Earlier this month, Armenia’s Criminal Court of Appeal ruled there had not been a proper investigation into a violent homophobic attack two years ago against a group of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) activists.
The court ordered a re-investigation, giving Armenia’s law enforcement agencies a second chance to deliver justice in the case.
In August 2018, a crowd of about 30 men violently assaulted the activists in Shurnoukh, a village in southern Armenia. The crowd shouted homophobic slurs and threats, demanding the activists leave the village. They chased members of the group, hitting, kicking, and throwing stones at them, and shouting “Get rid of those gays!” At least six activists were injured, including one person who sustained a broken nose.
Police questioned several of the attackers. But by November 2018, the government had granted some of the assailants amnesty, and the authorities decided not to prosecute the rest.
The LGBT rights group PINK Armenia challenged the decision not to prosecute the assailants, first in a district court, which found no violation, and then to the Criminal Court of Appeals, which found that the decision was not substantiated. The court also stated that the investigation failed to address the severe psychological pain suffered by the victims.
For years, the Armenian government has failed to effectively investigate anti-LGBT violence in the country, and homophobia remains widespread. A government bill in the works that seeks to address issues of equality has faced criticism because it does not include sexual orientation and gender identity as grounds for protection from discrimination.
The court’s decision offers authorities the opportunity to provide justice for victims of anti-LGBT violence. Even two years later, holding perpetrators accountable for this attack would send a strong message that violence against LGBT people in Armenia will not be tolerated. It would be a step in the right direction in the fight against homophobia in the country.
Maltese police are investigating the shocking murder of a gay couple shot dead in their own home when three gunmen stormed in and raided the property.
Ivor Maciejowski, a British art dealer, and Christian Pandolfino, a Maltese doctor, were described by friends as two “beautiful souls” who were “always together”.
Police were called to their Sliema home at around 10.30pm on 18 August following reports of gunfire. Both men were found dead with multiple gunshot wounds, Maciejowski on the top floor of the property and Pandolfino on the lower floor.
Officers are now hunting three gunmen who were seen on CCTV entering the house at 10.19pm and leaving at 10.23pm. They are said to have been driven away from the scene by a fourth person who waited in a white car nearby.
Police have not yet disclosed a motive for the crime, but the LGBT+ group Malta Pride suggested that it could have been a “botched hold up”.
“Tragic is an understatement,” they said in a statement on Facebook. “Although details of the case are still emerging, it seems that this was a botched hold up and not necessarily related to being a homophobic hate crime.
“It would be sensible to wait and see at this point without making any rash conclusions.”
The couple were known to keep a large amount of fine art in their home, which Maciejowski sometimes posted to his Instagram account. Officers say there are signs of a struggle inside the property but have not revealed whether any valuables were taken.
According to the Times of Malta the gay couple had been together for at least four years, enjoyed working out and were regulars at MedAsia Playa beach club in Sliema.
Tributes are pouring in for the gay couple as their loved ones process their shocking and sudden deaths. Jordan Munn, who has known the couple for years, said friends were stunned by the news.
“They were just really, really great people. Selfless and funny and just friendly and fantastic and fabulous in every way,” he said.
Another friend, Rebecca Dimech, described the couple as “beautiful, kind souls” and “amazing people that loved each other very much”.
Pandolfino’s nephew, Luca Pandolfino, said his family had lost two “gentle giants”.
“We all are still trying to make sense of things during these tragic times,” he wrote on Facebook.
“Yesterday the world lost two gentle giants who were the two nicest people you could ever meet, keep your loved ones close because you never know when they could be taken away from you. Rest in peace uncle Chris and Ivor.”
The Anchorage Assembly on Wednesday passed a ban on “conversion therapy,” making illegal the practice of trying to change a minor’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The practice has been widely condemned by medical professionals and counselors.
The move drew criticism from some religious institutions and groups as well as some parents who felt the ban infringed on parental and religious rights. The ordinance passed 9-2 with Assemblywomen Crystal Kennedy and Jamie Allard opposing.
