San Francisco police on Thursday revealed a sixth victim may be linked to the 1970s serial killer who targeted the city’s gay community and doubled reward money in hopes of ramping up efforts to solve the decades-old cold case.
The “Doodler” was previously suspected in at least five homicides of gay, white men between January 1974 and June 1975, police said in 2019. But police said Thursday that a potential sixth victim has been tied to the killer, exactly 48 years after the first victim was killed.
The possibility of a sixth victim was raised during a series in the San Francisco Chronicle last year, which followed cold case detectives Dan Cunningham and Dan Dedet as they investigated the death of Warren Andrews. The department confirmed it now believes Andrews is connected to the serial killer case. https://iframe.nbcnews.com/ZXkiMl1?_showcaption=true&app=1
“On April 27, 1975, Andrews was a victim of an assault at Land’s End,” the department said in a release. “Andrews was found unconscious and never regained consciousness dying several weeks later.”
Investigators have spent years attempting to identify the killer, who they believe targeted men at gay clubs and restaurants around San Francisco and often had sex with them before attacking them. Four bodies were found around Ocean Beach, a fifth at Golden Gate Park.
Andrews was attacked near Lands End, a popular hiking spot north of Golden Gate Park and about a 1.5 mile walk north from Ocean Beach.
But while the other victims were stabbed to death, Andrews was bludgeoned with a rock and a tree branch.
Cunningham told the Chronicle that he had to reconsider Andrews’ murder as part of the case given the location, “the victimology” and time period.
“I’d be a fool not to consider him as a Doodler victim,” he said.
Two years ago, San Francisco police released a sketch of what authorities believe the killer would look like after being aged 40-years. A suspect has never been charged in the case, though someone was detained in 1976 in connection with the murders.
The sketch is based on the original descriptions given by two white men who survived assaults in July 1975, both stabbed with a knife and injured in a similar manner to the victims.
Authorities dubbed the suspect the “doodler” after a surviving victim told police that he was drawing caricatures on a paper while the two spoke in an all-night truck stop diner. He had told the victim that he was a cartoonist.
“The SFPD has increased the reward from $100,000 to $200,000 for information leading to the identification, apprehension, and conviction of the serial homicide suspect,” police said in the Thursday statement.
The horrific spate of anti-LGBT+ killings that have fuelled fear in Jamaica is to be investigated as part of a new podcast series.
Ring The Alarm, an Apple Podcasts series that will explore what it’s like to be LGBT+ in the island country, will be hosted by Jasmyne Cannick, one of Los Angeles’ most recognisable Black political strategists and journalists.
Cannick helped capture national attention to the sordid killings by small-time American Democratic donor Ed Buck – now she’s training focus on the creeping homicide rates of LGBT+ people in Jamaica.
“I have always used my platform to elevate Black stories and issues I felt were being ignored and Ring the Alarm is no different,” Cannick told The Advocate.
“When I was asked to come to Jamaica to speak to the LGBTQ+ community and share their stories, I immediately said yes.
“I said yes because American’s have had so much to say about the plight of queer people in places like Iran and Afghanistan but for decades have ignored the murders of lesbian women, gay men, and trans men and women in Jamaica.
“Well not anymore.”
The world ‘can’t keep ignoring’ wave of LGBT+ murders in Jamaica
In Jamaica, it is illegal to be gay, punishable by up to a decade in prison with hard labour. Some take the law into their own hands, carrying out brutal torture and murders that capture the deepening homophobia in the country.
Many queer Jamaicans live in fear, with more than half saying they have been victims of some form of violence fuelled by hatred for their sexual orientation or gender identity, according to the Human Rights Watch.
Contempt towards LGBT+ people is entrenched in the Jamaican state, the group warned.
Queer youth rejected by their families remain among the most vulnerable in society and battle to survive as the public and police target them.
But described by Cannick as like a modern-day underground railroad, countless safehouses provide LGBT+ people with a place of safety, healing and camaraderie.
