Tuesday, December 24·1:00 – 3:00pm
Glaser Center, 547 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 95401, USA
Social time 1:00 – 1:30 PM; facilitated discussion 1:30 – 3:00 PM
Join us for lively discussions, mutual support, sharing information, and all the while celebrating who we are. Everyone is welcome; there is no charge. Whether you’re in the closet or out, you are welcome!.
There are important, commonsense things LGBTQ people and families can do to protect themselves to ensure our identities, families, and wishes are legally clear and respected.
For decades, LGBTQ legal organizations and advocates have set the foundation and created pathways forward for us as LGBTQ people to be safe and recognized. Those include the ACLU LGBTQ & HIV Project, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, GLAD Law, the Transgender Law Center, and more.
Some recommendations include:
Right now there is a lot of uncertainty. It’s hard to provide broad legal advice without knowing individual circumstances, but what we do know is that LGBTQ people and advocates have faced hostility before; and have long been in the work of supporting each other.
The most important thing people can do is connect with your local community, including your state equality group if one exists in your state, CenterLink: the Community of LGBTQ Centers, and your local PFLAG and ACLU chapters, who have been doing this work for a long time and will continue to do work to support local LGBTQ residents. They will be able to provide localized resources and support, and know best what is permissible in your individual jurisdiction.
The British Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has announced that transgender women will be banned from competing in some domestic tournaments.
The LTA oversees the domestic game, so the rule changes do not apply to international matches which are played on British soil, including Wimbledon, or other events such as an internal club tournament, where venues will decide on their own rules.
However, the updated policy on transgender and non-binary participation means trans women and people assigned male at birth won’t be allowed to play in the women’s category in matches against players from another club or county.
“We are changing our policy to restrict trans women and non-binary individuals assigned male at birth from playing in the women’s category in specified, inter-venue competitions,” an LTA press release read.
“These will be competitions ranging from our national championships through to local county and district leagues, where the purpose is to provide fair competitive opportunities. This policy helps ensure there is a common national standard for all these competitions, which is fair.
“For non-specified competitions within venues, the purpose is primarily to provide fun, social competition to enable people to feel part of their local tennis community and players will be able to familiarise themselves with the policy within their own venue and hence who they are likely to be playing against.
“These will range from weekend social tournaments through to club championships.”
The governing body went on to say: “We want to encourage local venues to ensure they are as inclusive as possible for trans and non-binary individuals, providing opportunities to compete in a friendly environment. In line with this, the LTA’s own local tennis leagues (held in park venues) will remain fully inclusive.
“The policy attempts to balance two responsibilities appropriately but in the knowledge that different people will reasonably have different views as to where that balance should lie.”
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Tennis and padel tennis are “gender-affected sports” where the “average man” has an advantage over the “average woman… [and] this advantage is likely to be retained to a significant degree in trans women, making competition potentially unfair”, the statement continued.
The policy will come into effect on 25 January but will kept under review “in light of any new scientific or other information”, an LTA spokesperson said.
The change come a couple of weeks after the Ladies Professional Golf Association restricted golfers in the women’s category to those either assigned female at birth or, if transgender, “[they had] not experienced any part of male puberty”.
In addition, any trans golfer must have “continuously maintained the concentration of testosterone in their serum below 2.5 nmol/l”, to qualify. The average for cis women is between 0.5 and 2.4 nmol/l.
In recent years, a number of sports governing bodies have taken similar steps.
LGBTQ+ parents are reportedly scrambling to secure their parental rights before Donald Trump takes the oath of office.
Attorney Meghan Alexander told Advocate she usually receives about three calls a week from LGBTQ+ parents seeking second-parent adoptions. The week Trump won, she fielded 26 calls. Since then, they have just kept coming.
Project 2025, which is believed to be the blueprint for the Trump administration, essentially calls to eliminate LGBTQ+ rights and states, “Only heterosexual, two-parent families are safe for children.”
“The advice is the same as it’s been for the last couple of decades, which is to do a second-parent adoption,” Alexander explained. “Do not depend on the federal government or the gay right to marry to give you parental rights.”
