LGBTQI History: A Sonoma County Timeline 1947-2000.
Wednesdays 1:30-3pm. Online via Zoom. On Wed, Feb 23
Magi Fedorka will be presenting on Forward Together,
a major activist organization in the 1980s-90s.
Please contact me to enroll in this FREE class
and receive a Zoom invite: cdungan@santarosa.edu
The Rev. Richard Weinberg, an Episcopalian rector in Washington, D.C., was surprised to find that his diocese didn’t have a policy for paid parental leave when he began preparing to adopt a child with his partner last year.
The church allowed three months of specifically paid maternal leave, four weeks more than D.C. law mandates. But unlike some of the district’s provisions, the church’s policy didn’t address people, including LGBTQ couples, who seek to have children through adoption, surrogacy or other means.
After he and another priest petitioned the diocese for a policy that included all methods of starting a family, the church agreed to give him 12 weeks of paid parental leave once his adoption is finalized. But it took numerous discussions with senior leadership and his congregation to figure out what would work for them, as well as for him.
“Without a policy in place or any law to fall back on, the burden was on me to fight for myself and what I thought was fair and appropriate,” Weinberg said.
Weinberg’s experience is common in the LGBTQ community, advocacy groups and think tanks studying the issue say. According to a 2020 study by the Census Bureau, same-sex couples are more than four times as likely as opposite-sex couples to adopt children — and more than twice as likely to foster children. But the policies vary by employer and are applied inconsistently, according to studies of the issue.
Advocates have called for more inclusive and widespread parental leave policies, and came close with a provision in President Joe Biden’s $1.7 trillion social safety net bill, which would have mandated all U.S. employers provide workers with four weeks of paid parental leave. But talks on the legislation collapsed after Sen. Joe Manchin, a moderate Democrat from West Virginia, announced in December that he wouldn’t vote for the billin part over funding for new programs,denying his Democratic colleagues the 50 votes they would need to pass the legislation under special budget rules.
LGBTQ advocates hope that polls showing broad support for paid parental leave will create momentum for legislative action. Eighty-four percent of voters — including majorities of Democrats, independents and Republicans — support a paid family leave policy, according to a 2018 study from the National Partnership for Women and Families, an advocacy group focused on the issue.
While 12 weeks of leave are available to many new parents under the Family and Medical Leave Act, that time off is unpaid under the law, making it financially unviable for lower-income people. Paid leave through employers or states is available to only about a quarter of Americans, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data in 2021, and just a handful of states and Washington, D.C., have implemented policies themselves.
The programs that are available aren’t distributed equally, with 12 percent of private industry workers in the lowest income quartile receiving paid family leave and 37 percent of workers in the highest quartile having access, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Policies also don’t cover sexual orientations and gender identities equally. A 2018 survey by the Human Rights Campaign found fewer than half of LGBTQ respondents said their employers’ leave policies were LGBTQ-inclusive. Respondents also expressed concern about potentially outing themselves or encountering workplace discrimination when asking for leave, the survey found.
In addition, LGBTQ people face distinct financial considerations in starting families. The community is more likely to face economic hurdles like housing instability, unemployment and food insecurity, to begin with, indicating a greater need for social safety net programs, according to the progressive think tank the Center for American Progress. Then there are the additional expenses associated with various means of bringing children into the home.
Those costs can be high, with fees for adoption easily running into the tens of thousands of dollars, according to federal data, while in vitro fertilization can average well north of $10,000 and surrogacyoften has a six-figure price tag.
“LGBTQ-plus parents often have additional needs for paid leave,” Julie Kruse, the director of federal policy at the advocacy group Family Equality, said. “Our families can be expensive to form — for people that require trans fertility services, for people using alternative reproductive technologies, even those going through the processes of fostering and adopting.”
A further issue is how paid leave policies affect employees’ perceived commitment to their job, said Richard Petts, a sociology professor at Ball State University. Taking leave can be stigmatized, causing employees to worry they’ll face a disadvantage at work if they take time off. When those policies are implemented inconsistently in the workplace, it only exacerbates the problem, he said.
Expanded access would help correct the issue and also be of special benefit to marginalized groups, Petts said.
“The U.S. actually has this really golden opportunity to take the lead in providing and showing what an equitable leave policy could look like,” Petts said. “Having a policy that says this is an individual entitlement really is equitable in the truest sense.”
The Covid pandemic, meanwhile, has only heightened financial concerns as it takes a toll on families across the country, Kruse said, adding that she hopes that could influence voters’ opinions and create momentum for a national policy.
“Knowing that we have paid time off without fear of losing our job is just a huge relief, and all families deserve to feel that, so I think there’s going to be a lot of pressure,” Kruse said. “There’s only so much more families can take.”
For Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., the issue is personal. Craig, who co-chairs the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus and is one of two LGBTQ parents in Congress, said the complexities that same-sex couples face in becoming parents have shown the importance of a uniform paid leave policy.
LGBTQ people face a wide range of barriers when starting families, Craig said. One such circumstance occurred when her wife adopted their first child — even though she was married to the primary adoptee, Craig had to file for second-parent adoption, a practice in place in many states.
Across the nation, nearly 20 states, primarily led by Republicans, have not passed protections against discrimination on the basis of gender or sexuality in adoption, according to the Movement Advancement Project, a think tank focused on promoting equal rights.
Craig said including four weeks of leave in the Build Back Better Act was a step in the right direction, although she and many other progressives had initially called for 12 weeks. She said she plans to continue to advocate for expansive paid leave legislation.
“Paid family leave makes sense for all families,” Craig said. “We shouldn’t be putting barriers in place for LGBTQ individuals who want to have families, and that’s what we’ve done in the history of the nation.”
