Their lives to antitrans violence this year. Most were black transgender women. Even in the face of tremendous inequities, discrimination, and violence, however, trans communities resilient. In San Francisco, numerous communities have won numerous awards and rights. In 2014, thanks to the leadership of the transcommunity, San Francisco became the first city to offer publicly funded transition related surgery access which continues today under the gender health sf program. In 2017, trans advocates successfully advocated for the office of transgender initiatives, the first transled local Government Office in the united states. And this year, they led the way on housing justice, launching our trans homesf and securing 2 million in housing equities for san franciscans. This work and the work ahead is only possible because of the amazing trans leaders that we are fortunate to have here in San Francisco, many of whom are here today. I look forward to hearing from each of our honorees and recognizing them for their contributions to the city and county San Francisco. But first, i want to thank the office of transgender initiativ initiatives as well as honey mahogany in supervisor haneys office for fighting for transgender residents. Before we begin, id like to invite Claire Farley from o. T. I. To say a few words. Thank you, supervisor mandelman and supervisor yee. Supervisor mandelman has led the charge for this important day, and i want to appreciate all the supervisors for your ongoing support for the trans and lgbt community. The budget investments of last year include over 3 million of city commitment to this important community, and im really excited about the housing commitment that youve all continued to support. Thisll be the first trans Housing Program in San Francisco to really support making sure that our Community Gets off the streets and access to stable housing. As we look back at the history of our communities, we recognize that often times we only celebrate folks after their death, and so today, we are honoring the living. Tomorrow, we will remember those that weve lost too soon. This year alone, weve lost 26 transgender women. Majority of those are transgender women of color, black and brown trans women whove been killed due to gun violence and murder. So today as we recognize these important leaders, its important to remember not only what theyve done but what they will continue to do. Thank you so much. Supervisor mandelman thank you, claire. So to start us off today, we have a legend in the queer community. Activist, singer, entrepreneur, and author, lynn breedlove. Come on up. [applause] supervisor mandelman share some of your words right there. Right here . Awesome. This is awesome. This place is awesome is. I remember coming here when i was a bike messenger, but i didnt get to come in here, and most definitely didnt get to come up there. Good afternoon. Im going to read from a book of poems. This is called apocalypse and intimacy. You will make unpopular choices. Your family will abandon you. You will desperate stab in the dark, miss your mark. Youll be tempted to give them what you want and see you have no choice. You will be accused of fucking over. You will be accused of selling out. What matters is not to drift apart or hide under beds where monsters lurk. Standup in unicorn slippers and swinging trans flags. Stick with who loves you, who inspires you in spite of what you choose. Document things in chalk on broken benches before the rain washes them way. Kung fu, wang chung, boxing gloves. Not like when discounters sell ivankas hit. Offer your bed, your quiet place as recuperation for a trans friend who says i dont need this part anymore, but i need understanding. Actually make swimming possible again because i havent been able to swim since 1992, when i suddenly saw my body but hadnt changed it yet. Reclaim gospel, lakota prayer songs if they ever were yours. Defy who locked you out. Say so, i never wanted that any way. Then come back and say, i changed my mind. Hold up, i do want it, and you cant stop me. One day, youll be asked to do something harder than youve ever done, and you can fall into the bottom of a glass, smoke yourself into oblivion, or you can stand for, in your last moment, what you will not regret. [applause] supervisor mandelman thank you, lynn. Now we have some honorees to honor. As president yee said, im going to stand, then were going to have supervisor haney, and then were going to go in reverse alphabetical honor. So district eight honoree andrea forn, are you here . [applause] hello. Thank you. Supervisor mandelman im going to say some nice things about you. Andrea is a dancer, writer, jazz singer and long time glen park resident. Originally from los angeles, andrea grew up in a well educated family who had always expected her to attend college. At age 15, andrea transitioned. For many, including andrea, transitioning in the 1960s to cost you everything and everyone you loved. After transitioning, andrea came to San Francisco in 1967. In the years that followed, she worked as an actress, model, and singer, touring with the jasp jazz band pleasure. Exhausted by years of topping while on tour, andrea was lured back to San Francisco in 1979 by her friend, beloved and famed disco star, sylvester. Since then, andrea has dedicated her life to lifting up trans people. Andrea has left an indelible mark on all whose lives she has touched. Andrea, thank you for all you have done to ensure that trans people are seen, heard, and valued, and im proud to call you my constituent. Thank you. Supervisor mandelman would you like to say a few words . [applause] well, i didnt think id be so emotional, but i am. Its such a kind gesture to notice me. Im nobody, and its such a lovely award coming from my peers, and i so appreciate it. Im not standing i am standing here alone, but all the nameless and faceless trans women of color that didnt