A 2023 report from a coalition of LGBTQ+ advocacy groups explains that second-parent adoption “can be used to establish a legal relationship between a parent and a child OR to obtain an adoption decree for someone who is already a legal parent through another pathway to parentage, such as the marital presumption.”
Shelbi Day, Chief Policy Officer for Family Equality, told LGBTQ Nation when the report was released that even married LGBTQ+ couples cannot rely on the marital presumption and should take further steps to protect themselves.
She said that the presumption can be challenged in some states and that Family Equality “strongly suggests that parents take additional steps to establish legal parentage to ensure that children have legal stability and access to all of the rights and benefits of legal parentage no matter where people travel and no matter what happens between the parents in the future.”
This is also true even if both parents are on a child’s birth certificate, which she said “does not establish a legal parent-child relationship.”
Alexander dispensed similar advice to Advocate. She also said parentage orders are not as effective as second-parent adoptions, at least in Texas where she practices, because these orders have not been challenged extensively in the courts. Adoptions, on the other hand, have been repeatedly upheld.
LGBTQ+ family law expert Nancy Polikoff agreed, saying adoptions are better understood and more “universally recognized.”
“When we are looking at the possibility of cutting back on LGBT family recognition, states that are not inclined to recognize the legitimacy of parenting by LGBT people are going to be emboldened to deny that status whenever they can,” she said.
“Nobody is expecting Obergefell to be overturned anytime soon,” she continued. “Unfortunately, I think parentage is one of those places where if a court is just not going to be as protective in a particular state, I think they are going to have more leeway to discriminate under a Trump administration.”
In addition to many parents simply not knowing this is the best path to protecting there families, another barrier looms large: Second-parent adoptions can carry a hefty price tag.
“It makes me sick to think there are people who need this done and cannot get it done,” Haley Swenson told Advocate. Swenson and her wife, Alieza Durana, rushed to complete a second-parent adoption of their son after Trump won the election.
Unable to afford the $3,500 they needed to begin the process, they reached out to friends and family for help.
“It’s unclear what they want to do, and that lack of specificity is what’s really scary if you’re a queer parent because you don’t really know how to protect yourself,” Swenson said of the incoming administration.
“So since we know there was this one thing we could do to protect ourselves, and we hadn’t done it yet, it was like, ‘OK, there are so many unknowns — let’s at least take care of what we can.”
The best path toward obtaining legal parentage rights may vary by state. Check out this report for more information.
Saturday, December 21·10:00am – 12:00pm
http://www.thebillys.org/events/
Please join us for Heart Circle, where we “sit” gently together, holding space for each other and sharing deeply. Heart Circle is where community is forged, and it is the central ritual of our community. This circle is for Gay, Bi, and Queer men. To be clear, trans men are men. RSVP/Register for the Heart Circle. You will receive the Zoom meeting link via email.
If you are new to The Billys, please be our guest the first couple times you join us at an online Heart Circle or Sunday Afternoon Delight. If you regularly attend any of these, they will remain free for all who need them to be,though as you are able please strongly consider supporting these by donating to our General Fund.
Horizons Foundation announced the 44 recipients of grants totaling $753,372 through its flagship Community Issues (CI) funding program this year. CI grants provide general operating support to grassroots LGBTQ organizations and programs based in the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. They fund vital work across a diverse range of service areas, including youth, advocacy and civil rights, arts and culture, community building and leadership, and health and human services. View the full list of 2024 CI grantee partners.
The total awarded amount—more than $750,000—is the highest in the history of Horizons’ CI funding program, with individual awards ranging up to $20,000, an increase from last year’s maximum award of $15,000. This marks a significant growth in the foundation’s commitment to sustaining and expanding the infrastructure of the LGBTQ community.
Notably, 45% of this year’s grantees are multi-year partners. Horizons’ commitment to increase multi-year funding is in alignment with its focus on building long-term sustainability and impact within LGBTQ organizations. These multi-year grants provide organizations and programs with the stability to carry out their critical missions over time, enabling them to focus on growth and development rather than short-term funding gaps.
