Local
Out in the Vineyard Hosts a Full Slate of Events This Summer
VIP OPENING WINE & BIZ EXPOFriday, July 14, 3:00pm-6:00pmVintner’s Resort – Event Center |
SPONSORED BY |
Welcome to Sonoma Wine Country! This year we have partnered with the Russian River Wine Grower’s Association and their winery partners to have you experience the wines of the region. Upon arrival into Sonoma join us at this VIP Opening Reception where you will get to taste over a dozen wineries paired with food from our host hotels executive Chef Tom Schmidt. Music by DJ Matt and more. This reception is open to all VIP Pass Holders, Hotel Guests & Sponsors WE CAN’T WAIT TO WELCOME YOU TO SONOMA. CHEERS!! |
the AFTER PARTIES of Gay Wine Weekend |
FRIDAY NIGHT JULY 14 GAY BAR POP-UP featuring DJ Matt9:30PM-ON LITTLE SAINT, UPSTAIRS BAR/LOUNGE 25 NORTH STREET, HEALDSBURG |
Whether you are doing a winemaker dinner or dinner on your own, join us afterwards to cheer in the weekend at this Gay Bar Pop-Up at Healdsburg’s hip spot, Little Saint-Upstairs. No Cover/No host bar. Open to all Gay Wine Weekend Attendees and friends! Dj Matthew in the house to spin the night away for you. |
SATURDAY NIGHT, JULY 15 APRES-T PARTY 10:00PM – ON LO & BEHOLD BAR LOUNGE 214 HEALDSBURG AVENUE, HEALDSBURG |
Let the Party Continue immediately following the Twilight T-Dance! Lo & Behold is Healdsburg’s newest and hippest bar in town. No Cover/No host bar. Open to all Gay Wine Weekend Attendees and friends! DJ to be announced in coming weeks |
SUNDAY, JULY 16DRAG QUEEN BRUNCH & WINE AUCTION10:00AM-12:30PM VINTNER’S RESORT, EVENT CENTER Open to all MAGNUM & VIP PASS HOLDERS & TICKET HOLDERS featuring our hostess Miss Ruby Red Munro! Coming to us direct from the City by the Bay! Ruby brings the talent with her to bring the house down while enjoying a beautiful breakfast with Sparkling Wine from BRICOLEUR VINEYARDS and Still Wines from SEGHESIO WINERY! |
We are excited to have the one & only Fertile Liza joining our Drag Queen Brunch this year direct from Bend, Oregon. Fertile Liza will be spreading her talents…and seed from Central Oregon to Sonoma for Gay Wine Weekend and we can’t wait for you to meet her! RESERVE BRUNCH |
SUNDAY, JULY 16POOL SOIREE 1:00PM-4:00PMR3 HOTEL16390 4th.Street, GuernevilleOpen to all VIP Magnum and Party Pass Holders and Ticket Holderspresented by our friends at GED MAGAZINE |
JUST ADDED TO OUR CLOSING POOL SOIREE….THE LEGENDARY JUANITA MORE!WILL BE SPINNING FOR YOU THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOONIf you’ve been to one or more of Juanita MORES! infamous San Francisco parties then you know to get ready for a fabulous afternoon poolside at the iconic R3 Hotel. Doors will open up at 11am for those not attending the Drag Queen Brunch & Wine Auction. The music and wine from MERCURY WINES will start at 1pm. BRING A TOWEL RESERVE POOL SOIREE |
CELEBRATE PRIDE WITH OUT IN THE VINEYARD &THE ACADEMYJOIN US FOR OUR 3RD. ANNUAL WINE PRIDE FESTIVAL AT THE ACADEMY IN SAN FRANCISCO Saturday, June 17, 6:00pm-9:00pmThe Academy 2166 Market Street, San Francisco |
Get ready to party with Pride at this unforgettable festival that celebrates love, diversity, and the amazing wine produced by leaders in the LGBTQ+ wine community. Enjoy wines by Macrostie Winery, Eco Terreno, Equality Vines, Rodney Strong, Gentleman Farmer, Fog Crest Vineyards, Terah Wines, Migliavacca Wine Co all paired with light bites to enjoy throughout the evening. Limited Tickets Available At This Time! |
Phil Lawrence Band and The Familiar Strangers at Occidental Center for the Arts Amphitheater Sat, June 24
Saturday June 24 @ 3 pm . Phil Lawrence Band and The Familiar Strangers at Occidental Center for the Arts Amphitheater.
Enjoy a double dose of entertaining Americana music in our outdoor amphitheater! Don’t miss the return of these popular Sonoma County artists as they bring world-class music to our West County entertainment hub. Tickets $30 Advance/$35 at the door/ $25 OCA members at www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org.
Please bring your own seat cushion or low backed chair. Doors open at 2:30 PM. Fine refreshments including beer and wine for sale, art gallery open for viewing. Limited reserved seating for disabled patrons , please email [email protected]. 3850 Doris Murphy Ct. Occidental,CA. 95465. 707-874-9392
Napa Valley College Pride Learning Community Offering 2-Semester LGBTQ+ Program This Fall
The Napa Valley College Pride Learning Community promotes student success in college and life through an immersive communal experience in academics and college life. This two-semester program includes a cohort of students who work together with experienced faculty and college counselors with a focus on LGBTQ+ studies. These courses prepare students for transfer to a 4-year college or university or for entry to the workforce.
Careers this learning community can prepare you for include:
- Business
- Hospitality and Tourism
- Health Occupations
- Criminal Justice and Social Work
- Teaching and Education
- Any Career That Includes Working With People
Being part of this learning community will offer you special field trips, activities, and experiences beyond a regular college class. You will meet new people and make new friends!
If you are looking for an exciting way to earn valuable college credit while having what can be a life-changing experience, a learning community is for you!
HOW IS A LEARNING COMMUNITY DIFFERENT FROM JUST TAKING CLASSES?
As a student in a learning community, you will get much more than just the content of a class. You will experience all of the classes together with the same set of students who have similar interests and goals. You will get the opportunity to participate in one or two extra-curricular activities a month. These might include field trips, talking with guest speakers, doing group community projects, or watching movies and documentaries together with facilitated discussions.
As a member of this learning community, you will also have direct access to a college counselor to help you with education planning and preparing you for transfer to a 4-year college or university or graduation into the workforce.
WHAT KIND OF STUDENT SHOULD PARTICIPATE IN THIS LEARNING COMMUNITY?
The Pride Learning Community is open to all LGBTQ+ students and allies interested in the LGBTQ+ community. If you are a student looking for more of a college experience than just coming and going to class, this is the program for you. Learning communities can offer you many more opportunities to learn, experience, and have fun while in college.
DOES IT COST MORE TO BE PART OF THIS LEARNING COMMUNITY?
No. Classes that are part of the Pride Learning Community cost the same as any other credit class. Napa Valley College is investing in your success and is funding the extra-curricular activities associated with the Learning Community. All you need to do is participate!
DID YOU KNOW?
Napa Valley College is one of only three community colleges in California with an LGBT Education two-year degree?
Our LGBT Education Program offers three different certificate programs:
- LGBT Education For Educators certificate – 9 units
- LGBT Education for Health Care Professionals certificate – 9 units
- LGBT Studies Certificate – 21 units
All three are impressive additions to your college transcript.
Learning communities are proven to increase student success in achieving academic goals. Whether you are interested in taking just a couple of classes or wanting to earn a certificate or degree, a learning community is an exciting immersive way to learn and succeed!
WHAT CLASSES ARE INCLUDED IN THIS LEARNING COMMUNITY?
The program spans one full school year starting with the fall semester.
FALL
- LGBT-120 Introduction To LGBT Studies – 3 Units (class transfers to UC and CSU and meets the social science requirement for graduation)
- COUN-100 College Success – 3 Units
SPRING
- LGBT-121 21st Century Issues In The LGBT Community – 3 Units (class transfers to UC and CSU and meets the social science requirement for graduation)
- COUN-105 Planning For Transfer Success – 1.5 Units
- COUN-111 Career Decision-Making – 1.5 units
HOW DO I SIGN-UP FOR THE PRIDE LEARNING COMMUNITY?
All you need to do is register for the LGBT-120 and linked COUN-100 class in the fall.
OUR TEAM
Greg Miraglia has been teaching college classes since 1986. He leads the LGBT Education program at Napa Valley College and is an LGBTQ+ advocate. He is passionate about education and teaching. Greg created the LGBT education program at Napa Valley College in 2012. . He is the vice-president of the board of directors for the Matthew Shepard Foundation also hosts an LGBTQ+ radio program on PBS station KRCB radio. He lives with his husband in Santa Rosa and loves the culinary arts and travel.
