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"title": "‘We Are Sacred’: As Eid Arrives, How Queer Muslims Curate Community",
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"content": "\u003cp>Under \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11910408/ramadan-begins-on-a-crescent-moon-ushering-in-a-holy-month-of-fasting-and-kindness\">a Ramadan moon\u003c/a> in a downtown Oakland restaurant, a crowd of around 70 people left their shoes at the door and packed inside to break fast together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11979258/ramadan-2024-where-to-join-iftars-and-suhoors-in-the-bay-area\">At this Iftar\u003c/a>, hummus, pita, chicken and rice were passed out, alongside the obligatory chai — as well as vendors selling art, prints and handmade soaps. The main event of the night, however, was the lineup of poetry, music and stand-up comedy, all performed by LGBTQ+ Muslims from around the Bay Area.[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Zara Ahmed, Oakland resident\"]‘We wanted to hold space for our community in Oakland, and in the Bay Area, to invite queer Muslims to come out and join us — because we are sacred.’[/pullquote]The queer Iftar took place just ahead of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13955448/where-to-celebrate-eid-al-fitr-in-the-bay-area-from-buffets-to-food-markets\">Eid al-Fitr\u003c/a>, the feast of the breaking of the fast that marks the end of Ramadan. Oakland residents Zara Ahmed and Hafsa Luvsa, who met at past queer \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11979258/ramadan-2024-where-to-join-iftars-and-suhoors-in-the-bay-area\">Iftars in the Bay Area\u003c/a>, organized and emceed this open-mic night. The pair also regularly jam out together in a classical band the Naan Biryanis — a play on “nonbinary.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We wanted to hold space for our community in Oakland, and in the Bay Area, to invite queer Muslims to come out and join us — because we are sacred,” Ahmed said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And some performers that night, like Weyam Al-Ghadban, a stand-up comedian based in Oakland, got up for the first time in front of a queer \u003cem>and \u003c/em>Muslim audience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I literally almost feel my ancestors — who either were queer in ways we don’t recognize or couldn’t be queer — heave a sigh of relief,” Al-Ghadban said in an interview. “Like, ‘Wow: Look at these fully-expressed human beings.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Al-Ghadban said it was a relief not to have to explain every nuance of their life to an audience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m Arab. Who’s Arab?” Al-Ghadban asked the audience, which was met with several cheers. “Yeah, it’s a really f—ing hard time to be Arab right now,” they said during their set.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981885\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1333px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981885\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-20-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1333\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-20-KQED.jpg 1333w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-20-KQED-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-20-KQED-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-20-KQED-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-20-KQED-1024x1536.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Weyam Al-Ghadban performs stand-up comedy at a queer Muslim open-mic event during the holy month of Ramadan at Understory in Oakland, California, on March 30, 2024. \u003ccite>(Marissa Leshnov/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Al-Ghadban’s situational humor did not shy away from the sick rage they said they felt from \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/gaza/\">Israel’s ongoing siege in Gaza\u003c/a>, which has killed over 31,000 people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“How many of you had friends who were like, ‘I just don’t know how to \u003cem>feel … \u003c/em>it’s so \u003cem>complicated\u003c/em>,’” they asked the crowd. “You know what’s complicated? Polyamorous relationships.”[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Weyam Al-Ghadban, stand-up comedian, Oakland\"]‘I literally almost feel my ancestors — who either were queer in ways we don’t recognize, or couldn’t be queer — heave a sigh of relief … ‘Wow: Look at these fully-expressed human beings.’’[/pullquote]“I think that Muslim communities are generally pretty used to that feeling of ‘bracing,’” said Zara Jamshed, an Emeryville resident who attended the queer Iftar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jamshed also spoke of a “looming ambiance of Islamophobia” amid \u003ca href=\"https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-anti-muslim-incidents-hit-record-high-2023-due-israel-gaza-war-2024-04-02/\">a recent rise in reported anti-Muslim attacks and discrimination within the United States\u003c/a> since the war in Gaza began. In a period where Bay Area Muslims have abstained from food and water from sunrise to sunset, news of what the United Nations has described as an \u003ca href=\"https://www.who.int/news/item/18-03-2024-famine-in-gaza-is-imminent--with-immediate-and-long-term-health-consequences\">“imminent famine”\u003c/a> in Gaza \u003ca href=\"https://www.newyorker.com/news/essay/fasting-for-ramadan-while-gaza-goes-hungry\">has been ever-present\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jamshed also spoke of the difficulty of “feeling the visceral hunger of fasting” while “sitting with the knowledge that these folks [in Gaza] are breaking their fast with grass — or barely breaking their fast at all.