[laughter] >> get in there. >> mayor farrell: all right. there we go. [cheers and applause] >> mayor farrell: let us get

started here. first of all, i want to welcome everyone to city hall to kick off san francisco's are judy -- lgbtq pride 2018. let's give a round of applause, everyone. [cheers and applause] >> mayor farrell: i want to thank, first of all, the incredible people that made this happen here today. not only outside of city hall, but thank you to the volunteers who are making this month exactly what it is for the city of san francisco. special thanks to our own san francisco pride team and i want to acknowledge teddy witherington who is scheduled to be here. teddy, if you are here, or he will be here soon enough. i want to acknowledge him as well for being here. i want to acknowledge, there are a number of people up here as well. acknowledge the elected officials, alice randolph from art city officials board, carmen two, our assessor recorder, the

woman of the hour, for sure. [cheers and applause] clair farley from our office of transgender services. [applause] london breed, our president of the board of supervisors. our treasured tax collector and our share of. [applause] so today, in san francisco, and throughout the month, we honour both individuals that have made a significant difference in the past that are doing it now in the present and will in the future, for our lgbtq community. we also acknowledge all the organizations that work with our community of san francisco on lgbtq issues that make san francisco who we are as a city. you know, as civil rights are under attack throughout our country, it is so important that

san francisco stands tall above every other place in america. that we, as a city, recommit ourselves to reject the ideologies of bigotry and hatred that come out of the trump administration and others throughout our country, throughout the world, at times. san francisco needs to remain a beacon of hope for everybody. i am proud to be the mayor at the city and county of san francisco that stands exactly for those principles. [cheers and applause] in san francisco, we stand up for our principles of diversity. we stand up for equality for every single person in our city, and we make sure that our city continues to be an example for the rest of our country to follow.

you know, as mayor, and before then as member of the board of supervisors, i've been able to witness the strength of our lgbtq community here in san francisco. we have fought many battles over the years. today, with what was a very narrow ruling out of the u.s. supreme court, but the rhetoric that comes with that, and what our lgbtq community must do to combat that and stand proud and stand tall. it is so important at the rest of us, as a city stand with our lgbtq community. that is who we are as san francisco. along those lines, i want to make sure i let everyone know today, and announce officially, san francisco is joining with the rca of california and banning all business practices with the state of oklahoma. [cheers and applause] we will not -- we will not, as a

city, continue to tolerate other jurisdictions that discriminate upon our civil rights, and certainly with her lgbtq community. we will continue to stand tall as a city, and stoned -- stand tall for exactly who we are as people and residents in our city. you know, i want to acknowledge the contributions of our late mayor ed lee and the things he did for the lgbtq community as well. he founded the federal mayors against lgbtq discrimination organization. but he did so at the national level. he started the player. the first and its client in our entire country. and it has been a great source of pride as mayor to continue this legacy. last week, the supervisors and i

announced that the city of san francisco and i will be backfilling the four-point $2 million for hiv and aids funding that a federal government cut. [applause] together with claire farley, we have created a transgender advisory committee here in san francisco. and legislation that our board of supervisors was proud to pass through and i was proud to sign. creating all gender bathrooms in our sros across a city of san francisco. and also signing legislation naming terminal one for harvey milk at our san francisco airport. [applause] it is with great pride i stand here as your mayor to kick off this month. and to be part of some amazing celebrations yet to come. i would like to say a few comments about the next person

who is going to be speaking. she is going to be the recipient of the teddy witherington award, which recognizes individuals for their long-standing, and lasting contributions to our lgbtq community in san francisco. kate kendall has served the executive director of the national centre for lesbian rights for 22 years. [applause] she has placed the ncl are at the centre of the civil rights movement in our country. under her guidance, they want the landmark equality case in 2,008 and was later part of the team that secured national equality in 2015. [applause] they have done problematic work around asylum, immigration,

around lgbtq people in prisons and transgender rights, poverty, issues for those that are part of our lgbtq community, and issues that matter for lgbtq people of colour. just last year, and clr -- nclr joined court people to file lawsuit challenging trump's transgender military band. it secured a nationwide injunction. that is what we can do when we stand together for our principles. [applause] i've gone to meet kate a number of times to get to know her a little bit, but she is a symbol of standing for social justice in our city, and it is with great pride that i welcome up kate kendall to the microphone and pronounced today, kate kendall day in the city of san francisco. [cheers and applause]

the stage is yours. >> thank you. i was not prepared for that. i really thought i was just coming, just like all of you to a flag raising. i didn't realize that i was going to be acknowledged in this way. what i want to say is that when i came to san francisco, 24 years ago, to start as a legal director for the national centre for lesbian rights, i thought i was coming to be the legal director at the national centre for lesbian rights. i never thought i would be the executive director, and i never imagined that a city could so transform a person and make them feel so embraced and so loved, and so welcome to, so supported that they could, every day, and that is me i am speaking of,

