1. A large percentage of these men and women have been sexually abused and are operating out of a place of deep wounding. They’re living “in spiritual darkness.” Some may be at war with God, and others are genuinely struggling with their identity, but by and large, they’ve all been hurt.
2. These are ones who didn’t start out life saying, “I’m going to hate God.” They had horrible things happen to them, and they need to understand that “every single life out there can be redeemed.” But your voice and your life can show other people how they can be redeemed and restored through Jesus. Because Jesus does it.
3. Speaking the truth in love is important, but our lives also need to reflect the evidence of it. When we try to tell somebody, ‘Hey, that’s not God’s plan for your life.’ And if you’re not living something that’s obviously better, they’re going to be like, ‘Yeah, whatever.’
4. Too many Christians seem to have a “let’s-get-in-the-bunker-now approach.” It’s time for the grown-ups to enter the room and remind everyone: Christians aren’t supposed to be in the bunker. “We need to get out. And how do we get out? Well, we take the gospel literally to the streets.”
5. This is a movement that, by and large, is at “war with God.” In other words, this is a tough crowd. And we need to endure being spit on and sworn at and yelled at. Don’t be afraid to be mocked. Do you not think your Lord was mocked?
The race for South Carolina’s most conservative U.S. House district is headed to a runoff. Mark Burns, a leading face of the Christian nationalist movement, and Sheri Biggs, a nurse and lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, battled for the lead in the first round of voting in the June 11 Republican primary for the Upstate’s 3rd Congressional District.
Because neither garnered more than 50 percent of the vote, the pair are heading to a runoff where Upstate voters will be asked to come out again June 25.
Burns rallied would-be rioters ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, sacking of the United States Capitol building. He once suggested that parents and educators who pushed the LGBTQ “agenda” in public schools should be jailed for treason, or even executed, for doing so. He also has the endorsement of Trump, for whom Burns serves as an informal spiritual advisor.
Burns, who regularly headlines QAnon events, first appeared here in 2016 when he jumped up and literally fled a CNN interview after being confronted for lying about his military service and education.
Burns later claimed that his website had been hacked to make the false claims and that he was being attacked for being a black Trump supporter. Trump first posted an endorsement of Burns when he ran for the US House in 2022.
In 2022, Burns laid out his plan for executing LGBTQs for “grooming” during an appearance on the show hosted by Holocaust denier Stew Peters.
The California, 528 7th St, Santa Rosa, CA 95401, USA
About the event
Disco dance band Studio 54 (featuring vocalist Angie Maserati) brings the hedonistic dance party days of 1977 to The California. Studio 54 performs the disco hits by the great dance bands of the 70s (and beyond), including Chic, KC and the Sunshine Band, Donna Summers, Bee Gees, Bruno Mars, Michael Jackson, Kool and the Gang, and many more. Studio 54 is Angie Maserati (Vocals), Geoff Vaughan (Bass), Russ Gold (Drums), Michael Wray (Keyboards), Tom Griesser (Sax) and Aaron Chioino (Guitar).
Rural retail chain company Tractor Supply are facing calls for a boycott for, amongst other things, donating money to diversity and inclusion causes, which included projects that support LGBTQ+ youth.
Right-wing activist Robby Starbuck, who directed the controversial, gender-critical, anti-LGBTQ+ documentary The War on Children, recently took to X (formerly Twitter) to call out Tractor Supply for their diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) work, including: “having Pride month decorations in their office.”
As well as complaining about Tractor Supply’s “LGBTQ+ training for employees, funding pride/drag events, they have a DEI Council, funding sex changes, climate change activism, pride month decorations in the office, DEI hiring practices and LGBTQ+ events at work,” Starbuck also singled out their donations to non-profits.
In a follow up tweet, he wrote: “Wow, Tractor Supply bragged in one of their yearly reports that they donated more than $570,000 to DEI, including LGBTQ+ YOUTH! Yes, Tractor Supply thinks kids can be trans and they support it by the looks of this. How many of their customers know this?”
