of extraordinary trans san franciscans through today's first ever board of supervisors transawareness month special commendations. now to be honest, it should not have taken us this long. 53 years ago, a group of trans women and drag queens led one of the first documents lgbt up risings. we now have the country's first ever transgender cultural district located in supervisor haney's district which encompassed the site of the riots and other locations.

23 transgender people have lost their lives to antitrans violence this year. most were black transgender women. even in the face of tremendous inequities, discrimination, and violence, however, trans communities resilient. in san francisco, numerous communities have won numerous awards and rights. in 2014, thanks to the leadership of the transcommunity, san francisco became the first city to offer publicly funded transition related surgery access which continues today under the gender health sf program. in 2017, trans advocates successfully advocated for the office of transgender initiatives, the first trans-led local government office in the united states. and this year, they led the way on housing justice, launching our trans home-sf and securing

$2 million in housing equities for san franciscans. this work and the work ahead is only possible because of the amazing trans leaders that we are fortunate to have here in san francisco, many of whom are here today. i look forward to hearing from each of our honorees and recognizing them for their contributions to the city and county san francisco. but first, i want to thank the office of transgender initiativ initiatives as well as honey mahogany in supervisor haney's office for fighting for transgender residents. before we begin, i'd like to invite claire farley from o.t.i. to say a few words. >> thank you, supervisor mandelman and supervisor yee. supervisor mandelman has led the charge for this important

day, and i want to appreciate all the supervisors for your ongoing support for the trans and lgbt community. the budget investments of last year include over $3 million of city commitment to this important community, and i'm really excited about the housing commitment that you've all continued to support. this'll be the first trans housing program in san francisco to really support making sure that our community gets off the streets and access to stable housing. as we look back at the history of our communities, we recognize that often times we only celebrate folks after their death, and so today, we are honoring the living. tomorrow, we will remember those that we've lost too soon. this year alone, we've lost 26 transgender women. majority of those are transgender women of color,

black and brown trans women who've been killed due to gun violence and murder. so today as we recognize these important leaders, it's important to remember not only what they've done but what they will continue to do. thank you so much. >> supervisor mandelman: thank you, claire. so to start us off today, we have a legend in the queer community. activist, singer, entrepreneur, and author, lynn breedlove. come on up. [applause] >> supervisor mandelman: share some of your words right there. >> right here? awesome. this is awesome. this place is awesome is. i remember coming here when i was a bike messenger, but i didn't get to come in here, and most definitely didn't get to come up there. good afternoon. i'm going to read from a book

of poems. this is called apocalypse and intimacy. you will make unpopular choices. your family will abandon you. you will desperate stab in the dark, miss your mark. you'll be tempted to give them what you want and see you have no choice. you will be accused of fucking over. you will be accused of selling out. what matters is not to drift apart or hide under beds where monsters lurk. standup in unicorn slippers and swinging trans flags. stick with who loves you, who inspires you in spite of what

you choose. document things in chalk on broken benches before the rain washes them way. kung fu, wang chung, boxing gloves. not like when discounters sell ivanka's hit. offer your bed, your quiet place as recuperation for a trans friend who says i don't need this part anymore, but i need understanding. actually make swimming possible again because i haven't been able to swim since 1992, when i suddenly saw my body but hadn't changed it yet.

reclaim gospel, lakota prayer songs if they ever were yours. defy who locked you out. say so, i never wanted that any way. then come back and say, i changed my mind. hold up, i do want it, and you can't stop me. one day, you'll be asked to do something harder than you've ever done, and you can fall into the bottom of a glass, smoke yourself into oblivion, or you can stand for, in your last moment, what you will not regret. [applause] >> supervisor mandelman: thank you, lynn. now we have some honorees to honor. as president yee said, i'm going to stand, then we're going to have supervisor haney, and then we're going to go in reverse alphabetical honor. so district eight honoree

andrea forn, are you here? [applause] >> hello. >> thank you. >> supervisor mandelman: i'm going to say some nice things about you. andrea is a dancer, writer, jazz singer and long time glen park resident. originally from los angeles, andrea grew up in a well educated family who had always expected her to attend college. at age 15, andrea transitioned. for many, including andrea, transitioning in the 1960's to cost you everything and everyone you loved. after transitioning, andrea came to san francisco in 1967. in the years that followed, she worked as an actress, model, and singer, touring with the

