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Trans Woman Alleges Harassment, Unjust Firing by Walmart

  A transgender woman in New Jersey has filed suit accusing a Walmart store and one of its managers of firing her due to anti-trans bias, after instances of harassment that saw her called “he/she” and “that fucking tranny.” The woman, Samantha Azzarano, began working at a Walmart in Deptford, N.J., in September 2012, ThinkProgress reports. The following January, she told a manager that she is transgender, and later that year she began presenting in her female identity at work, and had the name on her ID badge changed to Samantha, replacing her birth name. According to her suit, filed […]

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New York City to Host WorldPride on 50th Anniversary of Stonewall Riots

  New York City will host WorldPride in 2019, it has been confirmed – 50 years on from the Stonewall riots. The city has been chosen as the latest host of the international LGBT Pride event, which celebrates equality in cities around the world. WorldPride was last held in 2014 in Toronto, and has previously been held in Rome, Jerusalem and London. However, the organisers revealed this week that WorldPride will be heading back to the birthplace of the modern gay rights movement in New York, to mark 50 years since the Stonewall Riots. The Stonewall riots took place in 1969 to […]

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Abstract Sculptures by Bruce Johnson and Riis Burwell Can be Enjoyed at Occidental Center for the Arts

An upcoming gallery exhibit at the Occidental Center for the Arts (OCA) will feature two nationally and internationally known sculptors Bruce Johnson. (www.formandenergy.com) and, Riis Burwell, (www.RiisBurwell.com) . The work of these two sculptors has a synergy derived from their similar response to the energy of the natural world. Johnson works primarily in wood and Burwell works in various metals. The juried paintings that accompany the sculpture exhibit are selected to enhance the abstract forms created by these two sculptors. The harmony between paintings and sculptures makes this show a viewer’s delight. Bruce Johnson has installed his work in such […]

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Manhunt Founder Joins Advisory Board of NCORB, a Coalition Fighting for Rentboy Rights

  Jonathan Crutchley, founding partner and owner of the world’s largest gay brands that includes Manhunt and Jack’d, has joined the advisory board of The National Coalition of Rent Boys & Allies, an organization advocating for the legal rights of male escort workers.  The group formed in response to the Aug. 25 raid on Rentboy.com in New York City by the NYPD and Homeland Security. “It is no business of the government at any level— be it federal, state, or local— to enter the bedrooms of consenting adults and tell them what they may or may not do within that […]

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Salt Lake City Could Get its First Lesbian Mayor

If Jackie Biskupski is successful in her bid to become the next mayor of Salt Lake City, an out lesbian will lead the city at the heart of the Church of Latter-day Saints. Ahead of the non-partisan mayoral election of Nov. 3, Biskupski acknowledged in a phone interview with the Washington Blade the symbolic importance of her bid. “We are in the capital city of the Mormon Church,” Biskupski said. “They were really behind Prop 8 in California. They were one of the bigger advocates for pushing Prop 8 and getting it passed in California. For our community, we’ve been really […]

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Protections for transgender foster youth signed into law

Legislation authored by Sen. Mark Leno that provides new protections for transgender foster youth in California was signed into law Saturday by Gov. Jerry Brown. Senate Bill 731 ensures that all foster youth, including those who identify as transgender, are placed in appropriate homes where they feel safe and accepted. It requires caregivers tasked with placing foster youth in homes to take a young person’s gender identity into consideration when making this critical decision. “Young people have a better opportunity to thrive in situations where they are fully accepted and supported for who they are,” said Sen. Leno, D-San Francisco. […]

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TSA Urged to Reform Screening Procedures for Trans Passengers

Thirty-two members of Congress on Thursday urged the Transportation Security Administration to reform the way it screens transgender passengers. U.S. Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.) and others, including Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), in their letter to TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger urge the agency to “complete a thorough review of its current procedures,” including the use of full-body scanners based on whether officers conclude a passenger is male or female. The lawmakers also call upon TSA to publish “detailed guidelines” on its website about “security screening expectations” to ensure “transgender passengers […]

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Aging Together with Pride Series for LGBT Seniors Begins October 19

Many lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender seniors don’t seek needed social services, benefits and health care because they are reluctant to talk openly about their sexual orientation or gender identity with caregivers and service providers. For much of their lives, LGBT seniors knew they could be put in jail or a mental institution for revealing who they are. Due to prejudice about homosexuality, they have suffered the loss of family, friends, schooling, jobs and housing. To increase LGBT seniors’ comfort in accessing to essential social support services, such as money for food, low-cost housing or in-home support, the Sonoma County […]

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Equality California Forms Statewide Steering Council of Community Leaders Posted on September 23, 2015

Equality California (EQCA), California’s largest statewide LGBT rights organization, has announced the formation of the EQCA Equality Council, a new advisory board that has been formed to better inform and develop strategic organizational policy. The council will support EQCA’s new mission by increasing visibility of the organization, assisting EQCA with outreach and supporting EQCA staff in areas corresponding to each council member’s expertise.“The members of the Equality Council are respected leaders and bring a broad range of skills and talents to Equality California,” said Rick Zbur, executive director of Equality California. “They will help shape and advance our newly-focused mission […]

Update on EQCAI’s Work in the Central Valley

  Ensuring the health and well-being of everyone in the LGBT community is an important part of Equality California’s mission. After all, compared to our non-LGBT counterparts, members of our community are more likely to suffer from depression, substance abuse, and are less likely to have health insurance. But for as many as a quarter-million LGBT Californians, those problems are compounded by immigration status: undocumented immigrants work hard, pay taxes, and yet are unable to access many vital healthcare services. Equality California Institute (EQCAI) is providing free cultural competency training to health clinics in the Central Valley as part of […]

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