Saturday January 22 @ 7:30 pm. Stephane Wrembel Band. Occidental Center for the Artsis proud to presentthe world renowned French composer (theme song for ‘Midnight in Paris’) and dazzling Gypsy jazz guitarist Stephane Wrembel ! Wrembel brings his superb band, unique multi-faceted style and his dazzling Django-inspired guitar techniques to OCA for the third time. Wrembel’s stellar band includes long-time collaborators Thor Jensen (guitar), Ari Folman Cohen (bass),and Nick Anderson (drums). Don’t miss one of the finest guitar players in the world with his band on our stage! $30 General/$25 OCA Members. www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org. Masks are required. Fine refreshments available, Art Gallery open. OCA is accessible to people with disabilities. Become an OCA Member and get discounts/free admission. OCA is a non profit performing and fine arts center located at 3850 Doris Murphy Ct. Occidental, CA. 95465.
The Castro Theatre, a San Francisco jewel that has hosted countless film festivals and premieres, is set to get a major makeover. The 100-year-old theater, known throughout the world as one of the symbols of San Francisco’s historic LGBTQ Castro neighborhood, will be renewed as a live events venue with music, comedy, film and more as Another Planet Entertainment takes over its programming.
The Castro will still screen select films, but the changes are sure to be earthshaking for many Bay Area film organizations and movie fans who have been filling the Castro for decades. “It’s heartbreaking, devastating, and not surprising,” said Marc Huestis, who has presented special events at the Castro Theatre for 40 years. “Even before COVID, it was like repertory (cinema) was kind of on its last legs,” Huestis continued.
Another queer Team USA athlete has just qualified for the Winter Olympics – skeleton slider Andrew Blaser.
Blaser beat out skeleton veterans Austin Florian and John Daly to become the only man on the Team USA skeleton team for the 2022 games in Beijing.
It’s the first time that the US is sending only one male skeleton athlete to the Olympics – so no pressure at all.
The truly terrifying winter sport involves sledders plummeting head-first down a steep and perilous icy track on a tiny sled. According to the Olympics website, it is considered to be the “world’s first sliding sport”.
Other LGBT+ athletes heading for the Winter Olympics, according to OutSports, also include British curler Bruce Mouat, Australian snowboarder Belle Brockhoff, French figure skater Kevin Aymoz and Dutch speedskater Ireen Wüst – the most decorated Olympic speedskater ever.
The LGBT+ sports website says that the Beijing Games will include more out athletes than any before it.
Also heading for Beijing are ice dancers Guillaume Cizeron (France) and Paul Poirier (Canada), and Canadian figure skater Eric Radford.
Only 15 openly LGBT+ athletes competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Skeleton returned to the Winter Olympics in 2022, having last appeared on the program 54 years prior in 1948. Blaser is the first out gay man to represent Team USA in the sport.
He previously told OutSports that there have been several times where he considered walking away from the sport.
But looking back at all his accomplishments in skeleton, he realised he could succeed.
“I have had so many moments where I have ‘quit’ mentally and thought I was done and walking away,” Blaser said. “Looking back at every conversation with every coach where I was defeated or thought it couldn’t be done, now I know that it can be done.”
Blaser started as a track and field athlete, even competing at the University of Idaho as a pole vaulter and hurdler.
After college, Blaser wanted to pursue a career as a bobsledder but tried skeleton after coaches said he’d be better suited to the super face ice sport. But Blaser initially hated the sport and quit before eventually returning to go pro.
When he’s not training, Andrew Blaser enjoys travelling, camping and singing. His favourite movies include Love Actually and Mean Girls, according to his Team USA profile.
A group of activists invite social media to join their campaign to ‘disrupt the religious violence trans people experience every day’.
Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi and J Mase III edited the Black Trans Prayer Book to dismantle toxic religious practices that alienate people in the LGBT+ community. The anthology is composed of work by Black trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming people.
In 2019, the pair hosted their first annual event for the #TransphobiaIsASin Campaign. The online campaign highlights religious violence that impacts trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming people worldwide – especially those from Black, Indigenous and other marginalised communities.
Now, on Saturday (15 January), Dane and Mase will launch their fourth iteration of the campaign. In it, they are inviting anyone that is “invested in ending religious (ie: all) violence against Trans, Non-Binary and Gender Expansive Peoples”.