jasp jazz band pleasure. exhausted by years of topping while on tour, andrea was lured back to san francisco in 1979 by her friend, beloved and famed disco star, sylvester. since then, andrea has dedicated her life to lifting up trans people. andrea has left an indelible mark on all whose lives she has touched. andrea, thank you for all you have done to ensure that trans people are seen, heard, and valued, and i'm proud to call you my constituent. >> thank you. >> supervisor mandelman: would you like to say a few words? [applause] >> well, i didn't think i'd be so emotional, but i am. it's such a kind gesture to

notice me. i'm nobody, and it's such a lovely award coming from my peers, and i so appreciate it. i'm not standing -- i am standing here alone, but all the nameless and faceless trans women of color that didn't make it need to be remembered because none of us would be here without them. we, they fought the police and trained the police. we taught the doctors how to take care of us, and now finally we're getting a little recognition. everybody's not a celebrity, and this is very -- this is

lovely, and i thank you -- i thank you, raphael, all of the supervisors. this is lovely. it's a bigger deal than i thought it was going to be, but i'm so happy to be here, and i'm so happy to accept this honor. thank you. [applause] [applause] >> president yee: okay. supervisor haney? >> supervisor haney: thank you, president yee. first of all, thank you, supervisor mandelman and aaron mundey from your office. this is an extraordinary event

that we're having here today. i know this is the first time that we're doing this, but i'm sure that because of today and how powerful this is, i'm sure this is something we're going to be doing every year, so thank you for taking that step, and it's long overdue. and i want to congratulate all of the honorees that are here for your individualness, for your brilliantness and all that you contribute to our community. i'm so proud to have the first ever trans cultural district in district 6, it's a huge deal. [applause] >> supervisor haney: it's only the beginning, and thank you, claire for all of the resource and commitments that we're putting in to help trans members of the community. so that's what we commit to today. i also want to acknowledge honey mahogany in my office who was a large part of partnering with supervisor mandelman.

she's probably been honored before a number of times and is also one of the only -- i believe the only trans member of an elected body here in san francisco, so we need to make sure that there are more folks who are getting elected, as well, and i want to acknowledge her and her work. [applause] >> supervisor haney: i get to honor somebody who i'm sure you're going to be excited to hear from again, and that is lynn breedlove. lynn is somebody who has broken-down so many doors in so many arenas, that i'm not going to get through all that he has done. lynn was able to find his way into the thriving punk life and night scene, developing a connection with san francisco's underground queer scene, he became a member of one of the

first queer bands in the community. their music discussed everything from queer love to sexual expression and gender identity. tribe 8 was revolutionary in many ways and became known across the globe for its brazen and unapologetic music. the band has played at the michigan women's music festival, the san francisco trans march, and multiple lady fests and lgbtq pride festivals. lynn breedlove is the author of a novel, godspeed, and he also cowrote, directed, and produced in a short film that premiered at a film festival.

his memoir was published in 2019. in 2015, breedlove returned to playing music with the emergence of his new band, the queer mobiles. the band works in collaboration with queer and trans artists across the country, performing shows and concerts across the country. lynn is also the founder of homobiles founded back in 2010 years before ride share companies like uber and lyft came along, seeing the need for creating safe, harassment-free

rides for queers, trans women of color, and drag queens across san francisco. i'm confident that i didn't touch on everything that this incredible person has done in his varied and prolific career, but lynn has contributed greatly to the well-being and culture of san francisco and the world. he has kept our communities safe and continues to inspire people wherever he goes. it is my honor to present him with this certificate of honor. [applause] >> thanks, supervisor haney, and all supervisors, thank you so much. i'm deeply humbled.

so crazy. i was thinking about, in the 70s, in '75, i went to drive my friends from san leandro over to the bars -- we were a bunch of rule breakers. and we didn't know that trans was even a concept. we didn't know that the leather scene was south of market, and the trans ladies were north of market, and the tenderloin, and we didn't know about comptons and any of that. and i don't know. i've always felt san francisco was my home, not san leandro. i'm living there again, unfortunately, even though this is my favorite place, it's not that affordable. but i do want to thank all the trans community for believe in homobiles, primary, for the stories you tell, like donna persona was reminding me, when

she got into the car, and other people were telling me the terrible things that would happen to them at the hands of other public forms of transportation drivers, and i did not realize at that time was homobiles was a necessary serve and continues to be necessary, sadly. and i hope that we as a community can continue to inspire all forms of transportation around the world to step up and, like, raise standards and not allow any kind of violence against our communities. so thank you very much. i appreciate it. [applause]

