model towards many forms of substance use, including moving towards opening a supervised consumption site and it's at odds with our approach here. with that said, i am gravely concerned with the skyrocketingg vaping products. my daughter firefighter med some of her friends in middle school are already users. i'm convince ed this existing efforts to regulate these products have been effective and for that reason, for the been of the health of the public, i am supporting the legislation today. thank you. >> supervisor brown. >> yes, thank you. i am supporting this legislation today, also. and i sat down with the merchants, the small besmear bus

merchants that rely on sale to support their family. i am happy that supervisor walton said we'll have a working group and i would love to be a part of that, because i think district 5 and i think district 3 has the most of those mom and pop stores that sell this and so, i want to be at the table. for every adult that uses ecigarettes to stop smoking or cut back on nicotine, dozens of

children start and that stopped me cold because when i think that if we would have taken a stand, the city would have taken a stand, 50, 30, 20 years ago, we took a stand against big tobacco, we might not have had a lot of adults that are struggling now to try to stop smoking, to try to stop taking nicotine. and also their health issues. so i'm here with my colleagues to take a stand with big tobacco because we should not let them look for other, especially the union, be able to let them get them addicted and think of the health costs and what will happen to our youth. it is unacceptable. so thank you for bringing this forward. and definitely want to stand with all my colleagues on this. >> supervisor mendelman.

>> like some of my colleagues, i had reservations about this measure, but at our hearing at public safety and neighborhood services, we heard very compelling testimony from folks in the american heart association, professors and many people coming forward to say that no, vaping is not harm reduction, that as supervisor brown said, that much of the progress made in reducing nicotine addiction and people using cigarettes is eroded toward people rushing towards ecigarettes. i'm convinced over the short-term, at least, until the fda evaluates this product, it's a reasonable thing for san francisco and totally consistent with our public health goals to

move forward with this legislation. the lingering concern i did have at the end of that hearing was around potential impacts on small businesses and particularly on the grocers and i want to thank supervisor walltop and supervisor fuer for your work to reach out to those grocers and to do more than just off them hopes and prayers as we did in the past but to get this working group going forward and to then come forward with an actual package that may help some of the businesses survive in a tough economic environment that, frankly, this legislation will make tougher. >> supervisor haniny? >> thank you, president. i will be supporting this legislation. thank you supervisor walton and city attorney hererra for your leadership on this. i do think that from a public health perspective, particularly when you have a product that does not have fda approval for

marketing, that as supervisor mendleman said, this is an important regulation to protect our residents. we have seen an explosion of the use of ecigarettes by union and being able to put in regulations that prevent that and address that are critical for our city. i also represent a district that has many small grocers. i wasn't trying to compete there, but i live within a block of, i think, four or five, and they've talked to me about this. they've come in and spoken to me about it and from their perspective, they need to be able to survive here in a very tough economic climate. and when we keep on changing the rules of the game, it makes it hard for them. so i hope that this working group is something that has concrete commitments and

resources and i want to thank supervisor fuer for your leadership on this because i think they felt like we've given lip service to some of this over time as we've made change and not actually followed through. i think many of them would be fully willing to sell other things or take certain supports to have produce or all of the things they want to have a positive impact on the people they serve and on the community, they're willing to do, but they need our help. but you have my commitment to work with you on this and thank you for your courage in taking this on. but it will take some additional follow-through to get this right and i think that's what we've heard from all of our colleagues here. so i'm happy to support it. i think that this makes sense when you have a product like this that's not fda approved but at the same time we have work to support everyone who will be impact.

ed. >> supervisor safye. >> thank you. i think when this came to my attention i was shocked that this company and others that do vaping had never gone through the fda approval process. i think a lot of the members of the public and those that are out there probably are still in disbelief. this company grew overnight and now valued almost at $20 billion. it shows you how profitable this is and let's call it what it is. it's a replacement for nicotine delivery. when i sat with representatives of the company, i asked simple questions. they were pitching the idea that this was an alternative to the patch, the gum and i'm not a smoker. i don't have any interaction in understanding of that, but i said, well, can you walk into a