Before negotiations on the bill stalled, Manchin opposed including 12 weeks of paid family leave, saying he preferred standalone legislation, rather than the sweeping bill, for such a significant policy change and expressing concerns about the funding of the broader package. He also expressed concern that Americans would abuse some benefits like paid leave and the child tax credit.
“I believe in family leave, I believe people should have that opportunity,” Manchin said on MSNBC in November. “Can’t we find a better position for this and do this in a bipartisan process that works?”
As a result, Democrats proposed the four-week provision after advocates pushed back on cutting the benefit entirely.
Progressive lawmakers view passage of such a provision as a necessary and historic opportunity amid favorable views on the subject, including among some businesses, after previous efforts have failed.
Nearly 71 percent of small companies surveyed in New York and New Jersey were in favor of paid parental leave in fall 2020, according to a recent study by the National Bureau of Economic Research.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce also supports paid family leave, although it opposed the social spending legislation, according to Marc Freedman, the chamber’s vice president of employment policy.
“The chamber continues to believe there is a fiscally responsible, bipartisan approach to providing a federal paid family leave benefit,” Freedman said in a statement to NBC News. “We believe that such a deal can be forged, but this partisan reconciliation bill is certainly not the vehicle to achieve a sensible solution to making sure paid family leave is available on a nationwide basis.”
Weinberg, the D.C. rector, said national legislation would prevent others from having to go through what he experienced in preparing to adopt a child.
While thankful for the changes his diocese made, he said he hopes to see a national standard. Having a child is a significant change for any family, and the opportunity to bond is essential, he said.
“To be able to continue to earn an income without having to put your life and your financial health on hold in order to have a family is just such a basic right,” Weinberg said. “So having legislation in place and employers who are seeking to happily compensate people when they’re starting their family would be a huge benefit to Americans.”
Now, Weinberg and his partner are navigating the application process for a 10-year-old boy from Colombia they hosted for five weeks last year. They hope to have the adoption finalized by summer.
The Rev. Richard Weinberg, an Episcopalian rector in Washington, D.C., was surprised to find that his diocese didn’t have a policy for paid parental leave when he began preparing to adopt a child with his partner last year.
The church allowed three months of specifically paid maternal leave, four weeks more than D.C. law mandates. But unlike some of the district’s provisions, the church’s policy didn’t address people, including LGBTQ couples, who seek to have children through adoption, surrogacy or other means.
After he and another priest petitioned the diocese for a policy that included all methods of starting a family, the church agreed to give him 12 weeks of paid parental leave once his adoption is finalized. But it took numerous discussions with senior leadership and his congregation to figure out what would work for them, as well as for him.
“Without a policy in place or any law to fall back on, the burden was on me to fight for myself and what I thought was fair and appropriate,” Weinberg said.
Weinberg’s experience is common in the LGBTQ community, advocacy groups and think tanks studying the issue say. According to a 2020 study by the Census Bureau, same-sex couples are more than four times as likely as opposite-sex couples to adopt children — and more than twice as likely to foster children. But the policies vary by employer and are applied inconsistently, according to studies of the issue.
Advocates have called for more inclusive and widespread parental leave policies, and came close with a provision in President Joe Biden’s $1.7 trillion social safety net bill, which would have mandated all U.S. employers provide workers with four weeks of paid parental leave. But talks on the legislation collapsed after Sen. Joe Manchin, a moderate Democrat from West Virginia, announced in December that he wouldn’t vote for the billin part over funding for new programs,denying his Democratic colleagues the 50 votes they would need to pass the legislation under special budget rules.
LGBTQ advocates hope that polls showing broad support for paid parental leave will create momentum for legislative action. Eighty-four percent of voters — including majorities of Democrats, independents and Republicans — support a paid family leave policy, according to a 2018 study from the National Partnership for Women and Families, an advocacy group focused on the issue.
While 12 weeks of leave are available to many new parents under the Family and Medical Leave Act, that time off is unpaid under the law, making it financially unviable for lower-income people. Paid leave through employers or states is available to only about a quarter of Americans, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data in 2021, and just a handful of states and Washington, D.C., have implemented policies themselves.
The programs that are available aren’t distributed equally, with 12 percent of private industry workers in the lowest income quartile receiving paid family leave and 37 percent of workers in the highest quartile having access, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Policies also don’t cover sexual orientations and gender identities equally. A 2018 survey by the Human Rights Campaign found fewer than half of LGBTQ respondents said their employers’ leave policies were LGBTQ-inclusive. Respondents also expressed concern about potentially outing themselves or encountering workplace discrimination when asking for leave, the survey found.
In addition, LGBTQ people face distinct financial considerations in starting families. The community is more likely to face economic hurdles like housing instability, unemployment and food insecurity, to begin with, indicating a greater need for social safety net programs, according to the progressive think tank the Center for American Progress. Then there are the additional expenses associated with various means of bringing children into the home.
Those costs can be high, with fees for adoption easily running into the tens of thousands of dollars, according to federal data, while in vitro fertilization can average well north of $10,000 and surrogacyoften has a six-figure price tag.
“LGBTQ-plus parents often have additional needs for paid leave,” Julie Kruse, the director of federal policy at the advocacy group Family Equality, said. “Our families can be expensive to form — for people that require trans fertility services, for people using alternative reproductive technologies, even those going through the processes of fostering and adopting.”
A further issue is how paid leave policies affect employees’ perceived commitment to their job, said Richard Petts, a sociology professor at Ball State University. Taking leave can be stigmatized, causing employees to worry they’ll face a disadvantage at work if they take time off. When those policies are implemented inconsistently in the workplace, it only exacerbates the problem, he said.
