Top Stories
Terrorist attack at huge Berlin Pride parade celebration leaves 1 dead, dozens injured
A woman was killed, and 29 people were injured Saturday night when a vehicle drove into a crowd near Berlin’s Pride celebration, in what German officials are investigating as a suspected Islamist terrorist attack. Authorities were searching Sunday for a 21-year-old suspect publicly identified as Abdul B., according to the German news program Tagesschau. Police warned that he may be armed and dangerous and urged the public not to approach him. Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week. “Everything we see here indicates that we are dealing with an Islamist […]
Conservatives want us to forget our own power by erasing LGBTQ+ history. We won’t let them.
As the Trump administration celebrates America’s historic semiquincentennial – the two and a half centuries that have passed since the 1776 signing of the Declaration of Independence – it’s important to note that the president and his political party have spent the past several years actively erasing LGBTQ+ Americans and other marginalized groups from public history. The administration removed words like “transgender” and “queer” from the official website for the Stonewall National Monument; it has cut funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and grants that support LGBTQ+ community programs and research of all sorts; Republican school and library boards have removed LGBTQ+-related books from shelves […]
Trump administration formally ends Biden-era LGBTQ+ foster care protections
The Trump administration has officially rescinded a Biden-era rule that was designed to help ensure LGBTQ+ children in foster care could access safe, supportive, and affirming placements. Originally introduced in April 2024, the rule required child welfare agencies receiving federal funding to identify designated foster placements equipped to meet the needs of LGBTQ+ young people. It also included training requirements for agencies and sought to ensure LGBTQ+ children had access to age-appropriate support and services. Although the rule never took effect after a federal judge vacated it in 2025, the administration has now formally removed it altogether. The Department of Health and Human […]
Local News
Wake Up Sonoma Meets with Sonoma Valley High School Superintendent About Pride Flag Removal
On July 22, Board members, David, Josette and Lisa met with Superintendent Jason Sutter, who continues to be invested in listening to the community, hearing us out, and working within his role and capacity. Below is a summary of our meeting.He has scheduled the presentation of two possible flag policies for September. This will give the Superintendent time to work with administrators, staff, and students to develop the draft policies. He would also be surprised if the issue is fully resolved in September. Board policies often require multiple revisions, and because two drafts will be presented to the Board, the […]
Benefit Show for Undocufund Featuring Angry Aztecs, Rascuaches, and more!
P.U.R.R.-Punks United in Real Resistance-Moira Scar+ Skye Lagenhahn are throwing a Super Stacked Benefit for Undocufund on 7/31 – all ages P.U.R.R.-Punks United in Real Resistance (Moira Scar+ Skye Lagenhahn) are throwing a Super Stacked Benefit for Undocufund on July 31st at Barrelproof Lounge Featuring: MC and Drag by Kochina Rude!Music by: Come hungry because Tacos el Gran Mac will be serving up yumminess! You will want to Get $um Raffle tickets bcz the Prizes are Sooo Damn Cool!! —we will post more info soon!! Please Tell EVERYONE to Come Out and Support This Essential Organization!!! UndocuFund organizations operate to provide direct […]
Arts & Entertainment
Now at Rialto Cinemas in Sebastopol: “Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World”
Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the WorldOne Week Only Starts Friday July 24 3:50 pm & 5:45 pm If poetry had a pop icon, Mary Oliver would be it. Celebrated best-selling poet, Pulitzer Prize-winner, lover of dogs and long walks in the woods, openly queer but intensely private, Oliver was America’s unlikely contemporary mystic, stalking the ponds and forests of Cape Cod for nearly fifty years in order to open herself – and her readers – to the known and unknowable world. From a lonely childhood to literary fame, Oliver’s life was shaped by devotion to nature, paying attention, and the […]
State News
When San Francisco “went absolutely bonkers” over a gay vigilante group
“Nothing disgusts me more than a f**got on the sideline.” So said the Rev. Ray Broshears, the collar-clad leader of the Lavender Panthers, a gay vigilante group enlisted by Broshears to combat attacks on gay and trans people in San Francisco during the 1970s. Broshears aggressive tactics and publicity-seeking gained the group some mainstream headlines and probably account for its prominent place in the history of the “Gay Liberation” movement today, when other community-based responses to police harassment and gay-bashing have been lost. The controversial and self-styled gay “reverend” was a master at provocation. “I believe in confrontation politics,” Broshears […]
California budgets $26 million to protect access to gender-affirming care from federal attacks
In a win for trans people, their families, and healthcare providers in the state, California has passed a new budget that includes funds to protect gender-affirming and reproductive healthcare from federal funding interference. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed the budget, which was the result of extensive lobbying from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, including TransFamily Support Services. “This historic investment will help keep care accessible, support the providers doing this lifesaving work, and remind trans young people that California will not abandon them,” said Kathy Moehlig, director of TransFamily Support Services. The 2026-27 budget sets aside $26 million to support gender-affirming care access […]