store and off the shelf grab the patch and the gum? and their answer was no. i said what do you need to do? they said it's behind lock and key. i said, would you be interested in being behind lock and key and oh, absolutely not. that sums up what this is about. this is about accessibility and nick seen inicotine in the fast. it's about online sales and getting them into the hands of the next generation of addicted users. i have to sympathy for that. i want to echo the fact that we just got a report from the office of small business that talked about the loss of revenue sales that are projected and i understand the small business owners have invested money, time, effort and energy into the second round in terms of

flavoured tobacco moving to vaping. it's all under the same theme and we're trying to protect the public's health and doing it in such a way we think it's helpful. this is not an outright ban but an opportunity for this company and others to go and seek fda approval and then maybe have a conversation with the city about the true process by which people can buy that, which is maybe behind lock and key. maybe some other way in the future, but right now, it is as easy as clicking purchase online. there is no verification, there is no interest in determining how old the purchaser is. even if there were, it's easy to work with someone to purchase and get it delivered to your house. this is about thinking about the next generation of users and thinking about protecting the overall health and sending a message to the rest of the state and the country to follow our lead. this is an important step in the

conversation of protecting public health. and similar to what we did recently in this chamber when it came to mitigating effects of construction from the sfmta on small business, we can do the exact same thing. we can have a conversation about creating the fund and helping the small business owners and grocers. they're an important part of the fabric in san francisco. i know all of those that have cornerstone grocers that to that hard work, we want to help them survive. so thank you for bringing this forward and thank you for all of the thoughtful comments. i think the debate is operate straightforward and clear. this is about public health. >> before i ask supervisor walton to speak again, i want to say thank you supervisor walton,

for introducing these items. colleagues, it is a to brainer we should support the tobacco on city property. the legislation, however, to restrict a sale, manufacturer and distribution of ecigarettes lead to some robust policy and discussions. like many of us, my colleagues, i met with the small business community, namely the grossers, the owners of grocerrers and i want to recognise their plight. i know families put everything into their businesses but times have greatly changed. our corner stores used to be a one-stop shop for everything, milk, egg and other products. over time, there has become more

reliance on unhealthy and dangerous products making these stores vile. viable and this isa good option but that is the reality. as i think more about how retail has changed and the challenges these predominantly immigrant businesses face, i come back to this moral dilemma how would i feel if a retailer came to me to ask me my opposition to ban assault rifles knowing how dangerous assault rifles are to make a profit. i know that for some, this is a stretch, but we truly do not know the full consequences of the products that are marketed as safer alternatives to traditional cigarettes. we have to recognise this is a greater public health issue. this legislation alone will not prevent, entirely prevent union

vaping, but we hope it is a start and, perhaps, the fact that we have created public discourse about the potential dangers of this product is moving us in the better direction. young people growing addicted to nicotine, we need to reverse this trend of new products. i'm in full support to to protect the brick and mortar stands to find other ways of making a living. so i want to thank supervisor fuer, in pushing this issue and with supervisor walton joining and i'm glad you're taking this step because i was really in many ways concerned.

having grown up, having a small grocer in my family, so to the business community, i want you to know that as a city, we must do more for you. but we also immediat need to dee the safety of the products we allow in our marketplace. so i would love, if you don't mind, supervisor walltop waltonn you as a cosponsor. >> thank you so much, president yi and i wanted to thank the city attorney for his cosponsorship and for his hard fight to protect our young people, as well. and also, natalie g and my whole staff for working closely with the supervisors and other aids on this legislation. of course, my colleagues,

sponsor and everyone who really did have conversations with the business community and really come up with thoughtful ideas in ways that we can help to support them and we'll continue to do that. we'll formalize the conversation and it's not going to be empty or broken promise, we'll do some things that will be beneficial to small business and as i was talking about earlier, the support of small business community is not just about ecigarettes and the ban on ecigarettes but time for us to step up and do things differently so that small businesses can thrive in san francisco. so i want the small business community to know that you have my commitment for us to do that. thank you so much. >> colleagues, i'm just going to look at you when i say that, can we take these items, same look, same call? without objection, the ordinance

on first reading unanimously. we are passed our 2:30 accommodation and so madam clerk, can you please call our special order of 2:30. >> it's now time to celebrate pride and meet the board's 2019 lgbtq honourees. >> we're honouring pride month. welcome, everybody, to the board chamber to celebrate the diverse activitdiversity of our beautifl community. before i turn it over, i know there might be people waiting outside that is waiting for this item. and somehow, if you're not involved with this particular item, which will take about 45

minutes, i think we would appreciate it if you could just leave the chamber for that moment so that we could -- i should bring in the honourees. that would be well appreciated. so i think we have a bunch of people outside. >> thank you, president yi and thank you to everywhere who has come out for today's celebration of the pride month. happy pride, everyone! as the gay honour board of supervisors, it has been my honour to invite my colleagues to select a queer person or organization to honour today and earlier, we had a reception for the amazing fabulous honouree and what a fantastic group it is.