>> president yee: okay, colleagues, it's my turn. first of all, before i even get started, i want to thank supervisor mandelman once again for really making this happen sometime today. certainly, things fall apart, but it did not fall apart today, but i really appreciate your effort on this, and we will depend on you to continue this in the future years. but today, i am proud to recognize jessie calvert. as a queer and trans professor

of sociology at city college of san francisco, jessie's leadership has been instrumental in development and implementing trans inclusion efforts in ccsf. since joining the faculty at ccsf in 2015, jessie has worked tirelessly to address the many barriers trans students face on the campus. jessie's work has led to many important changes including the campus wide chosen name systems, and all gender rest rooms on the campus. as a professor of sociology, jessie has always made contributions to research on gender and race that extend beyond ccsf.

jessie's ph.d. research focuses on understanding the social mechanisms that underlie transphobia, racism, and homophobia. we all learn about leadership by watching the people around us, and we are so grateful to know that the students of city college are learning from watching you, jessie, and the leadership you have shown over the past several years at ccsf. jessie, we are grateful for your commitment to trans inclusion efforts at city college and beyond. the campus, your students, and the city of san francisco are all made better by your advocacy and leadership. thank you very much, jessie. [applause]

>> thank you. thank you, president yee and supervisors. it's such a great honor to seech this acknowledgement of my work and commitment to social just -- to receive this acknowledgement of my work and commitment to social justice issues. as we know, changing institutions takes considerable effort and team work, and so i also want to acknowledge the many others, colleagues, students, and staff who also work towards trans inclusion and respect at ccsf. thank you so much. i really appreciate it. [applause]

[applause] >> president yee: okay. thank you, jessie, once again. now i'd like to ask supervisor -- district 10 supervisor, shamann walton to introduce his commendation. >> supervisor walton: thank you, president yee, colleagues, and the public that is present. i have the privilege and honor of honoring samantha jo dato. and unfortunately, she couldn't

be here today -- well, not unfortunately, but she couldn't be here because she's attending her sister's wedding. so her good friends, janelle and lisa, are here to accept the award on her behalf. in californi she is a board member with children's council's association board and the northern california transgender advisory council. i am continually inspired by the work she's done. she's fought for marginalized communities her entire life. from the local level here in san francisco to the international stage, she's worked with the united nations human rights council, the white

house antiviolence task force, the los angeles county division of h.i.v. and s.t.d. programs, biomedical summit and the trans women elective and is a two-time best selling author just to give you a sample. not only is samantha's resume unbelievably impressive but so is her steadfast commitment to fighting for all oppressed people here in san francisco. she has been a member in legislative campaigns and community projects for so many years that she has been given the nickname the fixer in projects that she's been involved in before. she is envied for her project

solving, relationship building, and swift decision making skills. i could go on, but i do want to close with samantha's self-professed model which sums up how hard and well she works for our entire community. if i can just get in the room, i make the connection. she's made that connection for so many people in our community, and for that, we are forever in her debt. and joanna and eva, i believe, are here to accept on her behalf. [applause] [please stand by]

[ applause ]

[ applause ] >> next up is our supervisor from district 2, katherine stephanie. >> thank you, president yi. i want to start by being thankful for creating this amazing event so long overdue. thank you to honey mahogany as well. i was so happy when we started thinking about who we would honor, i didn't know we would end up with an italian. i was very excited that we have leo patroni. are you here today? leo is a native san franciscan, born at saint mary's hospital and lives in pacific heights. he's the child of an immigrant father. he spent former years working in his father's restaurant, north beach restaurant. one of my favorites.

he's had a thriving career in real estate. he's been making waves in the san francisco real estate market. he started his career at a brokerage firm. in a business times article about leo entitled "pioneers on the frontier of gender identity in the workplace," leo called his move to the climb part of the puzzle that was missing. he's a trailblazer as historically conservative industry has learned to respect worker who have transitioned or do not conform to male or female identity. leo spoke at the national associati

association. he admits to knowing every corner of the city and knows the markets better than anyone. cultivating his relationship with his clients is a credit to his success and satisfying. he never loses contact and assures the best possible outcome. he's inspired by successful people who have stayed true to their individuality. i want to thank you so much leo for sharing your story with us and having the courage to be your authentic self in the workplace and inspiring others. thank you, leo. would you like to say a few words? [ applause ] >> thank you, supervisor stephanie, and all the other supervisors. i want to take my two minutes, actually, to bring awareness to

my transgender sisters who every day you look and they're being killed, murdered all over. i have it easy. i mean, my biggest concern is losing a couple of pounds to get in my suit. their biggest concern is leaving their front door and being assaulted or murdered, killed. i can't even put my head around that. i can't even fathom that. we need to protect those people. those are the people we need to bring awareness to. thank you, everybody. that's all i have to say. [ applause ]

