A Maryland man has been charged with threatening the Human Rights Campaign, referencing the Nashville school shooting, in which the shooter was said to be transgender.
The Department of Justice filed a criminal complaint Monday against Adam Michael Nettina, 34, of West Friendship, Md. He is accused of making the threat by phone to HRC’s Washington, D.C., headquarters the night of March 28. A transcription of his voice mail, contained in the complaint, reads as follows:
“You guys going to shoot up our schools now? Is that how it’s going to be? You just gonna to kill little kids. You’re just going to slaughter fucking little kids. Let me tell you something, we’re waiting, we’re waiting. And if you want a war, we’ll have a war. And we’ll fucking slaughter you back. We’ll cut your throats. We’ll put a bullet in your head. We’re not going to give a fuck. You started this bullshit. You’re going to kill us? We’re going to kill you ten times more in full.”
The March 27 shooting at Covenant Presbyterian School took the lives of three children and three adults. The shooter, who was killed by police, was said to have been a trans man. Right-wing politicians have been using the shooter’s supposed identity to stir up hatred of trans people, although mass shooters are overwhelmingly cisgender men, a majority of them white.
Nettina is charged with making “interstate communications with a threat to injure,” according to a DOJ press release. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to five years in prison.
The complaint was filed in U.S. District Court in Maryland. The FBI’s Baltimore Field Office investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow for the District of Maryland and Deputy Chief Bobbi Bernstein of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting it.
HRC spokesperson Elizabeth Bibi put the threat in context of other attacks on LGBTQ+ Americans. “The LGBTQ+ community is under attack in statehouses across the country and on social media platforms,” she told The Advocate via email. “This violent, hateful rhetoric leads to stigma, and stigma leads to physical violence. As we see radical politicians sow hate and fear with anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, we have seen the physical threats to our community multiply — from armed men at Pride parades, to threats of violence against local drag shows at libraries, to bomb threats at children’s hospitals, to the continued rise in fatal violence against members of our community, especially Black transgender women.
“Late last month, HRC received two threatening voicemails. These threats were referred to law enforcement, who have since confirmed that they have made an arrest. We are grateful to law enforcement for acting so quickly to keep our community safe, and we condemn any and all violent words or deeds. We will continue our work to call out those who spread violence, fear, and disinformation.”
UPCOMING EVENTSall events are free April 4LGBTQ+ & HIV+ Grief Group **at the Spahr Center and on zoomemail Nikki for info and registration:[email protected](see flyer below for more details)7 to 8 pm April 6Topical Thursdays12:30 to 2 pm on zoomWhat To Do with All Our Stuff? See topic writeup belowTo join group, find purple Join Group button below April 11Second Tuesday LGBT+ Senior Group at Mgt. Todd Senior Center1560 Hill Road, Novato in the Hill Community Room behind the main building(see site map & more information below)Topic: What Advice Would You GiveYounger Generations? What Would You Like to Learn from Them?12:30 to 2:30 April 12LGBT+ Senior Monthly Mixer **at San Rafael Joe’s please RSVP to Bill: [email protected]4:30 to 6 pm -from 4th Street entrance April 18Games Day *at Sam’s Place, Novato 1545 S. Novato Blvd.meal at 2 pm, games at 3 pm April 20Senior Breakfast Club *at Sam’s Place, Novato 9:30 am April 25Women’s Coffee *at Sam’s Place, Novato 10 am April 25Fourth TuesdayWest Marin LGBT Senior Town Hallin-person at San Geronimo Valley Community Center 6350 Sir Francis Drake Blvd12:30 to 1 brown bag/1-2:30 discussion April 28Men’s Brown Bag Lunchlast Friday of every monthdownstairs at the Spahr Centersemi-ramp but no automatic door150 Nellen Ave. #100, Corte Maderanoon to 1:30 pm
*Social Committee event, must RSVP, at least 8 participants required;to RSVP or get on their email list, write to them at [email protected]
To join the Spahr Senior Groupon ZoomMondays, 7 to 8 pm, &Thursdays, 12:30 to 2 pm,click the purple button below the Butterfly Heart or here:
New participants are warmly welcomed!If you’re zoom-challenged, let me know and I’ll work with you!
Topical Thursdays12:30 to 2 pm March 30What Can We Do with All Our Stuff?I’m hearing a common thread running through many of our conversations: many of the things that we own are increasingly a burden. How can we sort through our stuff and decide what to let go of and what to keep? What do we base that decision on? After all, cliches are often true: You can’t take it with you.
Living Room Mondays7 to 8 pm We share with each other about how we’re doing and have unstructured conversations focused on listening from our hearts and deepening community.
