5 13 21 AIDS grove helps AEF Gay Romney aide quits SF Ballet's 'Don Quixote' The www.ebar.com Serving the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities since 1971 Vol. 42 • No. 18 • May 3-9, 2012 Maitri Trans woman killed in Oakland by Seth Hemmelgarn akland police are investigating the marks shooting death of a transsexual Owoman who was killed in her car in the city’s downtown area Sunday morning, 25 years April 29. A woman who was with the victim, Brandy by Seth Hemmelgarn Martell, 37, said that she was killed shortly after a man Martell had been talking to learned of aitri, a San Francisco nonprofi t her gender identity. that provides services to people Oakland Police Department spokeswoman Mliving with HIV and AIDS who Lea Rubio said that at 5:16 a.m. Sunday, police are in need of either responded to the 400 block of 13th Street, near hospice care or 24- Franklin Street. Offi cers located Milton Massey hour nursing care, is Jr., which police say is Martell’s legal name, in- marking its 25th an- side a vehicle, she said. Martell, which someone niversary this year. who knew her said was her legal name, was The agency, which pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators are is at 401 Duboce looking into the motive for the shooting, said Avenue, will hold its Oakland police cordoned off an area downtown before Rubio. Brandy Martell’s body was removed by coroner’s off icials. annual Bliss gala this Bryana Coleman, 37, who’s transgender and weekend. lives in Hayward, said that she was in the back- Tiffany Woods With improve- Jane Philomen Clelan d seat of Martell’s Lexus Sunday morning. Two how she was doing. She said that she “couldn’t hear verbatim ments in treatments Michael other people besides her and Martell, who also The man saw “how pretty [Martell] was” and every word” that Martell and the front passen- and other develop- Smithwick lived in Hayward, were in the car, she said. said, “I like your friend,” said Coleman. ger said, but “There was no verbal altercation.” ments, the AIDS She said that they had been “hanging out” Martell rolled down her window a little and Coleman said that she didn’t hear any anti-gay epidemic has changed since 1987, and so has for several hours before two men “dressed had a conversation with the man for about fi ve or anti-trans comments. Maitri. like they were coming from a nightclub” ap- to 10 minutes. The second man went to the Coleman said that the front passenger “In the early days of the epidemic, we were proached them at about 4:30 or 5 a.m., and one front passenger side and spoke with the woman looked at Martell and said, “They don’t know nothing but a hospice,” said Executive Direc- of them came up to her window and asked her in that seat, said Coleman. See page 17 >> See page 16 >> Reactions Plaque unveiling, movie mixed on screenings to mark Milk Day by Matthew S. Bajko of the Oscar-winning 1984 documentary The Milk ship Times of Harvey Milk. The event starts at 6 p.m. ay Area celebrations to mark the an- Tuesday, May 22 in the Community Room at nual Harvey Milk Day this year include the Rose Garden Branch of the San Jose Public proposal Ba plaque unveiling in the Castro and Library, 1580 Naglee Avenue. screenings of Academy-Award winning fi lms In San Francisco the GLBT History Museum by Matthew S. Bajko about the slain gay rights leader. will offer free admission to all visitors on Milk This will be the third year that California ob- Day. The main gallery space will feature rare he proposal to serves May 22 as Harvey Milk Day, which falls video clips of Milk from the Daniel A. Smith/ name a U.S. on Milk’s 82nd birthday. The Castro business- Queer Blue Light Collection in the archives of TNavy vessel man and political organizer made history in the GLBT Historical Society. after Harvey Milk is November 1977 by winning a seat on the San The museum is located at 4127 18th Street drawing mixed reac- Francisco Board of Supervisors. between Castro and Collingwood streets. tions in San Fran- It marked the fi rst time an openly gay person That night at the Castro Theatre will be a cisco, where the slain had won elective offi ce in the Golden State and screening of the Academy Award-winning gay rights leader was a defi ning moment for the city’s burgeon- biopic Milk. The event is a fundraiser for the served as a city su- ing LGBT community. Sadly, a year later dis- Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy, the nearby pervisor. Courtesy GLBT Historic gruntled former Supervisor Dan White gunned public elementary school. Some city lead- Task Force