News

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Sex workers are ‘dropping like flies’ and forced into ‘risky work’ as COVID runs rampant

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Lydia Caradonna says there’s “no way to work safely” as a sex worker as long as the coronavirus pandemic is ongoing. COVID-19 has upended so many industries and it has resulted in countless people losing their jobs. Sex workers have been among the worst affected. The Omicron wave has made the outlook even worse. Once again, sex workers have found themselves unable to meet clients safely, always working in fear that they could contract or pass on COVID-19. High case numbers have also impacted on client numbers. Countless sex workers have found themselves struggling to make ends meet – and they no longer have […]

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Young LGBT+ Brits afraid to report sexual assault because of prejudice

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Young LGBT+ people who have experienced sexual assault have reported being afraid to seek help because of prejudice. A survey released Monday (7 February) by the NHS asked 4,000 people in England about their experiences of sexual assault. Two in five people said they did not know where to get help after being sexually assaulted, while 56 per cent of sexual assault survivors sought no help from support services following the attack. The NHS offers support for people who have experienced sexual assault including through specialised sexual assault referral centres, or SARCs. However, 72 per cent were unaware the NHS even offered such help. […]

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LGBTQ Books Are Vanishing From TX School Libraries

From a secluded spot in her high school library, a 17-year-old girl spoke softly into her cellphone, worried that someone might overhear her say the things she’d hidden from her parents for years. They don’t know she’s queer, the student told a reporter, and given their past comments about homosexuality’s being a sin, she’s long feared they would learn her secret if they saw what she reads in the library. That space, with its endless rows of books about characters from all sorts of backgrounds, has been her “safe haven,” she said — one of the few places where she […]

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SF Pride Is Working to Safely Return to an In-Person Parade and Celebration,June 25-26, 2022

San Francisco Pride is reimagining what Pride itself means to our communities. While nothing could ever — ever! — cancel Pride in the queerest, most inclusive city in America, we know it has been a long time since we all gathered along Market Street and at Civic Center. As we prepare for our return to a “traditional” San Francisco Pride, we are examining every element of Pride Weekend to ensure that 2022’s experience is our best yet. From community stage programming to partnerships, we’re working hard to make you feel represented, valued, and seen. SF Pride 2022 and Public Health We know that our […]

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New CA Law Helps With Transgender Deadnames

A new California law requires public colleges to update diplomas and records for transgender students who have changed their names. The new law, which took effect on Jan. 1, requires the state’s public colleges to update records for students who have legally changed their names. It also allows graduates to request an updated copy of their diploma at no cost to them. Then, starting with the 2023-24 class, it will require institutions to allow students to self-identify their names on diplomas, even without legal documentation of a name change. (The legislation does not specifically require colleges to let students self-identify […]

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‘F**k you bender’: UK Police officers ‘joked’ about being gay and rape, damning report finds

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A “shocking and offensive” report from the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has shown that Metropolitan Police officers engaged horrific bullying and harassment, including calling each other “f**king gay” and threatening to “hate f**k” each other. In 2018, the IOPC investigation initially “focused on teams formed to tackle crime and disorder in the Westminster area”, but was expanded when further officers came forward. It eventually expanded to nine investigations, linked to become Operation Hotton. Investigators “reviewed thousands of messages exchanged by officers, including many which were highly sexualised, discriminatory or referred to violence”, and which were “generally described as banter by […]

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Happening this Month at Marin’s Spahr Center

Social Security Opens to Survivors of Same-Sex Couples Who Could Not MarryThe Social Security Administration now allows lesbians and gay men to receive survivor’s benefits if we can show that we were in a committed relationship and would have married had that been possible. This could be a huge benefit to many LGBTQ seniors! Starting at age 60 — or 50 for those who are disabled — a survivor can either apply for a deceased spouse’s Social Security benefits (if these are higher than the survivor’s, or if the survivor does not have the work history to qualify) or apply for them temporarily and […]

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Gallup: 62% “Satisfied” With Acceptance Of US Gays

USA Today reports: The percentage of Americans who say they are satisfied with the acceptance of gay and lesbian people in the country has reached a new peak at 62%, according to a poll released Wednesday. Gallup’s annual Mood of the Nation poll asks people about their satisfaction with aspects of U.S. life and policy areas, ranging from the overall quality of life to the nation’s military strength and environmental issues. In 2022, 62% of survey respondents said they are very or somewhat satisfied with the acceptance of gays and lesbians in the nation, up from 55% in 2021 and 56% […]

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Anti-LGBT Cultist Appointed To Revise TX Curriculum

The Austin American-Statesman reports: Stephen Balch, a former professor who also has opposed the 2015 Supreme Court ruling overturning state bans on same-sex marriage, is a content adviser for the revision of the standards that will guide social studies courses from kindergarten through 12th grade. The Texas Freedom Network, a liberal group promoting religious freedom and education, is calling on the State Board of Education to withdraw Balch’s appointment, citing his writings calling the 2020 election a “literal coup,” among other things. The group also pointed to Balch’s support of a letter urging officials to disregard the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling […]

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National LGBTQ group GLSEN appoints first Black, nonbinary executive director

The national LGBTQ advocacy group GLSEN has appointed Melanie Willingham-Jaggers as its executive director — the first Black and nonbinary person to lead the organization.  GLSEN was founded by a group of teachers in 1990 with the goal of making schools safer for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer K-12 students. It has 38 chapters in more than half the states, and it has registered thousands of gender-sexuality alliances, or GSAs (formerly known as gay-straight alliances).  Willingham-Jaggers, 39, who joined the group as deputy executive director in 2019, is taking on the new position at a time when LGBTQ students have […]

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