News

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U.S. Marshals arrest fugitive sex offender allegedly posing as LGBTQ+ journalist for years

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A man who worked as a journalist in LGBTQ+ media has been arrested and identified by California authorities as a fugitive sex offender who police say had been living under an assumed identity since at least 2016. Police officials allege that George Paul Bishop, 66, had lived under the name “Brody Levesque” in Santa Cruz County, south of San Francisco, for several years. The alias matches a journalist who has written for LGBTQ+ news site LGBTQ Nation, and a Brody Levesque once even served as editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Blade. According to Fairfax County Circuit Court in Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C., a warrant for Bishop’s arrest has been active since […]

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NPR and PBS first target in MTG’s DOGE crosshairs

Politico reports: The new House subcommittee designed to complement the work of Elon Musk has named its first target: the nonprofit news media. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s “Delivering on Government Efficiency” Subcommittee — or DOGE, mimicking its Musk-run analogue, the Department of Government Efficiency — is asking the leaders of PBS and NPR to testify next month. DOGE Subcommittee Chair Marjorie Taylor Greene  put out the request to the executives in a letter Monday morning, specifying a preference for the weeks of March 3 or March 24. In her letter to PBS CEO Paula Kerger, Greene pointed to […]

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Federal Agency, Former Champion for Intellectual Freedom, Parrots Book Ban Misinformation

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Living up to President Trump’s campaign promise to upend education, the endangered U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced last week the dismissal of 11 complaints and six pending cases filed against school book bans as “meritless claim[s] premised upon a dubious legal theory.” Additionally, OCR fired book ban coordinator Matt Nosanchuk and eliminated the Biden Administration-created role. Nosanchuk was hired in 2023 to address intellectual freedom violations in schools and federally-funded institutions. In a press release calling book bans a “hoax,” OCR noted that in reviewing pending cases, attorneys alleged that no book bans had taken place. Rather, “school districts, in consultation with parents […]

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Olympia becomes Washington’s first sanctuary city for LGBTQ+ people

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Olympia is officially the first sanctuary city for LGBTQ+ people in Washington state.  The city council voted unanimously at a meeting on Tuesday to declare the state capital a sanctuary for the queer community, specifically outlining protections for transgender people and gender-affirming care. The resolution, introduced by Assistant City Manager Stacey Ray, mandates equal and dignified treatment under the law regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. “Declaring Olympia a sanctuary city means recognizing the inherent worth and equal rights of LGBTQIA2S+ people, and demonstrating a commitment to protecting and advocating for individuals by rejecting policies and actions that promote discrimination, harm and inequity,” Ray said […]

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Federal agencies bar Black History Month and other ‘special observances’ including Pride

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Federal agencies on Friday rushed to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive orders aimed at curtailing diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The executive orders prompted a flurry of memos and emails obtained by NBC News that modified the rules for staff at intelligence agencies, in the military and across civilian departments regarding employee resource groups and the celebration of cultural awareness events. This week, the Defense Intelligence Agency ordered a pause of all activities and events related to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Black History Month, Juneteenth, LGBTQ Pride Month, Holocaust Remembrance Day and other “special observances” to comply with […]

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Cabinet Confirmation Hearings Largely Ignore LGBTQ Issues Despite Disparate Impact of Agency Policy on LGBTQ People

The Senate confirmation hearings for President Donald Trump’s nominees began January 14, 2025. Despite the critical roles these nominees, if confirmed, will play in shaping national policy, the hearings notably lack substantive questioning or responses regarding the safety and equality of LGBTQ people, even as President Trump has taken high interest in targeting the community via executive order. The first Trump administration was marked by the greatest number of anti-LGBTQ actions ever undertaken by a U.S. president. Many of his nominees have records that reveal action and antipathy against LGBTQ Americans. One of the most contentious hearings so far was for the nomination of Robert […]

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Equality California on Trump Executive Order Attacking LGBTQ+ Inclusive Schools

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 Equality California released the following statement from Executive Director Tony Hoang in response to Trump’s executive order directing the Department of Education to withhold federal funding from schools that support LGBTQ+ students: “Donald Trump’s directive to punish schools that provide basic dignity and respect for transgender and non-binary students and censor accurate histories of racism in America is unconscionable. This is a flagrant attempt to intimidate educators, ban curriculum, and discriminate against LGBTQ+ communities and communities of color. All students—including LGBTQ+ students—deserve to feel safe at school and be given the freedom to learn. This latest action by Donald Trump does the opposite […]

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California Releases Master Plan for Aging Annual Report and New Initiatives for 2025-26

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: The fourth Master Plan for Aging (MPA) annual report highlights California’s leadership and progress in helping hundreds of thousands of people aged 50 and over get more affordable health care and home care and live in inclusive and safe communities. The report covers accomplishments achieved in year four of California’s nation-leading 10-year plan to help all people, families, and the economy thrive through longer lives. SACRAMENTO – Today, the California Department of Aging (CDA) released a new report detailing 81 Master Plan for Aging (MPA) initiatives designed to build momentum and drive results for older Californians over the next […]

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Union official says Education Department employees were placed on leave after taking diversity training during Trump’s first term

Dozens of employees who attended a diversity training course that former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos encouraged during President Donald Trump’s first administration have been placed on paid leave as part of Trump’s targeting of DEI programs, a union official told NBC News. Sheria Smith, president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 252, which represents hundreds of Education Department employees, said that at least 55 employees had been placed on leave as of Friday evening and that she expected the number to grow as she learns more.  The affected workers included a public affairs specialist, civil rights attorneys, program manager […]

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CALL TO ACTION: Email Sonoma County Supervisors to Urge Them to Continue to Support Programs that Assist LGBTQI+ Asylum Seekers and Immigrants

Sample Email: Dear Board of Supervisors, I am a volunteer coordinator with two immigrant support organizations in Sonoma County.  I have been on the Steering Committee of NBRRN North Bay Rapid Response Network for 8 years and was a founding member of QAA Queer Asylum Accompaniment in 2019.  These organizations provide strong support for immigrant individuals and families in Sonoma County impacted by immigration enforcement.   Secure Families Collaborative has been the prime source of funding for the legal needs of the same individuals and families that our organizations have been working with and supporting for these last few years.  Secure […]

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