>> next up is supervisor from district 11. >> thank you, mr. president. sorry. i have a lot of paperwork here. i'm very honored today to honor a leader in the trans community, cecilia chung. it's our great pleasure to have her as a long-time resident of district 11 and the excelsior. she moved in '94, and has been calling the city by the bay home ever since. she changes the lives of san francisco residents who have multiple diagnoses and has become the first transgender woman elected of the lgbt pride.

after working for housing for homeless and public health, she began to lend other leadership to capacity building and hiv prevention and care as well as a global movement of people living with hiv. as a transgender immigrant living with hiv, cecilia has been tirelessly working for her beloved community. she's one of the original founders of the san francisco transgender empowerment and mentorship. as an advisor of the transgender resources and neighborhood space, trans, before this program moved to san francisco community health center. and the chief architect of the first transgender economic development initiative funded by the city and county of san francisco. in 2004, cecilia helped found trans march in san francisco, an event that's been replicated across the country. her commitment to civic engagement is equally

impressive. after serving on the ryan white council, she was appointed to the human rights commission in 2004 and later elected as the president of the commission to become the first transgender woman living with hiv to be in such a high-ranking position. in addition to serving on the health commission, cecilia has launched positively trans. when he's not living with all her work across the country or traveling to geneva, switzerland for meetings on the advisory group for the world health organization for women living with hiv, cecilia can be found at her office or supporting local stores in district 11 where she has called home. cecilia, it's our honor to honor you today. [ applause ] [ cheering ]

>> thank you, supervisors. i'm not really prepared to speak, but i want to congratulate all the honorees. i want to remind everyone that the community we see today didn't happen by accident. if we look at an article that was published yesterday by the news, we no that 3,317 trans people have been murdered since 2008, when they started collecting this information around the globe. there are countless more that lost their lives to systemic violence. all too often we have politicians who try to erase us, to try to tell us that we don't exist, but at the same time we

have an amazing city like san francisco that supports us and continues to let us live our authentic life, thrive, and know that liberation is possible. thank you, and i'm proud to call san francisco home. [ applause ] [ cheering ] >> next up, our supervisor for district 9, hillary ronen. >> thank you, president yi.

if the fabulous maggie sanchez can come up to the front? [ applause ] >> this is one of those days that i feel extra especially proud to be a san franciscan. i really wanted to thank supervisor mendelman and honey mahogany and erin for all their work on. this this is beautiful. it is my pleasure to honor maggie sanchez, a san francisco native born and raised in the mission who has devoted her life to giving back and making a difference in her community. when we told maggie that i wanted to present her with a certificate of honor for her years of community service and volunteer work, her response was, it's not about me. it's e -- it's about the community. she seemed uncomfortable with the idea of accepting public recognition. mother theresa was humble and never expected to be recognized,

but there's no greater power in this world as a story. maggie, i would hope that you would think of this as a way of sharing your story and inspiring others to get involved and be the change they wish to see in their communities. maggie comes from a family of very strong women. her mother, who is here today -- yay, mom! [ cheering ] >> and her aunt taught maggie that empowered women empower women. mother theresa showed maggie it's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving. her best friend who tragically died of aids got maggie involved long before lgbtq was a recognizable acronym. sadly, not all inspirations are positive. as a survivor of domestic

violence, maggie has suffered from ptsd, but, as she's done with everything in her life, she credit this is as yet another incentive to get involved in fighting for positive change. through her involvement through community organizing through organizations like communities united against violence and others, maggie has dedicated her life to fighting for vulnerable people, all vulnerable people, women who have been raped and abused, low-income families that struggle to find a way to keep roofs over their heads as there's gentification. immigrants who live in fear of being deported. having lived in the mission all her life, maggie has seen a huge amount of detrimental changes over the years that saddens her immensely but also spurs her into action. she insists she's not a political person but speak what is she feels.

political or not, her drive to be a change agent is an example for all of us in the community to get out in the field and lead by example. maggie, you are an amazing leader. it is an absolute pleasure to recognize and honor you today. congratulations. >> thank you. [ applause ] [ cheering ] >> thank you. thank you. i'm so humbled. thank you, hillary. thank you, everyone here. i'm not too much for speeches, but i would like to thank my backbone support that i have there with my familiarly. everyone that's here, the community, and my mother, thank you so much for this award, recognition. that's all i can say. thank you so much. thank you. gracias.

