Top Stories
Campaign to overturn Obergefell uses 14-year-old junk science to ‘prove’ gay people are bad parents
Leading up to the 2015 landmark Supreme Court decision, Obergefell v. Hodges, which made marriage equality a federal right, sociologist Mark Regnerus published controversial research titled the “New Family Structures Study”. Regnerus, who is forthcoming about the fact that his Catholic faith shapes his practice as a social scientist, published the study in 2012 in the journal Social Science Research. The study purported that children raised by a parent in a same-gender relationship are at greater risk of negative psychosocial outcomes in adulthood compared to children raised by straight parents. The study was funded primarily by The Witherspoon Institute and The Bradley Foundation, […]
English schools told to ban trans pupils from single-sex toilets
Schools in England will be required to stop transgender pupils from using toilets and changing rooms that do not match their “biological sex” from September, under new statutory safeguarding guidance. The updated Keeping Children Safe In Education (KCSIE) guidance, published by the Department for Education, comes into force on 1 September. It states that schools must not allow pupils to use toilets designated for the opposite biological sex from the age of eight, or changing rooms from the age of 11, “with no exceptions”, even where a pupil has made a request to socially transition. Overnight accommodation on school trips must also remain […]
Black Ulta manager says she was fired after reporting anti-trans, racist remarks
A Black transgender woman who worked as a sales manager at an Ulta Beauty store in California says she was fired after complaining that a supervisor had made disparaging remarks about people of color and transgender people. Deja Majors has now filed a discrimination lawsuit against the beauty retailer, alleging that Ulta and a former manager subjected her to a hostile work environment, retaliated against her and ultimately terminated her because of her race and gender identity. Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week. Majors alleges that her former employer violated California’s Fair Employment […]
Local News
Sonoma’s Tuesday Night Market organizers change this week’s musical act after public outcry
A new local band will take to the stage during Sonoma’s Tuesday Night Marketthis week following a last-minute change in the entertainment lineup in response to public outrage over a homophobic comment made on social media by the leader of the previously scheduled local band. The Humdinger Band will now perform, following the city’s cancellation of Big O and Company, during the June 30 Tuesday Night Market, which takes place from 5 to 8 p.m. on Sonoma Plaza. The change was made on Friday, June 26, in response to requests from members of the public who were upset by a homophobic post […]
This Month at Sonoma County Library
50th Anniversary Celebration for Petaluma Library Saturday, July 11 Help us celebrate the Petaluma Library’s 50th anniversary at our Fairgrounds Drive location Throughout the day: a scavenger hunt, time capsule creation, special Petaluma History Room displays, and more. Dress like it’s 1976! 11:00 – 2:00: Photo booth 1:00: Commemorative Welcome program 1:30: Recognition of the late Library Commissioner Paul Heavenridge and volunteer Gerry Groves 2:00: History of Libraries in Petaluma with historians John Sheehy, Harlan Osborne, and architect Mary Dooley 3:00: Los Gu’achis band and refreshments Children Aguacate Music for KidsAguacate Music for Kids shares songs in English and Spanish that inspire kids […]
Arts & Entertainment
Frameline50 Announces Audience & Juried Awards and Affirms That Queer Art Is the Future of Independent Cinema
Frameline announced the winners of the juried and Audience Awards at the 50th San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival (Frameline50). The world’s largest and longest-running queer film festival presented nearly 150 films from over 30 countries, brought 600 filmmakers and industry professionals from around the world to the Bay Area, and welcomed 50,000 attendees across its 11-day run. “Frameline50 proves the undeniable fact that queer film is the future of independent cinema,” said Allegra Madsen, Frameline’s Executive Director. “This is reflected by the record-breaking attendance of and unwavering support from our global community of industry professionals, filmmakers, and movie lovers. What’s unique about this festival is […]
Frameline50: Interview with Luchina Fisher, the director of “The Dads”
Inspired by the Emmy Award-winning short documentary of the same name (Netflix, 2023), The Dads chronicles fathers of trans and nonbinary children as they are forced to choose between country and family when a new right-wing administration and conservative Supreme Court take hold in the United States. Filmed over the course of a year spanning retreats in rural Maine and Minnesota, protests, family milestones, a pivotal U.S. Supreme Court decision, and the collapse of gender-affirming care for youth, The Dads captures this national reckoning with remarkable intimacy through vérité footage and interviews with the film’s main protagonists. This is fatherhood as an act of […]
State News
California budgets $26 million to protect access to gender-affirming care from federal attacks
In a win for trans people, their families, and healthcare providers in the state, California has passed a new budget that includes funds to protect gender-affirming and reproductive healthcare from federal funding interference. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed the budget, which was the result of extensive lobbying from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, including TransFamily Support Services. “This historic investment will help keep care accessible, support the providers doing this lifesaving work, and remind trans young people that California will not abandon them,” said Kathy Moehlig, director of TransFamily Support Services. The 2026-27 budget sets aside $26 million to support gender-affirming care access […]
LAPD officer could face criminal charges for recording colleagues’ discrimination
A Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officer could face criminal charges for recording his colleagues making homophobic, racist and sexist remarks while on the job. Daniel Flores, who is an officer for the LAPD, secretly recorded the comments before handing the audio over to his superiors as evidence, according to an internal affairs complaint he filed last year. However, recording conversations without the consent of those involved is illegal in the state of California. Flores’ attorney, Greg Smith, told The LA Times that Flores was recently informed that his internal affairs case had been transferred to state prosecutors, who are currently weighing charges against him […]