The Northbay LGBT+ Senior Social Committee has been consistently offering meaningful, fun events for the senior community. Everyone born in any month will be celebrated in that month’s email – including your birthday if you’ll let them know when it rolls around! To sign up for their emails or register for events, click here. You can check out their March calendar by clicking here.
Coronavirus Updates Covid Test Expiration Dates Extended:When the tests were created, a conservative date was assigned because authorities didn’t know how long they would be effective. They are working beyond their original expiration date and have been assigned new ones. You can check on your kits’ expiration date and learn more by clicking here. IF your kit is made by Quickvue, you can search for the updated expiration date here.
The Spahr Center has coronavirus rapid home test kits& masks and they are available for free in the office – 150 Nellen Avenue, Suite 100, Corte Madera 94925; 415/457-2487. The office is open 10 am – 3 pm weekdays. Only vaccinated people may come to the office and masks must be worn inside the building. Any staff person can direct you to the kits. This is a great resource we are pleased to offer, please don’t hesitate to get these kits! In order to keep track of new infections, the County asks that we report self-test resultshere. To see Marin County’s latest pandemic information, click here. The mask recommendations of the Mask Nerd– an aerosol scientist who studies mask effectiveness – are featured in this article and highly informative video. May we all be safe and well!
Community Notices
The Spahr Center’s Food Pantryis open to seniors who need support in meeting their nutritional needs. We want to help! Items such as fresh vegies, fruit & meats, eggs and dairy, prepared meals, pasta, sauces, and canned goods are delivered weekly to people who sign up. Robert, our Pantry Manager, does a terrific job in trying to meet the individual needs and preferences of the people we serve.
Contact The Spahr Center for more information: [email protected] or 415/457-2487Space for your Community Notice here. Email Bill with information at[email protected].
Vivalon Resources for Seniors Whistlestop, now renamed Vivalon, offers many resources for us seniors, now listed in this easy-to-print one-page guide. Access to rides, food, classes, activities, resources, referrals, and more. Membership not required for most classes and services during the pandemic. Some in-person events are being planned. To get Vivalon’s listings, clickhere. They also provide access to resources including rides for older adults. Please note: there is a 3-week registration process for the ride program so register now if you think you may need rides in the future. Click here for their website. The Jackson Cafe has great specials, a roomy dining room, small tables and big round tables for groups. Open 11:30 to 1:45; $8 for members, $10 for guests, with takeout readily available. You can find their daily changing menu and more information here.
Building Community in the Midst of Sheltering-in-PlaceSee old friends and make new ones! Join us!The Spahr Center’s LGBT Senior Discussion Groupscontinue everyMonday, 7 to 8 pm& Thursday, 12:30 to 2 pm on zoom
To Join Group by Video using Computer, Smart Phone or TabletJust click this button at the start time, 6:55 pm Mondays / 12:25 pm Thursdays:Join GroupAlways the same link! Try it, it’s easy!
To Join Group by Phone CallIf you don’t have internet connections or prefer joining by phone,call the following number at the start time,6:55 pm Mondays / 12:25 pm Thursdays:1-669-900-6833The Meeting id is 820 7368 6606#(no participant id required)The password, if requested, is 135296#If you want to be called into the group by phone, notify Bill Blackburn at 415/450-5339
California Department of Aging ResourcesThe CDA has a website that is packed with information and resources relevant to the lives of seniors in our state. From Covid-19 updates to more general care for age-related health issues, access to legal assistance to getting home-delivered meals to help with housing, you may well find answers to your questions by clicking: here.
Adult and Aging Service’s Information and Assistance Line, providing information and referrals to the full range of services available to older adults, adults with disabilities and their family caregivers, has a new phone number and email address: 415/473-INFO (4636) 8:30 am to 4:30 pm weekdays[email protected]
Miwok Hill, Novato! 3/27/23
Questions? Assistance? Suggestions? We have resources and volunteers for:grocery deliveryfood assistanceproviding weekly comfort calls to check in on youplus more!
Bill BlackburnLGBTQ+ Senior Program Manager[email protected]415/450-5339
Funding for this program, at least in part, is made available by the Older Americans Act, administered locally by the Marin Department of Health & Human Services, Aging & Adult Services.
Join the Sonoma County Library for eventsthroughout the month of April, from meditative sound baths to book-making. All events are free and you don’t need a library card to attend; registration is required for select events. See some of our April events below!
Kids & Families Join us for Bilingual Family Concerts with Nathalia! Nathalia’s catchy original songs will have everyone singing, dancing, and learning Spanish. At six library locations: Roseland, Rincon Valley, Sonoma Valley, Rohnert Park-Cotati, Cloverdale, and Northwest. For grades K-6.Celebrate el día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day)at a Mi Libro/My Book Workshop! Make your own book with drawings, collage, and/or photos at eight library locations: Roseland, Rohnert Park-Cotati, Guerneville, Petaluma, Northwest, Rincon Valley, Central Santa Rosa, and Windsor.
