As many of you know a few years ago I first wrote in this column of my new campaign to get a school named after a prominent GLBT citizen – former Sen. Christine Kehoe. This came after our successful campaign to name Harvey Milk Street in Hillcrest (the first such street named in the nation).
I established the GLBT Historic Task Force whose members are responsible for helping with the Milk Street and current Kehoe School projects. The hard working members of the Task Force are Chris Ward (chief of staff Sen. Marty Block,) Hon. Kevin Beiser (president, San Diego School Board), Maureen Steiner (president, Lambda Archives), Stephen Whitburn (executive director, San Diego Pride), Susan Jester (founder, AIDS Walk, president, Log Cabin Club), Doug Case (past president, San Diego Democrats for Equality) and Big Mike Phillips (Mayor’s GLBT Advisory Board). I serve as chair of the Historic Task Force.
San Diego has honored many of its prominent citizens by naming parks, schools, streets, buildings etc. after them … and our community I feel has many GLBT citizens who have contributed to our city and county in this region like Jess Jessop, Midge Costanza, Gloria Johnson, Dr. Brad Truax etc. The Neil Good Homeless Center in downtown San Diego was named after an openly gay civil rights/political activist. Someday I see our current State Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins getting such an honor.
The GLBT Historic Task Force is also involved in the current national campaign to get a U.S. Naval vessel to be named after veteran Harvey Milk who was stationed in San Diego.
The Task Force has been meeting recently for our Kehoe School project and has narrowed it down to two elementary schools and I am proud to say things are going well and we could be dedicating the Sen. Christine Kehoe School by 2015. I especially want to acknowledge the hard work of Task Force members Kevin Beiser and Chris Ward. I will keep you posted on our progress.
Mayor’s Advisory Board meets
Mayor Maureen O’Connor established the first mayoral GLBT Advisory Board in the 1980s joining the other boards for Latinos, veterans, seniors, African Americans, youth etc.
Last week Mayor Kevin Faulconer met with his new GLBT Advisory Board at City Hall.
Members are: Barbara Blake (executive director GSDBA), Rev. Dan Koeshall (pastor, M.C.C.), businessman Chris Shaw, Shaun Travers (vice-president LGBT Center), Shannon Wagner (executive director Being Alive), businessman David Cohen, Carolina Ramos (director, Latino Services), Johnathan Hale (president, Hillcrest Business Association), former Marine Captain Jacque Atkinson, businessman Dave McCulloch, Ben Cartwright (San Diego Remembers), businessman Big Mike Phillips, City Commissioners Bruce Abrams and Robert Gleason, Michael Zarbo (vice-president Filipino Cultural Society), Steven Whitburn (executive director, San Diego Pride) and Tracie O’Brien (Transgender Day of Remembrance). Co-chairs of the Mayoral Advisory Board are Susan Jester (founder, AIDS Walk), and myself.
The members of the Advisory Board express their appreciation to Mayor Faulconer for accepting the national co-chair position of Mayors for Marriage Equality just two weeks after his inauguration.
Among issues discussed were the police and fire department and sensitivity training, the possibility of a GLBT City Employees Association, the transgender community, the homeless problem, San Diego Pride (Mayor Faulconer and the first lady of San Diego, Katherine Faulconer will be participating), City boards and commissions and other important issues.
Mayor Kevin Faulconer announced that he has joined other major city mayors in officially declaring June 26 as Marriage Equality Day in the City of San Diego.
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
Aren’t there Rules in place determining the naming of schools? Generally Naming of buildings, schools, etc. after someone has been done based upon evaluation of their contributions after they are no longer living in order to ensure that there is nothing within their lives which would result in the naming being challenged during the structure or feature’s existence. Recent history has seen the renaming of landmarks (and football teams) as an example within the United States.
Is Christine Kehoe deceased? Near death? Does her name meet all existing criteria under which Schools are named? Are the criteria being changed for political purposes?
FYI Nicole —
Once upon a time – back in the 1990s – there was an LGBT employees association at the City of San Diego. I was one of its co-founders.
We had a large contingent of City employees in the Pride Parade for three or four years,
The group dissolved for two reasons:
1) City Management had given LGBT employees every benefit possible under existing State & Federal law, so we had no employment-related beefs; and
2) Apparently very few LGBT employees wanted to get together for after-hours social events like happy hour at Urban Mo’s, bowling parties,a day at the Del Mar races, etc.
I can provide more detailed background on the formation of the organization upon request.
I appreciate that Mayor Faulconer (and you) want to establish an LGBT City Employees group, and wish you all the best.
Brad Jacobsen,
Former City of San Diego employee & co-founder of the City of San Diego Gay & Lesbian Employees Association