Joel Trambley M.D., a political columnist for San Diego LGBT Weekly, and Dr. Pat Washington are two members of the LGBT community who were appointed Tuesday as new members of the city’s Human Relations Commission.
They join four others as immediate members who were approved in an 8-0 vote by the San Diego City Council and were nominated by Mayor Jerry Sanders.
“Thank you for your willingness to serve,” said Gloria.
After the vote, all six new members were sworn in by oath in the City Clerk’s office. Trambley and Washington were each elected to a 4-year term that will end in July, 2015.
“I’m looking forward to serving. I’m really excited,” said Trambley afterwards. “I’m very honored that Todd Gloria nominated me.”
The Human Relations Commission tackles social issues and advises the mayor and City Council. They meet on the third Wednesday of every month at 5:30 p.m. in the Balboa Park Club, but the location can change.
Nicole Murray Ramirez, also a columnist for San Diego LGBT Weekly, has served eight years on the commission after being appointed by Mayor Dick Murphy and later by Sanders. He is now termed out and recently was appointed to the Commission of Gangs and Intervention.
Murray Ramirez, a former commission chairman, praised the new members, saying “I think Dr. Pat Washington and Dr. Joel Trambley are going to be outstanding members.”
Recalling his years on the commission, Murray Ramirez said “We tackled issues from Don’t Ask Don’t Tell to gay marriage to Indian burial grounds, racial incidents in the schools … to the boycott of Arizona.”
The commission “brought people together from all walks of life,” said Murray Ramirez, who added that commission members went on a day trip to visit a mosque, something most members had not done before.
Lorenda Slomanson was approved to replace Murray. Also appointed were Gagandeep Sahni, Tiffany Harrison and Monica Bauer.
Trambley, a physician at UCSD Medical Center since 2007, is the only commission member in the medical profession. He earned a chemistry degree at Johns Hopkins University and his medical degree at Emory University.
Trambley was active with Marriage Equality USA including the “No on Prop. 8” campaign. He was a speaker at the LGBT Community Center for “Day of Decision II” and spoke against the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. He also was a founding member of the San Diego Steering Committee with the Human Rights Campaign.
Washington currently works for the San Diego Unified School District, but was a lecturer at UCSD for two years, and was assistant professor San Diego State University from 1996-2003.
She is a member of the San Diego branch of the NAACP and is the current president of the San Diego Democratic Women’s Club. She won the Gloria Steinem Communications Award in 2008 from the San Diego Democratic Club and the Ebby Award of San Diego Ebony Pride in 2004.
the “LGBT” community was well represented? I see lots of gay but no B or T…in fact, the political record of achievements were all about gay marriage which quite frankly often pushes T and B aside. Wouldn’t be so bad except that that the T is often fighting for things like a place to live, work and get heath care, stuff that A-list gays heading the political machine don’t have to worry about. Oh, and most T aren’t gay so the overlap lessens even more…
that’s not to say that this is not a great thing, unless the fact that the politicos involved have focused only on gay issues is an indicator of their idea of ‘inclusive’ going forward.
Not to discount