“Ireland has voted by a huge majority to legalise same-sex marriage, becoming the first country in the world to do so by popular vote in a moved hailed as a social revolution and welcomed around the world.” Read the full article in The Guardian … [Read more...]
LGBT News: Annual Award Event Honors Queer Youth Leaders
“ The task force was founded in 1998 and the awards in 1999 as a way to put out positive stories about the queer community. ‘Sometimes it is difficult to relate to an issue if it doesn’t directly impact you. So the Queer Youth Leadership Awards help humanize an issue that can be very difficult for some people,’ Rosenstein said.” Read the full article in The Santa Cruz Sentinel … [Read more...]
LGBT News: Congressman Mike Honda’s Transgender Granddaughter Makes Him Proud
“ When California Congressman Mike Honda tweeted a photo of himself on Twitter back in February, grinning next to his beautiful 8-year-old granddaughter Malisa, it went viral right away — and not just because it was cute. ‘As a proud grandpa of a transgender grandchild,’ the eight-term Democrat wrote. ‘I hope she can feel safe at school without fear of being bullied.’ With those words, Honda had chosen to make a private family matter very public.“ Read the full story at NBC news … [Read more...]
LGBT News: The First Gay Sit-in Happened 40 Years Ago
“Forty years ago, three teen-agers in Philadelphia took an extraordinary step by refusing to take a step. Their sit-in began on Sunday, April 25, 1965, at Dewey's restaurant near Rittenhouse Square in Center City. According to an account provided several months later by Clark Polak, a gay-rights leader in Philadelphia, ‘the action was a result of Dewey's refusal to serve a large number of homosexuals and persons wearing non-conformist clothing.’” Read the full article at the History News Network … [Read more...]
LGBT News: Celebrating the Trans 100’s Women of Color
“The Trans 100 — an annual list of 100 trans Americans accomplished in the fields of advocacy and art — is all about positive visibility.” See the full list and article in The Advocate … [Read more...]
LGBT News: This May Be The Youngest Ever Same-Sex Kiss On US TV
“ABC Family show The Fosters has screened a kiss between two 13-year-old boys, delighting fans of the groundbreaking show that follows a family of five biological, adopted and foster children parented by lesbian mothers.” Read more on BuzzFeed … [Read more...]
LGBT News: Trans Teen Jazz Jennings Named New Face of Clean & Clear Campaign, Star of New TLC Docuseries ‘All That Jazz’
“TLC has ordered the new 11-episode docuseries All That Jazz, which will follow trans teen Jazz Jennings in her daily life as she juggles high school, dating, and her work as an LGBT advocate.” Read more at GLAAD.org … [Read more...]
LGBT News: Most Major California School Districts Pledge to Reduce Suspensions
“The state's landmark school finance law has prompted most major California school districts to pledge to reduce student suspensions, hire more counselors and use positive alternatives to deal with misbehavior, according to a study released Wednesday.” Read the full article in The LA Times … [Read more...]
LGBT Youth Voices: I’m a Transgender Teen and Which Restroom I Use Is None of Your Business
“The Kentucky Student Privacy Act, as proposed by Kentucky State Sen. C.B. Embry, would deny access to restrooms, locker rooms and other gender-specific spaces to students who do not identify with the gender assigned to them at birth. The act also suggests "compromises" with transgender students who fit these circumstances. In this case, the transgender student would have to use a unisex facility, which many schools do not have, or use the faculty restrooms.” Read more in The Huffington Post … [Read more...]
[Updated] Queer Skate Night! Mar 3
Join Theta Pi Sigma - Alpha Chapter in supporting the Safe Schools Project, part of the Queer Youth Task Force of Santa Cruz County! Meet The Santa Cruz Derby Girls and get a chance to win some awesome prizes they’ve provided for the raffle! When: Tuesday, March 3rd, 2015 @ 7:30pm - 9:30pm Where: Santa Cruz Roller Palladium, 1606 Seabright Ave, Santa Cruz, California 95062 ** Easily accessible by bus routes: 66, 69, or 71 Cost = $5 presale - $10 at the door (Includes skate rental and raffle ticket) ΘΠΣ seeks to make all of our events … [Read more...]

