[ ♪♪♪ ] >> you know, i remember when i was a teenager, they did i think it was on the grammys, boss scags narrated the san francisco scene and they did a spot on it and how it's evolved and convergence of multi culture and the emergence of gay community, lgbtq, it was not even called that then. >> so like any good listening

back then, i played softball and a friend on the team said, the fire department is recruiting women. i took the test in 88 and 89 i got hired. and i always say this, it was like a perfect career, it was like social work, i love that connecting and helping people aspect and physical. so i was like a social worker with an ax basically. and i just thought, this is like, this is it, i hit the jackpot. part of my story is, i grew up across the street from a fire station and as a young girl, i use today love going in there and would go in there whenever my parents voted, they the old fashion voting machines. sxifs in awe of the place but i never saw anybody that looked anything like me. it was all men, it was all white men and so, i never knew

that i could do that. this was in the 70s. and i worked in several different things and i was at the pride parade in 1991. >> and the chief of the department, she i did give her courtesy card to come in, i remember it to this day, june 30th. the hand and hand together and i was with a friend of mine and fire fighter named anita prattly came up to me and we had a mutual friend and we didn't meet. and she came by the table and as soon as i looked at her, i said hi o to my friend, i could see she was super athletic. >> and she knew my friend and she said hey, do you want to be a fire fighter, here's an interest card, join us. >> there was something about her that could roll with the

punches and also give a few punches. she would be great and i just knew it. i did give her the courtesy card. it was my greatest achievement. >> and it was something i saw myself, yeah, i love a good crisis. and i'm good in crisis and i'm good on thinking on my feet. and i'm you know, super fit and physical, maybe i can do this awesome. >> but just in terms of pride in general, being able to go to pride and be who we are and be who i am, it's like the sense of digity and equality and inclusion. i was always incredibly proud to represent the community and to be doing service for the community, because that's what i love doing.

>> coming to san francisco for me, was really key because i love the city. the city is so vibrant and diversity is really, it's one of its treasures. so being part of a department that represents diversity is huge and so important to me that we welcome everyone. and not just face value, truly to integrate to have diversity, have representation not just on the fire fighter level but all levels in this department, all ranks up and down the chain of command. it's huge and it's, stepping in as a woman of color as part of the lgbtq community, means more than just myself, right. i represent more than just myself. but as a leader, other people in this department, other people in the community that are looking at me and seeing

that there is space for them. and so that is really creating space for everyone. >> when i first joined the military, it was still under don't ask don't tell. i had to be super cautious about what i was doing. i was still figuring out what i was doing. i joined when i was 19, i knew i was part of the community i was not accepting yet. my first duty station was officer guam and that's where i got to explore who i was. and being under the umbrella of don't ask don't tell, and having a friend being separated because he was gay. it was very rule. had you to make sure that you were following the rules you needed to do everything you need today do. i was fortunate to be there when don't ask don't tell was

repealed. you find people who are making a big deal about it, the next day everybody went to work like nothing happened. we were accepted and nobody made a big deal about it. work performance was even better because you didn't have to hide something and worry about hiding. the transition from that world into this one is basically the exact same. i was able to just jump in and just you know, not even test the waters. >> i grew up with firefighters, my uncle and cuss infor a volunteer department in canada. here it's quite different, bigger department, a lot of different people. you know, just working with san francisco i really enjoy having all the different personalities, background, experiences, i'm a pro lead

rhyme now. i'm a year into my probation and i'm already finished. and i felt like everybody has brought me in and show me what they know. and regardless of my sexuality, my gender, my race, i was 28 when i decided to change my career and go any different direction. i'm 35 now just starting out in a whole different field. >> san francisco has a large population of lgbtq community in general and our department is reflective on that. the one thing i love about the san francisco fire department, is we do look like the community we serve and we're making every strife to reflect that. so even in our out reach, recruitment efforts, we're trying to make sure that every single person including the lgbtq community has an opportunity to become a member of our department.

soz a subpoena officer, it's important to make sure that i welcome my crew. that includes every single member that is on my apparatus, i feel we can do a better job. >> my dad was a football coach and he taught me to persevere and be committed and i'm showing that i'm doing that. i'm very proud to say that i get to start my career off as a fire fighter for the san francisco fire department. and i'm proud to be who i am, proud to be all the colors that i represent, proud to be, you know, i love being a woman in the department and to feel comfortable with who i am and very secure and excited to come to work. >> you know, one thing my mom also en grained anything we set our heart to and anything we

wanted to do, the only thing stopping us was us. it's my dream to be a fire department member and i'm here, being changed because of who i was and now being able to out and proud of who i am, it's, i feel it should mean something. >> it's important as a san francisco fire fighter, that we understand the community that we serve. it's important that our department is made up of different genders, different ethnicities, different sexual orientations, because the community that we serve need to reflect the apparatus. >> i've seen, i've seen the evolution of this department, i've seen it change through the years. we're in a better place than we were many years ago. i think we continue to evolve. i'm really hopeful for this next generation of leaders who

