News

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Jeff Sessions Launches DOJ “Religious Liberty Task Force” To “Protect And Promote” Anti-LGBT Hate Groups

The Washington Examiner reports: Attorney General Jeff Sessions has created a religious liberty task force to “protect and promote religious liberty.” Speaking from the Justice Department in Washington, Sessions said the task force, which he will chair, is to help implementation of the religious liberty memo he signed in October. That 25-page memo outlines 20 guiding principles that federal agencies can use to protect religious liberty in employment, contracting and programming. The task force will facilitate compliance with the October memo, address new or recurring issues with implication of the memo and facilitate interagency coordination regarding the memo. The full […]

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Disexual Russian Man Could Be Killed if He’s Deported — But an Oregon Judge Won’t Let Him Stay

Participants march during the Belgian Gay Pride parade in Brussels Belgium on May 20, 2017. Image by Alexandros Michailidis via Shutterstock. After traveling through multiple countries to get to the United States and avoid persecution, a bisexual Russian man waited in immigration detainment for months — only to be denied asylum by an Oregon judge. The Portland Mercury reported that after being threatened by police in the Russian North Caucasus region, near the border of the notoriously anti-gay Chechnya, Dmitri (a pseudonym to protect his identity) decided to flee to the US in spite of knowing neither English nor any people in […]

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Indiana Man Who Brought Guns and Explosives Near 2016 L.A. Pride Sentenced to 7 Years

An Indiana man who was headed toward L.A. Pride two years ago in a car filled with weapons, explosives and high-capacity magazines was sentenced to seven years in state prison on Thursday, officials said. James Wesley Howell, 22, pleaded no contest to possession of an explosive chemical, malicious possession of a destructive device and illegal weapon activity, according to a news release issued by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. Santa Monica police arrested Howell on June 12, 2016. Inside his car, police found three rifles — including an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 .223 caliber rifle that police described as […]

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US House Passes GOP Resolution Condemning Hate Crimes – but Doesn’t Mention LGBT

The U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday afternoon unanimously passed a resolution that condemns hate crimes and urges the Dept. of Justice to “investigate all credible reports of hate crimes and incidents and threats against minorities.” The resolution is non-binding and was first introduced in 2017. H. Res. 257 was originally sponsored by Rep. Barbara Comstock, a Republican of Virginia. The resolution specifically mentions people of the Jewish and Islamic faiths, and Hindu and Sikh Americans, all of whom “have been the target of hate-based violence targeting religious minorities.” It also notes “there has been an increase in White supremacist activity on college campuses across the […]

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Trump Administration is ‘Likely to Have Devastating Consequences’ for LGBT Healthcare, Says Report

US president Donald Trump’s administration is “likely to have devastating consequences” for LGBT+ healthcare in the country, according to a damning new report by non-governmental organisation Human Rights Watch. The latest research published on Monday (July 23) concludes that LGBT+ people face “significant barriers” accessing healthcare, which it states is worsening as the Trump government rolls back anti-discrimination protections and introduces religious exemption laws. “Many LGBT people already face difficulties obtaining accessible, inclusive health care,” the 34-page report reads.“The Trump administration’s proposed rollback of antidiscrimination protections and expansion of religious exemptions are likely to have devastating consequences, exacerbating health disparities […]

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Delaware Bans Gay ‘Cure’ Therapy on Children

Governor Carney signed the bill into law on July 23 (johncarneyde/twitter) Delaware has become the fourteenth state to ban gay ‘cure’ therapy. Democratic Governor John Carney signed the bill into law on Monday, meaning that licensed mental health professionals will no longer be allowed to subject children to the discredited practice. Connecticut, California, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Illinois, Vermont, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Washington, Maryland, Hawaii, New Hampshire and Washington DC have already banned gay ‘cure’ therapy. Maine would have become the fourteenth state to outlaw the practice, but despite being voted through the state’s House and Senate, Republican Governor […]

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Hate Crimes On The Rise in California

Statewide, reported hate crimes jumped more than 17 percent in California last year compared with 2016, though the incidents remain relatively rare, the state’s attorney general said Monday. Alameda County saw the most reported hate crimes in 2017 of any of the nine counties that make up the Bay Area, according to new information released by the California Department of Justice. Statewide, reported hate crimes jumped more than 17 percent in California last year compared with 2016, though the incidents remain relatively rare, the state’s attorney general said Monday. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and the state’s Department of Justice […]

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The Three Californias

California is one of the largest states in the U.S. It’s also one of the most diverse, with life in many parts of the state varying vastly from the preconception of what it means to be a Californian. From the beaches of San Diego to the farmlands of Fresno to the suburbs of Humboldt, California is not solely defined by its mega cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco. For the LGBTQ+ community, those differences are highlighted in L.A. and the Bay Area as some of the best places to live for queer people. This upcoming November election will be […]

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46% of Bi Women Have Been Raped in Their Lifetime, Says UN Report

A new United Nations report on violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity has found that bi women are more at risk from sexual violence. The report was presented at the 38th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva this month. It also found that LGBTQ people are generally more at risk of physical and sexual violence then their heterosexual counterparts. The report claims: ‘Research reveals that bisexual persons are more prone than lesbian or gay persons to experience intimate partner violence, with shocking rates of intimate partner violence, domestic violence, rape, and sexual […]

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Free SRJC Class to Explore Sonoma County’s LGBTQI History

Instructor Tina Dungan will offer a free class ‘LGBTQI History:  A Sonoma County Timeline 1960s – 1990’ at Santa Rosa Junior College Wednesday afternoons August 8 through December 19.  You may sign up for the class by contacting the Older Adults Program at 707-527-4533 or by registering at older-adults.santarosa.edu.  There is no age limit, but the class is designed for seniors. The Sonoma County LGBTQI Timeline was created for and displayed at the Sonoma County PRIDE celebration this past June.  Always a work in progress, it represents a start at recording our multi-faceted history. “Using a discussion group format, we will explore […]

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