News in brief: Transgender Day of Remembrance events Friday

Events commemorating the 11th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance will take place in cities across the country and around the world this week, including two in the Bay Area.

In the East Bay, the Tri-City Health Center's TransVision program will hold its fourth annual event in Oakland on Friday, November 20, beginning at 7 p.m. at Preservation Park's Niles Hall, 1233 Preservation Park Way. Out lesbian Oakland City Council member Rebecca Kaplan will be the keynote speaker, along with Stonewall veteran Miss Major from the Transgender, Gender Variant, and Intersex Justice Project in San Francisco. The Reverend Vicky Kolakowski of New Spirit Community Church also will speak.

Tiffany Woods, TransVision program coordinator, noted that from 1970 to the present, California has had 57 documented murders of transgender people, the highest number in the country. Most of those took place in San Francisco and Oakland. Woods said that the true number of murders may be higher since often the transgender status of the victim is not reported or is concealed at the request of family.

So far this year, there have been 83 documented murders of transgenders internationally.

"This year's event falls just three weeks after President Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act – the country's first federal law explicitly protecting transgender people," Woods said in a statement.

The new law adds gender identity, sexual orientation, gender, and disability to the categories already covered by federal hate crimes law.

The Oakland event is endorsed by Congressman George Miller (D-Martinez), state Senator Ellen Corbett (D-San Leandro), and the Transgender Law Center and will include a performance by the Transcendence Gospel Choir.

In San Francisco, several local organizations are joining together to host a Transgender Day of Remembrance event, also on November 20. It takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Asian and Pacific Islander Wellness Center, 730 Polk Street (at Ellis). Alexandra Byerly from the El/La Transgender Latina HIV Prevention Program will be the keynote speaker.

Those planning to attend are asked to bring mementos to place on the altar, including pictures, artwork, decorations, or offerings.

The event is co-sponsored by several organizations, including the San Francisco Transgender Empowerment, Advocacy and Mentorship program at the LGBT Community Center, the Trans: Thrive program, TLC, Transgender San Francisco, El/La, API Wellness Center, and Community United Against Violence.

For more information, including volunteer opportunities, contact Leeza Edwards at (415) 724-1680 or lavendergoddess@mac.com.

The Day of Remembrance was started by Bay Area Reporter columnist Gwen Smith in 1999 to remember the murder of Rita Hester, whose death remains unsolved. For more on the history of the event, see the Transmissions column on page 10.

Tessie's needs volunteers

Thanksgiving is almost here and that means the folks at Tenderloin Tessie are once again seeking volunteers to help with the annual dinner for those in need as well as work the day before to collect and unload food.

Michael Gagne, president and volunteer coordinator for the group, said they need help next Wednesday, November 25 loading and unloading the truck and picking up food from various stores. People who can lift boxes are needed between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Helpers are also needed from 4 to 8 p.m. to help make the stuffing.

The dinner itself is held from 1 to 4 p.m. Thursday, November 26 at First Unitarian Church, 1187 Franklin Street (at Geary). Volunteers are needed from 9 a.m. to noon (set up), noon to 5 p.m. (for the dinner, with a mandatory meeting at 12:15), and afterwards to clean up.

To help out, visit www.tenderlointessie.com or call Gagne at (415) 584-3252.

Scheduling of Walgreens' window begins for 2010

Patrick Batt, a Merchants of Upper Market and Castro member and owner of AutoErotica, has begun scheduling the Walgreens display window for nonprofits for 2010. There are 26 two-week slots available for next year for the exclusive use of nonprofits to announce fundraisers, mission statements, etc. As a result of overwhelming demand each group is limited to one two-week installation to enable the most number of nonprofits to utilize this great space fronting the 400 block of Castro Street.

This generous offer is being made by Walgreens manager Sharon Woo and scheduling is being handled by Batt. He can be reached via e-mail at MMOSF@aol.com. Reservations are made on a first come, first served basis and slots fill up quickly. Groups should e-mail Batt with their first and second choices, along with contact information to ensure their participation in this community benefit.

Podcast about City Hall Milk bust

The San Francisco Arts Commission has announced that its second episode of its podcast series "Deep Roots" offers a rare look at the bust of slain civil rights leader and Supervisor Harvey Milk; its sculptor; and its meaning to the city and the community that it represents.

The podcast, available at www.sfartscommission.org, shares anecdotes from Milk's friends and colleagues. Among those featured are photographer Dan Nicoletta; Milk's campaign manager Anne Kronenberg; sculptor Eugene Daub; and Charlotte Coleman, the first lesbian bar owner in San Francisco.

"The 'Deep Roots' podcast celebrates San Francisco's rich cultural heritage by providing listeners with an insider's look at the individuals and arts programs that make this city so great," said Luis Cancel, director of cultural affairs for the commission.

The bust project was years in the making and after several false starts, the Harvey Milk City Hall Memorial Committee was formed in 2004 and invited the Arts Commission's public art program to co-manage a competition to select an artist or team of artists to create the bust. The Bob Ross Foundation provided major funding for the project.

The bust, created by the Daub, Firmin, Hendrickson Sculpture Group (now Daub and Firmin Studios), was unveiled at a gala party on May 22, 2008 on what would have been Milk's 78th birthday. It sits in the supervisors' rotunda on the second floor of City Hall.

LGBT seniors needed for survey

The Oakland-based National Senior Citizens Law Center is partnering with LGBT organizations to raise awareness of the issues facing LGBT older adults who live in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and other long-term care facilities. As part of that work, the groups are conducting an online survey for older LGBT adults, family members, caretakers, social workers, and friends. In addition to NSCLC, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, the National Center for Transgender Equality, and Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders are involved in the survey.

The survey is short (16 questions) and should take no more than 10 minutes to fill out. It is confidential, though the groups are looking for volunteers willing to be interviewed and ask that people consider checking that box on the survey.

To fill out the survey, go to www.surveymonkey.com. The deadline for completing it is December 15.

Pacific Center receives grant

The Pacific Center for Human Growth, Berkeley's LGBT community center, was awarded a $150,000 three-year capacity-building grant in support of mental health programs for low-income people.

The grant is from the Johnson Family Foundation. Executive Director Leslie Ewing said that the opportunity arose as a result of a collaboration between the foundation and Centerlink, the national association of LGBT community centers. The application process was open to LGBT centers throughout the country for the three grants that were awarded.

Specifically, Ewing said that the grant will be used to improve the Pacific Center's capacity to serve more people seeking mental health services, including individual, couples, and group therapy; programs for elders and youth; peer support groups; and HIV counseling.

"This grant will enable our organization to improve efficiency, reach more people, and provide more services relevant to our local community's needs today," Ewing said in a statement.

The Johnson Family Foundation is a progressive family foundation that operates national grant-making programs in the areas of environmental health and LGBT issues.

For more information about the Pacific Center, visit www.pacificcenter.org.

Full disclosure: Vicky Kolakowski is the spouse of B.A.R. news editor Cynthia Laird.