The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act, signed by President Barack Obama 11 years ago this month, was a milestone hate crime law which increased the jurisdiction of the FBI and Department of Justice to investigate bias-motivated violence targeting vulnerable individuals, and added gender and gender-identity based violence to the list of hate crimes.
“In the wake of losing my brother, my family fought to bring attention to the tragic consequences of racial hatred and reduce the number of hate crimes,” said Louvon Byrd Harris, sister of James Byrd Jr. and President of the Byrd Foundation for Racial Healing. “The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act is an important tool in combating the existence of hate within the United States.”
“Every October in addition to mourning the loss of Matt we are also grateful and hopeful to mark the passage of the federal hate crime law named for him and for Mr. Byrd,” said Judy Shepard, board chair and co-founder of the Matthew Shepard Foundation. “Our country has made meaningful progress in addressing bias motivated violence, but we urgently need to do more, especially to protect trans women of color who face a grim threat of harm. The Shepard-Byrd Act provides them coverage, but it must be harnessed to not only address these crimes - but also prevent them.”
On June 7th, 1998, James Byrd Jr., a Black 49-year-old father of three, had left a friend’s anniversary party and was walking home, when three white supremacists picked him up. They drove to an isolated road where Mr. Byrd was tortured and brutally murdered, a tragedy that shocked the country. The Byrd family committed themselves to fighting hate with love after they lost James, and started the Byrd Foundation for Racial Healing.
Just a few months later, on October 7th, 1998. Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old student at the University of Wyoming, was brutally attacked and tied to a fence in a field outside of Laramie, Wyoming and left to die. In the aftermath of Matt’s death, his parents, Judy and Dennis Shepard, started the Matthew Shepard Foundation and, in sharing Matt’s story, have highlighted the importance of standing up for the LGBT community.
“The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law recognizes the tireless advocacy of the Byrd and Shepard families to fighting bigotry and improving our country’s response to hate crimes,” said Arusha Gordon, associate director, James Byrd Jr. Center to Stop Hate at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “This critical work continues today. We encourage individuals or communities targeted for bigotry to reach out and report hateful activity at 844-9-NoHate.”
In 2009, President Barack Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, strengthening the legal tools available to prosecutors to bring assailants to justice. The Shepard-Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act was an important step in recognizing the nature of hate crimes in our country. However, crimes motivated by perceived gender, race, sexual orientation and disability continue to exist in the United States and the critical work fighting hate continues.
Wednesday, October 28, 2020
Tuesday, October 27, 2020
State Moves Denver Back to Level 3 Restrictions
At a critical moment in this pandemic, the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE) has moved the City and County of Denver, among other counties, to the more restrictive Safer at Home Dial Level 3.
Mayor Michael B. Hancock and Denver Department of Public Health & Environment Executive Director Robert McDonald announced the change today.
City leaders had already enacted tougher public health orders, including mandatory face coverings outdoors, to try to stave off these restrictions. But CDPHE said the severity of increases forced the change. Those increases include: a positivity rate of over 7%, new cases of over 2,800 over a two-week period, and case rates of 385 per 100,000 people.
Level 3 restrictions include:
- Restaurants may operate at 25% of the posted occupancy-limit indoors not to exceed 50 people excluding staff, whichever is less, per room. This is down from 50% capacity.
- Places of worship and life rites may operate at 25% capacity or 50 people.
- Non-critical manufacturing and offices drop from 50% to 25% capacity.
- Retail drops from 50% to 25% capacity.
- Personal services move to 25% from 50% capacity.
- Indoor events may operate at 50% capacity or 25 people, whichever is fewer.
The change to Level 3 does not impact site-specific variances including: the Botanic Gardens, Denver Zoo, and Cherry Creek Mall. Those can continue to operate according to the allowances and conditions of the original variance approvals.
If the city reduces its new cases, positivity and hospitalizations for Level 2 during this more restrictive phase, the city would need to maintain those metrics for two weeks and complete a request process to be moved back to Level 2.