Cannick hopes to tell the stories behind the safehouses and those who run them while raising money for the organisers. Above all, she hopes to raise national attention once again to a pressing issue – the killing of the most vulnerable.
“Americans love vacationing in Jamaica,” she added, “but just beyond the carefully curated tourism corridor, people are being murdered for being queer.
“We can’t be okay with that. We can’t keep ignoring that.”
Brandon Straka, the 44-year-old New York-based hairstylist and Trump loyalist who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge for his role in the January 6 Capitol Insurrection, was finally sentenced on Monday.
Judge Dabny Friedrich, a Trump appointee, gave Straka no jail time but sentenced him to three months of house arrest, 36 months of probation, $5,500 in fines, and community service.
According to court documents, FBI officials identified Straka from a since-deleted video he posted to his own social media page in which he could be heard shouting “Go! Go!” to the other insurrectionists as they stormed inside the U.S. Capitol building.
Two days after he pleaded guilty, Straka emailed his mailing list asking them to send him money for his legal bills.
“Start posting positive things that you believe about me,” he wrote. “Push back against the one sided hate attacks that are happening right now. I still have nothing to say about my case, other than this- as it’s being widely (and likely INTENTIONALLY) misreported: I did NOT enter the Capitol building.”
“After being PERMANENTLY BANNED from PayPal, Venmo, and Stripe,” Straka added, “I have CUSTOM CREATED a support platform using a conservative friendly payment processor company.”
Officials were also able to tie Straka to the insurrection based on several since-deleted posts from his Twitter account, including:
“Patriots at the Capitol – HOLD. THE. LINE!!!!”
“I arrived at the Capitol a few hours ago as Patriots were storming from all sides. I was quite close to entering myself as police began tear-gassing us from the door. I inhaled tear gas & got it in my eyes. Patriots began exiting shortly after saying Congress had been cleared.”
“I’m completely confused. For 6-8 weeks everybody on the right has been saying ‘1776!’ & that if congress moves forward it will mean a revolution! So congress moves forward. Patriots storm the Capitol – now everybody is virtual signaling their embarrassment that this happened.”
“Also- be embarrassed & hide if you need to- but I was there. It was not Antifa at the Capitol. It was freedom loving Patriots who were DESPERATE to fight for the final hope of our Republic because literally nobody cares about them. Everyone else can denounce them. I will not.”
“Perhaps I missed the part where it was agreed this would be a revolution of ice cream cones & hair-braiding parties to take our government back from lying, cheating globally interested swamp parasites. My bad.”
Multiple other people sent the FBI videos that reportedly showed Straka at the Capitol building on January 6. In one of the clips, he allegedly tells the mob, “We’re going in!” In another, he allegedly orders them to attack a police officer, yelling, “Take the shield! Take it! Take it!”
Straka signed a plea deal with prosecutors, agreeing to provide agents with “copies of any social media accounts, postings, videos, or photos” and answer questions “regarding events in and around January 6, 2021.” In exchange, prosecutors sought a lighter sentence.
The OUT Against Big Tobacco coalition supported by Equality California Institute launched a pledge today urging California legislators and candidates to voluntarily refuse campaign contributions from the tobacco industry. A total of sixteen legislators and candidates have taken the pledge thus far, with more expected to sign on as the 2022 campaign season gets underway.
The pledge was launched in conjunction with the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout, a national day in recognition of tobacco users who are looking to quit tobacco for good. LGBTQ+ people are more than TWICE as likely to smoke as our non-LGBTQ+ peers, and nearly 30,000 LGBTQ+ people across the country die every year of tobacco-related causes.