San Diego down Milk and then-Mayor George Moscone In years past the school has held an outdoor ers have endorsed Harvey Milk in in City Hall. carnival for families to celebrate Milk Day. This the idea, including his Navy days. Yet Milk’s murder turned him into an in- year it held the street party as a Spring Carnival House Minority ternational LGBT hero. And state lawmakers event instead, and decided to go with a more Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and in 2009 designated May 22 as a day of special adult-themed Milk Day event. gay District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener, who signifi cance to honor Milk. Although not an While attendees can bring their children to holds the board seat considered to be Milk’s. offi cial state holiday, meaning state employees Rick Gerharter the movie, the event’s webpage notes the movie But others contend it is an ill-conceived aren’t given the day off nor do calendars denote Academy Award-winning screenwriter was rated R and that the fundraiser is not “kid honor for the gay rights icon, including Milk the occasion, many schools and municipalities friendly.” photographer and close friend Dan Nicoletta. Dustin Lance Black will be in town on celebrate it. May 22 for a Harvey Milk Day event at “We have been looking for ways to involve Queer economic justice activist Tommi Avi- In San Jose this year the group Marriage the Castro Theatre. See page 15 >> Equality Silicon Valley is hosting a free showing See page 17 >> { FIRST OF TWO SECTIONS } 2 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 3-9, 2012 << Community News ▼ Spirited May Day march LGBTs and allies took part in Occupy May Day marches in Oakland, including groups calling for immigration reform. The Occupy marches in Oakland and San Francisco closed streets and, while largely peaceful, there were reports of vandalism and arrests made in both cities. Jane Philomen Cleland LGBT vet redress bill to be amended by Dan Aiello affected by the military witch-hunt for homosexuals. ssemblyman Dr. Richard Pan Brian O’Hara, communications Asaid this week that he will amend director for Pan, said that while the his legislation intended to offer re- joint resolution “doesn’t have hurdles dress to LGBT veterans ousted under or deadlines,” it would probably be the prohibition policies of the na- introduced “some time over the tion’s military, including “Don’t Ask, summer, if not sooner.” Don’t Tell,” which prevented gays and O’Hara said that Pan wants the lesbians from serving openly in the resolution to be passed to mark the armed forces. September anniversary of the repeal As written, AB 1505 would have of DADT. required the state Department of “Where we want to go with an Veterans Affairs to reinstate non- apology is to fi rst recognize that [the federally-funded benefi ts to military prohibition ban] was actually a fed- service members who were ousted eral action,” Pan said. “So we want to with less than honorable discharges Assemblyman Dr. Richard Pan submit a joint resolution to call on because they were gay. Congress to apologize for this situ- But Pan, a Democrat from Fair ation as well as call on Congress to Oaks, said he will instead introduce a tant issue, but a timely one. We just take action to fi x this situation.” “contingency and enactment clause” saw the repeal of DADT and still have Pan was fi rst asked about the is- to his bill because state veterans ben- inaction on the part of the federal sue of an apology by the B.A.R. last efi ts are closely tied to federal benefi ts government,” O’Hara said. November. and congressional action is needed. Pan said congressional action is “Personally, I agree with you that “It’s going to Assembly appro- needed quickly. an apology is needed,” he said this priations where it will be procedur- “We do want Congress to fi x this week. “We want California’s vets im- ally amended,” Pan told the Bay Area issue of redress as quickly as pos- pacted by this to have their discharg- Reporter. “The state benefi ts are so sible,” said Pan. “I think by passing es upgraded to ensure they receive dependent on federal benefi ts that it this bill it will add some pressure. full benefi ts.” would really be hard to separate the We want to be in the position of say- Pan said he is disappointed that two. It’s almost undoable.” ing, ‘look Congress, you need to take DADT became an issue in the Re- Pan recognizes it is unlikely a action.’ ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ was publican presidential primary race, Republican-controlled House of repealed.