The state says it reserves the right to move Denver to a more restrictive level at any point should circumstances warrant.
These new restrictions highlight how critical it is for the community to abide by the city’s public health orders, to wear face coverings in public, to practice proper social distancing and frequently wash your hands. Stopping the spread of COVID will take the cooperation of everyone in our community. Only together can we beat this destructive and persistent virus.
View the letter from the state directing the move to Safer at Home Level 3.
AFT’s Weingarten on Confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to US Supreme Court
“Just days before voters elect the next president, with nearly 60 million ballots already cast, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s Senate ignored the will of the people and installed another ideological soulmate for President Donald Trump on the Supreme Court. It’s a flagrant miscarriage of justice, and it flies in the face of our representative democracy. In fact, McConnell and Judge Amy Coney Barrett said so themselves, in 2016 when President Barack Obama nominated Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court nearly nine months before the presidential election. But, as usual, Senate Republicans have changed the rules and trampled on the voices of the very people who elected them. To them, it was never about appointing a qualified judge to simply apply the law; they want Barrett on the court because of her right-wing views on access to healthcare, reproductive rights and freedom, voting rights, LGBTQ equality, immigrant justice, criminal justice, disability rights, and other issues that make a difference in the lives of most people. This confirmation should frighten every person in this country who believes in fairness, rules, and having a say in how we’re governed.
“Barrett’s lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court swings it in an extreme direction that does not reflect the values of the American people. Make no mistake: This Senate chose to fast-track a political process instead of passing COVID-19 relief and helping the millions of Americans struggling to find work and access care during this pandemic. This choice reflects a pattern of cruelty and neglect that should disqualify every one of them from public office.
“But even under normal circumstances, Barrett’s record is enormously troubling. Throughout her brief career as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals, she ruled to undermine the rights of workers and against sexual assault survivors. At her confirmation hearing, she evaded questions on the right of Americans to have access to healthcare, Medicare and Social Security; she refused to acknowledge systemic racism; and she was not clear that discriminatory barriers in voting exist. Barrett even refused to acknowledge basic facts about our democracy—that presidents should commit to a peaceful transition of power, that voter intimidation is illegal, and that presidents cannot change the date of an election. Her judicial philosophy closes every door that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg ever opened.
“The fight over the Supreme Court goes far beyond this confirmation. As educators, we defend democracy every day—in our classrooms, in our communities and beyond. We remain committed to fighting for a Supreme Court that truly represents the will of the American people—one that works for all of us and upholds our highest values. And we will continue to fight every day until we have achieved equal justice under the law.”
European Congress conducts a remote fact-finding mission on the situation of LGBTI+ in Poland
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe will conduct a remote fact-finding mission on 2 and 3 November 2020 on the situation of LGBTI+ people in Poland. This mission follows a request from members of the Polish parliament regarding the increasing attacks and discrimination against LGBTI+ persons.
The delegation comprises Gabriele Neff (Germany, ILDG), Chair of the Current Affairs Committee, and co-rapporteurs Andrew Boff (United Kingdom, ECR) and Yoomi Renström (Sweden, SOC/G/PD), and Congress Director Rafael Benitez. They will be joined by Fourat Ben Chikha (Belgium, SOC), Rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on LGBT issues and Robert Davidson, Congress expert from the University of Amsterdam.
The delegation will meet with various Polish authorities including: Hanna Gill- Piątek, Coordinator of the Parliamentary Intergroup on Cities, Krzysztof Śmiszek, Chairman of the Parliamentary Intergroup on Equal Rights of LGBT+ Community, Adam Bodnar, Commissioner for Human Rights, Anna Schmidt-Rodziewicz, Government Plenipotentiary for Equal Treatment from the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social policy, and MEP Robert Biedroń, founder of the Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH).