[ applause ] >> okay. next up is our district 3 supervisor aaron peskin. >> colleagues, i'm excited to honor not only a tireless trans leader but a proud api activist who has been leading the charge since the 1990s to change cultural stigmas and raise public awareness all over the country. she has sparked programs to the

the spreading of the aids that has truly transformed many, many lives. she was appointed by then mayor gavin newsome to be the first transgender member on the commission of the status of women, providing positive visibility and education about and for the trans community. she also has powerful powers of performance and has raised funds and significant support for various organizations, including the transgender law center, aids housing alliance, gay asian-pacific alliance to help sustain them and continue their vital programming and services to the community. i say this in a time and political climate where there's

a lot of position for philanthropic dollars and money for worthy causes has gotten tighter and tighter. she has continued to do the work to fight aids through runway shows, comedy specials, and, yes, beauty pageants. my staff recalls her performing, leading and cracking jokes from on top of the bar in a sequins dress with six-inch-high ti stilettos. she's at the former api center. one of the programs she shepherds in the role is the transthrive program, a center that's committed to helping transgender individuals success in san francisco, particularly with housing and securing

transgender people of color and those living with hiv. on a national level, she is also a board member of positively trans, a national constituent-based coalition with women of color living with hiv. positively trans addresses inequities, stigmas nationally and in our local communities. she's also the recipient of the gapa -- [ reading document ]

this comes at a perfect time to commemorate her years of activism. in the time of 45, i won't say his name, in spite of the climate today, this supervisor salutes you. con on up. come on up. [ cheering ] >> thank you. thank you. good afternoon, everyone. you know, i don't know how to start this. i didn't know this was a big

deal. i should have worn my six-inch heels and everything. i want you all to move here in 1999 -- first, thank you for those wonderful words. i moved here in 1999. i had a choice to live in san francisco or banitia. not to diss folks or anything, but i made the right choice here, you know. i was welcomed by trans women of color, particularly african-americans, in their homes. they fed me. they helped me make it through, you know, those years. 20 years ago, we didn't have any places like trans drive or support groups. we met on the streets, like when we go out at 9:00 in the evening and go party and everything, and then here comes the paddy wagon, the police, and would pick us up, and we would end up at china

town police station. that's where we continued talking and supporting each other. 20 years forward, here we are. i didn't imagine i would be overseeing trans drive. that's the very first drop-in center for the trans community here in the country. it has been modeled by many different cities all throughout the world. san francisco did that. so i salute san francisco. i made the right choice, you know. and every day, you know, when we're open, we welcome 25 to 30 transgender non-conforming individuals. my most ecstatic pleasure is to let them know things that are happening about san francisco that can improve the quality of their lives. these are folks who are usually in crisis mode and choose not to be in shelters because they would rather be in the streets. they feel safer in the streets.

we're trying to improve that. we have such amazing leadership that works with my community. i want to thank you all for that. i specialize in event productions, and i think i can probably say that we have uplifted many of our events, and you provided that also from the human rights commission to the office of transgender initiative, you've given us some perks to make things really better for us. i cannot thank you all enough for allowing me to do that and let me flourish. and being a member of positively trans has allowed me to really just be myself. i want to let everyone know, hey, i'm hiv positive, but this is all about who the community is, how to serve the community better, and i'm all for that. so thank you very much. [ applause ]

>> next up is our supervisor from district four, gordon marr. >> thank you, president yi. sort of continuing this truly inspiring first-ever board of supervis supervisors celebration, i have the pleasure to honor martin. she's transgender, jewish,

bisexual father of two. he's a friend and a great organizer with a list of accomplishments spanning two decades. what he's done on behalf of our city is vast and impactful. we're so grateful for having martin as our neighbor. martin was a core organizer for the first trans march, now an annual and deeply important event for building visibility and power by and for the trans communities in san francisco. he remains a founding member of the lou sullivan society, lifting up the legacy of a pioneer. he co-founded bi-conn and serves on the board of the democratic club. in martin's advocacy on behalf of tran and communities also includes working with the san francisco committees.