have my reach exceed my grasp in what i thought i was capable of. this city, on the support of many people who are here, and many people who came before and who are no longer here launched me in so many ways, and i have often said, but it is so true, i get so much more than i gave and i am so grateful for this. grateful for the work i'm able to do. the fight will continue and someone else will lead nclr and they will be a bigger badass than me. that is what we know we need to. it is time to know when to lead and time to know when to step aside and let someone else lead and i'm excited for the next chapter for nclr and for this city, and for where we go as a country and taking our country back as a place where all of us can live fully and freely and feel supported for who we are and and hate and discrimination and white supremacy and racism. thank you so much for this and for your support. [cheers and applause]

>> mayor farrell: thank you kate. up next, i have the pleasure of introducing someone who is really a part of living history for lgbtq community in san francisco. someone who has been the forefront of this fight for civil rights, for decades in our city. someone who has had the opportunity to be a leader outside of city hall and inside of city hall. and at this point, it is the only person on the board of supervisors that is part of the lgbtq community. please join me in welcoming up the great lady -- leader for our city of san francisco supervisor jeff sheehy. >> thank you kate i have a

certificate from the board of supervisors for you as well. [applause] just a note, under her leadership, nclr has led on these national court battles, but one of the most moving things i experienced was i was with my husband in a small town in florida, a lesbian couple, the woman who had been previously married to a man was having trouble getting rights for her child and who was there? nclr. small town, big towns, big issues, little issues, they have been there across this country. i salute you, kate. i salute nclr. the greatest. [applause] so, this is an interesting pride to kick off with a supreme court

decision against our community. i recognize our acclaim this year and generations of pride and like kate, is passing down to new leadership and new activism in our community. the person who came up with that theme, larry nelson, the bonds that we need to create between those of us who are in the back of squad cars and lying down in streets, starting organizations in our community. those bonds need to be strengthened and renewed. we are at war. we are at war. when children are taken away from immigrant parents at the border and separated, when our community, i would transgender rights have been under assault from the beginning of this administration, and now we can't even bake a cake. we can't even get a wedding cake. what is this? 7-2. we have to recognize the threat to our community is immortal, it is not just asked. we have to stand with every other community in unison as we've done over the years to

fight back these threats from this administration. [applause] [cheering] >> and we all have to identify the congressional district in california that we are going to be marching and walking and fighting for with democrats this fall. we can take back the house and start to stop this, but we have to do the work. [applause] remember we one the briggs amendment way back in the day with harvey milk. we went to places, small towns across california and showed them who we were, who we are, and show them our love. so, just to close out, i could go on and on, because that brought out the activist in me to see the supreme court decision, not that i haven't been fired up since i came into office, i do want to give a special shout out to gilbert baker. i don't know how many of you know, this pride is the 40th

anniversary of the creation of the rainbow flag. the first rainbow flag. [applause] the first rainbow flag flew 14 years ago, and now you can find it in every country in the wor world. that kind of creative, passionate activism is what we are here to celebrate and to continue. thank you all, and happy pride. [applause] >> mayor farrell: i would also like to introduce claire farley. thank you. the office of transgender initiative, lgbtq initiative, sorry. [applause] >> thank you. thank you. good morning everyone. i'm so happy to be here to celebrate and kick off pride with you all today. [cheers and applause]

i'll give it a minute. as we know, 2018 has been a challenging year, as we fight for basic human rights and lgbtq rights across the country. san francisco continues to be a leader in advancing the rights for transgender and lgbtq people. as our federal administration has it under constant attack. furthermore, our diverse communities across san francisco bring us life and honour are under siege. with all of this, it can be difficult to remember what we are here to celebrate. although, when we look back at our history, we are reminded of the movement and the changemakers that never gave up. we have stood up and fought ba

back. we have fought back with our communities through our resiliency, our community power, working together across communities to develop comprehensive programs, policies and actions that make us stronger and celebrate our differences. i'm so proud to work for a city where i can be out. and where i can be part of advancing the rights for trans and lgbtq people across our great city. whether it is spanning travel are contracting with states that past policies that allow discrimination, or assuring that we have benefits for everyone in our city, or making sure that we have all gender facilities, or developing districts that honour our san francisco culture. or that celebrate the legacy of our lgbtq leaders like renaming terminal one after harvey milk. we still have so much more work to do and i look forward to being part of this change.