make it need to be remembered because none of us would be here without them. We, they fought the police and trained the police. We taught the doctors how to take care of us, and now finally were getting a little recognition. Everybodys not a celebrity, and this is very this is lovely, and i thank you i thank you, raphael, all of the supervisors. This is lovely. Its a bigger deal than i thought it was going to be, but im so happy to be here, and im so happy to accept this honor. Thank you. [applause] [applause] president yee okay. Supervisor haney . Supervisor haney thank you, president yee. First of all, thank you, supervisor mandelman and aaron mundey from your office. This is an extraordinary event that were having here today. I know this is the first time that were doing this, but im sure that because of today and how powerful this is, im sure this is something were going to be doing every year, so thank you for taking that step, and its long overdue. And i want to congratulate all of the honorees that are here for your individualness, for your brilliantness and all that you contribute to our community. Im so proud to have the first ever trans cultural district in district 6, its a huge deal. [applause] supervisor haney its only the beginning, and thank you, claire for all of the resource and commitments that were putting in to help trans members of the community. So thats what we commit to today. I also want to acknowledge honey mahogany in my office who was a large part of partnering with supervisor mandelman. Shes probably been honored before a number of times and is also one of the only i believe the only trans member of an elected body here in San Francisco, so we need to make sure that there are more folks who are getting elected, as well, and i want to acknowledge her and her work. [applause] supervisor haney i get to honor somebody who im sure youre going to be excited to hear from again, and that is lynn breedlove. Lynn is somebody who has brokendown so many doors in so many arenas, that im not going to get through all that he has done. Lynn was able to find his way into the thriving punk life and night scene, developing a connection with San Franciscos underground queer scene, he became a member of one of the first queer bands in the community. Their music discussed everything from queer love to sexual expression and gender identity. Tribe 8 was revolutionary in many ways and became known across the globe for its brazen and unapologetic music. The band has played at the michigan womens music festival, the San Francisco trans march, and multiple lady fests and lgbtq pride festivals. Lynn breedlove is the author of a novel, godspeed, and he also cowrote, directed, and produced in a short film that premiered at a film festival. His memoir was published in 2019. In 2015, breedlove returned to playing music with the emergence of his new band, the queer mobiles. The band works in collaboration with queer and trans artists across the country, performing shows and concerts across the country. Lynn is also the founder of homobiles founded back in 2010 years before Ride Share Companies like uber and lyft came along, seeing the need for creating safe, harassmentfree rides for queers, trans women of color, and drag queens across San Francisco. Im confident that i didnt touch on everything that this incredible person has done in his varied and prolific career, but lynn has contributed greatly to the wellbeing and culture of San Francisco and the world. He has kept our communities safe and continues to inspire people wherever he goes. It is my honor to present him with this certificate of honor. [applause] thanks, supervisor haney, and all supervisors, thank you so much. Im deeply humbled. So crazy. I was thinking about, in the 70s, in 75, i went to drive my friends from san leandro over to the bars we were a bunch of rule breakers. And we didnt know that trans was even a concept. We didnt know that the leather scene was south of market, and the trans ladies were north of market, and the tenderloin, and we didnt know about comptons and any of that. And i dont know. Ive always felt San Francisco was my home, not san leandro. Im living there again, unfortunately, even though this is my favorite place, its not that affordable. But i do want to thank all the Trans Community for believe in homobiles, primary, for the stories you tell, like donna persona was reminding me, when she got into the car, and other people were telling me the terrible things that would happen to them at the hands of other public forms of transportation drivers, and i did not realize at that time was homobiles was a necessary serve and continues to be necessary, sadly. And i hope that we as a community can continue to inspire all forms of transportation around the world to step up and, like, raise standards and not allow any kind of violence against our communities. So thank you very much. I appreciate it. [applause] president yee okay, colleagues, its my turn. First of all, before i even get started, i want to thank supervisor mandelman once again for really making this happen sometime today. Certainly, things fall apart, but it did not fall apart today, but i really appreciate your effort on this, and we will depend on you to continue this in the future years. But today, i am proud to recognize jessie calvert. As a queer and trans professor of sociology at city college of San Francisco, jessies leadership has been instrumental in development and implementing trans inclusion efforts in ccsf. Since joining the faculty at ccsf in 2015, jessie has worked tirelessly to address the many barriers trans students face on the campus. Jessies work has led to many important changes including the campus wide chosen name systems, and all gender rest rooms on the campus. As a professor of sociology, jessie has always made contributions to research on gender and race that extend beyond ccsf. Jessies