For grades K-6. Tweens & Teens Join us for Intro to Chinese Calligraphy! Learn the essential elements, including how to hold the brush, basic strokes, and simple words. At four library locations: Central Santa Rosa, Windsor, Petaluma, and Roseland. For grades 7-12.Create your own mini zine at a Mini Zine Workshop! Paper, pens, pencils, markers, magazines, and stickers will be provided. At five library locations: Petaluma, Central Santa Rosa, Northwest, Roseland, and Sonoma Valley.
For grades 7-12.All Ages Celebrate Earth Day and take a virtual reality ocean expedition with National Geographic Explorer Dr. Erika Woolsey. Join us on Saturday, April 22 at 11:00 am at the Cloverdale Library or 3:00 pm at the Guerneville Library! AdultsLearn how to budget and organize information in our Introduction to Microsoft Excel classes at Central Santa Rosa, Petaluma, and Sonoma Valley. The library also offers a Navigating the Google Cloudclass; available at Roseland, Sonoma Valley, and Windsor.Relax and unwind at a Meditative Sound Bath! Tune in as musician Phoenix Song sings and plays the didgeridoo, esraj, native flute, drums, and hand pans; leave feeling refreshed and renewed. Please bring your own towel or yoga mat. Available at four library locations: Central Santa Rosa, Healdsburg, Rincon Valley, and Sonoma Valley.Looking for more? Explore the full calendar! Explore the CalendarA Reminder from Your Library: Upcoming Holiday Closure All library branches will be closed on Sunday, April 9. We look forward to seeing you when we reopen on Monday, April 10!
Thank you for being a member of the Sonoma County Library community.
Be sure to check out open jobs at Sonoma County Library here. Questions? Please call your local library branch or click here to send us a message.
Eventos de abril
Únase a la Biblioteca del Condado de Sonoma para los eventosen persona y virtuales ofrecidos durante el mes de abril. Presentamos eventos como baños de sonido meditativo hasta talleres de encuadernación de libros. Todos los eventos son gratuitos y no necesita una tarjeta de la biblioteca para asistir; sí es necesario registrarse para algunos eventos. ¡Vea una selección de los eventos de abril a continuación!
Niños y familias ¡Únete a conciertos familiares bilingües con Nathalia! ¡Las canciones originales y memorables de Nathalia harán que todos canten, bailen y tal vez incluso aprendan un poco de español. Nathalia estará en seis bibliotecas, las de: Roseland, Rincon Valley, Sonoma Valley, Rohnert Park-Cotati, Cloverdale y Northwest.
Para los grados de K-6.
¡Celebra el Día de los Niños/el Día de los Libros en el Taller Mi Libro! Harás tu propio libro usando dibujos, collage y / o fotos en ocho bibliotecas, las de: Roseland, Rohnert Park-Cotati, Guerneville, Petaluma, Northwest, Rincon Valley, Central Santa Rosa y Windsor.
Para los grados de K-6. Adolescentes
¡Ven a uno de los talleres de introducción a la caligrafía china! Aprende lo básico, incluyendo los elementos esenciales de la caligrafía china, cómo sostener el pincel, trazos básicos, y palabras simples. Ofrecido en cuatro bibliotecas, las de: Central Santa Rosa, Windsor, Petaluma y Roseland.
Para los grados de 7-12
¡Crea tu propio mini zine en uno de nuestros talleres! Usaremos papel, bolígrafos, lápices, marcadores, revistas y calcomanías para crear nuestros propios mini-zines. Habrá talleres en las bibliotecas de: Petaluma, Central Santa Rosa, Northwest, Roseland y Sonoma Valley.
Bob Lee, a technology executive who founded the mobile payment company Cash App and previously worked at Square, died Tuesday after he was stabbed near downtown San Francisco, according to his family and police.
San Francisco police said officers responded to a report of a stabbing around 2:35 a.m. Tuesday. The officers found Robert Lee, 43, with apparent stab wounds. He was taken to a hospital and died of his injuries, police said.
Police Chief Bill Scott said in a statement Wednesday night that the investigation is in its early stages and he called it a horrific crime.
The incident is under investigation by the police department’s homicide detail, the department said.
Bob Lee had been working as the chief product officer of the cryptocurrency company MobileCoin. He was previously chief technology officer of Square (now known as Block), a financial technology start-up co-founded by the former Twitter chief Jack Dorsey.
Lee went on to create Cash App, a money transfer service.
