Running the City & Cross-Racial Solidarity
Register to attend: http://bit.ly/milkmeeting
We will be joined by City Administrator Carmen Chu, the most powerful non-elected official in San Francisco, to learn more about her new role and how City government operates. We'll also have a guided discussion on building cross-racial solidarity, with special guests Lateefah Simon and Lai Wa Wu.
This isn't one to miss! http://bit.ly/milkmeeting
Carmen Chu (she/her) serves as the City Administrator for San Francisco, overseeing 25 departments, divisions, and programs, a 2,700-strong workforce, and an annual budget of nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars. Through the COVID-19 pandemic, Chu also served as co-chair of the City's Economic Recovery Task Force, and she was previously elected and served as the San Francisco Assessor-Recorder, and as the Supervisor for District 4.
Lateefah Simon (she/her) is a nationally recognized advocate for civil rights and racial justice in Oakland and the Bay Area. She has been the President of Akonadi Foundation since 2016, supporting the development of powerful social change movements to eliminate structural racism. She also serves as the President of the BART Board, and as a member of the Board of Trustees for California State University.
Lai Wa Wu (she/her)is the Policy and Alliance Director for the Chinese Progressive Association. Founded in 1972, the Chinese Progressive Association educates, organizes and empowers the low income and working class immigrant Chinese community in San Francisco to build collective power with other oppressed communities to demand better living and working conditions and justice for all people.
It is not too late to renew your Harvey Milk Club Membership by clicking here. Please stay with us in the fight this new year.
Feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] if you have any questions regarding your Membership.
The Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club
http://www.milkclub.org
Join or renew your Membership today!
http://www.milkclub.org/join
PAC Meeting, Nina Turner, Imperial Court & More!
Join the Political Action Committee of the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club on Tuesday, April 13th, starting at 7pm. RSVP on Zoom here.
For our PAC's fourth meeting of 2021, we will host a conversation on Asian Pacific Islander solidarity and begin the re-launch of the Asian Pacific Islander Caucus, led by Milk Club Vice President of Events & Fundraising Jeffrey Kwong. We will also receive an update on the efforts to form a public bank in the City from San Francisco Public Bank Co-Founder Kurtis Wu.
Members interested in joining the API Caucus are encouraged to fill out a brief pre-meeting survey found here.
See you Tuesday evening!
Nina Turner is a former Cleveland City Council Member, Ohio State Senator, and Bernie Sanders' Surrogate. She is a fierce advocate for the $15 minimum wage, Green New Deal, and Medicare-For-All. And now, Nina is running in a special election to fill Ohio's 11th Congressional District seat vacated by Marcia Fudge. And she needs our help!
Nina Turner is a people-powered campaign for Congress that does not take any corporate money. So it is up to us to send Nina to DC!
Please join us for a special fundraiser for the campaign on Thursday, April 15th at 5:30pm Pacific Time. RSVP by clicking here.
We have many special guests including: US Congressman Ro Khanna, CA Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez, CA Assemblymember Ash Kalra, Actor Danny Glover, Berkeley Mayor Gus Newport, Oakland Councilmember Carroll Fife, Jane Kim, and of course, Nina Turner herself!
Our event is also hosted by Jane Kim and the San Francisco Berniecrats and is co-sponsored by Our Revolution - East Bay.
See you on Thursday!
On a different note, below is our Executive Board's response to Mayor London Breed's appointment of Christina Dikas to the Historic Preservation Committee and its current lack of progressive LGBTQ representation.
You can also read more about this important issue in the BAR.
Let's elect a new Emperor and Empress for the Imperial Court! (Photo by Daniel Nicoletta.)
The International Imperial Court System is one of the oldest and largest LGBTQ organizations in the world. And San Francisco's Imperial Court (founded in 1965 by Mama Hose Sarria) is its first and oldest chapter. By the time it reached its 30th anniversary, Sarria had established more than 60 Imperial Courts throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico --- all dedicated to the diversity of queer identity, marvelous displays of pageantry, and fundraising for critical LGBTQ causes.
And elections for Emperor and Empress are once again upon us.