The ban only pertains to licensed professionals, and specifically excludes clergy acting in a religious capacity and not as mental health professionals. It also excludes parents and others who are not licensed in provide counseling. The new law imposes a $500 fine on anyone who performs conversion therapy for each day they are in violation.
Hate group leader Tony Perkins rages:
The vote came despite widespread community opposition, with a majority of the 65 people who testified opposing the bill. Credit goes to a large local church (Anchorage Baptist Temple) and the Alaska Family Council for raising the alarm. Assembly Members Jamie Allard and Crystal Kennedy made heroic efforts to either defeat the measure or amend it to mitigate some of its harmful effects.
However, Family Research Council had a strong virtual presence in the form of Senior Fellow for Policy Studies Peter Sprigg. Last month, Peter spoke to the Anchorage Baptist Temple by video and, together with Matt Sharp of the Alliance Defending Freedom, briefed a group of Anchorage pastors via Zoom to educate them about the ordinance and encourage them to speak out against it.
Unfortunately, despite Peter’s best efforts, the Anchorage Assembly chose to move forward with a measure that is not anchored in constitutional law, professional ethics, or scientific truth.
The Spahr Center operates Marin County’s only syringe access program to prevent HIV and hepatitis and promote healthcare for injection drug users. This program distributes Naloxone, a drug that can save lives by preventing opioid related overdoses. Still, however, the epidemic of opioid use continues.
El Centro Spahr opera el unico programa de acceso a jeringas del condado de Marin para prevenir el VIH, la hepatitis y promueve la atencion medical para los usuarios de drogas injectables. Este programa distribuye naloxone, un medicamento que pude salvar vidas al prevenir las sobredosis de opioids. Sin embargo, la epidemia de uso de opiodes continuea.
A time to remember those we’ve lost to overdoses. 08-31-2020, from 12pm – 1pm over Zoom
Please join us if you’ve lost a friend or loved one to an overdose. We will say their names and honor their lives.
Un momento para recordar a las personas que perdimos por una sobredosis, únete a nosotros para recordar a nuestros amigos y familiares que han fallecido. Diremos sus nombres y honraremos sus vidas.
Call The Spahr Center at 415-886-8556 for more information.Email info@thespahrcenter.org to RSVP and get the Zoom link.
The congressional GOP’s campaign arm is asking other Republican and conservative groups to attack Gina Ortiz Jones, the Democratic candidate for a key swing House seat in Texas, for being gay. A NRCC website outlining its preferred attacks on candidates instructs outside groups to include reminders of Jones’ sexual orientation in digital and TV advertising and mailers, highlighting an image of Jones with her partner.
The NRCC website, DemocratFacts.org, is a way for the committee to communicate its preferred messaging to Republican super PACs and other conservative groups without running afoul of campaign finance laws barring direct coordination. But of the dozens of candidates covered by DemocratFacts, Jones appears to be the only one pictured with their spouse or partner.
Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, announced the endorsement of five openly LGBTQ+ champions for local offices across California. The endorsements come just 76 days before the November 3, 2020 election.
Oakland City Council, At-Large: Rebecca Kaplan Tracy City Council, At Large: William Muetzenberg San Francisco Community College Board: Tom Temprano San Francisco Community College Board: Shanell Williams Desert Healthcare District 2020, Zone 1: Dr. Les Zendle
Names shown in bold indicate an openly LGBTQ candidate.
Equality California released the following statement from Executive Director Rick Chavez Zbur:
“Equality California is thrilled to officially endorse Rebecca Kaplan, William Muetzenberg, Tom Temprano, Shannell Williams and Dr. Les Zendle. They have shown themselves to be incredible advocates for our LGBTQ+ community and the diverse communities to which we belong. We look forward to the election of each of these candidates in November and urge everyone who can to vote for these amazing trailblazers.”
For a full list of Equality California’s 2020 endorsements to date, visit eqca.org/elections.
