Once again, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger 's letter to the state's Pride committees is eliciting protest responses from producers of the annual LGBT events.
As they did last year, officials with San Francisco's and San Diego's Pride events are drafting responses chastising the Republican governor for reaffirming his "commitment to join you in building a California where everybody matters and every family counts" while at the same time threatening to veto for a second time a gay marriage bill expected to land on his desk this fall.
"It's comedy," said Lindsey Jones , SF Pride's executive director, of the letter.
One sentence does bring to mind Schwarzenegger's turn as Mr. Freeze in the widely panned 1997 movie Batman & Robin .
"Icy intolerance is slowly melting away to reveal neighborhoods, organizations, and individuals united by similar goals instead of divided by misunderstanding. Although much remains to be done to stop discrimination and bigotry, the progress that has been made is certainly a cause for celebration," states the letter.
Rather than not print it, like Los Angeles Pride opted to do last year, Jones said a response from her board's president will be printed alongside the governor's letter in the Pride guide.
"It is more constructive to put in a response rather than not have it at all," said Jones.
Ron deHarte, executive director of San Diego's Pride, agreed. In addition to the governor's letter, deHarte plans to print a response along with Schwarzenegger's contact information to encourage Pride attendees to urge him to sign the marriage bill.
"We will encourage people to be part of the process and not just bitch. Too many people just sit on their couch and don't act," he said.
The coordinators for both Fresno and Sacramento Pride said they would print the letter without comment. Sacramento left out the letter in last year's guide, but solely because a volunteer pulled it in order to include a paid ad. To make up for the mistake, organizers blew up the letter and had it posted at the entrance gates.
"We said we were going to leave politics out of Pride," said Dan Roth, president of the Lambda Center, Sacramento's LGBT Community Center, which produces the capital's Pride.
Jeffery Robinson, who oversees Fresno's Pride, said at least the governor sends a letter, the first Republican governor in the state to do so. His city's mayor, Alan Autry, who played Bubba Skinner in the TV show In the Heat of the Night and is a vocal critic against gay marriage, has refused to issue a Pride proclamation since being elected in 2000.
"At least he is acknowledging us. From Fresno city officials we barely get any acknowledgement," said Robinson. "The county board of supes don't give us nothing. They never have."
He said he expects to receive a proclamation from City Council member Cynthia Sterling, whose district plays host to the Pride festival and was a grand marshal last year, but has yet to hear if the other councilman whose district includes downtown will sign on.
Blong Xiong, the first person of Southeast Asian descent to be elected in Fresno, has not yet said if he will follow in his predecessor's footsteps and issue the proclamation jointly with Sterling.
"We are hoping Blong will join with us," said Robinson. "I think it is just a matter of it all being new to him."
In Santa Cruz, the governor's letter is likely to return to the Pride guide after being dropped last year. But only if there is space, said Merrie Schaller, who will step down this year as that city's Pride coordinator after 17 years at the helm.
"It is a very nice letter. He is not Pete Wilson is kind of where I am at this point," said Schaller, referring to the former Republican governor. "For a Republican, he is not bad."
Schaller said she has had a change of heart since last year, especially since the governor has signed into law every piece of LGBT legislation put forward by openly gay Santa Cruz Assemblyman John Laird (D). If the letter does run, she expects there will be some backlash.
"Nobody noticed last year, but we live in Santa Cruz," she joked. "I am liable to get complaints if I do run it but that is perfectly fine."
No one from L.A. or San Jose Prides responded to requests for comment by press time.
[After the B.A.R. went to press Wednesday, a co-chair of Long Beach Pride called and said they did run the letter last year, but only because their guidebook was printed prior to a discussion of withholding or responding to the governor's letter. The print version of the B.A.R. said Long Beach Pride had not printed the letter last year. This year, the guidebook includes a washed out copy of the letter, with a message superimposed on top saying the Pride committee felt it was inappropriate to print a legible version of the letter due to the governor's veto threat.]
James Vaughn, Log Cabin Republicans' California director who worked on the language of the letter, said he has yet to hear of any Pride opting not to publish the letter this year.
As for any negative responses to the governor's letter, Vaughn called them "pretty petty" considering Schwarzenegger has signed into law more gay bills than any other governor.
"Sending back the Pride letter or saying nasty things doesn't advance our cause," said Vaughn. "When someone is working with you on so many issues, you really shouldn't poke him in the eye with a stick, even on something as important as gay marriage. It is hardly going to make him want to work with our community by being petty."
Political messaging, Castro style
Two bumper stickers with decidedly gay political messages have been spotted in recent weeks in the city. In the Castro are reports of cars with "Exfoliate Lynne Cheney" bumper stickers.
And the National Center for Lesbian Rights' Kate Kendell said she saw a vehicle with the message: "Will someone please give this guy a blowjob so we can get rid of him." The car was in front of her daughter's preschool.
SF bash for Vallejo candidate
Tonight (Thursday, May 10) from 6 to 8 p.m. the Evolving Art Gallery at 215 15th Street is hosting a fundraiser for Vallejo City Council member Gary Cloutier, who is running to become Vallejo's first openly gay mayor.
Sandra Lee, the gallery's owner and a Vallejo resident, said she hopes San Francisco's LGBT community will show its support by lending Cloutier a financial hand in his campaign.
"I love living in Vallejo and I sincerely hope we will elect the right person as the new mayor of our city."