San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Glide church reverend steps into role welcoming LGBTQ community
SAN FRANCISCO — Song and spirit fill the air at Glide Memorial Church Sunday mornings as Rev. Marvin White takes the stage to lead an inclusive sermon.
In his official capacity as the minister of celebration for the historic church, he’s continuing his beloved predecessor Cecil Williams’ message of welcoming with unconditional love — but with his own twist.
“I remember asking Cecil because people would say you’re not Cecil or you’re the next Cecil,” he told CBS News Bay Area. “I went to Cecil and said ‘What do I do with this?’ He said ‘You have to be you. We saw you and that is what we invite you to bring to this congregation.’”
One of his first acts as the new leader of Glide, he chose to hoist the Pride flag directly outside of the sanctuary. It was a first for the historic congregation in the heart of San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood.
“That is one of my favorite sights, the flag flying through the windows. You can see the LGBTQ flag,” said White.
He’s on a mission to do his part to beautify the congregation with the intent of showing anyone who steps foot inside that they, too, are worthy of beauty.
“The other side of being gay is that I’ve been on a campaign to make sure that beauty and aesthetics are a part of unconditional love and how we serve community,” he explained. “If we don’t have a building people are proud of, we won’t be the community anchor people need.”
And he’s doing just that through the lens of his upbringing as a member of a religion that he knew couldn’t accept him for being gay, but with a longing for a spiritual home.
“From being a Jehovah’s Witness, to staying away from church to chasing boys into their churches and being told not to stay at those churches because my freedom would put their freedom at risk, and understanding that all of that was created, so I would never come into my power as a Black queer prophetic man who has particular access to the divine,” said White.
But he applies that story to his practice, using himself as an example of why the church should welcome with unconditional love as clergy leadership across the Christian faith grapples with growing calls to expand queer people in their ranks.
“When the church runs out gay people, they’re saying, ‘You’re too powerful and I can never have you get too close to your power.’ And we believed it wholesale,” White said. “I want to explore the return of ourselves to ourselves and what an amazing world to live in for queer folks from coming back into their spiritual power.”
His journey to Glide is as unpredictable yet thoughtful as his outfit choice for Sunday mass. But one that can only conclude with fate.
“When I was 18, I came to Glide. I didn’t understand it,” White recalled. “I was like what is all of this. There are Black people, white people, gay people, straight people, people saving seats like they’re at Stern Grove.”
And now with White in the Pulpit, 40 years later, the scene remains.
“Sometimes I’m still like looking over my shoulder to see if it’s me. That I’m here,” said White. “I just have to step into it, not on top of it or over it. I don’t have to make my mark or over I just have to step into it and that’s what I’m doing.”
The San Francisco Giants are headed even farther south today as they begin a weekend road series against the Miami Marlins.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be noted bigot Landen Roupp. Roupp enters today’s game with a 4.24 ERA, 2.96 FIP, with 82 strikeouts to 32 walks in 74.1 innings pitched. His last start was in Friday night’s 5-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs, in which Roupp clearly cared more about proselytizing than he did about winning, allowing four runs on four hits with five strikeouts and two walks in four and two thirds innings.
As of the time this is being written on Thursday, the Marlins have not announced a starting pitcher for today’s game and I am off today (Happy Juneteenth!). But you can head on down to the comments for the most up to date information.
Who: San Francisco Giants vs. Miami Marlins
Where: loanDepot park, Miami, Florida
Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area
Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM
SAN FRANCISCO – An 8-year veteran of the San Francisco Police Department received a hero’s sendoff Thursday afternoon as she was discharged from San Francisco General Hospital, less than three weeks after surviving a life-threatening shooting in the line of duty.
First time opening up to the public
The backstory:
Officer Brittney Taylor was greeted by a formation of first responders clapping to show their appreciation and respect as she emerged from the hospital in a wheelchair.
The discharge marks the first time Taylor has spoken publicly since the violent encounter on the night of May 31. According to newly released police body-camera footage, Taylor was shot in the upper leg and foot by a robbery suspect following a pursuit that ended in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood.