Expanded access would help correct the issue and also be of special benefit to marginalized groups, Petts said.
“The U.S. actually has this really golden opportunity to take the lead in providing and showing what an equitable leave policy could look like,” Petts said. “Having a policy that says this is an individual entitlement really is equitable in the truest sense.”
The Covid pandemic, meanwhile, has only heightened financial concerns as it takes a toll on families across the country, Kruse said, adding that she hopes that could influence voters’ opinions and create momentum for a national policy.
“Knowing that we have paid time off without fear of losing our job is just a huge relief, and all families deserve to feel that, so I think there’s going to be a lot of pressure,” Kruse said. “There’s only so much more families can take.”
For Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., the issue is personal. Craig, who co-chairs the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus and is one of two LGBTQ parents in Congress, said the complexities that same-sex couples face in becoming parents have shown the importance of a uniform paid leave policy.
LGBTQ people face a wide range of barriers when starting families, Craig said. One such circumstance occurred when her wife adopted their first child — even though she was married to the primary adoptee, Craig had to file for second-parent adoption, a practice in place in many states.
Across the nation, nearly 20 states, primarily led by Republicans, have not passed protections against discrimination on the basis of gender or sexuality in adoption, according to the Movement Advancement Project, a think tank focused on promoting equal rights.
Craig said including four weeks of leave in the Build Back Better Act was a step in the right direction, although she and many other progressives had initially called for 12 weeks. She said she plans to continue to advocate for expansive paid leave legislation.
“Paid family leave makes sense for all families,” Craig said. “We shouldn’t be putting barriers in place for LGBTQ individuals who want to have families, and that’s what we’ve done in the history of the nation.”
Before negotiations on the bill stalled, Manchin opposed including 12 weeks of paid family leave, saying he preferred standalone legislation, rather than the sweeping bill, for such a significant policy change and expressing concerns about the funding of the broader package. He also expressed concern that Americans would abuse some benefits like paid leave and the child tax credit.
“I believe in family leave, I believe people should have that opportunity,” Manchin said on MSNBC in November. “Can’t we find a better position for this and do this in a bipartisan process that works?”
As a result, Democrats proposed the four-week provision after advocates pushed back on cutting the benefit entirely.
Progressive lawmakers view passage of such a provision as a necessary and historic opportunity amid favorable views on the subject, including among some businesses, after previous efforts have failed.
Nearly 71 percent of small companies surveyed in New York and New Jersey were in favor of paid parental leave in fall 2020, according to a recent study by the National Bureau of Economic Research.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce also supports paid family leave, although it opposed the social spending legislation, according to Marc Freedman, the chamber’s vice president of employment policy.
“The chamber continues to believe there is a fiscally responsible, bipartisan approach to providing a federal paid family leave benefit,” Freedman said in a statement to NBC News. “We believe that such a deal can be forged, but this partisan reconciliation bill is certainly not the vehicle to achieve a sensible solution to making sure paid family leave is available on a nationwide basis.”
Weinberg, the D.C. rector, said national legislation would prevent others from having to go through what he experienced in preparing to adopt a child.
While thankful for the changes his diocese made, he said he hopes to see a national standard. Having a child is a significant change for any family, and the opportunity to bond is essential, he said.
“To be able to continue to earn an income without having to put your life and your financial health on hold in order to have a family is just such a basic right,” Weinberg said. “So having legislation in place and employers who are seeking to happily compensate people when they’re starting their family would be a huge benefit to Americans.”
Now, Weinberg and his partner are navigating the application process for a 10-year-old boy from Colombia they hosted for five weeks last year. They hope to have the adoption finalized by summer.
Two local organizations are partnering to distribute free copies of controversial books in response to the recent increase in attempts to remove titles from school libraries.
In Purpose Educational Services and the St. Louis bookstore EyeSeeMe will deliver free copies of “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morisson to Missourians who request it.
The organizations raised more than $3,000 in the first few hours after launching the book program, said Heather Fleming, founder of In Purpose Educational Services.
“If you look at most of the books that they are trying to ban, they are the stories of people from historically marginalized groups,” said Fleming. “We have to grapple with some of the things that have happened in our society. Number one, to make sure that they don’t happen again. But then number two, because we need to learn how to live with one another.”
Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye” is photographed in this photo illustration last November at Left Bank Books in St. Louis’ Central West End neighborhood.
A St. Louis Public Radio analysis of the books being challenged in the area in November found two-thirds were written by authors of color or authors who identify as LGBTQ. “The Bluest Eye,” was the book with the most official requests for removal from libraries. It was the first book by Toni Morrison, who would go on to win a Nobel Prize in Literature and a Pulitzer Prize.
The Wentzville School Board voted 4-3 at its Jan. 20 meeting to remove the book from school libraries. That’s after a committee voted to recommend keeping the book, writing, “committee members believe that removing the work would infringe on the rights of parents and students to decide for themselves if they want to read this work of literature.”
A committee in the Francis Howell School District voted to retain the book this month and a review of “The Bluest Eye” is still underway in the Lindbergh School District.
The organizations that are planning the “banned book program” have a form for people to fill out if they are interested in receiving free copies of the book. The books will be distributed to people in Missouri and the groups plan to pick a new book each month, Fleming said.