“Anti-trans religious violence does not just look like demonising trans people within worship spaces,” they said. “It is the theology that finds its way to the tongues of politicians who create anti-trans policies.”
They continued: “It manifests as the framework that blooms violence against trans people on the street, in their families, and in community at large.”
In a post on social media, Dane and Mase explained they want to “call attention to, and disrupt the religious violence trans people experience everyday”.
They have invited anyone interested in taking part to take a photo holding up a sign with one of the following lines: “Transphobia is a Sin”, “Transphobia is Haram”, “Trans People are Divine” or “Trans People Exist Because Our Ancestors Existed”.
The photo should be posted to social media on or close to Saturday, and it should use the hashtag “
Mase told them that the book came into existence as they wanted to do “some intentional work on creating spiritual space” for people within their community.
“That included Black trans people who are part of religious communities as well as Black trans folks who’ve been run out of religious communities,” Mase said.
He added that they knew this wasn’t a job just for him and Dane. So the pair gathered a “crew of people from all over the US and beyond” to offer their insights for the interfaith, multi-dimensional work.
Dane said her main takeaway from the book was: “Wow, Black trans people are just amazing”.
“Black trans people are the leaders this world has been looking for,” she explained. “It’s time some of these cis folks, especially the white ones, get out the way.”
Dane continued: “Get out the way and pour resources into the community.
“The solutions for liberation that the world has been seeking have already been theorised.
“Now it’s time for the world to actually honour the role that Black trans people have always been destined to play: healing the world, prophesying a future and birthing liberation.”
Dane and Mase will also close out the new campaign with a workshop on how to heal from religious trauma which is set to take place on 18 January.
TV shows featuring transgender and nonbinary people dominated the media award nominations released Wednesday by the LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD.
Every year since 1990, GLAAD has honored films, television shows, musicians, journalists and other media figures for fair, accurate and inclusive representations of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people.
Of the 30 television shows nominated in three categories — outstanding comedy series, outstanding drama series and outstanding new TV series — 18 feature transgender and/or nonbinary characters, including “Pose,” “9-1-1: Lone Star,” “Good Trouble,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The L Word: Generation Q,” “Star Trek: Discovery” and “The Sex Lives of College Girls.”
This year’s list includes 246 nominees across 30 categories — up from 198 nominees across 28 categories last year. This year GLAAD added two categories: outstanding new TV series and outstanding original graphic novel/anthology.
“Media can create positive change and this year’s nominees represent powerful projects, stories, and creators that positively shifted culture and enlightened audiences with new and impactful LGBTQ stories,” Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD president and CEO, said in a statement. “There are more nominees this year than ever before, highlighting a growing landscape of LGBTQ visibility, and serving as a reminder to the critical role that film, television, music, journalism, and other forms of media can play in growing LGBTQ acceptance in the face of ongoing attacks against our community.”
Many of the nominees in other categories also featured trans characters or told the stories of trans people “in timely, nuanced, and empowering ways,” GLAAD said, in the deadliest year on record for trans people. Also in the last year, dozens of states considered legislation to ban trans girls from female school sports teams and block trans youths’ access to gender-affirming health care.
Other nominated shows and films featuring trans and nonbinary people include “West Side Story,” “Changing the Game,” “Legendary,” “Queer Eye,” “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” “We’re Here,” “Port Authority” and “The Loud House.”
Of the 10 nominees for outstanding video game, six feature trans and nonbinary characters, including “Boyfriend Dungeon,” “Far Cry 6,” “The Gardener and the Wild Vines” and “Life is Strange: True Colors.”
Transgender and nonbinary characters appear in five of the nominated comic books and graphic novels, including the two anthologies: “DC Pride” and “Marvel’s Voices: Pride.”
GLAAD noted that many of the nominations in journalism also featured trans people or highlighted issues affecting the trans community.
NBC News, MSNBC and NBC’s “TODAY” show garnered a combined seven nominations, with NBC News Digital receiving nominations for “TransAmerica” for outstanding TV journalism, long form, and “As anti-trans violence surges, advocates demand policy reform“ for outstanding online journalism article.