Initial signers of OUT Against Big Tobacco’s pledge not to take tobacco industry campaign contributions include:
Supervisor Matt Haney, candidate for Assembly District 17
Daniel Hertzberg, candidate for Senate District 18
Mayor Christy Holstege, candidate for Assembly District 42
Bilal Mahmood, candidate for Assembly District 17
Mayor Lily Mei, candidate for Senate District 10
Caroline Menjivar, candidate for Senate District 18
Andrea Rosenthal, candidate for Assembly District 36
Dr. Sion Roy, candidate for Assembly District 50
Rick Chavez Zbur, candidate for Assembly District 50
“For decades, Big Tobacco has used their profits to place themselves as friends of our community. This year we are kicking them OUT; out of our Pride, out of our organizations, and out of our politics,” said Equality California Program Manager, Dr. Shannon Kozlovich. “We are calling all 2022 California State legislative candidates to stand with us and pledge to run tobacco free campaigns.
“The tobacco industry is killing our children, killing people of color, killing people that have underlying health conditions. We have to take a stand by not accepting tobacco contributions!” said Senator Lena Gonzalez.
In California’s 2020 Senate and Assembly election cycle, tobacco companies spent $6 million on campaign contributions, while spending millions more lobbying against legislation to prohibit the sale of flavored tobacco products — products disproportionately targeted towards LGBTQ+ people, people of color and our young people.
“The tobacco industry serves no purpose other than to make people sick. Tobacco money is not essential for people to win,” said Senator Scott Wiener.
###
Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ+ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ+ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org
As President Biden, Vice President Harris and advocates across the country continue to push for federal action to safeguard the freedom to vote, Equality California announced its endorsement of California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley N. Weber on Tuesday. Secretary Weber is running for a full four-year term in 2022, after making history last year as California’s first Black Secretary of State — following her appointment to the position by Governor Gavin Newsom.
“As other states attempt to roll back voting rights, Secretary Weber has used her office to protect and expand the freedom to vote — here in California and across the country,” said Equality California Executive Director Tony Hoang. “LGBTQ+ Californians are lucky to have such a dedicated partner in the Secretary of State’s office. Throughout her career, Secretary Weber has been a committed ally and a champion for full, lived equality, and we look forward to helping elect her to a full term this November.”
Weber has helped lead the nationwide fight to protect voting rights — joining lawsuits against voter suppression efforts with other secretaries of state and advocating for the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act — in the face of undemocratic attempts to limit access to the ballot box. In the Assembly, Weber was consistently one of the most outspoken champions for LGBTQ+ civil rights and social justice, helping to secure key nondiscrimination protections, criminal justice reforms and laws requiring LGBTQ+ inclusive curriculum in public schools.
“I’m honored to be endorsed by Equality California, with whom I have had a strong relationship for many years –– as an Assemblymember, and now as Secretary of State,” said Secretary Weber. “I firmly believe California’s strength lies in our diversity, and our shared commitment to equality for everyone who calls our state home –– no matter their sexual orientation, gender identity or anything else. I am a proud ally of the LGBTQIA+ community and a proud partner of Equality California. I look forward to fighting for the civil rights of every Californian alongside EQCA’s leadership and membership for years to come.”
Weber is the daughter of sharecroppers from Hope, Arkansas, who moved to California after her father was threatened by a lynch mob. Weber’s father did not have the opportunity to vote until he was in his 30s, and her grandfather never had the chance to cast a ballot. Although her family moved to California when Weber was three years old, it was her family’s experience in the Jim Crow South that has driven her activism and legislative work.
In addition to Equality California, Weber has been endorsed by U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla Governor Gavin Newsom, Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis; Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, Attorney General Rob Bonta, Treasurer Fiona Ma, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, Controller Betty Yee, the California Legislative Black Caucus and the California Legislative Women’s Caucus, among dozens of elected and community leaders and progressive organizations.
After Vice President Kamala Harris left the U.S. Senate in January 2021, Governor Newsom appointed then-California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to serve the remainder of Harris’ U.S. Senate term; and then Newsom appointed then-California State Assemblymember Weber to fill the remainder of Padilla’s term. The primary election for the Secretary of State position will be June 7, 2022.