do smart, determined, lead with heart and i'm hopeful for our future for this department going forward. >> we're your department. we're here for you. we're you and that, and i really believe that san francisco really embodies that. i tell you, it was the greatest decision i ever made. i kept thinking, my gosh if i didn't play softball i wonder if i would have heard about it. it's funny you plan in life and gu to college and you plan your next steps, but the most profound decision nz life, is how you meet people are random. i was meant to be i think and it was such a great fit being that social worker with the ax, that's it. >> so i see san francisco and san francisco leadership and

government as a beacon for the entire country. because we are so up front about what we believe in, we're really up front about inclusivity and i know that, others look at us, many look to us. we've had other departments, contact us in terms of how do you, how do you do this? how do you create a diverse equitable and inclusive workforce? and so, but i would be lying if i said that we don't have any problems in california or in san francisco or in the department. we are out liars, sure? are we doing our best again to address those things with implicit bias training? with changing the culture, our department has made huge huge leaps as has the city and i really feel like san francisco is part of the solution to moving forward in a better way.

people are individuals, there are a lot of different types of people in this world and celebrating our differences is what pride is all about. a city like no other, san francisco has been a beacon of hope, and an ally towards lgbtq equal rights. [♪♪]

>> known as the gay capital of america, san francisco has been at the forefront fighting gay civil rights for decades becoming a bedrock for the historical firsts. the first city with the first openly gay bar. the first pride parade. the first city to legalize gay marriage. the first place of the iconic gay pride flag. established to help cancel policy, programses, and initiatives to support trans

and lgbtq communities in san francisco. >> we've created an opportunity to have a seat at the table. where trans can be part of city government and create more civic engagement through our trans advisory committee which advises our office and the mayor's office. we've also worked to really address where there's gaps across services to see where we can address things like housing and homelessness, low income, access to small businesses and employment and education. so we really worked across the board as well as meeting overall policies. >> among the priorities, the office of transgender initiatives also works locally to track lgbtq across the country. >> especially our young trans

kids and students. so we do a lot of work to make sure we're addressing and naming those anti-trans policies and doing what we can to combat them. >> trans communities often have not been included at the policy levels at really any level whether that's local government, state government. we've always had to fend for ourselves and figure out how to care for our own communities. so an office like this can really show and become a model for the country on how to really help make sure that our entire community is served by the city and that we all get opportunities to participate because, in the end, our entire community is stronger. >> the pandemic underscored many of the inequities they experienced on a daily basis. nonetheless, this health crisis also highlighted the strength in the lgbtq and trans community. >> several of our team members

were deployed as part of the work at the covid command center and they did incredit able work there both in terms of navigation and shelter-in-place hotels to other team members who led equity and lgbtq inclusion work to make sure we had pop-up testing and information sites across the city as well as making sure that data collection was happening. we had statewide legislation that required that we collected information on sexual orientation and our team worked so closely with d.p.h. to make sure those questions were included at testing site but also throughout the whole network of care. part of the work i've had a privilege to be apart of was to work with o.t.i. and a community organization to work together to create a coalition that met monthly to make sure we worked together and coordinated as much as we could to lgbtq communities in the city.

>> partnering with community organizations is key to the success of this office ensuring lgbtq and gender nonconforming people have access to a wide range of services and places to go where they will be respected. o.t.i.'s trans advisory committee is committed to being that voice. >> the transgender advisory counsel is a group of amazing community leaders here in san francisco. i think we all come from all walks of life, very diverse, different backgrounds, different expertises, and i think it's just an amazing group of people that have a vision to make san francisco a true liberated city for transgender folks. >> being apart of the grou

allows us to provide more information on the ground. we're allowed to get. and prior to the pandemic, there's always been an issue around language barriers and education access and workforce development. now, of course, the city has been more invested in to make sure our community is thriving and making sure we are mobilizing. >> all of the supervisors along with mayor london breed know that there's still a lot to be done and like i said before, i'm just so happy to live in a city where they see trans folks and recognize us of human beings and know that we deserve to live with dignity and respect just like everybody else. >> being part of the trans initiative has been just a great privilege for me and i feel so lucky to have been able to serve for it for so far over

three years. it's the only office of its kind and i think it's a big opportunity for us to show the country or the world about things we can do when we really put a focus on transgender issues and transgender communities. and when you put transgender people in leadership positions. >> thank you, claire. and i just want to say to claire farly who is the leader of the office of transgender initiatives, she has really taken that role to a whole other level and is currently a grand marshal for this year's s.f. prize. so congratulations, claire. >> my dream is to really look at where we want san francisco to be in the future. how can we have a place where we have transliberation, quality, and inclusion, and equity across san francisco? and so when i look five years from now, ten years from now, i want us to make sure that we're continuing to lead the country

in being the best that we can be. not only are we working to make sure we have jobs and equal opportunity and pathways to education, employment, and advancement, but we're making sure we're taking care of our most impacted communities, our trans communities of color, trans women of color, and black trans women. and we're making sure we're addressing the barriers of the access to health care and mental health services and we're supporting our seniors who've done the work and really be able to age in place and have access to the services and resources they deserve. so there's so much more work to do, but we're really proud of the work that we've done so far. [♪♪]

