Marginalizing Theresa SparksBy Tim Redmond
The Chronicle was a day late with the news of what went on at the Police Commission Wednesday night, and its story today was stunning in how it missed the point. Is it not at all worthy of mention that, for the first time in the history of the United States, a transgender person became president of a big-city police commission?
No, apparently not for the Chron, which instead refered to new president Theresa Sparks as "chief executive officer of sex-toy retailer Good Vibrations." The person who she defeated for the top job, Joe Marshall, was referred to as "a nationwide expert on juvenile justice."
No mention in this story of Sparks rather remarkable life and her qualifications for the job. (That info couldn't have been too hard to find; it was right in the Chron's own archives.)
My opinion? Outgoing president Louise Renne has been trying to marginalize Sparks and undermine her authority before she can even get started. Robert Haaland has a nice analysis in Leftinsf.
Full disclosure: My domestic partner is acting director of the Office of Citizen Complaints, which means she works for the Police Commission.
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Comments (2)
I am pretty sure I have to disagree with this. I have looked at the coverage linked above from sfgate and leftinsf and a number of other links that came up by googling "Theresa Sparks" "San Francisco." Is she a fantastic advocate for transgender rights? Sounds like it. Could I really care less if she is transgender? No. Do i give a shit that she is the CEO of Good Vibrations? Nope. I sort of cringed when she mentioned that 2 transgenders die a month in the U.S (presumably she meant from hate crimes. That actually sounds low). How many people die in HP or Bayview? More than that. It sounds like Joe Marshall would have been a great choice but was passed up because of politics. Although I hate to put an order on such things, I would probably say that gang violence is a bigger problem in SF than transgender violence. If you'd like to convince me otherwise, I'd love to hear a clear rebuttal.
Posted by morrowp![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.sfbg.com/blogs/politics/nav-commenters.gif)
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May 13, 2007 03:25 PM
3000 miles away, the media talking heads could not wait to rant about "San Franpaycho" appointing a TS who was a sex toy seller. Apparently "They" in the media think this is salacious, however, as is typically the case, "They" are behind the times. Americans are no longer shocked by TS people and if sex toy sales are any indication, Americans are more than a little familiar with sex toys too.
What is most important to me, is if Theresa can fill that leadership position without imposing her gender issue on the decisions that are made.
I don't want to elect someone, or have anyone appointed who will color every decision with a particular slant based on their prior experience, for example, as a negro, a lesbian, or latino. I just want people in leadership who will strive to have the wisdom of King Solomon and the compassion of Jesus Christ.
No citizen should ever have to doubt the fairness of a decision because of the race, color or creed of their fellow citizens who fill leadership positions in our government. This Nation must provide Liberty and Justice for all, regardless of who serves on these various commissions.
I believe that she was not appointed because of her transgendered status, but because of the character she has shown in overcoming the multitude of obstacles that such a journey entails.
Based on Theresa Sparks' previous service and broad experience at many levels of society, I think it is only fair that San Francisco and the rest of the country, give her a fair chance to show just how fair and decisive that she can be.
Posted by Clairese Lippincott | July 28, 2007 06:52 AM