For a complete list of Equality California’s 2022 endorsements, visit eqca.org/elections.
###
Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org
Welcome to the Rainbow Connection of the Sebastopol Senior Center! And don’t let that word “Senior” fool you, think of us as the Sebastopol FUN Center!
We are expanding our offerings to adults of ALL ages. We are a place to come to if you wish to THRIVE! Read on if you want to hear about local events offered by us (and others) for our Sonoma County LGBT+ community. Especially notice, that after a two year wait, we are hosting our famous Mardi Gras dance again on February 26th.
Check out these LGBT+ activities you can put on your 2022 calendar. Please don’t hesitate to call or email me if you need anything! Also, click HERE, for those of you new to this blog, and you can read a longer introduction about me and our LGBT+ goals. AND contact me if inquire about volunteering at our LGBT+ events or if you want to drive seniors to their doctors appointments.
Please note that all our Sebastopol Seniors Center events are subject to modification based on the state of the pandemic. As such, our dining room has closed for the month of January, but meals are still available for pick up.
Sincerely,
Scotty King Manager of Special Services Volunteer Driver Program ∙ LGBT+ Liaison 707-827-8429 direct 707-829-2440 main Sebastopol Senior Center 167 N. High Street Sebastopol CA 95472 “Remember when Giving a Ride was the Neighborly Thing to Do? It Still Is!”
LGBT+ Friendship Mixer Come meet your LGBT+ Friends and Neighbors
What: LGBT+ Friendship Mixer When: Monday February 7th, 2 – 4pm Where: Sebastopol Senior Center in person Why: Meet new LGBT+ folks Cost: Free to members, $5 non-members Go HERE to register This event is for everyone wanting to make a new friend. We will spend the first hour in a structured activity, “speed friending,” where you will get to talk with 10 new people (both men and women, all are LGBT+). You will spend 5 minutes in a 1 on 1 conversation where you can get to know each other a little better. After 5 minutes, when the bell rings, participants will move on to their next 1 on 1 conversation. During the 2nd hour, there will be an informal mixer game. You will be provided questions to ask other folks of your choice.
LGBT+ Mardi Gras DANCE
Come be Dazzled and Energized Outstanding Dance Music, Video DJ Wear Your Mardi Gras Fun Clothes
Snacks Provided Beer and Wine for Sale $5
Must show proof of vaccination at the door.
What: LGBT+ Mardi Gras DANCE When: Saturday February 26th 6:30 to 10 PM Where: Sebastopol Senior Center in person Why: Meet new LGBT+ folks & HAVE FUN
You must register in advance, as spaces might sell out. Go HERE to register (Available after January 6th) Email Scotty if you have any questions, Scotty. (scotty@sebastopolseniorcenter.org)
Cost: Pre-Purchase – $15 Each for Members; $20 for non-members
If you would like any information about volunteering for this dance, please email Scotty
Redwood Rainbows Square Dance Club Let’s Dance!
Come LGBT+ dancing with the largest Gay Square-Dancing club in the country! Meets in Sebastopol * Everyone is welcome * No partner needed. Beginners class is starting January 12th 2022 Give it a try—the first class is free! Gently exercise your body and mind while moving to music and having fun. Dance either role! For more information visit this website or email them at contact@redwoodrainbows.org
The 10 Warning Sings Of Alzheimer’s
This Alzheimer’s Talk is presented by an out gay man, (and Golden Guy), Gene Girimonte. He lives locally and is a Volunteer Community Educator for the Alzheimer’s Association. All LGBT+ folks VERY welcome. This program will help you recognize common signs of the disease in yourself and others and next steps to take, including how to talk to your doctor.
