News

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Help End HIV in Sonoma County On National Giving Day Tuesday Nov. 28

Face yo Face’s clients, staff, and volunteers have been devastated by the fires which swept through our beloved county in early October. Our compassionate team of professionals kept the doors open during the week of the fires, fulfilling our mission through limited services.
Even with these recent losses, we have never been more optimistic about the future. We will rebuild. We are #SonomaStrong.
At Face to Face our focus is on beating HIV and making the community healthier. We have tremendous hope: rates of new HIV infections in the county are on the decline for three consecutive years. And, with continued focus, together we can get to ZERO new HIV infections in Sonoma County in the very near future.
HIV medications are working as prevention: The FDA’s approval of Truvada as PrEP (Pre-exposure Prophylaxis)–taken once a day by HIV-negative individuals–has proven up to 99 percent effective at not transmitting HIV. Astounding results when you consider condom use at only 78 percent.
Not everyone who is at risk for HIV in Sonoma County is on PrEP or necessarily knows their HIV status. To reach them, we provide free, anonymous and confidential HIV testing at our office and in the commmunity. During each test counseling session we offer PrEP referrals to HIV-negative individuals. You make our HIV prevention services possible.
We know that you are being called upon more than ever with requests for your volunteer time and financial support. Thank you for considering making a gift to Face to Face on #GivingTuesday–a national day to kick-off the end of year giving season.

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Nearly Two Months after Caravan of Asylum Seekers ask for Protection at the U.S.-Mexico Border, Transgender Women Released, 3 Gay Men Still Detained

Late September, the last transgender Central American woman who arrived at the US-Mexico border over the summer seeking asylum as part of a caravan was granted parole and released from the Cibola County Correctional Center in Milan, New Mexico. The women and their attorneys now call on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to exercise similar discretion and release three gay men who also were members of the caravan, and continue to face risk to their health and safety in custody at the Otero Processing Center in Chaparral, New Mexico.

The asylum seekers were part of the Rainbow 17 Caravan, a group of 11 transgender women and 6 gay men from Central America and Mexico who arrived at the border in Nogales, Arizona, on August 10, 2017, and requested asylum after experiencing extreme forms of violence in their home countries.

ICE’s decision to release the women abides by the government’s long-standing parole guidance favoring release for asylum seekers who are not flight risks nor pose threats to the community. But since President Trump took office, ICE has failed to grant parole to the vast majority of individuals who have been locked up after requesting asylum at the border or a port of entry, and decisions on parole requests vary greatly between different regions of the country.

“My experience being locked up in the detention center was awful,” said a translatina caravan member who was released last month. “Never in my wildest thoughts did I imagine the conditions would be that unbearable. I am very happy to be out and grateful for where I am in the process now and for the family I am staying with, who are making me feel welcome.”

The women, along with their advocates and lawyers from the National Immigrant Justice Center, Transgender Law Center, and Instituto Legal, remain extremely concerned about the gay men who still are detained. Those individuals have reported they are being harassed by jail guards and other detainees, have been denied medical treatment, and fear for their safety because of their sexual identity.

“The lack of oversight in this parole process is really unfair,” said Keren Zwick, associate director of litigation at the National Immigrant Justice Center. “If you ask for protection at the border, ICE can send you basically wherever it wants, and the decision as to where they send you can mean the difference between release and detention, as we are seeing in these cases. On the court side, when you have an LGBTQ-based claim, where you are detained also can make a difference between winning or losing your asylum case.”

“We are relieved that these brave women, who came to the U.S. seeking safety from persecution, have finally been released from immigration detention centers that we know are horrifically violent and abusive of transgender women,” said Flor Bermudez, legal director at Transgender Law Center. “Unfortunately, there is still a long road ahead for the men still in Otero and for the transgender women who have been released, as they fight deportation back to the countries where their lives have been threatened. They are not facing this journey alone, though, and we are committed to doing everything in our power to ensure they, and all transgender immigrants seeking safety from torture and abuse, remain safe and free.”

“New Mexico has a long history of welcoming asylum seekers,” said Joaquin Sanchez-Leal, director of programs for Instituto Legal, a non-profit legal organization based in Albuquerque. “Placing those who are fleeing violence because of their gender identity or sexual orientation behind bars, even though they are eligible for immediate release, goes against our long-held tradition. We are all watching and will continue working to ensure the remaining caravan members are released from detention.”