“These grant awards strengthen our LGBTQ community by providing essential funding to support their ongoing work in advocacy, resilience, and empowerment,” said Joshua Delfin, Senior Program Officer at Horizons Foundation. “With Horizons’ commitment and the support of our donors and philanthropic partners, these organizations will continue to be at the forefront of change and stand as a testament to the vitality of the LGBTQ Bay Area community.”
Horizons’ cross-sectional funding invests in the leadership and diversity of the LGBTQ community and organizations that address multiple populations. Some of the organizations and programs receiving funding include LGBTQ Connection, a queer youth-focused program for Napa and Sonoma County residents; The LGBT Asylum Project, San Francisco’s only organization exclusively dedicated to legal representation for LGBTQ asylum seekers; and The Castro Country Club, a safe and sober community center for people recovering from addiction.
“In today’s political climate, LGBTQIA+ youth, peers, and elders face escalating violence, harassment, and discrimination leading to severe impacts on mental health and rising rates of suicidal ideation,” said Solicia Aguilar, Program Director at LGBTQ Connection. “This funding strengthens our ability to provide critical, direct services and connect people to vital resources across Sonoma and Napa Counties.”
“In 2025, we anticipate more need for our services, as fear of anti-immigrant policies take shape,” said Okan Sengun and Kenan Arun, Co-Executive Directors of The LGBT Asylum Project. “Horizons’ funding enables us to provide free legal services for LGBTQ+ asylum seekers and create safe spaces for LGBTQ+ immigrants.”
“We are a small organization that struggles to get our foot in the door of foundation funding,” said Billy Lemon, Executive Director of The Castro Country Club. “Horizons targets our kind of organization with focus and intention. This grant will help fund our workforce development cafe, which is the heart of our organization and provides a safe space for folks to gather 365 days a year.”
As part of its commitment to community-driven philanthropy, Horizons Foundation relies on a participatory grantmaking model in which community reviewers guide its awards decisions. The grant review process is led by members of the LGBTQ community, ensuring that grant decisions reflect the needs, values, and priorities of the communities they serve. This inclusive, grassroots approach strengthens Horizons’ commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, particularly in the Bay Area. Click here for more information on the 2024 Community Issues funding program and to learn more about Horizons Foundation’s work.
About Horizons Foundation
Horizons Foundation is the first community foundation in the U.S. of, by, and for the LGBTQ community. Established in 1980, invests in LGBTQ organizations, strengthens a culture of LGBTQ giving, and builds a permanent endowment to secure our community’s future. We envision a world where all LGBTQ people live freely and fully. Learn more at horizonfoundation.org.
Trans darts player Noa-Lynn van Leuven will make history this week when she competes at the World Championships.
Van Leuven, who transitioned in 2021 and who has faced controversy for playing against cis women, qualified for the Professional Darts Corporation World Championship in October – the first trans woman to do so.
And on Tuesday (17 December), she will face Kevin Doets at London’s Alexandra Palace.
“It’s going to be a big achievement for me and for my kind of people,” Van Leuven told the PA news agency. “But I guess I just want to be Noa, I just want to play darts and not always having to talk about the fact I’m also transgender.
“I’m a darts player and I’m terribly good at it. But I guess it’s a big thing and I’m also the first Dutch woman to play on the Alexandra Palace stage.”
The darts star travelled to London for the match following a double shift as a junior sous chef, a career she intends to continue. “It also is a bit of a stress relief for me. We all know Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen and sometimes it can be like that in our kitchen, but I enjoy working there,” she said.
Van Leuven has been open about the abuse she has faced, revealing earlier this month that she’d suffered panic attacks and depression in the wake of a backlash to qualifying for the world championships.
Tennis star Martina Navratilova, who has been a vocal opponent of trans inclusion in women’s sport, wrote: “No male bodies in women’s sports please, not even in darts. Again, women get the short end of the stick and it stinks.”