“Bobby worked harder than anyone and was the smartest person I have ever known. He will be missed by all those that knew him,” his father, Richard Lee, said in a Facebook post, which was accompanied by a news article about the stabbing. “Thank you to those who have reached out in support.”
The father and son had been living in Miami since October after moving from California, Richard Lee said in the post. They had grown especially close after Bob Lee’s mother died in 2019. It wasn’t immediately clear why Lee was back in the Bay Area.
“I’m so saddened and disheartened to lose my brother,” Tim Oliver Lee wrote on Facebook. “He really was the best of us. I was so fortunate to grow up with him, and I feel like I’ve lost part of myself.”
In a statement Wednesday, Joshua Goldbard, the founder and CEO of MobileCoin, said Bob Lee “passed away yesterday” and praised his business acumen. He did not specify Lee’s cause of death.
“Bob was a dynamo, a force of nature. Bob was the genuine article,” Goldbard said. “He was made for the world that is being born right now, he was a child of dreams, and whatever he imagined, no matter how crazy, he made real.”
Goldbard said in a Twitter thread that Lee was “like a brother to me,” and he praised Lee as a “brilliant” visionary with a “kaleidoscopic” mind.
The World Health Organization confirmed to NBC News on Wednesday that Lee offered his “support and expertise” during the pandemic, saying in a statement that “Bob built a large part of the server for the WHO Covid-19 App.”
Lee also was an investor in Elon Musk’s SpaceX venture, as well as other tech firms, such as the social audio app Clubhouse, according to his LinkedIn profile. He used the handle “crazybob” for his LinkedIn and Twitter pages.
Scott, the police chief, offered his condolences Wednesday night to Lee’s family and friends.
“There is no place for this kind of violent crime against anyone in our city,” Scott said in the statement. “I want to assure everyone that our investigators are working tirelessly to make an arrest and bring justice to Mr. Lee and his loved ones, just as we try to do on every homicide that occurs in our city.”
The fatal stabbing could intensify scrutiny of public safety issues in San Francisco, where residents and business owners have grown increasingly concerned about violent crimes and thefts. Mayor London Breed has pledged to crack down on crime.
San Francisco has had 12 homicides since the beginning of the year, according to data compiled by the police department. In the same period last year, it had 10 homicides.
Lee’s family, friends and colleagues paid tribute to him.
Krista Lee called her former husband “the most incredible and beautiful human being” and said that “he was everyone’s best friend.”
They had two children, Damien, 17, and Scout, 14. Damien Lee said his father was a down-to-earth person who always listened.
“He was such a special person in this world. I’m so sad that he left us so early,” Damien Lee said in a statement.
In a statement shared by her mother, Scout Lee said she was “devastated that somebody would be so cruel to take away my father’s life.”
“He was the best man and an even better father, if you ask anyone who knew him they’d always say that he was the best and they would always have some amazing story to share about their experiences with him,” she said.
“I will forever miss my dad and be shattered by his death because he was not only my father but one of my best friends,” she said later in the statement.
The former MMA fighter Jake Shields remembered him as a “loyal friend.” In a response to one of Shields’ tweets, Musk said he was “very sorry” to learn of Lee’s death.
Dorsey, the former CEO of Twitter, called Lee’s death “heartbreaking” on the social media platform Nostr. “Bob was instrumental to Square and Cash App,” Dorsey wrote.
Joshua Bloch, a friend who worked with Lee at Google in the late 2000s, remembered him as a magnetic person who “always had a huge smile on his face” and “constantly lived life to the fullest.”
In a phone interview Wednesday, Bloch recalled that Lee was a tech “autodidact” who could seemingly “do anything he wanted,” adding, “I don’t think he realized how special he was.”
“People always say nice things about the dead,” Bloch said, “but in this case, I would say the exact same things if he were still alive. He was remarkable.”
At a time of record anti-LGBTQ+ legislation at the state level and attacks from other government officials, there’s also some good news: LGBTQ+ people are serving in elected office in record numbers, and they’re helping to counter the hate.
The number of out LGBTQ+ elected officials in the U.S. increased by 68 percent over the past five years, rising from 698 to 1,174, according to a new report from the LGBTQ Victory Institute, the educational and training arm of the LGBTQ Victory Fund. This was helped along by rainbow waves in recent elections.
“In 2018, LGBTQ+ people hit the campaign trail in record-breaking numbers — and with their victories, ensured 2019 saw the highest levels of LGBTQ+ representation in U.S. government at that time,” says the report, “Leading Out Loud.” “The numbers have only risen since this inaugural Rainbow Wave. More out candidates have hit the campaign trail since. And they’ve kept winning, shattering rainbow ceilings across the country.” At least 436 out candidates,almost all Democrats, won their races in the 2022 midterm election.