Meetings with local and regional governments include Rafał Trzaskowski, Mayor of Warsaw, Nina Gabryś, Chair of the Council for Equal Treatment of Krakow, Witold Kozlowski, Marshall of the voivodeship of Lesser Poland, Jaroslaw Stawiarski, Marshall of the voivodeship of Lublin, Paweł Okrasa, Mayor of Wieluń, Zygmunt Frankiewicz, President of the Association of Polish Cities, and Olgierd Geblewicz, Chairman of the Executive Board of the Union of the Provinces of the Republic of Poland.
Representatives of several NGOs, namely, Lambda Warsawa, Lublin Equality March Association, Love Does Not Exclude, Tęczowy Białystok, Trans-Fuzja and Atlas nienawiści have also been invited to meet with the Delegation.
The results of the fact finding will be brought to the attention of the Congress and other bodies. They will also provide input for the Congress report on “the role and responsabilities of local governments in protecting LGBTI+ persons”.
Icona Pop and Sofie Tucker - Spa
Global chart-topping duo Icona Pop are back today with the official music video for their latest single, “Spa”; a new collaboration with global electronic duo SOFI TUKKER. Directed by Lauren Dunn, the video features cameos from writer, comedian and viral internet sensation Jordan Firstman (below right)
and model, activist and internet superstar, Mia Khalifa.
"If we had to be stuck in a room with four other people, it would be Aino, Caroline, Jordan Firstman, and Mia Khalifa,” SOFI TUKKER (née Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern) reveal. “That is also the group of people we'd want to be at a Spa with. That is also the group of people in the Spa video, and we couldn't be happier about it. It is totally ridiculous and over the top, like the song - on steroids. And it makes us smile every time we watch it. We hope it makes other people smile too -- and maybe indulge in some self-care while they're at it."
OUT on VOD: Dirtwoman
When he was an infant, he suffered from the "Spider Mites of Jesus," because his mother couldn't pronounce spinal meningitis. This caused mental challenges that resulted in his lifelong illiteracy. At 13, he began selling his body on the streets as a drag prostitute. When he was arrested, he took a dump in the back of the police car, leading the cops to give him the moniker: Dirtwoman.
The cameras follow Dirtwoman's life, from running for mayor, to posing for his own pin-up calendar, to starring in a music video for GWAR, he made himself known in all corners of the city.
Featuring interviews with more than 70 people from all strata of society in Richmond, as well as photos, video and audio recordings dating from the 70's to the day before he died.
Coming to Digital VOD December 1.
Monday, October 26, 2020
Hot Chip Unveil New Single & Video “Straight To The Morning” Ft. Jarvis Cocker
Hot Chip's new single “Straight To The Morning” features the inimitable Jarvis Cocker. Produced by the band and Mark Ralph, the song is a transportive tonic of fresh, modern disco that harks back (& hopefully forward) to carefree communion on the dancefloor.
Originally written with Dua Lipa in mind, the track found a new life amidst a collaboration that sprang from Hot Chip and Jarvis Cocker DJing together at Paris’ legendary Les Bains-Douches. The quintet said of working with Cocker: “‘Straight To The Morning’ is a disco anthem about going out, for a time when people really can’t, and it features our friend Jarvis Cocker urging us to go ‘straight through until the break of dawn.’ Somehow he seems an unlikely figure in this all, and we like it that way.”
Jarvis adds: “This was the very last musical session I was involved in before lockdown. It felt very poignant to be singing a song about dancing all night long in a club whilst knowing it wouldn’t be possible to do such a thing for the foreseeable future. We danced around the studio quite a lot in the meantime though. It was fun to be a member of the Straight Through Crew for a day.”
The video for “Straight To The Morning” is as infectious as the track. A CANADA production and directed by Réalité, it features a group of girls indulging in their own form of hedonism whilst their parents are away: daft and daring internet challenges, mattress fights, karaoke and all the snacks, all at once.
The new single will be getting a limited edition 10” vinyl release featuring the original track, the Mighty Mouse Remix and “Straight To The Morning” playing cards. Due for release on January, 15, 2021, it’s available for preorder from Dom Mart HERE.
Casting Denver Couples for a Fun and Sexy New TV Show!