When: Tuesday, January 18th, 11 – 12:30pm Where: Sebastopol Senior Center in person Why: Delay cognitive decline as long as possible Cost: Free to members, $5 non-members Go HERE to register
New GBT Men’s Group Forming in Oakmont Give Mike a call if you want to find out more and when the next potluck is happening. What: Silver Guys Where: East Rec Center, Oakmont Who: Mike Sotak 707.291.9724 sotak.michael@yahoo.com
Rainbow Women of Oakmont
A large number of lesbians live in the Oakmont community, about 200. For more information about this women’s group, please call: (707) 623-9097 Educational, social and community service group for residents of Oakmont Village in Santa Rosa.
Live Theater in Sebastopol: The Glass Menagerie
I am super excited to see this at our local live theater, Main Stage West! The manager there was so gracious to let me know that on Thursday nights, they have “Pay What You Can” or “2 for 1” night for those of us on budgets. The Glass Menagerie Jan 21 – Feb 12, 2022 Thurs, Fri, Sat @ 8pm; Sun @ 5pm Click here for more: Main Stage West
Senior Peer Counseling Starting in Sebastopol Needs More LGBT+ Folks!
I am very excited about this! They are looking for more LGBT+ folks to join the new class starting in late January 2022.
From: Melissa Fike, MFT Senior Adult Counseling Division Director West County Community Services
“West County Community Service’s Senior Peer Counseling Program has this VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY. Are you interested in giving back to the community while helping a population in much need of support & compassion? Consider becoming a volunteer Senior Peer Counselor. Our peer counselors, ages 55+, are compassionate individuals who give their time to help their peers navigate the challenges of aging. Isolation, grief, and depression are common struggles facing seniors. Our training program is provided by licensed clinical staff and is designed to give participants the tools necessary to recognize and assist with the stresses and transitions seniors experience.
Ongoing training and supervision are also a critical component for this program. West County Community Service’s Senior Peer Counseling Program reaches out to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Seniors to ensure these valuable services are also available to the LGBT+ community. LGBT+ community member volunteers enrich these services. We are currently recruiting for our next Senior Peer Counselor training which will begin in late January 2022. The training will run from late January through mid-May (35 hours total). We only offer this training every other year, and the class is limited to 8 participants. We have a great group of volunteers – compassionate and caring individuals who bring a wealth of experience from their own lives to the work. Some have experience in the counseling area, some not at all. They are people who want to learn and grow themselves, are interested in exploring their own aging process, and want to give back to the community. We have a lot of fun too. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Melissa Fike via email HERE, or call 707-823-1640 ext. 301″
LGBTQI History: A Sonoma County Timeline 1947-2000. Wednesdays 1:30-3pm. Online via Zoom. Spring semester 2022 begins January 19! Looking forward to seeing you there! Please contact me to enroll in this FREE class and receive a Zoom invite: cdungan@santarosa.edu
SRJC’s “Aging Gayfully!” From Gary “Buz” Hermes His next class will meet on zoom, on Saturday’s 11 am – 1 pm January 22 – May 28, 2022 For more information go to Gary “Buz” Hermes or contact Buz, or call (707) 227-6935 AND, Buz suggests this documentary film about LGBT+ Seniors “Hi! I thought you might enjoy this 14 minute film of Interviews of LGBT elders. LGBT+ seniors have demonstrated great resilience of humanity over hardship throughout the years, paving the way for a better and more accepting future for generations to come.”
Not Another Second – is the first in a national series of cultural campaigns from Watermark Retirement Communities – and tells the untold stories of 12 LGBT+ seniors and explores the years they lost due to societal constraints.
André Leon Talley, giant of the fashion industry, has died aged 73.
Talley, who was Vogue’s first Black creative director, and later editor-at-large, passed away on Tuesday (18 January), his literary agent confirmed.
He had been suffering from an unknown illness.
A pioneer in fashion, Talley passionately championed diversity and inclusion in an industry that for years resisted it. He was remembered by friends and fans for his glamour, grace and grit.
Talley grew up with his grandmother in the city of Durham in Jim Crow era North Carolina, and told NPR in 2018 that he first came across a copy of Vogue at his local library when he was nine or 10 years old.
