Vatican officials said Wednesday that transgender people can be baptized in the Catholic church.
“A transgender person, even if they have undergone hormone therapy and sex-reassignment surgery, can receive baptism under the same conditions as other faithful, if there are no situations in which there is a risk of generating a public scandal or disorientation among the faithful,” a Vatican office said in a documentpublished Wednesday in Italian on its website.
The document was a response to six questions that Bishop Jose Negri of Santo Amaro in Brazil sent to the Vatican in July, regarding LGBTQ people’s involvement in routine Catholic practices, and released by the Vatican’s Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith. The document said it had been approved by Pope Francis on Oct. 31.
Vatican officials also concluded that transgender people can be godparents and witnesses at religious weddings. They added that an individual in a same-sex relationship can also be a witness in Catholic weddings.
The document appeared to suggest that children either adopted by same-sex couples or conceived through surrogacy cannot be baptized. It also implied that people in same-sex relationships should not be godparents to baptized children.
The Vatican’s stated willingness to include trans people in the church is the latest step it has taken to extend itself to the LGBTQ community.
Last month, Francis signaled an openness to allowing Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples on a case-by-case basis. However, Francis, 86, added that same-sex blessings should not be seen as synonymous with heterosexual weddings.
Some leading Catholics who have advocated for the inclusion of LGBTQ people in the church praised the Vatican’s statement.
The Rev. James Martin, an American Jesuit who runs outreach ministry for LGBTQ Catholics, wrote on the X platform that pastors in some dioceses had prevented transgender people from being baptized, serving as godparents or being witnesses to marriages.
“As such, this is an important step forward in the church seeing transgender people not only as people (in a church where some say they don’t really exist) but as Catholics,” Martin said.
In 2008, Dan Leveille, 35, was studying computer science at the Rochester Institute of Technology when California voters passed Proposition 8, eliminating the right of same-sex couples to marry in the state. It was a sucker punch to the queer community, including Leveille, who found himself wanting to bring order to how he thought about LGBTQ+ rights in the US.
His solution was Equaldex, a passion project that visualizes the state of queer rights not only at home but around the world. The site has become a trusted resource for governments, the media, and LGBTQ+ travelers everywhere.
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LGBTQ Nation spoke with Leveille about Equaldex from his home in Los Angeles.
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LGBTQ Nation: What inspired you to come up with an LGBTQ+ rights visualization tool?
Dan Leveille: When the Prop 8 stuff happened, I got pretty interested in it. And then there were a lot of states that were legalizing same-sex marriage, and a lot of laws were changing. And I remember at some point I was like, “Wait, did that state legalize it? When did that happen?” And I’m like, “Wow, I wish there was like some sort of site that showed all of these changes, like, a map.”
I launched it in 2014.
LGBTQ Nation: How did you envision it being used by others as you were building it?
DL: I first imagined it for my own use just tracking all the changes. But the number of countries that criminalize being gay, the number of countries that, you know, jailed people or even have the death penalty, that stuff is really compelling. And maybe the LGBTQ activists know this, but the general public might not. And I think bringing to light those facts is very important. This could kind of put pressure and visibility on the parts of the world that aren’t progressing.
LGBTQ Nation: What are some of the unexpected ways that Equaldex has been used since you put it up?
DL: One thing that is very obvious, probably, but just didn’t occur to me is how it’s used as a travel guide. That wasn’t immediately obvious to me, but it makes perfect sense. There’s been a lot of interest from travel agencies so that travelers will know, “Oh, this country you’re visiting, these laws, you might want to be careful or reconsider.”
General Electric, they use Equaldex data for some of their internal systems for traveling for employees. It makes sense because companies want to be careful about where they’re sending their employees, especially if there are laws against being gay.
LGBTQ Nation: Does General Electric throw you some bucks for using Equaldex?
DL: No, it’s generally not really a big deal to me. If a company wants to apply this data, I don’t have any issue with it. I like keeping the service free, just in principle.
LGBTQ Nation: GE could make a donation for your trouble.
DL: Yeah, for sure.
LGBTQ Nation: What’s the most LGBTQ+-friendly country on the planet?
