News

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Gay man from Chechnya who was tortured in a police station finally escaped Russia

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After months of torture in the basement of a Grozny police station, a gay Chechen man has finally fled the grip of Russia and his native country’s rabid homophobia, the North Caucasus LGBTQ+ rights group SK SOS reported Wednesday. Rizvan Dadayev was detained by police in the summer of 2022 after he was outed by a group of local extortionists in the Chechen capital in a video distributed online, SK SOS told The Moscow Times. He hadn’t been heard from since. The organization said Dadayev had been abused at the hands of law enforcement officials with direct ties to Chechen leader […]

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Queer- and Woman-owned Psychedelic Medicine Clinic Opens in Sonoma County

The emerging field of psychedelic medicine has deep roots in the North Bay,and one of the most promising new treatments, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP), is nowavailable in Sebastopol. Liminal Medicine offers treatment with Ketamine, the only psychedelicmedicine currently legal for clinical use, in a queer- and woman-owned space that is open andwelcoming to people of all identities. Ketamine is one of the first truly new treatments for depression to come along in decades, andhas been called “a paradigm shift, that now we can achieve rapid antidepressant effects…[ketamine is] something radically different,” by Dr. Carlos Zarate, chief of the experimentaltherapeutics and pathophysiology […]

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Lesbian couple get free wedding venue after ‘heart-crushing’ experience with initial locale

A gay Kansas couple found what they thought was the perfect wedding venue, until the owner told them her “deeply held religious beliefs” prevented her from celebrating their marriage. Wichita residents Ali Waggy and Jessica Robinson, who got engaged in July, toured the Barn at Grace Hill, a venue in Newton, earlier this month, the Wichita Eagle reported. Even before touring, Waggy said she knew she wanted to get married there, because “their barn is beautiful.” After the tour, Waggy said she followed up with an email about moving forward with booking the venue, but she received a “heart-crushing” response from […]

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Texas’s anti-LGBTQ+ book ban law blocked by federal court

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A federal appeals court has issued an injunction against part of Texas’ book-banning law that requires book vendors to rate books for “sexually explicit” and “sexually relevant” materials. Vendors must submit those ratings every year to the Texas Education Agency (TEA), the agency overseeing public schools. The TEA can then overrule a vendor’s ratings and place vendors on a “noncompliant list,” forbidding schools from buying books from them if the vendors disagree with the TEA’s decisions. Two Texas bookstores — Austin’s BookPeople and Houston’s Blue Willow Bookshop — filed a lawsuit against the 2023 Restricting Explicit and Adult-Designated Educational Resources […]

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285 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in state legislatures already this year and it’s still January

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After a record year for anti-LGBTQ+ legislation at the state level, 2024 is shaping up to be just as challenging. In 2023, more than 550 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced across 43 states, and more than 80 were passed into law. So far in the new year, 285 have been introduced, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Keep up with the latest in LGBTQ+ news and politics. Sign up for The Advocate’s email newsletter. These bills seek to limit LGBTQ+ people’s rights in education, health care, public accommodations, free speech and expression, and much more. A total of 130 would restrict students’ and teachers’ rights through […]

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California Senate leader Toni Atkins announces run for governor in 2026

he leader of the California Senate on Friday said she would run for governor in 2026, entering a campaign that is far from the minds of voters but is quickly filling with candidates in a state that requires frequent fundraising to compete in some of the nation’s most expensive media markets. Toni Atkins, a Democrat from San Diego, made history as only the third person and the first woman to hold both of the state Legislature’s top jobs — speaker of the Assembly and president pro tempore of the Senate. Atkins is still in the latter role, but plans to step […]

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Free Online LGBTQI History: A Sonoma County Timeline Class Will Discuss Early Days of SoCo Gay Liberation Movement Wednesday

LGBTQI History: A Sonoma County Timeline 1947-2000 Wednesdays 1:30-3pm. Online via Zoom through SRJC LifeLong Learning. On Wednesday, January 24 we will Be talking about the early days of SoCo Gay Liberation Movement. I look forward to seeing you there! Please contact  me to enroll in this FREE class and receive a Zoom link:  cdungan@santarosa.edu

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Florida GOP lawmakers seek to ban rainbow flags in schools, saying they’re bad for students

A bill advanced by Florida Republicans on Wednesday would ban teachers and other government employees from displaying a rainbow flag — even wearing one as a lapel pin for a day — but they could hang the full-size flag of any “recognized nation” as long as they want, according to the bill’s sponsor. Flag displays that depict a “racial, sexual orientation and gender, or political ideology viewpoint” would be banned from any state or local government building, including public schools and universities, under the bill authored by GOP Rep. David Borrero. Opponents say the bill is inspired by hate. Borrero […]

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Forbidden Kiss Live “Blue Valentines” Celebration of Love Happens Saturday February 10 at The California in Santa Rosa

Cheryl King hosts an original spin on Valentine’s Day – Blue Valentines. This celebration of love and its opposite will feature stories of love gone wrong (and right). Join us for comedy, burlesque, song and dance routines, and magic as we celebrate couplehood and singlehood. Featuring new comedy routines from the mind of Cheryl King, plus new sexy routines from Malia Abayon, Titus Androgynous, The Phoenix Dancers, singer/songwriter Karenna Slade, and The Forbidden Magician. Adult-oriented material, for those 18+. Parental guidance is suggested. Tickets $20 in advance, $25 at the door Membership Offer Buy a membership and get up to […]

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LGBTQ+ Victory Fund Endorses 14 More Candidates for the 2024 Election Cycle

LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, the only national organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ+ leaders to public office, endorsed 14 more out candidates for federal, state and local office around the country. LGBTQ+ Victory Fund has endorsed 82 candidates for the 2024 election cycle. LGBTQ+ Victory Fund endorses the following candidates: Elevated to Spotlight status: Steve Hansen (he/him)Mayor of Sacramento, CAPrimary: 3/5/2024General: 11/5/2024 Ethan Weaver (he/him)Los Angeles City Council, District 4, CAPrimary: 3/5/2024General: 11/5/2024 Malcolm Kenyatta (he/him)Pennsylvania Auditor GeneralPrimary: 4/23/2024General: 11/5/2024 Matthew Park (he/him)Knox County Commission, District 9, TNPrimary: 3/5/2024General: 8/1/2024 Non-Incumbent Candidates: Fidencio Gallardo (he/him)Los Angeles Unified School Board, District 5, CAPrimary: 3/5/2024General: 11/5/2024 […]

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