On Friday, August 8, Theresa Sparks was sworn in as executive director of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, and became the first transgender person in San Francisco to head a city department. By choosing Sparks to head the HRC, Mayor Gavin Newsom has not only made a historic appointment, but in our opinion, a wise and inspired one.
HRC's mandate is to ensure the fair and equal treatment of all people in San Francisco. Sparks, a former co-chair of the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club, is exceptionally qualified to lead HRC. Having previously served as an HRC commissioner, she is familiar with the commission's day-to-day needs, responsibilities, capabilities, and tasks. As a successful businessperson who has been a chief executive officer, chief financial officer, and president of various firms – including a women and worker-owned company – Sparks has an understanding of how to manage an organization and the vital role of diversity in leadership.
Previously, Sparks was appointed to the Police Commission by the Board of Supervisors and was later elected its president. As a member and leader of the Police Commission, Sparks demonstrated her intelligence, fortitude, and ability to build consensus in the notoriously fractious atmosphere that surrounds San Francisco politics. But above all else, rather than participating in political theater, she demonstrated her independence and willingness to do what is right for the city. She was not Mayor Newsom's choice to lead the Police Commission. Despite this fact, as president Sparks and the commission worked productively with former Police Chief Heather Fong and the mayor to make San Francisco a safer place to live and to work. Her final accomplishment as Police Commission president was the selection of George Gasc—n, who is respected by virtually all political factions in the city, as the new chief of police.
Sparks's experience working on and leading city commissions has given her an understanding of city government and prepared her to lead the HRC. Bizarrely, it is this very experience that has led some present and former members of the Board of Supervisors to question the legitimacy of her appointment. In response to the mayor's appointment of Sparks to succeed Christopher Iglesias as HRC director, legislation has been proposed to prevent the mayor and other elected officials from hiring former commissioners until one year after their commission service ended. Similar legislation was soundly defeated in 2008 by the voters. Actual and perceived conflicts of interest should be assiduously avoided and we wholeheartedly support elected officials in their efforts to do so. However, we simply fail to see how impeding city government's access to experienced people furthers this objective. We also fail to see how the appointment of an accomplished, experienced, independent transgender woman who has a demonstrated record of breaking through barriers and helping others to do the same perpetuates an "old boy's network" or is in some other respect bad for "minorities."
We applaud Sparks's appointment as executive director of the HRC. We are fully confident that she will be an exceptionally effective executive director who will further the city's human rights agenda and anti-discrimination efforts. And we are confident that while doing so Sparks will continue to serve as a role model for transgender persons, members of disfavored populations, and others who continue to face discrimination.
We also acknowledge Christopher Iglesias, whom Mayor Newsom appointed to the HRC post in 2007, and whom Sparks now succeeds. As HRC executive director, Iglesias made tremendous contributions to the advancement of civil rights in San Francisco, particularly in the area of ensuring that city contracts are available to minority and women-owned businesses. This important work has been, and will continue to be, vital to the growth of a viable economic base in San Francisco. We are grateful for Iglesias's accomplishments and deeply gratified to know that he will continue to work with Mayor Newsom to ensure the job development in San Francisco that is vital to the success of our communities.
Susan Belinda Christian and Charles Sheehan are co-chairs of the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club; Julius Turman is the immediate past co-chair of the club and a member of the HRC.