i am grateful for the late mayor lee for appointing me and seeing the value in transgender leadership in our city. [applause] thank you to mayor farrell, city administrators, my team and everyone on the mayor's staff in the community for supporting me over my first six months. from constant to s.f. pride, san francisco is a beacon of hope and will continue for generations to come. today, we celebrated the raising of the pride flag over san francisco city hall, and it is a reminder of the generations of strengths that came before us. harvey milk, julius truman, marcia p. johnson, and many more. and honouring the leaders of today, kate kendall, missed major, teddy witherington, cecelia chong, and many more. [applause]

today i have the honour to recognize the changemaker of our future. with ten years of service for our community, he is a writer, a cultural icon, a policy strategist, she is currently the lgbtq policy advisor for the san francisco human rights commission. she was instrumental in the name and dignity act for incarcerated transgendered people. she is a policy of fellow alums for the women's foundation policy institute and lead advocate on prioritizing safety for sex workers. she cofounded the constant cultural district, -- district the first transgender cultural district in the country. please join me in welcoming aria

saiid. [applause] >> good afternoon everyone. i don't want to feel alone up here. i don't want to feel alone. [laughter] happy pride. my name is aria and i am so grateful for the acknowledgement today and this month. i've been doing this work for ten years and i'm definitely having a full circle moments. i moved to san francisco in 2010 with $60 in my bag and got off the greyhound bus and i slaps on the san francisco bar and i used to walk maiden lane, and dream about being more than i was at that time. so i am so grateful for this acknowledgement. i also want to say that my work and in particular is about the promotion of the resiliency of

black trans women. i feel like... [applause] it's because -- it's because of the work of black trans women that i feel like we are free. forty-eight years ago at stonewall, it was a black trans women who was a sex worker and he was homeless. marcia p. johnson who threw the brick at the police officers that started the riot. it is because a black trans women that we are able to celebrate pride, and i am so grateful to be soaking in this moment. thank you so much. [cheers and applause] >> aria, the supervisor has a certificate to give you as well. >> mayor farrell: i also have a certificate from the board of supervisors. thank you it so much for your years of work. thank you. [applause]

>> we also want to thank tom horn for making this event possible. thank you tom. [applause] we would not be able to celebrate this annual event without your support. next, it is my honour to welcome the leader behind pride and helps make pride happen every year. please join me in welcoming the executive director, jordan -- george ridley to help me kick off pride. [applause] >> thank you. thank you mayor farrell and thank you supervisors. i've asked the board president to join me up here today. [applause] honestly, i couldn't do my job without the support of someone like michelle. this is her third year as our president. it's my fifth year at pride. it is quite a privilege to do this. we are quite the team.

again, i need her by my side. i am glad she is here today as well. so, we are pleased to be here at the beginning applied month and honoured to be part of this flag raising ceremony. san francisco is looking very proud. i don't know if you notice, but this past week we installed the rainbow flag along market street and the energy in the city is clearly building to what i expect to be an enormous expression of resistance and hope and solidarity on june 23rd and 24th. i am lucky to work, yes. [applause] i am lucky to work with some dedicated and tireless individuals. we are a small team we are a mighty team. not everyone in the office or working on the event could be here today, they've got some work to do, however, there are some people who could join us. i would love it if you would raise your hand if you are on

the team, or on the staff, and volunteering. everyone give them a round of applause. [applause] >> i think, at this point i would like to recognize our board of directors who has been incredibly supportive of me and of the organization and the vision that we have. as i mentioned, michelle is our board president. i know a lot of our board members are here today and i'm super grateful for that. our vice president is here. [applause] our secretary is here. [applause] i'm not sure if our secretary, when -- secretary was able to make its. all right. we have more members here with

us today. [applause] dj grey. william walker. and other board members that were not able to make it, elizabeth, yeah, -- lanyon, manuel perez, justin taylor, please give them a round of applause as well. [cheers and applause] pride is a perfect portrait of all the things that we love about san francisco. this year, we are expecting 270 contingents in the parade. that is on par it was last year market street is going to be so filled with community groups, activists, elders, children, companies, international and local, performers, celebrities and elected officials marching side-by-side down market street. is a massive organic expression

of a million voices simultaneously erupting as we march down market street and gather at civic centre. for all of those voices building to a crescendo that calls out in the name of strengths, solidarity, and unrelenting demand for equality. [cheers and applause] our theme this year is generations of strengths. as a supervisor pointed out earlier. i think you would agree that this years grand marshals and honourees are wonderful examples of the strength that is found throughout our communities. this is where i will ask for michelle's help. first, i want to acknowledge that kate kendall has been an incredible inspiration for me. [cheers and applause] i also want to thank you for starting out by crying, because i normally do as well. this is perfect. thank you. [laughter] with that, i will give michelle