The Milk Club will be out and about all day next Saturday, April 17th at three separate voting locations in SOMA (Powerhouse, 1-5pm), Polk Gulch (the Cinch, 11am-4pm), and the Castro (Harvey Milk Plaza, 12pm-6pm).
If you would like to read more about the Court and why one of our most favorite people is running - in sensible heels - for Empress, read here.
And join us for our Tuesday PAC Meeting where we will discuss the Court's significance and volunteer opportunities for the weekend ahead.
Please sign this petition called "Castro Advocates Call for Safe Recovery, Not Surveillance."
For months now, the Milk Club has partnered with the Castro Queer Cultural District and other ally organizations to push back on the installation of a complex centralized network of 125 security cameras in the Castro District - an affront to Castro's fabled history of diversity and freedom of expression.
A decision is poised to be made in the near future as to whether the Castro Community Benefit District (an affiliation of mostly out-of-town property owners) will accept nearly $700,000 in dark money to install that network - without any oversight or community input.
The Milk Club was successful in delaying that decision once, but now is the time to keep the pressure on!
The Castro Community Benefit District needs to hear that there are better uses of that money - community ambassadors! new street trees! a graffiti removal task force! - to help the community recover from the pandemic without imperiling the privacy and freedoms of queers who live and visit this iconic neighborhood.
Please read and sign the petition here.
It is not too late to renew your Harvey Milk Club Membership by clicking here. Please stay with us in the fight this new year.
Feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] if you have any questions regarding your Membership.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Milk Club April PAC Meeting:
API Forum/Caucus Re-launch & Public Bank Update
Tuesday, April 13th | 7-9pm
Facebook Event Details Here
Zoom Details Here
Nina Turner for Congress Online Fundraiser
Thursday, April 15th | 5:30-8:30pm
Facebook Event Details Here
Event Details Here
Milk Club April General Membership Meeting
Tuesday, April 20th, 7-9pm
(More details are coming soon.)
The Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club
http://www.milkclub.org
Join or renew your Membership today!
http://www.milkclub.org/join
Spring Fling Fundrasier for Nina Turner!
Our very own Nina Turner is running for Congress in Ohio District 11. This is a people-powered campaign that doesn't take any corporate money, so it's up to US to send Nina to DC! Please join us for a special fundraiser for the campaign on Thursday, April 15th at 5:30pm PT.
We have many special guests including: US Congressman Ro Khanna, CA Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez, CA Assemblymember Ash Kalra, Actor Danny Glover, Berkeley Mayor Gus Newport, Oakland Councilmember Carroll Fife, Jane Kim, and of course, Nina Turner herself!
Our event is hosted by Jane Kim, San Francisco Berniecrats, and The Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club and is co-sponsored by Our Revolution - East Bay.
Yearly elections for Emperor and Empress are once again upon us! The Milk Club will be out and about all day next Saturday, April 17 at three separate voting locations in SOMA (Powerhouse, 1-5pm), Polk Gulch (the Cinch, 11am-4pm), and the Castro (Harvey Milk Plaza, 12pm-6pm). If you'd like to read more about the Court and why one of our most favorite people is running - in sensible heals - for Empress, read here: https://juanitamore.medium.com/running-in-sensible-heels-for-empress-of-san-francisco-e7c659af458
And join us for next Tuesday's PAC Meeting where we'll be creating a bit more space for discussion of the Court's significance and volunteer opportunities for the weekend ahead!
PLEASE SIGN the Petition - Castro Advocates Call for Safe Recovery, Not Surveillance!
Now is the time to keep the pressure on!
The Castro Community Benefit District needs to hear that there are better uses of that money - community ambassadors! new street trees! a graffiti removal task force! - to help the community recover from the pandemic without imperiling the privacy and freedoms of queers who live and visit this iconic neighborhood. Please read and sign the petition here: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/castro-advocates-call-for-safe-recovery-not-surveillance.
Statement on comments by Commissioner Alison Collins
Our hearts are broken by the increasing attacks against the Asian community. Our resolve is not.
Fighting for Asian Lives
The past year, we have seen an unbelievable spike in hate crimes against Asian Americans. The gun violence in Atlanta, Georgia has left eight dead, including six Asian American women. But we have also seen additional acts of violence against Asian American seniors here in San Francisco, including assaults against 83-year-old Ngoc Pham and 75-year-old Xiao Zhen Xie.
