Before President Obama “evolved” on the issue of gay marriage he repeatedly stated, “I believe marriage should be between a man and a woman.” Such statements were made in the past by both Clintons and many of our strongest allies and supporters. Well, the same goes for pro marriage supporter Councilwoman Lorie Zapf who has stated for years now that she deeply regrets some of her past statements about our community and issues. To quote Councilwoman Zapf, “I believe in and support marriage equality and full civil rights for all LGBT Americans.”
Like Obama, Zapf has greatly evolved on our issues and has made her support of our community well known. Then why are her desperate opponent Sarah Boot and her supporters bringing up Zapf’s statements from years ago at two recent Town Council meetings?
Well, because they are trying unsuccessfully to portray Councilwoman Zapf as a right wing extremist in their uphill negative campaign. Shame on you Sarah Boot! Your pro-GLBT stands are exactly like Lorie Zapf’s and you know it.
Councilwoman Zapf even earmarked thousands of dollars to our LGBT Center for counseling and suicide prevention. Zapf has gotten support from past LGBT Community Center presidents, Robert Gleason and Bob Nelson as well as former decorated lesbian Marine Captain Jacque Atkinson and AIDS Walk founder and LGBT Wall of Honor recent inductee Susan Jester as well as businessman Big Mike Phillips to name a few.
One of Lorie Zapf’s sisters died of a very painful lung cancer and this has made her stand in support of compassionate use of marijuana by HIV/AIDS and cancer patients very personal.
This Thursday, Lorie is once again taking her staff out for dinner at a local restaurant for Dining Out For Life. So when you see Lorie Zapf at this year’s Pride Parade take the time and thank her for her support of our community and its civil rights issues and when you see Ms. Boot tell her to please stop the gay baiting.
Yes, I don’t agree with Councilwoman Zapf on all her stands and Council votes (I don’t agree all the time with Todd Gloria either) but I’ve gotten to know Lorie very well and she brings to that council something that no other councilmember does. Lorie Zapf was placed in foster homes as a child and her mother greatly suffered from mental issues. Her grandmother owned a taco stand in Los Angeles (yes, Lorie is half Latina) and at times was near homeless. Lorie Zapf knows about poverty and the struggles of abandoned children from a very sad and most difficult childhood. Ten years ago she had to mature very quickly as Lorie ended up taking care of her sister and brother because her mother was always struggling.
Yes, Lorie Zapf does not talk about all this very much (she does to children at different social service agencies) as I can tell when we discuss her background I can still see the pain and sadness in her eyes.
Lorie Zapf is a true role model for women and all children and, yes, I am proud to call her my friend and a friend and ally of our GLBT community.
Six hundred children attend Easter Egg Hunt
Twelve years ago when great grandmother Linda Childs and I started the annual Children’s Easter Egg Hunt at Trolley Barn Park 50 children showed up. This year 600!
Trust me, the great success of this event has to do with a lot of unsung heroes like The Center, Family Matters (Jane and Carolina) and the Council offices of Council President Todd Gloria.
While the Imperial Court hosts the event among the many unsung heroes are the Leather community, Ben Dillingham, Speaker-elect Toni Atkins, Sherman Mendoza and The Caliph, Nick Moede and Rich’s/Numbers, The Firefighters Association, Walgreens (Franko), The Eagle, William Oryos, Mayor Kevin Faulconer, Harvey Milk’s American Diner, Big Mike, Candi Samples and James, Emperor XLII Robert and Empress XLII Pearl, Robert Gleason and so many others.
A very big thank-you to District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, Council President Todd Gloria, School Board President Kevin Beiser and Assemblywoman Atkins and Mayor Faulconer staff members … all of them who stayed for hours handing out hundreds of baskets to the children on this hot sunny day. From the bottom of my heart God bless everyone who supported this event.
Nicole Murray Ramirez has been an award-winning columnist since 1973, and a Latino and gay activist for more than 45 years. He is currently a city commissioner and has served the last seven mayors of San Diego. He is also a national board member of the Harvey Milk Foundation and chairman of the International Court Council of the USA, Canada and Mexico. In 2013 Murray Ramirez was named “Mayor of Hillcrest” by a City proclamation. Nicolemrsandiego@aol.com
This has got to be the DUMBEST thing from the “Mayor of Hillcrest” in a long time!
HOW DARE YOU attribute gay baiting to this situation?
Gay baiting is when someone insinuates that a person is gay without using the word “gay” or “homosexual” etc.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=gay%20bait
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2010/09/fussy_hysterical_winesipping_pols.html
If anything, this is homophobe baiting insinuating that a person is a homophobe without using the words “homohater” or “bible thumper” etc.
This is a huge disservice to people who are actually the subject of gay baiting or of forced outings and the “Mayor of Hillcrest” should know better!
While we are on the topic of stupidity lets actually look at what Mrs. Zapf actually has said about gays. How about this gem:
“I absolutely want to keep homosexuals out of public office and not be allowed to influence our schools, textbooks, altering marriage, children and on and on.
…I do believe homosexuality is a sin. I have three homosexual first cousins. I love them all and would ‘be seen’ in a photo with them. I believe they all live in sin and frankly all are very unhappy people and had horrible childhoods as well.
…For whatever reason God allowed people to choose homosexuality. So, there must be a reason for it, although I don’t get it, like so may (sic) other things that don’t make sense.”
This is beyond believing that marriage is between a man and a woman this is a woman who at one point opposed the first amendment rights of a gay man to hold public office?!?! Comparing her to President Obama is ludicrous.
You may be the “Mayor of Hillcrest” Nicole, and the “Queen Mother of the Americas” but you do not have the authority to redefine terms and make dishonest comparisons about your establishment candidate with her homo-hating past.
Nicole,
This column must be categorized as one among a long line of unfortunate disservices you have perpetrated on our community.
You once said, “there is no dress code for civil rights,” and railed against those who failed to look deeper at a person. In the case of Lorie Zapf, the gay friendly clothes she is wearing now do not define the person. Look deeper Nicole.
Zapf is an opportunist, nothing more. And our city has suffered under the stewardship of opportunists for too long. She is the Brian Billbray of the city council. Having been redistricted away from her conservative base, she now wears a moderate’s drag. Anything she would do for San Diego’s LGBT community would be symbolic and superficial.
You have cultivated a long line of alliances with faux friends – Roger Hedgecock, Susan Golding, Dick Murphy, Kevin Faulconer and now Lorie Zapf. For someone of your history to misuse terms like “gay baiting” shows either the depths of opportunism or the onset of salinity (age baiting).
Sarah Boot is a fine progressive voice who could further many issues that are important to San Diego – living wage, affordable housing, neighborhood needs. But you instead choose the path of the acolyte over that of warrior.
How long has it been since you truly raised a sword for our community? When USD Hosted its first drag show in the face of ranks of protesters, you were nowhere to be found. Charles LiMandri assailed them in the media and you said nothing. Three years down the road, you still have yet to even show up at the event. It seems you keep better company with our enemies than you do us.
Are you the mayor of symbolism, or Hillcrest? You have accumulated many titles – city commissioner, Honorary Chair, Mayor of Hillcrest. Are you content to name streets and ships after a true warrior rather than to really be one again? It is said that by the time a person achieves a position of note, they have already made their best contributions. Then they linger as a shadow over the progress they once fought for. This should not be you Nicole. You can do much better than this. I have seen it.