High Noon Entertainment, known for long-running series including HGTV’s Fixer Upper and TLC’s hit show Cake Boss, is currently seeking couples in Colorado that would love to renovate a space in their home into a customized sex room that fits their unique set of fetishes and fantasies.
For more information visit www.highnoontv.com.
James Beard Award winning cookbook author releases new e-cookbook: Thanksgiving for Two (or Four), perfect for downsized celebrations
No one could picture back in March of 2020 what Thanksgiving would look like. The pandemic has influenced many family gatherings from birthdays, to weddings, funerals, and now the holiday season. This cookbook is for all of the families who are gathering differently this year. All the traditional favorites are here from comforting casseroles and side dishes, to elegant turkey breasts, homey skillet turkey thighs, and mini pies for dessert. Some of the turkey entrees are sized to yield those beloved leftovers for a second meal or sandwiches, but not so much that it is an eternity of repeats.
“Families are used to creating one dish that serves 16 to carry to Aunt Kathy’s for the big meal and have never had to make a small Thanksgiving dinner. I wanted to help those whose recipes served a crowd find a way to bring joy and right-sized recipes to their table,” says author Cynthia Graubart.
“Thanksgiving for Two (or Four) is your must-have handy how-to guide for celebrating Thanksgiving this November. It’s packed with expertly written recipes, mouth-watering photographs, and tons of tips and techniques for pulling off a smaller - but no less satisfying or soulful - family feast, ” says Chef Virginia Willis.
RuPaul's Drag Race Winner and Denver's Own Yvie Oddly Releases Debut Album 'Drag Trap'
RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 11 winner, Miss Yvie Oddly, has released her debut album Drag Trap on Friday. The 10-track album is available across streaming services including Spotify, Apple Music, and more, now.
Known for her avant-garde looks and killer lip-sync battles, as well as someone who is constantly pushing the boundaries of drag performance art, Yvie displays exactly that in the videos that Drag Trap is home to – "Gigging," "Hype feat. Vanessa Vanjie Mateo” as well as the title track “Drag Trap.”
On the album, Yvie shares, "My inspiration for Drag Trap comes from all sorts of places. When Season 11 aired and my life changed drastically I began writing raps to help me navigate my emotions. So the songs range from the pressures of fame, to my health, sex, and being a queer Black American ... and just everything I needed to get off my chest."
Yvie Oddly is an (r)evolutionary drag queen performer, rapper, and fine artist from Denver, Colorado. Yvie captured the attention of the world when she won the eleventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race. New York Magazine named Oddly one of the most powerful drag queens in June 2019 because of her ability to push the boundaries of drag performance art. Yvie's creative, outrageous and unconventional looks – which range from gorgeous fashion model to terrifying alien creature - combined with her signature loud cackle make her instantly recognizable. Yvie's flexibility, strength, long limbs, and charismatic personality always give the audience something they've never seen before, an energetic other-worldly performance. This up and coming fierce artist force is a social justice warrior and elevates drag performance, music and fine art to new heights with captivating narratives, impeccable skills, and a presence unmatched by anyone.
Kylie Minogue - I Love It
Kylie has today revealed, ‘I Love It’, a brand new album track from her forthcoming record, ‘Disco’, which will be released on November 6.
‘I Love It’ features classic ‘70s disco beats, Kylie’s unmistakable vocals and a chorus made for the dance floor. Sure to be a fan favourite, the track is the third song taken from Kylie’s 15th studio album, ‘Disco’, due out next month. Kylie recently revealed the full track listing for the record:
