Saturday March 2 @ 7 pm: Rita Hosking & Sean Feder/The Musers Double Bill Concert at Occidental Center for the Arts. Get ready for an unforgettable evening of soul-stirring music featuring the exceptional talents of Rita Hosking & Sean Feder and the mesmerizing sounds of The Musers. Folk, roots, and Americana blend seamlessly, courtesy of Rita Hosking’s evocative vocals and Sean Feder’s masterful guitar work. From folk to indie, the dynamic ensemble known as The Musers weave a tapestry of enchanting melodies and eclectic sound. Tickets $30 GA, $25 for OCA Members at www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org; or at the door. OCA is wheelchair accessible. Fine refreshments for sale, Art Gallery open during intermission. 3850 Doris Murphy Ct. Occidental, CA. 95465. 707-874-9392.
TICKETS NOW ON SALEROSÉ ALL DAY SONOMA VALLEY’S PREMIER ROSÉ WINE FESTIVAL
Thrilled to announce the highly anticipated 5th. Annual Pink Sonoma Wine Fest taking place on Sunday, May 5 from Noon-3pm. Join us for an unforgettable day of enchanting Rosés, delectable cuisine, music and more at the picturesque Viansa Winery. Pink Sonoma Fest will delight your senses while we celebrate and savor the world of pink wines with two dozen plus wineries. Tickets are now on sale so mark your calendars and break out your finest pink for this afternoon of pure delight. Proceeds benefit Positive Images, supporting LGBTQ+ Youth in Sonoma County.
OUT IN THE VINEYARD IS HEADING TO BEND, OREGON with EQUALITY VINES TO KICK-OFF WINTER PRIDE FEST
RESERVE YOUR SEATS TODAY. RESERVATIONS NOW AVAILABLE
We are excited to announce our first-ever Winemaker Dinner in Bend, Oregon. Join us on Tuesday, March 6th to kick-off Winter Pride Fest. Jim Obergefell, co-owner of Equality Vines in Sonoma County and the lead plaintiff in the Marriage Equality case that won at the Supreme Court joins us for this very special evening. Bosa Restaurant, one of Bend’s finest is our host for this evening of food and wine that will delight the senses. You can view the menu and wine pairings online here. We hope you can join us for this very special evening.
CaliforniaDemocratic U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia, the first out immigrant elected to Congress and the president of the most recent class of new legislators, has led a forceful oversight letter to the Department of Defense.
Three gay Democratic U.S. congressmen have sent a letter to the Department of Defense demanding a quicker response to resolving cases of LGBTQ+ people dishonorably expelled from the military under the former “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy.
Signed by CaliforniaDemocratic U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia, the first out immigrant elected to Congress and the president of the most recent class of new legislators; Rep. Mark Pocan, the chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus from Wisconsin; and out Rep. Chris Pappas of New Hampshire, the letter was sent to Secretary Lloyd J. Austin.
The lawmakers’ letter to Austin lauds the department’s increased outreach to dishonorably discharged veterans under DADT. But lawmakers seek data from the department so that oversight can take place to understand delays in the process. The letter provides sobering statistics, noting that out of the 32,837 veterans separated under the “Homosexual Conduct” policy from 1980 until the repeal, a mere 57 percent have received Honorable Discharges.
The Pentagon announced last year that it would itself review the expulsions under DADT instead of forcing former servicepeople to apply for the updated discharge.
In the letter, the lawmakers wrote, “Since DADT repeal, many veterans who sought to upgrade their less than honorable discharges reported a prolonged and burdensome process, often requiring the use of a lawyer, to seek the respect and benefits they rightfully earned. And far too many veterans discharged under DADT had no idea they could seek an upgrade or where to start the process.”
The letter seeks comprehensive information from the Pentagon, crucial for evaluating the progress and efficacy of the efforts to correct the records of veterans discharged under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. It also requests data on applications for discharge upgrades, clear reasons for denials, and the procedural timelines involved, as well as calls on the DoD to identify and resolve any legislative or financial barriers hindering progress.
