Theresa Sparks facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Theresa Sparks
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Theresa Sparks in April 2010
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| Born | April 8, 1949 |
| Education | Engineering, Kansas State University |
| Occupation | CEO, Good Vibrations; president, San Francisco Police Commission |
| Spouse(s) | twice divorced |
| Children | one daughter and two sons |
Theresa Sparks is an American leader in business and politics. She is currently the executive director of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission. She also ran for San Francisco Supervisor in 2010. Before that, she was the president of the San Francisco Police Commission. She was also the CEO of Good Vibrations, a company that sells products for adult health and wellness.
Theresa Sparks is well-known as one of San Francisco's most famous transgender women. A transgender woman is someone who was thought to be a boy when they were born, but they know they are a girl. She was also a Grand Marshal in the 2008 San Francisco Pride Parade, which celebrates the LGBT community.
Sparks is a member of the board for the Horizons Foundation, which is a group that helps the LGBT community. She is also a veteran of the Navy and has a degree in engineering.
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Early Life
Theresa Sparks was born on April 8, 1949, in Kansas City, Kansas. She grew up there. When she was born, people thought she was a boy. But from a young age, Theresa felt like a girl.
She went to Kansas State University and earned a degree in engineering. After college, she served in the United States Navy. Later, she managed several companies that handled waste management and recycling. She even invented two new ways to recycle things.
Theresa married her first wife in 1971. They had three children together: two sons and a daughter. After some years, Theresa realized she needed to live as the woman she knew she was. She and her first wife separated and later divorced. Theresa married again, but that marriage also ended in divorce.
Theresa tried for a long time to live as a man, but it didn't feel right. Eventually, she decided to accept her true self and live as a woman. She later said, "You discover that the only way to live with it is to transition physically so your physical appearance matches how you feel about yourself."
Moving to San Francisco
By 1997, Theresa Sparks moved to San Francisco, California. She felt this city would be a better place for her to live as a woman. San Francisco is known for being very welcoming to transgender people.
Even in San Francisco, Theresa faced difficulties. She had 20 years of experience managing companies, but she struggled to find a job as a woman. She applied for over 100 jobs without success. To avoid becoming homeless, she took temporary jobs as a cab driver, a bank teller, and a census taker.
One evening, a police officer stopped her in a neighborhood and asked for her ID. Theresa later explained that police sometimes assume transgender people in certain areas are involved in illegal activities. This experience showed her the unfair treatment transgender people could face.
Becoming an Activist
Soon after moving to San Francisco, Theresa Sparks became very involved in local politics. She was frustrated by the problems transgender people faced, like not being able to find jobs or housing, experiencing violence, and facing police harassment.
She helped create a group of transgender activists to talk to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. In 1999, they formed the Transgender Political Caucus (TPC). This group worked to elect leaders who would support civil rights for transgender people.
Theresa became the leader of a new activist group called TG Rage. In 1999, she organized the very first Transgender Day of Remembrance. This event remembers transgender people who have lost their lives due to violence. It started in San Francisco and is now held around the world every November.
Public Service
In 2000, Theresa's activism led to a new city group called the Transgender Civil Rights Implementation Task Force. Theresa was a founding member. A year later, she helped create better medical benefits for city workers who are transgender. This new rule was the first of its kind in the country. It helped cover costs for hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgeries.
In 2001, Mayor Willie Brown appointed Theresa to lead the LGBT Advisory Committee for the San Francisco Human Rights Commission. She was the first transgender person to be appointed to this commission. Theresa used her position to push for special training for police officers. This training teaches officers how to treat transgender people respectfully. The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) agreed to this program in August 2001. She served on this commission for eight years.
On June 16, 2016, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee appointed Theresa Sparks as a senior advisor on transgender issues.
Police Commission
Because of her great public service, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors appointed Theresa Sparks as a police commissioner. She was sworn in on April 30, 2004. She served as the commission's vice president for two years.
On May 9, 2007, Theresa Sparks made history again. She was elected president of the San Francisco Police Commission by just one vote. This made her the first transgender person ever to be elected president of any San Francisco commission. She became San Francisco's highest-ranking transgender official.
Cecilia Chung, a leader from the Transgender Law Center, praised Theresa's election. She said it was a big moment for transgender people in the city. She added that Theresa's dedication helps open doors for transgender people everywhere.
Good Vibrations
In 2001, Theresa Sparks found temporary work in the shipping department of Good Vibrations. This company sells products for adult health and wellness. The general manager quickly saw Theresa's management skills. Three months later, she hired Theresa as a financial manager.
In April 2005, Theresa was elected as the new general manager of Good Vibrations. Under her leadership, the company changed its business structure. Theresa wanted the company to keep its progressive values, like caring about its employees and community.
However, the company faced challenges as bigger online stores started selling similar products. In September 2007, Good Vibrations was bought by another company called GVA-TWN. Both companies announced that there would be no immediate layoffs or changes to management.
Theresa Sparks once said that her company was "one of the top U.S. employers of transgenders." She added that they were "proud to continue the fight for transgender equality."
Woman of the Year
In 2003, Theresa Sparks became the first transgender woman ever named "Woman of the Year" by the California State Assembly. Assemblyman Mark Leno, a friend and fellow activist, chose Theresa for this award. He wanted to honor her work for the LGBT community. He also wanted to help people understand a new civil rights bill he introduced.
This bill, Assembly Bill 196, became a law later that year. It made it illegal to treat people unfairly in jobs or housing because they are transgender. This law helped protect transgender people from discrimination.
Awards and Honors
- Honor Roll of LGBT Elected and Appointed Officials, Horizons Foundation (2004)
- Community Service Award, Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club (2001)
- Honorary Grand Marshal, San Francisco Pride (2001)
See also
- LGBT culture in San Francisco
- List of transgender public officeholders in the United States