1. Magic
2. Miss A Thing
3. Real Groove
4. Monday Blues
5. Supernova
7. Last Chance
8. I Love It
9. Where Does The DJ Go?
10. Dance Floor Darling
11. Unstoppable
12. Celebrate You
13. Till You Love Somebody
14. Fine Wine
15. Hey Lonely
16. Spotlight
‘Disco’ is the first new album from Kylie
since her 2018 album ‘Golden’, which hit Number 1 in both the UK and
Australia. Collectively,
Juried Award Winners Revealed For NewFest's 32nd Annual New York LGBTQ Film Festival
NewFest, New York’s leading LGBTQ film and media organization and one of the world's most respected LGBTQ film festivals, has announced the recipients for the juried award winners for the festival’s 32nd year. Top honors went to writer/director Anna Kerrigan for COWBOYS (Grand Jury Prize, Narrative Feature), director Assel Aushakimova for WELCOME TO THE USA (Grand Jury Prize, International Feature), director Posy Dixon for KEYBOARD FANTASIES: THE BEVERLY GLENN-COPELAND STORY (Grand Jury Prize, Documentary Feature), as well as director Cai Thomas for QUEENIE (Grand Jury Prize, New York Short). The announcement was made at the festival’s virtual award ceremony by NewFest Executive Director David Hatkoff and Director Of Programming Nick McCarthy.
In addition to the regular juried awards, the Festival also introduced three new juried cash-prize awards as part of NewFest’s new Black Filmmakers Initiative, which was created in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and in recognition of the need to create opportunities for queer Black artists and amplify their voices. The Emerging Black LGBTQ+ Filmmaker Award, decided upon by a jury of Black LGBTQ+ film industry professionals, was awarded to three separate directors whose short films screened during NewFest’s 32nd edition of The New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival. The three filmmakers who received the Emerging Black LGBTQ+ Filmmaker Award, which is accompanied by a $1,000 cash prize and Vimeo Pro Account, were writer/director/producer Blanche Akonchong for MERCURY AFROGRADE, co-writers/producers/directors Elegance Bratton & Jovan James for BUCK, and writer/director Terrance Daye for SHIP: A VISUAL POEM.
As announced earlier this week, the Initiative’s Directorial Feature Debut Black LGBTQ+ Filmmaker Award, awarded by NewFest programmers to a Black LGBTQ+ filmmaker whose directorial feature debut is being presented at NewFest’s 32nd edition of the festival, went to filmmaker Olivia Peace for TAHARA. The prize comes with a $2,000 cash prize and a Vimeo Pro Account.
The Black Filmmakers Initiative is generously supported by Blackstone, Ralph Lauren Corporation and Vimeo.
The audience awards for the festival will be announced when the festival closes, on October 27.
NewFest’s New York LGBTQ Film Festival is currently running through October 27 and more than 120 new films from 29 countries are accessible to ticket holders nationwide via NewFest’s on-demand platform throughout the festival. Individual tickets and all-access passes are all available at newfest.org.
Thursday, October 22, 2020
Undocumented LGBTQ+ Activists Speak On The Importance Of Voting In The 2020 Presidential Election
Queer and undocumented filmmaker Armando Ibañez is releasing the videos of 9 undocumented LGTQ+ activists speaking on the importance of the 2020 elections to undocumented communities as part of the #VotaJota digital campaign launched by Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement (TQLM) & Mijente Support Committee. In collaboration with The Center for Cultural Power, these videos were created to engage LGBTQ+ Latinx voters during the most historic election of our lifetime and will have a big impact on LGTBQ+ rights, including marriage equality and anti-discrimination laws and immigration.
Armando Ibañez is the creator of the award-winning web series Undocumented Tales and part of the inaugural cohort of the Disruptors Fellowship for emerging television writers. As a queer undocumented immigrant, Ibañez cannot vote yet he’s using his art to send a message to voters from the lens of LGBTQ+ undocumented immigrants. According to the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, 21% of LGBTQ+ people are not registered to vote and 22% of registered LGBTQ+ voters are Latinx, and 13% are Black. “Our lives are at stake and we know that this election will directly impact our lives. Undocumented LGBTQ+ activists have been at the forefront of the immigrant rights movement and you’ll hear from us because while we can’t vote we can influence this election,” says Armando Ibañez. He wants LGBTQ+ voters to take advantage of the privilege they have to vote and how their vote has the power to create a better future that is just, equitable, and inclusive.
