Last week, San Francisco unveiled a new $6.5-million plan aimed at ending trans homelessness within five years. San Francisco is the first city in the United States to commit to ending the epidemic of homelessness among trans Americans.

According to San Francisco Mayor London Breed, the initiative will subsidize long-term housing for at least 150 people through the city’s Flexible Housing Subsidy Pool. While most of the funds will, however, go toward short-term rentals and flexible financial assistance to trans San Franciscans and support for the nonprofits working with them, the city also intends to develop a permanent housing complex for marginally housed trans people.

An estimated $500,000 will fund behavioral and mental health services for trans and gender nonconforming people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

In a speech announcing the budget proposal, Breed noted that trans and non-binary San Franciscans “are 18 times more likely to experience homelessness compared to the general population.” This is true across the US: a 2020 study from the Williams Institute, a nonprofit think tank at the University of California, found that trans Americans were eight times more likely than their cis counterparts to have experienced homelessness.

“Given our rich legacy of trans activism, San Francisco is well positioned to lead the country and the world on ending homelessness for trans communities.”

Breed further stressed the importance of providing shelter for San Francisco’s trans population, which she noted is one of the largest in the country.

“We not only must ensure that all San Franciscans have access to housing and essential resources through continued investments, but we can show the country that we continue to be a leader in supporting and protecting our trans communities,” she said.

The project will be a joint effort between the Mayor’s Office on Housing and Community Development, the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, the Department of Public Health, the Office of Transgender Initiatives and nonprofits working in the interests of homeless transgender and gender nonconforming people.

Many trans-advocacy groups have applauded the move, describing it as a much-needed resource for marginalized populations.

“Given our rich legacy of trans activism, San Francisco is well positioned to lead the country and the world on ending homelessness for trans communities,” said Aria Sa’id, a trans rights advocate and chief strategist of the Transgender District, in a statement . “As trans people, we have had to be bold and resilient to even survive, and by ensuring that all our TGNC [transgender and gender nonconforming] residents have a safe place to call home, we will open the door toward truly providing equitable housing and economic solutions to trans people.”

The proposal has faced some controversy. Conservative critics have claimed the pledge is unconstitutional, and that its sole focus on trans homelessness violates the Equal Protection clauses in both the US and California constitutions. (Several legal experts told the SFGATE, however, that the plan is unlikely to be tossed out by a court.)

Breed’s office is also likely to be met with accusations of pinkwashing after the mayor temporarily backed out of the San Francisco Pride parade over organizers’ ban on uniformed officers participating in the event, and issued a statement in support of local police. Pride organizers eventually reached a compromise that would allow for a few uniformed officers to march in the annual parade, which is scheduled to take place on June 26.

But as the city moves past these disputes, LGBTQ2S+ activists said San Francisco’s vow to end trans homelessness will make a major impact on “disproportionately impacted communities.”

“These investments will allow us to prioritize equitable services for some of San Francisco’s most vulnerable persons, and to provide safe, stable and affordable housing, as well as wraparound services, to a community that is struggling to survive,” said Sharyn Grayson, co – executive director of the TGI Justice Project, in a statement.

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The Mayor of San Francisco, London Breed, has sworn in the first trans person on the powerful airport commission and its only current LGBTQ member.

In an October 8 press release, Breed stated that Jane Natoli was sworn in on October 7th. The San Francisco Airport Commission is a five-person body tasked with setting guidelines for airport operations. Subject to the approval, amendment or rejection of the board of directors, the commission has the exclusive power to plan and issue revenue bonds for airport-related purposes, according to a press release from the mayor’s office.

Natoli is a bicycle activist who was turned down by the board of directors to a position on the commission of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency in August 2020. She was also nominated for the post by Breed, but had to go through the board’s rules committee and then a full supervisor vote. During this debate, many of the progressive overseers raised concerns about equity issues related to the city’s public transport system. Most overseers considered Natoli qualified, but some opposition came from progressive groups, including the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club.

This time it was a mayor’s meeting that the guards had 30 days to respond if they wanted to reject it by a two-thirds majority. That didn’t happen, as Natoli told the Bay Area Reporter that she was officially nominated on August 31st.

According to the mayor’s office, Natoli is an advocate for safe and affordable transit and the LGBTQ + community. She currently serves on the board of directors of the San Francisco LGBT Community Center.

