News

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Michigan teachers told to take down Pride flags after ‘external challenge’

A middle school teacher in southern Michigan resigned after he and other educators in his district were told to remove LGBTQ Pride flags they had up in their classrooms. Teachers were told to take down the flags after Three Rivers Community Schools in Three Rivers, Michigan, received an “external challenge” about the symbols that had “reached the board level,” according to an email obtained by NBC affiliate WOOD of Grand Rapids.  “The rumors kind of floating around was that there’s one or two parents that complained about the flags being in the classroom,” said Russell Ball, the teacher who resigned.https://iframe.nbcnews.com/XERhvF6?_showcaption=true&app=1 […]

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School makes 12-year-old take off Pride shirt, then her classmates did something amazing

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There’s been a rainbow-colored rumpus at a Catholic school in northeast Baltimore over the weekend. The Baltimore Brew reports that a 12-year-old student at St. Francis of Assisi School wore a rainbow Pride shirt on dress-down Friday last week. The girl, who was not named in the report at the request of her mom, thought little of it, having worn the top before. She and her classmates attended a church service at the school during the day. The service was led by Father John J. “Jack” Lombardi. According to witnesses, the paper says that at Father Lombardi’s direction, the school principal told […]

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Botswana Court Upholds Decriminalization Of Gay Sex

Reuters reports: Botswana’s Court of Appeal on Monday upheld a 2019 ruling that decriminalised gay sex, a decision hailed by gay community as establishing the southern African country as a “true democracy”. Monday’s decision in effect struck off two sections of the penal code that had outlawed homosexuality. Before the 2019 High Court ruling, which was praised by international organisations and activists, engaging in gay sex in Botswana was punishable by up to seven years in prison. The state had argued on appeal that the penal code outlawed gay sex and there was no evidence that people’s attitude towards homosexuality had […]

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Show Some Love with Sonoma County Library

Celebrate kindness with your library this holiday season! We all need community, now more than ever, and we’re offering several opportunities to share the love at each of our branches. Interested? Find out how you can get involved below! Donate food. Sonoma County Library partners with local organizations to help alleviate hunger in our community. Drop off canned goods and other food items in a donation barrel at any library branch.  Share what you are thankful for. Help make our Gratitude Trees grow by adding a leaf of your own! Trees are located at your local library and available all through the […]

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Intersex Person Victim of Horrific Attack in Cameroon

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A violent mob sexually assaulted, beat, threatened, and humiliated a 27-year-old intersex person on November 15, in Yaoundé, Cameroon’s capital. The perpetrators filmed the attack, which lasted for several hours, in two horrific videos which circulated on social media. According to medical reports issued by a health facility in Yaoundé, the victim Sara (not her real name) suffered multiple hematomas all over her body. Sara’s doctor said that she needed monitoring for 15 to 18 days due to the severity of her injuries. Police arrested a man in connection with the attack, but released him 48 hours later. On November 16, Cameroonian Foundation for AIDS […]

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Israeli deputy foreign minister denies country engages in ‘pinkwashing’

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Israel’s openly gay deputy foreign minister this week dismissed the idea that his country’s government promotes LGBTQ rights in order to divert attention away from its policies towards the Palestinians. “I would never, ever, put myself in a position that I would be the face of ‘pinkwashing’ as part of my role because I’m confident that there’s no such thing in Israel,” Idan Roll told the Washington Blade on Wednesday during an interview at the Riggs Hotel in downtown D.C. Roll, 37, spoke with the Blade at the end of a 4-day trip to D.C., which took place less than […]

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These 8 U.S. cities failed an LGBTQ equality evaluation

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Eight cities in the United States scored a zero out of 100 on the 10th annual Municipal Equality Index, which evaluates cities and towns based on the level of LGBTQ inclusion found in their local laws, policies and services. LGBTQ advocacy groups Human Rights Campaign and Equality Federation evaluated 506 municipalities — including the country’s 50 state capitals and 200 largest cities — on 49 criteria for the index. The criteria included nondiscrimination protections, policies for municipal employees and city leadership.  This year’s zero-point earners span from South Carolina to Wyoming, and they all came in at zero on last year’s index, too. But on […]

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Discover Sonoma County History SoCo Library Digital Collection Sites

History buffs rejoice! We have added several new resources to the Sonoma County Library Digital Collections site, including a historical photo map viewer and an updated Local History Index. Find out more about these collections below!  The Historic Photo Map Viewergraphically provides the location for nearly 35,000 photos taken within Sonoma County, and is a great way to discover new images in our collection. The tool also allows a view of locations over time, from 1942 (for selected areas) through 2018!  The Local History Index is a tool for researching Sonoma County people, places, organizations, and events referenced in books, journals, and newspapers found […]

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Sebastopol Area Senior Center Offers LGBT+ Seniors Many Services and Programs

HOLIDAY MEAL FREE TO ALLThursday, Dec 2 from 11am – 1pm Your invited to join us to celebrate our annual holiday meal! This year we will be serving YOU. Traditional holiday menu, with vegetarian options too! More info below. Due to COVID restrictions we ask that you do not bring any food to the meal. All of the food is provided and served by the SASC Board of Directors.RSVP required as we are limited in space. Details are on the webpage when you register! RSVP TO OUR HOLIDAY MEAL Did you know ANYONE can become a member at the Sebastopol Area Senior Center? […]

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Switzerland to allow same-sex weddings starting July 2022

Same-sex couples can wed in Switzerland from July 1 next year, the government said on Wednesday, enacting the results of a groundbreaking referendum on the issue in September. Voters approved the “Marriage for All” initiative by a nearly two-thirds majority, making Switzerland one of the last countries in Western Europe to legalize gay marriage. In a two-stage process, same-sex couples who have married abroad will have their status recognized from the start of January. Previously, the couples were seen as a registered partnership in Switzerland. The new law will start six months later, which means couples will be allowed to […]

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