Petrelis Files

SF Pride Chat Over Pelosi Tape at Rally;
Monday, Noon at Gay Center

Amy Andre is in her sophomore year at the helm of San Francisco's gay pride parade and rally, and I've become friendly with her, from seeing her at the DeLessio's Cafe, and I'm quite appreciative that she has quickly agreed to chat about grassroots anger because Nancy Pelosi has not delivered a promised vote on ENDA.

There will be an open chat on Monday, June 21, starting at noon, for 30-40 minutes, at the gay community center on Market Street. We'll be in what was the cafe area on the first floor.

From the Pride committee will be Amy, Mikayla Connell, the chair of the board, Stephen Zollman, a gay attorney who at the town hall meeting on Thursday night, and myself. To enhance what little transparency we have in movement business in San Francisco, other folks are welcomed to join us. Just give me a heads up, please, if you plan to attend.

The issue is Pelosi's failure to bring House vote this year on ENDA, and her taped remarks on June 27 at the Pride rally in Civic Center. I am quite pissed that Pelosi is about to get a feel-good vibe from the crowd, via broadcasting on the JumbroTron, and she and the Democratic Party have broken one more promise to our community, and have yet to feel any blowback.

Here are few ideas I have shared with Amy and Mikayla, for ways to bring some criticism over the lack of ENDA movement by the Dems and Pelosi, and to reclaim some self-respect for our community:

1. Cancel the broadcast of Pelosi's remarks. If she has no vote in hand on ENDA, then no speeches at Pride.

2. Give equal time to a local grassroots community organizer to denounce the betrayal again of us by Pelosi and Congressional Democrats.

3. Schedule a minute of silence after her b.s., to mark the shame of Pelosi's ENDA failures.

4. After that silent minute, have the crowd chant: "Pass ENDA Now!"

5. SF Pride endorses town hall meetings that require the participation of Pelosi's gay aide and district manager, Dan Bernal, and Gay Inc leaders currently hiding in ivory towers built on a rainbow foundation.

There are other issues to discuss at the chat and that list is just to get the SF Pride folks to think of how to inject some much-needed anger directed at Pelosi into our rally event next weekend.

One thing I expect to learn is how this free ride for Pelosi came about. Until we have a House vote and passage of ENDA, I don't want to hear a thing from the Speaker, unless she wants to say, on the floor of the House, "My colleagues, I now proudly call for a roll call vote on ENDA."

Let's reclaim Pride for queers, and not corrupt Democratic Party leaders who keep selling us down the river. No ENDA House vote; no Pelosi speech.