San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee has appointed bisexual activist Christina Olague to that city's Board of Supervisors.
Brother Michael Oboza, a Chicago resident and an Eastern Rite Orthodox monastic monk, is also one of the Windy City's leading bisexual activists. He was thrilled when he heard the news regarding Olague.
"As with gay people and their allies who were allowed to be humbled with Harvey Milk coming out gay, bisexuals and our allies are allowed to be equally humbled with Christina Olague, the first out bisexual to serve on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors," Oboza said in a statement to Windy City Times.
Olague realizes that her openness regarding her bisexuality has attracted attention, which she sees as a good thing. "It doesn't hurt to announce such things," she stated. "It helps to validate people's identities."
She also had strong words for gay journalists Michael Musto and Dan Savage, who, like others, have questioned the existence of bisexuality. "It's silly that these guys who have credentials as journalists can determine whether or not someone's behavior is legitimate or not," she said.
Olague brings an impressive resume to the table. The longtime community activist spent 10 years working in economically depressed San Francisco neighborhoods doing everything she could to improve the lives of people living on the fringes of society. She's worked tirelessly for tenants living in SRO hotels, and co-chaired the committee that gave blue collar San Franciscans the highest minimum wage in the country—$10.24 per hour.
Seven years ago, then-Supervisor Matt Gonzalez appointed Olague to the San Francisco Planning Commission. "I was a community advocate, but I also had to make tough decisions about land use," she recalls.
She's accomplished quite a bit during her years as a community activist, but did so with relative anonymity until her appointment by Lee. "It's an adjustment," she admitted. "It makes you more conscious about what you do in public. After my swearing in, people walked up to me and told me that they had read about me. I'm neutral about it at this point, it's not something I'm used to."
Her agenda remains unchanged. "I'm meeting with a lot of community groups," she said. "We just had a hearing on quality of life issues for LGBT seniors. I want to work on these issues and issues related to them. The Mayor has an agenda to create jobs and to keep them in the city. I want to be part of that. Is there a place for small business in this city? Let's look at the quality of life in the neighborhoods. Let's talk about affordable housing—we want to keep people in the city and keep the city diverse."
In November 2012, Olague's appointed term will end. She fully intends to run for a full term, but has no plans to run for higher office.
"After I leave City Hall, I want to pursue a graduate degree in psychology and work towards mental-health issues," she said.
