Top Stories
Mike Johnson swore Everton Blair in as the South’s first Black gay congressman
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson stood beside Everton Blair Jr. on the House floor Tuesday and swore the Georgia Democrat into Congress, formally making Blair the first out gay Black person from the South to serve in the chamber. The oath was routine. The pairing was anything but. For Johnson, it was an official duty of the speakership. For Blair, it was the culmination of a political ascent built around education, generational change, and the argument that representation is more than symbolism. The moment also produced an unavoidable contrast: One of the country’s most prominent opponents of LGBTQ+ equality was welcoming a Black gay lawmaker into an institution that, for most […]
Musk Loses Bid To Block MN Law Against AI Child Porn
Politico reports: A federal judge Friday refused to block a Minnesota law prohibiting the creation of sexually explicit deepfake images that’s being challenged by Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, SpaceXAI. U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank said the company, formerly known as xAI, waited too long in making its last-minute request to temporarily block the law while its broader legal challenge plays out. SpaceXAI waited three months to file its lawsuit, which came three days before the law took effect on Aug. 1. SpaceXAI operates the social media platform X and the AI tool Grok. The judge said the state’s interests outweigh […]
Local News
New limited-edition T-shirt Collection Supports Amor Para Todos
My distributor has officially launched a limited-edition line of T-shirts featuring my original artwork. It’s been a long process getting everything ready, and I’m thrilled that it’s finally here. The artwork is inspired by the enduring fight for justice and the promise of the 14th Amendment, an important reminder that the pursuit of equal protection under law, dignity, and belonging for all Americans is alive today in the midst of the challenging times we find ourselves living in, and that the freedoms we hold as citizens are not something we take for granted but principles we must continue to defend […]
Arts & Entertainment
September 12 @ 8 pm at Occidental Center for the Arts Fall Into Funk Dance Party with Ariel Marin & James Earley Band
Saturday September 12 @ 8 pm at Occidental Center for the Arts. Fall Into Funk Dance Party with Ariel Marin & James Earley Band!Join us for a fun night of your favorite funky tunes performed live by one of the Bay Area’s hottest bands! Songstress Ariel Marin, James Earley and talented friends return for an evening of funky grooves, groovy funk and everything you need to get your dance on! Tickets are $25, $10 for OCA members at www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org; or at the door. Limited seating. Dance floor. Wheelchair accessible. Fine refreshments, Art Gallery open at intermission. 3850 Doris Murphy Ct. […]
State News
San Diego repeals bathhouse ordinance passed during HIV/AIDS crisis
San Diego has officially removed a decades-old ordinance that targeted LGBTQ+ people from its books. The San Diego City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday (1 September) to repeal a bathhouse ordinance originally passed in 1988 and amended in 1991, during the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis. The law explicitly sought to regulate bathhouses in an effort to prevent gay and bisexual men from having sex and transmitting HIV, as reported by KPBS. The ordinance had effectively been sitting unused for years. Council President Joe LaCava’s office brought the repeal forward after a staffer stumbled across it while searching the city’s municipal code. LaCava said the law […]
Trump DOJ tried to force California to ban trans girls from sports. A judge said no
Earlier this week, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Justice Department challenging California’s trans-inclusive school sports policies, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times. While the ruling does not establish a statewide right for transgender athletes to compete on teams consistent with their gender identity, it rejects the DOJ’s claim that California’s policies violate Title IX. Title IX is a 1972 federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in education programs and activities receiving federal funding. In its suit, the Justice Department alleged that California’s Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation violated the law by allowing transgender student athletes to […]