ph. D. Research focuses on understanding the social mechanisms that underlie transphobia, racism, and homophobia. We all learn about leadership by watching the people around us, and we are so grateful to know that the students of city college are learning from watching you, jessie, and the leadership you have shown over the past several years at ccsf. Jessie, we are grateful for your commitment to trans inclusion efforts at city college and beyond. The campus, your students, and the city of San Francisco are all made better by your advocacy and leadership. Thank you very much, jessie. [applause] thank you. Thank you, president yee and supervisors. Its such a great honor to seech this acknowledgement of my work and commitment to social just to receive this acknowledgement of my work and commitment to social justice issues. As we know, changing institutions takes considerable effort and team work, and so i also want to acknowledge the many others, colleagues, students, and staff who also work towards trans inclusion and respect at ccsf. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. [applause] [applause] president yee okay. Thank you, jessie, once again. Now id like to ask supervisor district 10 supervisor, Shamann Walton to introduce his commendation. Supervisor walton thank you, president yee, colleagues, and the public that is present. I have the privilege and honor of honoring samantha jo dato. And unfortunately, she couldnt be here today well, not unfortunately, but she couldnt be here because shes attending her sisters wedding. So her good friends, janelle and lisa, are here to accept the award on her behalf. In californi she is a board member with childrens Councils Association board and the Northern California transgender advisory council. I am continually inspired by the work shes done. Shes fought for marginalized communities her entire life. From the local level here in San Francisco to the international stage, shes worked with the United Nations human rights council, the white house antiviolence task force, the Los Angeles County division of h. I. V. And s. T. D. Programs, biomedical summit and the trans women elective and is a twotime best selling author just to give you a sample. Not only is samanthas resume unbelievably impressive but so is her steadfast commitment to fighting for all oppressed people here in San Francisco. She has been a member in legislative campaigns and Community Projects for so many years that she has been given the nickname the fixer in projects that shes been involved in before. She is envied for her project solving, relationship building, and swift Decision Making skills. I could go on, but i do want to close with samanthas selfprofessed model which sums up how hard and well she works for our entire community. If i can just get in the room, i make the connection. Shes made that connection for so many people in our community, and for that, we are forever in her debt. And joanna and eva, i believe, are here to accept on her behalf. [applause] [please stand by] [ applause ] [ applause ] next up is our supervisor from district 2, katherine stephanie. Thank you, president yi. I want to start by being thankful for creating this amazing event so long overdue. Thank you to honey mahogany as well. I was so happy when we started thinking about who we would honor, i didnt know we would end up with an italian. I was very excited that we have leo patroni. Are you here today . Leo is a native san franciscan, born at Saint Marys Hospital and lives in pacific heights. Hes the child of an immigrant father. He spent former years working in his fathers restaurant, north beach restaurant. One of my favorites. Hes had a thriving career in real estate. Hes been making waves in the San Francisco real estate market. He started his career at a brokerage firm. In a Business Times article about leo entitled pioneers on the frontier of gender identity in the workplace, leo called his move to the climb part of the puzzle that was missing. Hes a trailblazer as historically conservative industry has learned to respect worker who have transitioned or do not conform to male or female identity. Leo spoke at the National Associati association. He admits to knowing every corner of the city and knows the markets better than anyone. Cultivating his relationship with his clients is a credit to his success and satisfying. He never loses contact and assures the best possible outcome. Hes inspired by successful people who have stayed true to their individuality. I want to thank you so much leo for sharing your story with us and having the courage to be your authentic self in the workplace and inspiring others. Thank you, leo. Would you like to say a few words . [ applause ] thank you, supervisor stephanie, and all the other supervisors. I want to take my two minutes, actually, to bring awareness to my transgender sisters who every day you look and theyre being killed, murdered all over. I have it easy. I mean, my biggest concern is losing a couple of pounds to get in my suit. Their biggest concern is leaving their front door and being assaulted or murdered, killed. I cant even put my head around that. I cant even fathom that. We need to protect those people. Those are the people we need to bring awareness to. Thank you, everybody. Thats all i have to say. [ applause ] next up is supervisor from district 11. Thank you, mr. President. Sorry. I have a lot of paperwork here. Im very honored today to honor a leader in the Trans Community, cecilia chung. Its our great pleasure to have her as a longtime resident of district 11 and the excelsior. She moved in 94, and has been calling the city by the bay home ever since. She changes the lives of San Francisco residents who have multiple diagnoses and has become the first transgender woman elected of the lgbt pride. After working for housing for homeless and public health, she began to lend other leadership to Capacity Bu