CALL TO ACTION: Five Days of Protest Kicks off May (Day) First
News
Alabama House passes ‘Don’t Say Gay,’ drag ban, and Ten Commandments bills all at once
The Alabama state House of Representatives passed three anti-LGBTQ+ laws on the same day.
Republicans approved the bills Thursday, which included an expansion of the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law to encompass grades K-12, a ban on drag performances in some public spaces, an LGBTQ+ Pride flag ban in public schools, a ban against school employees using students’ preferred names and pronouns, and a law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displaced in all public education institutions — even colleges. The bills now head to the state Senate.
HB 244 would “prohibit classroom instruction in public school prekindergarten through the twelfth grade related to gender identity or sexual orientation; to prohibit education employees from displaying certain flags and insignia in public preK-12 schools; and to prohibit education employees from referring to a student by pronouns inconsistent with the student’s biological sex.”
The “certain flags” employees are forbidden from displaying are flags “relating to or representing sexual orientation or gender identity in a classroom of a public preK-12 school,” singling out the LGBTQ+ Pride flag.
HB 67 would “prohibit public K-12 schools and public libraries from knowingly presenting or sponsoring drag performances in the presence of a minor without the consent of the minor’s parent or legal guardian.” Drag is defined as “a performance in which a performer exhibits a sex identity that is different from the sex assigned to the performer at birth using clothing, makeup, or other physical markers,” leaving uncertainty as to how it will impact transgender people.
HB 178/SB 166 would require “each local board of education and the governing body of each public institution of higher education to display the Ten Commandments and a context statement in a common area of each school under its jurisdiction.” Schools are not required to use their funding for this, and can instead accept donations.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama said in a statement in response to the bill’s introduction that mandating the Ten Commandments in public schools is “unconstitutional – plain and simple.”
“The First Amendment guarantees that students and their families — not politicians or the government — get to decide which religious beliefs, if any, they adopt and what role those beliefs will play in their lives,” the group wrote. “Displaying the Ten Commandments in public-school classrooms blatantly violates this promise. Students can’t focus on learning if they don’t feel safe and welcome in their schools.”
The organization denounced a previous version of the drag ban in a separate statement, calling it “an attempt to censor LGBTQ experiences from the public.”
“The attempt of legislators to censor performers based on their personal viewpoints is contradictory to our first amendment rights,” it wrote. “The ACLU of Alabama wants to protect our first amendment right to express ourselves. Drag performances are part of that expression and should not be censored by the state based on subjective viewpoints on whether or not they are appropriate.”
Trump Administration to defund suicide hotline for LGBTQ+ youth starting in October
The Trump Administration has proposed eliminating funding for a crucial suicide hotline dedicated to LGBTQ+ youth.
A leaked budget draft, first obtained by The Washington Post, shows the federal government’s plans to eliminate all funding for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services – a federal program that provides emergency crisis support to LGBTQ+ youth considering suicide – effective October 1, 2025.
“Suicide prevention is about risk, not identity. Ending the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ youth specialized services will not just strip away access from millions of LGBTQ+ kids and teens – it will put their lives at risk,” Jaymes Black, CEO of The Trevor Project, said in a statement. “These programs were implemented to address a proven, unprecedented, and ongoing mental health crisis among our nation’s young people with strong bipartisan support in Congress and signed into law by President Trump himself.”
Black emphasized that help is still available, and will continue to be available regardless of if the measure is enacted, adding, “I want to be clear to all LGBTQ+ young people: This news, while upsetting, is not final. And regardless of federal funding shifts, The Trevor Project remains available 24/7 for anyone who needs us, just as we always have.”
The Trevor Project estimates that more than 1.8 million LGBTQ+ youth in the U.S. seriously consider suicide each year, and at least one attempts suicide every 45 seconds. The LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services, funded through the Department of Health and Human Services, has provided more than 1.2 million people with queer-inclusive crisis services, and the 988 Lifeline has served more than 14 million, government data shows.
