Serving the Gay & Lesbian Community for more than 28 years V OHMY! Current, former SFAF Queer workers allege bias by Cynthia Laird Among Dubdn’s charges in his HRC complaint are that he was paid a much lads in lower salary than other managers with the t least 12 complaints of alleged em¬ same level of responsibilities; that he was A treated differently than any other manager ployment discrimination by current and former workers at the San Fran¬ when SFAF reorganized and created the town! cisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF) have HIV Services and Treatment Support been filed with federal, state, and local agen¬ (HSTS) division; and that he was given con¬ by Cynthia Laird cies, alleging a pattern of lower pay for Lati¬ flicting information from upper manage¬ no/a employees as well as hardball tactics by ment about his future with the foundation top administrators in dealing with the after Vida folded. undreds of lesbian, gay, bisex¬ H workers. Apparently, things came to a head last ual, transgender (LGBT), and Foundation officials and their attorneys July, as the Vida program was in its last days. straight high school students from Morrison & Foerster had until Tuesday, Dubon wanted the job of team leader in will come together to take a April 13 to respond to several of the com¬ housing operations rather than director of stand against homophobic violence plaints filed with the San Francisco Human information, referral, and volunteer services and intolerance, promote unity, and Rights Commission (HRC). Additionally, because, he stated, he was told by SFAF Di¬ empower themselves at the third an¬ the HRC convened a mediation hearing rector of Programs Rene Durazzo that he nual Overcoming Homophobia Tuesday afternoon in an effort to settle a would have to deal with “difficult personnel Meeting for Youth (OHMY) Confer¬ complaint by Erik Dubon, the former man¬ issues” involving “troublesome employees.” ence at the Urban School in San Fran¬ ager of SFAF’s Vida y Movimiento program, “All these complaints were of discrimina¬ cisco this Saturday, April 17. which the foundation scrapped last July. tion and came from Hispanic employees,” The free event is produced and run A finding of discrimination by the HRC Dubon stated in his complaint with the fed¬ by youth and is sponsored by the is a matter of public record, and could lead eral Equal Employment Opportunity Com¬ Lavender Youth Information ami Erik Dubon to the imposition of fines, the revocation of mission (EEQC) and the California Depart¬ Recreation Center (LYRIC), the Bay city contracts, and debarment from propos¬ —— — — ■ : • V VV:. ' ment of FairjBmployment and Housing. Area Gay/Straight Alliance Network, ing on future city contracts. crimination, and intimidation by SFAF Ex¬ Dubon stated in his complaints that he and the Urban School. Dubon, who was employed at SFAF from ecutive Director Pat Christen after she re¬ Was told to accept the housing job on a tem¬ Kaiya Wertheim, a 16-year-old January 1993 until July 31, 1998 - the last portedly left a hand-written note taped to porary basis and that he would have to apply from Oakland, and one of the orga¬ day of the Vida program - submitted evi¬ the mailbox at Dubon’s house on a Sunday for it. “No other manager or employee in nizers, said, “This empowering event dence alleging deliberate harassment, dis- morning last August. will give youth the opportunity to page 20 ► meet other young people from the en¬ tire Bay Area who are committed to combating homophobia.” The OHMY Conference will give Bay Area students of all sexual orien¬ tations the necessary knowledge to Brownie Maiy dies, but lives form and maintain Gay/Straight Al¬ liance clubs in schools, build commu¬ nity, and further their involvement in activism. Workshops at the confer¬ ence cover issues such as coming out, on in memorials this week gay and lesbian history, racism and homophobia, and health issues. by Mark Norby who felt her deep compassion. Known affec¬ Productions at San Francisco’s Theater Rhi¬ “This kind of conference is really tionately among her community as “Brown¬ noceros. The benefit was to help alleviate the important right now because every¬ ie Mary,” Rathbun died Saturday evening, financial burden Rathbun suffered due to es¬ one deserves to be safe, confident, and Mary Jane Rathbun was many things April 10 in San Francisco at the age of 77. calating medical bills. “I am very saddened by proud of who they are,” said Haley to many people: activist, caregiver, Rathbun had been hospitalized off and the loss of Brownie Mary,” said Steve Murray, Ausserer, another conference organiz¬ co-founder of the now-defunct on over the past nine months after suffering who heads ‘Make It So’ Productions. “She was er from Menlo Park. Cannabis Buyers Club, baker to a a fall in her San