We must fight back to stop these hate crimes! This is one of our Club's top priorities.
Thank you to everyone who attended last night's General Membership Meeting. (If you missed it, you can watch it here.)
The Membership voted unanimously for the following motions:
1) A motion to cosponsor the Harvey Milk Annual Celebration Day of Service — a pandemic relief/ recovery center with DPH and UCSF led by Stephen Torres of the Harvey Milk Day Planning Coalition — and to support the closure petition for Castro Street between 18th and 17th/ Market) from 9am - 5pm, both on May 22nd.
2) A motion to support the efforts and goals of CART SF, a community-based alternative to a police-driven response to homelessness in the City.
3) A motion to support the elimination of the filibuster in the US Senate, to collaborate with Fix Our Senate to advocate for the elimination of the filibuster, and to send a letter to Senator Dianne Feinstein asking her to advocate for ending the filibuster.
4) A motion to support AB 1400, "Guaranteed Health Care for All."
5) A motion to support AB 20, "Corporate-Free Elections Act."
6) A motion to support Assemblymember Alex Lee's (D-San Jose) proposal to impose a 1% annual tax on net household wealth of more than $50 million and an additional 0.5% on household wealth of more than $1 billion. (Read more about it in 48 Hills.)
7) A motion to support SB 331, "The Silence No More Act," which would protect workers against nondisclosure agreements and empower them to speak out about alleged acts of discrimination.
8) A motion to support the federal Protecting the Right to Organize Act," or PRO Act.
Also, the Membership elected Jupiter Peraza and Zahra Hajee to our Club's final two At-Large Executive Board Seats.
Twitter Trolls & Social Justice Goals
As many of you know, Brandon Harami, former chair of the San Francisco Berniecrats, was the victim of a homophobic trope on Twitter. Read more about it in the BAR here and judge for yourself.
The troll in this case is The Marina Times editor emeritus Susan Dyer Reynolds, who regularly levels attacks on progressive elected officials and activists in her columns and on social media.
Lately, her main target has been SF District Attorney Chesa Boudin. But Reynolds has also attacked SB 145, legislation passed by CA State Senator Scott Wiener. Which was the subject of her latest social media abuse.
The Milk Club responded to these attacks with a letter to Brian Calle, CEO and publisher of Street Media, co-signed by several other Democratic and Progressive Clubs. (Feel free to read our letter below.)
We hope and expect that The Marina Times will remove Reynolds from her position, and that this Twitter troll (with too much time on her hands, apparently) has learned her lesson about not playing into thoughtless homophobic and transphobic tropes. Especially in this day and age.
Dear Mr. Calle,
The executive boards of the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, Alice B Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club, San Francisco Latinx Democratic Club, Latinx Young Democrats of San Francisco, San Francisco Berniecrats, Richmond District Democratic Club, and San Francisco Young Democrats hereby request that you revoke Susan Dyer Reynolds’ status as Editor Emeritus of the Marina Times, as well as her access to the Marina Times Twitter account.
On March 10, Ms. Reynolds publicly accused a gay man of being “fine with adult men dating underage boys.” In doing so, without any evidence to support the claim, she perpetuated one of the oldest tropes against gay men that has been invoked for centuries to smear, incarcerate, and kill members of the LGBTQ community.
When the Milk Club responded to Ms. Reynolds Tweet, asking her to retract the statement and publicly apologize, she doubled down, claiming that Senator Scott Wiener’s SB-145 legalized pedophilia, an assertion that has been declared categorically false by Reuters and other respected news outlets.
In light of the blatant homophobia Ms. Reynolds displayed, in conjunction with her unwillingness to apologize, we feel it is inappropriate for her to continue to retain the title of Editor Emeritus and control over the Twitter account of a local news outlet in our City.
When you purchased the Marina Times, you said that San Francisco is “special” to you. We also feel this is a special City, in no small part because it has been the center of LGBTQ activism in the US for decades, and a place where many queer people feel safe. When someone like Ms. Reynolds displays such blatant bigotry on behalf of a respected local institution, it detracts from what makes San Francisco unique, and hurts our community.
