San Francisco's redistricting task force continues to bounce back and forth between new maps for the city's 11 supervisor districts to the consternation of LGBTQ advocates and other groups.
In its latest head-scratching move, the panel in the early morning hours of April 5 rejected the map favored by the public that it had nearly unanimously voted for Saturday.Instead, by a 6-3 vote, it decided to go with a different map that once again splits off the city's transgender cultural district in the Tenderloin from District 6 and places gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman's residence into District 9.
It mirrors the map the task force had voted for in late March that was roundly criticized by LGBTQ leaders and other advocates."It is a complete affront to our community and absolutely an attempt at marginalization," Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District Executive Director Robert Goldfarb told the Bay Area Reporter. "It is quite aggressive and just shocking, actually."Goldfarb, a gay man, had left the latest redistricting meeting around 1:30 a.m.
Tuesday when the task force was still tinkering with the map overwhelmingly favored by community groups that maintains the Tenderloin and its Transgender District with that of central South of Market and the leather district in supervisorial District 6.