News

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Wake Up Sonoma Hosts Fundraiser August 13

Our Vision: To foster a vibrant, just, respectful and welcoming Sonoma Valley community. OUR MISSION IS TO:EDUCATE – by providing resources to Sonoma Valley residents to be informed and engaged.ADVOCATE – for local diversity, equity, inclusion, civic and corporate transparency.ACTIVATE – by promoting democracy and providing opportunities for local engagement. We Educate. Advocate. Activate. on issues related, but not limited to:– LGBTQIA+ safety and visibility– Protection of our immigrant population– Defense against Christian Nationalism– Transparency in large corporate investment and responsible development– Active local civic engagement

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Gay Jewish lawmaker running to replace Nancy Pelosi chased from San Francisco Trans March

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California state Sen. Scott Wiener says he was harassed, threatened, and physically intimidated at San Francisco’s Trans March on Friday, forcing the out gay Jewish lawmaker to leave one of the country’s most important transgenderPride gatherings in a city that has long imagined itself as a refuge. Wiener, a Democrat who represents San Francisco and is running for the congressional seat long held by retiring House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, said in a statement posted to Instagram that two incidents this week showed how easily political anger can curdle into something more menacing. Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a […]

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Police on the hunt for ‘The Doodler’ suspect who killed six gay men in 1970s

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San Francisco police have renewed their appeal to identify “The Doodler,” a serial killer who targeted gay men more than 50 years ago, offering a $250,000 reward for information. Investigators believe the killer murdered six gay men between January 1974 and June 1975. Police say the victims were all targeted because they were gay, and that each met the suspect shortly before being killed in isolated coastal locations. Four bodies were found around Ocean Beach, with another in Golden Gate Park. The victims were 49-year-old Gerald Cavanaugh, 27-year-old drag and comedy performer Joseph “Jae” Stevens, 31-year-old Klaus Achim Christmann, 52-year-old lawyer Warren Andrews, 32-year-old […]

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1776-1980: The Moments That Defined Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Rights in America

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Since the U.S. was founded in 1776, visibility of the lesbian, bisexual and gay communities has increased. Though progress has not been linear, this timeline of key events explores how rights related to politics, healthcare, military service and marriage have developed over time and brought us to where we are today. 1776 Before the United States is founded, people who live in the colonies are often subjected to laws that make sodomy, or gay sex, a capital offense. 1786 Pennsylvania is the first state to pass “An Act Amending the Penal Laws,” which states that those convicted of “robbery, burglary, […]

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Best and worst countries to be LGBTQ+ in Europe in 2026 revealed

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Malta is no longer Europe’s LGBTQ+ rights hot spot, after Spain has won the title in ILGA-Europe’s Rainbow Map for 2026. In ILGA-Europe’s 18th annual Rainbow Map, 49 countries in Europe were ranked on laws and policies which affect the LGBTI community. Spain’s move to the top spot comes after the country introduced new legal protections, a new independent equal treatment and non-discrimination authority, and a fully functioning depathologisation of trans identities in healthcare, among other achievements. Sadly, positive moves with legal policies do not mirror the lived experience of those in the LGBTI community. In Spain, assaults on LGBTI people have risen from […]

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Gilbert Baker’s original Pride flag takes a trip to Ireland

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In 1978, artist and activist Gilbert Baker designed the original rainbow flag — which remains the basis for all modern variations of the famous Pride symbol. The first flag, hand-stitched and dyed by Gilbert and a handful of friends and volunteers, was unveiled at San Francisco’s Gay Freedom Day Parade that same year. Baker’s rainbow flag is now making a historic journey across the Atlantic Ocean, where it will be on loan to the city of Cork, Ireland, for four months. Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five […]

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“Crying in my arms”: People are moved to tears as these dads come to Pride to play catch

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Over seven years and thousands of tossed balls, “Play Catch With a Dad” has become a ubiquitous part of Pride celebrations everywhere. John Piermatteo started the sessions in 2019 in his hometown of York, Pennsylvania, at their Unity Fest, inspired in part by “Free Mom Hugs.” Now Piermatteo is joined by scores of dads — most of them straight like him — at as many Pride events across the country. The latest are Pride Nights at MLB games. After a Pride Night at Wrigley Field in Chicago last year, the group was invited to play catch at ten Major League games […]

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Most Americans still prefer candidates who support LGBTQ+ rights

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After years of Republican attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, especially transgenderrights, a new poll finds that most likely voters still prefer candidates who support LGBTQ+ people over those who oppose them. The survey from Data for Progress, released Friday and shared exclusively with The Advocate, found that 51 percent of likely voters said they were most likely to vote for a candidate who vocally supports LGBTQ+ rights. Thirty-two percent said they would prefer a candidate who vocally opposes LGBTQ+ rights, and 16 percent said they did not know. Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days […]

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Call to action: Protect People. Protect Safe Housing. Protect the Equal Access Rule.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) wants to repeal the HUD Equal Access Rule protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination in seeking housing and housing resources. Submit a public comment by June 29, 2026. The Proposal The Equal Access Rule has protected LGBTQ people from discrimination in seeking housing resources for more than a decade. The first Trump administration tried to amend the rule in 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, to exclude protections for transgender people. The proposal was withdrawn in 2021 by the Biden administration. The current proposal would again require all HUD/CPD (Community Planning and Development) programs to […]

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Julia Roberts delivers beautiful tribute to queer mom killed by ICE agent

LGBTQ+ ally, actress Julia Roberts, delivered a beautiful tribute to Renee Nicole Good — the 37-year-old queer mother of three in Minneapolis, Minnesota, whose killing by a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer last January began a national outcry against the current president’s anti-immigrant regime — while talking at Rise Up, Sing Out: A Concert for the First Amendment. The event, held at The Town Hall in New York City, was an occasion “for people around the country to stand up to authoritarian shifts threatening our democracy today,” according to Broadway World.  Roberts spoke alongside other allies like Jane Fonda, Bette Midler, and Joy Reid […]

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