He attached an image to the tweet, which seems to be a screenshot. It reads: “In 2021, Tractor Supply donated more than $570,000 to DE&I causes, benefitting veterans, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ+ youth, Hispanic Team Members, women and Black and African Americans.”
The screenshot appears to have been taken from a sustainability report released by Tractor Supply in 2022, titled “Stewards of Life Out Here“.
Robby Starbuck on set during taping of “Candace” on July 12, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Getty)
Starbuck described these donations as “woke priorities” in his lengthy tweet, which was accompanied by an over seven-minute long video where he speaks to camera about the rural “seed and feed” store. The video starts with Starbuck sharing pictures of Pride month screensavers on Tractor Supply’s in-house staff TVs.
The combined tweet and video has had over two million views on X so far.
The majority of replies to the tweet called for a boycott of Tractor Supply over their DEI practices, which are standard in most workplaces. One top reply says: “My husband was just looking at some fencing they have, well over 1000.00. Bet he changes his mind when I show him this later today.”
According to recent figures, many Fortune 500 companies in the US have DEI initiatives. In 2023, 154 Fortune 500 companies released diversity disclosures, nearly double the 79 of 2022, according to a report from marketing firm Purpose Brand. Whether Starbuck intends to go after all 154 of them remains to be seen.
She says she had been asked to do an interview about how the lives and mental health of LGBTQ+ people were being affected by bans and restrictions on drag performances and gender-affirming care.
Electronika shared emails from the production team with Rolling Stone, which show that when they first approached her, the producers offered her the opportunity to participate in an upcoming documentary “tentatively titled It Takes A Village from an award winning director.”
She was told that It Takes A Village intended “to delve deeper [into] exposing how these recent drag bans and gender-affirming care bans have been made, look at how it has affected the mental health of trans people and look forward into what future progress will look and sound like.”
“When I saw Mr. Starbuck walk through the hallway, I was like, ‘Wait a minute. I know this f**ker,” Electronika told Rolling Stone, adding, “they tried to convince me to stay and I said, ‘You need to stop recording right now.’ The little red light kept going … and then they wouldn’t stop.”
Tractor Supply is far from the only retail chain that has faced boycott calls over DEI and Pride initiatives in recent years, though a rural supply company is certainly an unusual target for the right.
In fact, just today, right-wingers decided to take aim at IKEA’s rainbow Pride charity cake. To mark Pride Month 2024, the UK branch of the Swedish furniture chain announced its popular rainbow cake is back in its restaurants and will be sold throughout June, with 100 per cent of the profits going to LGBT+ Switchboard.
Bigots, of course, were naturally outraged by the existence of this multi-coloured confectionery.
Legislation to create a new task force to combat LGBTQ+ elder abuse has been introduced by out Rep. Angie Craig of (D-MN) and fellow Equality Caucus member Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ).
Gottheimer announced the bill, dubbed the “Elder Pride Protection Act,” at an annual roundtable of North Jersey LGBTQ+ community organizations and advocates.
“We know that elderly members of the LGBTQ+ community face abuse across our nation, but their voices aren’t being heard,” Gottheimer said Friday. “The reality is that organizations and government agencies aren’t tracking these heartbreaking attacks.”
The bill would require the attorney general to establish a Department of Justice (DOJ) task force composed of members of the DOJ’s Elder Justice Initiative and the Office of Civil Rights, according to reporting from The Hill.
The interagency group would be tasked with developing a national approach to combating increased incidents of LGBTQ+ elder abuse, and determining and sharing best practices for local and state law enforcement.
Important to the group’s mission will be tracking and reporting when and how the abuse takes place. The group will make regular reports to Congress.
The new legislation “is a critical step in ensuring that we can coordinate our response to this runaway abuse at the federal level,” Gottheimer said. “No one should ever be mistreated on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity, especially our vulnerable elderly populations.”
Data shared at the roundtable reveals many LGTBQ+ elders have reported challenges like a diminishing support system and loneliness. Abuse, however, often goes unreported.