this june marks the 49t 49th anniversary of the first pride parade in sanfrancisco and 50th anniversary of the stone right-ride riots. although the stone-wall riots are credited with igniting the lgbtq movement in san francisco and supervisor hainey will back me up, we know the queer movement started a few blocks from this building, when it was a ride if the tenderloin. this has chosen as a theme generations of resistance which i love. the theme is an important remindedder that the legal and cultural progress has been hard fought generations in the making and still far from finished. the historic investment in housing for transpeople in this year's budget is happening because generations of trans women like miss major and jenetta johnson would not back

down, not at the cafetaria, not at the stone-wall in and not know. the progress they have made to new hiv infections is the legacy of generations. long-term survivors like cleve jones and harry bro who i honoured two weeks ago here and so many activists who didn't make it. they and their caregivers demanded that the politicians acknowledge and respond to the plague that the pharmaceutical companies make their live-saving medications broadly available and that governments across the land and across the world respond to the epidemic with science and love rather than fear and hate. growing up, i could not have imagined the incredible strides that the queer community would make in the past several decades. i was especially struck by this last night as i attended identity and pride, youth exploration of self, which is an art exhibition of the interfor artcentre forthe arts done in s.

these young artists, some as youngs as six created themes of identities and expression using pride flags that once had flown on market street as part of our annual celebrations. most of the kids are not queer but in some way that makes the exhibition more powerful. in san francisco, in 2019, straight and queer kids and boys and girl's club art classes used rainbow flags to tell stories of all different identities. how cool is that? you know what else is cool? our amazing honourees who will you will learn more about. i want to thank each of the honourees who my colleagues have selected for service to our city and our community and i want to thank the hard-working folks in my office, tom temprano, kyle

smeeley and ethan for all of their work on today's events. i also want to acknowledge biright and sam moganham forked food and coborae for a shot in the city photography who took what i'm sure will be an amazing photo making us look good. so with that, i will do the first commen com men co commende sisters. [cheers and applause] >> they are 40 years young. it is their 40th anniversary. [cheers and applause] a sharp sense of humour a a

commitment to celebrating the queer community can make a tremendous impact. the sisters of per pettual indulgence a nonprofit organization using drag to call attention to important queer issues and causes. it was in response to the mastro clone culture and they got a large response as they went. they produced a safer sex pamphlet and leading the first candlelit vigil.

they spear headed the light campaign. window signs marking safe homes to run to in the instance of an attack were distributed throughout san francisco. the sisters continue to contribute safety whistles today.

sister boom-boom raised a number of issues in her campaign and finishing ninth among 24 candidates. boom-boom then set her sights on mayor diane fin dianne feinsteit and passed the o ordinance for running under an assumed name. oh, board of supervisors! [ laughter ] >> the sisters who called out homophobic positions taken by the church found themselves on the other side of protests and editorials decrying use of imagery. the groups to protest the handgun hunky jesus contest, they called it. the mother house and dozens have

sprung up from alabama to australia. from their first walk to the castro in 1979 to the current-day headquarters on castro street, district eight has proudly been the sister's home base for the last 40 years and many of their signature events including the contest in dedeloris park. advocacy fundraising and community advertising may not be the glamorous work but the nones of the indulgence showed it can be done with whit, style and glamour. it's an honour to have them with us. on behalf of the board of supervisors, i would like to thank the sisters for our 40 years of service and invite sister until the next time to say a few word on behalf of the group. they'r[cheers and applause]

a very famous politician, she said something that completely marked our history forever. she said that every time i look at the sisters, i see red. i see danger. and now we are here four years later and everybody loves the sisters. [ laughter ] so i think we did well. i think we've come a long way and i hope with this, we can serve our community for another four years and do our service to the community the best way we

can. thank you. [cheers and applause]

please stand by.

