This Month at the Occidental Center for the Arts
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It began with a pride flag stolen, and then tossed into the Russian River. Today, the story entered a new phase in Sonoma County Superior Court. It has been symbolic from the start. “Every time he is in court, I will be here,” said Beth Sheets, who joined several other people in watching proceedings.
The flag, symbolizing LGBTQ pride, was stolen on April 26 from the building at 16201 First Street in the unincorporated area of Guerneville in Sonoma County.
The building arranged for a replacement, but the flag was again stolen on May 5. According to Sonoma County’s website, Guerneville became a “welcoming resort area for Bay Area gay men and lesbians” in the 1970’s.
A man named Vincent O’Sullivan, 55, is seen in this undated image.
This marked the first appearance of Vincent Joseph O’Sullivan, Jr. following his arrest last weekend. He pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges Tuesday of stealing a pride flag from the county flagpole in Guerneville, and also to felony charges of a hate crime by threatening to blow up gay people, a grocery store, and sheriff’s substation with a pipe bomb.
“It is a terrorist threat. He did not take action to carry out that act,” said Sonoma County Sherriff’s Department spokesman, Sgt. Spencer Crum.
In open-minded and permissive Guerneville, both alleged crimes resonate disturbingly. Hence, a large group who came to court today. “We’re here to protect ourselves from people who want to blow us up,” said Guerneville resident Jennifer Wentz.
“It is about a community of people who have been discriminated against,” added Beth Streets.
Beth Streets had lobbied with the county to place that pride flag in the town square, beneath the American and California flags. A surveillance video from last week shows two men. One of them covers the camera’s lens, and then the flag disappears. The thieves reportedly left a warning signed in the name of veterans. David Juarez told us today that the notes certainly do not speak for him. “I was leery of coming here. My husband said as a veteran and openly gay person you have to do that.”
So he did, and they did.
They will continue to be on hand as the cases move forward.
You might call it a matter of pride and principle.
Sonoma County LGBTQI Pride is sponsoring the creation of The North Bay LGBTQI Historical Timeline. We are seeking photos of Sonoma County LGBTQI communities during 1970-90s. We need photos of people attending events, business and gathering locations, marches/demonstrations, other local happenings during those years. Please include descriptions with dates, locations and people’s names if possible so we can let viewers know the stories behind the photos. Send these to gary@sonomacountypride.org.
Santa Rosa March For Our Lives
Courthouse square
0 mi away
When: | Saturday, March 24, 10:00 AM |
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The mission and focus of March For Our Lives (Santa Rosa) is to demand that a comprehensive and effective bill be immediately brought before Congress to address gun violence. Our only agenda is to make sure our voices are heard by the people we have elected to represent us and demand that they take action to ensure that all students, teachers, parents, ……all community members feel safe in our schools.
Sonoma County March for Our Lives
Santa Rosa Courthouse Square
2 mi away
When: | Saturday, March 24, 10:00 AM |
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On March 24 students of Sonoma County along with Mom’s Demand Action and the Santa Rosa Junior Commission of Human Rights will host a March for Our Lives event to advocate for gun control and to demand our safety at school becomes a priority. Our event begins at 10:00am and will take place at the Santa Rosa Old Courthouse Square. We will host an intersectional group of student speakers, opportunities for students to pre-register to vote, and other opportunities for concerned citizens of all ages to get involved in advocacy. To get involved or ask further questions contact student organizer Lucia Garay at luciagaray@gmail.com or Moms Demand Action liaison Heather Jennings at hlbjennings@gmail.com .
Sonoma Valley March for our Lives Rally
Sonoma Plaza
17 mi away
When: | Saturday, March 24, 12:00 PM |
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On Saturday, March 24, the Sonoma Valley Democrats will host a March for Our Lives Rally to advocate for gun control and to demand that safety at school becomes a priority. Our event will be from noon to 2pm and will take place in front of Sonoma Plaza. Please bring signs! To get involved or ask further questions contact Beth at bethh@sonic.net.