some airtime. [laughter] >> oh,, i don't know anything about airtime, but i love it. thank you so much. i'm very honoured to be here again and thank you to tom horn. thank you to everybody. the leaders of san francisco for making this happen and to kick off pride month for a world destination city like san francisco. in three weeks we will see a lot of people come to san francisco to celebrate pride and to support the lgbtq community. i want to piggyback off of what the supervisor was talking about as far as a community being under attack. in some ways, we are at war with the supreme court voting against us as a community. it is not just one person. it is not just one organization that is going to make the equal rights movement happen. it takes all of us, and visibility as a backbone. i'm very proud to be part of a board that has made it their mission and their commitment to

make sure we recognize the work of the leaders of our community who are working at the very grassroots level and changing hearts and minds. to introduce this year's grand marshals and honourees, and those being selected, keep that in mind. there are many of us who, just by attending the local churches, by being educators, by being out, that that is part of our due diligence and social responsibility, and making sure we do fight for equal rights. these are the people who are making and paving the way for us. that was from my heart. now i will go on script. [laughter] from the little -- multilayer grassroots advocacy work that is being done in the bay area by the incredibly talented kinfol kinfolks, they are our community selected grand marshal. [cheers and applause]

to the generations of? or artists that have been fostered by? or cultural centre and just honoured, steered with a loving hand by pam tennyson, from aria, founder of the queer culture initiative that is promoting cultural equity for trans women of colour, through social empowerment and cultural enrichment, to the work that community grand marshal really criticized on to develop safe spaces for lgbtq students, faculty, employees -- and employees at ucb berkeley, i could go on and on and on about the grand marshals and awardees. they have contributed over 30 years to the lgbtq community. they have litigated and continue to fight for our community through the court system. putting out lgbtq queer and nonconforming images, and

visibility, voices out there. john haines, who many of you know at city hall, he works tirelessly and volunteers and advocates for everyone here in the city of san francisco. they paved the way for freedom and liberation. the fair education act implementation coalition with our family coalition, of course, a lesbian gate freedom been, we would not sound so amazing if not for the lesbian gate freedom band. we thank each and every one of you for your service to our communities and i know many of you are here today and that was my script. thank you. i look forward to san francisco pride. [cheers and applause] >> thank you michelle. 2018 is a special year in san

francisco for a number of reasons. as the supervisors pointed out, he was 40 years ago the rainbow flag was first unfurled and flown at the gate freedom day festivities. today it is an internationally recognized symbol of unity, love and acceptance. for two years ago, in 1978, we saw the first performance of the gay man's chorus, who during a dark and painful moment in this history, brought to the community comfort right here on the steps of city hall. forty years ago, in 1978, harvey milk sat triumphantly atop a car and rode down market street as a first openly gay elected official in california. [applause] if you look at the film and look at the photos, it was clearly a victory lap and he wore a huge smile. he wore a lay around his neck and he were a t-shirt that read, i will never go back. we must never go back. while we have been enjoyed great

civil rights and victories, there are those who will take those victories away, as was proven today. we must never stop fighting to defend what we have one, and simultaneously ensure that no one is left behind. we will never go back in the name of the community ancestors like sonny wolf who led the pride parade for over 40 years with dykes on bikes. we must keep moving forward. [applause] we will never go back. while we face great challenges, we must also seize on great opportunities. the young people in our communities need support and they need mentorship and they need love. they keep us moving forward. we will never go back. the only way we can progress is together as one. take a chance at this june to celebrate alongside the million people we've invited to the city and other human beings, and unite your voices in a call for

justice and equality. i want to share some words i saw this morning from a colleague and a friend on social media. sam singer. some of you in the room -- room may know it sam singer. he was reflecting on the assassination of bobby kennedy, 50 years ago, this week. i think it is quite poignant for what we are talking about today. it is our political, social and moral imperative to survive, and honour those who gave their lives to protest. [applause] with that, i will say, once again, we will never go back. we are generations of strengths happy lesbian gay, bisexual, transgender pride. thank you for being here today. [cheers and applause] >> mayor farrell: thank you. george, stay here for a second. two quick things. first of all, i would like to

recognize our district attorney he was here today as well, with us. was clause second, kate, celebrate, we named it kate kendall day in san francisco. but i'm proud to announce today this is lgbtq pride month in the city of san francisco. [cheers and applause] all right, everyone. and droit the refreshments and happy pride, everybody. [cheers and applause]

>> good morning. thank you. all right, ladies and gentlemen. are you fired up? today's the day we talk about budget and we are almost there, yes. yes! let's get excited. let's get excited because we are going to be done by this evening. that is a, my commitment to you, i want you guys to make that commitment to me, we are going to do this together. so, we are going to move forward. thank you for being patient this morning. we are starting 44 minutes late, and my apologies for that. ladies and gentlemen, i want to welcome you to what will, like i