These conversations and these types of book bans, they’re placing our students at a disadvantage,” Fleming said. “Whether people want to admit it or not, we are becoming an increasingly diverse society … students who are not culturally competent are not going to meet with as much success.”
| We are a month into the New Year and we are just getting started on what promises to be an exciting year for Face to Face and the clients we serve in Sonoma County. To all who have supported our work through the years we are grateful for your continued support. Hard to believe but we are now in our 39th year of helping people with HIV/AIDS in Sonoma County. What began as a grassroots effort to help those who were dying of AIDS has grown into an organization that provides best-practice, evidence-based prevention and care services, all the while supporting the health and well-being of people living with HIV. We continue to push boundaries, staying true to the core of our humble beginnings. We have big plans for the upcoming year with an exciting announcement coming up in just a couple of weeks. In the meantime here is what we are working on heading into this New Year! Best In Health, Sara BrewerExecutive Director |
| SIERRA HEALTH FOUNDATION- STIMULANT USE GRANT |
 |  |
| We were fortunate to receive a grant from the Sierra Health Foundation for Stimulant Use. This grant has enabled us to reach BIPOC population, to educate and help reduce stigma on substance abuse. Sonoma County’s opioid-related deaths are 70% above our California state average, and fentanyl-related overdoses in particular have increased in our county from just four in 2017 to 94 in 2020.In particular, people of color who use drugs are more likely than their white neighbors to end up in the criminal justice system or experience an overdose. They face greater barriers to treatment, and greater stigma. In the first eight months of expanding our SSP to include smoking supplies we have seen huge increases of people who use drugs accessing our prevention services and treatment support. Our strategy combines targeted outreach, education, linkage to medicated assistance treatment, naloxone distribution, counseling, and other personalized support. These activities will reduce overdose deaths, increase access to treatment, and support healthier outcomes in our community. |
 Progress and ResilienceBlack communities have made great progress in reducing HIV. Yet racism, discrimination, and mistrust in the health care system may affect whether Black people seek or receive HIV prevention services. These issues may also reduce the likelihood of engaging in HIV treatment and care. | To continue to reduce the burden of HIV and other health risks, people need adequate housing and transportation, employment, access to culturally competent health services that are free of stigma and discrimination, and more.Together, when we work to overcome structural barriers to HIV testing, prevention, and treatment and to stop HIV stigma, we help reduce HIV-related disparities and health inequities in Black communities.We must address systemic social and health inequities to #StopHIVTogether. |
| BEERFEST, “THE GOOD ONE” RETURNS SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 2022After a 2 year absence we are thrilled to be bringing back this annual event to the lawn of the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts In Santa Rosa |
 |  |
| Expect mouth-puckering sour beers, hop bombs, barrel-aged brews, and a wide range of other cool libations that make Northern California one of the best beer producing regions in the world. More than 40 breweries & cideries will be pouring their samples for you to enjoy from 1-4:30 pm. VIP starts at Noon! |
Parents in Georgia have reported that an elementary school administrator took down a young child’s Pride artwork and compared it to a Nazi flag.
The artwork featured a rainbow Pride flag, an umbrella, and the words “Gay is OK”, and was drawn by a student at Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School, in Athens, Georgia, which teaches children aged five to 11.
The child’s teacher proudly displayed the drawing in their classroom, but according to local TV station WXIA-TV, was told to remove it by school administrators.
When the teacher questioned why they should take it down, an administrator reportedly compared the adorable Pride artwork to a Nazi flag.
Many parents were extremely upset about the incident, including Jemelleh Coes, who said that it was not isolated.
Coes, a professor at the University of Georgia, said: “There are ongoing complaints about this current administration has been discriminatory against women, being discriminatory against LGBT+ people, being discriminatory against English language learners or emerging bilinguals, emerging multilingual and Spanish speakers.
“So we have seen a pattern of inequity at our school and we have been asking for support at this point for years.”
Gee Campbell, who is transmasculine non-binary and has two children at the school, added: “We’ve been part of this school community for four years.
“My experiences with the teachers in regards to my transitioning have always been positive and respectful. My daughter is in this classroom and my immediate thought was, ‘What message does this give my daughter about her family?’”
One anonymous teacher also released a statement: “On behalf of a majority of the staff at Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School, we are disheartened that these words and actions have happened in our school building during this time.
“This does not represent why we chose this profession, and it does not represent the feelings, beliefs, values, and attributes our amazing school family has within these four walls.”
They called on the school district to take action, and added: “We will continue to seek resolution and promote a community of love, acceptance, and tolerance within our building and community.”
In response, the Clarke County School District said in a statement: “We have investigated the situation and are working to address the issues with all parties involved.
“To be clear, we condemn this comparison and discrimination in all its forms.
“The Clarke County School District embraces diversity and inclusion for all students and staff. We stand with our LGBTQIA+ community and are dedicated to proving our commitment to diversity and inclusion.
“To that end, we will continue having sensitive and appropriate conversations with our school communities.”
A trans woman has shared her heartbreaking experience of conversion therapy to warn how the barbaric practice can at first come across like “kindness”.
Warning: Discusses mental health, suicidal thoughts, sexual assault and conversion therapy.
In a Twitter thread that has gone viral, Meghan explained that she attended Chicago’s Moody Bible Institute between 2009 and 2012.
While there, she claimed, she underwent horrific conversion therapy.
Megan said that she knew that she was a girl from the age of four.
“When I first learned about trans people I asked a parent about them,” she wrote.
“They told me, ‘Transsexuals are deeply unhappy people who become prostitutes, get AIDS, and die homeless.’ Those words became the root of my closet.”
Negative depictions of trans people in the media forced Meghan even further into the closet, which severely affected her mental health, and saw her try to take her own life at the ages of eight and 15.
She “fell into Evangelical purity culture”, which she was attracted to because of “the constant references to healing, regeneration, renewal, and rebirth”.