Francisco home last August, a kind lady who always had a few sharp words Matt Wolf participated in last generation riddled by pain and agony from which led to neck and spinal surgery at Mt. page 21 ► year’s conference, which spurred him the complications of AIDS, and friend to all Zion Medical Center in San Francisco. Al¬ to become a political and social ac¬ though the surgery was successful, she never tivist. At the conference, he learned fully recovered and she spent her last months [1JUUUL in the Hospice and Palliative Care Unit at La¬ how to start a Gay/Straight Alliance BAR Talk 46 club at his high school on the Penin¬ guna Honda Hospital. sula and this year he plans to bring a Rathbun was at the forefront on the local, Classifieds 24 state, and national levels in the fight to legalize contingent of students to OHMY. Crime & Punishment 17 “Bay Area schools have made a lot medical marijuana, working with her devoted of headway in promoting diversity,” friend and activist cohort, Dennis Peron. Dykeotomy 10 said Sydney King, a teacher at Skyline “Mary adopted every gay kid in San Fran¬ High School in Oakland. “However, cisco,” Peron told the Bay Area Reporter. “She GLAAD 12 was there before we knew what AIDS was, gay and lesbian issues are often ig¬ Mailstrom 7 nored. This conference creates a space when it was referred to as ‘GRID,’ and even for youth to come together and gain back then she always had a batch of brown¬ Mister Marcus 38 ies there to relieve the pain of her kids.” knowledge to bring back to their Obituaries 21 schools and communities.” T Peron and other friends of Rathbun have planned a vigil and memorial of remem¬ Open Forum 6 brance at 18th and Castro streets this Satur¬ OHMY runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. day, April 17 at 8 p.m. All are welcome and Our Man Friday 9 at the Urban School, 1563 Page organizers aim to inspire all those touched Out & About 40 Street, at Masonic. To pre-register by Rathbun to continue her good work and online, go to www.incite.org/ to continue the fight to legalize medical mar¬ Out There 30 ijuana in all parts of the country. OHMY. For information, call (415) Personals 48 703-6150, ext. 39. Ironically, a benefit variety show was planned for Monday, April 19 by‘Make It So’ Brownie Mary Rathbun Sports Complex 22 4 Gays denounce bathhouse ban at lively Health Commission meeting the issue not being on the agenda, Dr. Stephen Murray told the by Richard Cornwall and argued it was inappropriate to commission that a large body of have it raised, but Monfredini research supports the proposition ||% ecurity guards removed two ruled that it was worth letting that bathhouses can play a posi¬ protesters from the a meet- members of the public voice their tive role in reducing transmission A ' ing of the San Francisco concerns with Katz’s report. of sexually transmitted diseases. Health Commission Tuesday, April Katz then characterized the Commissioners eagerly accepted ELECTROLYSIS 6 after Health Director Dr. earlier meeting as having been a two-page handout of references IS PERMANENT HAIR REMOVAL Mitchell Katz orally delivered his taken over and dominated by to the research that Murray of¬ director’s report to commissioners. people who argued that HIV does fered to support his statements. SO WHY WASTE MONEY ON The protesters, David not cause AIDS, a characteriza¬ Reid Condit spoke of the EXPENSIVE TEMPORARY Pasquarelli and Michael Bellefoun- tion that allowed him to ridicule length of the struggle to get the the meeting and the protesters. commission to grapple publicly METHODS? taine of ACT UP/San Francisco, loudly complained that Katz failed (In fact, few of the speakers at the and clearly with the bathhouse to acknowledge in his lengthy re¬ March 24 meeting had anything issue. The only notable reaction JOHN FRIZZELL port the March 24 community to do with the issue of whether was from Commissioner Edward Electrologist meeting to discuss concerns over HIV causes AIDS. Most were con¬ A. Chow, who asked Katz to re¬ the closure of gay bathhouses! cerned with the role that bath¬ port at some unspecified future When the protesters refused to be houses play in gay men’s lives and date on what regulations the De¬ quiet, commission President Lee the role they can play in public partment of Public Health (DPH) 626-2729 Ann Monfredini directed guards to health efforts to reduce the inci¬ has on “sex clubs, etc.” He seemed For FREE CONSULTATION remove them from the meeting. dence of sexually transmitted dis¬ to fumble a bit for words and Monfredini and Katz then ac¬ eases.) The report was followed by avoided saying “bathhouse.” knowledged it would be appropri¬ public comment by five people, The commissioners took no Making Sound Decisions in ate for Katz to add a verbal de¬ limited to three minutes each.