Jose Julio Sarria, a legendary San Francisco drag queen who made history as the first openly gay person to seek political office in America, died Monday, August 19. He was 90. "He paved the way for my uncle, Harvey Milk, to run for public office by being the first openly gay man to put his name on the 1961 ballot and was right there to support Harvey's first campaign in 1973," Stuart Milk said in a statement. Read more here. … [Read more...]
LGBT News: Gay Rights Struggle Has Been Difficult, Not Swift
“For political dinosaurs stuck in the prehistoric past, the court's decisions came with devastating speed, like the meteor that extinguished the dinosaurs of the Cretaceous....By contrast, for those of us who spent decades fighting for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and others, the changes were anything but fast.” Read more in the Sacramento Bee … [Read more...]
Colorado Six Year Old Wins Transgender Civil Rights Case
For years Coy Mathis used the girls restrooms and lined up with other girls in her class, until a teacher told her she was no longer allowed to do either. In response to this change her family filed a complaint against the school, and on June 27th the school district was found guilty of creating a "hostile, discriminatory and unsafe" environment for Mathis. Read more in the Denver Post … [Read more...]
Transgender Student Rights Bill (AB1266) Passes
In this landmark case students in K-12 are guaranteed access to the restrooms and school teams they prefer based on their gender identity. Chromosomes are no longer the only factor these decisions are based on. This Bill has passed through the Senate and the State Assembly, and is now heading to the governor. Read more in the The Huffington Post by clicking here. … [Read more...]