Hi there, my name is Maxie Bee (she/her/hers). Pride is one of my favorite events in San Francisco, and every year I have lived here I have eagerly partaken in the festivities and chaotic beauty that is the LGBTQ+ community’s largest celebration. Each year I have admired the pride and beauty of every attendee who has taken the time and shown the courage to be unabashedly themselves. I wish I could say that with each year my love for our city and Pride as an event has grown, but I’m saddened to say that I have become increasingly dismayed and forlorn at the state of what should be our greatest event of the year.

There are few of you who will ever read these words. For each one of you participating in this year’s election, there is an ever-mounting number of LGBTQ+ people each year who decide to give Pride a pass. Their reasons are many, but I hear repeatedly that they feel that Pride isn’t for them anymore. It’s for the vast corporate floats and advertisements that dominate every space.

The Pride Organization’s plummeting membership shows similar trends. Last year a spike of interested and incensed people signed up, hoping to be heard not just about overwhelming corporate involvement, but also about the awful police brutality last year when peaceful protesters were brutally attacked by SFPD. They wanted the parade, often described as a three-hour pink-washing commercial, to return to its roots as a force for political mobilization and solidarity among all LGBTQ+ people. The fight for justice is as far from over as it is intersectional, and their arrival and disappointment should be an extraordinary wake up call to SF Pride.

Many of those who came for change last year were gone this year as they felt ignored and unheard. In the wake of COVID-19, rising fascism, and awful economic times, we must pivot. What is Pride if the event can only occur with assistance from the very corporations that hurt so many queer people every day, despite their flashy rainbow marketing. If we must rely on them then Pride must be rethought and reinvented. Pride must return to its roots as en event by the community and for everyone in the community. Right now, we need solidarity more than ever, and our greatest event should lead the charge.

Maxie Bee is a small community activist who has organized around Pride at varying levels for almost a decade. She is an SFSU alumni and is concerned with the extreme corporatism that seems increasingly prevalent at Pride each year. She works as a legal assistant at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and is strongly committed to community-driven, intersectional change that will make Pride more independent from its sponsors and more inclusive of those in the LGBTQ+ community who are most left out. She has a strong commitment to racial, sexual, and economic justice, and hopes that Pride can use its platform to uplift those most marginalized in our society, especially in the wake of the the worsening calamities of Trump and Coronavirus.

Hi! I’m Laurence Berland (he/him). I’ve met many of you at Pride’s monthly board and member meetings over the past 15 months. It has been so great to get to know you. I would like to get to know you all over the coming years.

I originally became involved in Pride because my then-employer, Google, sponsors Pride and other LGBTQ+ events but does not actually protect us on their services. On YouTube, for example, transphobic and homophobic harassment runs rampant. In 2019, my coworkers and I petitioned Pride to remove Google from the parade. Pride refused but offered us a spot in the Resistance Contingent where I found myself surrounded by other activist, labor, and community groups — the best of the LGBTQ+ community. The crowd? Loved us! But other queer protesters exercising their right to speak out on important issues were beaten and arrested by SFPD. Protest is an essential part of Pride and should be encouraged. We must keep our whole community safe from police.

Later that day, my coworkers and I staged a protest against Google’s corporate contingent. This required us to spend hours watching the parade from Market Street which I had not done in many years. We found a crowd that, more than anything, was bored by the parade of corporate floats, and eager to join us to fight for something important. I’m still concerned about corporate and police presence at Pride and will advocate for real change.

What I have learned in trying to make these changes is that Pride needs to be more transparent, more accountable, and more engaging, both with its membership and the community. Our members are our greatest asset. They offer their time and energy to Pride. We should welcome them and give them a greater role in setting Pride’s direction. Pride belongs to the entire LGBTQ+ community. We must honor our stewardship by engaging more with all of our community, especially BIPOC and trans folks who are too often left out. Pride must be a welcoming and uplifting place for all of us.

We all face these changes together, for each other. As Pride faces new challenges like COVID-19, we must rethink Pride together. The board cannot and should not do it alone. The membership and community must be included. I hope I can count on your vote, and your involvement.

Laurence Berland (he/him) is originally from Brooklyn, NY and moved to San Francisco in 2006. Laurence was a long-time employee of Google who, along with 3 other organizer activist workers, was fired in late November 2019, leading to their being nicknamed “the Thanksgiving four.” Laurence prides himself on his community involvement and activism, from queer advocacy to community testing for COVID-19 and is a member of SF Pride and the Harvey Milk Democratic Club.

My name is Bivett Brackett and I am running for SF Pride Board of Directors because I am a servant worker who likes to work in the background to leverage partnerships to grow opportunities. I am a lifelong San Francisco resident who grew up in the Fillmore neighborhood and raised my children in the Bayview neighborhood. I grew up in San Francisco in a time when the influence of our LGBTQ community was growing but I saw my Black queer and trans friends still struggling.

