Top Stories
Putin Is meddling in the midterms to help Trump by spreading false sex abuse claims
On Tuesday, an X account attributed to a Texas man named Zyron Lewis posted a video of Lewis claiming that in 2012, when he was a middle school student, he was sexually assaulted by James Talarico, the Democratic Senate candidate in Texas. This allegation—which zapped across the internet—was quickly debunked. Talarico was indeed a middle school teacher at that time, and a Zyron Lewis had been a student of his. But the Zyron Lewis in the video was not the real Zyron Lewis. The real Lewis told a factchecking site he had never been abused by Talarico, and X subsequently suspended the interloper. This attempt to smear Talarico […]
Bombshell documentary features 3 male sex workers who claim they were hired by Lindsey Graham
A thirty-minute documentary released this morning by the Young Turks features three male sex workers who say they were paid to have sex with the late Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who was long plagued by gay rumors despite his anti-LGBTQ+ policy stances. One man in the documentary says he was 17 at the time of his sexual encounter with Graham. In the documentary, the men describe their alleged encounters with Graham in sordid detail. During his time in politics, Graham consistently denied being gay despite nonstop rumors and residents of Washington D.C. calling his homosexuality “an open secret.” Since his death, multiple sex […]
Trump Justice Department obscures trans victims of prison sexual abuse while singling out trans perpetrators
The Trump administration has once again all but erased transgender people from reports about sexual violence in prisons and jails across the country — except to report data about trans people as perpetrators of violence. The same reports mention transgender victims behind labels such as “other.” The two Bureau of Justice Statistics reports, based on the results of the anonymous National Inmate Survey conducted in 2023 and 2024, that were released last week, glaringly obscure data about trans people as victims of violence behind bars. Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a […]
Local News
LGBTQI History: A Sonoma County Timeline Class Discusses the SCRAP 6 Fight
LGBTQI History: A Sonoma County Timeline 1947-2000. Online via Zoom. On Monday October 26, we will be talking about SCRAP 6, the SoCo fight against the Briggs Initiative which sought to keep gays and lesbians from teaching in our schools. Contact me to enroll and receive a Zoom link: cdungan@santarosa.edu
Positive Image’s Radical Education Center: Know Your Rights, Make Your Voice Heard
Positive Images is excited to spend the next month helping Sonoma County voters prepare for this election season. We want to make sure our community members have the information they need to register, vote, and make their voices heard. For queer and trans people, QTBIPOC communities, and people with disabilities, elections can directly affect our healthcare, housing, and access to community resources. We also know that voting can come with extra questions and barriers. This month, we’re breaking down some common voter questions and myths so you can know your rights and make a plan to vote. What to Know […]
Arts & Entertainment
Historians straightwashed a 1600s poet. A new book captures the true legacy of “the Welsh Sappho.”
When the Welsh government in 2021 embarked on what Deputy Minister of Social Partnership Hannah Blythyn described as a project to make Wales “the most LGBTQ+ friendly nation in Europe,” Welsh scholar Norena Shopland was commissioned to help train librarians, museum staff, and archivists on the inclusion of LGBTQ+ history. In 2022, Shopland served as founding researcher in an inspiring and beautifully done countrywide effort to write a local LGBTQ+ open-access online history for each of the twenty-two counties of Wales, providing, she wrote, “a means by which local people, allies and events can be celebrated instead of replicating mainstream narratives and […]
Halloween Eve with Thugz at Occidental Center for the Arts on October 30
Friday October 30 @ 7 pm: Halloween Eve with Thugz at Occidental Center for the Arts! Join us on Halloween Eve for a fun night with the THUZ (Tribal Hippie Underground Zone)! Enjoy your favorite Grateful Dead and classic Americana tunes as we dance the night away. Cash prize for best costume. Doors open at 6:30 PM. Tickets $20/$15 for OCA Members at www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org; or at the door. Beer, wine, fine refreshments. Art Gallery open. Wheelchair accessible. Parking available. 3850 Doris Murphy Ct. Occidental, CA. 95465. OCA is a non-profit arts organization with volunteer staffing for events.
State News
GLBT Historical Society Honors Poet, Artist, Preacher, and Storyteller Marvin K. White October 17
Saturday, October 17, 2026The Westin St. Francis, San FranciscoCocktails: 6:00 p.m. | Dinner: 7:00 p.m. We’re thrilled to announce the second of our 2026 History Maker Honorees, Marvin K. White, Minister of Celebration at Glide Memorial Church and founder of tendesf: art gallery and artpothecary. Born and raised in Oakland, Marvin has performed nationally and internationally as a member of the acclaimed theater troupe PomoAfroHomos and has presented his original work at numerous theaters, bringing his poetic voice into live performance and collective storytelling. His four poetry collections include the Lambda Literary Award–nominated last rights and nothin’ ugly fly, and he helped found and […]
Gavin Newsom moves to shield California transgender patient records from federal scrutiny
California is adding new medical privacy protections for LGBTQ+ adults facing federal subpoenas and expanding access to injectable medicines for HIVprevention. That is thanks to a spate of six new bills passed by the Democratic-led state legislature and signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday. Newsom said he signed the bills to strengthen LGBTQ+ rights in the state amid a federal crackdown on such protections. Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week. “The Trump administration has launched an all-out assault on the LGBTQ community, using medical records […]
