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

Milk / Moscone Vigil 

Join the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club TONIGHT, Sunday, November 27th, 7pm, at Harvey Milk Plaza for our annual Milk/Moscone vigil. Harvey Milk and George Moscone were the brightest beacons of hope for San Francisco’s disenfranchised and displaced. But more than that, they represented the spirit of San Francisco, a city for anyone and everyone, welcoming to all, with justice for all. 44 years later, the time has come again for us to gather, one and all, to remember two icons of San Francisco and to make their vision of a city of hope come alive. This year, we will also dedicate a portion of our vigil to the victims of the Club Q mass shooting. 

Feel free to reach out to [email protected] with any questions. Facebook event and other details can be found here.

World AIDS Day Events

On Tuesday, November 29, from 7pm to 9pm, join us at Strut (4780 Castro St.) for a World AIDS Day Art Build Workshop. Learn about elements of protest art with famous examples from the AIDS movement, and create your own protest art during a screen printing workshop with SF Poster Syndicate. RSVP and details are here.

Then, join us this World AIDS Day, Thursday, December 1, at 4:30pm, as we join the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and community to remember those we've lost to the AIDS crisis and continue the fight for justice for our communities. We’ll meet in front of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation (1035 Market St.) and march together to City Hall, where we’ll hear commemorations for those we’ve lost and reflections on how we must continue the fight for justice. RSVP and event details can be found here. 

Arriving early? Join the Elizabeth Taylor 50-Plus Network, BBE, TransLife, and HAN for a light snack, camaraderie, and reflection before heading to the Candlelight March and Vigil. Pre-vigil refreshments will be available as early as 3:30pm inside the Foundation, in the Swing Space. To RSVP, email Paul Aguilar at [email protected].

Save the Date: Holi-Gays Party & Meeting!

Save the date, Saturday, December 10, for our Milk Club Holi-gays party! Stay tuned for details about the location of our Holi-gays party, which will be posted 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].

Don't forget to renew!

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

November PAC is Canceled-- so let's Get Out the Vote! 

November PAC has been canceled so we can Get out the Vote! Join us on Election Day at 3042 16th Street to join a progressive coalition of volunteers to support some of our endorsed campaigns, including:

• John Hamasaki for District Attorney
• Alida Fisher, Karen Fleshman, & Gabriela Lopez for Board of Education 
• Vick Chung, Anita Martinez, Susan Solomon, & Adolfo Velasquez for City College Board of Trustees
• Mano Raju for Public Defender
• Propositions E, G, H, L, M, and O!

Sign up here.

Progressive Election Night Watch Party!

Thanks for Coming to Gayla! 

Thank you to everyone who made it out to the Milk Club's 2022 Gayla, presented by NUHW and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, to celebrate 46 years of progress. We had a great time, and hope you did, too! Celebrating and recharging is even more important as we fight back the onslaught of anti-LGBTQ laws across this country.

Thank you for helping us inspire the next generation of leaders like Zander Moricz, Jupiter Peraza, Nicki Jizz, and members of SF Rising, and for celebrating Cleve Jones’ lifetime of achievement award. We hope you can join us as we keep fighting for yet another year (and the next, and the next)!

Special thanks to all of our incredible sponsors, volunteers, and Garaje Gooch for taking incredible photos (which you can peek here)!

Join us for the event of the year!

November 2022 Milk PAC Recommendations Are Here!

Thank you to everyone who showed up to our August PAC meeting! At the meeting, we finished up our candidate interviews, discussed candidates and measures, and cast our ballots for Milk PAC endorsement recommendations, which will be voted on by our general membership at our next meeting. The Milk PAC's recommendations are:  