An estimated 68% of elders in the community have experienced verbal harassment and 43 percent have been threatened with violence, according to a study from The National Center on Elder Abuse.
Another survey revealed 65% of LGBTQ+ elders aged 60 or older reported dealing with victimization due to their sexual orientation. Also, 29% revealed they were physically attacked.
In May, out Reps. Mark Pocan (D-WI) and Sharice Davids (D-KS), and ally Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), who chairs the caucus’s LGBTQI+ Aging Issues Task Force, announced proposed updates to the Older Americans Act intended to improve services for older LGBTQ+ adults in rural areas, particularly for those living with HIV.
“Congress has a responsibility to ensure LGBTQI+ older adults and older people living with HIV in rural communities have the support they need to age with dignity,” said Rep. Pocan, the Equality Caucus chair.
Two LGBTQ+ migrant women from Venezuela were finally able to get married over the weekend after a Denver nonprofit stepped up to host their wedding.
Amarilis and Mariangy Delgado Gutierrez began dating five years ago after knowing each other as family friends for the majority of their lives. Mariangy, who had two daughters from a previous relationship, left her boyfriend of the time to be with Amarilis, creating rifts between the women and their families, the couple recently shared with local outlet Westword.
With little social support and no right to marry, Amarilis and Mariangy decided to leave Venezuela one year ago, and set out for the United States. Their three month journey took them through the the Darién Gap, known as the most dangerous land route in the world for migrants, then through five different countries as the couple sold lollipops to fund their travel.
Amarilis and Mariangy crossed the U.S.-Mexico border into Texas, from where a border agent directed them to a shelter in Colorado. The two spent months since providing for their family, but as they struggled to afford food for themselves and their children, they were unable to justify the cost of a $30 marriage license.
That’s when the local chapter of Dork Dancing, a mental health nonprofit, got involved. After executive director Susan Law heard the couple’s story, the organization offered to pay for the license and host their wedding. Amarilis and Mariangy got married over the weekend at a local park, with dozens of community members turning out to show support.
Though they didn’t have a rehearsal or official schedule, the intimate celebrationfeatured the two performing a united sand ceremony, in which they poured one vial of black sand and one vial of white sand together into the same glass. Dork Dancing has also offered to sponsor their honeymoon, though it is keeping the details a surprise for the couple.
Amarilis and Mariangy are now trying to receive work permits while making sure their daughters, 9 and 13, “do well in school.” They are also saving up to live with each other, as Mariangy and the children currently share a studio apartment, and Amarilis is staying with a host family.
Despite their difficult journey, the couple is thrilled to finally be married. They now want to encourage queer people in situations like theirs to not lose hope.
“The people here have supported us a lot. We’ve received a lot of help from a lot of people. We can get ahead and move forward little by little,” Amarilis told the outlet. “We still have a long way to go, but we’re coming along little by little until we get to a stable situation. … Keep moving forward and never give up. There’s no place where life is going to be completely easy.”
A New York City subway station would be renamed to commemorate the Stonewall riots that galvanized the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement, under legislation approved by state lawmakers as they wrapped up their session this month.
The state Legislature approved a bill Wednesday directing the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to change the name of the Christopher Street-Sheridan Square subway station in Greenwich Village to the Christopher Street-Stonewall National Monument Station.
“This change will memorialize the history of the modern LGBTQ civil rights movement and inspire NY to demand justice and equality for all,” state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a Manhattan Democrat who sponsored the proposal, wrote on the social platform X following the Senate’s passage of the measure.
The bill now heads to Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul for her approval. Her office said late Sunday it will review the legislation.
The Stonewall Inn was raided by police June 28, 1969, sparking a riot and several days of protests that marked a groundbreaking moment in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights in the country.
At the time, showing same-sex affection or dressing in a way deemed gender-inappropriate could get people arrested and led to bars that served them losing liquor licenses.
Today, Stonewall Inn is a National Historic Landmark, with patrons flocking to the site each June, when New York and many other cities hold LGBTQ+ pride celebrations.
The Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center is also planned to open next door as the National Park Service’s first such center focused on LGBTQ+ history.
A school district in Massachusetts was within its rights to ban a student’s “There Are Only Two Genders” T-shirt, as protecting LGBTQ+ students from harassment overrides free speech considerations, a federal appeals court has ruled.
“In following the lead of other courts that have grappled with similar cases, we emphasize that in many realms of public life one must bear the risk of being subjected to messages that are demeaning of race, sex, religion, or sexual orientation, even when those messages are highly disparaging of those characteristics,” Chief Judge David J. Barron wrote for a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. The ruling was issued Sunday and upholds one from a federal district court.
“But, like these other courts, we do not understand Tinker [a 1969 Supreme Court ruling on student speech], in holding that schools must allow for robust discussion and debate over even the most contentious and controversial topics, to have held that our public schools must be a similarly unregulated place,” he continued.
The student, identified in the lawsuit as L.M. and in media reports as Liam Morrison, was a seventh-grader at John T. Nichols Middle School in Middleborough when he wore the shirt to school on March 21, 2023. He was called into a meeting with the school’s interim principal and other administrators, who told him that some students had complained about the shirt and that he must remove it if he wanted to return to class. The shirt violated the dress code’s prohibition on hate speech, the administrators said. Morrison refused and left school for the day. He was not disciplined.
He wore the shirt to school again on May 5, 2023, with the word “Censored” taped over the words “Only Two.” Administrators told him he could not wear that shirt either, and he agreed to take it off and return to class. A few days later, two other students wore shirts with the original message and were also told they were in violation of the dress code. One agreed to remove the shirt and go back to class, while the other refused and went home. Neither of them was disciplined either.
Soon afterward, Morrison and his parents filed suit in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, alleging violation of his First Amendment rights to free speech. The district court ruled that the school district was within its rights to enforce the dress code to protect vulnerable students. The shirt’s message “may communicate that only two gender identities — male and female —are valid, and any others are invalid or nonexistent,” the court ruled, adding that “students who identify differently … have a right to attend school without being confronted by messages attacking their identities.” Morrison and his parents appealed to the First Circuit, resulting in the Sunday ruling.
Administrators knew that Nichols Middle School had some students who were transgender or gender-nonconforming, the appellate ruling noted, and that these students often felt unwelcome or bullied at school. They were likely to react badly to Morrison’s shirt, and administrators were right to conclude that the shirt would disrupt the learning environment, Judge Barron explained.
“The question here is not whether the t-shirts should have been barred,” he wrote. “The question is who should decide whether to bar them — educators or federal judges. We cannot say that in this instance the Constitution assigns the sensitive (and potentially consequential) judgment about what would make ‘an environment conducive to learning at NMS to us rather than to the educators closest to the scene.” He added that while “the shirt’s message is not at the farthest end of demeaning,” it goes beyond “‘tepidly negative.’”
Morrison is represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, which handles many anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-abortion clients. The ADF is “reviewing all legal options including appealing this decision,” Senior Counsel David Cortman said in a statement to Bloomberg Law.It could appeal to the full First Circuit or the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Students don’t lose their free speech rights the moment they walk into a school building,” Cortman added. “The government cannot silence any speaker just because it disapproves of what they say.”
A flock of unique and vibrant birds has arrived in Sonoma! Lacy Atkins, a Sonoma County resident and acclaimed artist, has crafted the Kinky Birds ceramic sculptures. Inspired by the play and film, Kinky Boots, these birds embrace individuality and self-expression with their quirky style and signature red boots. Celebrate your true self with the eccentric and charming Kinky Birds, the weirder, the better! Kinky Birds celebrate being your authentic self – no matter how quirky, twisted, or unexpected.
Join artist Lacy Atkins and friends for the Kinky Birds opening reception on June 15th from 4 to 6. This art exhibit celebration is free and open to the public. Featured will be nine Kinky Birds made from clay and unique materials found around Sonoma, like the feathers of chickens, peacocks, and other various birds. Each Kinky Bird has a life of its own. Find the right one for you – and let your freak bird fly!