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Concretely make the community visible’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>There isn’t a great deal of data exploring the lives of queer Muslims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So Queer Crescent, an Oakland-born LGBTQ+ organization, embarked on a major new survey, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTfSLzfdouQ\">“Presencing Ourselves,” \u003c/a>which reflects almost 700 respondents nationwide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981888\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981888\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-28-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-28-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-28-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-28-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-28-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-28-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-28-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Messages of support for Palestine are taped to the wall at a queer Muslim open-mic event in Oakland, California, on March 30, 2024. \u003ccite>(Marissa Leshnov/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This would be the largest survey of its kind undertaken in the U.S., according to Queer Crescent. Previously, “there was no documentation of actual needs of queer and trans-Muslims,” said Hamzeh Daoud, a Queer Crescent researcher based in Los Angeles. “People were really going off of our oral histories, our experiences of life — which is [still] valid and valuable.”[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Amara Ahmed, researcher, Queer Crescent\"]‘We wanted to do something that would very concretely make the community visible in a way that you can’t just ignore. These people exist.’[/pullquote]Daoud said the project was also aiming to uncover a lack of data seen in previous studies — for example, when Muslim respondents were asked about their opinions on LGBTQ+ rights, but not if they were part of the LGBTQ+ community themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We wanted to do something that would very concretely make the community visible in a way that you can’t just ignore,” said Daoud’s fellow Queer Crescent researcher, Amara Ahmed. “These people exist.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the full findings of the Presencing Ourselves survey will be released in June, Queer Crescent has already shared preliminary insights that address housing, medical discrimination and policing.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Among the findings:\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>20% of respondents had experienced homelessness\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Nearly 9 in 10 reported some degree of anxiety around government surveillance\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Over 90% of respondents told the group that they believed there was a stigma around conversations about sexual assault in Muslim communities\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>93% said they saw a similar stigma around sexual health and reproductive services within Muslim communities[aside postID=news_11978744 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/20231017-Gaza-Vigil-030-JY_qut-1020x680.jpg']In regards to the latter results, Ahmed noted that “queer folks do not feel comfortable” talking about sexual health and identity “within their community” — which she said she finds particularly troubling given that “like other populations, LGBTQ Muslims find out that they’re queer at relatively young ages.”\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>In 2023, a group of \u003ca href=\"https://www.acaciamag.com/articles/navigating-culture-wars\">American and Canadian Muslim scholars published a letter\u003c/a> titled \u003cem>Navigating Differences: Clarifying Sexual and Gender Ethics in Islam,\u003c/em> defending their right to denounce “LGBTQ practices, beliefs and advocacy.” With the letter, these groups were now “basically doing exactly what Christian groups have done,” Ahmed said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A 2017 Pew Research report found that \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/u-s-muslims-more-accepting-homosexuality-white-evangelicals-n788891\">Muslims in America were actually “more accepting of homosexuality” than white Evangelicals\u003c/a>. And historically, as \u003ca href=\"https://www.acaciamag.com/articles/navigating-culture-wars\">queer Muslim scholars have stressed\u003c/a>, diversity of gender and sexuality has been observed in the Muslim world for centuries.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Where is belonging?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The researchers say their initial findings also speak to the challenges queer Muslims encounter over exactly which spaces can offer safety and a sense of belonging.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Conservative Muslims will deny queer Muslims exist,” Ahmed said, but “LGBTQ Muslims will sometimes not particularly want to go to secular LGBTQ spaces because there is distrust about Muslims in LGBTQ communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981880\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981880\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-05-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-05-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-05-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-05-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-05-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-05-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-05-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Naan Biryanis perform a song using traditional instruments to close out the Queer Muslim Open-Mic event at Understory in Oakland, California, on March 30, 2024. \u003ccite>(Marissa Leshnov/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The early survey results show queer Muslims felt slightly more “belonging” in LGBTQ+ spaces than in Muslim spaces. However, 29% of those surveyed said they didn’t feel a sense of belonging in those secular queer spaces either.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Daoud noted that secular queer organizations can “often engage in anti-Muslim racism in the ways that they uphold white supremacy and the ways that they uphold American liberalism.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11969701/this-is-resistance-how-queer-palestinian-artists-and-activists-in-the-bay-area-are-making-themselves-heard\">One example of this, they said, is “pinkwashing”\u003c/a> — described by academic Sa’ed Atshan as “when supporters of the right-wing Israeli state draw attention to a purported advanced LGBTQ rights record in Israel in order to detract attention away from Israel’s gross violations of Palestinian human rights.