Tag Archives: San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO BOARD OF SUPERVISORS VOTES TO RESCIND GAY DESIGNATION FOR CASTRO STREET

February 14, 2015 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

SAN FRANCISCO, California (The Adobo Chronicles) – San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors has unanimously voted to strip Castro Street of its long-designation as the city’s gay district.

The board decision came immediately after The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence announced that they have voted to suspend production of Pink Saturday, the annual street party that occurs on the eve of the Pride parade.

Concerns about safety have dogged the street festival, which draws thousands upon thousands of people each year. Similar concerns have previously led the city to cancel the annual Halloween party in the Castro.

“Now that two of the street festivals have been cancelled, there remains no reason to keep Castro’s gay designation, ” Supervisor Scott Wiener said. Wiener represents the Castro on the Board.

Wiener also announced that he will seek a board vote to permanently close the annual Castro Street Fair held in October.

The Washington, D.C.-based Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has protested the action by the Board of Supervisors, saying that it jeopardizes the advocacy group’s profitable business in the area. HRC maintains a retail store on Castro Street, selling t-shirts, gifts and paraphernalia bearing its equal sign logo.

There are rumors that LGBT activists will propose transferring the gay designation to the South of Market, site of the annual Folsom Street Fair.

Starting this weekend, the giant rainbow flag at the corner of Castro and Market Streets will be flown at half-mast to mark the end of an era in San Francisco’s colorful but tumultuous gay history.

Religion

SAN FRANCISCO ARCHBISHOP TO CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL FACULTY AND STAFF: ‘STAY IN THE CLOSET’

February 4, 2015 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

San Francischo Archbishop Cardileone — San Francisco Archbishop Cordileone

SAN FRANCISCO, California (The Adobo Chronicles) – San Francisco’s conservative Roman Catholic archbishop Salvatore Cordileone wants to break away from The Vatican and create an independent archdiocese that will have its own rules and teachings that are less welcoming and compassionate than previous pronouncements by Pope Francis.

Earlier this week, Cordileone issued a document which was incorporated in the faculty and staff handbook of Catholic high schools in the archdiocese of San Francisco. The archbishop categorically said that sex outside of marriage, homosexual relations, the viewing of pornography and masturbation are ‘gravely evil,’ and ordered that faculty and staff not only teach these precepts but also practice it in their public and private lives.

The document applies to faculty and staff at four Catholic high schools: Riordan and Sacred Heart in San Francisco, Marin Catholic in Kentfield and Serra High School in San Mateo. It goes on to say that marriage is between “one man and one woman,” despite California law allowing same-sex marriages. It also notes that sperm donation, the use of a surrogate and other forms of “artificial reproductive technology” are also gravely evil.

In effect, the archbishop ruled that LGBT school administrators, faculty and staff must stay in the closet, act ‘straight’ in public and pursue a celibate private life. He also ruled that they cannot participate in or watch the city’s annual pride parade, Folsom Street Fair, and Castro Street Fair. If they happen to be Republican, they cannot make any political or charitable contributions to the Log Cabin Republicans, the LGBT caucus of the GOP. They also must not attend any gay weddings.

For straight faculty and staff, they will be prohibited from using condoms and other birth control methods . They will be required to state their agreement to this rule in a notarized affidavit to be included in their employment records.

Violators of the archbishop’s rules will be immediately fired from their jobs and be excommunicated from the Catholic Church, with or without the approval from The Vatican.

Local News, Religion

NUNS SET TO PICKET SAN FRANCISCO CATHOLIC CHURCH OVER NEW BAN ON ALTAR GIRLS

January 27, 2015 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

The Star of the Sea Catholic Church of San Francisco (photo from its website)

SAN FRANCISCO, California (The Adobo Chronicles) – It’s back to the 16th Century for one Catholic Church parish in San Francisco, while nuns are marching into the 22nd century.

The Star of the Sea Church, located on Ninth and Geary streets, said it will not have girls as altar servers, and its priest behind the policy is coming under fire.

Father Josephy Illo, who came to the church about six months ago from Los Angeles, told NBC Bay Area News:

“We’d like to get back to an altar boy program, which is a proven, effective way to promoting vocations to the priesthood,” Father Illo said. “So boys get closer to the altar, and as you know, the Catholic church does not ordain women.”

Many parents in the parish are outraged, and so are nuns living in and around San Francisco.

The nuns are reportedly mobilizing and planning for a hundred thousand march to protest the new policy. “It’s bad enough that we cannot be ordained as priests. Now we (meaning females) can’t even serve at the altar,” Sister Perpetual said. She and her locally-based congregation plan to hold nightly vigils starting today at the church until the new policy is reversed.

In addition, the nuns plan to chain themselves to Muni buses, especially the No. 38 bus which runs the Geary Street route.

The San Francisco Police Department advised commuters on the Geary Street route to plan for alternative ways to get to school or work.