Local Races & Measures

• Board of Supervisors
  • District 2:  PAC has no recommendation  
  • District 4:  PAC recommends Gordon Mar
  • District 6:  PAC recommends Honey Mahogany 
  • District 8:  PAC recommends Rafael Mandelman
  • District 10:  PAC recommends Shamann Walton
• District Attorney:  PAC has no recommendation 
• Public Defender:  PAC recommends Mano Raju 
• School Board:  PAC recommends Alida Fisher & Karen Fleshman
• City College Board:  PAC recommends Vick Chung, Anita Martinez, Susan Solomon
• Assessor-Recorder:  PAC recommends Joaquin Torres
• Ballot Measures
  • PAC has no position on: 
    • City Approval of Affordable Housing
    • Homelessness Oversight Commission 
  • PAC recommends yes on: 
    • Affordable Housing Production Act
    • Library Preservation Fund
    • Public Works Department and Commission, Sanitation and Streets Department Commission
    • City Elections in Even-Numbered Years
    • Retiree Supplemental Cost of Living Adjustment; Retirement Board Contract with Executive Director
    • Student Success Fund 
    • Tax on Keeping Residential Units Vacant
    • Gross Receipts Taxes for Guaranteed Income Programs & Small Business Assistance 
    • Additional Parcel Tax for City College 
    • Ordinance: Golden Gate Park Underground Parking Facility; Golden Gate Park Concourse Authority
    • Ordinance: Golden Gate Park Access and Safety Program 
    • Sales Tax for Transportation Authority
  • PAC recommends no on: 
    • Uses of the Great Highway and JFK Drive

State Races & Measures 

• Assembly District 17:  PAC recommends Matt Haney 
• Board of Equalization Member, District 2:  PAC recommends Sally J. Leiber
• BART Director, District 8:  PAC recommends Janice Li
• Lieutenant Governor:  PAC recommends Eleni Kounalakis
• Treasurer:  PAC has no recommendation 
• Ballot Measures: 
  • PAC recommends yes on:
    • Proposition 1, which would codify reproductive freedom under the California Constitution 
    • Proposition 26, which would allow federally recognized Native American tribes to operate roulette, dice games, wagering on tribal lands
    • Proposition 28, which would provide additional arts and music education funding to public schools
    • Proposition 29, which would require kidney dialysis centers to have licensed medical professionals on-site and other regulations
    • Proposition 30, which would increase tax on personal income above $2 million to fund programs to reduce green gas emissions
  • PAC recommends no on:
    • Proposition 27, which would legalize online and mobile sports betting over the internet and mobile devices 
    • Proposition 31, which is a referendum challenging a 2020 law prohibiting the retail sale of certain flavored tobacco (see Club statement on this measure)

East Bay Races 

• Alameda County Board of Supervisors, District 3:  PAC recommends Rebecca Kaplan
• AC Transit Board of Directors At-Large:  PAC recommends Alfred Twu

Check out all of our endorsement interviews and questionnaires here.

The Future of the Castro Theatre

Join members of the Milk Club and other community members on Thursday, August 11, at 6pm in the Castro Theatre (429 Castro St), for a Castro Theatre Town Hall Meeting. What will become of San Francisco’s iconic Castro Theatre, which just celebrated its 100th anniversary? After the theater’s new management team announced in January vaguely-worded plans for significant renovations and upgrades set to begin in 2023, many feared that concerts and conferences would become the norm and the 1,400 seat venue’s days as primarily a movie palace and as a host of LGBTQ+ events were numbered. Theater reps are hosting a free event on Thursday night to share their future plans in detail and have a Q&A to listen to the public’s concerns.  

The Castro Theatre Community Coalition and the Castro Theatre Conservancy put together some talking points and proposed questions for members, which you can access here.      

August General Membership Meeting

Join the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club on August 16, from 7pm to 9pm, for our August General Membership Meeting in person at Milk-SF (302 Valencia) and online at bit.ly/milkmeeting!

We'll be making our final endorsements for the November election, including all San Francisco races where we haven't already made an endorsement, plus AC Transit Board At-Large and Alameda County Board of Supervisors District 3. We'll also vote on nominations to the Milk Executive Board for Recorder and two At-Large Officer positions! Don't miss it!

As always, this is a hybrid meeting and will take place both in-person and on Zoom. All in-person attendees must show proof of vaccination to enter and wear a mask throughout the event. If you are unvaccinated, have any symptoms of Covid-19, or are uncomfortable meeting in person, we invite you to register and join us on Zoom at bit.ly/milkmeeting.

August Milk Happy Hour

It's time for another Milk Club Happy Hour on Tuesday, August 16 at 9pm, right after our General Membership Meeting. Mozy over to Martuni's (4 Valencia St) and let your hair down with us! You can RSVP on Facebook at bit.ly/milkhh. Questions? Reach out to [email protected].