The freed caravan members still each have a long road ahead of them as they pursue their asylum cases. In the United States, asylum seekers must wait months or years for permission to work and for access to housing or food support. They also have no right to appointed attorneys, so are left to find legal counsel on their own. Advocates must continue to work to support the women and improve the system in a way that gives bona fide refugees a fighting chance to prevail on their applications for protection. The human rights violations inherent in the ICE detention system have gained increased attention in the past month in Washington, D.C. In early October, U.S. House Representatives Adam Smith (WA-09) and Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) introduced the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act, which would hold ICE accountable to protect detained immigrants and ensure access to release for asylum seekers and other immigrants. Also this month, the U.S. Supreme Court heard re-argument in Jennings v. Rodriguez, which challenges ICE’s prolonged detention of immigrants fighting deportation.

“I cannot find the words to express how happy I am to be out of that horrific detention center,” said a translatina caravan member. “When I started my journey, I was very scared. I needed to flee the violence and transphobia in my country of origin, but had heard many stories of trans women who didn’t make it through the journey or were trapped for months in terrible detention centers. I know my release is not typical, and I thank God I have a great team fighting for my rights and safety. I feel like a new woman, secure and ready to take on the world.”

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Disaster Unemployment Claims Extended to Dec. 18

The deadline to claim Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) for workers who lost wages or became unemployed due to recent fires has been extended to December 18, 2017, from November 16 by the U.S Department of Labor.

“This is an important support for the many residents and workers affected by fires in our county,” says Katie Greaves, Director of the Sonoma County Human Services Department Employment and Training Division. “As of November 8, residents had filed 4,700 applications for Disaster Unemployment benefits. The number of customers visiting the Job Link office for employment and job search support doubled in the four weeks after the fire, primarily to submit claims for Disaster Unemployment Assistance.”

Federal Disaster Unemployment benefits are available to individuals who are unemployed as a direct result of the October 2017 Sonoma County wildfires. Claims must be filed by December 18, 2017. Applications submitted to the EDD after December 18, 2017, will be considered if the claimant can show good cause for late application.

Sonoma County Job Link offers workers help to file these claims online at www.SonomaWIB.org, or Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., by phone at 565-5550 or in-person at the Employment and Training office 2227 Capricorn Way, Santa Rosa. Job Link’s online career center and employer and job seeker resources are available year-round, and can provide residents with information about health care options, regular unemployment insurance benefits, job training and retraining, and connecting with employers now hiring. Additional information about Disaster Unemployment Assistance is also available at https://www.sonomacountyrecovers.org/unemployment/.

DUA provides weekly benefit payments for individuals 1) whose work or self-employment is interrupted due to a disaster and 2) who are not eligible for regular Unemployment Insurance or State Disability Insurance benefits. Benefits are available for 26 weeks, beginning October 15, 2017, and ending April 14, 2018, which is the final payable week of disaster benefits.

 

To be eligible for Disaster Unemployment benefits, individuals must be unemployed as a direct result of recent wildfires. They must be 1) unemployed workers or unemployed self-employed individuals who lived, worked, traveled through, or were scheduled to work in a disaster area at the time of the disaster, and 2) due to the disaster:

  • No longer has a job or place to work; or
  • Cannot reach the place of work; or
  • Cannot work due to damage to the place of work; or
  • Cannot work because of an injury caused by the disaster; or
  • Became the head of household because the primary breadwinner or head of household died in the disaster.

 

DUA claimants must meet all eligibility criteria during the entire period of the claim to continue to receive disaster benefits. They cannot continue to receive benefits if they return to work before April 14, 2018. Individuals with regular UI benefits that end before April 14, 2018, who also meet all the Disaster Unemployment eligibility criteria, can file for DUA benefits for any remaining weeks or until they file new regular unemployment claims, whichever comes first.

 

DUA is a federal benefits administered by the Employment Development Department on behalf of the U.S. Department of Labor, so workers in these additional counties are also eligible: Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Orange and Yuba.

