Bay Area Reporter - December 7, 2006
Matthew S. Bajko, m.bajko@ebar.com

Nor is it expected that a San Francisco "AIDS czar" will be heard from anytime soon. It's been more than two months since Jeff Sheehy abruptly resigned from the post he had served in a non-paid, volunteer basis, and according to a mayoral spokeswoman, it has yet to be determined if the AIDS policy adviser position will indeed be filled.

In September, after Sheehy stepped down, Newsom spokeswoman Jennifer Petrucione told the Bay Area Reporter that the mayor was "100 percent committed to ensuring there is a person directly responsible to [me] responsible for handling HIV and AIDS issues." Last week, when asked if the mayor intended to appoint a new person as his AIDS czar, Petrucione said such a decision "remains a serious consideration."

Pressed on whether that meant the mayor had decided to forego having a new AIDS czar, Petrucione replied, "The decision to appoint a new adviser on AIDS issues remains open. For now the mayor continues to rely on the expertise provided by Department of Public Health Director Dr. Mitch Katz and the director of our AIDS office, Jimmy Loyce."

According to Petrucione, the mayor's office has not heard from anyone clamoring to see the position filled. Several officials said no one has contacted them about the position and voiced indifference at seeing a new AIDS adviser named.

"It is a meaningful position to have if it has authority over HIV prevention and AIDS services, otherwise it is just a bully pulpit," said San Francisco AIDS Foundation Executive Director Mark Cloutier.

"I have had no discussions with the mayor about the AIDS czar. If there is one, I hope to have a strong working relationship with them," added Loyce. "I know the health department and our staff work closely with the mayor and his staff."

Sheehy himself advocated for elimination of the position. Even critics of Sheehy and others who held the post question the need for a new AIDS czar.

"It has been two, three months now and we haven't had it. Have any programs stopped? Has there been a march on City Hall to appoint a new one? No," said AIDS activist Michael Petrelis. "I don't think it is necessary."

Loyce is considered to be a de facto AIDS czar since he oversees the city's AIDS services and HIV prevention, and gives input to Katz on the health department's budgetary process. But the final say over funding lies ultimately with Newsom and the Board of Supervisors.

At least one former AIDS czar said it is important to have someone within City Hall tasked with the responsibility of not only advocating for funding but handling disputes that may arise between different officials and constituencies.

"It is unclear to me if there is a person who is primarily responsible in city government for making sure AIDS and HIV is addressed across all city departments," said Bill Barnes , who served in the role under former Mayor Willie Brown. "I think there is still a role for an AIDS czar to play and the mayor can appoint someone in his administration that people can call. Whether that person holds a title or not is inconsequential."

"Jimmy Loyce, with all due respect, is not a department head. He is not at meetings on a senior level when the mayor makes decisions. That is not his role," added Barnes, now chief of staff for state Assemblywoman Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco).

***

Ma's lavender staff

Barnes, a gay black man who is HIV-positive, had served since February as the former supervisor's legislative aide and will now commute to Sacramento four days a week when the legislature is in session. He is house hunting in the capital.

"I actually get to battle the Republicans, which is fun," said Barnes, a former Bay Area Reporter political columnist, noting that in San Francisco the supervisors are all Democrats except for one Green Party member.

Ma has also hired out lesbian Dana Mitchell as her capital director. Mitchell is an attorney who used to counsel the state Senate's Judiciary Committee.

Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles) named Ma the majority or Democratic whip on Monday, December 4. Ma's first legislative action was to sign on to the gay marriage bill resubmitted by Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco).

Barnes said Ma will wait until February to introduce her own bills, the first of which will be asking the state to install count down signals at crosswalks along the state highways that run through San Francisco, such as Van Ness and 19th avenues.

"We are taking it easy for now," he said.

Anyone wanting to follow Ma in her freshman year in the Statehouse can sign up on her Assembly Web page at democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a12/ for an e-newsletter. The only catch is subscribers must enter an address in Ma's district, otherwise the system directs them to contact their own district representative. Barnes said the restriction is the doing of the Assembly Rules Committee and that Ma's staff is working on getting it changed.

"We want people to follow what she is doing," he said.

***

A Christian scrooge

Homophobe William A. Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, took a potshot wrapped in a Christmas bow at the gay community last week in an advertisement the league paid to place in the New York Times. (A copy can be seen at www.catholicleague.org/linked docs/celebrate_ad.htm.)

The ad, seemingly at first, is a scolding to those who ban the word Christmas and anything to do with the Christian angle to the holiday. Donohue argues there is no reason "to tippy-toe around the religious meaning of Christmas" since, he claims, 85 percent of the country is Christian.

To those who feel excluded when the word Christmas is used, Donohue counters that, "to be excluded is normal." He then points to other holidays such as Mother's Day, Father's Day, Veterans Day, Black History Month, and Gay Pride Parades, which he claims, "all exclude someone." But by celebrating Christmas, writes Donohue, "we are celebrating diversity."

The missive by Donohue, who has referred to a "gay death style" and once claimed on the Today show that the sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church was "a homosexual scandal, not a pedophilia scandal" and that "It's homosexuals" who are responsible for the abuse, is another example of how religious leaders use the gay community as scapegoats, said Harry Knox, director of the Human Rights Campaign's Religion and Faith Program.

"It just goes to show the lengths to which the right wing will go to demonize us even when we really are not part of the conversation. This is not about us and yet they are trying to make it be so," said Knox.

Both Knox and Lindsey Jones , San Francisco Pride executive director, disagreed with Donohue's assertion that Pride events are exclusionary.

"Of course the reality is gay Pride events are the most inclusive of anything you could ever see. Every pride event I have ever been to has bent over backwards to be welcoming to everyone," said Knox.

At San Francisco Pride each year, said Jones, 20 percent of participants self-identify as heterosexual.

"Anyone is welcome to come to San Francisco Pride. That is important to us in terms of our values," she said.

Donohue's linking Pride to nationally observed holidays does beg the question if it is not time for gay Pride to receive official designation by Congress. Cities and some states recognize local Pride events each year with official proclamations, but the nearly four-decade long tradition is not found on most calendars.

"Why not? It would be really cool," said Jones.

***

Lobbyist celebrates three occasions

Happy early birthday wishes to gay lobbyist Boyce Hinman , the founder and chief lobbyist of the Sacramento-based Lambda Letters Project, who turns 68 on December 10. Hinman will also mark his 19th year with Lambda Letters on January 1, 2007, and he and his partner, Larry Beaty, are celebrating 36 years together.

In honor of the triple anniversaries, Hinman is throwing a party and fundraiser from 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday, December 10 at the Lambda Community Center, 1927 L Street in Sacramento. Guests are asked to bring a desert and a $25 donation to Lambda Letters, which oversees letter-writing campaigns to state lawmakers on behalf of LGBT bills and other legislation of importance to the gay community.

061207
BR061207

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2006. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2006. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .