BELLEVUE, Wash. — The Washington State Supreme Court heard oral arguments today in the case in which a florist refused to sell flowers to a gay couple for their wedding. A lower court ruled in 2015 that Arlene’s Flowers violated the state’s anti-discrimination and consumer protection laws by refusing service to the couple. The American…
WASHINGTON — More than a dozen national organizations delivered over 342,000 petition signatures to Congress today in opposition to an amendment in the annual defense bill that would fund discrimination. The petitions were delivered to the Washington offices of Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Reps. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) and Adam Smith…
LYNCHBURG, Va.–Collateral Damage Project (CDP) announced its first official fundraising launch to raise critical funds to treat post-9/11 veterans suffering from life threatening mental health conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), anxiety and depression. This four week intensive program is the first-of-its-kind to offer comprehensive treatment in a residential-like setting. This…
SAO PAULO, Brazil – Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, the world’s largest non-profit dedicated to achieving lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workplace equality, today announced details of its 2016 Out & Equal Brazil Forum, which will take place Nov. 17 in São Paulo. Out & Equal Founder and CEO Selisse Berry will deliver the keynote…
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is withdrawing its proposal to provide medically necessary gender confirmation surgery for transgender veterans, as a result of funding issues. A statement from the department to Military.com said, “VA has been and will continue to explore a regulatory change that would allow VA to perform gender alteration surgery and…
WASHINGTON, D.C.- Main Street Alliance small business owners warned of a Donald Trump presidency and the potential impact the election results could have on their businesses in the months and days leading up to the election. They expressed concern over his attacks on women, immigrants, refugees, the LGBTQ community, and people of color, as well…
BERKELEY, Calif. —The campaigns for the 17 measures on California’s ballot raised more than $446 million combined. MapLight, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization that tracks money in politics took a look at the money behind the biggest winners and losers in those races: Winner: The Pharmaceutical Industry The industry spent more than $109 million…
LOS ANGELES — For its annual Year in Review issue, The Advocate looks back at a series of moments that collectively shaped 2016. The retrospective look at this past year includes a collection of events that have impacted our society in a variety of ways. One of these incidences includes the Pulse Nightclub massacre, the…
Forty percent of cancers diagnosed in the U.S. may have a link to tobacco use, according to this month’s Vital Signs Report. Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of cancer and cancer deaths. It causes more than lung cancer — based on current evidence, it can cause cancers of the mouth and throat, voice…
Thom Senzee, author of this article, is a West Coast-based freelance journalist, and a regular contributor to San Diego LGBT Weekly. This year’s induction ceremony at the Benjamin Dillingham III and Bridget Wilson LGBT Veterans Wall of Honor was a more – maybe the word is “authentic” – experience for one of the wall’s new…