I credit a large part of my love and advocacy for the LGBTQ community to Mika my trans sister who is currently living with AIDS in SF. I watched her grapple with being bullied at 10-years-old. From coming out and moving to New York to get away from her family who wasn’t accepting of her. I heard the pain in her voice when she first told us she contracted AIDS before her 21st birthday after turning to sex work to sustain herself.

While a student at Skyline College, I helped to organize one of their biggest and most visible AIDS Awareness programs for the Associated Students of Skyline College (ASSC) “World AIDS Week and International Day on December 1, 2004.” We partnered with our campus health center to focus on prevention through educating students about the disease via guest speakers, movie presentations, condom giveaways, hands-on-activities, and a mobile HIV testing van.

My everyday work is creating spaces as well as policies that improve the quality of life of Black San Franciscans. I am the founder of the Big Black Brunch which supports Black owned SF restaurants and will soon be coming to Yelp as a black owned listing. I created the Black Ballot Box to encourage community members to make sure they are registered to vote so that we could support issues that benefit the black community. I helped organize the Assembly for Equity 4th of July March. I have done so many events for Black San Franciscans yet became aware that black queer and trans community members didn’t feel supported or safe in those spaces. If there is one Black San Franciscan that doesn’t feel safe within our community then that is something that needs to be addressed.

If elected I will center the experience, wellness and success of Black queer and trans community members at San Francisco Pride.

I’m Tyler (he/him), I’ve attended SF Pride most years since about 2014. I’ve been an official member for about a year. I am a former member of the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band, and I have been active on and off in the Democratic Socialists of America since 2017. I have not served on a board like this before, so if elected I hope the rest of the board will be patient with me and help me learn the ins and outs of working together on this board. There are a few things I hope to achieve in my term:

• First, make Pride more democratic: Make sure it’s as easy as possible for people to become members of Pride or to participate in discussions. Make sure every board meeting and member meeting is well-publicized on social media. Update the organization’s bylaws to make it easier for people to offer suggestions.
• Have a celebration that is more focused on our community than our corporate sponsors: Many of Pride’s long-time partners are also partners of organizations directly opposed to queer liberation, such as the Republican Party, the US Military, Border Patrol, ICE, and union-busting consultants. I want 2021 to be the year these companies stop using SF Pride to launder their image. To do this, we need to convene the Corporate Accountability Committee immediately. The committee’s recommendations may result in a celebration that is smaller and less extravagant than we’re used to, but the handful of unofficial celebrations that happened this year showed us that such events can be just as fun and meaningful!
• Have a clear and detailed agreement with law enforcement: If we are able to have an in-person event next year, we must make it clear what we expect from law enforcement. In particular, there should be no arrests of anyone unless they pose a danger to others’ safety, and the number of officers present must be kept to a minimum.

On a related note, law enforcement should not be a participant in any official Pride events. I used to think policing was reformable, but in the last few years, and particularly after the most recent wave of Black Lives Matter protests, I have come to believe that any celebration in which police officers march proudly is not one which is oriented toward the liberation of our people.

As a proud native San Franciscan, it would be my honor to serve on the San Francisco Pride Board. My parents immigrated from Cuba and chose San Francisco as a city to seek refuge. It is a city that celebrates acceptance and diversity, a characteristic that I find it my duty to always continue to fight for, as others seek to call this home.

I am a Broadcasting graduate of San Francisco State University, and my media background has served a positive purpose in my career and organizations that I advocate for. For over 25 years, I have been a spokesperson on Tourism and its economic impact on our City. Hospitality has a huge impact on San Francisco, as it touches several communities with job opportunities. I have worked for over 20 years in hotel companies that have headquartered themselves here, such as Joie de Vivre Hotels and now my own consulting firm called Hunter Hospitality.

I most recently served as Chairman of San Francisco Travel (Convention and Visitors Bureau) where I was able to celebrate our expansion of the Convention Center. Currently I reside on the SF Travel Board and strategically work on a recovery plan during these very difficult times. I can assist SF Pride in many ways. I am able to communicate bilingually if you need my assistance with our Spanish-speaking communities. I can also assist with partnerships and strategic alliances when promoting SF Pride to the world. Again, it would be my honor to serve on the Board and look forward with much PRIDE to be able to do so. Thank You!