Napa Valley Rally and March for Our Lives
Napa District Auditorium
24 mi away
When: | Saturday, March 24, 9:00 AM |
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9am – 11am: Town Hall In response to the shootings at the Yountville Veterans Home, the Jefferson Starbucks and West Park shootings in January, the Parkland Florida School shooting on Valentine’s Day and the countless school and non-school shootings that occur daily in every corner of the country, please join Representative Mike Thompson, Griffin Dix of the Brady Campaign and Napan Jane Williams, both of whom lost children to gun violence, students, local law enforcement, mental health and other officials at a Town Hall to hear about ideas for next steps on solving the gun violence epidemic. Hosted by a group of concerned Napa parents, Women’s March Napa Valley and the League of Women Voters of Napa County, this Town Hall seeks to engage and challenge local, state and federal officials to exhibit leadership on issues vital to student safety, public health and community well being. 11am – 1pm: Rally and Concert After the Town Hall, Napa Students will lead a Rally and Benefit Concert to support the “March for Our Lives” protest in Washington, D.C. Students from Napa High, Vintage, Justin Sienna, New Technology, and American Canyon High School will perform and speak on gun violence prevention and school safety issues of concern to them. Attendees are encouraged to wear orange as a symbol of their support for the national effort and donate to the national “March for our Lives” campaign. Bring a blanket, signs and your friends and enjoy the “Napa Student Rally and Benefit Concert for our Lives.”
Venue:
The Sonoma County Commission on Human Rights will hold public meetings in each of the five districts throughout the year. The goal is to increase visibility and awareness of the commission, build bridges with existing organizations, and provide a platform for the public to access information and participate in discussion on issues that are of interest to communities. The Commission’s first road show meeting was in Petaluma in January and focused on Housing. The next meeting will be an Education Forum in Sonoma Valley on Wednesday March 28th at the Sonoma Springs Community Hall, 18627 Sonoma Highway, from 5:30-7:30pm.
Speakers will include Raquel Mack, founder of Save Your VI on civil rights protections for students; Mick Gardner, Executive Director of Restorative Resources on interventions in the school to prison pipeline; Socorro Shields, Director of Education for the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence; and Jacquelyn Torres, Sonoma Valley High School student and Junior Human Rights Commissioner on the Education Gap affecting Latino students. There will also be a Q & A and public comment session. Spanish translation via headset will be provided.
The Commission on Human Rights is an appointed advisory board to the County Board of Supervisors. The mission (role) of the Sonoma County Commission on Human Rights is to provide leadership, guidance, and assistance in insuring that all members of our community – especially those among us who are marginalized or disadvantaged – enjoy the full range of human rights to which every person is entitled.
Sebastopol’s LGBT Party…..Third Thursdays…..Pride Celebration and Drag Show’s in the works! Lets BUILD!! Resident DJ’s Lori Z. and Mr. Element are pleased to have Joshua Lapides occasionally slide through to bring the party to a fun, positive and soulful start!
Who will speak for you if you can’t speak for yourself?
Live in accord with your beliefs and values. Fulfill the goals that have meaning for you. Enjoy your favorite comforts: Isn’t that how you should get to live right up to your last breath—even if a medical crisis means that you are unable to make decisions for yourself?
In honor of National Healthcare Decisions Day and Week, April 15-22, My Care, My Plan: Speak Up, Sonoma County will hold several free workshops in Sonoma, Petaluma and Santa Rosa to encourage residents to speak up now about how they want to be treated if incapacitated in a future medical situation.
“What would your most important priorities be if you were very ill and unable to participate in decision-making? What would matter to you most if your time were very limited? Who would you want to be prepared to speak for yourself in such moments? What would you want to be sure your loved ones and health care team knew you would want to avoid, if at all possible? These are some of the important questions to discuss with your loved ones,” says Gary Johanson, MD, Medical Director, Memorial Hospice and St. Joseph Palliative Care Services.
Two workshops on Who Will Decide? will be Wednesday, April 11, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Hospice of Petaluma, and Wednesday, April 18, 5:30-7:30 p.m., at Memorial Hospice, Santa Rosa.
Friday, April 13, 12:30–1:30 p.m., Steven Pantilat, M.D., Director, UCSF Palliative Care Program, will address Living Well with Serious Illness, at Vintage House in Sonoma. His talk will be followed by two Complete Your Advance Health Care Directive workshops, one at 2 p.m. and another starting at 6:30 p.m.
On Tuesday, April 17, 2-4 p.m., a Who Will Speak for You If You Can’t Speak for Yourself? workshop in Santa Rosa will be led by Dr. Johanson of Memorial Hospice and St. Joseph Palliative Care Services, and Dorothy Foster, MFT and co-chair of My Care My Plan: Speak Up, Sonoma County.
“Documentation of your wishes, through completion of an advance care directive, is part of the process,” says Foster. “It’s not something you do just once, but multiple times over your lifespan, because your priorities at age 25 are bound to be different at age 55 or 85.”
Register for any workshop or talk at: MyCareMyPlanSonoma.org under Events, (707) 565-5950 or aasecretary@schsd.org.