“I almost lost my life,” Taylor said. “It’s the little things you take for granted. Holy crap, you get to sit back and look at the big picture.”
When asked if she felt any fear during the incident, Taylor admitted she did that night, though not in the moments leading up to it.
“I knew what could happen,” she said, describing the entire ordeal as an eye-opener. “It is difficult to think about it. You replay it, and it absolutely causes me to lose sleep.”
Credit where credit is due
Dig deeper:
Taylor credited the hospital’s medical team, specifically trauma surgeon Dr. Andre Campbell, with saving her life.
However, Dr. Campbell emphasized that the quick actions of Taylor’s fellow officers at the scene played a critical role in her survival.
Instead of waiting for an ambulance, officers recognized the severity of her injuries, placed her into a patrol car, and rushed her directly to the hospital.
“Which was great,” Dr. Campbell said.
Taylor also highlighted the deep bond shared within her “close-knit police family.”
A squad of female officers and their commanding sergeant have maintained a constant presence at the hospital to offer continuous support throughout her stay.
The native San Franciscan expressed that she has no regrets and hopes her experience will encourage other officers to do their best.
“I love the city,” Taylor said. “I don’t like it when people come to my city and destroy it or hurt the citizens here. That takes a toll on me. I’m going to do something about it.”
The road to recovery
What’s next:
When asked how she would respond to people calling her a hero, Taylor remained humble.
“It’s my job. I was doing my job that night. I’m glad to be put in that position of being a hero.”
Following her release, Taylor received a full police escort as she headed home.
While she notes that her full recovery could take anywhere from six months to a year, she remains resolute about her future.
“You gotta let me put my uniform back on and get back out there,” Taylor said, adding that she has no hesitation about continuing her career. “Honestly, no. I got to slow it down. I have time now.”
The Source: Interview with SFPD Officer Brittney Taylor
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced multiple hate crime charges, as well as assault and vandalism charges against an Oakland man for an incident that happened in the Castro District last month.
On Thursday afternoon, Hans Haken pleaded not guilty to one felony count of assault with a deadly weapon, one count of assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury, one count of vandalism, one count of hit-and-run, and one count of reckless driving.
Prosecutors also allege each of the felony assault counts was a hate crime.
“In San Francisco, we have zero tolerance for any hate, hateful acts, certainly that cross the criminal line, and we will do everything that we can to protect our residents from these types of incidents,” said Jenkins at a Thursday afternoon news conference.
It was on May 16, around 5:30 p.m., when prosecutors say Haken spray-painted a homophobic slur on the wall next to Chartreuse by Roje, a gay-owned floral boutique in San Francisco’s Castro District.
“It was a reminder that even though we’re here in Castro, San Francisco, we live in this well-protected bubble that we have created very passionately and strongly, that that can still happen,” said Jeffrey Dumlao, the owner of Chartreuse by Roje. “If anything, that is what’s scary, that it happened here in broad daylight of all times.”
Dumlao says his store had already closed by that time, but Justin Donnelly, who lives above the store, heard the spray-painting and came down to confront the man and tell him to stop.
“He just became very agitated,” Donnelly said. “I tried to remain calm and just tell him, like, sir, you know, I don’t, I don’t, I’m not involved in any of that. I’m just, I live here, right, and this is, this is my home, and you know, this is vandalism.”
Donnelly says when he took a picture of Haken’s license plate, Haken got in the car and tried to run him over. Then, prosecutors say he got out of the car and punched Donnelly in the jaw while uttering homophobic slurs.
“I’m definitely doing a lot better than I was. It’s been, I don’t know, a month or so,” Donnelly said.
He says the incident has shaken him, but he’s been lifted up by the community’s support and law enforcement.
“A lot of people have said, ‘oh my god, I can’t believe something like this could happen in San Francisco, of all places.’ And the fact is that something like this can happen anywhere, but in San Francisco, we don’t stand for it, and we deal with it, so, so that makes me feel good,” Donnelly said.
In announcing the charges, Jenkins pointed out the climate in this country has become more hostile to the LGBTQ community. She says that makes it even more important for elected officials to protect that community, just like they do every other community.
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