News

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Amnesty International Calls on South Korea to End Discrimination against Gay Soldiers

Amnesty International on Thursday called on South Korea to decriminalize same-sex relationships for men in the military, warning current laws fuel violence, discrimination and stigmatization against gay soldiers. The human rights group said South Korea’s military code “does not comply with the international human rights obligations the state has signed on to.” “By institutionalizing discrimination, laws criminalizing sex between men reinforce systematic prejudices toward gay men, bisexual men, transgender people and non-binary people, whether in the military or in the street or in the home,” Amnesty said in a report released on Thursday. The South Korean ministry of defense did […]

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Historian Unearths Evidence of One of America’s Earliest Gay Rights Activists

In May 1933, the Nazi-sympathizing German Student Union entered Magnus Hirschfeld’s Institute of Sexual Research in Berlin. Hirschfeld’s expansive library of sexual and gender studies was confiscated and later burned in the streets of the German capital, one of many book burnings in Nazi Germany that would decimate the records of this pioneering institute. Some of the Institute’s records were of the countless sexual and gender minorities who passed through its doors between 1919 and 1933, and even earlier, when Hirschfeld ran the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee, the institute’s predecessor and world’s first LGBTQ rights organization. “The Nazis tried to destroy information […]

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U.S. Not Where it Needs to be on LGBTQ Employment, Fed Policymaker Says

The United States is “not where we need to be” on increasing employment levels of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, a top economic policymaker said on Tuesday. Federal Reserve Bank of New York President John Williams said at an LGBTQ finance industry event that unemployment rates are nearly double the national average for sexual and gender minorities. “As President of a Federal Reserve Bank, I am focused on two vital economic goals: maximum employment and stable prices for the U.S. economy,” Williams said in remarks prepared for delivery in New York. “These statistics paint a clear picture of why […]

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Another Trans Victim from Dating App Robbery

Violence against transgender people continues to be a daunting issue within the LGBTQ+ community. Los Angeles, alone, recorded a nearly 13 percent increase in hate crimes toward LGBTQ+ people and black community members last year, as reported by The Los Angeles Times. Yet, there are many transgender people who come face-to-face with assailants and live to tell their story. Jessica-Jean de la Vega, a youth education advocate for a Los Angeles-based trans health clinic, is one of them.  De la Vega had downloaded the notorious LGBTQ+ dating/sex app, Grindr. She, like so many other LGBTQ+ people who frequent the app, was […]

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Opposition Party in Japan Pledges to Protect LGBT Rights

Japan’s major opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) pledged to protect LGBT rights as it announced its election promises on Monday. It would implement anti-discrimination legislation and legalize same-sex marriage if it wins upper house elections this year, party president Yukio Edano said according to local media. The party is stressing diversity as the source of creativity and a vigorous society, NHK reported. Japan will next month elect 124 of the 245 members of the House of Councillors, the country’s upper house of parliament. Conservative Japan does not allow same-sex marriage. National laws do not protect LGBTI people from discrimination. […]

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UK Sees 81% Rise in Transphobic Hate Crimes

Hate crimes against transgender people in England, Scotland and Wales have risen 81 percent, the BBC reported last week.  The news service obtained the data from 36 out of 44 police departments throughout Great Britain. The data showed an increase to 1,944 reported hate crimes based on gender identity compared to 1,073 in 2016-2017.  The U.K.’s Home Office told the BBC the uptick in the numbers of hate crimes is due to an increase in victims reporting them.  Two police forces — Suffolk Constabulary and Merseyside Police — saw a decrease in hate crimes, while both the West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire […]

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Number of LGBTQ Elected Officials up 25% since 2018

After a string of successful general and special elections, the number of LGBTQ elected officials in the U.S. today stands at 698 — the highest number ever, and an increase of nearly 25 percent over last year, according to the Victory Institute, which tracks openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer elected officials. The data was released as part of Victory’s 2019 Out for Americareport; in last year’s report, there were 559 out LGBTQ officials. Some of the most well-known LGBTQ officials to take office this year are Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, Rep. Sharice Davids of […]

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LGBTQI & Friends Presents 1960s SuMmEr BeAcH pArTy

When: Saturday, July 13; 6:30-10 p.m.Where: 167 N High Street, Sebastopol Senior CenterWhat: LGBQTI & Friends Dance PartyCome be dazzled and energized by outstanding dance music, bling, with wild & beautiful summer beach decorations in every room. Fortune Tellers, Card Readers and Palm Readers are available to delight you. Beer and Wine for sale $5. Non-alcoholic beverages for sale also. $12 in advance; $15 at the doorFood included; no host barWear your summer beach bling!Dance the night away, DJ BearCake is spinning fabulous hits from the 1960s (and more)! WE STILL NEED VOLUNTEERS!We would LOVE to have your help!Call 707-829-2440, […]

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Would You Make a Great Foster Parent?

Every day, 50-75 Sonoma County children and teens need a safe place to live in our community. There’s an URGENT NEED for foster parents and adoptive families to open their homes to local foster children and give them a place they can feel safe, wanted and loved. You can: ·       Provide a temporary home as an emergency foster parent or foster parent,  ·       Foster parent a child with the potential of adoption, or  ·       Rent out a room and act as a mentor to an older foster youth going to school or working. Learn about whether foster parenting is right for you at Explore Foster Parenting, a one-hour discussion held monthly, 6-7 […]

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Homophobic Nations Suffer a Major Loss at the United Nations

Homophobic nations attempted to sabotage a LGBTI rights resolution at the United Nations today (12 July). Nations like Egypt and Pakistan attempted to derail the vote on the Independent Expert for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. The role is intended to hold nations to account on LGBTI issues. Created in 2016, it will now continue for the next three years. Distracting amendments included removing all mentions of sexual orientation and gender identity from the role. Another amendment suggested ‘reiterating importance of respecting religion’ in the role. What is the United Nations Independent Expert for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity?  United […]

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