martin's leadership extends even further than that. he's deeply involved in jewish faith work, working alongside others in providing thought leadership and advocacy on the topics in judaism. he serves as our district four representative and the vice chair of the pedestrian advisor committee. martin is also an advocate in education. he ran a historic campaign last year as the first ever bisexual transgender candidate for the board of education in san francisco. i'm so inspired by the power of your example and grateful for the work you do on behalf of so many. the sunset is lucky and san francisco is lucky to have you and countless more are lucky for your leadership that's impacted

so many lives and movements and made our city a better place. on behalf of the board of supervisors and on behalf of the intersecting communities you represent and serve, and on behalf of the city and county of san francisco, we thank you. [ applause ] >> i'm amazed at how much that is. tiny little bio. first of all, i would like to thank supervisor marr for thinking of me and for the entire board of supervisors and also for the people who are here today. you know, i think about how i got started in the trans community, how i got started -- i was telling claire earlier today that, you know, my first experience in the trans community was the transgender remembrance in 1998. walking along the street in san

francisco. that's been my experience. that we stick together. we self-regulate. we make sure policeman are on the route and we watch ourselves and make sure we're together. you know, part of it is when i moved to san francisco over 20 years ago, i volunteered for the lou sullivan society named after a gay trans man that made it possible for me and others considered not straight after ward to transition medically. i was an office hand a co-chair, and a publications director producing a newsletter. activists communities allowed me to give back in ways that fit my abilities. you know, i am so happy to be here, and i'm also so humbled by this today. we have two kids. my wife, shelly and i, have two

kids. sarah, who's in high school. i don't know if you remember all the meetings when she was little and tiny. she's not little and tiny anymore. she's actually a good size, adult-sized woman. it's kind of crazy. our son, matthew, is in elementary school. they're the ones we're fighting for. they're the ones we todo this for because they're the next generation of us. i always look back at the past to see the future. thank you very much. [ applause ]

>> okay. thank you. next up is our supervisor from district one, sandy lee fewer. >> thank you, president yi. i would like to call up thornhi thornhill. i have the pleasure of honoring an outstanding individual. jackie thornhill is a senior at the university of san francisco studying political science and philosophy. she grew up in los angeles and briefly lived in boston before moving in 2016. over the past years, she's worked on five different campaigns and spent over 1,000 hours interning at city hall. she's thrown down on campaigns

to support progress leaders and progressive movement building. most recently, she serves as a the amazing campaign manager and glue for prop e affordable communities now. i first met jackie in her capacity as a student asking brilliant questions about homelessness and how we, as a city, could and should come together to address root causes of homelessness. i was impressed by her commitment to social justice and pressing with a lens of human compassion and equity. it's been wonderful watching her grow and learn through interacti interactions. she approaches it with a balance of diligence, curiosity, and commitment. i'm so proud of jackie for transitioning into the person she was always meant to be. i know this takes personal courage and a lot of support. so i also wanted to thank

everyone here who has given her the positive support that she needs to be her true self. jackie, thank you for joining the cadre of strong and hard women who are making the significant change in our communities. [ cheering ] [ applause ] i want to thank all my family and friends. i would not be here today without any of those people. i just want to acknowledge that it takes a community. without the support of this community and this city and all of the people in and outside of this building, i would not be who i am or where i am today. i just want to acknowledge that we have a long way to go, and when we are living under a fascist regime, history shows us

as hard fought and as long as these gains we've made may have been, they can be taken aware overnight. let's not forget what is at stake here. thank you. [ cheering ] [ applause ] >> okay. next up is our supervisor from district five. >> thank you, president yi.

today i honor two incredible people. kenya and felicia. [ cheering ] >> felicia, come on this way. both are fierce community leaders who really inspire me. each of them are representative of different eras in our city's collective history. it's so important to remember our past and recognize how far we have come during trans awareness month. unfortunately, in 2019, in san francisco, we haven't come far enough. when kenya, one of the people that i'm actually commending today came to this event and she realized how it was going to impact her and that she would have pictures and publicly be seen, she asked not to speak or

to be filmed or have her picture taken. when i talked to her about that and i felt it from my heart because she would be discriminated -- there was a chance of her being discrimin e discriminated for getting a job and her work. to me that, made me really pissed off that here we are in 2019, in san francisco, and we have someone that's fearful of work discrimination because of who she is. let me tell you a little bit about kenya and why i wanted to commend her today. she's lived in san francisco since 2014 and in district five since 2015. she's an amazing young woman, and she has spent her time in our city constantly giving back to the people around her. while attending san francisco state university, she has remained hoeiighly active in her