Though many of GLAAD’s nominees centered on trans stories, GLAAD’s latest “Where We Are on TV” report released last year found a year-over-year decrease in the number of transgender characters on TV. The group attributed the decline to the pandemic and the fact that several shows with prominent trans characters were not expected to return.
However, transgender actress Angelica Ross, who starred in Ryan Murphy’s “Pose,” told NBC News last year that she believes the dropin representation is due to a lack of effort in Hollywood.
“As to be expected, a good percentage of the movement for diversity was performative and predictable,” Ross said. “Many of my trans colleagues who are creators saw this coming well before it started happening. It is why folks like myself, Rain Valdez, Janet Mock, Shakina Nayfack and others are using our space in the industry to create more roles and create more space for truly diverse storytelling.”
Though GLAAD’s report found that overall LGBTQ representation was down — as well as trans representation — it also found that LGBTQ people of color on TV outnumbered their white counterparts for the first time in the 25 years that GLAAD has been keeping track.
Similarly, a significant number of this year’s nominees feature the stories of LGBTQ people of color, according to GLAAD. Those nominees in the film and television categories include “Tick, Tick … Boom!,” “Breaking Fast,” “Gossamer Folds,” “The Obituary of Tunde Johnson,” “Plan B” and “Tu Me Manques.”
Many LGBTQ artists of color were also nominated for outstanding music artist or outstanding breakthrough music artist, including Lil Nas X, Halsey, Kaytranada, Demi Lovato, Arlo Parks and Japanese Breakfast.
Award winners will be announced during two live ceremonies: in Los Angeles in April, and in New York City in May. The full list of nominees can be found on GLAAD’s website.
Have you been thinking about going back to school? Through Career Online High School’s online, accredited program, adults can earn a high school diploma and a career certificate, free with your Sonoma County Library card!
Finish high school and receive job training in an online environment that’s available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
There are a limited number of scholarships available to qualified adults who are looking to advance their careers, prepare for workforce entry, or continue their education. Find out more here.
Thank you for being a member of the Sonoma County Library community. Visit us online or in person at one of our branches. Be sure to check out open jobs at Sonoma County Library here.
Proyectos comunitarios con la Biblioteca del Condado de Sonoma
¡Celebre la comunidad con su biblioteca durante esta temporada de fiestas! Dependemos de nuestra comunidad ahora más que nunca, y estamos ofreciendo varios proyectos comunitarios en nuestras sucursales.
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Gracias por ser miembro de la comunidad de Bibliotecas del Condado de Sonoma. Visítenos en línea o en persona en una de nuestras sucursales. Asegúrese de consultar los trabajos disponible en la Biblioteca del Condado de Sonoma aquí.
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After an 18-month fight, an LGBT+ activist who fled Jordan is finally “supported, seen and heard” in their new home in Australia.
AlShaima Omama AlZubi, 25, who identifies as a non-binary lesbian, has been a “victim of rape, sexual assaults, torture, forced marriage, forced conversion therapy, forced hospitalisation, and forced veiling abuse that dates back to their childhood”, according to Amnesty.
AlZubi, an LGBT+ and women’s rights defender, comes from a powerful family, with many members working for Jordan’s government, and whose “influence extends across Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq”.
They first fled to Turkey from Jordan in July 2020, and later made it to Lebanon, planning to travel onwards to Australia on a humanitarian visa.
But in December, 2021, they were stripped of their passport and detained by Lebanese authorities for five days, who told them there was an Interpol Red Notice out of their arrest. During this time, Amnesty suspected that the Jordanian embassy in Lebanon was working on having them repatriated.
Finally, after tireless work by NGOs and Australian diplomats, AlZubi was able to board a flight to Australia on 30 December.
Speaking to SBS News, they said that since arriving, they have begun seeing a therapist and are finding their place within the local LGBT+ community.
They said: “Now I feel supported, seen, heard and treated like a human being regardless of my beliefs, gender identity, and sexual orientation.
“[I want to] move on in my life, continue my education, [and have] a great career and independence.
“Finally I have the chance to be myself without people shaming me and trying to kill me for it.”
In a message “to all of the women and the LGBTIQ+ community in the Middle East”, they added: “There’s always a way to be free. We just need the right people to help us.
