A Forrestville musician who has risen to fame with the band Imagine Dragons announced a year-long giving campaign starting with two organizations here in Sonoma County including one supporting LGBTQ youth. 

The national Equality Act working its way through the house of representatives received the full support of Apple CEO Tim Cook last week, but even more exciting is that polls show more than 80% of Americans support full equality for LGBTQ people. 

The Biden administration is working with federal agencies to allow an X as a gender marker on federal forms of identification including passports and social security documents.

(Photo: Ben McKee, bassist for Imagine Dragons - Tuomas Vitikainen, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)Outbeat

Out Pennsylvania representative Brian Simms announced he is running for the office of Lt. Governor in that state. 

Rumors are circulating on the Internet that America’s most famous transgender woman Caitlyn Jenner has her eye on Gavin Newsom’s job as California’s Governor should Newsom be recalled. 

Many west coast LGBTQ pride organizations are struggling to make decisions about having in-person pride events this year.  Seattle Pride announced last week it is remaining virtual with this year’s event planned in June. Meanwhile, in San Francisco, Folsom Street event planners are optimistic about having an in-person event this September. 

A long-time member of the San Francisco Fire Department who is African American and transgender has filed suit against the city for discrimination.

(Photo: Candidate for Pennsylvania Lt. Governor, LGBTQ activist, State Representative, Brian Sims – Courtesy Brian Sims)

President Biden wasted no time making it clear to the world in a presidential memorandum that it shall be the policy of the United States to defend the human rights of LGBTQI people here and around the world.  But in a sharp contrast, former South Carolina Republican Governor Nikki Haley sharply criticized President Biden specifically for his defense of transgender people asserting that the President is attacking the rights of women. 

A Sonoma County gay man and an employee of the Fountain Grove Lodge was arrested by Santa Rosa Police on suspicion of child sexual abuse and is facing 29 criminal counts.

(Photo: Nikki Haley - Amr Alfiky for NPR)

Representative Marjorie Greene who is best known for many crazy Q-Anon-type conspiracy theories introduced a Bill last week to ban the flying of the rainbow pride flag at U.S. embassies around the world. 

In Mississippi, another transgender woman was found dead after being shot in her car.  Tragically, she was misgendered and her name disrespected by both police and local media. 

The Bay Area lost two activists last week for unrelated causes.  Carmen Vasquez and Hershon are being remembered this week for their life’s work in our local LGBTQ community.

(Photo: Marjorie Taylor Greene - Erin Scott, pool/AFP via Getty Images/NPR)