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HRC Spotlights Five Trump-Pence Anti-LGBTQ Nominees Who Represent Greatest Threat

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) aimed a bright spotlight on five federal judicial nominees — Jeff Mateer, Damien Schiff, Leonard Steven Grasz, Mark Norris, and Stephen Schwartz. If confirmed by the Senate, the nominees could seriously threaten the future of LGBTQ equality in America. The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on Grasz and Norris on Thursday.

“In their crusade against the LGBTQ community, Donald Trump and Mike Pence are doing everything they can to stack our federal courts and all agencies of the government with anti-LGBTQ nominees and appointments,” said HRC Legal Director Sarah Warbelow. “This is a deliberate attempt to undermine the progress we’ve made and weave discrimination into every part of our government. There are scores of under-qualified nominees with terrible anti-equality records, and Jeff Mateer, Damien Schiff, Leonard Steven Grasz, Mark Norris, and Stephen Schwartz are among the worst of the worst. The Senate must reject their nominations to lifetime appointments to the federal bench.”

In less than one year, the Trump-Pence Administration has unleashed a torrent of attacks on the LGBTQ community and undermined the rights of millions of Americans. Through rollbacks, rescissions, and re-interpretations, Donald Trump and Mike Pence have systematically and meticulously eroded years of progress and protections. What’s more, Trump and Pence have appointed and nominated scores of extreme and unqualified anti-LGBTQ officials to crucial agencies and court benches — some of whom will serve lifetime appointments.

Jeff Mateer has been nominated to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. In a 2015 speech titled “The Church and Homosexuality,” Jeff Mateer objected to a transgender student using a restroom consistent with her gender identity, saying “I mean it just really shows you how Satan’s plan is working and the destruction that’s going on.” He defended then-Indiana Governor Mike Pence’s ‘license-to-discriminate’ bill and objected to efforts to alter the legislation. Mateer fought against non-discrimination protections for the LGBTQ community in Plano and San Antonio, Texas, and he even supports the dangerous and debunked practice of so-called “conversion therapy.” Mateer also claimed that marriage equality will lead to bestiality.

Damien Schiff, nominated to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, has been unabashed in his anti-LGBTQ views. He called Anthony Kennedy a “judicial prostitute,” opposed anti-bullying policies, opposed the decriminalization of same-sex relationships, and has been a longtime critic of marriage equality. In his writings, Schiff has encouraged parents to opt out of public schools in response to new curriculum that discouraged LGBTQ bullying and normalized families with same-sex parents; opposed the Supreme Court ruling decriminalizing same-sex relationships; defended supporters of Prop 8, falsely claiming same-sex couples had the same legal benefits as married opposite-sex couples before Prop 8.

  1. Steven Grasz, nominated for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, served on the board of a non-profit that backed the abusive practice of conversion therapyon LGBTQ minors and was unwilling to clarify his own views during his confirmation hearing. Grasz said that language protecting people on the basis of “sexual orientation” opened the door for protections for pedophilesand argued Nebraska should not recognize marriage equality in other states. Grasz also opposed allowing same-sex parents to adopt. The American Bar Association has deemed Grasz unqualified to serve in the position Trump has nominated him for.

Mark S. Norris has been nominated to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. Currently the Senate Majority Leader of the Tennessee General Assembly, Norris has voted to support legislation giving business a license to discriminate against LGBTQ people and supported a state law preventing local municipalities from passing LGBTQ non-discrmination protections. Among a host of other positions supporting discrimination, Norris opposed federal guidance from the Obama administration helping to protect transgender students from discrimination and harassment in public schools.

Stephen Schwartz, nominated to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, has a demonstrable anti-LGBTQ record. HRC joined in an opposition letter with 27 LGBTQ groups, including Lambda Legal and the National Center for Transgender Equality, opposing Schwartz. His work opposing equality includes defending North Carolina’s discriminatory HB2. He also notably served as co-counsel to the Gloucester County School Board in Virginia after it was sued by transgender student Gavin Grimm for discrimination. Grimm challenged the school board in court for denying him use of the boy’s restroom.

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LGBTQI Connection and Positive Images to Host ‘Recovering with Pride: A Holiday Gathering Dec. 9

Join our community event “Recovering with Pride: A Holiday Gathering” on December 9, 3 – 6 p.m. to learn more about what we are doing to support a strong, healthy community for LGBTQ people and fire victims.