The Trevor Project’s crisis services saw a 33 percent increase in calls and messages on the day of Trump’s inauguration compared to the weeks prior. Volume went up 46 percent the next day in comparison to typical daily rates. This followed a record-breaking 700 percent increase observed across the Trevor Project’s crisis lines on November 6, the day after the presidential election.
“To end suicide in this country, we need more resources – not fewer,” Black continued. “We urge the Administration to maintain its long-standing commitment to ending suicide among high-risk populations, especially our nation’s young people. We urge Congress to defend its establishment of this data-based, bipartisan program to allow its life-saving services to continue for generations to come. We do not have to agree on every policy issue to agree that every young life is worth saving.”
If you or someone you know needs mental health resources and support, please call, text, or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit988lifeline.org for 24/7 access to free and confidential services. Trans Lifeline, designed for transgender or gender-nonconforming people, can be reached at (877) 565-8860. The lifeline also provides resources to help with other crises, such as domestic violence situations. The Trevor Project Lifeline, for LGBTQ+ youth (ages 24 and younger), can be reached at (866) 488-7386. Users can also access chat services at TheTrevorProject.org/Help or text START to 678678.
Caravan of Hope brings LGBTQ+ justice & support to rural queers in red states
Fearful Philadelphians began contacting Angela Giampolo immediately following Donald Trump’s 2016 election victory. Though many queer locals knew about her LGBTQ+-focused law firm (which she established in 2008), she began wondering about people in rural areas and red states: Who would they contact to help protect their legal rights?
That’s when she dreamt up Caravan of Hope, a way to offer mobile legal services to LGBTQ+ people in underserved areas. Using mostly her own money, she purchased an RV trailer, renovated it into a mobile office and planned a 30-day trip to 14 cities across the nation — an over 5,000 mile drive — where she offereda day’s worth of queer-related legal services like gender marker and name changes, basic estate planning, uncontested divorces, and general legal guidance.
The trip, which first occurred in June 2023 and is scheduled to recur next October, will visit cities like Lincoln, Nebraska; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Laramie, Wyoming (the death place of Matthew Shepard, whose lethal 1998 gaybashing first inspired her to pursue law).
Queer people who live in rural areas around these larger cities are sometimes closeted for their own safety, don’t have access to LGBTQ+-centered legal services, or have prejudiced family members who obstruct their legal rights.
“Our approach is discreet yet accessible,” Caravan of Hope’s website reads. “The RV, strategically located 30-45 minutes from the towns we serve, ensures confidentiality and safety for all clients.”
Her romantic partner helps secure food and gear before the trip, a dedicated driver navigates the path across nearly 20 states, and a social media manager helps promote upcoming stops and the caravan’s work as it stops by each city.
Giampolo is only licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania, and her RV isn’t licensed to do business anywhere it parks, she tells LGBTQ Nation. So, to prepare for her trip, she had to find lawyers in each state willing to lend their license to the caravan’s work and LGBTQ+-friendly bars, restaurants, and community centers who would let her conduct business during her visits.
She’s happy to report that the lawyers and businesses who aided her in 2023 have offered to help again this year. Because not every person in need can make it to the caravan’s one-day stops, this year, she and a small group of volunteer lawyers will also offer two weeks of virtual legal services online as part of her autumn tour.
“Recognizing the complexity of legal issues, we don’t just stop at the initial consultation,” the caravan’s website continues. “We commit to ongoing support through online follow-ups, phone calls, and emails, aiming to conclude each case satisfactorily.”
Additionally, the caravan brings a documentarian to help record its work and the first-person testimonies of others in need. Sometimes, people will come to the caravan seeking food, clothing, or shelter—non-legal needs that the caravan can’t provide—or just to share stories of hardship that can’t be litigated. The documentarian captures these stories, too. Giampolo says it can make an emotionally powerful difference.
