State

Toni Atkins The state Senate’s Democratic Caucus announced today that state Sen. Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) will become Senate president pro tem in 2018, becoming the first woman to lead the chamber. State Senate leader Kevin de León said in a statement, “Four years ago, our Caucus elected the first Latino leader in over a century to lead the California State Senate — and, next year, Senator Atkins will become our first ever woman to be elected Senate leader. “Toni is a leader of great experience, achievement and integrity, and I have every confidence that she will lead America’s most accomplished […]

The University of California San Diego will recognize World AIDS Day on Friday, Dec. 1 to draw attention to the impact of HIV/AIDS on the San Diego community, the nation and the globe.  In honor of the international event, which was established in 1988, the campus will sponsor a number of free activities open to the public including a display of three sections of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, the largest ongoing arts project in the world. The entire campus community is encouraged to wear red on Dec. 1 to honor World AIDS Day and remember those who have passed. At 1 p.m., […]

Face yo Face’s clients, staff, and volunteers have been devastated by the fires which swept through our beloved county in early October. Our compassionate team of professionals kept the doors open during the week of the fires, fulfilling our mission through limited services. Even with these recent losses, we have never been more optimistic about the future. We will rebuild. We are #SonomaStrong. At Face to Face our focus is on beating HIV and making the community healthier. We have tremendous hope: rates of new HIV infections in the county are on the decline for three consecutive years. And, with continued […]

TDoR 2017 Cenotaph Sculpture by Heath Satow (PRNewsfoto/Transgender Community Coalition) Nov. 20, the Transgender Community Coalition will host their annual Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) honoring the memory of those whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence in the past year. The event will take place at Palm Springs City Hall, 3200 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., with the vigil commencing at 5 p.m. “One out of eight transgender people of color face murder in their lifetime, and one out of 12 Caucasian trans people face murder in their lifetime,” says Thomi Clinton, […]

Covered California renewal and open enrollment periods have begun. Individuals and families can buy brand-name, private health insurance under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Anyone can buy health insurance through Covered California, but eligibility for aid to help pay for a plan is based on income. Covered California also offers plans for small businesses. Open enrollment to buy new health care insurance runs through January 31, 2018. Residents must sign up by December 15 for coverage starting January 1, 2018. Residents can renew or change a current plan through December 15. Residents who […]

Equality California Institute (EQCAI) officially launched its Safe and Supportive Schools Index by distributing a survey to each of California’s 330 unified school districts. The survey is a collaborative effort led by EQCAI to measure, assess, and make public the efforts of unified school districts to implement laws that protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) students; to develop programs to protect LGBTQ students from bullying and violence; and to serve at-risk LGBTQ students.   In 2015, the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) found that 17% of LGBTQ students in California regularly heard staff at their schools […]

On Thursday, September 29th, the California Department of Education’s Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) voted to approve 10 History-Social Science K-8 textbooks which were inclusive of the LGBT content mandated by the state’s 2016 History-Social Science Framework. Most were approved conditional upon edits provided by the FAIR Education Act Implementation Coalition, a group of LGBT advocacy and educational organizations formed to ensure implementation of the state’s 2012 FAIR Education Act, which requires the inclusion of the political, economic, and social contributions of LGBT people and people with disabilities in California textbooks. The IQC also voted to reject the two textbooks that […]