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981882\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981882\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-16-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-16-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-16-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-16-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-16-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-16-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-16-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Event attendees were asked to take off their shoes at a queer Muslim open-mic event hosted at Understory in Oakland, California, on March 30, 2024. \u003ccite>(Marissa Leshnov/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The stances of LGBTQ+ organizations in America \u003ca href=\"https://19thnews.org/2024/03/lgbtq-americans-gaza-israel-protests/\">have also come under extra scrutiny in the past months\u003c/a> — a Human Rights Campaign’s event in New York was \u003ca href=\"https://www.them.us/story/human-rights-campaign-northrop-grumman-gala-protest\">protested for its ties to a weapons manufacturer\u003c/a> — although \u003ca href=\"https://quitpalestine.org/frameline/\">queer activists have been pressuring organizations\u003c/a> about the treatment of Palestinians for years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2007, the group Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism \u003ca href=\"https://quitpalestine.org/frameline/\">launched a campaign\u003c/a> to pressure the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival to drop its partnership with the Israeli consulate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Queer Crescent researchers hope the insights found in their survey can eventually be used to form key recommendations for secular queer organizations around inclusivity — and cultural competence — when it comes to making LGBTQ+ Muslims feel welcomed and understood in these spaces.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘People are poets’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As heavy as many of the survey’s preliminary findings have proved when it comes to how safe LGBTQ+ Muslims feel in 2024, the people leading Queer Crescent say they’ve also found much comfort among the responses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Daoud said it was especially healing to see how people described their relationship to Islam:\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981883\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981883\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-17-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-17-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-17-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-17-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-17-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-17-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-17-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An event attendee browses through handmade soaps on sale at Understory in Oakland, California, on March 30, 2024. \u003ccite>(Marissa Leshnov/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“How they described their belief that being queer and trans is not mutually exclusive to being Muslim,” they said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Respondents also frequently expressed themselves with some sharpness. One response: “I don’t think Allah is going to look you over before heading to Janna [heaven] and be like, ‘My bad, you’re gay.’”[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Zara Jamshed, Emeryville resident\"]‘I asked Allah if I was a mistake, and Allah said no.’[/pullquote]“People already have the power to validate their own experiences,” Daoud said. “People are poets, man.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And this is what makes queer Iftars like the one in Oakland feel special for those who gather in these spaces. Toward the end of the night, Emeryville resident Zara Jamshed read from their poetry book chronicling their pilgrimage to Mecca as a trans and queer person.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To the assembled crowd, Jamshed described in verse how they walked in circles around the Ka’bah amid a sea of people:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I asked Allah if I was a mistake, and Allah said no.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"title": "‘We Are Sacred’: As Eid Arrives, How Queer Muslims Curate Community | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Under \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11910408/ramadan-begins-on-a-crescent-moon-ushering-in-a-holy-month-of-fasting-and-kindness\">a Ramadan moon\u003c/a> in a downtown Oakland restaurant, a crowd of around 70 people left their shoes at the door and packed inside to break fast together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11979258/ramadan-2024-where-to-join-iftars-and-suhoors-in-the-bay-area\">At this Iftar\u003c/a>, hummus, pita, chicken and rice were passed out, alongside the obligatory chai — as well as vendors selling art, prints and handmade soaps. The main event of the night, however, was the lineup of poetry, music and stand-up comedy, all performed by LGBTQ+ Muslims from around the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘We wanted to hold space for our community in Oakland, and in the Bay Area, to invite queer Muslims to come out and join us — because we are sacred.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The queer Iftar took place just ahead of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13955448/where-to-celebrate-eid-al-fitr-in-the-bay-area-from-buffets-to-food-markets\">Eid al-Fitr\u003c/a>, the feast of the breaking of the fast that marks the end of Ramadan. Oakland residents Zara Ahmed and Hafsa Luvsa, who met at past queer \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11979258/ramadan-2024-where-to-join-iftars-and-suhoors-in-the-bay-area\">Iftars in the Bay Area\u003c/a>, organized and emceed this open-mic night. The pair also regularly jam out together in a classical band the Naan Biryanis — a play on “nonbinary.