“Not only are more LGBTQ+ people serving in office than ever before, they are more unified, determined and diverse than ever,” the report notes. They are indeed diverse in many ways.
LGBTQ+ elected officials are more racially diverse than ever. The proportion of LGBTQ+ people of color serving in the U.S. increased from 22 percent in 2019 to 32 percent in 2023, according to Victory Institute. Examples, pictured above, include 2022 winners U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia (far left), who was born in Peru and is the first out gay immigrant in Congress; Connecticut Treasurer Erick Russell (second from left), a gay man who is the first Black LGBTQ+ person to be elected to a statewide office in the U.S.; and Minnesota State Rep. Alicia Kozlowski (third from left), a Two-Spirit person who is of Indigenous and Latinx heritage.
Women from the LGBTQ+ community have made great progress as well. They saw a saw a 60 percent increase in representation, rising in number from 287 to 459 over the period covered by the report. Among those elected in 2022 are U.S. Rep. Becca Balint (pictured, far right), a lesbian who is the first woman to represent Vermont in Congress, and the nation’s first two out lesbian governors, Maura Healey of Massachusetts and Tina Kotek of Oregon.
LGBTQ+ elected officials are more gender-diverse than ever. Representation for nonbinary and gender-nonconforming people increased by 300 percent over the past five years, according to the report. Representation for transgender women increased by 173 percent and for trans men by 80 percent. Examples include Kozlowski, who is nonbinary, and Minnesota House colleague Leigh Finke, a trans woman who was also elected in 2022, making them the first nonbinary and trans people in Minnesota’s legislature. Montana also elected its first trans and nonbinary state representatives in 2022 — Zooey Zephyr and SJ Howell, respectively.
LGBTQ+ elected officials are more diverse in terms of sexual orientation too, with queer, bisexual, and pansexual representation growing more than 200 percent since 2019.
The increase in representation goes across all levels of government. There are 13 out LGBTQ+ members of Congress now, the most ever, and many of them are countering the far right’s attack on the LGBTQ+ community and all things progressive. Garcia, for instance, is making good on his promise to be a thorn in the side of Republican Congresswomen Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert.
State legislatures saw historic increases too. The number of out LGBTQ+ state lawmakers increased by 55 percent, from 147 in 2019 to a record 228 in 2023. They are fighting back against anti-LGBTQ+ moves as well. Minnesota’s Finke, for example, is behind legislation to make the state a sanctuary for trans youth seeking gender-affirming care that they can’t get in their home states. Among states banning such care is neighboring South Dakota, but its first out gay male legislator, Kameron Nelson, spoke out against it, calling it “reprehensible.”
LGBTQ+ representation in local government saw the greatest increase since 2019. It increased by 83 percent, from 394 to 721.
“The momentum of the LGBTQ+ community’s political power has not gone untested,” the report notes “Bigoted legislators, who detest growing LGBTQ+ acceptance and representation, are unleashing an agenda of hate that would push our community backwards. These attacks, however, have lit a fire under the LGBTQ+ community, inspiring more LGBTQ+ people to run.
“These record-breaking numbers signify progress is still very much possible, and LGBTQ+ Victory Institute remains committed to supporting LGBTQ+ leaders called to public service. Because we will not — cannot — stop until we achieve equitable representation. Our rights depend on it.”
Republican New York Congressman George Santos has introduced a bill that would ban U.S. foreign aid to countries that criminalize LGBTQ people and women.
“Discrimination against both women and the LGBTQ community is unacceptable,” said Santos in a March 24 press release that announced the introduction of Equality and Fiscal Accountability Protection Act of 2023. “My bill will send a clear message that the United States will not offer federal aid to countries found to be violating the rights of individuals based on sexual orientation. We as a nation have a responsibility to stand up for the human rights of all people, regardless of race, religion, or sexual orientation.”
The press release notes the bill would require the State Department “to assess a country’s human rights record before providing federal aid.”
“Countries found to be violating these rights would be ineligible to receive aid until they take steps to address the issues,” reads the press release. “If passed, the bill would make a significant step forward in the fight for LGBTQ and women’s rights and would send a strong message to countries that discrimination or criminalization will not be tolerated.”
Congress’ website currently notes “text has not been received for H.R. (House Resolution) 1736.”
Santos introduced the bill two days after the State Department released its annual human rights report that, among other things, details the prevalence of so-called conversion therapy and the treatment of intersex people around the world. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield on the same day hosted a meeting at the United Nations that focused on the integration of LGBTQ and intersex rights into the U.N. Security Council’s work.
