It was one of the hottest days of the year but guests mingling in the backyard of the British Residence in the city's Presidio Terrace didn't seem to mind. They were there to celebrate the start of LGBTQ History Month along with San Francisco Pride officials and political leaders.
It was also the last official event for Nguyen Pham, a gay man who has finished his stint as board president of SF Pride. Suzanne Ford, a trans woman who is executive director of the organization, said the two have worked together at the Pride organization for seven years.
"Tonight marks our last public event together," she said, before adding, "he's terming out; we didn't throw him out."
Pham, the first gay Vietnamese president of the SF Pride organization, took the helm as president in 2022.
Tammy Sandhu, the British consul general in San Francisco, held the reception October 1 to usher in LGBTQ History Month and promote the consulate's role in supporting the LGBTQ community. Sandhu leads U.K.-U.S. relations across the Pacific Northwest, including Northern California, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, and Alaska.
During her remarks, Sandhu, an ally, mentioned the close relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom. For a long time, she noted, LGBTQ people could not serve as British diplomats; that changed with the lifting of the ban in 1991. She also said that harassment of trans people — which is ongoing in both countries — "has to stop."
"But tonight is a celebration of hard-won LGBTQ+ rights," she said, adding that the British government was the first foreign government to march in a San Francisco Pride parade. It took part again in this year's parade, where officials carried a rainbow Union Jack flag, the consulate's LinkedIn page noted, similar to one that was flown outside the residence at the reception.
"I arrived in 2021," she said, adding that the rainbow Union Jack was flown at the residence then. It will remain up for LGBTQ History Month, she added.
During his comments, Pham said SF Pride is no stranger to history. "We're making history tonight — SF Pride and the consulate," he said.
Ford talked about her childhood in Kentucky and how far she has come. "We would not be here if we didn't have shared values of the British government, especially the current government," she said.
Ford also noted that trans women are being targeted in the U.K. and the U.S. In the U.K. women such as JK Rowling post anti-trans comments on social media, while in the U.S. many states have banned gender-affirming care for trans youth and prohibit trans women from participating in women's sports. Recently, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that three colleges have forfeited games against San Jose State University's women's volleyball team. One of the team's players has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA. In the lawsuit, co-captain Brooke Slusser, a junior at SJSU, claims she overheard a teammate saying she was transgender after a rumor, ABC-7 TV reported.
"Please don't forget that," Ford said of the ongoing harassment largely directed at trans women.
Pham presented Sandhu with one of the rainbow flags that had flown along Market Street.
Gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) expressed his gratitude to SF Pride and the consulate. "This is a pivotal time that becomes all the more important for these partnerships," he said. "I'm grateful for the consulate. We do face a lot of danger right now."
Wiener also welcomed gay Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego), who attended the event. In July, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Ward's Assembly Bill 1955 that prohibits public school districts from outing students without their permission. Ward's bill, titled the SAFETY Act for Support Academic Futures & Educators for Today's Youth Act, sailed through the Legislature. It was presented to Newsom in early July and the governor signed it July 15. ()
Ward is the incoming chair of the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus.
Ward said that after Newsom signed AB 1955, he received calls from states like New York and Vermont inquiring about the legislation
He said he was "grateful" for the British consulate.
Patrick Carney, a gay man who is co-founder of the pink triangle installation atop Twin Peaks each June, attended the event with his husband, Hossein Carney, doctor of business administration.
"Since this event is a kickoff to LGBTQ+ History Month, I am wearing this pink triangle T-shirt for a reason and also gave Consul General Sandhu one too, because the symbol is an extremely important part of our history which we must never forget," said Carney, who is also on the city's arts commission. "In fact, the pink triangle sums up a continuing theme throughout much of our history. We need more LGBTQ+ History Month events; this is one of the few I have been to and it is wonderful it is happening soon after the announcement that they have finally found a permanent home for our own GLBT History Museum and archives in the Castro."
Carney was referring to the September 26 announcement by Mayor London Breed and exclusive coverage in the B.A.R. that day about the city being in talks to purchase the building at 2280 Market Street as the home for a permanent freestanding LGBTQ history museum.
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