Civil libertarians and LGBTQ rights advocates praised Republican Gov. Chris Sununu on Friday after he signed into law a bill prohibiting discrimination on the basis of gender identity. “Discrimination – in any form – is unacceptable and runs contrary to New Hampshire’s Live Free or Die Spirit,” Sununu said in a statement after signing House Bill 1319.
“If we really want to be the ‘Live Free or Die’ state, we must ensure that New Hampshire is a place where every person, regardless of their background, has an equal and full opportunity to pursue their dreams and to make a better life for themselves and their families.”
Sununu on Friday also signed legislation banning conversion therapy for gay minors. The transgender rights bill passed the New Hampshire House and Senate with all Democrats in favor and enough Republicans in support to pass it. The roll call in the House was 195-129, and in the Senate, 14-10.
NOTE: New York has banned insurance coverage for conversion therapy by Gov. Cuomo’s executive order, but not by legislative statute as in other states. If you count New York, the current total is 14 states, not 13.
A survey has found more than half of Americans have no qualms when it comes to their colleagues’ sexual orientation or gender identity.
The poll, carried out by Bospar Public Relations and market research firm Propeller Insights, found 55 percent of Americans aged 18 and over were OK with having gay, lesbian or transgender co-workers.
The poll found those aged 75 and over were the age group most likely to be accepting of LGT colleagues, with 60 percent saying they had no preference of sexuality or gender identity.
56 percent of respondents aged 18-to-34 and 59 percent of those aged 35-to-54 said the same.
Baby-boomers were the least accepting, with only 47.9 percent saying they had no preference.
Many Brits still fear coming out in the workplaceThe survey did not include views on bisexual workers.
Of those polled, only 4.7 percent and 4.6 percent said they would prefer to work with transgender men and women respectively.
“I think it shows that we have a long way to, especially with the trans community,” Bospar executive Curtis Sparrer told NewNowNext.
“When I looked at the data it seemed to suggest that people wanted to work with people like themselves, which would explain why straight men and women did so well—since they are a majority of the country’s population.”
The survey was carried out over a five-day period in April and included 1,010 respondents.
A survey by the organisation found that 35 percent of of LGBT people in the UK remain in the closet to colleagues.
The poll revealed discrimination against transgender workers (Mark Makela/Getty)
Ruth Hunt, chief executive of Stonewall, said: “Over the past decade, leading employers across all sectors have shown a real commitment to inclusion and have taken positive steps towards LGBT equality.
“Unfortunately, the findings of our Work Report show there’s still lots to do. The fact that more than a third (35 per cent) of LGBT staff have hidden their identity at work for fear of discrimination shows that change is still very much needed.”
A California man was sentenced to death on Thursday for the killing of a young boy who prosecutors said was tortured because he believed the child was gay, and the boy’s mother was sentenced to life in prison.
Los Angeles County state court Judge George Lomeli sentenced 37-year-old Isauro Aguirre after he was convicted late last year of first-degree murder in the death of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez.
The child’s mother, Pearl Sinthia Fernandez, 34, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in February and was sentenced on Thursday to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Aguirre was Fernandez’ boyfriend.
Gabriel died in May of 2013 in the working class high desert community of Palmdale, north of Los Angeles. Prosecutors said the boy’s skull was fractured, 12 of his ribs were broken, he was forced to eat cat feces, and that he slept, bound and gagged, in a cabinet.
“The conduct was horrendous, inhumane and nothing short of evil,” Lomeli said Thursday in imposing sentence.
Gabriel Fernandez, who was routinely beaten, starved, forced to sleep in a closet and tortured until his 2013 death.NBC News
“It is unimaginable, the pain that this child probably endured. And from what I heard, Gabriel was a kind, loving individual who just wanted to be loved,” the judge added.
Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Jon Hatami said during the trial that Aguirre “liked torture” and systematically abused Gabriel Fernandez because he thought the boy was gay.
“This case showed how evil can not only inflict lasting damage to those who loved Gabriel but our society as well,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey said in a statement Thursday.
Under the terms of the Fernandez’ plea deal, a sentence of life in prison without parole was expected. In November Aguirre was convicted by a jury, which found that a special circumstance allegation of intentional murder by torture was valid, prosecutors said.
Fernandez said in a statement Thursday that “I want to say I’m sorry to my family for what I did. I wish Gabriel was alive,” and “every day I wish that I made better choices,” according to NBC Los Angeles.