The Biden-Harris administration in 2021 released a memorandum that committed the U.S. to promoting LGBTQ and intersex rights abroad. U.S. Reps. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) and Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) and U.S. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) last week introduced a bill that would require the country to promote LGBTQ and intersex rights abroad through its public policy.
The House Ethics Committee last month opened an investigation into Santos, who is openly gay, over allegations of financial and sexual misconduct. The embattled New York Republican has admitted to lying about his professional and educational background.
A school district in Nebraska is facing a lawsuit after a high school shut down its newspaper because students produced an LGBTQ+ edition.
The lawsuit states that Grand Island Northwest Public Schools and its superintendent violated the First Amendment rights of students by axing the Viking Saga in May 2022.
The newspaper had been running for 54 years.
As reported by the Associated Press, legal action has been brought by the Nebraska High School Press Association, and former Grand Island Northwest High School journalist Marcus Pennell.
The student newspaper staff were made aware that the publication was being pulled three days after they published the June edition of the Viking Saga, which was a special LGBTQ+ print for Pride Month.
The June newspaper included an article titled ‘Pride and prejudice: LGBTQIA+’ which examined the history of Pride Month, and included a piece about Florida’s oppressive ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill.
On 22 May 2022, an email from a school employee said the print edition had been axed because “the school board and superintendent are unhappy with the last issue’s editorial content”.
However, in November, the teacher in charge of running the school’s journalism offering confirmed the paper would return in the spring but under the helm of another teacher, and in digital form only.
‘I was crushed’
Despite this move to somewhat revive the publication, legal action is still being pursued over the decision to cancel the Viking Saga in the first place.
When the return of the paper was announced, the Associated Press reported that an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union said “attempts to quash student journalism and student opinions violate students’ rights to freedom of speech and equal protection”.
Marcus Pennell said: “It is hard to find words for what it felt like watching people who were supposed to be supporting our education instead silence us for covering issues impacting our lives.
“I was crushed.”
Pennell, who is trans, alleges in the lawsuit that he and other staff could not use their chosen name or preferred pronouns in their bylines.
Speaking with Local4Pennell said: “I just don’t want other students to have to go through what I did.
“I’m sure after all this happened all the LGBT students at Northwest don’t feel safe writing about their lives or the issues that matter to them, so anything I can do to kinda increase their inclination to share their stories.”
The lawsuit is seeking a declaration that the school district broke the law, alongside unspecified damages.
Statement from Kasey Suffredini (he/him), Vice President of Advocacy and Government Affairs for The Trevor Project:
“These latest report findings punctuate much of what we already know about the dangerous and discredited practice of so-called conversion ‘therapy’: it doesn’t work, it is associated with poor mental health outcomes and increased suicide risk, and tragically — it’s still happening.
“Our research has found that 17% of LGBTQ youth in the U.S. reported being threatened with or subjected to conversion therapy — including more than 1 in 5 transgender and nonbinary youth. In addition to being dangerous and detrimental for the young people who undergo it, the harms associated with conversion therapy — such as substance abuse and suicide attempts — cost the U.S. billions of dollars each year.
“As we continue to defend LGBTQ young people, especially trans young people, against a record number of political attacks at the state level, we are grateful to the federal government for sending a powerful message to every LGBTQ young person that they should be proud of who they are and deserve access to affirming environments and care. We are committed to building upon this momentum to protect LGBTQ young people from conversion therapy in every state, and create a safe, accepting world for the transgender community.”
Statement from Mathew Shurka (he/him), Co-Founder of Born Perfect:
“This landmark report is based on a comprehensive survey of existing research, including many new studies and data that have been generated in the eight years since HHS first issued a report on this topic. As the report confirms, conversion therapy causes lasting harm to LGBTQ young people, including by separating them from their families and, for many youths, putting them at risk of depression and suicidality.
“Both as a survivor who was subjected to conversion therapy for five years as a minor and as an advocate on this issue, I am grateful to HHS for compiling this important report and for providing this critical information to families, providers, and policymakers. It is past time for these deadly practices to end.”
Key Takeaways from the Report:
No available research supports the claim that sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) change efforts are beneficial to children, adolescents, or families.
Available research indicates that SOGI change efforts are not effective in altering sexual orientation. Further, no available research indicates that change efforts are effective in altering gender identity.
Available research indicates that SOGI change efforts can cause significant harm.
SOGI change efforts are inappropriate, ineffective, and harmful practices that should not be provided to children and adolescents.
The report also includes recommendations about how families, policymakers, and healthcare providers can support LGBTQ youth, including by ensuring that transgender youth can receive the medically necessary care they need.
Research from The Trevor Project cited in the report:
A 2020 peer-reviewed study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that youth who reported undergoing conversion therapy were more than twice as likely to report having attempted suicide and more than 2.5 times as likely to report multiple suicide attempts in the past year.