DL: Currently I have this system on the site called the Equality Index, which ranks legal rights and public opinion. It’s a newer metric that I added. The countries with the highest ranking right now are Iceland, as number one, and Denmark and Norway. Malta, the Netherlands and Canada are up there.
LGBTQ Nation: And what’s the country you identify as the most hostile to LGBTQ+ identity?
DL: If you’re looking at the Equality Index, the Middle East and Africa are generally the worst in terms of both the laws and the public opinion there.
Dan Levielle The LGBT Equality Index on Equaldex
LGBTQ Nation: You’re looking at the data pretty much every day. What are some of the trends that you can point out?
DL: That’s a good question. Outside of the Middle East and Africa, there’s definitely a lot of progress being made overall. I focus a lot on the US, and polling has shown overwhelmingly that, you know, things are moving positively in terms of the public opinion. Even Republicans and religious groups, they’re moving to being more open.
LGBTQ Nation: In the US, do you see the wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in red states as an anomaly, or is there anything in the data that indicates maybe those right-wing Republicans are on to something?
DL: Some of the US polls have shown that while it is becoming more accepted, it also is starting to polarize the more people are being exposed to it. So they have a lot of opinions on it. You know, you see things like drag queen bans and all those book bans and stuff, so people might form an opinion, whereas before, maybe they didn’t have an opinion. It’s interesting. We’re seeing a lot of progress in the US, but there are definitely some laws that are going backward. Hopefully it doesn’t continue that way.
LGBTQ Nation: The site would be a big undertaking for anyone, let alone somebody who’s just doing it as a passion project. Did you ever think, “I’m way over my head on this?”
DL: Yeah, definitely. Especially with big publications and even some governments and organizations that reference Equaldex. So when I see, like, the UN referencing it in one of their reports, I’m like, God, it’s a lot of pressure. Fortunately, I built Equaldex in a way where I don’t need to change everything myself, with such a big community of users who are contributing.
LGBTQ Nation: Tell us about those volunteers.
DL: When I first started Equaldex, there were a lot of people who were very interested in the project, and I got a handful of people who were just super passionate about it. They were super crucial in the first six months to a year of the site. Like, we had all these countries with no data, and people were just going in, adding all the laws. We’ve added a Discord community, as well, that has been really great at attracting editors and moderators.
LGBTQ Nation: Who pays for all of this?
DL: I pay for it myself. It’s not super expensive to run. And I share the cost with a pretty successful gaming app I run called Dododex, which is a companion app for the game ARK. And that helps to pay for software and Chat GPT to help program and stuff.
LGBTQ Nation: What’s the participation rate in some of those red countries for people who help out with the site?
DL: It’s very low. It’s challenging, especially when there are language barriers, too. But in really red countries, those users probably don’t want to publicly join a service like Equaldex, for reasons you can imagine. Fortunately, there are a lot of international organizations, research organizations who dig into the laws and maybe expose some of the things that are happening there, and we do have a handful of contributors who are from countries more familiar with those places.
LGBTQ Nation: Who are some of your go-to’s for the information you’re putting up?
DL: When we’re sourcing laws we try to get to the actual government site that shows what the law is. Unfortunately, sometimes what the government is saying is different than what they’re actually doing. We reference some big LGBT organizations like ILGA. The UN has some great resources exposing things in these homophobic countries. And of course, you know, reputable sources, the BBC, CNN, sites like yours who are reporting.
In terms of like, public opinion, there are a lot of really great organizations like Gallup that are always our go-to’s in terms of public opinion data.
LGBTQ Nation: What’s new on the site?
DL: I am working on a new feature that will — I hate to call it, like, a Yelp for LGBTQ rights, but it’s kind of that same idea where you’ll be able to share your opinion of the state or the province or the country that you lived in and share how comfortable you were about being open in public. What are politicians like? Are there out celebrities? Things like that. If you’ve lived there you have more experience, and it helps people who are traveling, so they can be like, “Okay, definitely don’t hold hands with my partner in public.” And even like, hotel reservations. In some countries you shouldn’t reserve a single bed with your partner in the same room. Stuff like that is good to know, and you might not think of it.
