LGBT News
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
My family was once on the rough end of America’s immigration law, when faced with the threat of my same-sex spouse having to go back to her country of origin. Because of DOMA (The Defense of Marriage Act) LGBT people could not marry with federal immigration rights to sponsor a same-sex spouse to remain in … More New Yorker: “Taking Children From Their Parents is a Form of State Terror”
Governor gives go-ahead to legalize discrimination WASHINGTON – Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin today signed SB 1140 into law, codifying discrimination against legally married same-sex couples and others looking to adopt, and imperiling the well-being of youth in the state’s child welfare system. The new law will permit taxpayer funded adoption agencies to turn away same-sex … More Oklahoma Governor Signs Dangerous Anti-LGBT Child Welfare Bill Into Law
Spigot opens for fiber-optic web connections for rural Marin San Rafael, CA – Marin County’s broadband connections to West Marin are growing. With some County of Marin technical assistance, residents of Nicasio are receiving home service via 100 percent fiber-optic connections and enjoying reliable internet service for the first time. And a similar project for Bolinas … More Marin: Nicasio Gets Broadband; Funding for Bolinas
Federal and local law enforcement officials arrested 32 men on what they described as administrative immigration violations during a raid early Wednesday. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials wouldn’t confirm where the raid took place, but at about 11 a.m. Iowa State Patrol officers blocked off the entrance to MPC Enterprises — Midwest Precast Concrete — … More Horrific Nazi Tactic Raid Nets 32 Fathers by ICE Agents in Eastern Iowa
Washington, DC – This evening, Washington Post’s Nick Miroff, Seung Min Kim and Joshua Partlow report that, despite warnings from experts contained in U.S. embassy cables, the Trump administration ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 300,000 immigrants. These decisions are aimed at expelling legal immigrants with deep family, business, work and community ties in America. The … More WaPo: “U.S. embassy cables warned against expelling 300,000 immigrants. Trump officials did it anyway.”
Separating Children from Parents as a deterrent to immigration? This is OUR America!?! How could we? My great grandmother was ‘forced’ to separate from her two youngest children when faced with her “Sophie’s choice” during the anti-Jewish Pogroms of Eastern Europe, sending two small children to an orphanage in a remote corner of the globe, … More The Cruel America of Trump and Sessions: Where Children are Torn from Loving Parents
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
Advocates call on Gov. Mary Fallin to veto discriminatory bill WASHINGTON – At the eleventh hour, lawmakers in Oklahoma approved a bill that would allow adoption agencies receiving taxpayer funding to discriminate against legally married same-sex couples and LGBTQ youth, among others. The bill, SB 1140, was approved by both the House and Senate chambers … More Oklahoma Lawmakers Pass Dangerous Anti-LGBTQ Child Welfare Bill
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
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
In just one of many stories that highlight the barbarism of Trump’s attacks on immigrants and their families, we learn of a Las Vegas Mom Detained at her Green Card Interview. This hideously cruel treatment of an American family and outrageous misuse of US tax dollars is yet another finger point at Trump as he pretends to care … More Barbaric Trump Attack on Immigrant Family
Offers Expert Analysis of Meaning of Latest DOD Announcement SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The Palm Center today released the below short memo describing the impact and status of the Trump administration’s ban on transgender service members. “Breaking Down the March 23, 2018 Transgender Military Ban” outlines what the Pentagon and White House released on Friday; explains … More Short Memo on Trump Transgender Military Ban by Palm Center
Statewide civil rights laws offer no protections from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in areas such as employment, housing and public accommodations. Arizona’s legal landscape and social climate put the state’s 203,000 LGBT adults and 45,500 LGBT youth at risk of discrimination and harassment. The social, economic and health effects of stigma … More Nearly 250,000 LGBT in Arizona vulnerable to discrimination
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
Board of Supervisors to review contract with Touchstone Golf and grant from Coastal Conservancy for community engagement and visioning San Rafael, CA – A proposal to operate the San Geronimo Golf Course for the next two years is going before the Marin County Board of Supervisors on March 27, and approval of a contract with … More Marin County to Consider Interim Golf Vendor for San Geronimo
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
Public invited as Supervisors are briefed on each department’s workplan San Rafael, CA – Next week the Marin County Administrator will present recommendations to close a $5.6 million budget gap over the next two years. It’s the first time in five years that the County is asking for budget reductions from departments. Each County department … More Marin Budget Hearings Ask for Reductions for First Time in 5 Years
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
Canal Friday Night Boxing starts with March 16 reception and registration event San Rafael, CA – The Marin County Probation Department has collaborated with the Canal Welcome Center in San Rafael to establish the first-of-its-kind Canal FridayNight Boxing program. The opening reception and registration event is set for 6-9 p.m. Friday, March 16, at the … More San Rafael Boxing Program With Help of Marin Probation Department
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