Therefore, we respectfully request a response to this letter detailing the actions you have taken to eliminate any association between Ms. Reynolds and the Marina Times.
Signed,
Alice B Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club
Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club
San Francisco Latinx Democratic Club
San Francisco Latinx Young Democrats
San Francisco Young Democrats
San Francisco Berniecrats
Richmond District Democratic Club
Thank you to everyone who attended last night's General Membership Meeting. (If you missed it, you can watch it here.)
The Membership voted unanimously for the following motions:
1) A motion to cosponsor the Harvey Milk Annual Celebration Day of Service — a pandemic relief/ recovery center with DPH and UCSF led by Stephen Torres of the Harvey Milk Day Planning Coalition — and to support the closure petition for Castro Street between 18th and 17th/ Market) from 9am - 5pm, both on May 22nd.
2) A motion to support the efforts and goals of CART SF, a community-based alternative to a police-driven response to homelessness in the City.
3) A motion to support the elimination of the filibuster in the US Senate, to collaborate with Fix Our Senate to advocate for the elimination of the filibuster, and to send a letter to Senator Dianne Feinstein asking her to advocate for ending the filibuster.
4) A motion to support AB 1400, "Guaranteed Health Care for All."
5) A motion to support AB 20, "Corporate-Free Elections Act."
6) A motion to support Assemblymember Alex Lee's (D-San Jose) proposal to impose a 1% annual tax on net household wealth of more than $50 million and an additional 0.5% on household wealth of more than $1 billion. (Read more about it in 48 Hills.)
7) A motion to support SB 331, "The Silence No More Act," which would protect workers against nondisclosure agreements and empower them to speak out about alleged acts of discrimination.
8) A motion to support the federal Protecting the Right to Organize Act," or PRO Act.
Also, the Membership elected Jupiter Peraza and Zahra Hajee to our Club's final two At-Large Executive Board Seats.
We need more seats at the table in public office.
This Saturday, join Janice Li, Alex Lee, and James Coleman as they share their experiences and advice on running — and winning — as young, queer progressives.
Buy your tickets through Act Blue here.
Joint Club Statement on The Removal of Susan Reynolds after Homophobic Remarks
Dear Mr. Calle,
The executive boards of the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, Alice B Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club, San Francisco Latinx Democratic Club, Latinx Young Democrats of San Francisco, San Francisco Berniecrats, Richmond District Democratic Club, and San Francisco Young Democrats hereby request that you revoke Susan Dyer Reynolds’ status as Editor Emeritus of the Marina Times, as well as her access to the Marina Times Twitter account.
On March 10, Ms. Reynolds publicly accused a gay man of being “fine with adult men dating underage boys.” In doing so, without any evidence to support the claim, she perpetuated one of the oldest tropes against gay men that has been invoked for centuries to smear, incarcerate, and kill members of the LGBTQ community.
When the Milk Club responded to Ms. Reynolds Tweet, asking her to retract the statement and publicly apologize, she doubled down, claiming that Senator Scott Wiener’s SB-145 legalized pedophilia, an assertion that has been declared categorically false by Reuters and other respected news outlets.
In light of the blatant homophobia Ms. Reynolds displayed, in conjunction with her unwillingness to apologize, we feel it is inappropriate for her to continue to retain the title of Editor Emeritus and control over the Twitter account of a local news outlet in our City.
When you purchased the Marina Times, you said that San Francisco is “special” to you. We also feel this is a special City, in no small part because it has been the center of LGBTQ activism in the US for decades, and a place where many queer people feel safe. When someone like Ms. Reynolds displays such blatant bigotry on behalf of a respected local institution, it detracts from what makes San Francisco unique, and hurts our community.
Therefore, we respectfully request a response to this letter detailing the actions you have taken to eliminate any association between Ms. Reynolds and the Marina Times.
Signed,
Alice B Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club
Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club
San Francisco Latinx Democratic Club
San Francisco Latinx Young Democrats
San Francisco Young Democrats
San Francisco Berniecrats
Richmond District Democratic Club
Honoring Hoover Lee's Legacy
Photo provided by Rick Gerharter.