“I am proud to welcome Jane Natoli to the Airport Commission,” said Breed. “She is a leading advocate of reliable transportation and is deeply committed to the fight for the LGBTQ community. I am confident that her perspective and commitment to our city will benefit this commission.”

SFO is in the middle of a $ 2.4 billion renovation project for Harvey Milk Terminal 1, which will gradually open through 2024. Some airlines are already using the terminal, in which exhibits about the life and political career of the late gay supervisor are on display.

Natoli moved to San Francisco in 2013 and became involved in local politics and community organization. Since 2019, Natoli has served as mayor on the Committee for the Supervision of Government Bonds for General Obligations.

Natoli said she was proud to serve the city in her new role. She replaces Rich Guggenheim, who has resigned after many years of service, according to the mayor’s office.

“It is an honor to be appointed to the Airport Commission and I would like to thank Mayor London Breed for the nomination,” said Natoli. “I’m looking forward to bringing not only my oversight experience from other boards and commissions, but also my perspective as a transgender person. San Francisco is an LGBTQ + capital and SFO is the first point of entry for so many people who come and move there, and I want to ensure that SFO is as welcoming and inclusive as possible to all people. “

Trans leaders also praised the move.

“I am proud to see that Mayor Breed has appointed a member of the trans community to such a prestigious commission. As someone who fights for the representation of trans women in leadership positions, I look forward to bringing all of Jane’s positive experiences into the.” Airport Commission, “said Khilynn Fowler, interim director for Trans Thrive at the San Francisco Community Health Center.

Natoli is a financial crime analyst at Stripe, where she specializes in anti-money laundering investigations. She holds a BS from Iowa State University and is a resident of Inner Richmond.

Help keep the Bay Area Reporter going through these troubled times. To support local, independent LGBTQ journalism, you should become a BAR member.

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When three black trans community leaders co-founded the world’s first legally recognized transgender district, they did so with a core idea: to create a space for trans people, by trans people.

With this in mind, the Transgender Cultural District of Compton was founded in San Francisco in 2017.

Aria Sa’id, the district executive director, said there was talk of an LGBT district, but she and her co-founders – Honey Mahogany and Janetta Johnson – “fought to be a transgender district because nothing was special up until then for us and our experience – and especially for our history and our future. “

The transgender neighborhood is six blocks from San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, which has been known as the home of transgender people since the 1920s. an event that even preceded the 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York City.

Aria Sa’id, President and Co-Founder of Compton’s Transgender Cultural District in San Francisco.

According to the Transgender District website, the focus is on six major program initiatives including: Tenant Protection, Business and Human Resources Development, Art and Culture, Heritage Preservation, Cultural Literacy, and Land Use. A recent report on the district added a seventh area of ​​work: transgender – and gender neutral – empowerment, “Sa’id explained, adding that the only way to address the” systematic and structural “disparities within the community is to that trans people “get opportunities to lead solutions for trans people”.

These issues include many members of the San Francisco transgender community who live in abject poverty and have few opportunities to emerge from their economic disenfranchisement; Something that Sa’id describes as an “abrasive reality” for trans people living in the city.

“As many trans people come here as there are refugees from other cities in the US,” Sa’id said. “And they came to this great place called San Francisco because they were told to come there only to find that there weren’t any real options for them here.”

When Sa’id moved from Oregon to San Francisco at the age of 19, she had $ 60 in her purse and a dream of a “better life,” as many said, awaited her there. What she found was that San Francisco was safer and that she and other trans people were legal and social upholding; however, it was not exactly the utopia as it was described.

“I went to job interviews and was laughed at, I was spat at in the street, harassed by passers-by or looked at or gawked at,” she said, noting that not much has changed over the years as a tranny. People still wear the ” Brunt of violence, discrimination and harassment.

A sign for Compton’s Transgender Cultural District in San Francisco.

Johnson, who moved to San Francisco from Florida in the late 1990s, echoed Sa’id as he spoke about the reality of being transgender and moving from small town to big city to seek opportunities, acceptance and a new life .

“By the time you get here, you’ve had so much trauma and so much heartache and so much abandonment that San Francisco is a place that could eat you up and spit you out alive,” she said, noting Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, one leader of the transgender community, encouraged and supported them to take the big step.