“In short, I knew that I wanted to be a woman, society told me that was a bad thing, so I wanted a way out of wanting to be a woman,” Meghan said. “Evangelical purity culture promised me a way out, and I grasped onto it.”
While she prayed “fervently”, she still struggled with dysphoria, and entries from her prayer journals at the time show that she had become desperate for God to “heal” her.
In one entry, Meghan wrote: “I don’t even want to be happy anymore. I’ll make [do] with content. You want to work a work in me? Do it. Do it and get it over with.
“I can’t wait anymore. I hate this. I hate existing.”
In another, she wrote: “I just want to give up. I’ve been praying for a decade. For a decade you haven’t healed me. Maybe tomorrow I’ll finally have the courage and walk out the window.”
Enrolling at Moody Bible Institute, a private Evangelical Christian Bible college founded in Chicago, Illinois, became the next step in her “plan to be healed of [her] gender issues”.
According to the college’s doctrinal statement: “Non-marital sex, homosexual sex, same-sex romantic relationships, and gender identification incongruent with one’s birth-sex all violate God’s generous intention for human relationships.
“Such practices misrepresent the nature of God Himself, and therefore are sinful under any circumstance.”
Meghan’s mental health continued to suffer, and while a student at Moody Bible Institute, she suffered a “nervous breakdown” following a bad bout of insomnia.
“I was referred to resident life supervisors who required me to attend therapy with a Moody therapist or else face probation,” she said.
“I want to add that what I now recognise as a threat wasn’t presented as a threat, it was presented in the nicest, most sincere way possible.
“They were incredibly gentle with me at this stage, even though they were holding real academic consequences over my head.”
The therapist Meghan saw practiced nouthetic counseling, “an Evangelical model of therapy that rejects psychiatry and psychology, relying on Biblical principles in order to help their clients”.
In an effort to figure out which “unconfessed sin” had “caused” her mental health problems, Meghan finally admitted that she “hated being a man”.
Her therapist was “extremely kind”, and Meghan was “convinced through his words and deeds that he had my best interests at heart”.
He told her: “Many men struggle with feeling like they should have been women, and we have a way to treat this problem.”
“I was ECSTATIC,” recalled Meghan.
“I left that session thinking that I wished I had confessed those feelings decades ago. He promised me the healing I had been praying for for years. I began to think that this was God’s providence, the fulfillment of my purpose at Moody.”
Meghan said her therapist told her that “abuse, either physical, emotional, or sexual, was the primary cause” of people being transgender.
She disclosed that she “had been sexually assaulted while in the hospital after one of [her] suicide attempts, and that it was extremely difficult to talk about”.
But her therapist, she wrote, told her that the experience had caused “gender identity disorder”.
“Both of us conveniently ignored that the assault occurred over a decade after my first reported experience of gender incongruence,” she wrote.
He reportedly instructed that whenever she felt gender dysphoria she should try to relive the assault under she was hyperventilating and in tears, as “cognitive aversion therapy”.
She said that she continued this “therapy” for a year, while having weekly meetings with “Christopher Yuan, an adjunct faculty member at Moody who was a prominent member of the ex-gay community“.
In an article, still live on the Moody Bible Institute blog, the college describes Yuan’s “ex-gay” journey, stating: “While studying the Bible, Christopher slowly realised he had put his identity in the wrong thing, his sexuality.
“But, God called him to put his main identity in Jesus Christ alone. This new identity in Christ compelled him to live in obedience to God whether regardless of what his sexual desires were. This obedience led to a radically changed life.”
Meghan wrote that her therapist told her “marriage signalled the final end of feelings of ‘same-sex attraction’ and gender identity disorder”, and so she “courted a woman and got married”.
While she told her wife about her experiences, she insisted she was “healed”, until she began to experience a faith crisis “precipitated largely by the rise of racism, xenophobia, and the increasing post-truth culture of the Evangelical Church”.
She said: “It took years for me to finally come out to my ex-wife. I held on for so long because I thought I could just tough it out for the last fifty years of my life.
“But there came a point where, I knew that doing so would kill me in the end.”
Now, Meghan is working “with a therapist to undo the damage done”, but explained that she was telling her story to warn others that conversion therapy can often seem harmless at first.
She wrote: “I suppose the thing I want people to learn from my experience is how NICE and KIND and WELL-INTENTIONED the people involved in my therapy were.
“That kindness reads insidious to me now, like a smile on the face of an abuser.”
Her Twitter thread soon went viral, and has to date been liked almost 8,000 times.
PinkNews has approached Moody Bible Institute for comment.
Readers who are affected by the issues raised in this story are encouraged to contact Samaritans on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org), or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk).
Readers in the US are encouraged to contact the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255, or The Trevor Project which provides 24/7 crisis support, 365 days a year. Text START to 678-678, or call: (866) 488-7386.
For the first time in history, California’s Legislative LGBTQ Caucus could grow to comprise 10% of the state legislature in 2022. Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, announced endorsements of three openly LGBTQ+ candidates on Wednesday: former San Diego City Council President Georgette Gómez in Assembly District 80; Palm Springs City Councilmember and former Mayor Christy Holstege in Assembly District 47; and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Joseph C. Rocha in Senate District 40. Equality California previously announced early endorsements of Rick Chavez Zbur for Assembly District 51 and Chula Vista City Councilmember Steve Padilla for Senate District 18. There are currently eight openly LGBTQ+ Californians serving in the Legislature, including four in the Assembly and four in the Senate.
“For decades, California has led the nation in the fight for full, lived equality and served as a beacon of hope to LGBTQ+ people around the world,” said Equality California Executive Director Tony Hoang. “But unfortunately, our community is still underrepresented at all levels of government — here in California and across the country. Representation is power, and we have an historic opportunity this year to achieve proportionate representation in Sacramento. Equality California is going to take it.”