As you may have recently read in the Bay Area Reporter, San Franciscans have lost Hoover Lee, an irreplaceable queer, Asian community leader. Hoover was a founding member of the Gay Asian Pacific Alliance, the Association of Lesbian and Gay Asians, and the Asian and Pacific Islander Caucus of the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club.
In addition to Hoover's overall activism, he was also a mentor to up-and-coming queer, Asian politicians in the City. Former SF Community College Trustee Lawrence Wong was quoted in the B.A.R. saying, "If there was ever to be a founding father of the gay Asian movement in San Francisco it would be Hoover Lee."
Hoover's passing at the age of 83 comes amid a spike in anti-Asian hate crimes across the country, including the Bay Area. So, one way to honor Hoover's legacy and combat this anti-Asian bigotry and violence is to re-establish the Asian and Pacific Islander Caucus of this Club!
Stay tuned for updates from us on this front. But if you are interested in learning more about our new caucus efforts, please contact Jeffrey Kwong, our V.P. of Events and Fundraising, at [email protected].
Thank you to everyone who attended our February General Membership Meeting. If you missed it, you can watch a recording of it here.
The General Membership voted on the following motions:
1) To support CA State Senator Connie M. Leyva's (D-Chino) CA SB 331, empowering victims of any type of workplace harassment or discrimination to speak out.
2) To support the Black Students Union of Lowell High School in its efforts to challenge Lowell's current admissions policy.
3) To support Mari Posa and Celestina Pearl in their efforts to join the Parental Advisory Board of the San Francisco School Board.
4) To support the California Nurses Association's CalCare campaign for single-payer healthcare in the state.
And the Membership voted to elect Joe Adkins, Jasper Wilde, and Luca Mineo-Marinello to the At-Large Executive Board!
Also, the Milk Club Co-Presidents nominated Jupiter Peraza and Zahra Hajee to serve as At-Large Board Members. This vote will take place at our March General Membership Meeting.
It is not too late to renew your Harvey Milk Club Membership at www.milkclub.org/join. Please stay with us in the fight this new year.
Feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] if you have any questions.
And if you did not know, U.S. Representative (and QAnon fanatic) Marjorie Taylor Greene opposes The Equality Act. Her next door neighbor in the Capitol Building, Democratic Congresswoman Marie Newman, has something to say about that, a you will see below. (Keep in mind that Congresswoman Newman has a transgender daughter.)
Planting the right sort of flag at the U.S. Capitol these days.
The Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club
http://www.milkclub.org
Join or renew your Membership today!
http://www.milkclub.org/join
Vaccinations & Education
At our Meeting, the Membership voted to:
1) Support CA State Senator Connie M. Leyva's (D-Chino) Senate Bill 331, empowering victims of any type of workplace harassment or discrimination to speak out.
2) Support the Black Students Union of Lowell High School in its efforts to challenge Lowell's current admissions policy.
3) Support Mari Posa and Celestina Pearl in their efforts to join the Parental Advisory Board of the SF School Board.
4) Support the California Nurses Association's CalCare campaign for single-payer healthcare in the state.
The Co-Presidents also nominated Jupiter Peraza and Zahra Hajee to serve as At-Large Board Members. The Membership voted to elect Joe Adkins, Jasper Wilde, and Luca Mineo-Marinello to the At-Large Executive Board.
It is not too late to renew your Milk Club Membership at www.milkclub.org/join. Please stay with us in the fight this new year.
Feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] if you have any questions.
Longtime Milk Club Member Terrrie Frye has passed away. In this photo, she is wearing a shirt from the Hole In The Wall, her favorite SOMA bar.
Longtime Harvey Milk Club Member Terrrie Frye passed away at age 74 on February 4th at a Washington Hospital in Fremont. (Read more about Terrrie Frye's life in the BAR.)
Unfortunately, Terrrie had been ill for quite sometime and missed most of our meetings last year.
Granny Gear, as Terrrie was known by many of us, had deep roots in the Milk Club and did not tolerate bullshit easily throughout her decades of progressive activism, particularly on AIDS and cannabis rights related issues.
As SF DCCC Chair David Campos put it in the BAR, "She was a feisty, outspoken activist with a heart of gold."
Terrrie Frye will be missed.