LGBTQ Nation: What’s been the most satisfying part of Equaldex for you so far?
DL: I think seeing the big publications and organizations use the site. There are a bunch of Ivy League schools that reference Equaldex for their students when they’re traveling. The UN, the UK Government, the US government, they’ve all read it and reference it. It makes me really proud, like, “Wow, this is something that people are very interested in.” So it kind of validates the work I’ve been doing for many years.
At a more personal level, hearing that people use it and it’s super helpful is super validating. When people say, like, “Oh, I always use it. Make sure to check Equaldex before you travel,” it’s really rewarding to hear it’s helpful to people in that way.
“The experiences of non-binary youth in organized team sports in Canada have been drastically understudied,” said researcher Martha Gumprich.
A new study has determined that a vast majority of non-binary youths in Canada now avoid joining sports teams over discrimination fears. (Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“Our report found that many youths avoid team sports due to abuse and discrimination but there are some solutions that would make sport more inclusive for non-binary participants and benefit everyone.”
Two-thirds of non-binary youths surveyed said that their reasoning for not joining an organised sports team boiled down to rules that would force them to play on a binary-gendered (men’s or women’s) team.
Meanwhile, four out of five non-binary youths said that they had avoided joining an organised team sport because of the layout of changing rooms or locker rooms.
Half of those surveyed said that they had avoided organised sports teams because of the teammates and coaches. Similarly, half opted not to take part because of discriminatory comments they had witnessed.
Half opted not to take part because of discriminatory comments they had witnessed. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Finally, one in six non-binary youths avoided organised sport because they had witnessed someone being physically harassed because of their gender.
Compared to their US neighbours, Canada hasn’t been too strict with restricting trans or non-binary people from their chosen sport – though there is plenty of grey area for athletes and teams to navigate.
A star player on Canada’s Women’s World Cup 2023 team was a non-binary athlete.
Footballer Quinn has also made history as the first out trans, non-binary athlete to win an Olympic medal, after taking home the gold for Canada at the Tokyo Games.
Meanwhile, in the US, 23 states have passed laws that restrict transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming athletes’ participation in organised sports – particularly school sports – in the past three years alone.
This can have serious repercussions on gender non-conforming youth, who are excluded – voluntarily or not – from team sports that help to build, not just a players’ athletic abilities, but their social skills, team-building abilities, and leadership and problem-solving skills.
Quinn is using their platform and football talent to help the next generation of footballers. (Getty)
Alongside their findings, TransConnect and Simon Fraser University researchers offer a number of possible solutions to these concerns that would encourage non-binary athletes to participate in sports again.
Those solutions include: allowing non-binary participants to choose the gendered team they’d like to play on, offering co-ed team options or dividing teams by competitiveness, creating gender-neutral changing areas with single stalls, and offering better education on diverse genders and sexualities.
“Participation in physical activities, particularly activities with the sociality of team sports, is a key part of preventative health measures,” said Simon Fraser University’s health sciences assistant professor Travis Salway.
“Non-binary youth deserve the same opportunity to participate in team sports as everyone else.”
Former Utah therapist Scott Owen was arrested Wednesday in connection with accusations that he sexually abused patients during sessions.
Owen, 63, was booked into the Utah County jail on suspicion of six counts of object rape and four counts of forcible sodomy. A Utah County judge has ordered that Owen remain in jail without the opportunity to post bail, finding that he could be a danger to the community and would likely flee if released.
Owen was arrested on allegations connected to two former patients, both who say Owen engaged in sexual contact with them during therapy sessions. That alleged touching included kissing, cuddling and Owen using his hand to touch their anuses. One man also alleges Owen performed oral sex on him.
Owen agreed to meet with Provo and Spanish Fork police at the Spanish Fork Police station, they said, so that he could be transported from there to the Utah County Jail. Owen did not show up at the station, and authorities said they began searching. He was located on Wednesday afternoon in the town of Thistle, which is nearly 24 miles from Provo.