“There is a lot to be healed,” she said, emphasizing that progress will be made when trans people “come together as a community … and continue to raise the bar on how we are treated and how we should be.” respected. “

Johnson said her hope for Compton’s transgender cultural district is to provide a “safe place” for trans, queer, gender neutral, and gender non-conforming people who come to San Francisco and “find a more welcoming place with more resources and opportunities to grow the human.”

For Mahogany, who grew up in San Francisco, one of the driving forces behind Compton’s transgender cultural district was keeping a piece of the city she knew well, the neighborhood that is now in the transgender neighborhood, from preventing herself to change right in front of their eyes.

There is a lot to be healed.

“We realized that if we didn’t do anything, the tenderloin would get gentrified quickly,” Mahogany said. “Many of the people who have called the tenderloin home for generations would continue to be ousted and our history would be completely wiped out and bulldozed.”

“The future is pretty bright for trans people in San Francisco,” Mahogany said, adding that the trans neighborhood today is thanks to the “holistic approach” that is revolutionizing and validating life for trans people by tackling housing “flourishes”. Problem, Economic Opportunities, and Celebrating Transculture.

With the release of Compton’s transgender cultural district, Mahogany said San Francisco takes trans people seriously, invests in their success and helps them preserve their history and heritage in a “very official way”.

While Sa’id, Johnson, and Mahogany each have their own vision for San Francisco’s transgender neighborhood, they all agreed that simply because it exists, there is reason to be optimistic and move on to a better one Working towards the future for trans people.

The future looks pretty bright for transsexuals in San Francisco.

“It was incredible to go from an experience of disempowerment, marginalization and disenfranchisement and then to be able to create something transformative,” Sa’id said. “And in this moment of visibility, something has to emerge from this visibility. It can’t just be that we are visible … it actually has to be substantial. “

However, by focusing on San Francisco, a transgender community, Sa’id hopes to provide them with “true empowerment and inclusion” and the foundation laid by Compton’s Transgender Cultural District for going global.

“I think we will see a future with transgender neighborhoods in other cities around the world,” Sa’id said, “in which trans people take possession of the land below them and their culture and history as a radical solution the inequality we often face. “

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“It looks like a transsexual has never before got a job of this level with a major daily newspaper on any subject, let alone sports,” said Kahrl, who lived and worked in Chicago for 25 years since 1985 – and was inducted into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame in 2014. “Landing this job is as historic as my hiring at ESPN 10 years ago or my coming out almost 20 years ago.

“It comes to a critical point in our nation’s history and for journalism – the conversation about trans public life has changed, particularly the role of trans people in sport. We have seen large outlets do a remarkably poor job of reporting on issues affecting the lives of trans people, particularly sports and public order. Journalism can and must do better as an industry. One of the best ways to do this is to tap into the pool of transjournalists who would diversify more than just their newsrooms and hire them to take a more rigorous and openly professional approach to reporting stories in a front page section develop political engagement. “

Kahrl, originally from Sacramento, added, “As of the New York Times, we see way too many outlets completely screwing up the topic and delivering second-rate coverage or worse. Both the subjects of these stories and the audience for whom they were written deserve better; You deserve skilled journalism. “

Kahrl lived in Chicago from 1985 to 2000 and then again from 2007 to 2017. She now lives in Long Beach, California for at least a few more weeks before moving to the Bay Area. And then her daily life will all be giants, 49ers and more.

Chronicle’s sports division has a dozen writers, a few editors – and the Giants, 49ers, Golden State Warriors, the San Jose Sharks, Stanford, Cal, and the other four NCAA Division I schools in the area, as well as other colleges and prep and golf when it swings into town, and much more.

Locals also still have an emotional bond with the Raiders who used to be in Oakland and now play in Las Vegas.

“I enter the role with a sense of history and responsibility, for the people I work with, for the people I work for, for the readers, and for the teams and players whose stories we want to tell. (And) for my community too, so when the next trans person comes through that door, it’s both no big deal and a big, wonderful, very great thing of their own from someone, the trans or gender queer or not -binary and most of everyone is just great at doing what they do. As a wallflower, you don’t get to this level, ”said Kahrl.