The Center for Cultural Power launched the Movement to the Ballot Box Campaign to commission and uplift compelling artists and storytellers to increase civic participation and mobilize a historic voter turnout. “Armando is not only an amazing artist and storyteller, he is a cultural leader that is committed to using his art to shift culture around immigration, LGBTQ+, and racial justice. The power behind this project is that the message comes from undocumented immigrants who are not able to vote and yet believe in the importance of voting so much that they are working to engage more voter participation,” says Kat Evasco, Sr. Program Director at the Center for Cultural Power.
Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement & Mijente Support Committee launched #VotaJota, an innovative digital campaign to get trans and queer Latinx voters to register and vote in the 2020 election cycle, focusing on Arizona, Florida, and North Carolina. Jorge Guiterrez, executive director of Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement, said, “Given the importance of this election, the importance of the Latinx vote but the lack of focus on trans and queer Latinx voters, I participated in these videos because I know they will help us reach trans and queer Latinx voters in Arizona, Florida, and North Carolina. The #VotaJota campaign includes those of us who are undocumented and can’t vote but who are organizing during this election and who’ll continue to work towards our liberation regardless of the results of the elections .”
Tips and Tricks to Navigating MAP’s Equality Maps
As a result of the uneven and uncertain progress for LGBTQ equality, LGBTQ people in America face an almost incomprehensible patchwork of laws. An LGBTQ individual or family may have high levels of legal equality in one state, while their LGBTQ counterparts in a neighboring state face only hostile or negative laws.
On issues from nondiscrimination to criminal justice and identity documents to health care, MAP’s Equality Maps provide a quick, yet detailed snapshot of the current state of LGBTQ laws and policies at the federal, state, and local levels. As of October 1, 2020, MAP tracks nearly 40 LGBTQ-related laws and policies in all 50 states, D.C., and the five U.S. territories.
MAP’s Equality Maps and in-depth policy tallies by state help make this patchwork understandable, give an idea of the legislative landscape, and illustrate the gaps in protections across the United States. They also help demonstrate the differences in legal equality based on sexual orientation versus gender identity and expression, and that progress in one area does not necessarily mean progress in the other.
The tally system is dynamic and updated in real time — meaning that as new laws pass, whether anti-LGBTQ or pro-LGBTQ, MAP will update the maps and include the new laws in the tally and citation/references sheet available beneath each map. To learn more, check out a recent blog post for useful tips to navigating the Equality Maps.
On issues from nondiscrimination to criminal justice and identity documents to health care, MAP’s Equality Maps provide a quick, yet detailed snapshot of the current state of LGBTQ laws and policies at the federal, state, and local levels. As of October 1, 2020, MAP tracks nearly 40 LGBTQ-related laws and policies in all 50 states, D.C., and the five U.S. territories.
MAP’s Equality Maps and in-depth policy tallies by state help make this patchwork understandable, give an idea of the legislative landscape, and illustrate the gaps in protections across the United States. They also help demonstrate the differences in legal equality based on sexual orientation versus gender identity and expression, and that progress in one area does not necessarily mean progress in the other.
The tally system is dynamic and updated in real time — meaning that as new laws pass, whether anti-LGBTQ or pro-LGBTQ, MAP will update the maps and include the new laws in the tally and citation/references sheet available beneath each map. To learn more, check out a recent blog post for useful tips to navigating the Equality Maps.
San Francisco Launches Effort to Landmark Longtime Home of LGBTQ Icons Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin
On Tuesday, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve a resolution authored by District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman to nominate the former home of pioneering LGBTQ and civil rights activists Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin for designation as a local historic landmark.
“Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin were pioneers of the LGBTQ rights movement,” said Mandelman who is the only LGBTQ member of the Board of Supervisors and represents the Noe Valley neighborhood where the home is located. “They co-founded the first lesbian political organization in the country in the 1950s and became the first same-sex couple legally wed in San Francisco. The home they shared for more than half a century was the site of many community gatherings and has clear historic value that needs to be preserved and memorialized.”