Officer Janna-Lee Holland, with Provo police, said that he was located alone in his car and a standoff with police occurred after he was found. Highway 89 was closed in the area while police worked to get Owen to safely surrender. Holland said tactical units were called in from the Utah County Sheriff’s Office in order to do so.
Once he surrendered, Owen was booked on six counts of object rape and four counts of forcible sodomy, all first-degree felonies. “We are grateful to tactical units of the Utah County Sheriff’s Office whose skillful work resulted in safe apprehension without injury to anyone,” Holland said.
My previous reports on Owen are here and here. And now he makes our running tally of infamy.
The now-older Australian man convicted of the 1987 gay-bashing murder of a man he thought was gay received what amounted to a life sentence in a Sydney courtroom late last month.
NSW Supreme Court Justice Dina Yehia sentenced on October 20, Stanley Bruce Early, 77, to a maximum of 22 years in prison for the murder of Raymond Keam, 43, in a public park in the early morning hours of January 13, 1987. According to the Sydney Morning Herald,the sentence includes a mandatory 15 years and six months behind bars, meaning Early won’t be eligible for parole until the age of 91 in 2037.
Keam, was a martial arts expert but was suffering from an injury the night he was murdered. He identified as straight, was divorced from one woman and in a relationship with another. He had two children.
Keam was attacked just outside a public restroom in Allison Park by “ringleader” Early and a small group of youths looking to assault gay men who cruised the park in search of gay sex. Keam was beaten to the ground and stomped about the head and chest. The medical examiner determined the cause of death to be one or more fatal blows to the head. His lifeless body was discovered the following morning.
Yehia described Early’s actions as “an affront to civilized society” and chastised him during sentencing.
“The offender continues to deny his involvement in the murder,” Yehia noted according to QNews. “He has shown no remorse whatsoever.”
At the time of the murder, Early was known as Stanley “Spider” Sutton and had a hardscrabble upbringing. He reportedly struggled with his sexuality (he now identifies as bisexual). He was also a survivor of sexual assault as a child and after a stint in jail. He was out on bail at the time of the murder after being charged with committing an indecent act against a 12-year-old boy.
Early was arrested at his home in Victoria two months after a $1 million reward was offered for information leading to a conviction in the case. He was subsequently extradited to neighboring New South Wales where he has been held in jail during the trial.
Yehia said she was unable to say with certainty that Early delivered the fatal blow or blows and that she did not believe he warranted a life sentence. However, she did say his actions directly caused Keam’s death and that there was a “real chance” he would die in prison.
We often feel duty-bound to tackle everything from a worsening climate catastrophe to systemic racism, economic inequality, global humanitarian crises, public health emergencies, rampant corporate greed and the potential threat of authoritarianism, just to name a few. It can be not only daunting, but also downright exhausting to face the challenges inherent in fighting for a more just and peaceful world.
At the same time, we’re organizers precisely because we want to make progress on intractable problems, and we know the solutions lie in the communities more directly impacted. In the midst of moments that feel hopeless – where it’s easy to slip into despair or inaction – we can instead use proven tools to spark action.
So, where to begin? It often takes multiple, aligned strategies to win meaningful change, and, as we point out in our book, Practical Radicals, context matters when you’re considering the best strategies to advance your vision. While some organizers may need to stop and take a bigger, long-term view before launching their efforts, others might need to hit the ground running to begin building a deep and diverse base of supporters. Drawing on our combined six decades of experience in movement building and organizing for progressive causes, we wrote our book to offer organizers some guidance in this fraught moment and to help them identify the strategies they need to win. Along the way, we dive into approaches used by dozens of other organizers past and present to show why strategy is vital to building and sustaining any movement for change.
One of the efforts we zeroed in on can be summed up as “how people make change when things are as terrible as they can be.” The Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) was founded in 1982 as the AIDS crisis had begun to devastate gay communities from New York to San Francisco and everywhere in between. GMHC exemplifies the strategy for social change we call collective care: efforts by an oppressed group to meet its own needs for survival and safety, often when the state fails to meet urgent human needs.
