Sara August 12th, 2010
UC Berkeley’s Gender Equity Center will be hosting their annual Queer Ice Cream Social on Tuesday, August 24 and Cal Alumni Pride will be providing ice cream at this event welcoming new and returning LGBTQ students to campus.
Stay tuned for more information!
Visit UC Berkeley Gender Equity Resource Center’s website here.
Sara August 12th, 2010
Alumna Susan Leal, former Treasurer of the City and County of San Francisco, recently co-authored Running Out of Water – a proactive book focused on solutions to our looming water crisis. She is currently a member of the advisory board of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley, where she also received both her undergraduate and law degrees.
As a water utility expert, author, and consultant, Ms. Leal specializes in identifying realistic and creative solutions to the water and wastewater challenges that face many American cities and states. Additionally, Ms. Leal is a Senior Fellow of the Advanced Leadership Initiative and an Associate of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University.
As General Manager of San Francisco’s Public Utilities Commission, Ms. Leal led the charge for a dramatic upgrade of the Bay Area’s seismically unsafe water system and San Francisco’s outdated wastewater system. She previously served two terms as the elected Treasurer of the City and County of San Francisco and as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
For more information on Running Out of Water, click here.
For more information on Susan Leal, click here.
Sara August 12th, 2010
An August 8th post in the Wonk Room section of ThinkProgress.org highlighted a recent appearance by Ted Olson on Fox News:
This morning, Ted Olson — the conservative lawyer who represented President Bush in Bush v. Gore — appeared on Fox News Sunday to discuss his recent victory in overturning Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriages in California. Throughout the interview, host Chris Wallace attempted to trip up his guest with a series of familiar Republican talking points, all of which Olson repudiated.
Wallace asked Olson to identify the right to same-sex marriage in the constitution and wondered why “seven million Californians” “don’t get to say that marriage is between a man and a woman.” Olson replied that the Supreme Court has ruled that marriage was a fundamental right and pointed out that the constitution made no explicit mention of interracial marriage either. He stressed that under our system of government, voters can’t deprive minority groups of their constitutionally guaranteed protections and reminded Wallace that in the 1960s, “Californians voted to change their constitution to say that you could discriminate on the basis of race in the sale of your home; the United States Supreme Court struck that down.”
When Wallace pressed the point further, likening same-sex marriage to abortion and noting that “the political process in the case of same-sex marriage was working” since states had been deciding the issue on a “state-by-state basis,” Olson asked Wallace how he would like it if Fox News’ right to free speech was decided in such a manner:
OLSON: Well, would you like your right to free speech? Would you like Fox’s right to free press put up to a vote and say well, if five states approved it, let’s wait till the other 45 states do? These are fundament constitutional rights. The Bill of Rights guarantees Fox News and you, Chris Wallace, the right to speak. It’s in the constitution. And the Supreme Court has repeatedly held that the denial of our citizens of the equal rights to equal access to justice under the law, is a violation of our fundamental rights. Yes, it’s encouraging that many states are moving towards equality on the basis of sexual orientation, and I’m very, very pleased about that. … We can’t wait for the voters to decide that that immeasurable harm, that is unconstitutional, must be eliminated.
Read the full post here.
Sara August 12th, 2010
Oakland Pride 2010
“We Got The Funk! Diversity in Action!” Oakland Pride celebrates the cultures and diversity of the LGBTQ community in Oakland the the East Bay. After a six-year absence, Oakland Pride (formerly known as “East Bay Pride”) returns to Oakland, California and takes place on Sunday, September 5, 2010.
An article in the Bay Area Reporter highlighted the revival of this East Bay LGBTQ celebration:
“Out of the Bay Area’s three biggest cities, Oakland has been the only one not to host a major LGBT Pride event in recent years. San Francisco holds its Pride event June 26-27; San Jose is moving its event to August 21-22 this year. The lesbian-focused Sisters Steppin’ in Pride, which takes place alongside Lake Merritt in late August, has filled the vacuum since the demise of East Bay Pride.
The plan this year is to have a parade kick off from Lake Merritt at noon that Sunday and end up near the festival grounds centered at the intersection of 22nd and Franklin streets, just blocks from both the Fox and Paramount theaters and close to the 19th Street BART station.”
Event organizers not only hope to make Oakland Pride an annual event, but to raise funds for an LGBTQ Community Center in Oakland.
Date: Sunday, September 5, 2010
Time: 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Where: Uptown Oakland – 19th Street & Franklin Street (Exit 19th St. BART Station)
More information: Oakland Pride Website
Full article in the Bay Area Reporter: “Oakland set to get its Pride back this year“
Sara August 11th, 2010
UC Berkeley alumnus Jack Mackenroth, who starred on the fourth season of the television show Project Runway, won seven medals at the 2010 Gay Games – which were held in Cologne, Germany from July 31 to August 6, 2010. Below is an exerpt from his blog, recapping the experience:
“The swimming competition was 6 days and started at 8 am the next morning. The venue was amazing. It was the first time I had ever seen a steel bottom pool which used sunlight and reflection to heat the water. It was stunning. I think there were about 750-1000 swimmers competing and the competition is tough and the swimmers mean business. Team New York Aquatics brought about 20 swimmers over. I had events during four of the next six days. Each swimmer was allowed to swim 5 individual events and 3 relays. At the end of the meet I came home with 1 gold medal, 5 silver medals and one bronze medal. I was more than pleased with that although the best day was my last day which is a pretty good sign that I didn’t rest enough before hand or jet lag had taken it’s toll. In any case I didn’t do any personal best times but I had some great races. I guess it was the year of the silver medal for me. That’s OK. Silver goes better with my skin tone anyway.”
In a May 2010 Windy City Times article, Mackenroth discussed the camraderie of the Gay Games:
“I just love the Gay Games because the athletes are so excited to come together and compete,” Mackenroth said. “It’s a real sense of pride and accomplishment. People want to win, but everyone genuinely wants everyone to do their best. I especially love the international Games; they bring amazing people from all over the world that you would normally never have the chance to meet.”
Congratulations to Mr. Mackenroth from Cal Alumni Pride/
Jack Mackenroth’s blog: “Gay Games VIII: Cologne recap“
Windy City Times: “Runway’ alum Mackenroth focusing on Games”
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