Top Stories
Oregon promises safe homes for LGBTQ+ foster kids, but just dropped a requirement to support their identities
Oregon will no longer require prospective foster and adoptive parents to agree in advance to affirm a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The change follows a settlement between the Oregon Department of Human Services and Jessica Bates, who was represented by the conservative legal group Alliance Defending Freedom. The state has removed the affirmation requirement from its rules, though officials say they can still consider a child’s individual needs when deciding where to place them. Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week. Bates, a widowed mother of five, […]
TikTok Settles Alabama’s Child Harm Suit For $100M
Reuters reports: Alabama said on Friday it had reached a settlement with TikTok and its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, that requires the social media platform to impose new usage limits and enhanced age-verification measures for users in the state, resolving claims that the platform endangered children and misled consumers about its safety. The agreement, which came days before a scheduled trial, calls for TikTok to implement changes for teenagers in Alabama including a two-hour daily time limit, pauses after 15 minutes of use and stricter age checks. TikTok will pay Alabama at least $100 million under the settlement, but the state’s […]
WH Finalizes Repeal Of LGBTQ Student Protections
Bloomberg Law reports: The Trump administration Monday rolled back a Biden-era rule that expanded Title IX’s protections against sex discrimination and harassment to include sexual orientation and gender identity. The changes reinstate the first Trump administration’s 2020 Title IX rule. According to the final rule issued Monday, the Education Department anti-discrimination policy will only recognize sex as being born male or female. The move reverses protections the department had extended to LGBTQ students and employees in federally funded schools, which the Biden administration was the first to implement. “Thanks to today’s action, the published Title IX regulations faithfully reflect court orders […]
Local News
LGBTQI+ LEGACY Sonoma County is Looking for a Volunteer Social Media Coordinator
LGBTQI+ LEGACY Sonoma County works to preserve, collect, and archive historical materialsfrom the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex communities of SonomaCounty. We believe it is vital to record the story of how Sonoma County became a vibrant,desirable place where LGBTQI+ people lived, worked, and built a community.We are looking for a volunteer Social Media Coordinator to manage and grow our onlinepresence, helping us better connect with our community and the general public.Key Responsibilities p
Tickets Now Available for Positive Images Big Fundraiser Queer Magic GAYLA 2026
You are invited to Positive Images’ 2026 QUEER MAGIC GAYla: Meet Me at the Disco! Join us for a night full of dancing, laughs, celebration, and unforgettable memories to support Sonoma County’s LGBTQIA2S+ Community Center. We’ll be joined by PRXZM for a live performance, a silent auction, and so much more! This is the dance party of the year you will not want to miss! Event Details Saturday, November 14, 2026 5:00-9:00 PM Sally Tomatoes (1100 Valley House Dr, Rohnert Park) Please note, this event is 21 and over. ID’s will be checked at the door. Tickets are now on […]
Arts & Entertainment
“Slave Play” Opens September 25 at The Left Edge Theatre
What happens when the past refuses to stay in the past?At the MacGregor Plantation, the old South lives on, in the cotton fields, in the master’s house, and in the complicated relationship between fear, desire, race, gender, and power. In SLAVE PLAY, acclaimed playwright Jeremy O. Harris rips open the history we think we know and brings it into conversation with 21st-century America. Provocative, explosive, and unflinching, this daring play challenges audiences to confront the ways race, gender, sexuality, and power continue to shape our lives. SLAVE PLAY has been recognized with the Rosa Parks Playwriting Award, Lorraine Hansberry Playwriting Award, Lotos […]
Friday, September 25 @7 pm/Sunday Sept. 27 @ 3 pm : Acorn MusEcology Project: ‘The Earth Says’ at Occidental Center for the Arts
Friday, September 25 @7 pm/Sunday Sept. 27 @ 3 pm : Acorn MusEcology Project: ‘The Earth Says’ at Occidental Center for the Arts. Directed by Sarah Dupre, Acorn MusEcology Project is proud to present the Northern California premiere of Alex Berko’s Sacred Place, an immersive exploration of ecological spirituality set to the words of Wendell Berry, John Muir, William Stafford, and Rabindranath Tagore. Acorn’s 27-voice ensemble will be joined by violin, cello, and piano to offer up this song cycle of reverential texts within a richly-layered soundscape. Additional original music by co-directors Sarah Dupre and Robin Eschner includes a new setting of poetry by […]
State News
California Gov Candidate Vows English-Only In Schools
Mediaite reports: Steve Hilton, who’s running as a Republican for California’s next governor, said he’ll mandate English-only in the state’s schools if elected in November. On Sunday’s The Big Weekend Show on Fox, host Tomi Lahren mentioned the “English second-language students” in California due to the high Latino population, and asked for his thoughts. “Well, look, the problem is it’s not just people with a second language, it’s hardly anyone can speak English properly because our schools are such a disaster. You’ve got now less than half of the kids in California public schools meet basic standards in English even though we spend […]
Teachers stage walk out in response to anti-trans activist outburst at chaotic school board meeting
A Davis, California school board meeting descended into chaos on Thursday night when teachers staged a walkout as Beth Bourne, a local Moms for Liberty chapter president and school board candidate, began speaking during public comment. Video of the meeting is available via the district’s school board meeting video portal. As Bourne approached the lectern, many district-area teachers stood up and left the room. Bourne shouted at the meeting chair: “Ask those teachers to stop interrupting my comment!” She then demanded: “I want my time back! I want my time back!” During the disruption, one attendee shouted “B*******!” at Bourne. Bourne […]