“Typically, lawyers, if there’s no legal help that can be provided, they either don’t reply, they don’t take the time to listen,” Giampolo tells LGBTQ Nation. “So feeling this for years on, to then having a lawyer sit and listen to someone in particular… feeling seen… feeling normalized and legitimized… holding their hand, letting them cry, hugging them [it helps].”
While Caravan of Hope has received hostile comments online and once had the waste lines on its vehicle cut during one of its overnight stays in an RV park, Giampolo says that most people have been supportive. Even curious neighbors in the RV parks where the caravan stays overnight will sometimes approach with questions and defensiveness, she says, but will then end up sitting and talking.
“I know those people will remember the things that we talked about forever,” Giampolo says.
Even more importantly, the caravan creates a sense of community that lasts long after the RV leaves town. The lawyers, community organizers, and business owners who collaborate to host the caravan all stay in touch afterward. Some have even formed relationships to throw recurring queer events or to continue offering community support of different kinds.
“I just really want as much as possible for folks right now, but the footprint of who we can help is so small,” Giampolo admits. That’s why she’s working with the American Bar Association to help provide Pride Month trainings on LGBTQ+ legal issues, so that more lawyers can begin competently providing the kinds of services she and the caravan provide. She also hopes to establish a nationwide law firm geared predominantly towards the LGBTQ+ community.
In the meantime, whenever an LGBTQ+ person or ally contacts her, asking for help, and they’re unable to meet with the caravan and don’t know who to turn to, “my next goal is to refer them to someone that I know loves and trust and then go from there,” she says.
Chicago Teachers Union ratifies groundbreaking contract cementing LGBTQ+ protections
As school boards ban LGBTQ+ books, conservative lawmakers target trans youth, and federal officials threaten funding for inclusive schools, Chicagoeducators are doing something few others can: fighting back — and winning.
On Monday, the Chicago Teachers Union ratified a sweeping new contract with Chicago Public Schools that goes beyond traditional labor demands. The agreement includes meaningful raises, smaller class sizes, and more classroom resources, but it also codifies some of the most comprehensive LGBTQ+ protections ever included in a public school labor deal.
Among the new provisions are gender-affirming health care for staff, a trained Gender Support Coordinator in every school, codified protections for chosen names and pronouns, and a mandate that every school upholds inclusive curriculum standards and supports student-led Gender and Sexuality Alliances.
The message from educators is simple: every student deserves to feel safe, seen, and supported — no matter what extremists in Washington, D.C., or state capitals may say.
The CTU contract is the first in a decade that got hammered out without a strike.Scott Heins/Getty Images
“This contract isn’t just about survival — it’s about joy,” said Bridget Doherty Trebing, a Chicago public school art teacher with more than 25 years of classroom experience and the mother of a transgender seventh grader. “It tells our students: we see you, we protect you, and you are safe here.”
A shield in a time of escalating attacks
Ninety-seven percent of voting union members ratified the contract, an overwhelming margin that CTU President Stacy Davis Gates says speaks not just to solidarity among educators but also to their shared recognition that public education—and LGBTQ+ lives—are under siege.
“We are the counterbalance,” Davis Gates told The Advocate. “We are the resistance.”
Her words come amid a torrent of anti-LGBTQ+ policies and rhetoric. Since the beginning of the year, the Trump administration has moved to restrict Title IX protections, ban trans students from participating in sports, and threaten schools that allow students to socially transition without parental notification. More than two dozen states have passed or introduced laws banning teachers from discussing LGBTQ+ identities, history, or health care.
Davis Gates said that Chicago’s educators and students deserve better.
“If you are not a wealthy, white, land-owning male, you are in the crosshairs of the current occupants of Pennsylvania Avenue,” she said. “Public school is one of the last democratic institutions that centers equity — and that’s exactly why it’s being attacked.”
Making the policy personal
The stakes are clear for educators like Corey Blake, co-chair of the CTU’s LGBTQIA+ Committee and a key architect of the contract’s protections. Blake helped revive the union’s LGBTQ+ committee after years of dormancy and spent years gathering input from queer and trans educators, students, and families across the district.
“Even if the federal government continues to wage its war against queer and trans youth, we have this protection,” Blake told The Advocate. “We made sure it’s written in. We made sure it’s real.”
Each school will designate a Gender Support Coordinator — a staff member who receives training and release time to support LGBTQ+ students, maintain access to affirming resources, and help oversee GSAs. The contract also guarantees space on school websites for LGBTQ+ materials and ensures students know whom they can turn to.
“Our kids are scared because this administration is doing everything it can to erase us,” Blake said. “This contract tells them: we see you. We love you. And we are fighting for you.”
Blake described the work as the most meaningful of their career.
“I have a Ph.D., I’ve worked in Panama, I’ve done a lot — but this? Helping secure real protections for our students and teachers? This is it.”
National groups applaud: “Progress is possible”
LGBTQ+ advocates and labor leaders say Chicago is now offering a powerful blueprint for how school districts can respond to rising political hostility — by leaning in, not backing down.
“Progress is possible when educators and schools focus on what is best for learning in their communities instead of what is convenient for extremist politicians seeking the national spotlight,” Melanie Willingham-Jaggers, executive director of GLSEN, said in a statement to The Advocate. GLSEN advocates for inclusive education opportunities for LGBTQ+ people.
“Especially as the federal government continues a relentless intimidation campaign against schools with inclusive policies, the Chicago Teachers Union is boldly working to ensure that LGBTQ+ students feel safe and included in the classroom,” Willingham-Jaggers added.
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten echoed that sentiment and credited Chicago educators for standing firm.
“Chicago serves as a powerful example of what can happen when we prioritize the needs of working families and their students instead of chaos,” Weingarten said in a statement to The Advocate. “In the face of Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s attacks, these educators and their community partners have worked diligently to protect and invest in their public schools and their neighborhoods.”
Weingarten called the contract “a bulwark against national efforts to dismantle and diminish public education,” adding that it “secures dignity and respect for veteran educators and acknowledges their contributions to our schools.”
A beacon for families — and a place to flee to
Chicago’s reputation as a sanctuary city for LGBTQ+ families isn’t just rhetorical. Trebing said that at a recent summit hosted by the Center on Halsted, she met multiple families who had uprooted their lives — moving from hostile states — so their trans children could attend school safely.
“That breaks my heart,” she said. “But it also reminds me why this work matters.”
Her son, a bright and book-loving seventh grader, summed it up: “I’m so glad I’m in Chicago.”
CTU is standing by the LGBTQ+ community.Scott Olson/Getty Images
Still, Trebing said the moment isn’t just about surviving — it’s about thriving. In her classroom, she proudly displays a Pride flag, safe space signs, and a book selection that would be banned in several other states. She routinely invites students to share their preferred names and pronouns and ensures they know she’ll never “out” them to families without permission.
“In another district, I would have been fired already,” she said. “Here, I have the protection of my union. It’s in the contract. It matters.”
Refusing to comply in advance
Trebing said one of the most critical decisions CTU made was not to compromise preemptively in anticipation of legal or political pressure.
“Absolutely no way should we have watered down this contract to comply in advance with these insane directives from Trump,” she said. “We’re going to do what’s right for our students. Period.”
She also challenged Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker—a Democrat who has publicly supported LGBTQ+ rights—to back up his words with action should federal officials attempt to target Chicago’s funding. Pritzker is a billionaire.
“He can put his money where his mouth is,” she said.
The contract also expands mental health services, protects academic freedom in the classroom, increases access to school librarians and counselors, and bans discriminatory dress codes. But for LGBTQ+ students in particular, the changes offer something else: visibility and safety.
“This contract is about teaching students to live in community with others,” Trebing said. “It’s not radical — it’s what good educators do.”
Davis Gates said the moment is bigger than any one city or school district.
“Chicago is in a reconstruction phase,” she said. “We’ve beaten back the worst of neoliberalism and the worst of far-right attacks. Now we’re rebuilding and showing the country what’s possible.”
For Blake, the contract’s impact will be measured in quiet moments in hallways and classrooms when students find the courage to ask for help or be seen.
“This is about telling every queer kid: you are safe here,” Blake said. “You are loved here. And we will fight like hell to keep it that way.”
Former Fox Host Launches Bid For California Governor
Politico reports:
Former Fox News host Steve Hilton announced on Monday he will run for California governor, seeking to become the state’s first Republican chief executive since Arnold Schwarzenegger, his campaign confirmed to POLITICO on Monday. Hilton, who also served as an adviser to British Prime Minister David Cameron, had long been considering a run and recently released a book criticizing what he sees as the failings of California’s Democratic leadership and offering policy prescriptions.
The Republican invoked former Vice President Kamala Harris — who is considering a run for governor — in his launch video. “It’s time to end the years of Democrat failure,” Hilton says over an image of Harris. “Let’s make California an inspiration, again, the very best of America,” Hilton said. “There’s only one way to do that. We’ve got to end the one-party rule that got us into this mess.”
Read the full article.
Hilton, a COVID “truther,” appeared here in March 2020when he and fellow Fox host Jason Chaffetz claimed that hospitals were inflating the number of COVID deaths.
He currently hosts an independent podcast with a relatively meager following. He still appears regularly on Fox News and Fox Business.
Hilton became a US citizen in 2021.
Federal judge blocks Trump admin’s gender-restrictive passport policy
A federal judge in Massachusetts has blocked the Trump administration’s move to cease offering the X gender marker on U.S. passports or allowing passport holders to change their gender marker.
U.S. District Judge Julia Kobick, an appointee of President Joe Biden, granted a motion Friday for a preliminary injunction, which keeps the policy from being enforced while a lawsuit against it is heard, the Associated Press reports.
The State Department implemented the policy, which affects transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people, in January in keeping with Donald Trump’sexecutive order recognizing only male and female sexes and denying that one’s gender can ever change — something that is at odds with the view of every major medical group. The policy does not affect existing passports but applies to new ones and renewals. Five trans people and two who are nonbinary filed suit against the policy in February in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts.
“The Executive Order and the Passport Policy on their face classify passport applicants on the basis of sex and thus must be reviewed under intermediate judicial scrutiny,” Kobick wrote, according to the AP. “That standard requires the government to demonstrate that its actions are substantially related to an important governmental interest. The government has failed to meet this standard.”
Those who sued are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, its Massachusetts affiliate, and the law firm of law firm Covington & Burling. “We all have a right to accurate identity documents, and this policy invites harassment, discrimination, and violence against transgender Americans who can no longer obtain or renew a passport that matches who they are,” ACLU lawyer Sruti Swaminathan said, as reported by the AP.
“This decision is a critical victory against discrimination and for equal justice under the law,” Li Nowlin-Sohl, senior staff attorney for the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Project, added in a press release. “But it’s also a historic win in the fight against this administration’s efforts to drive transgender people out of public life. The State Department’s policy is a baseless barrier for transgender and intersex Americans and denies them the dignity we all deserve. We will do everything we can to ensure this order is extended to everyone affected by the administration’s misguided and unconstitutional policy so that we all have the freedom to be ourselves.”
“This ruling affirms the inherent dignity of our clients, acknowledging the immediate and profound negative impact that the Trump administration’s passport policy would have on their ability to travel for work, school, and family,” Jessie Rossman, legal director at ACLU of Massachusetts, said in the release. “By forcing people to carry documents that directly contradict their identities, the Trump administration is attacking the very foundations of our right to privacy and the freedom to be ourselves. We will continue to fight to rescind this unlawful policy for everyone so that no one is placed in this untenable and unsafe position.”
Under Biden, the State Department made the X option available to all applicants in 2022 and made it easier to change the gender marker. It had issued one passport with the X marker in 2021 — to Dana Zzyym, an intersex and nonbinary U.S. Navy veteran in Colorado who had sued the department for only offering a male or female choice on the passport application.