Tuquan Harrison is a Black, Queer and Nonbinary advocate who’s work focuses on the advancement of public safety, violence prevention and wellness for diverse LGBTQ communities of color in San Francisco. Tuquan leads his community-based advocacy through a racial equity and anti-oppression lens working to address Anti-Black racism in government and nonprofits organizations. Since early in his career, he has championed capacity building efforts, training frontline providers on working with LGBTQ community members living HIV/AIDS, and who are marginally housed. Additionally, providing anti-oppression workshops to nonprofit organizations throughout the country support Black and Brown LGBTQ youth. Tuquan currently serves in a Mayoral appointed position at the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, where he directs, coordinates and implements citywide LGBTQI+ initiatives centering diverse LGBQ, Transgender and Nonbinary communities. Tuquan is also the Founder of the Queer and Trans Youth United in Power Fellowship- the City’s first Queer and Trans youth specific workforce development program in partnership with the Mayor’s Office.

Hi, I am J and I go by all pronouns. I express gratitude to the Ramaytush Ohlone, the original peoples of San Francisco whose space I stand on.

I am a TGNC immigrant who escaped India’s transphobic society and sought asylum here. So being transreal and stand before you for a spot at the Board of SF Pride – I am already hella receiving right now.

Community in Crisis: I am here because PRIDE for me is an immensely powerful way to make community in the bay. Protests for Black Lives Matter, black and brown bodies left to die in Californian jails (the largest share of the 2 million incarcerated Americans), pandemic fatalities impacting black and brown families disproportionately and the cry for defunding the police is the conversation communities are having everywhere in this country. What is SF PRIDE doing?

Money is Politics: Digging into my organizing experience against white supremacy, I’ll institute a Community Town Hall (virtual and online) that will be a repository of all voices of dissent and advo-cacy for/against any community and/or corporate partner that SF PRIDE board is dealing with/promoting for any event. And holding all our corporate and community partners accountable by setting standards of LGBTQ and POC hire percentages in their organizations as a clear indicator of how expensive their partnership with PRIDE should be. You don’t care about us – we take more money from you.

Racist police/Justice system: I am here because BLACK TRANS LIVES MATTER. My immigrant destiny began the day Trans Women of Color put their bodies on riot against cops who are were on duty paid for by a state that institutionalized racism and bigotry using taxpayers’ money. The same s&&t is happening rn. What is SF PRIDE doing?

Coalition building: In 8 months I will create a community coalition of POC-led and serving community organizations to fight with and use the PRIDE platform to uplift the struggle the community is facing. I am already leading that with an SF tenants’ coalition.

TRANSLIVESMATTER: My effort will be to bring in more TRANS POC voices to this PRIDE table, actual voices not narratives. PRIDE brings my lonely heart the joy of home. How can I bring this feeling to all those who are standing outside waiting to be let in?

I want to be in service to make SF Pride an accessible, authentic, responsive, and joyful experience.

Thank you for your attention.

I am a fundraising professional with more than a decade of experience raising resources and awareness for community needs in the Bay Area. My intention in running for re-election to the San Francisco Pride Board is rooted in supporting the organization's long-term sustainability while raising the profile of this legacy organization. San Francisco Pride has been a leader in our LGBTQ movement, and we have even more of an opportunity to push for change. The way we convene and celebrate will be dramatically different for the foreseeable future. Consequently, the way Pride events are funded will need to be reevaluated. Running for re-election for the Board was a decision I did not take lightly; the challenges facing the organization are complex, require collaborative approaches and community engagement to make change. As a Board member, my focus continues to be on diversifying the organizations’ revenue, leveraging our existing network and growing beyond, to ensure that we can have a Pride event this year and for the next 100.

My professional experience in fundraising is an asset to SF Pride and particularly during such pivotal times. In addition to my professional role as Associate Director of Philanthropy for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, I also serve on the Advisory Board of the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District, a neighborhood initiative to preserve and promote the rich cultural heritage of our community. Past leadership opportunities that have uniquely prepared me to continue my Board service for Pride include serving as the Co-Chair of the San Francisco Dyke March; Founder of and Advisor to the San Francisco Women’s March; and a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Golden Gate Chapter. Through these experiences, I gained valuable knowledge and familiarity of organizing, community engagement, building effective relationships with City leadership, volunteer management, and mentorship for new and emerging leaders. Overall, I feel that my professional experience and deep community commitment will continue to be of tremendous benefit to SF Pride. I hope to continue supporting SF Pride and appreciate your consideration.

I am writing to you all to express my interest in becoming a member of the Board of Directors for SF Pride. Currently, I serve as a board member for Openhouse LGBT Senior Housing, Community & Services Center and as an advisory member of the Oakland Pride Creative Arts & Film Fest.

As a first-generation Mexican-American Transgender woman who is openly HIV+postive, I’ve been a longtime community member and advocate for LGBTQIA2S communities. I’ve participated in social justice and human rights causes since I was in grade school. First, as a farm worker with my family and picketing with the United Farm Workers movement and lastly as a newly elected board member for Openhouse. I can assure you that I hope to bring a fair and open-minded perspective to the board to help serve the membership collectively.