My Care, My Plan: Speak Up, Sonoma County’s (MyCareMyPlanSonoma.org) vision is for every adult in the county to become educated and empowered to express his/her wishes about end-of-life care, to have the opportunity to do so, and to have their wishes honored in a medical crisis. This is an initiative of the Committee for Healthcare Improvement and Sonoma County Health Action, mobilizing community partnerships and resources to achieve equity and improve health for all in Sonoma County. MCMP is a collaborative of organizations and individuals from the private, public, nonprofit, and volunteer sectors, including local health care and social service organizations and other community partners.
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Free Workshops on Advance Care Planning
Who Will Speak for You When You Can’t Speak for Yourself?
Tuesday, April 17, 2-4 p.m.
Partnership Healthplan of California, 495 Tesconi Circle, Santa Rosa
Who Will Decide?
Wednesday, April 11, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Hospice of Petaluma, 416 Payran St., Petaluma
Living Well with Serious Illness
Friday, April 13, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Vintage House, 264 First Street East, Sonoma
Complete Your Advance Health Care Directive
Friday, April 13, 2 – 3 p.m.
Vintage House, 264 First Street East, Sonoma
AND
Friday, April 13, 6:30 – 8 p.m.
Vintage House, 264 First Street East, Sonoma
Who Will Decide?
Wednesday, April 18, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Memorial Hospice, 439 College Ave., Santa Rosa
Reservations: MyCareMyPlanSonoma.org / (707) 565-5950 / aasecretary@schsd.org
The exact number of same-sex married couples in the U.S. is unknown (the Census Bureau is still working toward making improvements to this measurement), but federal tax returns provide perhaps the closest estimation. After all, about 96 percent of married tax filers file jointly, according to the Tax Policy Center. A new report from the center estimates in 2015 — the year same-sex marriage was legalized across the U.S. — there were 250,450 same-sex married tax filers (about 0.48 percent of all married tax filers), up from about 131,080 in 2013 and 183, 280 in 2014 (when same-sex marriage was only recognized in some states).
“Same-sex joint filers are generally younger, higher income, less likely to claim dependent children (especially for male couples), and more geographically concentrated than are different-sex filers,” according to the Tax Policy Center’s new report.
While married same-sex couples tend to have higher incomes, the income of male couples was more than 40 percent higher than that of straight couples and female couples. The average adjusted gross income of male couples in 2015 was about $165,960, versus $118,415 for female couples and $115,210 for different-sex couples. Male same-sex couples with dependent children had an average income of $264,000, more than double that of female couples and straight couples with dependent children.
Same-sex couples, the report notes, are more likely to be of working age and to live in major metropolitan areas and coastal states where incomes and living costs are relatively high.
When the data broken down by state (and the District of Columbia), D.C. is the breakaway winner with same-sex couples making up 4.17 percent of all married couples, followed by Massachusetts and Vermont, which both came in at 0.99 percent. North Dakota came in last at 0.13 percent.
The report also broke down the data by city (technically U.S. Community Zones, or CZs) to find those with the largest share of same-sex married couples. Here’s the report’s top 10 list:
13,220 married same-sex couples (1.52 percent)
The percentage of same-sex marriages in this LGBTQ-friendly city is nearly 12 times the the rate of Provo, Utah (0.13 percent), the city with the lowest share of married gay couples.
1,416 married same-sex couples (1.25 percent)
Known for its wineries, this northern California city was included in US News’ 2016 list of top “20 Retirement Communities for LGBT Seniors.”
9,281 married same-sex couples (1.09 percent)
Seattle is one of the cities with the largest number of same-sex female couples, totaling 2,112 in 2015. In November 2017, the city elected its first lesbian mayor: former U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan.
9,458 married same-sex couples (1.04 percent)
Massachusetts was the first state in the union to legalize same-sex marriage. It did so in May 2004, more than 10 years before gay marriage became legal across the U.S.
4,006 married same-sex couples (0.97 percent)
Portland is one of the few U.S. cities where the number of female marriages (1,584) outnumbers the number of male marriages (1,049).
5,131 married same-sex couples (0.92 percent)
Chock-full of gay nightlife, LGBTQ events and beautiful beaches, Miami was labeled the “greatest gay destination in America” by Thrillist last year.
1,248 married same-sex couples (0.90 percent)
Albuquerque was ranked as one of the most LGBTQ-friendly retirement places in 2018 by SeniorAdvice.
4,845 married same-sex couples (0.88 percent)
This LGBTQ-friendly city was the first city in America to have a street named after gay civil rights icon Harvey Milk.
13,892 married same-sex couples (0.84 percent)
New York, America’s most populated city, has the largest number of same-sex marriages in the U.S. at 13,982.
1,111 married same-sex couples (0.83 percent)
While it may not get the gay-friendly credit often bestowed upon cities like San Francisco and New York, Portland was voted the eighth “gayest city in America” by The Advocate in 2012.