San Francisco's Democrat mayor launches guaranteed income program for transsexuals, giving select residents $1,200 a month

Transsexuals may only account for a sliver minority of the population, but they have garnered a majority of certain Democrats' concern. With her city facing a 7.4% increase in violent crimes and out-of-control homelessness, San Francisco Mayor London Breed (D) has kicked off a new so-called guaranteed income program for those who identify as members of the opposite sex.

Gender dysphoria has its perks

Breed announced the so-called "Guaranteed Income for Trans People" program on Wednesday, claiming that "our trans communities experience much higher rates of poverty and discrimination, so this program will target support to lift individuals in this community up."

It is unclear whether Breed was referencing a popular albeit outdated seven-year-old survey backed by transsexual activist groups that alleged 33% of transsexual Californians were living in poverty, nearly three times the poverty rate of the general population.

Regardless of the veracity this claim, the city has allocated $2 million over two years for GIFT, which will provide 55 low-income transsexuals with $1,200 every month for up to 18 months.

Unlike other government handouts, the cash designated for the qualifying transsexuals is unconditional, meaning it can be spent on anything, including drugs and alcohol. Enrollees do not have to report their spending.

Extra to the guarantee of $1,200 a month, KRON4 reported that the program will provide those accepted into the program with "direct services" such as "gender affirming" medical care (i.e., hormone therapy, genital mutilation, hair removal, and prosthetics), mental health care, and financial coaching.

The program — a partnership between the Transgender District, Lyon-Martin Community Health Services, and the City and County of San Francisco — will be accepting applications from Nov. 15 to Dec. 15.

To qualify, one must be 18 years old or older and identify as "transgender, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, or intersex." That's not all.

Like previous handouts the city has offered, the GIFT program prioritizes applicants on the basis of their race and noncitizen status.

The GIFT website stated, "The program will prioritize enrollment of Transgender, Non-Binary, Gender Non-Conforming, and Intersex (TGI) people who are also Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC), experiencing homelessness, living with disabilities and chronic illnesses, youth and elders, monolingual Spanish-speakers, and those who are legally vulnerable such as TGI people who are undocumented, engaging in survival sex trades, or are formerly incarcerated."

In other words, white, English-speaking transsexual American citizens will find themselves at the back of the line.

Some have pointed out that while intersex is a real biological condition, it may be possible for persons who satisfy the program's linguistic and racial criteria to erroneously claim transsexual status to qualify for the free money.

Although presently a pilot program, pending funding availability, the city may maintain the giveaway.

Previous race-focused cash giveaways

The GIFT program is the third of its kind.

On Sept. 14, 2020, the Democrat mayor launched the "Abundant Birth Project," a pilot program that gave basic income to pregnant women on the basis of their race.

One hundred fifty black and Pacific islander women in San Francisco received a monthly income supplement of $1,000 for the duration of their pregnancy and for the first six months of their baby's life.

According to Breed, the race-based handout was "an innovative and equitable approach that will ease some of the financial stress that all too often keeps women from being able to put their health first."

On March 23, 2020, Breed announced an "Arts Relief Program," which conferred grants and low-interest loans on artists and cultural organizations financially impacted by COVID-19. The program was funded by an initial $2.5 million from the city.

Administered by the Center for Cultural Innovation, the fund prioritized "the needs of those serving cultural populations that are the most vulnerable—black, indigenous, immigrant, trans, and people with disabilities."

Individuals were permitted to ask for $2,000, whereas organizations bagged anywhere from $5,000 to $25,000.

In March 2021, San Francisco went a step further than the one-time artist handout with its "Guaranteed Income Pilot for Artists," which gave economically noncompetitive San Francisco artists $1,000 a month for six months to be used for whatever they liked.

Again, race was a determining factor in eligibility.

The program was administered by the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, which deemed guaranteed income as one way it could further its commitment to "dismantling structural racism and oppression in not only our economy, but in the everyday lives of artists of color, their families, neighborhoods, and communities."

KQED reported that to be eligible, applicants had to have an artistic practice "rooted in a historically marginalized community" and be a resident in one of 13 select San Francisco zip codes.