Garcia, Pocan, and Pappas demand specific details from the Pentagon by March 1, including the number of applications for discharge upgrades and information on the procedural and financial barriers that may impede the review process. This request is a follow-up to the Pentagon’s decision in September 2023 to proactively review cases of service members who were dismissed under DADT, and who have been denied vital veteran benefits such as health care and tuition support because of their discharge categorization.
“Our service members made the ultimate sacrifice to defend our country. ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ was a policy that should have never existed in the first place, but we’re unfortunately still feeling the repercussions of it to this day,” Garcia said in a press release.
“Now, the Department of Defense has the responsibility to uplift LGBTQ+ veterans who were previously degraded because of their sexuality. We are calling on the Secretary of Defense to continue prioritizing the Department’s commitment to reevaluate the thousands of cases where an LGBTQ+ serviceworker was discharged under less than honorable conditions in an attempt to correct the record and honor them the way they deserve,” Garcia added.
Pocan said, “The United States government has a moral obligation to right the wrongs it committed when it dishonorably discharged veterans from the armed services on the grounds of their sexual orientation.”
Pappas also highlighted the urgency of the corrections.
“While it’s been thirteen years since the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ the trauma of these policies is not over, and for far too many LGBTQ+ service members and veterans, their injustice has not been corrected,” he said in the release.
Deadline for Receipt: Wednesday, March 1, 2024, 11:59 PM PST
ABOUT THE SISTERS’ GRANTS FUND
The Russian River Sisters’ Grant Fund is managed by a committee of Sisters. Grant funding requests are accepted only via the application form on our website. Grant Fund applications are reviewed and evaluated by the Grants Committee. In evaluating an application, we consider the nature of the request and how relevant it is to the needs of our local community. We do not approve grant requests for salaries, honorariums, personal or travel expenses. We also do not approve requests from organizations outside of our sphere of influence.
In the decision process we look at how the applicant’s usage of the funds granted would serve the Russian River Community. Show us what you have in mind! You may also include pictures, diagrams or
other supportive documents to help us understand your ideas.
Please note that we receive many requests and there are no guarantees your application will be approved.
APPLICATION SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
If your organization meets the criteria listed above, please fill out and submit your application via the provided link below. Selected beneficiaries will be informed by March 22, 2024.
The Russian River Sisters’ Grants Committee WILL NOT accept emailed applications, paper applications, (mailed or hand-delivered) in any circumstances. Your application MUST be filled out and submitted online using the link provided below.
DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT: 11:59 PM PST, March 1, 2024 – The online submission system automatically disables on this date and time. Please plan accordingly and submit your application well in advance of the deadline.
New research has revealed that more than a third of students and graduates identify as LGBTQ+, but many are reluctant to work somewhere where they can’t be their authentic selves.
The research, conducted by the LGBTQ+ jobs platform myGwork, revealed that today’s young queer job-seekers want to work in open and accepting environments.
The survey of more than 2,000 students and recent graduates globally showed that Gen Z is quickly becoming the queerest generation of workplace cohorts. The research showed that 36 per cent of those surveyed are LGBTQ+, with nine per cent identifying as bisexual, nine per cent as gay, five per cent as queer and three per cent as lesbian.
Those who identified as asexual, pansexual, queer and genderqueer collectively represent 13 per cent of LGBTQ+ students and graduates, which would seem to reflect a growing recognition and acceptance of diverse sexual identities.
The survey also showed that 75 per cent of respondents expressed a reluctance to join organisations where they couldn’t be their authentic selves, fearing being discriminated against, facing bias and being given limited opportunities for the training or development required to progress.
LGBTQ+ graduates want to see themselves in senior roles
The research highlighted the importance of seeing visible LGBTQ+ role models in senior roles. At companies without visible LGBTQ+ leadership, many young LGBTQ+ professionals are unlikely to believe they can get ahead. This lack of visibility led to an average of eight out of every 10 of those who responded saying that their sexual and gender identity will make it more challenging for them to reach senior positions.
Additionally, anoverwhelming 80 per cent of LGBTQ+ students and graduates said that seeing visible LGBTQ+ role models in senior positions would influence their decision to accept a job offer made by a prospective employer.
LGBTQ+ students and graduates of colour attach slightly higher importance to having visible LGBTQ+ role models and allies in leadership roles compared with their white peers, according to the data collected.
