A group of San Francisco taxpayers are suing their city government over a scheme to use taxpayer funds to encourage Black and Latino men to identify as transgendered.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed launched the “Guaranteed Income for Trans People” or “GIFT” program in January 2023 to “provide low-income transgender San Franciscans with $1,200 each month, up to 18 months to help address financial insecurity within trans communities.”
Men who identify as women are given preference over women who identify as men, and Black and Latino residents are given preference over whites and Asians.
The plaintiffs argue that is illegal discrimination. The program also encourages illegal aliens and prostitutes to declare themselves transgendered to get free taxpayer cash.
The nonprofit public interest law firm Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit against Breed, City Treasurer Jose Cisneros, the director of the city's Office of Transgender Initiatives and City Administrator Carmen Chu for violating the Equal Protection clause of the California Constitution (Phillips et al. v Breed et al. (No. 24-611915)).
“The transgender extremists running San Francisco are illegally using taxpayer money to hand out free cash to transgender individuals based on race and sex in blatant violation of the state's constitution,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.
“In October 2023, a Judicial Watch open records request forced the release of records from the City of San Francisco showing the city prioritized tax money for Black and Latino transgenders (biological men) in the (GIFT) program, which also allowed illegal aliens to apply; allowed people who ‘engage in survival sex trades' to apply; and the use of the funds by participants was virtually unrestricted,” Judicial Watch notes.
According to Judicial Watch's lawsuit:
Applicants who do not identify as transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming, or intersex are not eligible to participate in the GIFT program.
Applicants are prioritized based on their biological sex and race/ethnicity. Biological males identifying as female are given preference over biological females identifying as male, and applicants identifying as Black or Latino are given preference over applicants identifying as other races/ethnicities.
The program began disbursing funds in January 2023. GIFT payments to these participants will continue through June 2024.
Judicial Watch's taxpayer clients “allege that San Francisco is discriminating in violation of Article 1, Section 7 of the state constitution on three counts”:
Transgender Status Discrimination:
Plaintiffs contend that any expenditure of taxpayer funds or taxpayer-financed resources on the GIFT program is illegal … because of the requirement that eligible participants be transgender, non-binary, gender nonconforming, or intersex is immediately suspect and presumptively invalid and cannot survive strict scrutiny review.
Sex Discrimination:
[P]laintiffs contend that any expenditure of taxpayer funds or taxpayer-financed resources on the GIFT program is illegal … because the program grants preferential treatment to biological males who identify as females …
Race/Ethnicity Discrimination:
Specifically, Plaintiffs contend that any expenditure of taxpayer funds or taxpayer-financed resources on the GIFT program is illegal … because the program grants preferential treatment to persons who identify as Black or Latino …
Judicial Watch's taxpayer clients seek:
A judgment declaring any and all expenditures of taxpayer funds and taxpayer-financed resources on the GIFT program to be illegal [and]
An injunction permanently prohibiting Defendants from expending or causing the expenditure of taxpayer funds and taxpayer-financed resources on the GIFT program[.]
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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