It was a busy start to 2008 in the Bay Area Reporter's January 31 issue, as the front page showed. Lesbian state Senator Carole Migden (D-San Francisco) secured a $300,000 grant from the state's Employment Development Department to assist transgender people in finding work. But some things are slow to change — as was the case 13 years ago, unemployment rates for trans people continue to remain high, despite a bevy of programs in San Francisco over the years to help them secure jobs and housing. We also saw the beginnings of what would become Proposition 8 when a proposed anti-gay marriage measure began gathering signatures for the November ballot. Gay state Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) began his push for a holiday honoring the late gay San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk. The bill did become law, and now Harvey Milk Day, a day of special significance, is celebrated in California each May 22, Milk's birthday. Finally, Castro merchants were hopeful that filming in the neighborhood for the "Milk" biopic would translate to a great opportunity for the neighborhood. The film, starring Sean Penn as the late San Francisco supervisor, would premiere at the Castro Theatre and go on to receive numerous awards, including Oscars for Penn and gay screenwriter Dustin Lance Black. Just last week, the Castro was again blanketed in star power with the U.S. premiere of "The Matrix Resurrections" at the Castro, including stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss.
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