The report revealed that discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity remains common in the workplace and universities/business schools.
Thirty-six per cent of LGBTQ+ students/graduates have personally experienced discrimination such as homophobia, biphobia and transphobia at their place of work or study. Almost half of all LGBTQ+ students/graduates surveyed reported witnessing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity at their place of study or work, compared with 32 per cent of non-LGBTQ+ students and graduates.
Meanwhile, 52 per cent of LGBTQ+ students and graduates from marginalised ethnicity and racial groups said they witnessed more discrimination based on both their sexual orientation and gender identity. LGBTQ+ students and graduates of colour were more likely to have experienced discrimination themselves, at 40 per cent compared with 30 per cent of white LGBTQ+ students/graduates.
LGBTQ+ students and graduates value allyship
The research also highlights the importance of active corporate allyship, with 80 per cent of LGBTQ+ students and graduates indicating a reluctance to join companies that have reduced support for the LGBTQ+ community.
Currently, very few students and graduates globally believe that organisations are taking enough proactive actions toward total inclusivity. The figures are much lower for LGBTQ+ students, at five per cent compared with 14 per cent of cis-het students and graduates.
Commenting on the research, myGwork’s co-founders, Adrien and Pierre Gaubert, said: “Our latest research goes beyond highlighting industries perceived to be more LGBTQ+ friendly by young job-seekers. It provides insights into the criteria LGBTQ+ students and recent graduates seek in inclusive employers and the essential benefits necessary to attract and retain them.”
The transgender community in Germany faces an escalation in disinformation, primarily fueled by far-right groups amid attempts to pass the country’s Self-Determination Act. This legislative proposal, designed to ease the legal process of gender change on official documents, was initially lauded as a progressive step by Germany’s majority Social Democrat (SPD), Green, and neoliberal Free Democrat (FDP) coalition. However, Deutsche Welle reports that it has now become a flashpoint for intense political debates.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has been particularly active in exploiting this issue, using it to stir divisive political rhetoric much like the American Republican Party has been doing.
“There’s no money for pensioners, schools and the railway under the current government, but they now want to introduce nationwide gender identity advice centers for all those who don’t know if they are male or female,” the deputy leader of AfD, Beatrix von Storch, told the German Bundestag last November. She questioned to what end documents could be “falsified” if one “can choose” to be a woman by wearing “painted fingernails and mini skirts.”
The German publication Welthighlighted FDP member Justice Minister Marco Buschmann’s leadership in this legislative change. In an interview with Welt, Buschmann conveyed the act’s objective to simplify the process of changing gender registration. Furthermore, in an interview with ZDF television, Buschmann criticized the current legal process for gender change, saying, “Imagine that you simply want to live your life and you don’t wish anyone anything bad, and then you’re questioned about what your sexual fantasies are, what underwear you wear and similar things. Those affected have found this questioning very degrading.”
The Southern Poverty Law Center has documented similar strategies by right-wing groups in the U.S. to undermine transgender rights. According to the SPLC, these groups isolate transgender rights advocates from traditional allies, using tactics that frame transgender rights as contrary to the interests of other marginalized groups.
A gay rights activist has criticised Grindr for its trans and nonbinary-inclusive filter.
Currently, the dating app prevents users from searching solely for Cisgender men and women, the site explains. “It was important to us to not further perpetuate discrimination and harm for the trans and nonbinary community.”
Instead, users can filter who they’d like to speak to on the app. The trans-inclusive filter details “three umbrella gender groups”: men, women and non-binary people.
Fred Sargeant took to X (formerly Twitter) on 5 February to question the app’s filter. The app detailed its trans-inclusive filter in a frequently asked questions section of the website.
However, Sergeant criticised the app – which was the most popular among users aged 54+ last year. “So, filtering for gay men is bad but filtering for trans and nonbinary is okay @Grindr? You recognise trans/nonbinary needs to discriminate while invalidating precisely the same need for gay men.
“Delete your service @Grindr. You’re no longer needed.”
Fred Sargeant questioned the app’s filter. (X/@FredSargeant)
Others took to the comments section, with one social media user branding the app “homophobic” for its trans-inclusive filter. “Gay men, @Grindr is no longer for us,” a different person wrote.