Van Leuven responded to the attacks in a statement given to Dutch outlet NOS (via Express), saying: “I don’t really feel the need to go further into it. This has been their choice and not mine.
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“I think the only unfortunate thing about this issue is that a lot of people forget that I am also a human being.”
The Fukuoka High Court of Japan has become the third of Japan’s eight high courts to rule that the government’s policy against same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. However, the court upheld a lower court ruling that dismissed three same-sex couples who had sought 1 million yen ($6,540) each for being denied their constitutional rights to gender and legal equality, individual dignity, and the pursuit of happiness.
The couples, who live in the southwestern cities of Fukuoka and Kumamoto, had their damage claims dismissed by the Fukuoka District Court in 2023 after the court ruled that the government wasn’t obliged to compensate them or legalize marriage equality legislation despite being in “state of unconstitutionality,” The Mainichi reported.
High Court Judge Takeshi Okada ruled that civil laws forbidding same-sex marriages violate the nation’s constitution, saying, “There is no longer any reason to not legally recognize marriage between same-sex couples.” However, he noted that any change in national marriage laws must be decided by Japan’s legislature, known as the National Diet.
As the judge read his ruling, a 35-year-old plaintiff identified in the media as Kosuke couldn’t stop crying. Despite this, his 37-year-old partner Masahiro said “[the judge] understood our suffering, and I felt very reassured.”
Opponents of marriage equality in Japan have noted that Article 24 of the Japanese constitution specifically states, “Marriage shall be based only on the mutual consent of both sexes and it shall be maintained through mutual cooperation with the equal rights of husband and wife as a basis.”
However, marriage equality advocates have also pointed out that the constitution’s other articles state, “The people shall not be prevented from enjoying any of the fundamental human rights,” and, “All of the people are equal under the law and there shall be no discrimination in political, economic or social relations because of race, creed, sex, social status or family origin.”
Regardless, in October the Tokyo High Court ruled similarly, echoing another one made by the Sapporo High Court in March, which said that limiting marriage to couples of the opposite sex is “unconstitutional” and “discriminatory.” Despite the rulings, the country’s judiciary doesn’t have the power to overturn existing civil marriage codes.
Marriage equality has divided the country’s court system in opposing rulings over several years. Meanwhile, Japan’s conservative government lags behind increasingly supportive public opinion. Seventy percent of the Japanese public supports marriage equality, but it faces opposition from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
The party lost its parliamentary majority in last Sunday’s election and will likely have to compromise on more liberal policies pushed by the opposition parties, like marriage equality, the aforementioned publication noted.
Right now, Japan doesn’t offer national LGBTQ+ non-discrimination protections or same-sex marriage. As a result, LGBTQ+ people in Japan often face inequities in employment, housing, education, and health care.
More than 200 Japanese municipalities offer some form of recognition for same-sex couples. Such recognition can help same-sex couples rent apartments together, visit each other in city hospitals, and receive other services that married heterosexual couples enjoy.
Though several jurisdictions offer “partnership certificates,” they’re entirely symbolic and don’t offer federal benefits given to married heterosexual couples.
LGBTQ+ advocacy groups have pushed for a national bill that would enshrine equal civil rights and non-discrimination protections into law. However, the conservative party of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida helped defeat the effort in the lead-up to the 2021 Olympic Summer Games.
Japan remains the only country in the G7, a political and economic forum of seven of the world’s most advanced economies, that has not legalized marriage equality. Currently, the only Asian countries that have legalized same-sex marriage are Taiwan, Nepal, and Thailand.
The ACLU of Florida is suing the state’s Department of Corrections over a new anti-transgender policy that will restrict trans prisoners’ access to gender-affirming medical care as well as their ability to express their gender identity.
According to a report from The Marshall Project and the Tampa Bay Times, a federal judge in Tallahassee held a preliminary hearing in the case on December 9. The ACLU of Florida has asked the judge to block enforcement of the policy, calling it an unconstitutional ban on gender-affirming care. A ruling is expected in the weeks ahead.
Under the new policy, Florida prisons will only provide inmates diagnosed with gender dysphoria with therapy. Trans inmates will not have access to gender-affirming hormone therapy except “in rare instances” when it is deemed “necessary to comply with the U.S. Constitution or a court decision.”
“Unaddressed psychiatric issues and unaddressed childhood trauma could lead to a misdiagnosis of gender dysphoria,” the policy claims. Gender-affirming hormone therapy, it continues, “may be requested by persons experiencing short-termed delusions or beliefs which may later be changed and reversed.”
Daniel Tilley, lead attorney from the ACLU of Florida, compared the policy’s therapy requirements to so-called “conversion therapy.”
In court documents, Danny Martinez, the state prison system’s medical director, said he based the department’s new policies on a 2022 report commissioned by Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). The report focused primarily on the effects of gender-affirming care on children and its findings contradicted the overwhelming consensus of all major medical organizations, which hold that gender-affirming healthcare is necessary and frequently lifesaving for transgender individuals suffering from gender dysphoria.
The 2022 report resulted in the state banning healthcare providers from billing the state’s Medicaid program for gender-affirming care. But in June 2023, a federal judge struck down the Florida Medicaid ban, finding that the AHCA report was “a biased effort to justify a predetermined outcome, not a fair analysis of the evidence,” and its conclusion was “not supported by the evidence and was contrary to generally accepted medical standards.”
The Florida Department of Corrections’ new policy was announced in September during meetings in which incarcerated transgender women were told that trans inmates would be “reevaluated” to determine whether they would still be allowed access to gender-affirming healthcare and other accommodations that they were already receiving. According to the Tampa Bay Times, inmates said they were not told how prison officials would determine whether they would still be allowed access to care. While so far no inmates reported being taken off hormone therapy, more than a dozen incarcerated trans women told the paper they had already been forced to cut their hair short.
In court filings and interviews, incarcerated trans women in Florida prisons also reported being subjected to breast examinations to determine whether or not they would still be allowed access to bras.
“It felt like I was being treated less than human,” Josie Takach, a trans inmate at a Florida men’s facility, said of the examination. Takach said her undergarments, now considered contraband, were confiscated. “I feel like I’m 12 years old again, sneaking around wearing a bra.”
Sara Maatsch, who is also incarcerated in a Florida men’s prison, said that her gender dysphoria diagnosis was now considered a serious psychiatric illness. She was told she would have to be moved to a more restrictive facility with fewer work and programming opportunities to continue receiving treatment.
Mariko Sundwall told The Marshall Project that after spending 10 days in solitary confinement for refusing to cut her hair, a prison barber buzzed her hair short while she was handcuffed.
“I’m very sad and depressed. I feel like they’re taking away my identity,” Jada Edwards, another trans inmate, said of the buzz cut she was forced to receive.
As The Marshall Project notes, previous court decisions have held that prisons in the U.S. are required under the Constitution to provide gender-affirming care as needed.
University of California San Francisco psychiatrist Dan Karasic, who helped develop international standards for treatment of transgender people, told The Marshal Project that Florida’s new anti-trans prison policies were “a fig leaf on [the state’s] efforts to ban gender-affirming care.”
“They are really trying to skirt the law, as determined by multiple courts, that gender-affirming medical and surgical care must be provided when medically necessary,” Karasic said.
The battle over Florida’s anti-trans prison policies follows the 2024 presidential campaign, which saw Donald Trump’s campaign target Democratic nominee Kamala Harris with ads claiming the Vice President “supports taxpayer-funded sex changes for prisoners.”
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This year, The International Conference on Stigma, held November 19–21 at Howard University’s Blackburn Center, provided a critical platform for addressing stigma’s impact on marginalized communities. This year’s theme, “Stigma No More… It’s 2024!”, encouraged bold conversations about health inequities, particularly those affecting Black women.
One pivotal panel, Spilling the Tea, Part III: Real Conversations between Cis and Trans Women, brought attention to the unique challenges Black cisgender and transgender women face in accessing HIV testing and treatment. Moderated by Shelley Turner, a seasoned advocate, the panel included voices like Diamond Phillips, Chasity Nicole Petty Carter, and Sahara Rivera—experts dedicated to inclusive healthcare and community health navigation.
