Top Stories
Coalition of Wikipedia writers fights to preserve queer history amid global anti-LGBTQ+ backlash
Last weekend, over 150 people gathered in Montreal, Canada, for the first-ever in-person Queering Wiki international conference. Hosted by Wikimedia LGBT+ and Wikimedia Canada (Wikimedia is Wikipedia’s parent company), the gathering brought together contributors, editors, activists, academics, and librarians from at least 30 countries under the theme “Knowledge Without Borders: Queer History and Queer Futures.” The goal: “Strengthen how the world’s largest free knowledge platform documents LGBTQ+ people, history, and culture,” a press release explained. The decision to hold the gathering was fueled by the global rise in anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and increased criminalization of LGBTQ+ people, which is no doubt […]
Who has the most to lose if Trump pushes teachers back into the closet? Your child.
For the first time in nearly 10 years, Alice* didn’t spend her fall welcoming a new class of students. After leaving her role as a high school English teacher last spring, she spent back-to-school season tending to her newly launched small business in the southwestern Ohio town where she lives with her wife. She left, in large part, because of her sexuality. Alice spent most of the last decade teaching at a public school in her area after leaving her previous role at a Catholic school when another teacher was fired for being gay in a targeted campaign by a student’s parent. When […]
Trans journalists are more critical than ever. But their work comes with big risks.
Trans people have become a major focus of political discussion in recent years, and as candidates across the political spectrum run anti-trans ads, the work of trans journalists is crucial. But several trans journalists spoke out recently about the danger inherent in their work in interviews with H Conley for the Columbia Journalism Review. “I do not know a transgender journalist who hasn’t faced harassment, abuse, or violent threats, and my experience is no exception,” said Erin Reed, independent journalist and founder of Erin in the Morning. “I’ve been the target of multiple swatting attempts and regularly receive threatening messages across my platforms. […]
Local News
Help Keep Sonoma County Farmworkers Warm During this Cold Season
The Peace & Justice Center is collecting warm clothing and work essentials for immigrant laborers and farmworkers through Indivisible Sonoma County’s BOOST program. Drop off donations Monday–Friday, 1–4 p.m. Indivisible Sonoma County’s new BOOST program provides practical support for people in our community affected by harmful federal policies. Each quarter, BOOST will focus on a different community need. For October and November, BOOST is collecting warm clothing and work essentials for immigrant laborers and farmworkers. In December, the program will support the Volunteer Center’s Secret Santa program. Items needed For men For women Clean, gently used jackets and sweatshirts are […]
Arts & Entertainment
Historians straightwashed a 1600s poet. A new book captures the true legacy of “the Welsh Sappho.”
When the Welsh government in 2021 embarked on what Deputy Minister of Social Partnership Hannah Blythyn described as a project to make Wales “the most LGBTQ+ friendly nation in Europe,” Welsh scholar Norena Shopland was commissioned to help train librarians, museum staff, and archivists on the inclusion of LGBTQ+ history. In 2022, Shopland served as founding researcher in an inspiring and beautifully done countrywide effort to write a local LGBTQ+ open-access online history for each of the twenty-two counties of Wales, providing, she wrote, “a means by which local people, allies and events can be celebrated instead of replicating mainstream narratives and […]
Halloween Eve with Thugz at Occidental Center for the Arts on October 30
Friday October 30 @ 7 pm: Halloween Eve with Thugz at Occidental Center for the Arts! Join us on Halloween Eve for a fun night with the THUZ (Tribal Hippie Underground Zone)! Enjoy your favorite Grateful Dead and classic Americana tunes as we dance the night away. Cash prize for best costume. Doors open at 6:30 PM. Tickets $20/$15 for OCA Members at www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org; or at the door. Beer, wine, fine refreshments. Art Gallery open. Wheelchair accessible. Parking available. 3850 Doris Murphy Ct. Occidental, CA. 95465. OCA is a non-profit arts organization with volunteer staffing for events.
State News
Scott Wiener elected San Francisco’s first out gay member of Congress as Pelosi-backed rival concedes
California state Sen. Scott Wiener is poised to become the first out gay person to represent San Francisco in Congress after his Democratic rival, city Supervisor Connie Chan, conceded Wednesday evening in the race to succeed former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Wiener led Chan 55.46 percent to 44.54 percent in Wednesday’s returns for California’s 11th Congressional District, according to Decision Desk HQ. Chan said she expected the margin to narrow as more ballots were counted, but her campaign’s review of the outstanding vote persuaded her to concede. Major news outlets had not yet called the race when she did. Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ […]
Who Can Vote in California
You must register before you can vote in California. You are eligible to vote in California if you meet all of the following requirements: You cannot register to vote in California if: Voter Registration Requirements To register to vote: If you don’t provide any of these numbers or the state can’t match the number you provide to official records, you will have to show an accepted form of ID the first time you vote. You can use any unexpired photo ID or a non-photo document with your name and address. Common examples include: Same Day Registration California allows voter registration […]