The resolution was prompted by the recent sale of the property where Martin and Lyon lived together and nurtured a movement from 1955 until Martin’s death in 2008, and where Lyon remained until her death this April. The home, a 750 square foot cottage atop a steep hill in San Francisco’s Noe Valley neighborhood, sold for $2.25 million in September. The property, a double lot that remains mostly undeveloped, offers a stunning view of the city skyline and was advertised as “the very last parcel of land atop Noe Valley” and “truly the last of its kind.” Noe Valley has seen a rash of redevelopment in recent years with large, luxury homes that routinely sell for $6 million and above often replacing modest homes originally built in the early parts of the 20th century, like the Lyon Martin house.
The sale caught the attention of Shayne Watson, a historian who co-wrote San Francisco’s LGBTQ Historic Context Statement in 2016. “I was alarmed when I saw an article about the sale touting how profitable it would be to redevelop the property,” said Watson. “The Lyon-Martin house is not only one of the most significant queer sites in the city, but a place of international importance – truly a birthplace of LGBTQ-rights movements worldwide.”
“The home of Lesbian icons and human rights leaders Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin in San Francisco is vital to LGBTQ as well as San Francisco and American history,” said Dr. Marcia Gallo, professor emerita at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and author of Different Daughters: A History of the Daughters of Bilitis and the Rise of the Lesbian Rights Movements. “From the mid-1950s to 2020, with its large open living room windows looking out on the city they loved so dearly, the Lyon Martin House not only sheltered them and their family and friends but also welcomed activists, journalists, politicians and other change-makers throughout the nation and the world.”
Lyon and Martin, journalists who met when they were living in Seattle before moving back to San Francisco to live together in 1953, would continue as trailblazers across many social issues. This included the founding of the Daughters of Bilitis, the first lesbian rights organization in the United States which published the nationally-distributed newsletter The Ladder, hosted national conventions, and organized private social gatherings that were the only places for lesbians to gather freely at the time. In 1964, they helped found Citizen Alert, an early policy watchdog program focused on police brutality and unequal law enforcement. In 1976, Martin published Battered Wives, one of the earliest books on domestic violence published in the United States. In 1995, they were appointed to the White House Conference on Aging by Senator Dianne Feinstein and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi. In 2004, they became the first same-sex couple to legally wed in San Francisco when then-Mayor Gavin Newsom ordered the City Clerk to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
"Whether it was as godmothers of the lesbian rights movement, NCLR’s lead plaintiffs in the California marriage equality case, or role models to multiple generations of queer kids, Del and Phyllis embodied the integrity and courage our country needs,” said Imani Rupert Gordon, Executive Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights.
That preservation effort was spearheaded by Watson, who brought together historians, friends and former caregivers of Lyon and Martin, and members of the broader queer community to establish the Friends of the Lyon-Martin House in partnership with the GLBT Historical Society, and now with the backing of Mandelman, who introduced the resolution in late September after a community meeting organized by the group.
“Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin's papers are among the largest and most
important collections in the GLBT Historical Society archives, and
clearly document the historic significance of the Lyon-Martin House,”
said Terry Beswick, Executive Director of the Historical
Society. “It's simply a cultural treasure for San Franciscans and for
all LGBTQ people, and I applaud my colleague Shayne Watson for calling
attention to this timely issue, and Supervisor Rafael Mandelman for
leading the charge to landmark the site.”
The vote begins the formal designation process, which gives the City’s Planning Department and Historic Preservation Commission 90 days to issue a recommendation to the Board who would then take final action to designate the landmark. The historic status would mean that future development and uses of the property would be subject to review by the Historic Preservation Commission.
“I’m proud of our action today, and will continue to do everything I can to ensure our LGBTQ landmarks are recognized,” said Mandelman. “I look forward to working with community leaders and those who knew Phyllis, Del and their home firsthand to honor their legacy and this special piece of San Francisco.”
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