As Black History Month comes to a close, we’d like to highlight someone with profound significance to PRC. Sylvester, “Queen of Disco”, was known for his gender-bending persona and performances, flamboyant and androgynous appearance, falsetto singing voice, and hit disco singles in the late 1970s and 1980s. An inspiration to countless LGBTQ+ people, Sylvester was a trailblazer within the drag community and always unequivocally himself. You can learn more about Sylvester in this 8-part podcast about Sylvester’s life.
As one of the first public figures to be open that he was dying of AIDS, Sylvester was instrumental in raising awareness of the disease and fundraised to support the cause until his death in 1988. Prior to his passing, Sylvester selected two organizations he received support from during his lifetime — AIDS Emergency Fund (read the history of how this became PRC’s Emergency Financial Assistance program) and Project Open Hand — as the beneficiaries of his estate and future music royalties.
Sylvester attending the Castro’s 1988 Gay Freedom Parade in a wheelchair
We continue to receive financial support thanks to Sylvester’s foresight and are proud to be connected in this meaningful way with such an inspirational figure.
To honor Sylvester’s legacy, PRC named its signature fundraising event after his biggest hit, You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real), and each year we give the Sylvester Community Pillar Award to an individual who embodies the love, joy, individualism, and sheer fabulousness of Sylvester. Past recipients include drag personality and LGBTQ+ advocate Donna Sachet, Former SF Pride President and LGBTQ+ advocate Gary Virginia, singer and actress Dionne Warwick, and singer-songwriter Patti LaBelle.
Ideas on who we should honor in 2023? Send us your nomination with why you think they should be honored to [email protected]!
We’re hard at work planning the 2023 Mighty Real Gala and look forward to announcing the date soon. In the meantime, save the date for Gary Virginia & Donna Sachet’s Pride Brunch, benefitting PRC, on Saturday, June 24, and enjoy getting Mighty Real!
With new leadership and a new year, we wanted to rethink our communications to you, so we’re launching PRC Brief — shorter, more frequent, and more engaging bites of content to keep you informed.
We also recently surveyed you, our dedicated supporters, and we heard you.
You want to know what’s going on with PRC
You want us to be transparent
You want to know how we are strengthening the organization
We heard you, and what you had to say aligns perfectly with our organizational
values of:
We commit to you, our clients, and our community to embody these values in everything we do.
Starting with accountability. We are taking significant steps to become more financially sustainable over the long-term. We are making great progress in implementing a plan that maps out several key strategies.
Re-negotiating our contracts to make them more fully funded
Reducing expenses wherever possible to create a more efficient organization
Establishing a federally negotiated indirect rate for our federally funded contracts
Restructuring programs to focus on those most central to our core mission and be financially sustainable
As part of the last strategy, we successfully transferred two of our programs — Joe Healy Detox Program and Acceptance Place — to another service provider with as little disruption to clients and staff as possible. Both are up and running and accepting clients.
There is still much more work to do, and we look forward to keeping you informed throughout.
Thank you for taking the time to voice your concerns and share why PRC is so meaningful to you and worth saving. On behalf of the more than 5,000 clients we serve each year, we wholeheartedly agree.
We invite your continued dialogue.
Look out for:
2021/22 Impact Report
Save the date for our 2023 events
Upcoming campaign for supporters to share PRC’s impact on your life
As a valued supporter, we wanted you to be among the first to know: we are elated to formally announce that PRC’s Board of Directors has appointed Chuan Teng as the permanent Chief Executive Officer of PRC!
Since September, Chuan has served in this role on an interim basis and chartered a path to organizational sustainability by strengthening the agency’s health through creative problem-solving, keeping our mission and values at the core of all decision-making, and leveraging our partnerships in meaningful ways.
With this in mind, we are optimistic about what 2023 and the future will bring. Stay tuned for more frequent and informative updates on our progress. We also want to hear from you! Watch for an upcoming survey requesting your input on our communications and the PRC donor experience.
Thank you for your commitment to PRC and for being an integral part of our successes. We look forward to engaging with each and every one of you.
New social security policy allows for self-selection of gender.