Gail Rulloda is a loving wife, mother of two beautiful kids, and a life-long learner of the world. Gail has found joy working, co-learning, co-creating with students in the early intervention, K-12, and higher education settings. She loves to learn through experiences, courageous conversations, and through food! She believes this work of social justice and equity needs to be worked not just within the institution but outside of it in her home, in her relationships, her kids, and with people she meets. She is grounded in love and often goes back to it when she is going through difficult times. Gail seeks to resist perpetuating trauma and hurt through healing, learning, and finding joy.
Faye Smyle has been teaching at Napa Valley College for 23 years, and is the program coordinator for Child & Family Studies and Education. Overall this is her 33rd year of teaching at the community college level. While in Connecticut she also taught infant, toddler, preschooler and kindergarten children. Teaching is truly a part of her soul. In addition to her love of teaching, Faye enjoys gardening, traveling, eating wonderful food, watching movies and being with her friends and family.
Call To Action: Protest Anti-LGBTQI+ Owners of Several Sonoma Businesses at General’s Daughter June 20
REMINDER – PROTEST ON JUNE 20TH, 5:30 – 7:00 IN FRONT OF THE PIZZA AND PINOT AT GENERAL’S DAUGHTER – OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE STREET. |
WE ARE WAKE UP SONOMAOUR MISSION IS TO:Promote equality of human and civil rights within our community, through research, education about threats to those rights, and to champion community-based solutions. We see THESE BUSINESSES in direct conflict with our mission.Stand with us, boycott LeFever/Mattson owned businesses! |
(If you don’t see the image above with list of LeFever Mattson businesses, be sure to show remote content in this e-mail.) |
Think about where your money is going—you would be supporting the following:Large property and land purchases in Sonoma which are being left to decay and become blight in the community affecting tourism, and jobs.A major business presence in the community with anti-LGBTQ and other hate policies (book banning, wanting “traditional family values” in public schools, etc.) – Consider the homophobic FB posts from Stacy Mattson on her Facebook Page – Consider the taking down of the Pride Flag Consider LeFever/Mattson ties to National political hate groups as designated by the Southern Poverty Law CenterBuying of local properties and elevated prices and selling them back to one of their own LLC’s. This destabilizes the local economy and property values. The regular Sonoma resident suffers – the community suffers.Buying up once thriving businesses and in some cases letting them go fallow, which contributes to a suppressed local economy.Stand together as a community that says no to the big money takeover of Sonoma Valley that is taking place RIGHT NOW! |
NO HATE SPEECHDO NOT OBSTRUCT THE SIDEWALKSTAY ON OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE STREETDO NOT SEEK CONFRONTIVE INTERACTION WITH PEOPLE ENGAGING IN PIZZA AND PINOTGIVE INFORMATION IF ASKED CALMLY AND RESPECTFULLY |
MPOX is Still a Problem Here in SoCo – Learn the Signs and Play Safe
Since May 2022, 30,344 cases of mpox (formerly monkeypox) have been reported in the United States, of which nearly 20% were reported in California. While the rate of mpox has declined precipitously since its peak in August 2022, mpox transmission has continued in California, and other states have recently reported a resurgence of mpox cases.
The majority of mpox infections in 2022 were transmitted sexually through intimate contact. Infections have disproportionately affected gay, bisexual, same-gender-loving, and other men who have sex with men (MSM). Approximately 40% of mpox cases have also been among people with HIV in California. See list of persons at higher risk for mpox infection here.
This letter is a call to action to Californian health care providers to remain vigilant in mpox prevention, recognition, and testing, especially during the upcoming 2023 spring and summer season as people gather for festivals and events, including LGBTQ Pride Month in June.
PREVENTION
When combined with other prevention measures, vaccination is the most effective way to reduce transmission of mpox virus and prevent disease, hospitalization and death. Estimates of JYNNEOS® vaccine effectiveness against disease range from 66-86% for 2 doses of vaccine and 36-75% for one dose. Preliminary evidence suggests that vaccine effectiveness against severe disease, hospitalization and death may be higher. For the most effective protection, people should get two doses of JYNNEOS® vaccine at least 28 days apart (JYNNEOS Vaccine Effectiveness, CDC). Even if it is significantly past the recommended 28-day interval, CDC recommends administration of the second dose as soon as possible. Boosters are not recommended at this time (JYNNEOS Vaccine, CDC)(Mpox Vaccination Basics, CDC).
In California, only 39% of the population at risk has received the two-dose series, with certain groups such as Black/African American and Latinx persons having even lower vaccination rates. This leaves a significant proportion of people in California less protected against mpox infection (JYNNEOS Vaccination Coverage, CDC) exacerbating existing inequities. People with HIV, particularly those with a low CD4 cell count or those not receiving antiretroviral therapy, are at higher risk for severe mpox and even death.
