The city of San Francisco is illegally spending tax money on a discriminatory "guaranteed income" welfare program designed to be paid only to people who are transgender, and which further prioritizes biological men who identify as female, and people who are Black and Latino over other races, according to a new lawsuit.
On Jan. 29, attorneys from conservative advocacy group Judicial Watch filed suit in San Francisco County Superior Court against San Francisco Mayor London Breed and other city officials, accusing them of administering a government spending program that is illegal under California's state constitution.
The lawsuit specifically takes aim at San Francisco's GIFT (Guaranteed Income for Transgender People) Program.
Launched in 2022, the GIFT program pays participants $1,200 per month for 18 months, up to $21,600, from the city treasury. To be eligible, participants must identify as "transgender, non-binary, gender nonconforming or intersex;" be at least 18 years old; earn less than $600 a month; and be a resident of San Francisco.
According to the complaint, participants are selected to receive funds by two local non-profit organizations, The Transgender District and Lyon-Martin Community Health Services, in conjunction with the Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development, and other city offices.
According to the complaint, the program began paying out the funds in January 2023, and will reopen the application process for a new round of funding beginning in June 2024.
The complaint asserts the program illegally discriminates against non-transgender people by outright denying those who identify as their biological sex the opportunity to gain a share of the financial assistance. Further, the lawsuit asserts the city discriminates on the basis of sex by intentionally prioritizing applicants who are biological males claiming to be female. And the lawsuit claims the city has discriminated on the basis of race and ethnicity by intentionally prioritizing applications received from those who are Black or Latino, to the detriment of people of other races and ancestry.
According to a release from Judicial Watch, the organization forced the public disclosure of the alleged illegal discrimination in the GIFT program in October 2023 through an open records request which forced the release of city records, 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."
“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 the press release announcing the lawsuit.
The lawsuit asserts such alleged discrimination violates the rights of San Francisco residents and taxpayers under the California state constitution's equal protection clause.
Plaintiffs are represented by attorney Kathryn Blankenberg, of Judicial Watch, of Washington, D.C.