“Never be ashamed of being yourself, never be sorry for who you are. Don’t let religion or anyone control your being. No one on Earth can be you.”
While homosexuality was decriminalised in Jordan in 1951, LGBT+ people face frequent harassment, discrimination and violence.
There are no laws to protect queer people from discrimination, no recognition of same-sex relationships, and one 2019 study found that 93 per cent of Jordanians believe that society should not accept homosexuality.
New Jersey is set to decriminalise HIV transmission, ending an historic law that “fuels stigma”.
Under current New Jersey law, a person who engages in sexual penetration by any body part without disclosing they are HIV-positive could face up to five years in prison.
For other sexually-transmitted infections, the sentence is limited to 18 months.
On Monday (10 January), state senators voted 26-11 to pass a bill, S-3707, that would put an end to this.
The bill would still criminalise the transmission of non-airborne infectious or communicable diseases, but will no longer target those living with HIV or STIs.
“This legislation is a step in the right direction [to] removing the stigmatisation that surrounds individuals living with HIV,” said Senate majority leader Teresa Ruiz, one of the bill’s co-sponsors.
“The criminal code is meant to punish actions that harm others, not discriminate against people living with a chronic health condition.”
Co-sponsor senator Joe Vitale said the bill would bring New Jersey in line with “what we now know about the transmissions of certain diseases, especially in light of the advances in treatment”.
It’s a law that has been a “huge priority” for activists, he said.
“I am thankful to the advocates who brought this issue to our attention, not only for leading the way on solid public health policy,” Vitale added, “but also in serving those in need in New Jersey.”
‘Criminalisation does not prevent HIV transmission’
Even activists across the pond celebrated the news, who said that such laws are based on long-outdated conceptions of what HIV is and deepen animosity.
Matthew Hodson, a British HIV activist and executive director for NAM aidsmap, which monitors HIV criminalisation law, told PinkNews: “Criminalisation of HIV creates barriers to HIV testing and treatment, which only serves to increase opportunities for HIV to be transmitted.
“Criminalisation does not prevent HIV transmission.
“There is a shameful history of such laws being used against people in cases where not only has HIV not been passed on but there was no actual possibility of HIV being passed on.
“Criminalisation fuels stigma and is often used against those who are already marginalised or vulnerable, including against LGBT people in countries with state-sanctioned homophobia.
A history of the US criminalising the transmission of HIV
At least 35 US states, many in the Midwest and Deep South – still have laws on the books that criminalise “HIV exposure”, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A 2017 analysis of 393 HIV-related convictions in Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri and Tennessee found the average sentence was nearly eight years in prison for having sex without first informing their partner of their status.
In Arkansas, ‘intentional HIV exposure’ carries a minimum of six years and a maximum of 30 years alongside thousands of dollars in fines.
People convicted of ‘intentional exposure’ in South Dakota and Louisiana are also required to register as sex offenders, the Center for HIV Law and Policy says.
Ohio and Tennessee enforce this requirement regardless of intentionality, while in Arkansas it is not a statutory requirement but a court may order it.
At least six states even have laws that enhance sentences for sexual offences if the person convicted is living with HIV, the Movement Advancement Project found.
The Movement Advancement Project said nearly three in every 10 LGBT+ people live in a state with such outdated law in place. Such laws are often used to punish people who have done no harm, the American Academy of HIV Medicine has warned.
Michigan, for example, exempts those living with HIV who have sex without disclosing their status as long as they are on viral suppression medication.
Many states scrambled to roll out laws criminalising people living with HIV amid the paranoia of the early HIV epidemic, when acquiring the virus was considered a death sentence.
Science in no way supports laws that single out people living with HIV, and activists have argued that these laws are tinged with racism and transphobia.
People living with HIV are more likely to be trans, Black and Latinx, meaning that they are disproportionately targeted by the laws, Lambda Legal and Injustice Watch have found. Some prosecutors even weaponise hateful stereotypes of these demographics to justify the charges.
If New Jersey repeals its law, it would join Illinois and Texas in throwing out entirely their HIV-specific criminal laws.
Missouri, California, Iowa, North Carolina, Nevada, Virginia and Michigan, meanwhile, have all softened their anti-HIV laws since 2014, according to the CDC.