As part of the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Equity Action Plan, on October 20, 2022, the Acting Commissioner of Social Security, Kilolo Kijakazi, announced that SSA will offer individuals the option to self-select their gender on their Social Security Number (SSN) applications and records. SSA is committed to decreasing the burden on those who identify differently from their assigned gender at birth. Acting Commissioner Kijakazi stated, “This new policy allows people to self-select their sex in our records without needing to provide documentation of their sex designation.”
Those who want to update their SSN records will need to apply for a replacement card. (https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ss-5.pdf) They will still need to prove their identity with current documentation, such as a passport or state-issued driver’s license or identity card. Although the gender field is not used in determining benefit eligibility, SSA is working with other agencies to allow millions of transgender people in the United States to update their most commonly used identification documents.
Unfortunately, the current SSA record system cannot include nonbinary or unspecified gender designation at this time. SSA is exploring options to support an “X” designation in the future.
Social Security Implements Self-Attestation of Sex Marker in Social Security Number Records (Abigail Zapote, Senior Advisor to the Commissioner, dated October 20, 2022)
Donna Sachet; the Queen of the Castro, fundraising powerhouse, fierce LGBTQ+ advocate, and longtime friend of PRC – recently interviewed PRC’s Brett Andrews to give readers of her SF Bay Times column a chance to learn more about how Brett views his twenty years of leadership at PRC.
Give it a read and you’re sure to feel inspired. We certainly are!
As the city of tolerance and the birthplace of gay rights, San Francisco has been a sanctuary and home to hundreds of thousands of LGBTQ+ individuals since World War II, when many landed here after being dishonorably discharged from the military solely for their sexual orientation. To this day, San Francisco stands as a symbol of hope for gay men, women, and non-binary individuals from less progressive towns throughout the country and the world. Sadly, San Francisco is also one of the cities most heavily impacted by the HIV/AIDS pandemic that has taken the lives of millions and continues to affect countless individuals to this day. At its onset, HIV/AIDS primarily affected gay men, who were not acknowledged or given assistance from the federal government, forcing them to fend for themselves.
It is no surprise, therefore, that San Francisco spearheaded efforts for HIV/AIDS support services and medical advancements. San Franciscans have long been a leading example of how communities can come together to support each other. In the four decades that have passed since the first documented cases of AIDS, many of the grassroots organizations that formed in response have either merged with others or faded into memories. PRC’s Emergency Financial Assistance program has stood the test of time and continues to support the basic financial needs for low-income HIV+ San Francisco residents.
If you were living in San Francisco in the 1980s and 1990s, you probably recall seeing penny jars on the counters of local merchants, bars, restaurants, and offices, politely asking for donations. Simple displays prompted you to leave the change from your purchase or lighten your pockets to support a local cause. It was an effort spawned out of desperation by a community witnessing friend after friend fall victim to the deadliest pandemic of their time. These penny jars meant something, not only to the people wanting to help friends and partners, but to those who relied on these donations to pay for utilities, medical bills, housing, and even funerals. This “Every Penny Counts” grassroots effort was one of the many fundraising tactics utilized by the AIDS Emergency Fund (AEF), now known as PRC’s Emergency Financial Assistance (EFA) program, which has distributed more than $35 million dollars to clients since its founding in 1982.
Every Penny Counts Founder Fred Skau passed away in 1993
You may wonder how collecting pennies could ever translate into millions of dollars. Also, who collected and counted them, and who decided how much money to give to each person? How much does that amount of coins even weigh? These are all important questions that need to be answered. Starting with the easiest to visualize, 100,000,000 pennies, or $1 million dollars, collectively weigh 551,000 pounds, roughly the equivalent of 16 semi-trucks. Granted, not all the donations came in pennies. Other coins, bills, and checks were also accepted. Still, collecting and counting was no light task.
Volunteers were the lifeblood of AEF by delivering empty coin jars around town, picking them up when filled, cleaning and sorting the coins, working directly with recipients of the fund, and writing grant checks. Each year on December 2nd, following World AIDS Day, hundreds of volunteers, sponsors, and even school students would gather in San Francisco’s Justin Herman Plaza, then years later at Union Square, for Every Penny Counts Day to sort and count donations. Bodybuilders from World Gym would do the heavy lifting as coin bags were filled, and Radio station Wild 107 awarded a dance party and a mixer to the top two schools that raised the most pennies per student each year.
