“A Washington D.C. high school principal surprised and inspired his students when he came out as gay at the school's Pride Day event. Pete Cahall, principal of Wilson High School, hid his sexuality for many years. During the school-wide Pride event, with more than twenty community organizations and government agencies that support LGBT youth in attendance, Cahall decided it was the right time to come out.” Visit GLAAD to view the full video and article … [Read more...]
Presidential Proclamation
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, 2014 “As progress spreads from State to State, as justice is delivered in the courtroom, and as more of our fellow Americans are treated with dignity and respect -- our Nation becomes not only more accepting, but more equal as well. During Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month, we celebrate victories that have affirmed freedom and fairness, and we recommit ourselves to completing the work that remains.” … [Read more...]
LGBT Local News: Inside Out
“The arrest of gay men entrapped by undercover Capitola police officers in 1980, and the subsequent publishing of the names and home addresses of those arrested in local newspapers, led to over 200 people protesting the actions at a Capitola City Council meeting. Santa Cruz County was the first in the nation to adopt a gay non-discrimination policy for its own employees in 1975, and the City of Santa Cruz and Metropolitan Transit District’s domestic partners benefits programs were among the first in the nation in the mid-1980s. In 1983, I had … [Read more...]
LGBT Local News: Santa Cruz Pride Celebrates 40 Years of Advocacy
“As socially progressive as Santa Cruz may seem now, it wasn't always the case, the couple said. ‘In those early years, people were yelling at us on Pacific Avenue, 'Fags, go home,’’ Friedman said. ‘It was not very welcoming’ and ‘to come from that where we are today’ is a major leap.” Read more in The Santa Cruz Sentinel … [Read more...]
LGBT News: Syphilis Cases Rising Sharply Among Young Gay Men
“Why are young MSMs [Males who have sex with males] at highest risk? There are a number of possible reasons. Some are similar to reasons that this same population is at higher risk for HIV infection. One is lack of knowledge. Men in these age groups may not have gotten much information on STIs through sex education classes, information available in the community, from health departments, etc. They may be unaware of how they are at risk and how to protect themselves.” Read More in AmericaBlog … [Read more...]
LGBT News: Transgender Teens Are Fitting In With The Aid Of School Officials, But Concerns Remain
“California this year became the first state with a law spelling out the transgender student rights in public schools, including the ability to use restrooms and to play on sports teams that match their expressed genders. Another 13 states prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity in schools. Dozens of districts, from Salt Lake City and Kansas City to Knoxville, Tennessee, and Decatur, Georgia, have adopted similar protections.” Read More in The Huffington Post … [Read more...]
Harvey Milk Day 2014, May 22
Who Was Harvey Milk? “Harvey Milk was an activist, organizer, and the first openly gay man elected to public office in the country as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in the late 1970s. Harvey Milk came out and started organizing against discrimination of gay and lesbian business owners in the Castro District of San Francisco, and against the Briggs Initiative (this was an initiative on the California state ballot in 1978 that would have banned gays and lesbians from working in California schools). Milk was responsible for … [Read more...]
LGBT News: Proud Mother Talks About Important and Unique Role GSA’s Played in Her Sons Life
“This is the story of my experience as a mother of a gay son and how I struggled to support him during his middle and high school years. It is the third video in my Proud Mom series. I created these videos, with my son's support, to promote acceptance and support of LGBTQ youth in families, communities and schools.” Watch the video on Vimeo … [Read more...]
LGBT News: Photographer Attempts To Capture LGBT America In 10,000 Portraits
“Creator iO Tillett Wright, along with her project team, hopes to “humanize a vast community” simply by documenting their diverse faces.” Read More about this project on BuzzFeed … [Read more...]
National LGBT News: US Dept. of Education. Announces Title IX Protects Transgender Students
“The guidance, from the Department's Office for Civil Rights (OCR), states: "Title IX's sex discrimination prohibition extends to claims of discrimination based on gender identity or failure to conform to stereotypical notions of masculinity or femininity and OCR accepts such complaints for investigation." Read more at The National Center for Transgender Equality … [Read more...]