Her diverse short-term goals are simple: “Learning to work with my new teammates. Getting to grips with the pressure side of the roll, because this is new to me and I still have a lot to learn. Leverage the value of the writing team and editors’ experience and figure out where I can help them. “

Kahrl worked at ESPN for 10 years, both in print and in TV. And that also made history. “The decade I’ve spent there has not only shown that I can do the job, it has also shown that transjournalists can work at the highest level of journalism,” she said. “I’ve earned a few promotions, wrote and published the news, learned a lot about multimedia reporting, planned large projects, and worked with some incredibly talented people.”

Kahrl’s ESPN run in 2013 included working on her first on-site World Series. She also interviewed legendary longtime baseball player Minnie Minoso about the integration of baseball as Jackie Robinson from Latin America and the Hall of Fame, which she described as a “privilege” but a tragic one because it turned out to be his last interview – Minnie died soon after and has to be due from Cooperstown, ”said Kahrl. “As the first trans sports journalist about Chris Mosier, the first out-trans member of Team USA in the international championship competition (that was also a highlight). That was (was) probably my only favorite job, not (just) because Chris is both a great athlete and an athlete who must be admired by all Americans. “

The ESPN appearance included working with talented storytellers such as David Schoenfield, Jeff Passan and Buster Olney.

“Nothing is more fun than getting caught in the moment, thinking about how to cover a no-hitter as it unfolds, or meeting the trading deadline,” she said.

Kahrl picked three who she’d learned the most from, including Claire Smith, the first woman to become a full-time MLB beatwriter. “(She) taught me a lot about our responsibility to others and about the history of the game,” said Kahrl.

“Learning from working with Marly Rivera because she invested in telling the stories of players, but also from her willingness to tackle the toughest stories and put absolutely everything into one story. And finally, from the editor who hired me, David Kull, who taught me a lot about leadership without the fear of getting your hands dirty. Taking the example as a starting point, he tried to expand the variety of perspectives and breadth of ESPN’s baseball coverage. “

Kahrl was encouraged by several writers (both ESPN and Chronicle) to apply for the position in San Francisco. The final blessing came from her wife, Charley.

“Working for Emilio Garcia-Ruiz, the new editor-in-chief of Chronik, is a privilege and a unique opportunity for me to learn and work with this writing crew at one of the best sports markets in the country. in one of the largest cities in the world, ”said Kahrl. “Chicago spoiled me; I always thought that only the Bay Area was at this level. “

And yes, she misses Chicago very much. Well, except in winter.

Starting with the people who call Chicago at home.

She used to live in Rogers Park, which she called “a real neighborhood with a lot of everything mixed up, where kids at the local school learned my dog’s name and greeted us, where you got the names of everyone in their favorite spots learned to grab a street taco or a slice. “This sense of community that transcended LGBTQ people, but also fully involved them… in a way, that’s my vision of what this country can be, where we can get along and maybe talk about a ball game or two to pass the time.

“In a way, Chicago is at home because it’s still the place where I feel inside my bones, where I grew up, where I took some of my greatest personal and professional steps, and where I was Charley got married. “

Kahrl is not sure whether she will also write for the chronicle. Your editorial and editorial responsibility will have priority.

“(This is) one of the best jobs in sports journalism for anyone, anywhere, because of the teams, the people who cover them, and the fans who care about them. It’s a challenge and an adventure, ”said Kahrl. “(This is) an opportunity for me to use what I’ve learned from 25 years in digital media and help a talented sports team deliver unparalleled sports coverage.”

Sound sporty … With Christina Kahrl

Long-term goals: “Glory for the Sporting Green, success for the Chronicle, and hundreds of thousands of readers new and old who can’t wait to read our next story.”

Sport, circa 2021: “(It is) in a place where we can’t just keep doing sport, and that’s a good thing. If anything, sport gives us the strength to face many of the most difficult problems facing our society today as sport reflects, amplifies and addresses those problems while enjoying competition, excellence and effort. The excellence of the present that we see on the diamond, the rust, the yard, the ice … it is no accident; This reflects everything we learn about performance and opens up new perspectives for storytelling for us as journalists. “

The past year: “I think it helped us to redefine what is important, not only in sport, but also in life. Sport is essentially about how we enjoy our own time, and it’s still tied into the life of the country – through the pandemic, through the exciting conversations we have to have about race and equality in this country. It’s not just about 2020, it’s about now and it’s about tomorrow. “

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