In 1982, AEF’s first year in operation, $6,500 was raised, and by 1992 they were distributing more than $1,000,000 annually in the form of emergency grants to low-income individuals experiencing HIV/AIDS. To qualify for a grant, a client’s monthly income had to be less than $1,456. However, most recipients were living on $900 or less. Each qualifying recipient could receive up to $500 per year with a lifetime benefit of $1,000. Although the grant amounts seem small, they managed to keep people housed, their basic utilities on, and provide some relief to the already overwhelming stresses associated with the debilitating disease. By 1996, EFA was distributing more than $1.6 million annually with 75% going to requests for emergency housing payments, and the remaining 25% supporting utilities, medical bills, and funeral costs.
In 1997, AEF operated with a four-person staff, donated furniture, and a phone system that was on its last leg. Still, they stayed true to their mission to assist as many people as possible. AEF was also operating at a deficit and for the first and only time, was forced to reduce grant amounts to $400 per year with a lifetime cap of $800. Grant amounts returned to $500 per year in March of 1998, and clients who had met the reduced lifetime maximum of $800 were informed that they could receive the additional $200.
Providing nearly 4,000 individuals per year with a grant of up to $500 required AEF to raise an additional $500,000 annually, and collecting pennies was not enough. As HIV/AIDS continued taking lives and more people tested positive, the number of individuals needing assistance also continued to grow. Once again, the community responded by creating a variety of fundraising events in bars, homes, and community spaces. Some even put AEF in their wills, their final gift as many joined the ever-growing list of AIDS victims. The creation of the Bare Chest Calendar in 1994 joined the annual AEF Awards Dinner in funneling its proceeds directly to AEF grants. Ambassador James Hormel, who sadly passed last year, announced the Hearts of Gold Campaign at the AEF Awards dinner in 1997, asking the community to pledge recurring yearly donations of $500 or more to help support the growing need.
In 2016, AIDS Emergency Fund merged with PRC (at that time known as Positive Resource Center) and was renamed Emergency Financial Assistance (EFA). PRC had been assisting HIV/AIDS clients since 1987 as AIDS Benefits Counselors by offering legal assistance in securing Social Security and disability benefits and helping to navigate through the cumbersome process. The merger was a natural fit for these two organizations serving the same population and provided a continuum of services that clients could move through on their path to better health and financial outcomes.
The need for PRC’s Emergency Financial Assistance continues to this day. To keep up, PRC has grown in its operations and in its fundraising efforts. It now partners with the city and other public funders, foundations, and corporate donors in addition to individual supporters. This growth has helped to secure the funds needed to provide individuals with an annual maximum benefit of $500 with no lifetime maximum, and the possible addition of a $1,000 stipend to assist with a deposit for housing or to prevent an eviction. We are infinitely grateful for the continued support of all our donors who make this grantmaking possible and remain forever thankful to the countless staff and volunteers who helped build AEF and bring it into a new era, all of whom have a lot to be proud of.
If you enjoyed reading about the history of the AIDS Emergency Fund and its transition to become PRC’s Emergency Financial Assistance and would like to support our programs, please consider making a donation. You can learn more about all of PRC’s services on our website.
This is progress. Speaking truth! And making our voices heard.
PRC reminds our community of its commitment to justice in all its forms, as we celebrate the rights of LGBTQ workers that are now protected from employment discrimination in America.
This week’s Supreme Court ruling has offered a glimmer of hope for our institutions, as we stand with our LGBTQ workers, leaders, clients, and the broader LGBT community. It took countless allies and decades of advocacy around the nation to achieve the right for equality and human rights in the workplace, and we have now finally achieved the ability to break the chains of second class citizenship in our workforce.
At a time in our democracy that grapples with how it treats Black Lives and the most vulnerable in America, we are able to celebrate newly won protections for LGBTQ workers that have been treated without dignity for far too long. We owe the past victims of insidious discriminationa debt of gratitude for speaking their truth, and making their voices heard. This is progress, and PRC will continue to march toward further progress with all who join the fight for human dignity in America.
