Top Stories
Inside the fight to stop a MAGA millionaire from using anti-trans ballot measures to get a tax break
In the fight for trans rights and against a pair of draconian ballot initiatives in Washington State, a grassroots campaign is confronting not only the toxic effects of the Trump administration’s crusade against trans people, but the deep pockets of the MAGA billionaire who’s sponsoring them. Brian Heywood, a hedge fund manager and close ally of President Donald Trump, is the “villain we’re up against,” Libby Watson, campaign manager for No Hate in WA State, tells LGBTQ Nation. That organization is the collection of non-profits, parents, medical professionals, students and teachers arrayed against Heywood’s self-funded right-wing political action committee, Let’s Go […]
Don’t be fooled: The patriarchy is alive & fully functioning
“If my kids don’t get bullied for having daddy’s money & a hot mom then I failed at life,” Parker Lamosa wrote on Facebook on July 21. According to Parker Lamosa, “daddy” is the breadwinner, the one who earns the money – and lots of it — for the family. Standing by his side is the “hot mom” who does, well, supports the rich “daddy” by raising the “kids,” of course. My comment to Lamosa on July 22: “Superficial priorities. You have surrendered your integrity to the patriarchy.” Patriarchy: The privelege of over-valued cis-het male bodies “What is patriarchy? A […]
Reforms to Hungary’s Anti-LGBT Laws Welcome, but More to Do
Hungary’s new government has taken an important step toward dismantling a key discriminatory legacy of the Orbán era—the legal targeting of LGBT people. The job is not finished, however. The government submitted legislation to Parliament on September 14 to remove several provisions of the 2021 so-called “child protection” law that restrict the “portrayal” or “promotion” of sexual and gender diversity in content accessible to children. The proposed changes remove the restrictions from laws relating to child protection, media, advertising, and education. The reforms follow an April judgment by the Court of Justice of the European Union finding that Hungary’s legal restrictions stigmatized and marginalized LGBT people […]
Local News
Wake Up Sonoma’s “No Kings Rally” Happens October 17
For over a year, millions of people have come together to send a clear message: in America, we have no kings. Power does not belong to billionaires, strongmen, or politicians who believe they are above accountability. Power belongs to the people, but only if we use it. On October 17th Wake Up Sonoma is JOINING with Indivisible to organize a No Kings Vote Early action in Sonoma and we need you! THIS IS NOT A PROTEST GATHERING, BUT RATHER A WAY TO GET THE MESSAGE OUT, ABOUT HOW CRITICAL VOITING IS THIS YEAR. TIME: 10am -12pmDATE: October 17th,WHAT: JOIN US – to help us with get out […]
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
Gavin Newsom moves to shield California transgender patient records from federal scrutiny
California is adding new medical privacy protections for LGBTQ+ adults facing federal subpoenas and expanding access to injectable medicines for HIVprevention. That is thanks to a spate of six new bills passed by the Democratic-led state legislature and signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday. Newsom said he signed the bills to strengthen LGBTQ+ rights in the state amid a federal crackdown on such protections. Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week. “The Trump administration has launched an all-out assault on the LGBTQ community, using medical records […]
MAGA Rages Over Republican CA Gov Candidate’s “Lesbian Lovers” Ad Titled “Just Try It, California”
A provocative, sexually suggestive ad by GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton is drawing heat from his fellow Republicans while drawing millions of viewers online. Two young women sit on a bed, with an LGBTQ+ flag in the background, with one urging the other to try a new experience. “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” one woman says, and the other replies. “Don’t be nervous. It’s not that bad … Just try it. Look, give me your hand. Close your eyes, and I’ll do all the work.” She leads the hesitant woman’s hand to mark her ballot for Hilton rather than […]
