State

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Darrell Issa’s retirement opens Palm Springs–area House race for queer Democrats

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California U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, the veteran Republican who has represented San Diego–area districts in Congress for more than two decades, announced Friday that he is calling it quits, opening a newly redrawn House seat that now tilts toward Democrats. Issa, 72, said he decided not to seek reelection in California’s reconfigured 48th Congressional District after reflecting on his career in business and politics. “This decision has been on my mind for a while and I didn’t make it lightly,” Issa wrote in a statement posted on X. “But after a quarter-century in Congress — and before that, a quarter-century in business — it’s the right time […]

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New Queer Owned Boutique Hotel Opens in Napa

On Saturday, February 21, The Charles Hotels celebrated the launch of its second location, The Charles Napa Valley, with a daytime grand opening event at the hotel and an evening after-party at the Q Restaurant and Bar downtown. The celebration featured live performances, a public toast, and remarks from partners Charles Gruwell and Ryan MacCarrigan, who spoke about the importance of inclusive, LGBTQ-friendly spaces in today’s political climate. Many other distinguished guests spoke at the opening, including Napa Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Jeri Hansen, who praised the lively atmosphere of the event; Napa Mayor Scott Sedgley, who spoke passionately aboutthe property’s historic character; and District Representative Elizabeth Russell, who presented a certificate […]

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Conservative Supreme Court justices curb California’s effort to shield transgender students from forced outing

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The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday delivered a significant blow to transgenderstudents in California, allowing parents challenging the state’s school gender identity policies to enforce a lower court injunction that restricts student confidentiality while the case moves forward on appeal. Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week. In an 18-page unsigned opinion in Mirabelli v. Bonta, the court vacated a Ninth Circuit order that had blocked a district court ruling against California officials, including Attorney General Rob Bonta. The justices concluded that parents objecting on religious grounds are “likely to succeed on the merits” […]

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New Exhibition at SF GLBT Historical Society Honors the Lesbian Business Owners Who Sustained a Community

On View March 12 | The Museum Opening this month: Directory of Dreams: Bay Area Lesbian Economies and Radical Care, 1970–1995. This new exhibition, curated and co-presented by the Bay Area Lesbian Archives (BALA), traces the everyday efforts of Bay Area lesbians who refused erasure and built community networks rooted in care, solidarity, and economic self-determination. From women-run cafés and bookstores to credit unions and service businesses, these were more than small enterprises — they became networks of mutual aid sustaining entire communities. Grassroots tools made these worlds visible to one another: self-published directories, maps, flyers, menus, and ephemera connecting people to jobs, housing, political spaces, […]

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Trans teen school friends die by suicide just 10 months apart

Two transgender teenagers who were close friends at the same California high school have died by suicide less than a year apart. Summer Devi Mehta, 17, died on 3 February, 10 months after her classmate Ash He, 15. Both attended Palo Alto High School in the Bay Area. Mehta, a junior, left a note expressing hope that her death would raise awareness of the suicide crisis affecting the trans community. In a tribute and fundraising page Summer’s family created for The Trevor Project, they said: “The world was a scary place for her, as a transgender, autistic woman. It should not have been. […]

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CalABLE continues to support financial empowerment for the disability community, reflected in stories from its 2026 ambassadors

CalABLE, a savings and investment program for people with disabilities administered by the California State Treasurer’s Office, recently announced its 2026 Ambassador Class—a group of individuals who represent and advocate for California’s diverse disability community. Serving as extensions of the CalABLE team, ambassadors help promote financial independence, education, and an improved quality of life for people with disabilities across age, disability type, race, gender, and geography. The new class of ambassadors joins the program as it reaches a major milestone: $250 million in total savings, reflecting strong participation and growing confidence among Californians with disabilities and their families. “At a […]

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The surprising way a CA professor & her students are preserving centuries of LGBTQ+ history

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In a world overrun by fake news, Professor Juana María Rodríguez is unflinchingly committed to facts.  Since 2016, the University of California, Berkeley professor has mobilized students to preserve LGBTQ+ stories on one of the world’s most extensive historical records: Wikipedia.  Through a unique course taught in partnership with Wiki Education, Rodríguez and her students produce entries for the site that cover niche LGBTQ+ subjects, many of which have fallen through the cracks due to contributor bias. And as the Trump administration works overtime to erase LGBTQ+ history from the national consciousness, Rodríguez knows that the best defense is putting […]

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McMahon: California Ban On Outing Students Is Illegal

Politico reports: The Trump administration announced Wednesday that a California policy allowing school districts to withhold information from parents about their child’s gender identity violates federal law. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said a federal investigation determined state officials “egregiously abused” their authority by pressuring local districts to keep quiet about transgender students. “Children do not belong to the State—they belong to families,” McMahon said. “We will use every available mechanism to hold California accountable for these practices and restore parental rights.” The findings of the federal probe could put at risk the nearly $8 billion in education funding the state […]

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LGBTQ+ Advocates Condemn Newsom Administration Over $17 Million Health Equity Cut

LGBTQ+ advocates are sharply criticizing Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration following the abrupt elimination of over $17 million in dedicated health equity funding for LGBTQ+ women, transgender men, and non-binary individuals, a move they say threatens access to vital care for some of California’s most underserved communities. Joe Hollendoner, CEO of the Los Angeles LGBT Center, issued a strong statement denouncing the decision, calling it “a betrayal of queer and trans Californians.” He added, “We call on the Governor and the State legislature to reverse this harmful decision by honoring the promise made by the legislature in 2019 and renewing this […]

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Evil Homo: Thiel Donates Millions To Stop California Wealth Tax

The New York Times reports: Some of Silicon Valley’s ultrawealthy have been in a financial frenzy in recent weeks over how to protect their assets from a proposed California ballot measure that would tax their billions. Now comes the next, more muscular phase: trying to beat the proposal, which supporters are trying to place on the ballot in November. The first seven-figure political donation that can be used to defeat the so-called billionaires tax became public on Friday: Peter Thiel, the venture capitalist and chairman of Palantir, donated $3 million to a committee opposing the proposed initiative, according to a new disclosure. […]

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