GMHC focused on education on HIV and prevention, supportive care for those who were sick and policy advocacy – work that ultimately laid the foundation for the emergence of more militant action later. Volunteers led and created an astonishing array of programs including GMHC’s signature “buddy program” where ten thousand volunteers were placed with total strangers in their homes to provide practical daily help, compassionate care and emotional support.
GMHC built trust, took risks and built care infrastructure with a political goal in mind: ending the AIDS crisis and uprooting homophobia. They rooted their policy advocacy in the experience of the people they were serving, as former volunteer-turned-leader David Hansell told us. GMHC moved the ball forward in ways that the movement’s direct action side couldn’t, but a collective-care group could. An example is how GMHC built bridges to important stakeholders like leaders in the Catholic Church who – despite their appalling hostility toward gay communities during the crisis – were critical to passing policies to support people with AIDS and could be won over on a tactical basis.
As former GMHC executive director Tim Sweeney said, “We bent the arc of the pandemic. We changed it. We didn’t bring an end to it, unfortunately, which is what our goal was, but we definitely saved millions of people.”
Collective care is a vastly underappreciated but essential element for social change movements. It strengthens solidarity by building trust and relationships that can be harnessed for political action. When care is embedded in the culture of an organization, it increases the capacity of ordinary people to engage in struggle and of organizers to stay in the movement for the long term.
Collective care strategies, like disruptive movements, often emerge as a response to crises and tragedies, particularly when governments are failing to meet the moment. When it feels like the world is ending, as it did for queer people in the darkest days of the AIDS crisis, sometimes the only thing you can do is turn toward each other and care for one another. In such circumstances, collective care can be a form of both survival and strategy.
And we know change doesn’t happen overnight. Like so many movements for transformative change, the AIDS crisis presented upsurges of intense activity between slow periods of frustration and even defeat. Landmark AIDS legislation wasn’t passed until 1990, eight years after GMHC’s founding, and there was still important work left to do. Movements need stamina, which is where care becomes not only helpful but also essential to staying in the fight.
This is all why you see elements of collective care strategies present in many different organizing lineages, including parts of the Black radical tradition, mutual aid, feminism, disability justice, labor, environmental, immigrant rights, and Indigenous traditions. And it operates alongside other, important strategies to win, like changing the narrative and engaging in disruptive action.
GMHC is emblematic of many movements for change that show that, even amidst periods of rage and despair, the world is full of generosity and kindness. By looking back, we can find the inspiration to move forward. Our movement ancestors show us that there is always a strategic and humane response available to us, even in the darkest times. They rose to the challenge of taking care of one another and our shared planet in circumstances even more challenging than we face today.
In the spirit of that history, every organizer needs to be rooted in lineage. You can find strength in generations of organizers who left us tools and strategies – including, notably, how to build and care in dark times – that we can renew and adapt to change the world.
Amber Hollibaugh, an activist, organizer, author of “My Dangerous Desires: A Queer Girl Dreaming Her Way Home” and a self-educated leading public intellectual in the LGBTQ, feminist, sexual liberation and economic justice movements, died suddenly of complications of diabetes in her home in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Oct. 20. She was 77.
Hollibaugh is she is survived by her life partner, award-winning novelist Jenifer Levin, and stepsons Mak Levin and Van De Laurier.
Hollibaugh was born in Bakersfield, Calif., on June 20, 1946. She lived in San Francisco, Las Vegas, Mississippi, Chicago and Canada before she moved to New York in 1981.
“Amber loved life with an embodied passion. She brought that passion to seek justice in the world for us in a way that was unwilling to leave any of our complicated selves behind. Amber’s work for lesbians living with HIV, poor and working-class queer folks and older LGBTQ+ members of our community was groundbreaking and sometimes left Amber not appreciated in the very movements that she was trying to move towards more liberation,” said Beth Zemsky, a former co-chair of the National LGBTQ+ Task Force and the former director of the University of Minnesota’s LGBT Programs Office. “Amber was a fierce friend, somebody you could count on to see you fully and show up for you. I’m grateful to have been able to look into her dazzling blue eyes and see the best of who we could be.”
Barbara Satin, a Task Force faith consultant, also mourned Hollibaugh.