A gay rights advocate who was integral in legalizing same-sex marriage in Florida was found dead in a landfill in what is being investigated as a homicide, authorities said Wednesday.
Jorge Diaz-Johnston, 54, the brother of former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, had been last seen alive Jan. 3, Tallahassee police said. Shortly after a missing person alert was issued for him Saturday, his body was found in a trash pile at a landfill in Baker, Florida, about 60 miles west of the Alabama border, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.
Diaz, who served as mayor of Miami from 2001 to 2009, released a statement on Twitter confirming his brother’s death.
“I am profoundly appreciative of the outpouring of support shown to me, my brother-in-law Don, and my family after the loss of my brother, Jorge Diaz-Johnston,” he wrote. “My brother was such a special gift to this world whose heart and legacy will continue to live on for generations to come.”https://iframe.nbcnews.com/jv8Jwwr?_showcaption=true&app=1
While he had a high-profile brother, Diaz-Johnston made a name for himself. In 2014, he and his husband, Don Diaz-Johnston, and five other same-sex couples sued the Miami-Dade County clerk’s office after they were barred from getting married.
“For us, it’s not just only a question of love and wanting to express our love and have the benefits that everyone else has in the state, but it’s an issue of equality, and it’s a civil rights issue,” Jorge Diaz-Johnston told NBC Miami at the time.
In January 2015, a Miami-Dade circuit court judge ruled in the couples’ favor, legalizing same-sex marriage in the South Florida county more than a year before the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
Elizabeth Schwartz, who represented the six couples in the case, called Diaz-Johnston’s death “heartbreaking.”
“They fought so hard for their love to be enshrined and to be able to enjoy the institution of marriage, and for the marriage to end in this way — in this gruesome, heartbreaking way — there are no words,” she told NBC Miami.
Shortly after winning their case, Jorge and Don Diaz-Johnston married in March 2015, according to public records. Coupled with an image of his husband grinning at the camera over dinner, Don Diaz-Johnston addressed his death on Facebook.
“There are just no words for the loss of my beloved husband Jorge Isaias Diaz-Johnston,” he wrote. “I can’t stop crying as I try and write this. But he meant so much to all of you as he did to me. So I am fighting through the tears to share with you our loss of him.”https://iframe.nbcnews.com/oZecGrV?_showcaption=true&app=1
The current mayor of Miami, Daniella Levine Cava, acknowledged Diaz-Johnston’s role in advancing LGBTQ rights in the city.
“In Jorge Diaz-Johnston, we lost a champion, a leader, and a fighter for our LGBTQ community,” she wrote on Twitter. “His tragic loss will be felt profoundly by all who loved him, as we honor his life and legacy.”
An Invitation to Join our Youth Leadership TeamUna invitación para unirse a nuestro equipo de liderazgo juvenil Click on the picture below and check out our Interview of past Youth Leaders and listen to what they have to say about their experience!!!
¡Haga clic en la imagen a continuación y vea nuestra entrevista de líderes juveniles anteriores y escuche lo que tienen que decir sobre su experiencia!
LGBTQ YOUTH LEADERSHIP TEAM
The YLT is a team of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) youth that create events and advocate for change in partnership with LGBTQ Connection.
El YLT es un equipo de jóvenes LGBTQ (lesbianas, gays, bisexuales, transgénero y queer) que crean eventos y abogan por el cambio en asociación con LGBTQ Connection.
Interested?¿Interesado?Youth who are interested can click on the link below and fill out the form.
Los jóvenes que estén interesados pueden hacer clic en el enlace a continuación y completar el formulario.
BenefitsBeneficiosLearn skills in advocacy and activism. Make friends you can rely on, earn community service hours, and explore scholarship opportunities!
Aprende habilidades en defensa y activismo. ¡Haga amigos en los que pueda confiar, gane horas de servicio comunitario y explore oportunidades de becas!
Upcoming eventsSonoma County Library is hosting a QUEER BOOK CLUB for ages 18+. If you’re interested in signing up call your local library or click on the link here:
La biblioteca del condado de Sonoma está organizando un QUEER BOOK CLUB para mayores de 18 años. Si está interesado en inscribirse, llame a su biblioteca local o haga clic en el enlace aquí: