 |
| Theresa Sparks was one of the honorees at the dinner. Photo by Rink. |
Equality California (EQCA) celebrated their 10th anniversary on Feb. 9 at SF City Hall, where they held the San Francisco Equality Awards black tie dinner honoring Evan Wolfson and Theresa Sparks. Wolfson is the founder and executive director of Freedom to Marry and one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. Sparks is the president of the San Francisco Police Commission, making her the highest elected transgender person in the United States.
“Tonight is all about equality,†said Event Co-chair Laura Spanjian during the dinner. “Equality California is working every single day to accomplish true equality.†She said in its short ten years of existence, EQCA has transformed the landscape for LGBT life in California. As a result of EQCA’s work, domestic partners now have many of the rights that married couples have. Queers are protected from discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations based on sexual orientation and gender identity. LGBT people have equal access to healthcare, safe schools, and hate crimes laws.
Event Co-chair James Williamson, brought Sparks to the stage, calling her “an inspired leader†excelling in business, government, and the non-profit/civic arena. “As CEO and president of Good Vibrations, she has brought joy to many people,†said Williamson. He noted that Sparks made history last year when she was elected president of the SF Police Commission, which he said was “such a high profile position.†She also worked to get full healthcare benefits – including transition services – to trans people working for the City, which is a program that is now being copied throughout the nation. She received the 2008 Equality Leadership Award, commenting, “Equality California has saved the lives of many transgendered individuals in this state. Many of my brothers and sisters now have jobs, apartments, healthcare, and finally have the rights of many others not so fortunate to be transgendered.†She said because of EQCA, trans people have hope of being able to live lives free of institutional discrimination, ridicule, and fear.
Event Co-chair Thom Lynch reminded everyone that the fourth anniversary of the Winter of Love was approaching, when Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon became the first of more than 4,000 couples to be married in SF City Hall. He said he had the pleasure of being deputized to marry more than 50 couples. He jested, “I didn’t have a date for six months, but I married a bunch of people that day.†He presented the 6th Annual Del Martin & Phyllis Lyon Marriage Equality Award to Wolfson, who has been executive director of Freedom to Marry and a leading voice for marriage equality for over a decade. Lynch called Wolfson “a gifted advocate†who has argued for the queer community before the US Supreme Court in 2004. “Evan has blazed a trail towards equality that many doubted was achievable,†said Lynch. “His steadfast advocacy and unrelenting determination to win has brought us to this historic place where we stand today.†Wolfson said he came from outside California to say thank you to EQCA and all the activists working toward equality, across the nation and around the world. “Everything we have done ‘till now, we need to do harder, faster, deeper, more, and now,†he said, and joked, “And that can be just as much fun as it sounds!†He quoted Martin and Lyon, after which his award was named, “At our age, we do not have the luxury of time.†Wolfson added, “And neither do we.†He said, “Everything you have done and all the progress you have made has come to a defining moment that can be measured in days.†He spoke of how about 20 days from then, the state Supreme Court will hear the marriage case, and “We have just 70 days to find out whether the rightwing opponents of equality will succeed in their effort - that is underway right now - to put on the California ballot a measure that would amend your dstate Constitution to block our freedom to marry for all time.†He said activists must persuade people not to sign on to discrimination, but instead speak out for inclusion. “In just one hundred some days, the California Court will rule on this question,†he said. He reminded the audience that from 1776 until 1948, not a single court in the country had the courage to strike down race restrictions on who could marry whom.
“Finally in 1948, one court – the California Supreme Court - by a vote of 4-3 went first, striking down restrictions on marriage, boldly declaring that the essence of the right to marry is the freedom to marry the person you choose.†He said the rest of the nation is anxiously looking at what California does in the next weeks.
The evening was completed with songs by Broadway star and TV actress Rachel York singing a love medley. And maybe this time, marriage equality will win. It won’t be for lack of trying.