“My early activism had focused on trans inclusion plus the affirmation of queer folks within faith settings — then I met Amber who introduced me to the beautiful, old LGBT community — my peer group. These pioneers, on whose shoulders we have built a burgeoning progressive movement, had hopes, expectations, fears and concerns around aging that were seriously overlooked by the broader community,” said Stein. “Through her work on LGBTQ aging at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, including the publication of ‘Outing Age,’ the seminal work on the issue, Amber spotlighted the needs and expectations that our elders had and offered practical and appropriate responses to their difficult situations. Amber added an important element to my activism and the applause I have received over the years for my work on aging are directly connected to her influence on my life. As I approach my 90th birthday, Amber Hollibaugh still is my role model for doing activism with grace and style.
Another remembrance notes Hollibaugh’s legacy “is an integral part of the history of the modern LGBTQ+ and feminist movements.”
“Her contributions were always visionary, as she worked at the intersections of sexual and economic inequality, LGBTQ and women’s health disparities,” it reads. “Her legacy and long-term impact in progressive movements is inestimable, and her loss will be widely and deeply mourned throughout queer communities and beyond.”
The internet remains a place LGBTQ+ youth seek refuge to understand their identity, but research from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation increasingly shows queer kids at risk of vicious cyberbullying.
Researchers found 96 percent of queer youth end up exposed to offensive and hurtful anti-LGBTQ+ content. Nearly half, 49 percent, of trans and non-binary youth experienced cyberbullying attacking them based on their gender identity in the last year.
That’s all according to HRC’s 2023 LGBTQ+ Youth Report. Leaders behind the research say that shows a greater need to keep safe spaces online, and better avenues for victimized individuals to seek help and assistance with bullying online.
“Teachers and educators in schools can really help counter that by making schools safe places for youth to show up authentically and for queer families to show up authentically,” said Charleigh Flohr, HRC’s senior research manager.
The report finds more than 74 percent of LGBTQ+ youth and 77 percent of trans and gender-expansive youth say they don’t feel comfortable reporting cyberbullying or online hate speech to an educator and even more doubt an educator could actually help.
Separate research by HRC found a 406 percent increase in the use of terms like “groomer” and “pedophile” in social media taunts in the months after the Florida “don’t say gay” law was passed and imitated in other states. Flohr said the law effectively criminalizes teachers even acknowledging queer people exist. As that occurs, the HRC report found fewer students seeking support from teachers and administrators.
“And we’re seeing higher levels of cyberbullying on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity because of these laws being passed,” she said, “and the cultural arguments being put forward that really dehumanize people are basically giving a free pass online to bullying.”
At the same time, the research shows the internet remains an important resource for youth.
More than 95 percent of transgender and gender-expansive youth use the internet to better understand queer identities, and more than 83 percent turned online for information about sexual health relevant to their identity. More than 68 percent of LGBTQ+ youth participate in online communities to engage with LGBTQ+ individuals in their age group, a number that spikes above 73 percent when looking only at trans youth and gender minorities.
Some youth don’t feel safe on the internet. More than 15 percent of LGBTQ+ youth and almost 17 percent of trans and non-binary kids say they feel unsafe online. And many don’t see anywhere to turn about it. Some 18 percent of LGBTQ+ kids don’t know how to report cyberbullying and hate speech to social media platforms. Some 66 percent don’t believe the platform would take any action regardless.
There’s some reason for that, as 60 percent of Twitter users reported an increase in abuse and hateful rhetoric on that platform since Elon Musk purchased the platform last year. That’s even as researchers see relatively innocuous content, such as images of two women holding hands, facing online censorship because anti-LGBTQ+ groups deem it offensive.
While more than 93 percent of LGBTQ+ youth say they have received some guidance from adults on dealing with hate and bullying online, Flohr said there’s a lot of room for improvement.
“Social media and tech companies absolutely have a responsibility here,” Flohr said. “These companies have to take responsibility to get this right. And a lot of the arguments that are put forward as to why research should censor virtually anything about LGBTQ people and online content really comes from a place of stigma and hate.”
But when Americans were asked about their views on Johnson’s Christian Nationalist positions, the overwhelming majority opposed everything he stands for.