State executions in California have been held up by court challenges since 2006. More than 740 inmates are currently on the state’s death row, according to the California Department of Corrections.
Lacey said that the sentences handed down on Thursday mean “the defendants will now spend the rest of their lives in prison for their reprehensible actions.”
Several agencies investigated abuse allegations leading up to Gabriel’s death, the Associated Press reported. On several occasions, investigators concluded there was no evidence of abuse.
Prosecutors have since filed charges of child abuse and falsifying records against four county social workers in Gabriel’s death.
Isauro Aguirre, left and Pearl Sinthia Fernandez, right, sit during their sentencing hearing in Los Angeles. KTLA / via AP pool
An Air Force veteran, Ryan Gierach, says his neighbors have a long history of discriminating against him because of his sexuality, reported KTLA 5 News.
The San Pedro, California resident said the abuse started once he moved into the neighborhood two years ago.
“When I came here my neighbors directly across from me began calling me names — all of them revolving around gay epithets,” he said.
Gierach claims his neighbors have yelled homophobic slurs, and threw garbage at him. He said they even physically assaulted him.
Gierach said the abuse got worse once the neighbor hung flyers around the neighborhood calling him a pedophile. The Air Force veteran turned journalist said he is used to discrimination, but is fighting so he can be treated with respect.
“For 20 years now I’ve covered this sort of thing happening to other people,” he said. “And it hurt me deeply every time it happened to other people. To be attacked for being a loving person is perverse.”
Gierach said that he has filed multiple reports with the Los Angeles Police Department. Police confirmed that they are investigating for battery, but have failed to make contact with the suspects. After showing up to the accused neighbors homes, police said they were unable to meet with them.Luckily, not all of his neighbors are hateful. Some have rallied behind Gierach to show their support.
“It’s a sad situation, and we’re not going to let it happen, because if you mess with one of us you mess with all of us,” neighbor Aiden Garcia-Sheffield said.
Teaching at Three Local Synagogues about Spirit and Authentic Living. Yiscah Smith was once a Chasidic man, living in Jerusalem with wife and children. But her quest to be her most authentic self led her on a decades-long journey, resulting not only in her transitioning to become the woman she knew she was, but returning into the fold of observant Judaism.
Yiscah now teaches lessons on using Jewish teachings (and religious teachings
generally) not to enforce normative behavior, but as a guide to liberate oneself to live
with utmost spiritual integrity.
Reb Yiscah, who is faculty at Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies and the Conservative
Seminary in Jerusalem, is visiting Sonoma County for a 3-day residency sponsored by
three local congregations.
On Wednesday, June 13 at 7PM, she presents “Forty Years in the Wilderness:
My Journey to Authentic Living” – in which she shares the joys and struggles of
her own spirituality and gender identity. This talk is at Congregation Ner
Shalom, 85 La Plaza in Cotati. Admission is free.
On Thursday, June 14 at 7PM, she will teach “Jewish Living as the Cultivation
of a Spiritual Practice” – based on the teachings of the Piasetzner Rebbe, also
known as the Rabbi of the Warsaw Ghetto, whose teachings were hidden in a
metal cylinder and unearthed only decades after the liquidation of the Warsaw
Ghetto. This teaching is at Congregation Beth Ami, 4676 Mayette in Santa Rosa.
Admission is free.
On Friday, June 15, at 1:30PM, she will offer a daytime teaching called “Go to
Yourself: Moving from One Self to Another Self”. This experiential session will
involve encountering the Divine within and moving from a finite sense of self to
a place that is limitless and beyond ego. The teaching, at B’nai Israel Jewish
Center, 740 Western Avenue in Petaluma, is followed, for those who wish, by a
thematically linked yoga session taught by Helaine Sheias. The talk is free and
the yoga session is sliding scale.
Studying with Yiscah is a moving experience. Ner Shalom’s Reb Irwin Keller, who has
studied with her in the past, says, “You imagine how much heartache her life journey
has involved; and yet the joy and ease that pours through her is real and it is infectious.
Whether she’s talking about a text in particular or the life of the spirit in general, you
walk away uplifted. And inspired too – so many people have had to turn away from
their religious traditions in order to be their true selves!”
Yiscah’s story is indeed unusual. While one reads and hears stories about transgender
(and other LGBTQ+) Orthodox Jews, those stories rarely have a happy ending in which
the individual can express the full breadth of their identity. With Yiscah as an emerging
voice, we may hope to see more happy endings.
