Fifty voices in a unique and most important reflection on LGBTQ! Do not miss the LA Premiere of Between the Shades – At Dances with Films and Chinese Theatre Hollywood Between the Shades is a documentary by filmmaker Jill Salvino and features 50+ voices, among them: Beth Malone (of Broadway’s Fun Home & Angels in America), … More Tickets for Los Angeles Premiere of Between the Shades
Appeal from African Human Rights Coalition to support Asylum Seeker work: Dear Friends, In addition to humanitarian and advocacy work, African HRC has been providing pro bono Country Conditions Reports and expert testimony for LGBTI asylum seekers from African Countries. I am writing to draw your attention to the case of Peter, (real name withheld) … More Case Moved Forward: El Paso Detention of Gay Man Seeking Asylum
Many of you have received your mail in ballots for the coming June 05, 2018 election. I want to stress the importance of voting for ALL and to take note of the down ballot as well as the top of the ballot races. Every office up for election plays an important part in the workings … More Marin County | California Voting My Recommendations and Endorsements
Standing with refugees, asylum seekers immigrants, and orphans because it is persecutory and tragic to separate families… This Mother’s day as we stand with refugee and asylum seeking mothers and the orphans who do not have mothers, I reflect on the tragedy of my own family and how the Trump Administration is working policy to … More A Reflective Mothers Day – Five Generations in My Maternal Line on Five Separate Continents Mothers
With thanks to San Francisco LGBTQ activist, Michael Petrelis, and his successful fundraising quest to take rainbow flags and regalia to Cuba for Havana Pride, we present the result in this pictorial from his social media: Havana Pride 2018 Melanie Nathan My e-mail commissionermnathan@gmail.com Support our work at African Human Rights Coalition Check out my … More HAVANA PRIDE
FULL LINEUP FOR 28TH EDITION RUNNING MAY 24 – JUNE 3. Brett Haley’s HEARTS BEAT LOUD to close festival; World Premiere of Christiaan Olwagen’s CANARY selected as Centerpiece Gala. TORONTO, ON – May 4, 2018 – The 28th annual Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival, one of the largest events of its kind in the world, revealed its … More Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film festival Announces Lineup
The role of the district attorney is crucial to the well being of our Marin community and we have not had a new DA for many years. I encourage you to come and meet the three candidates for District Attorney at a meet ’n greet—and then to stay for what promises to be a lively forum. And what … More The Importance of Your Marin District Attorney VOTE
SACRAMENTO—Legislation to establish June as Pride Month in statute passed the Assembly Committee on Governmental Organization by a vote of 15-0. Assembly Bill 2969 is authored by Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Silicon Valley), Chair of the California Legislative LGBT Caucus, and co-authored by all members of the California Legislative LGBT Caucus. AB 2969 is supported by … More California Bill to Establish June as Pride Month Passes Committee
As precaution, Fire Department follows guidelines from regional air quality district San Rafael, CA – The Marin County Fire Department is reminding residents that open burning for the purpose of range management, crop replacement, forest management and orchard pruning is now banned for the season in Marin County. The restriction was put in place May … More Open Burning On Hold in Marin
Will everyone please just stop talking about how poor ‘ol Sarah Huckabee Sanders was affronted at the White House Correspondent dinner this weekend. STFU! Here are 10 TOP reasons why! 10. The White House Correspondents dinner traditionally is a roast where people can be expected to be made fun of – that is its tradition. … More Top 10 Reasons why we should STFU about the pillory on Sarah Huckabee Sanders
San Rafael, CA – Marin County’s poorest residents have much different needs from their local government than those more financially fortunate. For instance, there aren’t as many construction permits filed for home additions in some ZIP codes, and there aren’t as many applications for food assistance in others. The County of Marin knows that there … More Marin County, Community Should Take Hard Look at Equity
Our responsibility as American LGBTQI on the global front is to first and foremost follow the lead and direction of the Ghanaian gay community … In writing this response to “EDITORIAL: Sac State shouldn’t break bread with repressive leaders – Persecution of LGBTQ, …….”, and the Article of Claire Morgan, Managing editor, published in the online Sacramento State student … More Why Sacramento State LGBTQI Community Should Welcome the President of Ghana
Prevent misuse and abuse on Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on April 28 San Rafael, CA – The opioid abuse crisis is a national phenomenon these days – there’s even a White House webpage devoted to it – but it’s been lingering in Marin County for decades. One in four Marin adults needs help for substance … More Time to Purge that Medicine Cabinet for Safety’s Sake
Global human rights activists and LGBT community in London launched a robust protest today at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, urging Commonwealth leaders to scrap anti-LGBT laws. Commonwealth leaders were blasted for refusing to discuss the persecution of at least 100 million LGBT people who live in Commonwealth countries where being gay is a crime. Protestors … More LGBT Protests in London at Commonwealth Meeting Calling for Decriminalization
You may know that back in February 26, 2018, I endorsed Senator Dianne Feinstein for U.S. Senate. I was upset that the Democratic Californian progressives had cast an inaccurate shadow on her, in favor of her contender, Rep. Kevin de Leon and that prompted me to write a piece about the Senator, indicative of her … More HRC Endorses California Senator Dianne Feinstein for Re-Election:
