News

/ /

American Idol star Clay Aiken running for Congress after hateful Republican’s homophobic rant

,

American Idol star Clay Aiken has launched a second congressional bid after being inspired to fight hate perpetuated by North Carolina’s top lawmakers. Aiken was the runner-up on the second season of American Idol in 2003. Afterwards, he launched a music and acting career – even appearing as acontestant on Celebrity Apprentice hosted by former president Donald Trump. In 2014 he turned his attention to politics, winning the Democratic primary in North Carolina’s second congressional district, but he was defeated in the general election by Republican incumbent Renee Ellmers. Now he’s running for Congress again. But this time, Aiken, who has referred to himself as a “loud and proud Democrat”, […]

/ /

As high court signals Roe v. Wade reversal, states eye same-sex marriage protections

Nearly seven years after the Supreme Court ruled same-sex marriage the law of the land, New Jersey enacted a law Monday to protect this relatively new right throughout the Garden State.  Prior to the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Obergefell v. Hodges — which legalized sex-marriage nationwide in 2015 — New Jersey’s state courts had already struck down a same-sex marriage ban in 2013. But as a majority of the Supreme Court’s conservative justices appeared open to overturning Roe v. Wade last month, new fears that the court could also make an about-face on the Obergefell ruling have prompted some lawmakers to […]

/

January Events an SoCo Libraries

The Sonoma County Library offers programming for all ages. Join us for virtual events throughout the month of January, from bilingual storytimes to book clubs! All events are free and you don’t need a library card to attend, however registration is required. Explore a selection of January events below! Kids & Families sHelp get your child ready to read with bilingual family storytime on Wednesday, January 5, at 10:30 am! Join a children’s librarian and model the everyday practices of talking, singing, reading, writing, and playing with books, fingerplays, rhymes, and songs.  For families and caregivers with children, ages 0-6.Listen to librarians read […]

/ /

In Japan, Police refer trans woman to prosecutors for using women’s bathroom

,

Prosecutors are considering pressing charges against a transgender woman who used the women’s public restroom in Osaka, Japan. According to Osaka Prefectural Police, a customer complained that a transgender woman in her 40s was using the women’s room at a commercial facility last May. The customer told employees that she couldn’t use the restroom out of “fear” because “a man wearing women’s clothes was using it” and the employees called the police. On Thursday, the case was referred to prosecutors, who could charge the transgender woman with trespassing. Police say that the woman’s ID still has a male gender marker, […]

/ /

The Times forced to issue corrections after spreading ‘anti-trans’ misinformation

,

The Times has been forced to issue two corrections within two days after publishing ‘anti-trans’ misinformation. On Tuesday (4 January), the newspaper finally offered a correction to a story on inclusive language around birthing which it published almost a year ago. In February, 2021, a Times article claimed that in new guidance, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust was telling staff in perinatal services to “say ‘chestfeeding’ instead of ‘breastfeeding’”, and to “replace the term ‘mother’”. A quick glance through the trust’s guidance proves this claim to be categorically untrue, as it clearly states that it will be “taking a gender-additive approach”, which it says […]

/ /

South Korean Gay couple denied health care benefits in court

A court in South Korea rejected a lawsuit brought by a gay couple attempting to gain equal access to health care benefits Friday — a ruling that advocates say highlights the struggles of LGBTQ people trying to gain rights in the country.  The lawsuit, filed last year by So Seong-wook, challenged South Korea’s National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) after it took away his ability to receive spousal benefits from the employer of his partner Kim Yong-min.  “The union of a man and woman is still considered the fundamental element of marriage, according to civil law, precedents of the Supreme Court […]

/ /

Judge tells gay man he can adopt his husband’s child in historic step for Taiwan

,

A judge in Taiwan has ruled in favour of a gay man who wants to adopt his husband’s non-biological child, in a historic step for LGBT+ rights. Currently Taiwan, which in 2019 became the very first country in Asia to legalise marriage equality, only allows same-sex couples to adopt when one partner is the biological parent of the child. But on 25 December, a family court in Kaohsiung city ruled that 38-year-old Wang Chen-wei’s child, who he previously adopted, could also be adopted by his 34-year-old husband Chen Chun-ju. However, the ruling only applies to their specific case, and has not legalised same-sex adoption […]

/

Bid to outlaw forced genital surgeries on intersex children in California pulled

,

A California bill aiming to outlaw forced and unnecessary genital surgeries on intersex children has been pulled. California state senator Scott Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat, has been working for  three years to try to ban the “corrective surgeries”. His bill, SB225, would have banned unnecessary surgeries on intersex children under the age of 12, but it has been stuck in the Committee on Business, Professions and Economic Development, according to the Associated Press. In 2020, the bill was opposed by committee chairman and state senator Steve Glazer, who said he believed it was moving “in the right direction,” but that he […]

/ /

Five anti-LGBTQ people who’ve been charged for rioting at Capitol Insurrection

On January 6, 2021, Trump supporters who believed that President Joe Biden had secretly and successfully stolen millions of ballots across multiple states to usurp the presidency stormed the Capitol with the intent of stopping Congress from accepting the states’ election results. The crowd chanted for the death of Mike Pence – who was presiding over the Senate that day – and fashioned a makeshift noose as elected officials were swept to safety by the Secret Service and Capitol Police. Five people died as a result of the day’s events. Since then, over 700 people have been arrested for their role in […]

/

Bridging the Lesbian Past and Present

, ,

Over 30 years ago, Frances “Franco” Stevens founded Curve, the most successful lesbian magazine in the world, connecting lesbian community, changing the way lesbians are seen by the mainstream, highlighting the transgender experience, raising awareness of attacks on LGBTQ rights and amplifying the work of lesbian activists. One of the three 2021 recipients of the GLBT Historical Society’s History Maker Awards, Stevens reacquired Curve and co-founded the Curve Foundation last year to empower the Curve community — lesbians, queer women, trans women and nonbinary people of all races, ages and abilities. The Foundation’s mission is to spur storytelling and cross-generational […]

«‹ 285 286 287 288›»