We are hosting a community gathering by LGBTQ youth leaders, in collaboration with Positive Images, at the Fountaingrove Lodge, an LGBTQ retirement home. Fountaingrove Lodge residents were evacuated from the fires for several weeks, and were only able to return home recently. Join us as we welcome them back to their home, build connections across generations, and create a space for people to find healing after the fires.

Originally, our Youth Leadership Team was planning on hosting a winter LGBTQ youth dance where they could have fun and be free (and potentially meet their next partner!). After the North Bay Fires, our youth felt a need to bring the whole community together and create a sense of unity. So, we brainstormed with Positive Images and decided to create a collaborative event for the whole LGBTQ community, especially those affected by the fires. 

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask. RSVPs are appreciated but not required. Email me or RSVP on Facebook: http://bit.ly/2hBAbFS. 

 

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Lesbian Elected to Deep Red Oklahoma State Senate

Deeply red Oklahoma elected a state senator this week who breaks the mold of the typical Sooner State politician. Democrat Allison Ikley-Freeman, a 26-year-old lesbian, bested Republican Brian O’Hara in Tuesday’s special election to win a seat in west Tulsa’s conservative Senate District 37.

Complete but unofficial election results show Ikley-Freeman, who is a therapist at a nonprofit mental health agency, won by 31 votes. Her win is the fourth pickup for state Democrats in special elections this year in Republican-dominated Oklahoma, which has seen years of state budget shortfalls and the scandal-fueled resignations of several Republican incumbents.

Ikley-Freeman, a wife and mother of three, said she was “shocked” upon hearing she had won.

“The odds were not in our favor, and we knew it, but we knew if we could fight hard, we had a chance,” she told NBC News. “It was worth fighting for.”

Ikley-Freeman attributed her victory to “a lot of hard work” and “getting out and knocking on doors.”

“That voter-to-voter contact really made a difference,” she said, adding that she and her campaign team even mailed out handwritten postcards to people in the district.

Once she assumes office, Ikley-Freeman said she plans to focus on the “most vulnerable Oklahomans” who are “struggling every day.” Her campaign website lists public education, mental health, police accountability and chronic homelessness among her priority issues.

Toby Jenkins, executive director of Oklahoman’s for Equality, an LGBTQ advocacy organization based in Tulsa, told NBC News Ikley-Freeman is “the first openly LGBTQ individual elected to an office in Tulsa County.”

“It’s a huge historic step for us,” Jenkins said. “It’s going to be really inspiring to our young people.”

Jenkins called Ikley-Freeman a “no-nonsense person,” a “worker bee” who’s not afraid to “roll up her sleeves” to get the job done.

Related

Anti-Gay Vandalism Suspected Following Shooting of Oklahoma LGBTQ Center

While Ikley-Freeman is set to be the first out lawmaker in Tulsa County, Jenkins noted other parts of the state have elected openly LGBTQ politicians. Kay Floyd, who represents parts of Oklahoma City, was the first out lesbian elected to the Oklahoma Legislature. Floyd’s predecessor, Al McAffrey, a gay man, was the first openly LGBTQ person elected to serve in the state Legislature.

Ikley-Freeman will likely have to wait until Feb. 1 to take office, according to Tulsa World, because the resignation of the incumbent, Dan Newberry, a Republican, does not become effective until Jan. 31.

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First Transgender Day of Remembrance Cenotaph Statue To Be Unveiled in Palm Springs

TDoR 2017 Cenotaph Sculpture by Heath Satow (PRNewsfoto/Transgender Community Coalition)

Nov. 20, the Transgender Community Coalition will host their annual Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) honoring the memory of those whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence in the past year. The event will take place at Palm Springs City Hall, 3200 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., with the vigil commencing at 5 p.m.

“One out of eight transgender people of color face murder in their lifetime, and one out of 12 Caucasian trans people face murder in their lifetime,” says Thomi Clinton, Chief Executive Officer and founder of the Transgender Community Coalition in Palm Springs.

Speakers at this year’s event include: the CEO of the Transgender Community Coalition with Gwendolyn Ann Smith, founder of the TDoR, Ian Harvie, Transgender comedian and actor from the award-winning TV series Transparent, Ryan Sallans, Transgender author and advocate and Ashlee Marie Preston, Transgender producer and activist.