He described it as a “rabbit hole” into “a world of glamour”, and added: “[Vogue] was my gateway to the world outside of Durham.
“It was the world of literature, what was happening in the world of art, what was happening in the world of entertainment.”
Talley went on to study French literature at Brown University, where he wrote his thesis on the influence of Black women in Charles Baudelaire.
He later moved to New York City, working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in Andy Warhol’s Factory studio, and at Women’s Wear Daily, Interview, W, and the New York Times.
Talley finally made his way to Vogue, where he was fashion news director from 1983 to 1987, creative director from 1988 to 1995, and editor-at-large from 1998 to 2013.
The fashion icon became known for his signature kaftans and capes, and told NPR: “I went to [Morocco] and saw that the men in North Africa in Marrakech and Casablanca walked around in caftan shirts and loose-fitting clothes all day, every day… I decided: I want to be like that. I want to wear that instead of a suit because it’s comfortable. You are ventilated. You’re roomy. You’re cozy, and you can just stretch.
“I’m not a tall stick anymore! I’m a big, big guy of great girth and people think I look like maybe my clothes don’t look that important, but I have taken great time and [done] fittings for my capes and caftans made by the great designers.
“I will continue to wear these things for the rest of my life!
Talley published three books during his lifetime: A.L.T.: A Memoir in 2003, the photography book A.L.T. 365+, and in 2020, The Chiffon Trenches: A Memoir, which became a New York Times best seller.
In 2010 and 2011, he had a place on the judging panel of America’s Next Top Model.
Diane von Furstenberg, the designer who was a close friend of Talley’s, wrote: “Goodbye darling André … no one saw the world in a more glamorous way than you did. No one was grander and more soulful than you were.”
Bette Midler added: “I’m sorry to say the extraordinary André Leon Talley has died.
“He was such a force and believed in the magic of fashion and its illusions with all his being. His life was a saga of great highs, great lows, the dramatic, the ridiculous, and the endless pursuit of beauty. Love and RIP.”
Slave Play writer Jeremy O’Harris tweeted: “For a little Black gay boy who reached for the stars from the south there were few people I could look up to up there amongst the stars who looked like me just more fab except for you André.
“For a generation of boys André Leon Talley was a beacon of grace and aspiration. RIP.”
Preston Mitchum, attorney and director of advocacy and government affairs at the Trevor Project, tweeted: “André Leon Talley made it possible for so many Black queer boys and men to express ourselves out loud. No reservations.
“A legend. An icon. May he rest in peace and power knowing that he paved the way for many people who looked up to him.”
As the beleaguered BBC faces backlash from government ministers, PinkNews takes a brief look back at the broadcaster’s track record on LGBT+ rights.
Tory culture minister Nadine Dorries fuelled alarm over the weekend after she questioned the BBC’s main source of funding, a license fee charged to all TV viewers in the nation.
On Monday evening (17 January), Dorries confirmed that the BBC budget will be frozen for the next two years, adding that the future of the public-owned broadcaster’s funding will be “up for discussion”.
It’s the latest salvos against the BBC fired by a minister in Boris Johnson’s government – one that has increasingly smeared the public broadcaster as a megaphone of the metropolitan elite that is anything but “impartial”.
Others, however, disagree. Stressing that right-wing opinions often receive more airtime than progressive ones, according to a Cardiff University study, among other concerns.
From airing the first same-sex kiss televised on a soap opera to the constant accusations of “transphobia” riddling its senior ranks, here are some of the good – and the bad – of the BBC’s history with queer lives and issues.
When the BBC aired the first televised gay kiss on Eastenders
(BBC)
In 1989, the BBC made history when it aired the first mouth-to-mouth same-sex kiss on British TV.
Kind-hearted Colin Russell, played by Michael Cashman, was the long-running show’s first gay character, a time when LGBT+ representation on prime-time TV was threadbare.