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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
The allegations — that the young, gay mayor had used his position of power to sexually proposition vulnerable college students — spread quickly through his western Massachusetts district, leading one member of Holyoke’s city council to call for his resignation.
But less than a week later, The Intercept published explosive reports alleging that members of the College Democrats at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where Morse once worked, had schemed for months to create a sex scandal to derail Morse’s progressive challenge to incumbent Rep. Richard Neal, with whom the students reportedly wanted to secure an internship.
Two debates later, and a week before the Massachusetts Democratic primary, Morse says he has been vindicated, and that he is raising more money through donations than at any point so far in his campaign.
“A number of folks are seeing it for what it is, in terms of the the language and response to the accusations being rooted in age-old homophobic tropes and the constant overpolicing of the personal lives, the sex lives, of gay men and members of the queer community,” Morse told NBC News.
Relationships with ‘teenagers’
The Aug. 7 article in UMass Amherst’s paper, the Daily Collegian, reported that the school’s College Democrats chapter had sent a letter to Morse saying he was disinvited from their future events because the Holyoke mayor used apps such as Grindr, Tinder and Instagram to meet college students “who were as young as 18 years old,” reportedly making them feel uncomfortable.
The next day, Masslive.com reported on allegations that Morse had relationships with “teenagers,” and UMass Amherst posted a statement saying it was “launching an immediate review of the matter” and had no plans to hire Morse back as a lecturer in the political science department, where he worked from 2014 to 2019. The College Democrats of Massachusetts published a letter on Twitter on Aug. 9, saying Morse “abused his power for sexual relationships” and confirmed they sent a similar emailed statement to the candidate himself.
The LGBTQ Victory Fund condemned Sullivan, saying it “believes the use of the word ‘teenagers’ is meant to purposely evoke homophobic stereotypes of gay men as pedophiles.”
“The architects of these efforts knew this is where the conversation would lead – with no regard for the homophobia it would unleash,” the group said, asking those supporting Sullivan’s motion to “ask themselves whether he would treat a straight candidate the same way.”
Sullivan did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment. However, he told Masslive last week that he is seeking a Holyoke City Council vote on an investigation into the allegations against Morse.
In response to a request from NBC News about the Daily Collegian’s role in the first days of the controversy and the source of the letter from the College Democrats to Morse, which the paper was the first to report on, a spokesperson shared this statement on Tuesday: “The letter was provided by a member within a chapter of the College Democrats of Massachusetts, who was granted anonymity. As newspaper policy, we do not comment further on sourcing.”
Two days after the first story broke, Morse posted a statement on Twitter saying accusations that he abused his position were “false.”
“I have never, in my entire life, had a non-consensual sexual encounter with anyone,” he wrote. “I have never used my position of power as Mayor or UMass lecturer for romantic or sexual gain, or to take advantage of students. I have never violated UMass policy.”
Morse decided to stay in the race, saying he trusts the voters of Massachusetts’ 1st Congressional District to make up their own minds as to whether homophobia influenced the alleged scheme.
“If voters aren’t seeing the homophobia, they are certainly seeing the establishment — they are seeing a powerful incumbent at risk of losing a seat and the people around him willing to do whatever it takes for him to hold onto power,” Morse said.
But just as quickly as the scandal had appeared, it seemed to disappear: A new report cast strong doubts on the original College Democrats letter five days after it made news.
On Aug. 12, The Intercept reported on leaked chat logs showing these students conspiring in 2019 to gin up a sex scandal in order to harm Morse’s candidacy — and help his opponent, incumbent Democratic Rep. Richard Neal. The Intercept — which did not name the source of the leaked chat logs and private Instagram messages, some of which were included in the article — reported that these young Democrats hoped that by sabotaging Morse’s campaign they would endear themselves to Rep. Neal, first elected in 1988 and, as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, one of the most powerful incumbent Democrats in Congress.
Two days later, UMass Amherst — which bans faculty from sexual relationships with students “for whom the faculty member has any responsibility for supervision, evaluation, grading, advising, employment, or other instructional or supervisory activity” —announced it had hired an independent attorney to investigate the scandal.