Some things don’t have to change. We are who we are. Thank god.
While this pandemic will prevent us from marching down Market Street in colorful mass to mark the 50th anniversary of the first Pride parades held in San Francisco and New York City, it does not prevent us from coming together to celebrate ourselves, our hard-fought achievements, our rampant creativity, and our strength in community.
On the contrary, it should inspire us to do so regardless – safely, of course, with smart adherence to in-person social distancing guidelines, and plenty of aplomb.
I have long admired my good friends Donna Sachet and Gary Virginia—the most dynamic of duos—giving, doing, organizing, giving, convening, inspiring, doing, (did I mention giving?), entertaining, celebrating, and bringing it over and over again in big and small ways to meet community needs. So, I am not surprised that they will outdo themselves again this year.
Their legendary Pride Brunch—the event of the season—will go on, June 27th, and everyone is invited!
From the comfort of your living room, kitchen, or dining room, Gary and Donnawill bring you the Grand Marshals of the Pride Paradeat high-noon on Saturday June 27th, honor the rich history of LGBTQ culture and liberation, and celebrate 50 years of San Francisco Pride with a saucykitchen battle.The two will share their favorite brunch recipes and you will be the judge yourself, crowning the winner “Pride Brunch Queen.”
We can sit back and relax with hosted cocktails and a delicious brunch delivered right to our respective doors. Or you can dance, parade, and sing along to live entertainment, live auctions, and special surprises in the privacy of your own home. This longstanding PRC fundraiser honors individuals and organizations fighting for LGBTQ equality, while raising critical dollars for PRC’s lifesaving services like legal advocacy, emergency financial assistance, residential treatment, and employment services.
Celebrating 50 years of San Francisco community Pride, parading, and action, it is hard to believe how far the LGBTQ movement has come since the Stonewall riots erupted, awakening a new generation of legal and social advocacy. In retrospect, this turning point brings new lessons today amid this evolving era of worldwide COVID-19 public health emergency. We are all connected, and we are stronger when we stand together.
As public consciousness is rising about that interconnectedness and our Country’s glaring health, income and access inequities, I am proud of San Francisco, our LGBT and allied communities. We’re on the frontlines, showing up for the most vulnerable again and again. And while there is still plenty of work to do, I look forward to celebrating the contributions and opportunities brought by this year’s Grand Marshals—The LGBT Asylum Project, Founder of the Spahr Center Rev. Dr. Jane Spahr, and Executive Director of the LGBT Historical Society Terry Beswick—at this year’s virtual Pride Brunch.
PRC, Pride Brunch’s beneficiary, has long fought for the most disenfranchised and health-challenged in our community on the frontlines of HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ advocacy for access to basic and critical resources. Today, these efforts are even more important as the impact of longstanding fissures in health status and experiences by race, geography, income, and identity are laid bare by the novel coronavirus.PRC is providing emergency funds for rent, medication, and connectivity; legal advocacy to preserve healthcare and subsistence income through job loss and upheaval;and emotional support and employment services to keep people moving forward; while also sheltering nearly 300 adults in place through a substance use and mental health treatment continuum prioritizing health, safety, and wellness.
As a 55-year old African American gay man, I am both deeply familiar with the disconnection between legal equality and lived equalityand deeply indebted to the collective advocacy of so many courageous individuals who were willing to hold the line, never back down, and stand in harm’s way. So, let’s come together on June 27th and celebrate what’s good and great about San Francisco Pride.
Inspired again by Gary and Donna, I thinkthe dire issues of the day will continue to galvanize us – a Inspired again by Gary and Donna, I think the dire issues of the day will continue to galvanize us – a stronger, even more compassionate community. Ichoose joy, love, honesty, empathy, compassion and service along with a hint of leather, lipstick, and humor. So, let’s brunch!
How could we not celebrate Pride’s 50th anniversary. I’m already planning my outfit. Don’t miss the Battle of the Queens, Gary Virginia and Donna Sachet’s legendary Pride Bruch, streaming live at 12pm on June 27th.Tickets are on sale, so get yourstoday, and prepare to give big. See you there.
Every year on March 10th, the U.S. observes National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.
