Despite immediate efforts by the new Biden presidential administration to protect and expand civil rights protections of LGBTQ people, conservative state legislatures have wasted no time introducing 71 bills targeting gender identity and sexual orientation among minorities. 

In Michigan, a transgender female inmate is suing state corrections officials after she was housed with known violent male offenders and sexually assaulted twice by two different men.

In California, state legislators are frustrated with the Department of Health for not tracking the sexual orientation and gender identity of those being tested and vaccinated for COVID-19.

(File photo: REUTERS/Brendan McDermid, via PBS)

A Gallup poll released this month revealed that more Americans are identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender than ever before and that 11% of all generation Z identify as bisexual. 

The American Psychiatric Association approved a 7-page resolution declaring gender non-binary identities and expression to be a normal variation of human identity and NOT a disorder. 

The San Francisco Health Center will present a first-ever televised fundraiser showcasing their services in the LGBTQ community during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

On April 1st, the Bay Area Reporter will celebrate its 50th-anniversary edition of the paper.  The paper known as “The BAR” is the longest-running LGBTQ news publication in the region.

(Photo: Beverly & Pack, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

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)