>> today's special guest michelle ginsberg. >> i'm chris and you are watching san francisco riegz the show that focused on reguilding and reimagining our city our guest is the general manager of the san francisco rec and parks, with us to talk about new parks, music and other developments. mr. ginsberg, welcome. >> thank you a pleasure to be here >> nice to see you again. >> last time was during the pandemic and virtual. so it is good to be back here. >> indeed. before we get in specifics, let's start with a broad question, how can will park's system play a part in the economic recovery? >> well, our parks system

playing an important role throughout the pandemic. parks were here when people in san francisco needed them the most. a place where people could gather and could care for mentality health and fizz cat health and have a sense of community and a sense of place during a really weird time. and now that things are reopening and figure out how to recover, parks are going to continue to play a significant role >> people are out and having a good time. there are special events happening in parks. concerts and the weather is good. the best way parks play a role in our economic recovery is to motivate -- people to come to our city from other places and to motivate our residents to get out and enjoy themselves >> exciting to her we opened a new park and there is another. what is special about the 2 new

projects? >> sure. san francisco is going through, i think, a park renaissance. we opened the francisco park, which is just magnificent property that sits on top of an old reservoir dating back to the gold rush and has tremendous views of the golden gate bridge and bay and a place where you can bring kids. a cool play ground to bring dogs an amazing dog park. a meadow to watch the fireworks. fog willing. fleet week, community gardens, it is just such an incredible unique space. we are proud of it. >> and then right down the road in a few years, we will be pleased to welcome everybody to india basin in the bay view in the southeast part along the southern water front.

1.7 miles of waterfront that until recently has been under utilized and under fulfill in the a community this needs it the most. india basin is really a feel moment for the bay view and southeastern part of san francisco. it is going to be san francisco's next great and one of the most important parks >> that's fantastic. now, we have a great history of having conference in parks. can you touch on the year's highlights? >> upcoming and on going. this is something i'm particularly excited about. i don't think there is ever have been more music in san francisco parks than there is right now >> so, let's go around the city and talk about music. stern grove, is in the 85th concert season. back after the pandemic. in this just fabulously

treasured meadow. free concerts all summer long. in golden gate park, at the man shell not guilty music concourse free concerts 4 days a week. wednesday, friday, saturday and sundays. we have sing are song writer wednesday. jazz and seoul on friday. communities performances on saturdays of different kindses and sundays reggae it is extraordinary. and of course, later this summer we are pleased to welcome back outside lands for an exciting 3 days and 3 nights of incredible concerts and food and community. as we go across the city, we got wonderful performances in the jerry theatre in mc clarnin park a special jerry day coming back to the theatre. on june 21st we had make music

day appearing all over the city in park in civic center. on the marina green. again in golden gate park. it has been a great time for music and ties into the recovery and the tremendous energy where we are feeling and -- you know anybody who says san francisco is struggling needs to hang out in the park system. where well is joy and beaut and he inspiration every day. >> so, the san francisco board of supervisors passed legislation to make jfk drive in will golden gate park car free. how have residents responds. >> the san francisco residents responds positive. families. bicyclists, joggers, people with dogs and people from every corner of san francisco have discovered that jfk promenade is a treasure. it enhances the parks so much.

imagine a beautiful day in the park and weather on foot or on bike you are strolling down jfk, you pass sixth avenue and head to the music concourse for a concert or the museum; it is joyous and made golden gate park sproord. i have been hering about disk golf and pickle ball. can you tell us about and where people can practice and play. >> i knew you were going. pickle ball the fastest growing sports. you know across between 10 and is ping pong and may be with a whiffle ball. ping pong on a life sized course it is easy to learn about skill based people who are good are irrelevant good and it is easy to play. it is fun and accessible. we are trying to accommodate

sport. we have over 55 courts around san francisco. 11 dedicated just for pickle balt others per pickle ball and tennis. we have 5 or 10 space you can play pickle ball indoors and keeping up with the tremendous popularity of the sport. disk golf has a loyal following it is also going to continue to growch we opened our first disk golf course in golden gate park in 2005. and you know, whether you are an expert at disk golf or beginner, the idea of chucking a frisbee through the beautiful park and. it does not matter what you score t. is just a good excuse to be outside and enjoy a beautiful day in nature. >> exactly. well, thank you. i really appreciate you coming

on the show, thank you for the time you have given us tuesday. >> thank you, i hope everybody enjoys summer. get out and play in san francisco's parks. >> thanks again. that's it for this episode we will back with another shortly you have been watching san francisco rising i'm chris manners, thanks forrrrrrrrrrrrrr