Please encourage all patients at risk of mpox exposure, infection, or severe disease to complete the two-dose JYNNEOS® series. Any person requesting vaccination should receive it without having to attest to, or disclose any specific behaviors. Providers should particularly counsel patients with HIV, those taking HIV pre-/post-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP/PEP) or doxy-PEP, or those with a history of sexually transmitted infections to be vaccinated.
The following can be used when referring patients to schedule a JYNNEOS® vaccine appointment: CDPH vaccine webpage and the MyTurn Appointment Booker. Vaccine administrative documentation should be done through California Immunization Registry (CAIR).
MPOX IDENTIFICATION AND TESTING
As 2023 spring and summer season gatherings approach, we encourage you to maintain a high level of suspicion and a low threshold for testing individuals with signs and symptoms consistent with mpox.
Identification
Consider mpox on the differential diagnosis for patients presenting with diffuse or localized rashes, including in patients who were previously infected with mpox or vaccinated against mpox. Mpox may present with a variety of skin lesions and can be confused with syphilis, herpes, molluscum contagiosum, shingles, chickenpox, scabies, allergic skin rashes, drug eruptions, and other skin conditions. Novel presentations of mpox should be considered (Descriptive Case Series, BMJ).
For more information on identifying patients with mpox, see the April 4, 2023 Updates on Identification, Laboratory Testing, Management and Treatment, and Vaccination for Mpox Virus Infection in California and the May 15, 2023 CDC HAN on Potential Risk for New Mpox Cases.
Call To Action : Stand in Solidarity with the Sonoma County Library as They Host Family-friendly Drag Story Hours
Over the weekend, Santa Rosa Community College was vandalized by an anti-lgbtq+ and white supremacist hate group. This was a targeted attack on the LGBTQ+ community as reported in The Press Democrat’s article, linked here. The flyers posted by this group directly attacked Pride month, and they targeted SRJC’s Queer Resource Center (QRC) by tearing down and stealing our flags (Philadelphia pride flag + Transgender flag) and posting a flyer directly covering a rainbow flag in an Intercultural Center window.
The hate speech that was posted on our campus was also posted at other local organizations who visibly support the local LGBTQ+ community, like Brew, True till Death Tattoo, Shady Oak Barrel House and The Astro motel. Flyers contained a QR code which led to a video proclaiming, “Happy Straight Month” and advocating for “Straight Pride.”
This act of hate is unacceptable in our community and on our campus.
The QRC students, staff, and faculty are experiencing this local harm within the larger context of anti-trans policy and sentiment sweeping the nation. There have been more than 400 anti-LGBTQ+ laws proposed this year alone; additionally, the largest gay rights organization in the world, The Human Rights Campaign, recently declared a state of emergency warning for LGBTQ+ people living in the US.
The QRC and the LGBTQ PAC stand in solidarity with queer and trans students, and we offer the following resources and opportunities to get engaged:
Reach out directly to the QRC to be connected to our resources, programming, support, and student discord.
Queer Resource Center at Santa Rosa
Summer 2023 Hours
Tuesday: 10:00am – 2:00pm
Wednesday: 10:00am-2:00pm
Contact Email: [email protected]
Queer Resources on Petaluma Campus, Our House
SRJC LGBTQ+ President’s Advisory Committee
Invitation to Local Direct Action
Stand in solidarity with the Sonoma County Library as they host family-friendly drag story hours.
From the Sonoma County Library:
Drag King VERA will visit four library branches to read children’s stories.
We’d like to rally a big group of LGBTQIA+ folks and our allies to hang out outside the library about 30 mins before each event to show our support and create a safe, rainbowy welcome to all attending.
Sat, June 17:
- 10:30am – Gather outside Petaluma Regional Library
- 11am-12pm – Drag Story Hour with VERA
- 1:30pm – Gather outside Rincon Valley Regional Library
- 2pm-3pm – Drag Story Hour with VERA
Sun, June 18:
- 12:30pm – Gather outside Windsor Regional Library
- 1pm-1pm – Drag Story Hour with VERA
- 2:30pm – Gather outside Central Santa Rosa Library
- 3pm-4pm – Drag Story Hour with VERA
Additional Organizations
Juneteenth Community Festival Happens June 17 at MLK Park in Santa Rosa
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. This was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation – which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.