HIV prevention and treatment are critical to reducing new HIV cases among women and girls. Women and girls – as well as their partners, friends, and family members who care about them – are encouraged to learn more about how they can take control of their own health to prevent and treat HIV.
HIV/AIDS is an equality opportunity virus. Any woman or girl who is sexually active can contract HIV/AIDS regardless of race, ethnicity, age, or sexual orientation. However, statistics show that African American and Latinx women and girls have a higher chance of acquiring HIV than their counterparts. [Facts https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/group/gender/women/index.html]
There is great news! With today’s advancements in HIV/AIDS research and treatment it is possible to prevent HIV infection or passing the virus on to a partner or baby. Some unique challenges women and girls face are related to STDs, which may increase the risk of HIV infection.
Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) is addressing the specific needs of women and girls who could be exposed to the virus or living with HIV.
Please take a minute to view this important message from Rear Admiral Sylvia Trent-Adams, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health.
Follow these links to:
Learn more about National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
Find a local HIV testing or a healthcare provider, visit locator.HIV.gov.
Find out more about PrEP at HIV.gov/PrEP and see if you qualify for the Ready, Set, PrEP at GetYourPrEP.comTogether, we can stop HIV.
We’re proud to introduce a new pathway to personal and economic growth for the thousands of people overcoming mental health, HIV or substance use challenges each year in San Francisco. One of five California programs selected, the Office of Statewide Health Planning will invest nearly $500,000 over two years in PRC’s award winning workforce development model. The result? We’re scaling up a peer-to-peer occupational training pathway recently launched in partnership with San Francisco’s Department of Public Health. Lifting Up Peers for a Brighter Tomorrowor Lift UP SF is a win for consumers, a win for behavioral health services providers, and a win for San Francisco.
Lift UP SF readies consumers—people in and exiting mental health and substance use treatment programs, family members, and caregivers—to put their lived experience to use on a competitive career path. It spans a 64-hour comprehensive training curriculum designed by advocates and consumers, individualized placement support, and peer group services to prepare graduates for volunteer, part-time, and full-time peer positions in the most common health settings: Social and Human Service Assistants, Case Workers, Case Managers, Client Advocates, Family Self-Sufficiency Specialists, and Independent Living Specialists among others.
Leveraging the experience of people with lived experience in mental health, substance use, and public health systems doesn’t just make sense, it’s proven to result in better outcomes for consumers on both sides of the interaction.
Beyond professional skill delivery, peer specialists in health settings share the same vocabulary as those they help, have credibility, and embody an accessible vision of success. Paid or volunteer employment is also a key component of recovery from mental health and substance use disorders, particularly methamphetamine addiction. The act of going to training, getting placed in employment, and accessing a supportive community support throughout this process dramatically improves an individual’s ability to maintain their recovery.
This pathway is timely, right here and right now. San Francisco has very low unemployment (1.9%) overall, but prosperity and stability are not shared equitably across our community. A high cost of living, driven primarily by housing expenses, strains many long-time residents and the populations PRC serves. African Americans and other communities of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, people with behavioral health disorders, and people living with HIV are overrepresented among the unemployed and have lower than average salaries, placing them at high risk for displacement and homelessness. People with lower incomes also have higher rates of mental health disorders.
It’s a circular argument Lift UP SF seeks to disrupt.
The training program specifically reaches into these under-employed consumer groups to provide more than a living wage. An increasing economic outlook seeds hope, and a career trajectory positions consumers—people like those exiting PRC’s 30/60/90 day treatment programs or in our co-op living around the city—to progress through the continuum of care and transition successfully to independent living.
As a result, not only do we expect to decrease unemployment among Bay Area residents impacted by mental illness, substance use disorder, and/or HIV/AIDS and to expedite treatment program exits making room for more people to access needed treatment services, Lift UP SF will develop a diverse, representative pool of qualified, culturally competent staff to help alleviate the worker shortage in behavioral health settings across San Francisco and beyond. PRC’s program launches with more than 17 partners—from Castro Country Club and the City of San Francisco Community Behavioral Health Services to Native American Health Center, Mission Neighborhood Health Center, and Alameda and Contra Costa County Behavioral Health Programs—already signed on and seeking to fill already identified peer staffing shortages across public mental health services.
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