Lacy is part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team for coverage of the L.A. riots for the Los Angeles Times. She’s also a two-time finalist with over 30 years of experience as a visual storyteller. She lives in Petaluma and contracts with non-profits such as the Innocence Project and Teach For America. She has been on staff at the San Francisco Chronicle, Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, and part of the USA TODAY Network, the Tennessean. Her work has been featured in various magazines such as Time, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated, as well as being featured on display at the Newseum in Washington D.C., and exhibited at the Visa pour L’Image in Perpignan, France.
Interview with Lacy Atkins:
What was your inspiration for putting red boots on bird sculptures?
I’ve always liked stilettos. Especially red stilettos, they’re sexy and well, they’re over the top.
How many are in the series?
The series continues to grow, currently, there are 12.
What were you doing before becoming an artist with clay?
I was a photojournalist for the San Francisco Chronicle, the Los Angeles Times, and the Associated Press. I was part of the Los Angeles Times team that won the Pulitzer Prize for our coverage of the riots in LA. and a Pulitzer Prize finalist twice for my individual work.
Where do you live in Sonoma?
Petaluma
So each kinky bird has a dating profile?
Yes, and they vary from she, he, them, they, it. Dating profiles are written by Sonoma-based author, Cameron Tuttle.
Mitch M., for example, wears long ladies’ lingerie under his suit. He hopes to bend your rules and Supreme Court you.
If I get your vote, he hopes to retire and fly off into the sunset together.
Stella is a drag queen in training. She goes by Steve at work, and Stella at play. She wants to make a play date.
Her personal motto in life with the right partner is…Life is never a drag.
Scarlett is looking for a sugar mama. Feeling a little lonely, she is an optimist, though. She’s excited to meet someone, after all, tomorrow is another day.
Tiny Dancer always flies first class. This lovebird was born a little different from the flock and that makes her special.
She can spread her wings but she cannot fly and that’s how she learned how to be such an amazing dancer. She hopes to dance right into each other’s hearts.
#BlessedLovebird #GratitudeWithAttitude
Lizzie Is a fierce and fabulous single mom. If you put family at the top of your list, let’s talk. She goes everywhere with her twins and her two beautiful children.
If you want to love me you’ve got to love my chicks. I’m fiercely loyal, wildly passionate, and ready to feather your nest. I mate for life.
Amelia flies both ways. If you’re a high-flying world traveler, I’d love to be an aviatrix for you. Nor afraid of heights, looking for a thrill seeker to share life’s daily adventures. Extra points if you can read the map, jump into my cockpit, and let’s make history.
Community Supply is a general store that features products and creations from small makers, artists, and entrepreneurs. The shop sources products from Sonoma Valley, the great state of California, across the United States, and international cooperatives with an eye on supporting women and the environment.
Martha-Ann Alito, wife of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, is incensed about seeing rainbow Pride flags during Pride Month, according to a new recording obtained by Rolling Stone. If it were up to her, she would be flying a Sacred Heart of Jesus flag in response. Or she might design her own flag, one sporting the Italian word for “shame.” “You know what I want?” Mrs. Alito says. “I want a Sacred Heart of Jesus flag, because I have to look across the lagoon at the Pride flag for the next month.”
Referencing her husband, Mrs. Alito says, “He’s like, ‘Oh, please don’t put up a flag.’ I said, ‘I won’t do it because I am deferring to you. But when you are free of this nonsense, I’m putting it up and I’m gonna send them a message every day, maybe every week, I’ll be changing the flags.’ They’ll be all kinds. I made a flag in my head. This is how I satisfy myself. I made a flag. It’s white and has yellow and orange flames around it. And in the middle is the word ‘vergogna.’ ‘Vergogna’ in Italian means shame — vergogna. V-E-R-G-O-G-N-A. Vergogna.”