“This year, we stand ready to mark a massive milestone in the history of our caucus and the broader LGBTQ+ community,” said California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus Chair Asm. Evan Low and Vice Chair Sen. Susan Eggman. “There is no better way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the California Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus than by achieving increased LGBTQ+ representation in the Legislature. More members of the LGBTQ+ community are rolling up their sleeves and running for office than ever before. The Caucus stands ready to support them because representation matters. We won’t stop until every member of the community can see themselves reflected in the halls of their state capitol.”
Georgette Gómez is running in an April special election to replace former Assembly Appropriations Chair Lorena Gonzalez — who recently resigned to lead the California Labor Federation — in the current Assembly District 80. She is also running in the June primary for a full term representing the newly redrawn 80th district, which includes most of the same communities as the current district. Gómez previously made history as the first openly queer Latina to serve as city council president in the state’s second largest city after being elected unanimously by her peers. On the council, she championed civil rights and social justice, environmental justice and support for immigrant communities. She has been endorsed by the Latino and LGBTQ Caucuses, San Diego Assemblymembers Chris Ward and Tasha Boerner Horvath and Supervisor Nora Vargas.
“Georgette Gómez is a proven champion for social justice and the perfect person to represent San Diego’s LGBTQ+, Latino and border communities in the California Assembly,” said Hoang. “We have proudly supported Georgette throughout her career and can’t wait to welcome her to the California Assembly this spring.”
“It’s a great honor to be endorsed once again by Equality California,” said former City Council President Gómez. “As a Queer Latina born and raised in Barrio Logan, you know I’m ready to be the strong voice for equality and fairness that every South County family deserves. In the State Assembly, I’ll fight for families working hard to make ends meet and basic dignity for every Californian — regardless of where you’re from, what you earn, or who you love.”
Christy Holstege is running for the newly redrawn Assembly District 47 in the Coachella Valley, which is an open seat after Asm. Chad Mayes (I-Rancho Mirage) announced he will not seek reelection. Redistricting made the district more Democratic and reunited Cathedral City, which has a large LGBTQ+ population, with the rest of the Coachella Valley’s LGBTQ+ community in a single district. Holstege made history in 2017 as part of the nation’s first all-LGBTQ city council in Palm Springs and again in 2021 as the nation’s first openly bi+ mayor. If elected in November, she’ll make history once again as the first openly bi+ woman to serve in the California Legislature.
“We couldn’t be prouder to support Christy Holstege’s historic campaign for California Assembly,” said Hoang. “On the city council, Christy has been a tireless champion for civil rights, reproductive freedom, affordable housing and an economy that works for everyone. We have no doubt that she will continue to be a powerful force for progress in Sacramento when she makes history this fall.”
“It’s an honor to receive Equality California’s endorsement in our campaign for Assembly District 47,” said Councilmember Holstege. “Throughout my time on the Palm Springs City Council, my colleagues and I have made advancing inclusion, diversity, and justice the center of what we do. I’ve dedicated my whole career to this mission — as a community organizer for the No on Proposition 8 campaign; a civil rights attorney for our community’s most vulnerable, including LGBTQ clients; and as the leader of this compassionate world-class city. I’m grateful to EQCA for their support and look forward to working together in the State Legislature.”
Joseph C. Rocha is running to defeat anti-LGBTQ+ Senator Brian Jones — who earned a 36% on Equality California’s 2019 Legislative Scorecard and 0% in 2020 — in San Diego’s newly competitive Senate District 40. Rocha dedicated his life to serving his country when he joined the Navy on his 18th birthday, only to be discharged later under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. While he advocated for repeal of the discriminatory policy, Rocha graduated from San Diego City College, then the University of San Diego, then University of San Francisco School of Law. Following the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Joseph rejoined the military, rising to the rank of a Marine Corps Captain and prosecutor, continuing to fight for justice.
“Joseph Rocha has exemplified service to community and country throughout his life, and he will be an incredible partner in the fight for full, lived equality in the California Senate,” said Hoang. “Joseph’s unique perspective and powerful life experiences will be invaluable in Sacramento as he continues his lifelong fight for justice. We’re thrilled to support Joseph’s campaign.”
“I am heartened to join the ranks of the fearless trailblazers who have earned Equally California’s endorsement,” said Rocha. “As a principal witness in the federal case that ruled Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell unconstitutional, I have a proven track record of fighting for LGBTQ+ inclusion in some of the toughest and most conservative spaces. I’m running for State Senate out of the same sense of duty and service that has guided me my entire life, and I will be a champion for equality and justice for San Diego County.”
For a complete list of Equality California’s 2022 endorsements, visit eqca.org/elections.
###
Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org
The human rights and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan threatens everyone there, but lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, and other sexual and gender minorities, face an acute threat of violence and even death from the Taliban authorities. These people find hope in Rainbow Railroad, a nongovernmental organization that helps LGBT people flee across borders to safety.
Rainbow Railroad provided invaluable support and advice to Human Rights Watch and OutRight Action International for our new report, “Even If You Go to the Skies, We’ll Find You”: LGBT People in Afghanistan After the Taliban Takeover. Heather Barr, associate women’s rights director at Human Rights Watch, interviewed Kimahli Powell, Rainbow Railroad’s executive director, about how governments can better protect LGBT people during armed conflict and crisis situations.
What does Rainbow Railroad do?
Rainbow Railroad has a mandate to help LGBTQI+ persons facing persecution find pathways to safety. We’ve been doing this work since 2006. We’re based in Canada and the United States, and we have been successful in helping nearly 2,000 people.