A representative of Grindr told PinkNews: “Trans men, trans women, and non-binary people have been a part of the Grindr community from the very beginning, and we have always been committed to creating a safe space for trans users.
“This has included working with the National Center for Transgender Equality on profile fields for gender identity and pronouns, and building a Gender Identity Resource Center so that cis Grindr users can increase their understanding of trans people and issues.
“As part of our commitment to our trans users, we are pursuing a gender filtering system to allow all users, trans and cis, to find who they’re looking for on the app. Users who are only interested in men, for example, can select not to see women and explore a Grindr cascade of men. Of course, trans men are men, so users filtering to see men will see both cis and trans men.”
What is Grindr’s trans-inclusive filter?
The FAQ on the website regarding the trans-inclusive filter reads: “Why can’t I filter for Cis Men or Cis Women?”
“We allow filtering based on gender – you can specify that you want to see men or women – but this will include all men or all women, because trans men are men and trans women are women.
“You can also filter for trans and nonbinary people, as we know it’s critical for this community to be able to find each other easily.”
Grindr explains its trans-inclusive filter on its website. (Grindr)
The FAQs also explain that the “Cis Man/Woman” gender identities have changed to “Man/Woman” as part of their “ongoing commitment to inclusivity and an effort to reduce discrimination toward trans and nonbinary folks”.
Users can edit their gender and pronouns in the app’s settings “to search (and be found) by gender identity”.
“We have a list of 50+ gender identities to choose from – and even provide non-gendered pronoun options for languages that don’t have gendered pronouns. To ensure that culturally specific gender identity terms were included in that list, we partnered with experts across 20 languages.
“We’re still learning every day – and always open to expanding that list. If you have a gender identity or pronoun suggestion for us, please submit it using the Suggest a Gender link on the gender selection screen.”
The theater lights are about to dim at Prayer for the French Republic, a new Broadway play that tracks the journey of a Jewish family in Paris from World War II through the 2017 French presidential election and the country’s rise in antisemitism. My companion leans over and asks earnestly, “Why do the Jews get a country and no other religion?”
Playwright Joshua Harmon’s cast of characters debates the question for nearly three hours, as do we over post-show cocktails. I suggest, perhaps with a bit of earnest strain in my voice, that it might have something to do with millennia of persecution, from the biblical story of Exodus and the pogroms of the Russian Empire to a CNN poll indicating that a third of Europeans believe Jews use the Holocaust to advance their own positions or goals. But does that give the Jewish people a right to land also claimed sacred by Palestinians?
I was born and raised Jewish — jumping through the Bar Mitzvah and confirmation hoops and celebrating the High Holy Days with requisite challah and subsequent fasting. I visited Israel in 2015 for Tel Aviv Pride, thinking I’d feel an immediate kinship with my fellow Jews.
I didn’t.
While I fell in love with the city, pulsating with the youthful sun-kissed glow of tech millennials, I didn’t feel any more “Jewish.” Upon my return home, I resided myself to the fact that my Russian and Polish ancestral roots — pale skin, receding hairline, perpetually nervous stomach — was my lot in life, and my desire for a larger sense of community needed to be cultivated from within.
Tel Aviv Pride. Photo by Matthew Wexler
Though rarely asked before the horrific Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and subsequent retaliation by Israeli forces that has left upward of 22,000 Palestinians dead, I would describe myself as Jewish but not Zionist. But it’s not that simple.
In a recent interview with the New York Times, Anti-Defamation League chief executive Jonathan Greenblatt said, “Zionism is fundamental to Judaism,” comparing it to the civil rights movement by suggesting that to be anti-Zionist but not antisemitic is the equivalent of saying, “I’m against the civil rights movement, but I’m also against racism.”
The article’s author, Charles M. Blow, further dismantles the argument, questioning, “There are several forms of Zionism, and people in these debates rarely seem to be explicit about which form they are for or against. Political Zionism? Cultural Zionism? Religious Zionism? Some combination of them? Does it matter?”
I ask myself the same questions regarding my gay identity. Am I politically queer? Culturally queer?
In a recent interview with LGBTQ Nation, out actor Danny Kornfeld told me, “One of the things I love about the Jewish religion is the encouragement to ask questions, to say, ‘Why is this?’”