This year, Palm Springs’ Transgender Community Coalition unveils the first Transgender Day of Remembrance Memorial Cenotaph Sculpture. The non-profit organization commissioned the life-size sculpture to honor victims of transgender violence. The statue was inspired after the death of a transgender woman, Yaz’min Sanchez, who was shot and burned behind a garbage bin in Florida. Sanchez’ body left a silhouette where her remains were discovered.

Los Angeles-based metal artist Heath Satow created the breathtaking sculpture, illustrating the life-size figure, made of steel butterflies (symbolizing metamorphosis or transition), lying on their side. The sculpture aims to inspire needed conversations aimed at ending discrimination and violence against transgender people in the United States and across the world.

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Pride Foundation Announces Largest Ever Community Grants

Today, Pride Foundation announced $507,000 in grants to 81 organizations in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington—investing vital resources into local organizations working to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people and their families can live fully and safely in their home communities.

This year’s award amount is the highest Community Grants funding total in Pride Foundation history and comes at a time when LGBTQ communities are facing enormous challenges and opportunities at local, state, and federal levels.

Here are a few highlights of the remarkable grant recipients:

Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic R.E.C. Room (Homer, Alaska): For addressing the needs of LGBTQ youth, adults, and families on the southern Kenai Peninsula, including strengthening their peer-taught sexual health and wellness programs for grades 7-12, both in-house and community-based youth programs.

North Idaho Pride Alliance (Post Falls, Idaho): For creating a resource referral network—especially for LGBTQ youth and seniors in North Idaho—including developing education and training programs for mental health services, health care, and senior services providers.

Salish Kootenai College – Spirit of Many Colors Gay Straight Alliance (Pablo, Montana): For developing and implementing leadership training for LGBTQA and Two Spirit students to support them as they take on more visible roles on the SKC campus and across the Flathead Reservation.

Immigration Counseling Service (Portland and Hood River, Oregon): For the expansion of legal support for LGBTQ immigrants who are vulnerable to deportation and for expanding outreach for immigration law 101 trainings within the LGBTQ community in Oregon and SW Washington.

Blue Mountain Heart to Heart (Walla Walla, Washington): For HIV and Hepatitis C prevention programs, outreach, and testing services stretching across Eastern and South Eastern Washington, and into Oregon.

Queer the Land (Seattle, Washington): For strengthening the organization’s capacity, as it works to develop a LGBTQ people of color-led cooperative network, community center, and transitional housing space.

Read a complete list of grantees here.

“The number of organizations engaged in critical life-saving and life-affirming work is truly inspiring,” said Kris Hermanns, Pride Foundation Chief Executive Officer. “Today, and since 1985, Pride Foundation and its partners are committed to supporting and growing this movement—a grassroots movement based in love, courage, and empowering people to be their full selves.”

In addition to these community grants, Pride Foundation awarded a total of nearly $850,000 to impactful organizations and student leaders in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington in 2017 through our scholarship program, sponsorships, Rapid Response Fund, and Donor Advised Grants.

Since the foundation began in 1985, Pride Foundation has awarded more than $70 million to promote the safety, health, and well-being of LGBTQ individuals and families across the Northwest region—with a focus on those who are most impacted by disparities and inequities.

Founded in 1985, Pride Foundation is a regional community foundation serving Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Its mission is to inspire giving to expand opportunities and advance full equality for LGBTQ people in the Northwest. Learn more at pridefoundation.org

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Electroshock Used to Covert LGBT Folks in China

Taiwan could soon become the first place in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, while Hong Kong this month won its bid to host the Gay Games in 2022, another Asian first.But in mainland China, LGBT people are still being subjected to forced confinement, medication and even electric shock therapy to “convert” them into heterosexuals.

The “treatment” takes place in public, government-run hospitals and in private clinics, according to a report by Human Rights Watch released Wednesday.

The organization interviewed 17 people who were threatened, coerced and sometimes physically forced by their parents to submit to conversion therapy, as adults or as adolescents. Five were subjected to electric shocks while being shown images or videos — or given verbal descriptions — of homosexual acts. One described it as like “having needles stabbing my skin.”

