Top Stories
Instagram Bans Posts Promoting Damaging Conversion Therapy
Instagram is taking a hard line on conversion therapy, announcing that it will block all posts promoting the abhorrent practise. Attempts to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity have been rejected by every mainstream medical and mental health organisation for decades and are linked to higher risks of depression, suicide, and drug addiction. Instagram’s public(…)
Faltering AIDS Battle Risks 10-year Setback from COVID-19, U.N. Warns
The global fight against AIDS was faltering even before the COVID-19 pandemic, and this newly emerged viral disease is now threatening to put progress against HIV back by 10 years or more, the United Nations said on Monday. “The global HIV targets set for 2020 will not be reached,” the U.N.’s AIDS agency said in(…)
Lawyers Say Transgender Prisoner Was ‘Set Up’ after Making #MeToo Complaint
California prison officials are staring down yet another lawsuit from a transgender woman who says she was abused in custody. C. Jay Smith, 59, filed a federal lawsuit last Monday alleging that staff members at San Quentin State Prison, just north of San Francisco, refused to investigate reports she had filed after having been sexually(…)
Local News
Jimenez Ready to ‘Pull Up Sleeves’ as Healdsburg’s First Gay Councilmember
After a stream of overwhelming resident support and a game-changing swing vote from Mayor Evelyn Mitchell, Healdsburg business owner and revered community member, Ozzy Jimenez, is now Healdsburg’s newest city councilmember. In a 3-1 vote following the public interview process of four council candidates on July 7, the Healdsburg City Council voted to appoint Jimenez(…)
Free Online LGBT History Class Wednesday
LGBTQI History: A Sonoma County Timeline 1960s – 1990s Next Wednesday, 7/15 we will be talking with Tiana Lee and other Lesbian Thespians about Tribad Productions, a most prolific Lesbian Theater company in SoCo during the 1990s! We are online this summer via Zoom! Please contact me to enroll in this FREE class and receive a Zoom invite: cdungan@santarosa.edu Hope to(…)
Arts & Entertainment
Must-See LGBTQ TV: ‘Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado’ and ‘The Old Guard’ drop on Netflix
Grab the remote, set your DVR or queue up your streaming service of choice! GLAAD is bringing you the LGBTQ highlights on TV this week. Check back every Sunday for up-to-date coverage in LGBTQ-inclusive programming on TV. Documentary Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado premieres on Wednesday. Every day for decades, Walter Mercado — the(…)
July’s Most Anticipated LGBTQ Books
Pride Month is behind us, and an unsteady future is ahead of us. In the words of Marsha P. Johnson, “Nobody promised you tomorrow.” This quote is a rallying cry to continue our momentum, and to never give up. As news coverage of peaceful protests across the nation dies down, we need to ensure that(…)
State News
Bill Inspired by Gay Man’s Ordeal Will Make Fake, Racist 911 Calls a Criminal Offense
Californian lawmakers are aiming to introduce the CAREN Act which would impose criminal charges on people who file false, racially-charged police reports. The ordinance, which tactically stands for Caution Against Racially Exploitative Non-Emergencies, was sparked by a recent incident in San Fransisco in which a white woman phoned the police on a gay Filipino manfor stencilling(…)
Living in a Historical Moment for Black LGBTQ People: The Evolution of Queer Black Leadership
We are living in a historical moment for Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people — a moment that is on par with the Compton’s Cafeteria riot (1966) and Stonewall (1969). In both instances, trans women and queer people of color led the charge against constant police brutality and street harassment. The scenes of(…)
