Bay Area Reporter - July 9, 2009
Cynthia Laird, c.laird@ebar.com

Billboards promoting the July 19 walk in Golden Gate Park have tag lines like "Tough times won't break our stride" û acknowledging the economic realities the country now faces.

"We recognize this is a difficult year," said Debra Holtz, spokeswoman for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, which shares net proceeds of the walk with some 50 other Bay Area HIV/AIDS groups.

MZA Events produces the AIDS Walk, a 10-kilometer event that begins and ends in Golden Gate Park's Sharon Meadow.

Holtz told the Bay Area Reporter that SFAF and MZA realized months ago that the event would be different this year. She said the messaging used in San Francisco also was used in New York for that city's event, which took place in May.

"I think the message is resonating," Holtz said, adding that it signals that AIDS is not gone and "calls upon people's spirit."

Holtz said that corporate sponsors for the AIDS Walk are all back this year, and that as of last week, there were 12,865 people registered. People can register up until the event begins.

There is no minimum amount of money that participants need to raise. However, there are incentives for various amounts raised; $150 raised will get you a T-shirt, for example. Holtz said that so far this year, 35 walkers have raised more than $2,000 each, while the top fundraiser has brought in nearly $13,000. Fundraising totals for the walk will be released immediately after the event. Last year's AIDS Walk had 25,000 participants and raised just under $4.5 million.

People can walk on their own with friends or family, or join together with neighbors, church members or co-workers to form a team.

Opening ceremonies start at 9:45 a.m. and the walk begins at 10:30. It generally ends a couple of hours later and is followed by entertainment in Sharon Meadow.

MZA charges SFAF a fee to produce the event. Holtz said she thought it was the same as last year, $185,000, though she added that they cut the cost of the walk by 10 percent this year.

For Chloe Michelle Noble and Jill Hardman are traveling across the country to bring attention to the issue of homeless queer youth. more information or to sign up, visit www.aidswalk.net.

Rally to support queer homeless youth

Two supporters of queer homeless youth trekking across the country will take part Friday, July 10 in a march and rally in San Francisco.

Operation Shine San Francisco will begin with a free dinner at San Francisco's LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market Street, at 5:30 p.m., followed by a march to the Castro that begins at 6.

Beginning at 7:15 p.m. Sherilyn Adams, executive director of Larkin Street Youth Services; Jodi Schwartz, executive director of Lavender Youth Information and Recreation Center; and others will speak at Harvey Milk Plaza.

Chloe Michelle Noble and Jill Hardman are traveling across the country to document the lives of LGBT homeless youth, sleeping in abandoned buildings û "the Hiltons of the homeless youth world," said Noble û under bridges and in doorways, carrying 40-pound backpacks, and walking and hitchhiking along the way. They're living on between $1 and $2 a day.

According to a report released in 2007 by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute and the National Coalition for the Homeless, an analysis of the available research suggested that between 20 percent and 40 percent of all homeless youth identify as LGBT.

Noble and Hardman's journey started in Seattle on May 23, when they left for Portland.

Noble, 27, said that since they arrived in San Francisco around June 22, she and Hardman, 27, have slept in places such as Civic Center and Golden Gate Park.

Even San Francisco, which draws LGBT youth from around the country with its reputation of tolerance, can be tough.

"San Francisco is one of the most amazing cities, one of the most beautiful cities to be in," said Noble. "People come from all over the world to see San Francisco, and after the first three days we were here, we wanted to leave, and we were appalled, basically, by the things we were seeing."

Noble, who identifies as queer, said they've met some homeless youth in San Francisco who are as young as 12.

She said it's not that the situation for homeless queer youth is worse here, it's that there are more homeless youth in the city.

Noble was homeless for almost 10 years but now owns a house cleaning business and lives in Salt Lake City.

One thing she remembers as she crosses the country is that, "I have somewhere to go home to ... I have options these kids don't have."

After San Francisco, Noble and Hardman will go to other cities including Salt Lake City, then Denver, and then to Washington, D.C.

Sponsors for the San Francisco Shine event are the LGBT Community Center; One Struggle, One Fight; Temenos Catholic Worker; Larkin Street; and LYRIC.

For more information, visit www.pridewalk2009.org or contact Noble at noble.echo@gmail.com or (801) 708-9515.

SF 'Get Engaged' meeting Tuesday

Marriage Equality USA has announced that the San Francisco meeting of its "Get Engaged" tour will take place Tuesday, July 14 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Rainbow Room of the LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market Street.

As reported last month, MEUSA is holding these town hall meetings throughout the state this month to provide context to a recent poll that was conducted for same-sex marriage supporters that shows a tough road ahead for any effort to repeal Proposition 8 at the ballot box.

A highlight of the meeting will be a presentation of the poll information. One of the conclusions reached by MEUSA numbers crunchers is that proponents need 1,000 new supporters a day to win a Prop 8 repeal measure in November 2010. That figure drops to 453 new supporters a day should proponents wait until November 2012.

For more information, visit http://www.marriageequality.org.

SF Halloween meeting Thursday

An update on Halloween planning efforts for the Castro will take place at the July 16 meeting of the Eureka Valley Promotion Association. The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Eureka Valley Recreation Center, 100 Collingwood Street.

Supervisor Bevan Dufty and representatives from various city departments are expected to discuss efforts to ensure a safe Halloween in the Castro this year.

For more information, call Scott Wiener, EVPA president, at (415) 437-9414.

Seth Hemmelgarn contributed to this report.

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