Kobick had expressed skepticism about the Trump administration’s passport policy when hearing arguments three weeks ago. “It seems to deny that gender identity is something worth recognizing,” she said, according to Reuters. She also noted the “slew of government actions against transgender and nonbinary people.”
In defending the policy, the administration’s lawyers said it “does not violate the equal protection guarantees of the Constitution,” the AP reports. However, many judges have ruled that discrimination based on gender identity does violate these guarantees. And in the 2020 Bostock v. Clayton County decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation is sex discrimination and therefore banned by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The high court’s ruling, written by Trump appointee Neil Gorsuch, applied only to job discrimination, but it has been used to argue against discrimination in other areas of life.
The Trump administration further claimed that the policy would not harm passport holders because they remained free to travel, but many trans, nonbinary, and intersex people worried that having a gender marker that doesn’t match their appearance would cause difficulties when traveling.
College cleverly keeps its LGBTQ+ center open despite laws against DEI
Numerous colleges nationwide have shuttered their LGBTQ+ centers under political pressure to end all diversity, equity, and inclusivity (DEI) programs, but not at Utah’s Salt Lake Community College (SLCC).
Peter Moosman was hired at SLCC in 2019 to help open up its Gender and Sexuality Student Resource Center, an office supportive of LGBTQ+ and female students. The center is open to all students: It has a drop-in lounge, offers connections to community groups and resources, and hosts events, programs, and trainings for affinity months like LGBTQ+ History Month or Women’s Heritage Month.
Moosman, who currently serves as the center’s manager and as SLCC’s assistant director of cultural programming, oversaw the center exclusively until October 2024, when the Utah state legislature passed H.B. 261, a law that prohibits state-funded colleges from “discriminatory practices that favored certain identity populations over others.” Then, last February, the U.S. Department of Education sent out a letter pledging to end federal funding to any schools with DEI programs.
“By having programming or spaces or things that were exclusive to a certain identity group, it was considered discriminatory,” said Moosman, who spoke to LGBTQ Nation as a private individual and not as a representative of the college. Nevertheless, SLCC has shifted the center’s role, he explained, and its marketing now makes it explicitly clear that the center serves all students, just through a lens of gender and sexuality.
“Our center never excluded anyone from any programming, any services, any resources,” Moosman said. “We were not checking IDs at the door. We had a lot of straight students coming in and getting resources. We had a lot of cisgender students coming in and getting resources. So we were never engaged in the discriminatory practices that were outlined in H.B. 261.”
However, the law prohibits any activities that teach that any “individual’s personal identity characteristics, [are] inherently privileged, oppressed … [or] oppressive” or that “socio-political structures are inherently a series of power relationships.” These restrictions could potentially make it difficult for any college professional to discuss the role of political oppression against LGBTQ+ and women, especially when observing any affinity month like LGBTQ+ History Month.
Despite this, the Department of Education noted that schools can hold programs centered around “educational, cultural, or historical observances — such as Black History Month … — that celebrate or recognize historical events and contributions, and promote awareness, so long as they do not engage in racial exclusion or discrimination.”
To comply with these directives, Moosman says the center now highlights contributions from women or LGBTQ+ historical figures rather than the specific oppressions they faced.
“We can talk about how these communities are thriving. We can celebrate achievements. We just can’t say something like, ‘Queer people are oppressed and need to be recognized,’” Moosman said. “A lot of what these bills and these laws and these mandates are forcing us into are semantics games, and it’s challenging, it’s frustrating.”
“A lot of what these bills and these laws and these mandates are forcing us into are semantics games, and it’s challenging, it’s frustrating.”– Peter Moosman, Assistant Director of cultural programming and manager of the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center at Salt Lake Community College
Despite the frustration, Moosman has also seen some opportunities to engage people on gender and sexuality issues in a different and possibly more accessible way.