A 2020 peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that transgender and nonbinary youth were 2 to 2.5 times as likely to experience depressive symptoms, seriously consider suicide, and attempt suicide compared to their cisgender LGBQ peers.
A 2020 peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, found that transgender and nonbinary youth who report experiencing discrimination based on their gender identity had more than double the odds of attempting suicide in the past year compared to those who did not experience discrimination based on their gender identity.
A 2021 peer-reviewed study published in LGBTQ Health found that LGBTQ youth who reported high levels of sexual orientation acceptance from any adult had nearly 40% lower odds of a past-year suicide attempt compared with LGBTQ peers with little to no acceptance.
A 2021 peer-reviewed study published in Transgender Health found that transgender and nonbinary youth who reported gender identity acceptance from adults and peers had significantly lower odds of attempting suicide in the past year.
A 2021 peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that gender-affirming hormone therapy is significantly related to lower rates of depression, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts among transgender and nonbinary youth.
A 2022 peer-reviewed study published in JAMA Pediatrics found the practice of conversion therapy on LGBTQ youth, and its associated harms – such as substance abuse and negative mental health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, and suicide attempts – cost the U.S. an estimated $9.23 billion, annually.
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Born Perfect is a survivor-led campaign created by the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) in 2014 to end conversion therapy by passing laws across the country that protect LGBT children and young people, fighting in courtrooms to ensure their safety, and raising awareness about the serious harms caused by these dangerous practices. http://bornperfect.org/
If you or someone you know needs help or support, The Trevor Project‘s trained crisis counselors are available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386, via chat at TheTrevorProject.org/Get-Help, or by texting START to 678678.
Stefan Grygelko, better known as his drag persona Heklina, has died, his longtime friend Joshua Grannell (Peaches Christ) wrote on Facebook April 3.
The two were in London where they were appearing in the “Mommie Queerest” show there, Grannell wrote, adding that he had gone to pick up Heklina that day.
“I do not know the cause of death yet,” Grannell wrote. “I know this is shocking news and I am beyond stunned, but I wanted to let folks know what has happened. Heklina is not just my best friend, but a beloved icon of our community.”
The news shocked and saddened his friends back in San Francisco, with fellow drag queen Sister Roma writing on their Twitter account that she was “absolutely devastated” to learn of the passing of his friend and collaborator for two-plus decades.
“She is one of the funniest people I’ve ever known. This is a nightmare,” wrote Roma, a member of the drag philanthropy group the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, in a tweet.
Oasis, the LGBTQ nightclub in which Heklina was once a part-owner, expressed its sadness and said it would open at 4 p.m. Monday.
“We are shocked and devastated to learn of the passing of Heklina today,” the club wrote. “Oasis will be open at 4 p.m. for drinks, stories, and community, if you’d like to come by. Sending love to all.”
Gay former state assemblymember Tom Ammiano told the B.A.R. he will miss the drag artist.
“A true professional [and] with drag under attack her passing is especially wounding,” wrote Ammiano, who also served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and school board. “As an aside, she bartended at events for folks with special needs at the Oasis [and] as a former special education teacher, I loved her for that.”
As Heklina, Grygelko was known for founding the old Trannyshack drag show in 1996 at the old Stud bar. (The name of the show was later changed to “Mother.”)
At the start of each Trannyshack, San Francisco’s outlandish, no-holds-barred Tuesday night drag show, a snippet of the old “Muppet Show” theme music warned “it’s a kind of torture, to have to watch the show,” as the Bay Area Reporter reported in 2008.
The joke belied the fact that the performances were more than just boys in dresses lip-synching to pop ballads or camp classics. The weekly shenanigans often masked what in reality was a uniquely queer riff on the political, social, racial, and gender controversies of the day.
Heklina invited not just drag queens — many of whom went on to become stars in their own right — but also female performers, known as faux queens, and drag kings to share her stage. By doing so, Heklina threw out the rulebook on what it meant to be a drag performer.
Adriana Roberts, a trans woman and an early Trannyshack performer, penned a tribute on Facebook.
“She was a Master Class in successful Nightlife Production: wrangling order from chaos, managing a stage, managing a crowd, putting down hecklers, assembling trusted crews, booking budding queens, promoting events, following one’s heart — but also always being aware of what actually sells,” Roberts wrote. “And she did it all with snark, wit, and balance for over 25 years.”
Roberts, a former production designer at the B.A.R., wrote, “Coming from a punk rock ethos, she created a space that welcomed performers from across the gender spectrum, at a time when drag was VERY codified into TIRED (her words) tropes of men in sequined gowns doing diva lip-syncs. None of us realized it at the time, but she helped revolutionize the concept of what drag could be, breaking its mold years before the rest of the world caught on.”