In 1987, a monumental episode of the soap opera saw Russell receive a kiss on the forehead from his on-screen boyfriend Barry Clark (Gary Hailes). Two years later, in 1989, Michael Cashman’s character made history yet again, with Russell and his boyfriend Guido (Nicholas Donovan) sharing the first mouth-to-mouth same-sex kiss on British TV.
Both landmark moments were inevitably blasted by the right-wing press – with Piers Morgan branding the latter as “a love scene between two yuppie poofs” in The Sun – and inundated with complaints from fuming viewers, but the show since been credited with helping to soften the public’s attitudes towards queer folk.
BBC’s Boy Meets Girl casts first trans actor in trans role on a British sitcom
Rebecca Root and Harry Hepple in ‘Boy Meets Girl’. (BBC)
Boy Meets Girl, a comedy-drama about two people falling in love, was the broadcaster’s first sitcom focusing on trans lives.
The show’s lead, Rebecca Root, became the first trans actor cast in a television soap opera, with both the programme and Root bagging a nomination at the British LGBT Awards in 2016.
“The BBC should be proud of its commitment to diversity and groundbreaking coverage of LGBT+ issues,” Sarah Garrett, who founded the awards, told the BBC at the time.
Strictly Come Dancing welcoming historic first same-sex pairings
John Whaite and Johannes Radebe. (BBC)
Strictly Come Dancing, a staple of many a Brit’s living room, broke ballroom ground when it finally welcomed its first same-sex dancers in 2020 and 2021.
Nicola Adams and Katya Jones and John Whaite and Johannes Radebe became the competition’s first all-female and male pairings respectively.
In the face of bigoted backlash from pearl-clutching viewers, the BBC continually refused to uphold viewer complaints and defended the simple act of two people of the same gender dancing.
A commitment to bringing LGBT+ stories to the forefront of its programming
Sheridan Smith as Sarah Sak in BBC drama, Four Lives. (BBC)
From the quietly subversive Everybody’s Talking About Jamie documentary,Drag Queen at 16, in 2011 to this year’s Four Lives, the BBC has in the last decade gone out of its way to represent LGBT+ lives beyond tired coming out plot lines.
BBC Three, the home of the network’s more off-the-wall, youth-focused shows, has been especially at the forefront of this.
The channel aired both Growing Up Gay with Olly Alexander and Transitioning Teens, which saw trans activist Charlie Craggs chat to trans teens who have waited years to be seen by the NHS.
The time BBC debated the ‘morality’ of LGBT+ lessons in schools
All of the Question Time panellists supported LGBT-inclusive education. (Screen capture via the BBC)
On Question Time, BBC One’s weekly political discussion show, panellists were posed the question of whether it is “morally right” to teach children about LGBT+ issues in 2019.
As much as the panel, made up of senior lawmakers, company bosses and journalists, agreed that LGBT-inclusive education is “morally right”, the episode drew fierce complaints online.
“The framing of this question is deeply worrying,” tweeted BBC presenter Sue Perkins. “Are we really here again, nearly two decades after Section 28 was repealed…?”
When the BBC ‘balanced’ its coverage by featuring a gay execution supporter
Elton John and David Furnish with their two sons. (Getty)
In 2010, seven million people tuned in to watch BBC’s flagship News at Sixbulletin as it reported on the birth of Elton John and David Furnish’s first child.
During the broadcast, the show interviewed a single person – Stephen Green, of right-wing group Christian Voice.
But it failed to mention that Green has previously supported the death penalty for gay men in Uganda, among other examples of small-mindedness. The BBC did so, it told PinkNews at the time, to add an “opposing viewpoint” to the subject of surrogacy.
The BBC once debated whether ‘gays should be executed’
Ugandan men hold a rainbow flag reading ‘Join hands to end LGBTI genocide’ (ISAAC KASAMANI/AFP/Getty)
As Ugandan lawmakers debated a bill that would introduce the death penalty for LGBT+ people in 2009, the BBC World Service asked: “Should homosexuals be executed?”