Besides teaching, Yiscah hosts a podcast, and is the author of Forty Years in the
Wilderness: My Journey to Authentic Living. Read more about her at yiscahsmith.com.
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Freshly prepared food for our congregate lunch program is now being prepared in a new location! Local nonprofit, Worth Our Weight, is generously renting its kitchen to Food For Thought every Monday. Chef Coby Leibman and our volunteer cooking crew (featured above) couldn’t be happier in this large kitchen with plenty of room to prepare healthy food for our clients.
We are very thankful that Worth Our Weight has allowed us to use their kitchen and encourage you to support them. The Worth Our Weight Cafe serves brunch every Sunday from 8 am – 2 pm.Catering is also available for events and private parties. We hope you will consider them for your dining and catering needs, as they have been so supportive of Food For Thought.
Two Exciting Positions at FFT
1. Event Coordinator will organize our annual Dining Out For Life fundraising event. The Event Coordinator will work with local restaurants, corporate sponsors, and volunteers to make this one-night event a success. This is a part-time (10-20 hours per week) temporary position, June-December 2018.
2. Warehouse/Stocking Clerk is responsible for performing a variety of manual tasks associated with the acquisition, storage, and distribution of food products and maintenance of the facility. This is a part-time (20-25 hours per week) nonexempt position, with a varied weekly schedule that includes evening and weekend hours.
For full job descriptions and information about how to apply to these exciting positions, please visit our website.
Summer Volunteers Needed!
Are you looking for a great summer activity for the whole family? We have several volunteer opportunities for adults and children across Sonoma County. Open volunteer opportunities include:
Volunteer Delivery Drivers– Deliver healthy food to clients in Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, and Sonoma.
Food Drive Volunteers – Collect food donations from shoppers outside of local markets at locations across the county. Garden Volunteers – Help maintain and harvest our organic vegetable and herb garden.
Visit our website for more information and to fill out our volunteer application online. Please contact our Volunteer Program Manager, Helen Myers, by phone at (707) 887-1647 x 103 or by email at HelenM@FFTfoodbank.org with any questions.
Nearly three quarters of American adults oppose businesses refusing to serve gay men and lesbians based on the owner’s religious beliefs.According to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released Monday, 72 percent of respondents said that businesses whose owners are opposed to LGBT rights based on their religious beliefs should not be allowed to refuse to serve gay and bisexual men and lesbians.
The poll was released on the same day that the Supreme Court sided with a Colorado baker who refused to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple. The high court’s ruling was narrow in scope and appeared to only apply to this case.
Pollsters found that 14 percent of respondents believe that business owners, because of their religious beliefs, have the right to refuse service based on sexual orientation. Nine percent said the right existed in “certain circumstances,” while 6 percent said they do not know.
The poll also found a majority of Americans (53%) support extending marriage rights to gay couples, up 11 percent from a 2013 Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Please join us for a hosted reception to celebrate the opening of our “Call & Response” invitational exhibit! Enjoy the latest creations of local artists Dave Gordon, Adam Wolpert and Victoria Wagner. Exhibit runs Friday, June 8th through Sunday, July 29th; gallery open Fri-Sat-Sun 11 AM to 4 PM.
Monica Pasqual & the Handsome Brunettes
and Dear John Love Renee
(members of the band Blame Sally)
Saturday, June 9th at 8 PM
OCA is pleased to host a concert by talented bandmates from the popular Bay Area band Blame Sally, featuring six-time Emmy winner and singer/songwriter Monica Pasqual with her new ensemble ‘The Handsome Brunettes’–Josh McClain on cello, Velvy Appleton on guitar, Blame Sally percussionist /vocalist Pam Delgado, and Jessie Turner. They join forces with Blame Sally’s award-winning songwriter Renee Harcourt and John McConnel of Dear John Love Renee, plus bassist Sam Page and Pam Delgado for a double bill of exceptional talent at OCA’s acoustic sweet spot. Reservations advised.
$22 Advance/ $26 at the door.
Double Book Launch: “Geoffrey Doover” and “Travel Sketching”
by Patrick Fanning
Friday, June 15th at 7 PM
Join local author Patrick Fanning as he discusses his latest books: novel “Geoffrey Doover” and art instruction book “Travel Sketching”.
Fanning spent more than 20 years writing and publishing self-help books as co-founder of New Harbinger Publications. Now retired from the publishing business, he was one of the founders of the Graton Gallery and is an active board member at OCA. He continues to write, paint and teach and is currently leading the team developing our new auditorium lobby.
No charge to attend, refreshments available. Selected readings, book sales & signing.