Earlier this year, I relocated and purchased my first home in Oakland CA and recently celebrated my 48th birthday, a huge milestone that many Trans women of color do not get to experience because of the hate and violence that perpetrates our Transgender communities. As a member of the board, I hope to continue to help shape and develop ideas and discussions that promote strong inclusive/diverse principles not only for the Transgender community but all communities that need a strong voice at the table.

Educating the world, honoring our heritage, celebrating our culture, and liberating our people is due in large part to the Board of Directors of SF Pride and I truly hope to continue with the legacy you all have created over the last 50 years.

I appreciate your consideration.

Hello! I am Aliza Paz and I have lived in San Francisco for 10 years now, working as a transportation/city planner, and have watched the City, along with Pride, change.

SF Pride should represent our community and diversity, and be action-oriented in fighting for equality and justice — not just be a sponsored party. Pride should take a strong position in standing up for the most vulnerable in our community and be held accountable for a lack of action and past historic wrongs.

It is the Board’s responsibility to create space for the underrepresented to be heard and take actions for a more diverse Pride that is focused on the people in our community.

I am a member of the Harvey Milk Democratic Club and, over the years, have volunteered with the SF AIDS Foundation, SF LGBT Center, and Parivar.

During these pandemic weekends, you can find me and my partner buying meals from family-owned businesses, and giving them out around town.

• Have lived in San Francisco and worked as a transportation/city planner here for 10 years and have watched the city, along with Pride, change
• SF Pride should represent our community and diversity and be action oriented in fighting for equality and justice in our city—not just be a sponsored party. Pride should take a strong position in standing up for the most vulnerable in our community and be held accountable for a lack of action and past historic wrongs.
• It is the board's responsibility to create space for the underrepresented to be heard and take actions for a more diverse Pride that is focused on the people in our community
• Member of the Harvey milks democratic club and over the years have volunteered with the aids foundation, LGBT center, and Parivar
• During these covid weekends, you can find me and my partner buying meals from family owned businesses and giving them out around town

As a native San Franciscan and former Pride Board Member, I have dedicated my life to public service. Most of my professional career has been with our beloved the City and County of San Francisco. Eight years of that time I was appointed by Mayor Willie Brown to lead as the Director of the Mayor’s Office on Homelessness, where I coordinated with all City Departments on policy, budgeting and contracts. I also collaborated with other city governments to obtain federal funding for housing and other vital services to assist at-risk San Franciscans to achieve self-sufficiently.

My other achievements include owning and operating an entertainment company called GS3Entertainment, providing social activities and parties for the Bay Area LGBTQ Communities, raising a beautiful son, and being in a committed (and now legal) marriage for over 30 years. I continued my tenure with our City working with another revenue generating City department (San Francisco Department of Child Support Services) where I worked throughout the country re-branding child-support system to include both parents with employment and training opportunities. This approach revolutionized and strengthened the entire family.

Currently, I work with the San Francisco Human Services Agency to continue my commitment to help at-risk residents. I hope to work with the Pride board to create new cost-saving partnerships with the City and establish new revenue-generating opportunities to sustain San Francisco Pride for years to come. Building strong partnerships and solid commitments to public service is my life. I believe my experience and knowledge will make me a great addition to your Board of Directors.

As an African American SF native with over a quarter century membership with SF Pride, I am well positioned to execute meaningful change, whether that be institutionalization of Black Lives Matter reforms, police reform, or corporate accountability.

During my tenure with SF Pride, I take great pride in partnering with fellow African American Board member and civil rights pioneer Bill Beasley in inviting Calvin Gipson to join SF Pride at the turn of the century. Calvin would become SF Pride’s second African American Board President. Under his leadership, I had the pleasure of playing a key role in executing a multi-year community wrap session exercise, designed to seek input from our marginalized communities, resulting in the establishment of new stages and venues that better reflected the diversity in our community.

If you were to elect me, I would work with the board to reactivate our wrap session model and get us back to framing our event around the needs of our community. In addition, I would work with our stages and venues, which already represent African American, Asian Pacific Islander, Latinx/Chicanx, and Women to ensure that SF Pride is meeting their needs.

My service to the community has not just been limited to SF Pride. Over the decades, I co-founded SF LovEvolution (Love Parade) which, at its peak was one of the nation’s largest outdoor celebrations of Electronic Dance Music (EDM). Speaking of EDM, 2020 marks my third decade of active involvement in San Francisco’s nightlife community.

Currently, I serve as a board member of Comfort & Joy, a SF-based queer not-for-profit arts organization rooted in Burning Man culture. I also serve as volunteer staff member at Burning Man.

When I am not serving my community, my professional life brings to the table over two decades of office/administrative leadership skills.

With your vote, I would put to work my three decades of event/projects management skills to execute change!