“This disgustingly ill-placed comment has no place in our American Congress and John Kennedy should be censured for it!” Melanie Nathan, as ED of African Human Rights Coalition. Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and chief executive of Facebook, faced a tough crowd on the House side of Capitol Hill in his two days of congressional testimony. … More Republican Senator John Kennedy Assails Facebook with Offensive Racist Swahili Comment
I am so proud to endorse Shelly Scott for Marin County Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk. Shelly served on the Marin Human Rights Commission with me and I have known her personally for many years. And if you go to her endorsement page you will see so many fellow former Human Rights Commissioner’s have endorsed Shelly. I assure … More Endorsing A Champion For Office of Marin County Assessor
DO YOUR PART TO PROTECT THE RULE OF LAW: “A few so-called “legal experts” have recently claimed that the President has the right to fire Mueller and/or interfere with the investigation for any reason. They’re wrong: When it comes to obstruction of justice, motives matter.” When Trump instituted his first Muslim travel ban and refugee suspension, … More Americans Must Help As Trump Threatens Rosenstein and Mueller
The High Court in Trinidad and Tobago delivered a verdict today striking down the old buggery law that criminalized homosexuality. Justice Devindra Rampersad will deliver his final ruling in three months and the Island LGBTQI communities celebrate: In March 2017, Jason Jones, an LGBT activist, took the government of Trinidad and Tobago to court, filing a lawsuit to strike down the so-called “buggery law”, … More Trinidad and Tobago Decriminalize Onerous Anti-LGBT Sexuality Laws
RxSafe Marin luncheon April 12 in San Rafael is free and open to all San Rafael, CA – Now that the opioid crisis is getting more national attention, Marin’s grassroots initiative called RxSafe Marin is convening experts for a community forum to talk about healthy options for managing pain on April 12. The four-year-old RxSafe … More Marin Forum Focused on Treating Pain Without Opioids
Flight Attendants or Deportation Agents? Washington, DC – Today, Muslim Advocates and the law firm Lewis Baach Kaufmann Middlemiss PLLC filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Transportation (“DOT”) on behalf of five U.S. citizens who were subject to grossly discriminated against by Aeroflot Airlines simply because of their perceived race and national origin. … More Discrimination Complaint Against Aeroflot Airlines
Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) remarks on gun safety at a March 14th hearing on the tragic mass shooting in Parkland, Fla. Video here. Feinstein’s remarks follow: “This hearing comes on the one-month anniversary of the heinous attack at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, by … More Feinstein Calls for Gun Safety Legislation
We should celebrate our diversity – not use it as a tool of division. Heather Knight’s recent article — “Mark Leno: his final quest is a run for the city’s top job” — was informative and seemingly-balanced until a particular unchallenged, ad hominem remark sent me back for a second read. The article quotes Nicole … More Mark Leno Leads San Francisco Mayoral Campaigns by Example
Former State Senator, Mark Leno, a favorite in the highly competitive and formidable race for San Francisco Mayor, is promising to end San Francisco’s critical street homeless crisis by 2020. As San Francisco Chronicle opinion writer Heather Knight noted back in January: “You have just 20 weeks to decide who should lead our economic powerhouse of a … More Mark Leno Candidate for San Francisco Mayor Promises to End Street Homelessness
Washington, D.C. (March 15, 2018) – The American Civil Liberties Union, Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, Human Rights First, and Covington & Burling LLP filed a federal lawsuit today challenging the Trump administration’s arbitrary detention of asylum seekers fleeing persecution, torture, or death in their countries of origin. All the plaintiffs have passed credible fear screenings — … More Challenging the Trump Administration’s Arbitrary Detention of Asylum Seekers
Texas Immigrants, Advocates, Legal Experts Outline Steps Forward After Fifth Circuit Court Ruling on Anti-Immigrant Law SB4 A recording of today’s event is available here. Austin, TX – The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday ruled that Senate Bill 4, the state’s so-called sanctuary cities ban, can remain the law of the land in Texas … More Texas Steps After Fifth Circuit Court Ruling on Anti-Immigrant Law SB4
In a long awaited opinion, the Supreme Court in Jennings v. Rodriguez disappointingly reversed an appellate court decision holding that U.S. immigration statutes do not authorize immigrants to be held indefinitely and affording those individuals bond hearings after six months to evaluate if detention remains justified. The Supreme Court sent the case back to the appellate court to consider the constitutional limits of the statutes, if any, … More SCOTUS Ruling Stings Immigrants in Detention
This week, the Kenyan Court will be hearing a matter, at Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi, to challenge the Colonial Penal Codes that in essence serve to criminalize homosexuality and target the LGBTI community. The case has been brought by the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (NGLHRC). The case seeks to enforce the … More Kenyan Court to Hear Case That Challenges Anti-LGBTI Penal Codes
I am PISSED OFF with The View: I rarely BLOG about my Social media commentary – I am angry enough to hope that this gets its spot on Google Search Engines. Here is my Facebook post: I don’t understand how the producers of the View allowed this to happen: I am in #NYC and went … More The VIEW Allowed Meghan McCain to Offend the Memories of The Parkland Massacre Victims, While Whoring Happy Cheers for her Father!
CGRS Responds to State of the Union Address, Condemns White House Immigration Framework San Francisco, CA (January 31, 2018) – The Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS) condemns the hardline immigration policies promoted in yesterday’s State of the Union address, including measures that target asylum seekers. Despite disingenuous calls for unity, President Trump has … More Responses to Trump State of the Union Address
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