Roy Zimmerman
ReZist!
Saturday, June 16th at 8 PM
America’s foremost satirical musician Roy Zimmerman (royzimmerman.com) brings his show to OCA!
ReZist is ninety minutes of Zimmerman’s original songs, a funny and forceful affirmation of Peace and Social Justice. “Sometimes I think satire is the most hopeful and heartfelt form of expression,” says Roy, “because in calling out the world’s absurdities and laughing in their face, I’m affirming the real possibility for change.”
Roy’s songs have been heard on HBO and Showtime, and his videos have garnered tens of millions of views. He has recorded for Warner/Reprise Records. He’s shared stages with Bill Maher, Ellen DeGeneres, Holly Near, Robin Williams, Arlo Guthrie, John Oliver, Kate Clinton and George Carlin, and tours the country constantly with his wife and co-writer Melanie Harby. Enjoy the irreverence- it’s contagious!
$20 advance/$25 at the door.
Flying Leap Improv Theatre
Friday, June 22nd at 7:30 PM
Come one, come all to a fabulous evening of improvisational comedy and song with the Flying Leap Improv Theatre Ensemble!
A talented ensemble of local actors will dare to touch your heart and mind by acting upon your audience suggestions. Anything can happen! Come laugh and enjoy the excitement of ‘Improv without a net’ at OCA’s acoustic sweet spot. flyingleapimprov.com
This ‘Friday Night Live’ show begins at 7:30 PM in the auditorium, with cabaret seating and wine, beer and fine refreshments available. Come on down after the Occidental Farmer’s Market!
$15 at the door
Those Were The Days: William Florian
Sunday, July 8th at 4:00 PM
OCA is pleased to welcome back the former singer for the New Christy Minstrels, William Florian as he presents ‘Those Were The Days: The Spirit & Songs of the 60s’. Enjoy an upbeat musical journey through America’s greatest folk and pop songs of the 60s, including hit songs he performed with the New Christy Minstrels.
$15 advance/$20 door.
Bastille Day at OCA!
Featuring Un Deux Trois and La Guignette
Saturday, July 14th at 8:00 PM
Come to the OCA Cabaret and enjoy our classy celebration of this unique holiday with the evocative sounds of two French music trios extraordinaire!
La Guignette (Al Hass, Christine Lelaure and Robert Lunceford) will take you back in time to the French and Italian street cafés of 1900-1960s. Un Deux Trois (Josh Fossgreen, Lisa Iskin and Robert Lunceford) play a unique mix of traditional French music, Bal Musette from the cafes of Paris, and original compositions.
Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization, released the following statement from Executive Director Rick Zbur Tuesday night after Senator Ricardo Lara advanced to the November general election in his historic race for California Insurance Commissioner:
“California voters made history today, as Senator Ricardo Lara is one step closer to becoming the state’s first openly LGBTQ statewide elected official. Ricardo has been a fierce, loyal and dedicated leader for California’s LGBTQ and immigrant communities, working to tear down barriers and ensure equality for all. As California’s next Insurance Commissioner, he’ll be a champion in the fight for quality, affordable healthcare for all.”
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
California has banned government workers from non-essential travel to Oklahoma over its recent passage of an adoption law that discriminates against gay and lesbian couples.
Last month, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, a Republican, signed into law Senate Bill 1140, a controversial bill that allows religious child welfare organizations, including adoption and foster care agencies, to refuse to place children with same-sex couples.
California adopted a law in 2016 banning such travel to states that restrict LGBT rights. On Friday, Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced that the state had added Oklahoma to its list of states under its travel ban.
“California law requires that my office identify and maintain a list of states which are off-limits for state-funded or state-sponsored travel,” Becerra said in a statement. “California will not use state resources to support states that pass discriminatory laws. The law enacted in Oklahoma allows discrimination against LGBTQ children and aspiring LGBTQ parents who must navigate the adoption process. California taxpayers are taking a stand against bigotry and in support of those who would be harmed by this prejudiced policy.”
Kansas recently adopted a similar law, but the state was already included on California’s list. Other states on the list include Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas.
Equality California Executive Director Rick Zbur praised the news.
“Every child deserves a loving, supportive family, and it’s neither pro-child, nor pro-family, for Oklahoma to deny them one,” said Zbur. “California taxpayers won’t subsidize Oklahoma’s – or any state’s – discriminatory policies, and we’re grateful to Attorney General Becerra for taking this decisive action today in support of equality for all.”