>> jason and i bonded on a recent trip to israel in march. both of us, italian-americans, and raised catholic, we had much in common and found ourselves glued at the hip, sitting by each other on the bus, eating pizza at a mall in jerusalem, sharing the best falafel ever in tel aviv, which actually was the best falafel ever, but most importantly, sharing our struggles with the crap -- catholic church what it meant for him to come out and what it meant for my sister to come out in our catholic families. being in the holy land together his part conversations, of course, -- being in the holy land together, sparked conversations, of course. it connected as to those basic principles of love, acceptance, compassion, kindness and humility. principles which you can't jason

, exude on a daily basis. that trip was one of the date -- best expenses of my life and made more special because i was able to share with you. thank you, jason, for your continued service to our city as neighborhood leader, human rights commissioner, member of the nonprofit communities, and as a wonderful and very dear friend. usually we give flowers to our honourees, but i got you a basket of italian goodies from look at delhi on chestnut street with an italian flag and rainbow flag, and they disarm hate button for your backpack to add to your backpack of buttons. happy pride, jason, i love you so much, and i would love for you to have the opportunity to say a few words. >> i do want to say a few things thank you so much for this recognition. it truly is a very special night i want to thank all of the people who before me stood up and fought for equal -- equal rights. many gave their lives to a cause that paved the road so i could stand here today. i never imagined growing up in

an italian catholic family and an environment where i did not feel comfortable being myself. one i wasn't sure of my path and that one day i would be recognized for my work, especially during pride month. san francisco is my home and will always be my home. i am excited to see where it goes. it is such an honor and a pillage to call this place our home and i look forward to the future. happy pride. [applause]

>> okay. next up will be supervisor more -- mar. >> thank you so much for this opportunity to acknowledge begin work for pride month -- acknowledge meghan work. while san francisco has been a beacon for queer and trans people, too often those stories are bought -- thought of as only being set in the castro, polk street, the tenderloin or in soma. the history of those neighborhoods is incredibly important, but queer and trans contributions to our city no no borders, and the lgbtq community deserves to be seen, heard, and recognized in every part of the city. today i have the great privilege of highlighting one of the many lgbtq leaders in the sunset in

honoring the incredible contributions of the reverend dr. meghan rohr. as the first openly transgender pastor ordained by the lutheran church, pastor meghan is a faith leader in the truest sense of the word. they serve their congregation in the sunset boldly, truly welcoming all, and live in the sunset with her wife, laurel, two children and three cats. they wear one of many pastors arrested for protesting proposition eight and officiated weddings for the lgbtq community both before and after those marriages were legally recognized. pastor meghan's service to queer , trans, and other marginalized communities extends far beyond her congregation. they have advocated for lgbtq inclusion in big communities across the nation and were recognized as an unsung hero of

compassion by his holiness, the dalai lama. they served as executive director of welcome since 2002, working with lgbtq people, -- lgbtq people experiencing homelessness, feeding the hungry , and in the castro, and providing groceries for h.i.v. individuals. pastor meghan has also served on the san francisco women's march and trans march committee. the san francisco human rights commission lgbtq advisory committee, and was a finalist in transgender nonfiction for the lambda literary award. she served for transgender mentoring since 1976, and it was displayed at the historical society, and meghan has also won international acclaim for the transbay documentary -- for a transbay documentary. meghan, you are an important teller of lgbtq history and

stories and you are also living them yourself. leading with grace and delight, and setting a powerful example for lgbtq, and faith communities around the world. i am beyond proud to have you as a constituent, to have your leadership in the sunset, and to have this opportunity to recognize all you have done for you community, our neighborhood, our city, and the world. thank you so much. [applause] >> thank you. like many others in this space, it wouldn't be possible without loads of people in collaboration i won't make you come all the way up here, but stand up if you have been part of the work that i've done, if you follow me on social media, or you, in some way, claim me as a part of you. i see some pastors, sfpd, stand up. [laughter] >> it really does take a village you can sit back down, i promise , but you have to come

