LGBTQI History: A Sonoma County Timeline 1947-2000. Wednesdays 1:30-3pm. Online via Zoom. Join us Wed., 11/23 when we will be discussing Lesbian & Gay families and the obstacles they had to overcome historically to stay together. Please contact me to enroll and get a Zoom invite: cdungan@santarosa.edu
Hearts around Colorado and the country are hurting and mourning the loss of five lives in a mass shooting in a LGBTQ+ club in Colorado Springs. Hundreds showed up outside All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in Colorado Springs for a community vigil on Sunday morning. The church was standing-room only, so organizers held the vigil in waves to keep up with demand. Gov. Jared Polis and his husband, Marlon Reis, spoke to the crowd via Zoom. “My heart breaks,” said Polis, who recently tested positive for COVID-19. Polis spoke with the owners of Club Q this morning. He described the nightclub […]
The results of this year’s midterm elections showed a tendency among American voters to rebuke extremism from the right, whether it took the form of denying the results of democratic elections or denying women’s reproductive freedoms. For the LGBTQ community and its allies, it was also a repudiation of attacks from some far-right GOP candidates on trans people, particularly trans youth. Virginia would not have reelected Democratic Reps. Jennifer Wexton and Abigail Spanberger “if transphobic attacks that are geared toward and about kids were an effective message and an effective persuasion message,” Virginia Delegate Danica Roem told the Washington Blade […]
Communities around the country gather to honor Trans Day of Remembrance (TDOR) on Nov. 20. Gwendolyn Ann Smith, a trans activist, created TDOR as a vigil for Rita Hester, a Black trans woman who was murdered in 1998. Since 1999, TDOR has become a national memorial to those whose lives were stolen from them because of transphobia and anti-trans violence. Local activist, community leader, and founder of Baltimore Safe Haven, Iya Dammons, is preparing for the day with a week of activities that honor the trans community’s fight against violence while also paying homage to victims who were failed by […]
At least 32 trans people have been violently killed in America this year alone, as anti-trans rhetoric continues to fuel violence. Sunday (20 November) marks Transgender Day of Remembrance, which honours the memory of those whose lives were cut short by anti-trans violence. Ahead of the date, LGBTQ+ advocacy organisation Human Rights Campaign(HRC) released a report reflecting on the causes of this violence, as seen over a year of documenting. The report confirmed that at least 32 trans and gender non-conforming people have been violently killed in the United States (US) since the start of 2022. They are: Amariey Lej, Duval Princess, Cypress Ramos, Naomie […]
While monkeypox (MPV) cases are declining nationally, health officials are learning new details about who’s at greater risk and why. It’s shining urgent new light on known challenges to health and well-being and how they’re not only a risk to a person but to public health overall. Alarming data has emerged linking severe cases of MPV in people living with untreated HIV who are also experiencing homelessness. In a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), outlined in an early release of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) on October 26, 82% of study participants with severe MPV were also people […]
Texas Republicans introduced several bills this week that target the transgender community, including at least two measures seeking to criminalize gender-affirming care for minors and one looking to prevent children from attending drag performances. Although the Legislature doesn’t officially begin its next session until mid-January, Monday was legislators’ first chance to file their bills for the coming term, potentially foreshadowing the state’s political priorities for the coming year. GOP legislators are barreling ahead with an updated party platform, officially unveiled over the summer, that defines homosexuality as an “abnormal lifestyle choice” and is opposed to “all efforts to validate transgender identity.” At […]
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said Tuesday it would back proposed federal legislation to safeguard same-sex marriages, marking the latest show of support for the measure from conservative-leaning groups. The nearly 17-million member, Utah-based faith said in a statement that church doctrine would continue to consider same-sex relationships to be against God’s commandments. Yet it said it would support rights for same-sex couples as long as they didn’t infringe upon religious groups’ right to believe as they choose. “We believe this approach is the way forward. As we work together to preserve the principles and practices of […]
Looking for an activity that benefits others? Want to share your creativity? Send artwork and letters of encouragement to seniors with the Sonoma County Library’s Send Our Seniors Mail program! Send Our Seniors Mail offers kindness and support for elders in our community and is an easy—and fun!—way to spread cheer throughout the holiday season. Interested? Visit the Send Our Seniors Mail page for a list of participating senior living facilities. Create cards, artwork, and letters for seniors who might need a little extra happiness during the holidays. Pop your goods in the mail! Addresses of senior facilities will be added to the Send Our Seniors Mail webpage as […]
The prospect of another Donald Trump presidency would pose a “serious risk” to LGBTQ+ rights, but queer advocates say they’re “battle-ready”. On Tuesday (15 November), Trump announced he would be running for president in 2024, making him the first president in history to be attempting another presidential bid following impeachment. As the most anti-LGBTQ+ president in modern history, he couldn’t help including a transphobic dig in his announcement from Mar-a-Lago, insisting that if elected, he would not “let men… participate in women’s sports”. During the torturous four years that Trump was in office, he relentlessly attacked the LGBTQ+ community, stripping discrimination protections, banning trans people from […]
