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Global Solidarity For LGBTQ Russians

Hundreds of protestors attended for a demonstration outside the Russian Embassy in London against Putin’s increasing persecution of our LGBTQ community & in solidarity with LGBTQ Russians who are fighting back. The rally was jointly organized by All Out & the Peter Tatchell Foundation. It was one of 13 Speak Out rallies in cities worldwide from New York to Sao Paulo, Berlin, Bangalore & Taipei. Peter Tatchell stated, “This Global Speak Out is in solidarity with Russia’s beleaguered LGBT+ community; to show that they are not alone or forgotten. We salute them. Russia’s decision to label the ‘international public LGBT+ movement’ as extremist has led to a wave of repression. A woman was jailed for wearing rainbow earrings. Gay venues have been raided by police armed with semi-automatic weapons, with attendees being insulted, shoved, photographed, made to lie face down on the floor & then arrested. The rainbow flag has been declared a forbidden symbol & already people have been fined for posting it on social media. The new law applies retrospectively to past displays of the rainbow flag. A person found guilty of displaying extremist group symbols faces up to 15 days in detention for the first offence & up to four years in prison for a repeat offence. Participating in, or financing, an extremist organization is punishable by up to 12 years in prison. LGBT+ support groups have had to go underground to avoid arrest. The situation for LGBT+ people within Russia has reached a critical point, with many fearing worse to come. Facing increased danger, it has become too dangerous for many LGBTs to remain in Russia. Some have fled overseas & more are preparing to leave.” 

SAGE Adds Two Fab New Board Directors

SAGE announced that Grant Ginder & Lee Coccaro-Sider have been added to its national Board of Directors bringing their wealth of knowledge & dedication to SAGE’s mission of enhancing the lives of LGBTQ elders everywhere. Michael Adams SAGE CEO stated, “We are incredibly fortunate to welcome these two deeply talented professionals & dedicated community members to our Board. Lee’s decades of experience in health care & Grant’s inspired work as an educator & novelist will contribute immensely to the rich & varied perspectives that are such a source of strength for SAGE & our Board of Directors.” Grant Ginder added, “I’m excited to join such a dedicated group of community-minded people. Storytelling is a powerful tool for change, & SAGE honors & shares the stories of our LGBTQ+ elders every day.” Lee Coccaro-Sider concluded, “It’s an honor to be a part of the good work of SAGE. I have dedicated much of my life’s work to fighting for better HIV/AIDS services. It is so rewarding to see members of our community now enjoying a long life & becoming elders. It’s a joy that I can continue to advocate for them in this next stage of life.” Founded in 1978 SAGE is the world’s largest & oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ older people. SAGE also advocates for public policy changes that address the needs of LGBTQ+ elders, provides education & technical assistance for aging providers & LGBTQ+ community organizations through its National Resource Center on LGBTQ+ Aging. 

Global Transgender Human Rights Study

A new study released by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights entitled “Human rights & gender identity & expression” addresses long-standing & new challenges experienced by our transgender community globally. It includes those who are further marginalized due to their characteristics or status & addresses that trans people are a diverse group of individuals with differing experiences, identities & views. Commissioner Dunja Mijatović stated, “Realizing the rights of trans people is a matter of applying human rights equally to everyone & states have the primary responsibility to lift the barriers trans people are facing in exercising their human rights. Anti-gender & anti-rights narratives ultimately undermine the rights of everyone, but their focus on so-called traditional norms around sex, gender & expression is particularly destructive of the rights of trans people. The greater visibility & awareness of trans people at all levels of society & the significant progress made in providing better legal protection & recognition of the human rights of trans people across Europe, contrast with the shockingly high rates of discrimination, violence & insecurity trans people experience in their daily lives. There is no such thing as granting ‘special’ rights & realizing the human rights of trans people does not undermine the rights of others. Human rights are universal: they apply equally to everyone.” The report covers a range of issues such as non-discrimination, violence, family law, healthcare, legal gender recognition, asylum, employment, conversion practices, education & poverty & housing. It further addresses the rights & interests of trans children & youth in various settings, the recognition & protection of non-binary people & interconnections with gender expression. 

Don’t Say Gay or Trans Law In Florida

LGBTQ leaders applaud the historic settlement challenging the constitutionality of Florida’s Don’t Say Gay or Trans (Parental Rights in Education) law. The two-year lawsuit ended dismantling most of the dangerously vague provisions that enabled school districts to restrict representation of LGBTQ people in curriculum, policy & personal conversation. Melanie Willingham Jaggers GLSEN Executive Director stated, “This settlement is a powerful testament to the tireless efforts of LGBTQ+ advocates who refused to back down in the face of discriminatory legislation. By dismantling the vague & harmful provisions, we've effectively turned the tables on those who sought to erase the identities of trans & non-binary students, parents, guardians & teachers. Though the fight isn't over, this agreement is a crucial step forward in protecting LGBTQ+ individuals in educational settings.” Rae Leiner, Field Director, National LGBT Task Force concluded, “The settlement of the challenge against the 'Don’t Say Gay or Trans' law in Florida is a welcome & life-saving development & a win for the people of Florida. This decision is the direct result of activist and community efforts to fight harmful & discriminatory laws. These attacks were inflicted by elected officials & far-right extremists who value their own political capital over the lives of LGBTQ people, people of color, & other marginalized groups. The win comes out of the testimony of hundreds of brave young people, organizers, activists & community members, from countless protests in the streets, from innumerable challenging conversations in living rooms. Advocates spent countless hours making sure Florida voters would see the real-life impact of this legislation would look during their lobbying season & their hard work paid off & we can now make clear that LGBTQ people, our lives & our history, will not be erased."

Gay Activist David Mixner Rest In Power

So sad to hear of the passing of Gay Activist David Mixner. He was a force to be reckoned with in the advancement of our LGBTQ equality. I didn’t know him personally beyond our Facebook friendship but always appreciated his input on our stories & podcasts. Mayor Annise Parker, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund President & CEO stated, “Today, we lost David Mixner, a founding father of LGBTQ+ Victory Fund & our movement for equality. David was a courageous, resilient & unyielding force for social change at a time when our community faced widespread discrimination & an HIV/AIDS crisis ignored by the political class in Washington, DC. In 1987, David joined one of the first HIV/AIDS protests outside the Reagan White House, where police wore latex gloves because of the stigma & misinformation around HIV/AIDS. He was arrested, along with 64 others & made national headlines, when being an out person could lead to harassment, violence or worse. But David was undeterred… In 1991, he joined other activists to launch a new organization, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, that exclusively supported LGBTQ+ candidates. David served with Lynn Greer as a founding board co-chair. With support for candidates underway, his vision of a government & democracy representative of its people expanded beyond elections & moved to ensure we were represented in political parties & presidential administrations as well. He pushed the presidential campaign of Bill Clinton to be inclusive of gay people & was asked to join the campaign’s National Executive Committee – the first time an out LGBTQ+ person held a public facing presidential campaign role. When President Clinton won, David launched Victory’s Presidential Appointments Program, pushing the administration to appoint LGBTQ+ people to key political positions. That work continues to this day…” (Portrait by Christopher Oakley) For More Info…

Florida Winning Against LGBTQ Hate

As Florida’s 60-Day Legislative Session came to an end numerous victories were achieved for our LGBTQ community. Republicans had filed 22 of the most extreme anti-LGBTQ bills the state had ever seen including bills attacking the existence of transgender people, expanding Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” workplace policies, abortion bans with no exception for rape or incest, banning pride flags & symbols & much more. However 21 of the 22 bills were either stopped or neutralized. The only bill that did pass was Stop WOKE Teacher Training (HB 1291) which is very likely unconstitutional. Geoff Wetrosky, HRC Vice President of National Campaigns stated, “Despite years of relentless attacks & dehumanizing rhetoric, LGBTQ+ people & our allies have never given up the fight for Florida & we are shifting the momentum. People across the state showed up by the thousands to speak out & push back against anti-LGBTQ+ bills; & they are to thank for pushing back the tide of hateful & discriminatory policy. The fight to free Florida from the grip of Governor DeSantis’ devastating & extreme agenda of government censorship & intrusion into people’s lives is far from over & the devastation he & his allies have caused will last long after these politicians are gone. But the tide is turning. Perhaps the anti-LGBTQ+ fever in Tallahassee is beginning to break. The people will prevail." The defeat of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation was driven by the tireless advocacy of Equality Florida & LGBTQ & allied Floridians who have persevered through years of anti-LGBTQ+ policy attacks & dehumanizing rhetoric. 

Celebrating International Women's Day

International Women's Day (IWD) celebrated on March 8th was originally called International Working Women's Day. The earliest Women’s Day observance in the USA was held on February 28th 1909 in New York in remembrance of the 1908 strike of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. Every year there’s a theme & this year it’s “Inspire Inclusion”. We must inspire others to understand & value women's inclusion in order to create a better world. The International Women's Day campaign theme Inspire Inclusion embraces the importance of diversity & empowerment in all aspects of our society. It calls for action to break down barriers, challenge stereotypes & create environments where all women are valued & respected. Inspire Inclusion encourages everyone to recognize the unique perspectives & contributions of women from all walks of life including those from marginalized communities especially our LGBTQ community. One of the key pillars of Inspire Inclusion is the promotion of diversity in leadership & decision-making positions. Women especially those belonging to underrepresented groups continue to face barriers when seeking leadership roles. By championing inclusion organizations & communities can harness the full potential of diverse perspectives leading to better decision-making & innovation. Gloria Steinem stated, "The story of women's struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights." For starters in this country let’s take the challenge & pass the Equality Act so women would finally receive equal pay & stop this insanity of women making 77 cents on a dollar & women of color make 67 cents. It up to us to demand equality for all.

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Global Solidarity For LGBTQ Russians

Hundreds of protestors attended for a demonstration outside the Russian Embassy in London against Putin’s increasing persecution of our LGBT...

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