as loud and can be among vendors selling merchandise, food, or alcohol that attracts a high volume of foot traffic. Commissioner Chung, also with the Pride Committee, said that the stages/pavilions were designed to not compete with each other. She added that the responses heard from Committee members are consistent with other pavilion vendors that have been provided to the Pride Committee at their debriefing meeting. She also suggested that the HRC have a presence at a future Trans March in Dolores Park by offering a short presentation. It was suggested that in the future, a host of the Trans Stage make a general announcement directing parade attendees to the HRC booth to sign petitions.
- Commissioners’ Report:
Commissioner Chung reported that the Real ID Act hearing was convened; speakers from various civil rights and immigrant rights groups came to testify as well as individuals who were impacted by the Real ID Act. The Issues Committee had set up the Real ID Act Task Force. Commissioner Chung said that if anyone is interested in participating on the task force to contact Mr. Brinkin. Commissioner Chung said that the Commission is set to having meetings out in the community and that the Committee can do so as well. The first community meeting is scheduled for September; however, a date has yet to be decided.
- Staff Report:
Mr. Brinkin reported that he attended the quarterly meetng of the California Association of Human Relations Organizations (CAHRO), in Burbank, CA to begin planning for their annual training conference to be held on December 6 and 7 in Sacramento. He said that he will lead an LGBT workshop. He announced that staff had submitted workshop proposals for the Creating Change conference on November 13 in Oakland, CA. Workshops proposed are: 1) Aging in the LGBT Communities, 2) Transgender Health Benefits, 3) the Intersex Report, 4) HIV in the Workplace Training, and 5) How to Obtain Equal Benefits. He announced that Cynthia Goldstein, of staff, attended a conference sponsored by Out and Equal. He said that HRC staff is losing two positions due to a lackluster 2005-2006 budget. He hopes more funding can be obtained from larger departments where contract compliance work is performed. He said that the HRC will be issuing a letter in response to the Badlands’ appeal to overturn the Director’s Finding. He added that both sides of the Badlands issue have agreed to mediate. Staff is working with Scott Emblidge, former Deputy City Attorney, and Mayor Willie Brown who will facilitate the mediation which may take place next week. He announced that staff helped organize two well-attended community meetings at the LGBT Community Center and Chinatown to discuss the offensive videos produced by the SF 49ers. He said that he and the Director had a meeting with the owner and staff of the 49ers in Santa Clara to investigate the incident and to work with them on remedying the situation by helping them design a diversity program, redoing their internal processes, etc, because they are a City contractor.
10. Old/New Business:
No Old/New Business was discussed. Mr. Brinkin described "old business" as topics that have been discussed in past meetings and if there are any updates; "new business" is an immediate issue that could be added to the next meeting’s agenda.
- Announcements:
Mr. Wood announced that an FTM gender variance survey is being offered at the Transgender Resources and Neighborhood Space (TRANS). He provided the Committee with information on TRANS’ services which are directed mostly toward people of color. Mr. Schwichow reminded the Committee that the Recruitment and Outreach Work Group’s next meeting is on Wednesday, July 27, at 5:30 p.m. Commissioner Chung announced that the Healthcare Council is looking for HIV-positive transgender clients to participate in a focus group on Friday, July 22 where a free lunch and a $15.00 voucher will be given. She added that a flyer about this will be sent to Mr. Arana to be distributed to the Committee. Commissioner Chung announced that invitations will be sent to the Committee announcing her 40th birthday party which will be held on Friday, July 29, at the API Wellness Center. She said in lieu of gifts, to make a donation to the API Wellness Center. Mr. Brinkin reminded the Committee that the BDSM panel is scheduled for next month’s meeting.
- Adjournment:
The meeting was adjourned at 7:24 p.m.