Despite protests led by Fresno area conservatives and Christian pastors, an LGBTQ Pride event at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo has "reached capacity," organizers say. A drag queen performance is among the scheduled activities at the after-hours function. The program, along with the raising of the Pride flag at Fresno...
Dueling Protests as Fresno LGBTQ Events Come Under Fire from Local Pastors, Electeds
Pride Month may be winding down in Fresno, but local Christian conservative leaders and politicians are keeping up their criticism about a number of the city's celebrations held this month. More than 50 Christian pastors from across Clovis and Fresno led by Jim Franklin, pastor of Cornerstone Church, gathered at...
Fighting Tears, Dyer Now Backs Pride Flag at City Hall
It took just one day for Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer to flip his stance against raising the Pride Flag at City Hall. Fighting off tears, Mayor Jerry Dyer reversed course and now supports a ceremony for the LGBT flag on City Hall flagpoles. A ceremony is scheduled for Friday, June...
Where to Fly LGBTQ Flag? Mayor Says Eaton Plaza. Pride Group Wants City Hall.
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer says he wants to avoid divisiveness when flying flags at City Hall. He is proposing that instead of an LGBTQ Pride flag-raising ceremony on June 11 at City Hall, it would take place two blocks away at another city property — Eaton Plaza. Dyer pitched his...
Arambula Praised After Passage of Bill to Save LGBTQ Lives
A bill to save LGBTQ lives introduced by Assemblyman Dr. Joaquin Arambula (D-Fresno) is headed to the California Senate. The bill initiates a pilot project that trains coroners and medical examiners in six counties to identify and collect data on a person's sexual orientation or gender identity in cases of violent...
Newsom Nominates 1st Gay to State Supreme Court
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom nominated the first openly gay Black man to the state Supreme Court on Monday, potentially replacing one of the court's more conservative members with a former federal civil rights attorney who prosecuted cross-burnings and police misconduct cases under President Ronald Reagan. Martin Jenkins, 66, would...
Record Number of LGBTQ Candidates Running for Office in US
NEW YORK — The number of openly LGBTQ elected officials in the United States has more than doubled in the past four years — and those ranks could soon grow, thanks to a record field of LGBTQ candidates this year, according to new data from an advocacy and research group....
Justices Rule LGBT People Protected From Job Discrimination
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled Monday that a landmark civil rights law protects gay, lesbian and transgender people from discrimination in employment, a resounding victory for LGBT rights from a conservative court. The court decided by a 6-3 vote that a key provision of the Civil Rights Act of...
California Pardons Gay Civil Rights Leader in New Initiative
SACRAMENTO — California’s governor announced Wednesday that he is posthumously pardoning a gay civil rights leader while creating a new pardon process for others convicted under outdated laws punishing homosexual activity. Bayard Rustin was a confidant of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and a key organizer of the March on...
Buttigieg Endorsed by Major California, Nevada LGBTQ Group
Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg has won the backing of Equality California, one of the nation's largest LGBTQ membership organizations, and its Nevada partner organization, an endorsement that could give him a boost in critical Western primaries. While Buttigieg is the only openly gay candidate in the race, his endorsement...