In the face of what San Francisco leaders say are discriminatory measures taken by President Donald Trump's administration, the city on Tuesday announced the launch of a new campaign that encourages business owners and residents to stand up against discrimination.
The Open To All campaign, a nationwide initiative sponsored by the Movement Advancement Project, seeks to bring attention to the nation's laws that prohibit discrimination based on race, sexual orientation, gender and disability, among other forms of discrimination.
Speaking at Harvey Milk Plaza in the city's Castro District, Mayor London Breed said, "You would think that in 2019, anyone would be able to go to any place that is a public business and be able to get a basic service that they request."
Mentioning a handful of nationwide cases of discrimination, such as a 2018 incident in Philadelphia in which two African American men were asked to leave a Starbucks and a 2012 incident in Colorado in which a bakery refused to provide a cake for a gay wedding, she said, "Here in San Francisco we know that we won't tolerate any of that behavior by anyone who owns a business.
"If your business is open and available and you're a public business, then your business is either open to all or you should find another city to do business in because we won't tolerate that here in San Francisco."
Supervisor Rafael Mandelman said, "In more than half the country, discrimination is still protected under the law. Only 20 states provide full legal protection from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Hate-fueled attacks are also on the rise, with the FBI reporting a 17 percent increase in hate crimes in 2018."
Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution declaring San Francisco an Open To All city during Tuesday's Board of Supervisor's meeting. The resolution, authored by Mandelman, would make the city the first in the nation to be on board with the campaign.
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As part of the campaign, businesses throughout the city are being encouraged to prominently display the Open To All signs outside their businesses to show their support.
