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Blaze Bernstein Slaying Suspect Faces Hate Crime Sentencing Enhancement

A 21-year-old Newport Beach man charged with murder in the stabbing death of former high school classmate Blaze Bernstein will also face a hate crime sentencing enhancement, the Orange County district attorney announced Thursday. Orange County District Atty. Tony Rackauckas said prosecutors added the hate crime enhancement based on allegations that Samuel Woodward killed 19-year-old Bernstein because Bernstein was gay. “A hate crime enhancement based on sexual orientation is appropriate due to the evidence developed by looking at Woodward’s cellphone, laptop and social media,” Rackauckas said. “All of this revealed the dark side of Woodward’s thoughts and intentions.” Rackauckas declined […]

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Reflecting on the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot: Why Transgender History Matters Today

Three years prior to the Stonewall Riots of 1969, San Francisco experienced one of the earliest known acts of queer resistance against police oppression. The riot at Compton’s Cafeteria, as the 1972 program for Pride in San Francisco noted, took place “in the streets of the Tenderloin, at Turk and Taylor on a hot August night in 1966.” With no news coverage at the time, the exact date is lost to history. Gaining significant attention after Susan Stryker’s documentary Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton’s Cafeteria (2005)was released, the story has been making its way into the mainstream LGBTQ narrative. […]

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Hate Crimes On The Rise in California

Statewide, reported hate crimes jumped more than 17 percent in California last year compared with 2016, though the incidents remain relatively rare, the state’s attorney general said Monday. Alameda County saw the most reported hate crimes in 2017 of any of the nine counties that make up the Bay Area, according to new information released by the California Department of Justice. Statewide, reported hate crimes jumped more than 17 percent in California last year compared with 2016, though the incidents remain relatively rare, the state’s attorney general said Monday. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and the state’s Department of Justice […]

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The Three Californias

California is one of the largest states in the U.S. It’s also one of the most diverse, with life in many parts of the state varying vastly from the preconception of what it means to be a Californian. From the beaches of San Diego to the farmlands of Fresno to the suburbs of Humboldt, California is not solely defined by its mega cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco. For the LGBTQ+ community, those differences are highlighted in L.A. and the Bay Area as some of the best places to live for queer people. This upcoming November election will be […]

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Trump-loving Wrestler Loses Scholarship for Attacking Protesters: ‘People Were Calling Us Nazis’

A California student claims he’s a victim after losing his athletic scholarship for shouting homophobic slurs at civil rights protesters. Bronson Harmon attended California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo on a wrestling scholarship, which was rescinded after viral videos showed him using anti-LGBT slurs while marching with his father, reported The Tribune. “Saying what I said is definitely not the right thing,” Harmon told newspaper. “I am supposed to be there to help the community be the best person I can be and represent the college the best way I can.” But the incoming student says his rights […]

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Governor Brown Signs Law Recognizing June as Pride Month

California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a law recognizing June as Pride Month in the state. Assembly Bill 2969 officially recognizes June as the month to celebrate LGBTQ culture and community. It was authored by out Assemblymember and chair of the California LGBT caucus Evan Low (D-Silicon Valley). “California has the largest LGBT population of any state in the union, and the state is home to over forty LGBT Pride celebrations each year,” said Assemblymember Low in a press release. “I want to thank Governor Brown for adding Pride to the list of celebrations codified in statute.” The bill was coauthored […]

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Nancy Pelosi clarifies ‘I am LGBTQ’ quote

House minority leader and key opponent to Donald Trump Nancy Pelosi has clarified a quote in which she declared “I am LGBTQ,” leading to speculation about her sexuality. Pelosi is the most senior representative of the Democratic Party in Congress and a crucial figure in opposing Republican policies, including anti-LGBT legislature or attempts to block progress on rights. She gave a recent quote to Rolling Stone magazine in which she said she was “LGBTQ,” which some people took as a declaration about her own orientation. She said “I’m LGBTQ, I support those issues. I’m proud to. But they use that […]

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Creating the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District

Gentrification and economic displacement are not mere abstractions for LGBTQ San Franciscans. We see the tangible effects daily on the places where we live, work and play. The loss of a neighborhood formed around our identities is devastating — not just for individuals but also for the extended families, institutions and events that form our collective, living culture. Recently, members of the GLBT Historical Society participated in a march through the Polk District led by activist Juanita More. We laid black wreaths at former gay businesses in that once-thriving gayborhood. Longtime LGBTQ activist Cleve Jones joined the march to remind us […]

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California Official Faces Backlash After Calling for ‘Straight Pride Month’

The vice mayor of Dixon, California, is facing calls to step down after he proclaimed July as “Straight Pride American Month.” Ted Hickman declared July as a month to celebrate heterosexuals in a bizarre article on his personal blog, which was also published in local paper Independent Voice. His piece prompted recall efforts – a procedure when elected officials can be removed from office following a vote – with the creation of a “Recall Ted Hickman” Facebook page, which currently has more than 700 ‘likes’. Hickman has faced calls to step down in response to his article (QuentenVoyce/Twitter) Hickman wrote in his article: […]

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Before His Death, 10-year-old Anthony Avalos Came Out as Gay, Official Says

Anthony Avalos, the 10-year-old boy who died last week in Lancaster. (Family photo) Anthony Avalos came out as gay in recent weeks, and authorities are now investigating whether homophobia played a role in the death of the 10-year-old Lancaster boy, a county official said. Anthony was found mortally wounded at his home last week with severe head injuries and cigarette burns covering his body. Brandon Nichols, deputy director of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, revealed in an interview Monday that Anthony “said he liked boys” but declined to provide more details, including whom the boy […]

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