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In a recently released Data for Progress poll, most respondents admitted that they didn’t know how to feel about him because they still had no idea who he was.
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But when pollsters asked about his specific positions, the change was dramatic. A substantial majority of voters, including independents, oppose many of Speaker Johnson’s past actions and policy stances, particularly those related to abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, and defending former President Trump.
Seventy-eight percent oppose his position that states should be allowed to imprison people for having gay sex. Sixty-one percent oppose his attempts to force Amazon to sell anti-LGBTQ+ books, and the same amount are against his attempts to allow states to ban same-sex marriage.
The poll also found that a majority of voters oppose cutting funding for Social Security and Medicare, banning abortion in all 50 states, and voting to overturn the 2020 presidential election — all of which are policy stances and actions that Johnson has taken in the past.
Data for Progress
From October 27 to 30, 2023, Data for Progress surveyed 1,283 likely voters nationally using web panel respondents. The sample was weighted to represent likely voters by age, gender, education, race, geography, and voting history. The survey was conducted in English. The margin of error is ±3 percentage points.
The city of Oakland now has an LGBTQ cultural district, created in the Grand Lake area and meant to highlight the community’s history and celebrate its importance to the city.
The City Council passed a resolution Tuesday to designate a multiblock triangle between Grand Avenue and Lakeshore Avenue just east of Lake Merritt as the city’s first LGBTQ cultural district. The city’s 6-year-old LGBTQ Community Center is located within the boundaries of the area.
Introduced by Mayor Sheng Thao, council President Nikki Fortunato Bas and Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan, the district is meant to create a “supportive environment for diverse LGBTQ individuals, families, allies, and businesses, and nurture a safe, vibrant, and welcoming community,” according to the text of the legislation.
On Tuesday, prior to the vote, elected officials and members of the community celebrated the possibility of having a district at a public event outside the LGBTQ Center on Lakeshore.
Thao applauded the community center for its efforts in pushing for the cultural district and said the new area would create a space for young people looking for resources.
“We love you, you are what makes Oakland so beautiful,” Thao said. “You are what makes Oakland so proud.”
Amy Schneider, a trans woman, Oakland resident and “Jeopardy!” champ, emceed the event and said she was grateful that the city is a “haven for LGBTQ people.” Oakland has one of the largest LGBTQ populations in the country, according to the council’s resolution.
The legislation notes that the area of the cultural district is already home to LGBTQ-allied business, cultural facilities, creative enterprises and arts venues. Joe Hawkins, the co-founder of the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center, said Tuesday that Lake Merritt has always been a home to queer people.
“This is where we found community in Oakland,” Hawkins said. “And that’s why today you see this beautiful rainbow of people before you.”
Kaplan and Council Members Carroll Fife and Dan Kalb, who also attended the event, said Tuesday’s vote was important as the country and the state faces an increase in anti-LGBTQ policies and book banning. State Assembly Member Mia Bonta, D-Alameda, also attended.
Fife said just because “we are in the tiny corner of Oakland, California” and the Bay Area, doesn’t mean Oakland residents are immune to “repressive” policies.
“It is not just time to celebrate, it is time to fight for what you know is justice in our city, in our state and in our world,” Fife said.
Council Member Carroll Fife speaks during a Nov. 7 news conference celebrating the creation of Oakland’s first LGBTQ Cultural District in the triangle between Grand Avenue and Lakeshore Avenue.Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle
Added Kaplan, who was the first openly lesbian person to run for the City Council: “We recognize Oakland as a place of liberation, as a place that believes our slogan: Love life.”
Wally Bee, a board member of the Oakland Gay Men’s Chorus and an Oakland resident, watched the event from the audience. He said the creation of the district is a “benchmark for the Oakland community to recognize and elevate diverse voices.” Bee said the cultural district will put Oakland on the map in terms of LGBTQ inclusivity.
Bas, who represents the district where the cultural district is located, said the city is committed to supporting the LGBTQ community.
“We see you, we hear you, we love you and more than anything we are committed to putting resources to making sure this is a welcoming, safe and resourced place for the entire LGBTQ community,” Bas said.