As the B.A.R. noted in a March 2022 article, since the early 1990s, Heklina had been a mainstay in Bay Area queer nightlife. From the first irreverent drag nights at The Stud, to Trannyshack’s expansion at DNA Lounge that included annual contests, Heklina has often hosted the most prominent drag and nightlife events which included her own numbers.
In 2015, along with D’Arcy Drollinger and other investors, Heklina opened Oasis in South of Market; the same building that once housed the original Oasis. The new nightclub has become popular for not only drag shows and DJed dance nights, but comic plays and musicals, cabaret concerts and community fundraisers. Heklina later sold her share of Oasis ownership and moved to Palm Springs, while still keeping a foothold in the Bay Area’s nightlife scene.
And, of course, Heklina was known for her deadpan line delivery as Dorothy (Bea Arthur’s character) in stage productions of episodes of the classic sitcom “The Golden Girls.” The long-running show became an annual holiday tradition in San Francisco.
State Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) issued the following statement Monday afternoon:
“I am absolutely devastated. Heklina was an icon in the truest sense — funny, caring, outrageous, and brave. I first saw Heklina perform when I was a young gay man in the 1990s, new to San Francisco. Over the years, I got to know her and helped her find a space for Oasis. I’ve rarely worked with someone as fierce, creative, and dedicated.
“Heklina created events and community spaces that spun glitter and giant wigs and raucous jokes into a feeling of home. She was fiercely outspoken and always stood up for her friends and community. She was the soul of San Francisco, and it’s hard to imagine the city without her.
“Heklina was also a staunch defender of drag — which is under extreme attack right now — and created opportunities for young drag queens to find their space. While we grieve, we must honor her memory by remembering the joy she brought us and the importance of the art form to which she dedicated her life.”
Nguyen Pham, Board President of San Francisco Pride said in an emailed statement:
“Personally, I’ve been honored and grateful to have engaged with Heklina directly, as well as attended her spectacularly memorable productions, numerous times over the years. I know that her unique brand of radically inclusive drag art has evoked so much pure joy from countless community members and allies for many generations. She was unstoppable and a master without parallel.”
A federal judge has ordered government officials in Llano County, Texas to return books with LGBTQ+ and anti-racist themes to the county’s public libraries after conservative officials removed them.
Seven Llano County citizens sued county officials when local officials removed 12 titles from county libraries. The books included Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen by Jazz Jennings, In the Night Kitchen by gay children’s book author Maurice Sendak, It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health by Robie H. Harris, and They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group by Susan Campbell Bartoletti.
Additionally, the lawsuit alleged that county officials suspended access to e-books in order to block other titles, dissolved the county’s existing library board, and replaced the board with an “advisory board” containing appointed members who favor book bans. Officials also closed the advisory board’s meetings to the public and staff librarians, CNN reported. The officials’ actions violated county residents’ constitutional rights to free speech and due process, the lawsuit said.
The county had removed the books after community groups complained that they contained “pornographic filth” that promoted “acceptance of LGBTQ views.” Bonnie Wallace, one of the newly appointed advisory board members, even suggested allying with local pastors to “organize a weekly prayer vigil on this specific issue…. May God protect our children from this FILTH.”
The lawsuit stated, “Public libraries are not places of government indoctrination. They are not places where the people in power can dictate what their citizens are permitted to read about and learn. When government actors target public library books because they disagree with and intend to suppress the ideas contained within them, it jeopardizes the freedoms of everyone.”
The lawsuit identified Llano County Judge Ron Cunningham, the county’s commissioners, the library system director, and four library board members as defendants. The defendants said that the books were eliminated as part of the county’s regular “weeding” process.
Last Saturday, federal Judge Robert Pittman ordered the defendants to return the books to the shelves within 24 hours and to update the county libraries’ online cataloging system to show that the books are publicly available. The county is also barred from removing any additional books while the legal case remains open.
In his decision, Pitman said there was no evidence that the removed books were even part of the county’s “weeding” process before the county received complaints about them. Pitman also notes that the 12 books removed contain themes and content that are also contained in numerous books that have nonetheless remained available within the county’s three library branches for years.
“Although libraries are afforded great discretion for their selection and acquisition decisions, the First Amendment prohibits the removal of books from libraries based on either viewpoint or content discrimination,” Pitman said in his decision.
Ellen Leonida, an attorney representing the plaintiffs, said, “The government cannot tell citizens what they can or can’t read. Our nation was founded on the free exchange of ideas, and banning books you disagree with is a direct attack on our most basic liberties.” She called Pitman’s ruling a “ringing victory for democracy.”