Barry Manilow’s “Harmony” unearths the story of a musical group impacted by Hitler’s Germany. Marginalized communities see the terrifying connection.
So I’m asking why.
On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, I’m asking how this near extermination came to be. And January 29, the anniversary of the Bear River Massacre that left hundreds of Native Americans. And June 12, when Omar Mateen killed 49 people and injured more than 50 at Pulse Nightclub. And on September 11, when I watched the plumes of smoke and disintegrated souls hover above lower Manhattan from my apartment window.
Depending on the algorithms of one’s digital search history, the day’s social media feed may be flooded with Holocaust-related content, or scrolling might look like any other, filled with reels and TikToks and stitches and tweets and posts. Made-up words and content that often pretends to be rooted in reality.
As nearly eight decades drive a wedge between World War II’s end and modern-day atrocities, it becomes increasingly harder for me to put on a happy face. Jews weren’t the only ones sent to the gas chambers. Under Paragraph 175 of the German Penal Code, upwards of 15,000 gay men were deported to concentration camps, where many were subjected to medical experiments or castration and ultimately died.
Photos of arrested gay men under Paragraph 175 of Germany’s Penal Code circa World War II. Schwules Museum, Berlin. Photo by Matthew Wexler.
My identity on this particular day leaves me feeling vulnerable as I question what may become of us outliers in the years to come. But then I recall pot-stirring intellectual Susan Sontag, who wrote in 1964’s Notes on ‘Camp’: “Jews and homosexuals are the outstanding creative minorities in contemporary urban culture. Creative, that is, in the truest sense: they are creators of sensibilities. The two pioneering forces of modern sensibility are Jewish moral seriousness and homosexual aestheticism and irony.”
I could do worse than a modern sensibility and homosexual aesthetic. Yet a growing number of anti-LGBTQ+ laws threaten my very existence in “the land of the free and the home of the brave.” Happy? With a side of caution, yes, aware that we’re one small step away from history repeating itself.
It can be hard to follow what states are doing to attack (and sometimes protect) transgender people’s rights. Here are some stories from us and from around the web.
Ohio’s governor backs off his attempt to restrict gender-affirming care access for transgender adults and minors. (LGBTQ Nation)
West Virginia Republicans want to pass a “Women’s Bill of Rights” that contains no actual rights for women. Instead, the bill says that “equal” does not mean “same” or “identical” and bans trans people from using the correct bathroom. (AP)
A similar “Women’s Bill of Rights” bill made it out of committee in the Iowa legislature. (LGBTQ Nation)
Georgia Republicans introduced a “Women’s Bill of Rights” that would also end hate crimes protections for LGBTQ+ people in the state. (LGBTQ Nation)
Arizona Republicans have a bill to legally erase transgender people and ban trans women and girls from participating in school sports as their gender. (AZ Mirror)
Florida Democrats want the Biden administration to block the state’s new ban on transgender people correcting the gender markers on their ID. (LGBTQ Nation)
Virginia lawmakers voted to table all anti-transgender bills in their state, which included another “Women’s Bill of Rights,” a sports ban, and a bill to forcibly out transgender students to their parents. (Los Angeles Blade)
A transgender sports ban in Maryland was killed in committee. (Metro Weekly)
Tennessee Republican introduces a “detransitioner bill of rights.” (News Channel 9)
Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine warned of “medical refugees” being forced to travel from their home states to other states to get access to gender-affirming and reproductive health care. (Politico)
Kansas’s attorney general is telling public schools to out transgender students to their parents. (LGBTQ Nation)
A Colorado Democrat proposed a law that would require teachers to use their students’ correct names and pronouns. (LGBTQ Nation)
A bill to ban the Pride flag from Oklahoma state premises passed a committee vote. (KJHR)
Indiana launched an anti-LGBTQ+ tip line to combat “political ideology” in schools. Online activists flooded it with memes. (LGBTQ Nation)
In partnership with Fabulosa Books, we welcome Sarah Schulman to our museum for a reading from Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987-1993. Schulman will be joined by Lito Sandoval, our former Board Chair and former Secretary of ACT UP San Francisco.