Black women represent 13% of the U.S. female population but accounted for 51% of new HIV diagnoses among women in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) . Yet, public health narratives often portray HIV as primarily affecting men who have sex with men, leaving cisgender women underrepresented in prevention efforts.
Chasity Carter underscored this disconnect during the panel:
“We don’t see how Black women are being tested or catching HIV because it’s never shown. The conversation is often seen as only a gay disease, and that has to shift for cis women, queer or not, to view it as a possibility for them as well.”
The lack of representation perpetuates harmful stereotypes and deprives women of accurate information about prevention options, such as PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis). The US HIV surveillance report of 2019 estimated PrEP coverage for cisgender women at risk of HIV was just under 10% compared with 27% for gay men and 32% for transgender women.
Transgender women of color experience some of the highest HIV prevalence rates globally, with 44% of Black trans women in the U.S. living with HIV according to the Human Rights Campaignand AIDSVu. Yet, as panelist Sahara Rivera, an advocate focused on specializing in HIV Prevention and Transgender Health, highlighted, systemic inequities force trans women to prioritize survival needs over testing and treatment:
“Is HIV testing the need they’re focused on when food, housing, money, and transportation are such high priorities to survive?”
And it’s a real question that many individuals have to consider daily when prioritizing certain factors in their day-to-day routines. Especially in an increasingly expensive economy. Efforts to reduce stigma and increase access to healthcare must address these intersecting social determinants or else we’re only scratching the surface of the problem. Programs like Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) and other wraparound services can mitigate these barriers but remain underfunded in many regions .
Access to HIV testing and treatment often depends on geographic location. While urban centers typically offer more resources, rural areas lack adequate infrastructure, leaving many underserved. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 23% of Black Americans in rural areas report difficulty accessing healthcare, compared to 12% in urban areas .
Sahara Rivera noted the disparity:
“There’s a BIG gap. A lot of these centers are in major cities or downtown areas, making them inaccessible for rural communities. And rural centers that do exist often don’t receive enough resources to stay functional.”
This challenge is especially pronounced in Southern states, which have some of the highest rates of new HIV diagnoses but also the lowest Medicaid expansion rates, further limiting access to care.
The panel emphasized the importance of solidarity between cisgender and transgender women to combat shared challenges. It’s essential in addressing HIV testing disparities, as shared experiences and mutual support can dismantle stigma and promote inclusive healthcare. Trans women, especially those of color, face unique barriers to HIV testing, including discrimination, economic instability, and a lack of culturally sensitive services. At the same time, cisgender women often underestimate their own risk, partly due to misconceptions about HIV as a “gay disease” and a lack of awareness about testing options like home tests or free screenings. For instance, many cisgender women assume annual OB-GYN visits cover comprehensive HIV testing, which is often not the case. Rivera stressed the need for more inclusive education:
“Cis women think, ‘I’ve got my tests done for the year,’ without realizing there’s more to testing and treatment than what’s covered in a typical OB-GYN visit.”
Building alliances across gender identities is crucial for dismantling stigma and fostering inclusive healthcare systems. It requires open dialogue and allyship between cis and trans communities, emphasizing shared health goals and access equity. Collaborative initiatives, such as peer-led education and community-based outreach programs, have shown success in increasing testing rates and fostering trust in healthcare systems.
To reduce HIV stigma and improve healthcare outcomes for Black women, public health efforts must center on culturally competent care, expanded access to resources, and accurate representation in media campaigns. A 2022 report from the National HIV/AIDS Strategyemphasized the importance of addressing stigma at structural and interpersonal levels to achieve the goal of ending the HIV epidemic by 2030 .
As we move out of 2024 and into 2025, the fight against HIV stigma must intensify now more than ever, ensuring that no woman—cisgender or transgender—feels invisible in this battle. By fostering solidarity and prioritizing systemic change, we can create a future where stigma no longer hinders progress and every community has equitable access to care.