Eleven were forced to take medication orally or given injections, with medical staff ensuring they take the treatment “even when they resisted. Three tried to escape, and almost all were subjected to verbal harassment or insulting language by doctors and psychiatrists, including terms such as “sick,” “pervert,” “disease,” abnormal” and “dirty.”

One said the doctor had described homosexuality as promiscuous and licentious. “If you don’t change that about yourself, you will get sick and die from AIDS,” the doctor reportedly said. ‘You will never have a happy family. … Have you ever considered your parents’ happiness?”

Indeed, Chinese society strongly favors children who can pass on the family name. Gay children often face intense family pressure to enter heterosexual marriages and have children.

“It’s been more than 20 years since China decriminalized homosexuality, but LGBT people are still subjected to forced confinement, medication and even electric shocks to try to change their sexual orientation,” said Graeme Reid, LGBT rights director at Human Rights Watch.

China officially decriminalized homosexuality in 1997,  while the Chinese Psychiatric Society removed “homosexuality” from its Chinese Classification of Mental Disorders in 2001. Human Rights Watch said a 2013 mental health law effectively renders conversion therapy illegal, yet it still continues to take place.

In July, a 38-year-old gay man in central China successfully sued a psychiatric hospital, after alleging that staff members detained, drugged and beat him in an attempt to “cure” him of his homosexuality.

The man, surnamed Yu, won 5,000 yuan ($750) in compensation, with a court in Zhumadian, in Henan province, ordering the hospital to publish an apology in local newspapers.

The same month, a transgender man won a case against his former employer for unfair dismissal, alleging that he was fired for wearing men’s clothing. And in 2014, another gay man successfully sued a psychiatric hospital for administering electroshock treatment.

But gains are hard won in a country where LGBT activists still face suspicion, surveillance and sometimes harassment by the authorities. China also has no laws protecting people from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender, a gap that Human Rights Watch could prevent victims of conversion therapy from seeking justice.

In May, Chinese authorities shut down a popular dating app for lesbians, while the following month, the government included homosexuality in banning “abnormal sexual lifestyles” from online video programs.

In Hong Kong, where civil groups are much stronger, the campaign to win the Gay Games was organized by volunteers rather than the territory’s government. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam reportedly said she does not condone same-sex marriage, citing her Catholic faith.

But the island of Taiwan, in particular, has become a beacon for LGBT rights in the region. There, Tsai Ing-wen, the democratically elected president, welcomed a court ruling in May that a current law banning same-sex marriage is illegal, and she called on her government to begin drafting legislation to legalize it.

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Australians Votes in Favor Same-sex Marriage; Paves Way for Parliment to Make it Legal

A solid majority of Australians voted in favor of same-sex marriage in a historic survey that, while not binding, paves the way for Parliament to legally recognize the unions of gay and lesbian couples.

Of 12.7 million Australians who took part in the survey, 61.6 percent voted yes and 38.4 percent voted no, officials announced on Wednesday morning. Participation was high, with 79.5 percent of voting-age Australians taking part.

“The Australian people have spoken, and they have voted overwhelmingly ‘yes’ for marriage equality,” said Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who had called the national survey as a way to put pressure on conservative lawmakers, many from his own party. “They voted ‘yes’ for fairness, they voted ‘yes’ for commitment, they voted ‘yes’ for love.”

The results were announced as proponents of gay rights gathered at public events in cities around the country to watch the news. The largest crowd, at Prince Alfred Park in Sydney, broke into cheers as the news became clear.

“This is our proudest moment as gay and lesbian Australians,” said Chris Lewis, 60, an artist from Sydney, who waved a large rainbow flag he bought in San Francisco about 30 years ago. “Finally I can be proud of my country.”

Annika Lowry, 42, who brought her four-year-old daughter to the celebration, said the vote “was not just about us — it’s for our kids, so that they know equality is important.”

Alex Greenwich, a state lawmaker from New South Wales and the co-chairman of Australian Marriage Equality, an advocacy group, said the vote “ shows that Australians have truly come together in support of their gay and lesbian mates and have said that everybody should be able to have the freedom to marry.”

In calling for the national survey, Mr. Turnbull sought public backing for a shift in social policy that was opposed by many members of his center-right Liberal Party.

Mr. Turnbull voted yes, and urged other Australians to do so as a matter of fairness, seeking to blunt opposition from far-right members of his party.

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