The College Democrats of Massachusetts did not respond to NBC News’ request for comment, but in a statement to HuffPost, which was shared on Twitter, the College Democrats of Massachusetts denied any wrongdoing and said the letter to Morse “was not politically motivated” and “had nothing to do with any of our members’ professional ambitions or personal politics.” In its Aug. 9 letter shared on Twitter before the Intercept reported on its chat logs, the student group said suggestions that its decision to break ties with Morse had anything to do with his sexual orientation are “untrue, disingenuous, and harmful.”
In a statement, Rep. Neal said, “any implications that I or anyone from my campaign are involved are flat wrong and an attempt to distract from the issue at hand.”
Morse, however, maintains this was “a coordinated political attack with the intention of harming our campaign at a pivotal moment.”
“There were students that Congressman Neal involved that were trying to curry favor with a powerful incumbent to secure a job, and this goes to the height of the Massachusetts Democratic Party,” Morse told NBC News.
The Intercept reports revitalized his campaign by changing the narrative and fueling a surge of campaign donations. On Sunday, Morse appeared to acknowledge this by sharing a picture of himself on Twitter carrying a bag emblazoned with The Intercept’s logo: “New tote.”
The mayor and his message
Since declaring his candidacy last year, Morse has taken an anti-incumbent progressive message to voters in the Bay State’s first district, which covers part of the central Connecticut River Valley and the hilly western Berkshires area.
“On every issue Congressman Neal doesn’t understand the urgency of the moment,” Morse said. “From criminal justice, climate change, to the influence of money in politics.”
“He’s using his power to benefit the corporate and special interests that have invested millions in his campaign, and he’s not using his power to help the people, places, and communities in western and central Massachusetts,” Morse added.
His message echoes those that helped propel figures such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ritchie Torres to primary victories in solid blue districts, and one Morse hopes will win in his Sept. 1 primary.
A poll conducted this month put Morse within five points of Neal, with 13 percent of voters undecided — well within the striking distance that other Democratic challengers from the left had before winning in their primaries.
Morse, who at 31 is among the first of a generation of LGBTQ politicians who came of age using common dating apps such as OkCupid, Tinder and Grindr, said he “will never apologize for being young and gay and single and using gay dating apps and having consensual relations with other adult men.”
“I think my decision to stay in this race and fight and be open and honest about my life and my personal life I think will make it more likely that other young people, other queer people, other single people feel like they, too, can run for office,” he said.
We seniors have an increased difficulty in evacuation situations. We can tend to get caught up with challenges in assembling medications, deciding what keepsakes we cannot part with, knowing where to go or who to notify.
Let’s help each other decide what we will do should the dreaded evacuation orders come. Planning will save lives and reduce stress. Packing some essentials now will help. Having flashlights and extra batteries within reach in case the electricity is out will help. Are our cars filled with gas? Or if we don’t drive, let’s figure who will help us evacuate should we need assistance. Having plans for where we might go will help us move more quickly.
Click here for advice as to What To Pack Our Monday night groups are usually freeform checkins and conversation but with the drought, heat, fires and possible lightning strikes, let’s have this important exploration together. Now.
Topical Thursdays12:30 to 2 pm AUGUST 27: Please consider signing up for this! Detect and Connect: a free workshop on mental health and dementia in older adults presented by Aging Action Initiative. It’s a subject that we may wish to avoid but one that can help us help friends as well as ourselves. Sponsored by the Social Committee and the Spahr Center Senior Program. Note the extended time, 12:30 to 3 pm. See flyer below and click on the blue box below the photo to register. You must pre-register to participate.
September 3: Nancy Flaxman facilitates. Work: As Labor Day approaches, we will talk about work. Most of us are retired, though some are still working. What role has work played in your life? Did you just kind of fall into jobs or did you choose your work? Did your work fully utilize your strengths? What parts of you can be more realized in retirement than in work? If you were just starting out and you could choose any profession, what would it be? What has and has not changed for LGBT people in the workplace?
