Top Stories
Judge rejects Trump administration bid to dismiss transgender Air Force troops’ retirement lawsuit
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to knock most of the transgender service members out of a lawsuit over military retirements that the Air Force approved and then abruptly revoked. In a 10-page ruling Wednesday, U.S. Court of Federal Claims Judge Elaine D. Kaplan, an appointee of President Bill Clinton, denied the Justice Department’s motion to dismiss, allowing all 17 plaintiffs to continue pursuing claims that the government unlawfully stripped them of retirement pay and benefits after promising they could leave military service with early retirement. Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your […]
‘Hand Jobs, Oral Sex and Anal’: Pete Hegseth’s Pastor Wants Gay Men Prosecuted for These Acts
In February, Doug Wilson made headlines after giving a sermon at the Pentagon as part of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s monthly Christian worship service. Wilson, the lead pastor at Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, holds a number of controversial views: He believes the U.S. should become a Christian theocracy, married women shouldn’t have the right to vote and gay sex should be illegal. In his first interview with an LGBTQ publication, Wilson talks about his connections to Hegseth and others in the Trump administration. He estimates that 10 to 20 people in the government are aligned with his radical ideology. He […]
Florida man jailed for 7 years for paralyzing LGBTQ+ neighbor
A Florida man has been sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to shooting and permanently injuring his LGBTQ+ neighbour following weeks of alleged anti-gay harassment. As reported by The Florida Times-Union, Tyler Getchell, 30, pled guilty on 4 May to attempted manslaughter in the November 2025 shooting of Kyle McFarlane, 24, whose spinal injuries left him paralysed from the waist down. In addition to his prison sentence, Getchell must complete mental health follow-ups after his release, serve probation, pay restitution, and have no contact with McFarlane or his family. In a 17 July Facebook post to McFarlane’s profile following the […]
Local News
Positive Images Social Saturday Happened August 8 at Healdsburg Beach
Join Positive Images and Sonoma County Regional Parks for a Rainbow River day at Healdsburg Veterans Memorial Beach for swimming, and some fun in the sun on August 8th from 12-2pm This is an all ages, family focused event. For questions, please reach out to joy@posimages.org
Wake Up Sonoma Meets with Sonoma Valley High School Superintendent About Pride Flag Removal
On July 22, Board members, David, Josette and Lisa met with Superintendent Jason Sutter, who continues to be invested in listening to the community, hearing us out, and working within his role and capacity. Below is a summary of our meeting.He has scheduled the presentation of two possible flag policies for September. This will give the Superintendent time to work with administrators, staff, and students to develop the draft policies. He would also be surprised if the issue is fully resolved in September. Board policies often require multiple revisions, and because two drafts will be presented to the Board, the […]
Arts & Entertainment
Now at Rialto Cinemas in Sebastopol: “Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World”
Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the WorldOne Week Only Starts Friday July 24 3:50 pm & 5:45 pm If poetry had a pop icon, Mary Oliver would be it. Celebrated best-selling poet, Pulitzer Prize-winner, lover of dogs and long walks in the woods, openly queer but intensely private, Oliver was America’s unlikely contemporary mystic, stalking the ponds and forests of Cape Cod for nearly fifty years in order to open herself – and her readers – to the known and unknowable world. From a lonely childhood to literary fame, Oliver’s life was shaped by devotion to nature, paying attention, and the […]
State News
When San Francisco “went absolutely bonkers” over a gay vigilante group
“Nothing disgusts me more than a f**got on the sideline.” So said the Rev. Ray Broshears, the collar-clad leader of the Lavender Panthers, a gay vigilante group enlisted by Broshears to combat attacks on gay and trans people in San Francisco during the 1970s. Broshears aggressive tactics and publicity-seeking gained the group some mainstream headlines and probably account for its prominent place in the history of the “Gay Liberation” movement today, when other community-based responses to police harassment and gay-bashing have been lost. The controversial and self-styled gay “reverend” was a master at provocation. “I believe in confrontation politics,” Broshears […]
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 […]