The backlash was swift. The radio station’s director, Peter Horrocks, apologised for the report in a statement published to the BBC Editors’ Blog.
“The original headline on our website was, in hindsight, too stark,” he said. “We apologise for any offence it caused.”
The BBC quitting a workplace Stonewall scheme over a ‘risk of perceived bias’
Stonewall is the UK – and Europe’s – largest LGBT+ charity. (Getty)
BBC bosses said that the departure was to “minimise the risk of perceived bias” when it comes to covering LGBT+ issues.
It was the upshot of a divisive culture war that had pelted the programme, with many taking aim at the scheme in what Stonewall has described as part of a “coordinated attack” against the charity.
Fran Unsworth allegedly telling LGBT+ staff to ‘get used to hearing views you don’t like’
Fran Unsworth, head of news at the BBC. (BBC)
The BBC’s director of news Fran Unsworth reportedly told the corporation’s LGBT+ network to “get used” to hearing opinions they do not agree with.
“You’ll hear things you don’t personally like and see things you don’t like – that’s what the BBC is, and you have to get used to that,” Unsworth allegedly said at the meeting.
The meeting had been called following weeks of tension within the BBC surrounding the broadcaster’s handling of LGBT+ issues, mainly trans rights.
‘We’re being pressured into sex by some trans women’
Trans rights protestors gather outside the BBC building. (Hollie Adams/Getty Images)
Among the laundry list of criticisms from LGBT+ people: How it relied on a survey of just 80 people, how the survey was conducted by an anti-trans group, how Lily Cade, a porn star interviewed in the article, had called for trans women to be “lynched” and “executed”.
Some former and current BBC staffers even quit the organisation, citing a “hostile” environment against LGBT+ people – with the podcast being the final straw.
“We really need to start looking internally at ourselves as the BBC,” said one staff member in a leaked document, “and ask a very simple question.
A bomb threat was phoned in Wednesday afternoon to the Wilshire Boulevard Koreatown offices of the TransLatin@ Coalition, Bamby Salcedo, the president and CEO of the non-profit organization told the Los Angeles Blade.
According to Salcedo, an unidentified male caller told the staff person who answered at approximately 3 p.m., while delivering the threat said; “You’re all going to die.” The staff immediately evacuated everyone from their offices and then contacted the Los Angeles Police Department for assistance.
Officers, specialists and detectives from the Rampart Division of the LAPD responded and swept the building. A spokesperson for the LAPD confirmed that the incident is under active investigation but would make no further comment.
On a Facebook post immediately after the incident the non-profit wrote; “To ensure the safety of our clients and staff members, we ask that you please NOT come to our office.”
In a follow-up post, Salcedo notified the organization and its clientele that the LAPD had given the all-clear and that their offices would resume normal operations Thursday at 9:00 a.m. PT.
“Thank you for your messages and concern for our staff and community,” Salcedo said.
“No amount of threats can stop us from our commitment to the TGI community,” she added.
The TransLatin@ Coalition was founded in 2009 by a group of transgender and gender non-conforming and intersex (TGI) immigrant women in Los Angeles as a grassroots response to address the specific needs of TGI Latino immigrants who live in the U.S.
Since then, the agency has become a nationally recognized organization with representation in 10 different states across the U.S. and provides direct services to TGI individuals in Los Angeles.
In 2015, the TransLatin@ Coalition identified the urgent need to provide direct services to empower TGI people in response to structural, institutional, and interpersonal violence, and the Center for Violence Prevention and Transgender Wellness was born.
Since then, the organization has secured funding from the state and local government sources as well as several private foundations and organizations to provide direct services to all TGI individuals in Los Angeles County.
The TransLatin@ Coalition’s primary focus is to change the landscape of access to services for TGI people and provide access to comprehensive resource and services that will improve the quality of life of TGI people.