Check-in Mondays7 to 8 pm We catch up with each other on how we’re doing and have unstructured conversations focused on listening.
Also in this email:Volunteer opportunities to work from home to get people registered and committed to voting in November’s vital election.Updated Senior Resources link at the bottom of this email.
Upcoming Events link below, thanks to the Social Committee!
Bisexual Support zoom group forming at The Spahr Center.
Creating Community in the Midst of Sheltering-in-PlaceSee old friends and make new ones! Join us!
The Spahr Center’s LGBT Senior Discussion Groupscontinue every Monday, 7 to 8 pm on Zoom
To Join Group by Video using Computer, Smart Phone or TabletJust click this button at the start time, 12:30 pm:Join GroupTry it, it’s easy!
To Join Group by Phone Call
If you don’t have internet connections or prefer joining by phone,call the following number at the start time, 12:30 pm:1-669-900-6833The Meeting id is 820 7368 6606#(no participant id required)The password, if requested, is 135296#
If you want the meeting to call you to bring you into the group, notify Bill Blackburn 415/450-5339
The Social Committee and the Spahr Center Senior Program are sponsoring this important informational training, helping us seniors detect cognitive problems that may develop in our loved ones and community members and find ways to connect with them as well. Note the extended timeframe for this workshop: 12:30 to 3 pm. The format is interactive and the time goes quickly.
EVEN THOUGH IT IS FREE, YOU MUST REGISTER TO PARTICIPATE!CLICK THE BLUE RECTANGULAR BUTTON BELOW THE PHOTO ON THE FLYER!
A Bisexual Support Group is planned with The Spahr Center, facilitated by a therapist. Let Bill Blackburn know if you are interested. Volunteer Opportunities to get people registered and committed to voting in the upcoming November election: Click here.
Whistlestop provides access to resources as well as free exercise classes, including zumba, yoga, chair exercises, & ukulele! Click here.
Adult and Aging Service’s Information and Assistance Line, providing information and referrals to the full range of services available to older adults, adults with disabilities and their family caregivers, has a new phone number and email address: 415/473-INFO (4636) 8:30 am to 4:30 pm weekdays473INFO@marincounty.org
Questions? Assistance? We have resources and volunteers for:grocery deliveryfood assistancehelp with technology issues such as using zoomproviding weekly comfort calls to check in on youtherapy with Spahr therapists on a sliding scale basis, plus more!
Multiple wildfires are burning in the greater North Bay. Cal Fire is referring to them collectively as the LNU Lightning Complex. LNU stands for Cal Fire’s Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit, and you can find the latest evacuation info here. A map of the fire is available here. The biggest fires are:
Hennessey Fire (merged with Gamble, Green, Aetna, Markley, Morgan, Spanish and Round): Napa County, 299,763 acres, 33% contained
Walbridge Fire (merged with Stewarts): Sonoma County, west of Healdsburg, 54,923 acres, 17% contained
Meyers Fire: Sonoma County, north of Jenner, 2,360 acres, 97% contained
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The LNU Lightning Complex in California’s Wine Country saw minimal spread overnight, growing from 356,326 acres to 357,046 acres, according to Cal Fire’s Wednesday morning status report.
Before nightfall, containment stood at 27%. This morning it is at 33%.
The LNU Complex started as a group of blazes sparked by lightning strikes more than a week ago. As fires merged, it grew into a monstrous inferno, leveling California’s parched landscape and incinerating homes. The third-largest fire in California history, the LNU Complex is spread across five counties: Sonoma, Napa, Lake, Solano and Yolo.
Crews were focused on increased fire activity outside the town of Middletown in Lake County overnight. Crews are setting backfires and using bulldozers and hand crews to solidify containment lines.
“If you look at that whole northern portion of the fire that’s going into Lake County is where we’ve been putting our efforts to wrap around it,” Cal Fire public information officer Chris Bridger said Tuesday night. “You have Calistoga down below it and Middletown above it. There are a lot of residences in there. That portion of the fire was our priority today, and we’re working to get lines wrapped around that area.”