back up for the picture. one of the greatest things that i probably have done for the lgbtq communities to adopt children. i have a 5-year-old and a 6 -year-old. when they first moved into our house, it was prior to the pride parade. they weren't quite certain we were -- we were the fifth house they had lived in, but when they marched down the street with the sfpd, whom i serve as a chaplain , one of my kids was wearing a mask at the time, because foster kids can't have their pictures taken so domestic violence does not find them in their new home, my child leaned down from my shoulders and said, they all came for us? my children believe that the entire pride parade, people coming from all over the world to celebrate in san francisco was a pep rally for them finding there forever home and wouldn't that be great if every child who grew up, regardless of their

sexual orientation or their gender identities, had that large of a pep rally celebrating them. as a person of faith, one of the things that i have to say every pride is anyone who has been harmed by religion or pastors, i am profoundly sorry. it is not okay and i will be loud enough for claiming god's love because hopefully there can be at least one person who for sure is on your side. you might not know this, but as a teller of history, i want you to know that in san francisco, our pride parade began different it began in part because of a group of courageous pastors through a gay dance at california hall. they sued the city to make it possible for gay people to gather. it was possible because of -- it was possible for causing a cafeteria riot, but the police department appointed in lgbt

cute liaison who started the very first transgender organization in the world. the very first article about pride, thank you for the sfpd for their help in organizing it. the first pride committee organizing the parade was mostly pastors. whatever faith it was, i am not sure, but it was fabulous. since then, of course, tension comes and goes. trust in people amongst the l and the g. and the b. and the tee, waxes and wanes. and inciting, unfortunately happens more often then pride. -- more often then pride. the tension and politics, the tension between social classes, those who are the wealthiest lgbt folk and those who sleep on the lowest sidewalks might have differences farther than lutherans than catholics.

one of the most difficult things that happen to me this year is knowing publicly that i had a double mistake to me for trans reasons. people started sending packages from amazon gifts, inserts to fill out a broad, hair removal supplies. even those of us who have privilege still experience difficulties, but none more difficult than when i walked my beautiful black, trans child into kindergarten and had to inform the teacher of their safe word for when they are feeling like self-harm. lgbt youth have five times the suicide rate of the general population, matched only by police and firefighters. i care for both because mental

health is important. in these days, we must say, live your life as fabulously as possible because so many people didn't make it to today. we must say, choose life when you can, and if you are doubting those choices, call the san francisco suicide prevention or the trevor project. we must say, if you do choose to take your own life, please only take your own life. i stand here because i want to be loud, as loud as this jacket. loud that safe is possible for all people, loud enough to say that the divisions that divide us, the storms that make us feel like chaos and hope is missing, loud enough so that individuals who experience homophobia in other places wouldn't prefer homelessness here than how they are treated where they live across the country, loud enough

for us to love again, big and bold. if you have as big of a support network as i do, it is your job to show up as often as i do. if you don't have that support network, i implore us all, find at least one doctor you feel safe with. find at least one therapist you feel safe with, find at least one police officer you feel safe with. it is hard to trust institutions , it is hard to trust big populations of people, but we have to heal together and learn to trust together. if you can't imagine finding that one person, i will be it for you, and i hope you will be it for me. thank you. [applause]

>> all right. that brings us to district six supervisor, supervisor haney. >> thank you for your work and helping to organize and congratulations to all of the honourees. this is such an extraordinary and special day. i wanted to thank all of you for your incredible contributions to our city. today i have the privilege of recognizing a cultural icon within the san francisco community.

a person that has literally shaped the very face of san francisco? or's nightlife scene, father, mother, wicked stepmother, grandmother, anti, auntie, and a friend to us all, david glamour more. [cheers and applause] >> a new york native, he was one of the original boy bar beauties alongside other new york legends like connie girl and her royal highness, princess d'andrea. she was one of the original queen's of woodstock, a drug festival that helped -- that was taken place in the east village. when mr. david came to san francisco in the 1990s, he quickly established himself as a

fixture of the nightlife scene. she worked her way up and down polk street, the center of san francisco dragged culture at the time, performing in places like chemo's, with her drug family, including her daughter. [cheers and applause] >> she was not content with only performing in spaces where drug already existed. always pushing boundaries, she edged her way into soma. appearing and performing and curating shows with everything from raves, private parties, clubs, art galleries, helping to shape a? are nightlife scene that was joyful, thought-provoking, powerful and uniquely san francisco. over the years, we have seen san francisco change, with many of the small businesses and venues that were once flourishing with activities, closing, not due to lack of business, but due to higher rent and profit margins unable to keep up. while the city has often been slow to respond, mr. david has