How did you find yourself in this line of work?
I’ve been invested in social justice for most of my career. But my own background gives me an affinity for Rainbow Railroad. Although I’m a cisgendered gay male who was born in Canada, my parents were from Jamaica, a country that criminalizes same-sex intimacy. I both understand the privilege that comes with being born in Canada, as well as the risks that are associated with being in a country that criminalizes same-sex relationships. So that, and a real desire to tackle the challenges that we face globally, is why I really invested in Rainbow Railroad.
When was the moment when you thought, “Oh no, we need to work on Afghanistan…”?
Even though we’ve been around since 2006, we really built up ourselves as an organization over the past six years during my tenure as executive director. Up until that point, we focused on helping individuals at risk on a case-by-case basis. But since then, we’ve become more grounded in our work, expanded our international partnerships and networks, and built our capacity. We have worked on multiple crises in Chechnya, Egypt, and other countries.
However, up until this point we’ve never dealt with a full-blown geopolitical crisis that was affecting our community. With Afghanistan, we didn’t initially really realize we’d be working on this issue so intensely, until governments started to identify the LGBTQI+ community as people of concern. And while it’s a sign of progress that governments did proactively label this community as at-risk, it also put expectations on us to intervene. Since the fall of Kabul to the Taliban last August, requests for help just spiked.
Could you share a story or two about some of the people from Afghanistan that Rainbow Railroad helped?
I always find telling a story challenging because so many stories are… hard. They’re hard to listen to, and they really demonstrate the risky situations people are in. We had one individual describe what it was like to run from the Taliban when they took over. This person was identified as LGBTQI+ and went into hiding when the city was taken over, only to find themself under open gunfire because their whereabouts were discovered. This person escaped by running away. That story crystallized for me why this community is particularly vulnerable, and why evacuation was a necessity because of the immediate threat to life.
How does the work on Afghanistan compare to other countries Rainbow Railroad has worked on?
This was a major instance of when the persecution of LGBTQI+ persons intersected with geopolitical issues like conflict. A unique challenge was that governments did not have, and still do not have, diplomatic relations with the Taliban. This meant that civil society had to really take the lead on evacuation efforts and be on the ground and innovative, using approaches we’ve never done before. There are a couple key lessons from that. I think one is that we recognize now that state-sponsored crackdowns are always going to exist, but as we engage more with conflict, or climate issues, or humanitarian issues, the intersection between those and sexual orientation and gender identity is going to be acute. As an LGBTQI+ organization doing this work, we have unique expertise on this population, in order to be of assistance to those at risk.
How are governments doing at assisting LGBTQI+ Afghans who feel like they have no choice but to flee? Anything you would like them to do differently?
Governments have been slow to act. They don’t have the tools to act quickly. That’s been the biggest challenge that we’ve had: they’re not acting fast enough even though they’re saying they are committed to supporting Afghans, and particularly LGBTQI+ Afghans. Rainbow Railroad and civil society partners have been on the ground, doing this work in Afghanistan, for nearly six months. For any intervention to be successful during a crisis, governments need to allow us to refer cases for immediate resettlement into those countries.
Rainbow Railroad in particular, before the crisis began, was sounding the alarm. We were saying governments need to have proactive crisis response plans in place with nimble corridors to protect LGBTQI+ persons at risk. We already know from experience that when crackdowns happen, people are displaced immediately and need very quick solutions. Our plea to governments is: Let’s not wait for another crisis to occur, let’s think of proactive solutions now. And the thing that gives me hope, that I think governments should appreciate, is that civil society is equipped to be an active partner.
What do you think is going to happen in the next year or two in Afghanistan for LGBTQI+ people?
The Taliban are trying to signal that they’re not going to target women and girls, the LGBTQI+ community, etc. But we already know that won’t be the case. My fear is a humanitarian crisis where even more LGBTQI+ persons will be targets of violence, especially if there are not tools to provide international development assistance to people at risk, to help us build civil society on the ground, and to relocate people. If we don’t intervene, we could see much more targeted violence and potentially the deaths of LGBTQI+ persons, which we really want to avoid.
Lydia Caradonna says there’s “no way to work safely” as a sex worker as long as the coronavirus pandemic is ongoing.
COVID-19 has upended so many industries and it has resulted in countless people losing their jobs. Sex workers have been among the worst affected.
The Omicron wave has made the outlook even worse. Once again, sex workers have found themselves unable to meet clients safely, always working in fear that they could contract or pass on COVID-19.
High case numbers have also impacted on client numbers. Countless sex workers have found themselves struggling to make ends meet – and they no longer have savings to fall back on as they did at the start of the pandemic, Lydia says.
“Within the sex industry, most of us write off October to February as the slow season,” Lydia explains. “Lots of us will be living on savings in that time anyway because work always drops around that time of year. But the problem is, we haven’t been able to make any savings because we’re on – what is it, year three now? – of this pandemic.
“We’re having more than just a usual slow period – we’re having another wave of COVID, this huge Omicron wave. I’m in a group chat with 20 sex workers and last night we were all freaking out because no one was even getting time wasting texts, no one was getting phone calls. Last brothel shift I did, I came home with £80, which is absolutely terrible.”
Lydia says many sex workers have stopped “screening” – the process by which they assess if a client is safe – because they can no longer afford to turn anyone away.
“We’re having to take chances on the clients we can get,” she says. “Even dropping safety measures isn’t helping us make ends meet. We’re in really dire times.”
Lydia has resigned herself to the fact that she’s probably going to get COVID soon because it’s impossible to avoid it as a sex worker.
