While local online news sites burn pounds of ink on an increasingly tepid KUSF story, a real closure that could cause real tragedy might flare up this week, and no one in the media seems to care. Lyon-Martin Health Services (1748 Market Street), which has operated for over thirty years and was founded by legendary local lesbian activists Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, is rumored to be shuttering this week due to financial troubles. Queer blogger Michael Petrelis heard the news that Thursday could be the clinic's last day, and he puts this troubling news "in the larger context of gay inc here in SF," where the LGBT-serving New Leaf mental health agency closed last year, and where the LGBT Center was rumored to be having budget issues -- though those rumors turned out to be somewhat quashed, after they got a loan from the City to help renegotiate their mortgage. more ›

A federal judge ordered the Library of Congress to pay $500,000 to former Army Special Forces Commander Diane Schroer (née David Schroer) on Tuesday. Why? Well, after landing a terrorism analyst gig while she was still a man, the job was rescinded after Schroer told a library official that she was having sexual reassignment surgery to switch gender. This, to which many SFist readers can attest, is a problem transgendered folk face on a regular basis. "If [transgendered people] are fortunate enough to get something, it's well below their capabilities. It's not just about money, it's about knowing you are a valuable person," Schroer said after the settlement. After ruling in her favor in September, U.S. District Judge James Robertson wrote, "She experienced the emotional pain and suffering of losing her dream job merely because she was a transsexual," going on to point out, "She was well qualified for the job." more ›