personally been responsible for rallying the community around many of our nightlife venues due to the creation of art shows in the power of drag. mr. david was one of the reasons that the studd was able to survive the first wave of gentrification in the following economic crisis. being instrumental to the implantation of nightlife parties. he continues this work today with parties like nuts, pillows and others. a party where she works as a drag queen. she will put people in drug for the first time on stage. these first-time queens performed a song from the broadway production "apple tree ." the show was incredible because everyone should try drag at least once in their life. the show has become a rite of passage for many candidates and elected officials, former supervisor jane kim, supervisor

mandelman, and myself have all participated. yes, it is true that i am actually a member of the house of more, personally painted and styled and dressed, and given a drag name by my drag parents that it ended up being relatively prophetic, victoria landslide. [laughter]. >> as if all of this wasn't enough, mr. david -- david is also someone who creates unique and one-of-a-kind ensembles for the most dazzling gay icons. his fashions have been in shows across the globe, most notably a few years ago. he has famously created an outfit a day for the majority of his adult life, creating literally thousands of ensembles for one of the more -- for many drag queens. legend has it that somewhere in his black book are measurements of rupaul, share, and diana ross to name a few. he was no secret -- it was no

secret that he was a mastermind behind several looks featured in a music video. along with the other lgbtq trailblazing leadership today, mr. david exemplifies the very best of what san francisco has to offer. he is a source of constant inspiration to the generations of drag queens and artists of every kind, a proliferator of beauty, kindness, and fun, a change agent and culture maker, and someone who will forever change -- who has forever changed this phase of san francisco nightlife. mr. david, the city of san francisco owes you so much. i am proud to be able to offer you this small token of appreciation for all you have done and continue to do for our city. thank you. [cheers and applause] >> first of all, i would like to say, since we have just gone

past 3:00, good morning. [laughter]. >> this is usually when i rise. i have been doing this my entire life, it is true. we don't go into details about how old i actually am, but i have been in the city at least 27 years now, so take that as a jumping off point. i will continue to do this until i die. that is all i have for you. it is very important, you know, the things that happen over a cocktail at midnight, sometimes walk right through this room and turn into love. i want you to realize that we are as important as the daytime folk. thank you all. thank you. [cheers and applause]

[applause] >> okay. that brings us to our supervisor from district ten, supervisor walton. >> thank you. i also want to thank supervisor mandelman for ensuring that we honor our trailblazers in the lgbtq community. my honouree today is mr. tim chan. tim chan has been a resident in district ten for 15 years, where he lives in the civil terrace neighborhood with his husband. by day, he leads the station area planning team in rooms the home -- runs the homeless program at bart. by night, he is the vice chair of the bayview citizen's advisory committee where he has been a fierce advocate for equitable housing, smart land-use planning, critically

needed transportation investment , inclusive community engagement, and workforce opportunities for bayview residents. he is also on the board of san francisco league conservation voters. he advocates for sound environmental policy, and works to hold us accountable. good government, equitable housing, and transportation investments, in district ten and across the city of san francisco in his spare time, he volunteers at open house as a companion for disabled lgbtq seniors and that -- in visitation valley. he hopes his involvement will have positive impacts on his district ten and lgbtq communities. tim chan is community minded, and really focused working with neighbors to make life great in

bayview and in district ten. i am proud to have leaders like tim from the lgbtq community in my district and we appreciate and honor you today. this certificate reads, in recognition of your many years of dedication to our community, and fierce advocacy for environmental policy, good government, equitable housing, and transportation in district ten as the vice chair that the bayview hunter's point citizen advisory committee and throughout the city. your leadership and commitment in the lgbtq community with open house has help seniors overcome the unique challenges they face as they age by providing a vibrant, healthy, and secure future. thank you for all that you do. happy pride.