We really don’t have any option but to go and do really risky work with no way to protect ourselves, and then we get blamed for it.
“I’ve somehow – God knows how – managed to avoid it so far, but people are dropping like flies,” she says. “I’m in this awful situation where I’m going to a shift where I know I’m probably still not going to make enough for rent, and while I’m on this shift I’m risking getting seriously ill and in that time I won’t be able to work, so I still own’t be able to make rent. You’re going and doing this extremely risky thing because you have absolutely no choice but to with the way your finances are at the moment.”
The situation gives rise to feelings of guilt, Lydia says – she sometimes feels like it would be her fault if she ended up getting COVID.
“I know we shouldn’t feel guilty because the government put us in this situation where we have to go and work,” she says. “The self-employment income scheme has basically stopped. We really don’t have any option but to go and do really risky work with no way to protect ourselves, and then we get blamed for it. We get called vectors of disease, or people talk about these ‘prostitutes’ going out spreading COVID, but we’ve been given no choice but to.”
Kate McGrew, a sex worker who lives in Dublin, has faced similar challenges. She hasn’t worked with any clients in person since Omicron hit – she moved entirely online to avoid contracting the virus through her work.
“I have been surprised since the onset of the pandemic to discover how hot virtual work can be – the brain is a powerful sex organ – but I would prefer to meet these fellas in person,” she says. “I am very appreciative of my subscribers but creating content is not my preferred way of working.”
There’s also the fact that online work is “less lucrative” to contend with. “It takes way more time for way less money,” she says, adding that the platform she uses takes 30 per cent of her earnings.
“Like many people who are missing out on work at this time my earnings have taken a hit,” she says. “The bank account may halt but the bills never do.”
The pandemic has also impacted on sex workers who operate through websites like OnlyFans. Matt Lownik, better known to his fans as TenInchLondon, started sharing content through the platform shortly before the pandemic began. COVID meant that he couldn’t make new videos during lockdowns as he couldn’t get together with potential partners. Instead, he relied on unreleased footage and material, along with solo content.
The arrival of Omicron before Christmas disrupted his plans once again.
“When Omicron really started kicking off just before Christmas and we weren’t sure about the seriousness of the variant, I rescheduled the content that I was meant to be filming,” Matt explains. “I spent Christmas with my family and friends, and didn’t want to put them at risk through filming in those couple of weeks before.”
Matt considers himself lucky that COVID hasn’t disrupted his work in the same way it has affected other sex workers. He found himself in the unique position that his income actually increased over the latest COVID wave as more people turned to the internet for sexual fulfilment. The same phenomenon occurred in previous lockdowns, he says.
“I think people have been staying home and avoiding hook-ups or cruising, so actually have been engaging more with content on Twitter and fan sites,” he says.
Matt is back to work now, but he’s still taking precautions to make sure he can continue to earn a living safely. He’s gotten his booster, and he expects scene partners to have done the same.
“Keep safe, get boosted and do regular lateral flow tests to make sure your health – and the health of the people close to you – are always the top priority over filming,” he says.
Young LGBT+ people who have experienced sexual assault have reported being afraid to seek help because of prejudice.
A survey released Monday (7 February) by the NHS asked 4,000 people in England about their experiences of sexual assault.
Two in five people said they did not know where to get help after being sexually assaulted, while 56 per cent of sexual assault survivors sought no help from support services following the attack.
The NHS offers support for people who have experienced sexual assault including through specialised sexual assault referral centres, or SARCs. However, 72 per cent were unaware the NHS even offered such help.
Of the 150 LGBT+ people aged 18-33 surveyed, the trend remained the same. Two-fifths sought no support at all, and three out of five were not aware that the NHS provides various support services for sexual assault survivors.
Among LGBT+ people who had been sexually assaulted who did not report the attack, many cited a fear of not being believed or of being judged.
The poll was conducted as part of the NHS’ £20 million bid to boost awareness of SARCs and other support services for sexual assault survivors.
Across the next three years, millions will be injected into both sexual assaultand domestic violence services.
Such funding comes in response the troubling decline in the number of people receiving help from SARCs. Statistics from the NHS show SARC service-use halved after the first lockdown compared with the previous year, despite figures from the Office for National Statistics showing that domestic abuse and sexual assault sharply increased across 2020 in has been called a “shadow pandemic“.
Almost half of gay and bisexual men in Britain having been sexually assaulted, according to SurvivorsUK, a charity supporting male and non-binary survivors of sexual violence.
Again, only 14 per cent of the 505 queer men surveyed by SurvivorsUK reported the incident to the police. Almost a third of LGBT+ people who told the police said the cops “disbelieved” them or refused to take their claims seriously.
Those whose reports reach trial are often met with disappointment, given that the number of rape convictions in England and Wales has halved to the lowest rate on record last year.
In England, those who have been sexually assaulted can seek free medical, practical and emotional support from SARCs.
The 24-hour centres are staffed by healthcare workers and advisors, according to the NHS. Survivors can be connected to police officers and forensic examiners who support them as they report the assault to law enforcement.
Other options include people’s general practitioners (GP), sexual health clinics and hospital emergency departments as well as voluntary organisations such as Rape Crisis and Male Survivors Partnership, many of which operate freephone helplines.
“Sexual assault or domestic abuse can happen to anyone – any age, ethnicity, gender or social circumstance – and it may be a one-off event or happen repeatedly,” said Katie Davies, NHS director of sexual assault services commissioning.
“But sadly, thousands of people aren’t sure where to turn to get the help they need, and today the NHS is making it clear that you can turn to us.”
We look forward to welcoming you back!