Gay Sonoma

Features/ Religion/ Top Stories Far-right evangelical site Charisma News reports: Pastor Travis Johnson is carrying a biblical defense of children and the family directly into the heart of downtown Mobile. Throughout September, banners declaring “Protect Our Children From Gender Ideology” are displayed along Government Street, around City Hall and near several of the city’s prominent landmarks.

Perspectives/ Sports/ Top Stories The New York Times reports: Rob Stein had been interim school superintendent in Jefferson County, Colo., for 22 days when he sued the Trump administration this summer over demands to change their transgender-inclusive policies. Dr. Stein and other district officials say they had no choice. The cash-strapped district, Jeffco Public Schools, risked losing all $50 million of its federal funding for school meals and special education if they refused.

National/ News/ Top Stories For almost 20 years, LGBTQ+ people from all over the country have shared their stories in the Annual LGBTQ+ Community Survey. Together, we’ve built one of the longest-running records of LGBTQ+ life in the United States. This is your last chance to take part in this year’s survey. The survey closes on September 8, and we still want to hear from you.

National/ News/ Top Stories/ Uncategorized There’s a story I heard growing up about a man walking along a beach covered in starfish. He started picking them up, one by one, and throwing them back into the ocean. I think of this story when people ask me—a 49-year-old straight Midwestern woman—why I keep opening my door to queer and trans youth who need a safe haven. You see, I grew up in Joplin, in the southwest corner of Missouri, deep in the Ozarks. It was a very, very conservative place.

News/ State San Diego has officially removed a decades-old ordinance that targeted LGBTQ+ people from its books. The San Diego City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday (1 September) to repeal a bathhouse ordinance originally passed in 1988 and amended in 1991, during the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis. The law explicitly sought to regulate bathhouses in an effort to prevent gay and bisexual men from having sex and transmitting HIV, as reported by KPBS.

News/ State Earlier this week, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Justice Department challenging California’s trans-inclusive school sports policies, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times. While the ruling does not establish a statewide right for transgender athletes to compete on teams consistent with their gender identity, it rejects the DOJ’s claim that California’s policies violate Title IX.

Arts & Entertainment/ Music Saturday September 12 @ 8 pm at Occidental Center for the Arts.

National/ News/ Top Stories While there is still a group of people who believe adolescents experiencing same-sex attractions can actually overcome their identities to become heterosexual, the overall mindset among the religious right has shifted. Nowadays, the thinking tends to be that just because a person is LGBTQ+ does not mean they have to act on their desires (e.g., love the sinner, hate the sin).

Opinions/ Perspectives/ Top Stories I grew up with the Harry Potter books. There were Christmases when the Harry Potter box set was the background audio for the holidays. Now, I avoid them at all costs. For years I’ve heard excuses about separating art from the artist and the importance of the franchise to people.