KTVU reported that aircraft were unable to take off from the Cal Fire heliport in Lake County on Tuesday due to active fires and thick smoke.
“Firefighters performed what is called a backfiring operation,” KTVU reported. “Backfiring operations are fires deliberately set so that the fire burns up the hill instead of down the hill where it has an open field run toward Middletown.”
“This is the last, most difficult part of the fire,” Chris Waters, the Cal Fire operations section chief, said at a Tuesday press briefing. With good weather conditions over the next few days, he’s hopeful crews will make progress by the end of the week.
The number of homes destroyed continues to grow as ground crews conduct investigations in burn areas. The latest count is more than 978 structures destroyed, 256 damaged and 30,500 threatened.
Crews have gained containment of the fire in recent days with cooler temperatures, humid conditions and stable winds suppressing fire activity and allowing firefighters to build containment lines. A huge win came on Monday when the North Bay dodged thunderstorms moving across Northern California; the lightning and erratic winds in the forecast never materialized.
The fire has taken five lives and injured four civilians.
Cal Fire has reduced some evacuation orders to warnings, and many evacuated zones are expected to be repopulated in the coming days, Cal Fire officials said Tuesday. For full evacuation orders and changes, visit here.
FEMA and the California Office of Emergency Services announced survivors of the numerous wildfires across Northern California may now register for financial assistance from the federal government. Funds will go toward home repair and replacement, rent, and other miscellaneous expenses. Visit DisasterAssistance.gov/ for more information.
Find more evacuation details below:
Sonoma County: Find latest evacuation information at SoCo Emergency.
A teacher in Texas has reportedly been placed on administrative leave after she allowed students to submit their pronouns and posted LGBT+ rights and Black Lives Matter images on her virtual classroom.
An image of Roma High School English teacher Taylor Lifka’s remote learning site was posted online Friday (August 21) by Marian Knowlton, a Republican candidate for Texas’ 31st district who took offence at her efforts to include trans students, women, students of colour and queer kids.
It shows an avatar of the teacher standing infront of posters advocating for Black Lives Matter and LGBT+ rights, among other human rights causes.
“Many of you know that I am concerned about what the children of Texas are learning in our schools,” Knowlton wrote.
The Republican said she had received the screenshot from a “concerned educator” shown it by a parent who had removed their child from Lifka’s English class.
Knowlton continued: “This is the virtual classroom that each student visits every day. They are welcomed by an LGBT ‘diversity is welcomed’ poster, a feminism poster that translates to ‘Girlfriend, your struggle is my struggle’, a photo of radical protesters (one of whom looks like an ANTIFA member) and propaganda that promotes the radical marxist movement ‘Black Lives Matter’.
“In addition, this teacher asks which pronoun they prefer! This is from a public school in one of the counties in House District 31!”
The Republican further sought to stir tensions by claiming: “Our education system has been radicalising our children for years and it continues to do so, from elementary through higher education. This is not an isolated occurrence, it is a national pattern.
“A concerted effort to teach children what to think, not how to think. Leftist indoctrination.”
According to The Monitor, Roma Independent School District (ISD) did not name Lifka, but said in a statement Tuesday (August 25): “After reviewing the complaints, the district is working closely with the teacher to find a resolution that will ensure all parties involved reach an outcome that best benefits the expectations of our parents and needs of our students.
“The teacher is not being reprimanded in any way for her work or decisions.”
However, a Change.org petition, which has now been signed by more than 15,000 people, is calling for the LGBT-inclusive Texas teacher to be reinstated.
The petition reads: “Please sign this petition to let the school district know that inclusivity and acceptance are not taboo ideas that deserve censorship; that high school students can and should be allowed to discuss the realities of the world instead of being sheltered inside a sanitised bubble; and that by reprimanding the teacher for trying to create a safe space for her students, the school is not being neutral, but is actively taking a stance that is antithetical to justice.”