The center used to provide LGBTQ+ awareness training that trained different campus departments on things like pronouns and the history and culture of the queer community. Now, the center offers a “Gender and Sexuality 101” presentation that looks at how gender and sexuality have been expressed in nature, history, culture, and biological differences. Moosman said presenters make it three-fourths through the presentation before they even mention any queer terminology.
“I’ve been teaching these courses for a very long time, and when we start the conversation like talking about ‘power’ and ‘privilege,’ which are kind of like these political buzzwords, I see people in the audience kind of like turn off, they shut off, or they get angry and defensive, and it derails our conversation,” Moosman said. “But when I have been able to change the language and use more neutral terms — instead of saying ‘privilege,’ talk about ‘accessibility’ or ‘opportunity’ — they stay engaged longer.”
While he’s not speaking as an SLCC representative, Moosman thinks it’s important to share the ways his school has been navigating these policies, both as a form of educational solidarity and also as a potential roadmap for institutions navigating similar political challenges.
“As I’m watching these LGBT centers shut down, it makes me sad, of course, because these centers are saving lives. These centers are serving students in a way that they’re not getting at home or elsewhere… but even more, I think we see nationally how quickly and how easily people are bending and breaking under this pressure, instead of trying to find new ways and pivot to continue to serve students through creative measures,” he said.
“How do we find creative ways to still engage, to still serve our communities, still show up and exist, especially when we are representing government entities… and being restricted through laws?” Moosman asked rhetorically.
Citing philosopher Cornel West, Moosman said that people need to develop the ability to be “protean,” which Moosman defines as “the ability to be flexible, to change without losing the core of our purpose and our passions.”
“We can continue to do what we need to do, while matching the energy of the situation, of the environment right,” Moosman said. “So institutions that are funded by federal dollars, institutions that are funded by state dollars, that are being forced to bend with these new laws and these new mandates, it’s going to require us, through many creative ways, to be protean.”
Monthly Queer Hangout Happens at Brew Thursday Evening
Thursday, April 24·5:00 – 8:00pm
Brew Coffee and Beer House, 555 Healdsburg Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 95401, USA
The last Thursday of every month Brew hosts a fun and casual environment to build local queer community. Bring friends or make new ones. There’s games, icebreakers, and music. Food and drinks available for purchase.
West Hollywood City Council to Host Town Hall to Confront Trump’s Alarming Policies
The City of West Hollywood will host a town hall and resource fair later this month focused on the impact of the Trump administration’s first 100 days in office, particularly on LGBTQ+ individuals, immigrants, women, and other marginalized communities.
Titled “Safeguarding Our Rights – The First 100 Days,” the event will take place on Tuesday, April 29, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the West Hollywood Council Chambers, located at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard. The evening will begin with a resource fair, followed by a panel discussion and a Q&A session. Attendance is free and open to the public, with advance RSVP available at go.weho.org/townhall.
The town hall is being organized in response to a series of policy rollbacks and funding cuts enacted during President Trump’s initial months in office—actions that local leaders say threaten the rights and well-being of vulnerable communities.
Partner organizations participating in the event include the ACLU of Southern California, APLA Health, CHIRLA, Equality California, the Los Angeles LGBT Center, Planned Parenthood, and the TransLatin@ Coalition. Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with these groups and receive advocacy tools, resources, and support.
The panel discussion, scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., will feature representatives from these organizations who will discuss the immediate effects of recent federal actions and highlight the importance of grassroots advocacy and collective action. A live Q&A session will follow at 8:30 p.m.
The event will be broadcast live on WeHoTV (Spectrum Cable Channel 10 in West Hollywood) and livestreamed across digital platforms, including the City’s YouTube channel and website, as well as AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and Roku (search “WeHoTV”).
The City of West Hollywood has reaffirmed its longstanding commitment to equity and inclusion in response to the federal shift in policy direction. In December 2024, the City Council passed a resolution reaffirming its core values and committing to defend the rights of all residents, particularly those who have been historically marginalized.