News

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Political donations lead Stonewall Inn to ban some beers

The Stonewall Inn’s owners say they won’t serve certain beers at the famous LGBTQ bar during Pride weekend to protest manufacturer Anheuser-Busch’s political contributions to some politicians who have supported anti-LGBTQ legislation. Co-owners Stacy Lentz and Kurt Kelly said they would be instituting the ban on Friday in support of the “Keep Your Pride” campaign, a recently launched effort highlighting five companies that it says advertise support during Pride but have also made contributions to anti-LGBTQ lawmakers. The campaign, a project of Corporate Accountability Action, used data compiled from the National Institute on Money in Politics to show that Anheuser-Busch […]

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LGBT+ refugees desperately need help, but UK’s plans will send them back to danger

Benali Hamdache, Green Party spokesperson for migration and refugee support, looks at the issues facing LGBT+ refugees on World Refugee Day. In too many places, this pandemic has allowed regimes to crackdown on LGBT+ people. Cameroon, Ghana, Philippines and Uganda have all seen outbreaks of arbitrary arrests and violence. LGBT+ refugees in Kenyan camps have experienced assault and murder. Here in the UK the Home Office’s social media is currently adorned with the rainbow flag and Boris Johnson has acknowledged that COVID has worsened the situation for LGBT+ people globally. We have a government that professes inclusivity, openness and action. […]

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Trans woman went out drinking with friends. They violently beat her to death

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A trans woman was reportedly beaten and brutally dismembered by her friends after going for drinks in an attack that has fuelled fear in Miranda, Venezuela. Elizabeth Rondón, a 33-year-old vegetable seller, was slain Monday morning (13 June) after at least three people beat her, according to activists and witnesses. Loved ones described Rondón as a quiet but charismatic person who traded vegetables for food in the Santa Cruz del Este neighbourhood of the Baruta municipality. But her friends, they said, “bothered her a lot” for being trans, often harassing her for it. On Sunday night (12 June), Rondón went to drinks with […]

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Take Pride in your local library

This month, we’re honoring Pride with virtual programs and events, summer Take & Make craft kits, booklists for all ages, community resources, and more. Visit this news post for the full list.  Register for the Sonoma County LGBTQI+ History Timeline on Tuesday, June 22, at 5:30 pm. Explore the community building, cultural, and social change forged by local LGBTQI+ people from 1947 to 2000. Join us in celebrating Pride Month, a time to promote the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of the LGBTQ+ community. The LGBTQ+ community will always be welcomed and celebrated at the library, not just during Pride Month but every […]

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California utility regulators extend moratorium on power, gas shutoffs amid pandemic

State utility regulators have extended a moratorium on electricity and gas shutoffs for unpaid customer bills through Sept. 30, the California Public Utilities Commission announced Thursday. Under the decision, residential customers who have fallen behind on their energy bills during the pandemic will be automatically enrolled in one- or two-year payment plans. Small businesses will also be signed up for a similar plan. Ratepayers can apply for state and federal aid to help cover missed energy payments during the pandemic. In Sonoma County, residents can access assistance through a county-run program to help cover back rent and utility bills. So […]

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Conservative West Virginia state GOP lawmaker comes out during Pride

A conservative Republican lawmaker in the House of Delegates took to Twitter and other social media platforms this past weekend announcing that he is gay. Twenty-four year old Joshua Higginbotham said that he felt he owed it to the voters of West Virginia, after recently deciding to share it with his family and friends. Higginbotham, who was first elected to the House when he was only 19, represents rural Putnam County located alongside Interstate 64 between the state’s capital city of Charleston to the East and Huntington to the West. His campaign adverts have all trumpeted his avid support of […]

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WWII codebreaker Alan Turing becomes 1st gay man on a British bank note

The Bank of England began circulating its new £50 bank notes featuring World War II codebreaker Alan Turing on Wednesday, which would have been the pioneering math genius’ 109th birthday. Often referred to as the “father of computer science and artificial intelligence,” Turing was hailed a war hero and granted an honor by King George VI at the end of the war for helping to defeat the Nazis. Despite this, however, he died as a disgraced “criminal” — simply for being a gay man.  “I’m delighted that Alan Turing features on our new £50 bank note. He was a brilliant scientist […]

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Homeowners association orders couple to remove pride flag from their front yard

A Florida homeowners association has ordered a gay couple to remove a small rainbow flag from their front yard, but the couple has no intention of taking it down. Bob Plominski and Mike Ferrari of Oakland Park, Florida, were issued a citation on June 5 that told them to take the flag down by June 15 or pay a $50 daily fine. The couple put it up to celebrate Pride Month. Plominski and Ferrari told NBC Miami they were confused by the notice because they have flown the pride flag before and posted political signs in the neighborhood without any problems. “I […]

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Driver, victims of deadly Pride parade crash in Florida connected to men’s chorus, leader says

The driver of a pickup truck that struck two men, killing one, at a Pride parade in Florida was connected to the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus, and so were the victims, the group’s president said Saturday. The truck was to be part of the chorus’ entry in the Stonewall Pride Parade in Wilton Manors, the organization said. “Our fellow Chorus members were those injured and the driver is also a part of the Chorus family,” Justin Knight said in a statement. “To my knowledge, this was not an attack on the LGBTQ community.” One man was killed and another […]

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