[cheers and applause] >> i was just told half an hour ago that i needed to prepare a speech. i will try to wing it. first of all, to supervisor walton and to the board of supervisors, thank you so much for this honor. you know, the call to service has been in my blood for many decades, i won't say how many, but many. it started when, you know, i was in my early twenties and i was working with lgbtq youth in seattle, and mentoring and helping them deal with a myriad of issues around coming out, around families that were rejecting them, around developing friendships in the community, around diversity. that really started my whole career in public service, and so in san francisco, the call for public service is so important, especially in bayview. we live in a very divisive time. i think we all know that.

in san francisco, that does get played out. as much as we had similar values , we want the same outcomes, it is still a bit divisive. what i hope to do in my public service as a vice chair is to bring all of the different communities together, you know, as a planner by day, i tried to bring my experience and my knowledge into how we can develop more equitable and complete communities. one that supports people at all income levels, of all races, of all orientations and of all backgrounds, and at the end of the day, this is what i want. it is not specifically targeted for the lgbtq community, but it is deeply affecting the lgbtq community. in district ten, there hasn't always been a history of the lgbtq presence, so when my husband and i moved there about 15 years ago, you know, we started to see more and more people come in from different parts of san francisco and

different parts of the region. over time, we have created a really vibrant community, and so , you know, on facebook, i can't take the credit for my husband, but he helped create the facebook community for homeless point, which is hunter 's point, silver trs and gay view. it is really through that effort in bringing all of the lgbtq community that there was a place that perhaps we weren't necessarily always talking about politics, but it was a place to talk about, you know, what will we do, how will we create events that will bring people together? and that is really important. i accept this award, but it is really shared with a lot of people in bayview because they also have created these amazing opportunities around pride events, around the opera house and the volk ball that has taken place last year, and will take place again this year. the public-service that i bring

is really important to me, in the last thing i will say around promoting open house and for people in this group who -- we are all aging. for many of us who don't have kids who are -- or are not part of a larger family, it is so important to reach out and to give back. with the open house organization , it is about connecting with the lgbtq seniors. many of them who have been ravaged and lost friends, you know, in the 80s and nineties during the aids epidemic. now they really don't have a family and a community to support them. i think the work is so important because it is about connecting with them, making sure that even though they are in their sixties and seventies and 80s that they are still part of our community and that hopefully as we all age into those decades, that we will have people behind us who will also want to be part -- will want us to be part of them. with that, i accept the award, the honor, and i thank you again

[cheers and applause] >> all right. next is our supervisor from district one, supervisor fewer. >> thank you very much. i would also like to thank supervisor mandelman for bringing us all together to celebrate. colleagues, today i'm excited to recognize a san francisco police officers' pride alliance and welcome them to the podium. [applause] >> come on up.

the seventh is the police department leads the nation in recruiting and promoting lgbtq officers and is one of the only few police departments with permanent lgbtq and transgender posts. we go much of this progress to the san francisco police officer 's pride aligns, a group of lgbtq officers who place signs and all stations informing lgbtq individuals that they will be treated with courtesy and respect and encourage lgbtq victims to report incidents to trusted community organizations and revisit bias -related cold case files. this year, the s. of p.d. as a first department in the nation to where pride patches on their uniforms for the entire month of june with all proceeds from sales of the patch going to larkin street youth services. 150% of our homeless youth are lgbtq, and 70% of people -- are people of color, we know we have a long way to go to achieve

equity. when my police captain of my district station told me about the pride patch, i thought to myself, well, we have come a long way as a city and as a police force. as many of you know, my husband is a 35 year veteran of the san francisco police department, and when he entered the police force in 1970, it was not a friendly place. in fact, it was hostile for those brave enough to come out. they faced a lot of harassment and just outright bigotry. this pride patch and the pride s.u.v. symbolizes a sea of change in a profession that has historically been dominated by straight white men. our police force proudly displaying the pride rainbow on their uniform for an entire month sends an invaluable message to both lgbtq officers and the communities that they

serve. the patch is a reminder that at a time when so much of the country is not safe, won countless cities refused to permit a single pride event, and people refuse to bake birthday cakes or create floral arrangements for people celebrating things -- same sex americans, or when our president prohibits gay pride flags to be waived at our u.s. embassy, and also prohibits transgender folks from -- trans folks from enlisting into our armed forces, san francisco proudly remains a sanctuary for all regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. for their commitment to improving the relationship between law enforcement and the lgbtq community, in their work to ensure san francisco remains a sanctuary for all lgbtq people , it is my prelate -- pleasure to honor the san francisco police officer's pride