May PAC Meeting: A Discussion on Privacy | Tuesday, May 9, 2023 | MilkSF & Virtual Hybrid Meeting
This is a hybrid meeting. Vaccination and post-event self-reporting are encouraged for all in-person attendees. If you are unvaccinated, have any symptoms of Covid-19, or are uncomfortable meeting in person, we invite you to join us at bit.ly/milkpac. Remote attendees are able to speak and vote on items just as in-person attendees can.

April PAC Meeting: Getting on Track with Transit

Join the Political Action Committee (PAC) of the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club for our monthly PAC Meeting. This will be a hybrid meeting, at Milk-SF Cafe (302 Valencia) and bit.ly/milkpac.

At this meeting, the PAC will discuss transit justice. We will be joined by BART Board President Janice Li, Chinese for Affirmative Action / Stop AAPI Hate Director of Advocacy Andy Wong, and San Francisco Transit Riders (SFTR). We will focus on all aspects of transit justice, including affordability, accessibility, safety, and dependability. We will use the discussion to inform a Transit Justice platform plank brainstorming discussion. If you have ideas for the plank you would like to share beforehand, you are invited to do so on this document: tinyurl.com/milktransit. Please note that changes to this document are tracked and monitored.

After our transit justice conversation, District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman will speak with the PAC per PAC's request.

Don't miss it!

This is a hybrid meeting. Vaccination, masking, and post-event self-reporting are encouraged for all in-person attendees. If you are unvaccinated, have any symptoms of Covid-19, or are uncomfortable meeting in person, we invite you to join us at bit.ly/milkpac. Remote attendees are able to speak and vote on items just as in-person attendees can.

It's not too late to vote for your CADEM delegates in person!

Did you know that you can cast your vote for California Assembly District Election Meeting (CADEM) TODAY, Sunday, January 8 even if you live in Assembly District 17? Register here today to make voting even easier! 

Sunday, January 8 from 12pm-4pm
Westlake Park Doelger Café
145 Lake Merced Blvd,
Daly City, CA 94015

Every other year, the California Democratic Party elects delegates in each Assembly District to vote on the Democratic Party's platform and endorse state and federal legislation and candidates. This election is an opportunity for California Democrats to influence the future of their party.

The 2024 elections will be critical for working people and will be our chance to ensure we have strong progressive leadership for the California Democratic Party.

Register before you line up at bit.ly/cadem2023 to make voting even smoother!

And coming up this week... 

Tuesday, January 10: Milk Club PAC

• Focus areas for 2023 and ideas for ways we can engage in these areas politically
• Related platform planks we want to develop
• Summary of learnings from the December PAC meeting’s 2022 electoral program retrospective and ideas for ways to begin organizing for 2024

Wednesday, January 11: Let's End Racially Biased Stops!

1. Complete this ACLU action alert to automatically send an email to the Mayor, Board of Supervisors, SFMTA, and Police Commission that you support ending pretext stops.
2. Join us for a rally/press conference at City Hall on Wednesday, January 11, at 10:00am to rally for the vote and hear from supporting community leaders. We would love to stand in solidarity with our members and community for this important moment! 
3. Give Public Comment sometime after 5:30pm on Wednesday, January 11— sign up for reminders here. To help with your public comment, here is an action guide with talking points, call-in information, and a social media toolkit. 
4. Share this email with your allies, organizations, and coalition partners. To ensure we are able to get an effective policy passed by the Police Commission, we need as much broad community support as possible!

Holi-gays Party (& Milk Club Nominations) on Sunday! 

It's finally here: our Holi-Gays party will be held TOMORROW, Sunday, December 11th at Marty's Place, located at 1165 Treat Avenue starting at 3pm! Facebook event details can be found here.

This party will also be considered our December membership meeting, which means that you'll have an opportunity to make nominations for the following leadership positions: 

• President/Co-President
• Vice President of Membership 
• Vice President of Political Action
• Vice President of Events & Fundraising
• Vice President of Communications 
• Treasurer 
• Membership Officers (2 positions)
• Political Action Officers (2 positions)
• Events & Fundraising Officers (2 positions)
• Communications Officer
• Recorder 

Questions? Reach out to us at [email protected].

One More PAC!

Join the Political Action Committee (PAC) of the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club on Tuesday, December 13, at 7pm, for our December PAC Meeting. This will be a hybrid meeting, in person at Milk-SF Cafe (302 Valencia St) and on Zoom at bit.ly/milkpac.

At this meeting, the PAC will conduct a retrospective on its 2022 electoral program to help us identify opportunity areas and begin solutioning around them. We will take what we learn and apply it in 2023 as we begin organizing for our next electoral program.

Our agenda will also include revisiting and finalizing our draft housing justice platform plank. Don't miss it!

Calling All SF Queens!

• Helping develop and promote the role of the Drag Laureate.
• Serving as spokesperson for the LGBTQIA+ Community of San Francisco.
• Participating in community-based Drag programs and events that reflect and honor the diversity of San Francisco.
• Partnering in an official capacity with various city agencies and community organizations throughout the full 18-month term, including during Pride Month.
• Producing Drag-centered events and programming centered on celebrating and supporting San Francisco’s dynamic and diverse LGBTQ+ community in collaboration with San Francisco Public Library, Friends of the San Francisco Public Library, the San Francisco Arts Commission and community partners.
• Ensuring San Francisco's rich drag history is shared, honored, and preserved.
• Helping promote and select the next Drag Laureate towards the completion of your 18-month term.

In Case You Missed It...

Last week, the Milk Club put out a statement regarding the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act. The text is reprinted below for accessibility: 

"While the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act represents incremental progress, if signed, it does not guarantee a nationwide gay marriage right. It merely requires states and the federal government to respect marriages conducted in places where it is legal. With an extremist Supreme Court untethered to precedents and Clarence Thomas’ call to reconsider the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision, marriage equality is nonetheless under threat.

"At the same time, we condemn language in the bill that will allow non-profit religious organizations to blatantly discriminate and deny their services, facilities, or goods for the solemnization or celebration of marriage solely based on religious views. Exceptions for religious objections– as highlighted by this week’s Supreme Court oral argument in 303 Creative v. Elenis– jeopardize protections for LGBTQ folks and derail hard-fought state and local anti-discrimination laws. The notion that hotels or wedding singers can deny services to LGBTQ persons based on free speech or religious rights is absurd and opens the door to discrimination based on race, gender, and other protected classes.

"Finally, it is important to highlight how Dobbs v. Jackson, which overturned Roe v. Wade and five decades of precedence protecting the constitutional right to abortion, served to galvanize the push for the Respect for Marriage Act’s passage. Clarence Thomas’ concurrence calling for the review of Obergefell in Dobbs shows us the need for solidarity and unity between the struggle for LGBTQ liberation and the fight for abortion rights and access nationwide."

Renew Your Dues!

Finally, don't forget that December means Milk Club dues will be expiring in just a couple of months. We've loved having you here with us this year-- let's make it official for one more! 

Cross one thing off your 2023 to-do list and renew today at milkclub.org/join