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We wanted to hold space for our community in Oakland, and in the Bay Area, to invite queer Muslims to come out and join us — because we are sacred,” Ahmed said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And some performers that night, like Weyam Al-Ghadban, a stand-up comedian based in Oakland, got up for the first time in front of a queer \u003cem>and \u003c/em>Muslim audience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I literally almost feel my ancestors — who either were queer in ways we don’t recognize or couldn’t be queer — heave a sigh of relief,” Al-Ghadban said in an interview. “Like, ‘Wow: Look at these fully-expressed human beings.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Al-Ghadban said it was a relief not to have to explain every nuance of their life to an audience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m Arab. Who’s Arab?” Al-Ghadban asked the audience, which was met with several cheers. “Yeah, it’s a really f—ing hard time to be Arab right now,” they said during their set.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981885\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1333px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981885\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-20-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1333\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-20-KQED.jpg 1333w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-20-KQED-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-20-KQED-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-20-KQED-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-20-KQED-1024x1536.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Weyam Al-Ghadban performs stand-up comedy at a queer Muslim open-mic event during the holy month of Ramadan at Understory in Oakland, California, on March 30, 2024. \u003ccite>(Marissa Leshnov/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Al-Ghadban’s situational humor did not shy away from the sick rage they said they felt from \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/gaza/\">Israel’s ongoing siege in Gaza\u003c/a>, which has killed over 31,000 people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“How many of you had friends who were like, ‘I just don’t know how to \u003cem>feel … \u003c/em>it’s so \u003cem>complicated\u003c/em>,’” they asked the crowd. “You know what’s complicated? Polyamorous relationships.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“I think that Muslim communities are generally pretty used to that feeling of ‘bracing,’” said Zara Jamshed, an Emeryville resident who attended the queer Iftar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jamshed also spoke of a “looming ambiance of Islamophobia” amid \u003ca href=\"https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-anti-muslim-incidents-hit-record-high-2023-due-israel-gaza-war-2024-04-02/\">a recent rise in reported anti-Muslim attacks and discrimination within the United States\u003c/a> since the war in Gaza began. In a period where Bay Area Muslims have abstained from food and water from sunrise to sunset, news of what the United Nations has described as an \u003ca href=\"https://www.who.int/news/item/18-03-2024-famine-in-gaza-is-imminent--with-immediate-and-long-term-health-consequences\">“imminent famine”\u003c/a> in Gaza \u003ca href=\"https://www.newyorker.com/news/essay/fasting-for-ramadan-while-gaza-goes-hungry\">has been ever-present\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jamshed also spoke of the difficulty of “feeling the visceral hunger of fasting” while “sitting with the knowledge that these folks [in Gaza] are breaking their fast with grass — or barely breaking their fast at all.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Concretely make the community visible’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>There isn’t a great deal of data exploring the lives of queer Muslims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So Queer Crescent, an Oakland-born LGBTQ+ organization, embarked on a major new survey, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTfSLzfdouQ\">“Presencing Ourselves,” \u003c/a>which reflects almost 700 respondents nationwide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981888\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981888\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-28-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-28-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-28-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-28-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-28-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-28-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-28-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Messages of support for Palestine are taped to the wall at a queer Muslim open-mic event in Oakland, California, on March 30, 2024. \u003ccite>(Marissa Leshnov/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This would be the largest survey of its kind undertaken in the U.S., according to Queer Crescent. Previously, “there was no documentation of actual needs of queer and trans-Muslims,” said Hamzeh Daoud, a Queer Crescent researcher based in Los Angeles. “People were really going off of our oral histories, our experiences of life — which is [still] valid and valuable.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Daoud said the project was also aiming to uncover a lack of data seen in previous studies — for example, when Muslim respondents were asked about their opinions on LGBTQ+ rights, but not if they were part of the LGBTQ+ community themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We wanted to do something that would very concretely make the community visible in a way that you can’t just ignore,” said Daoud’s fellow Queer Crescent researcher, Amara Ahmed. “These people exist.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the full findings of the Presencing Ourselves survey will be released in June, Queer Crescent has already shared preliminary insights that address housing, medical discrimination and policing.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Among the findings:\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>20% of respondents had experienced homelessness\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Nearly 9 in 10 reported some degree of anxiety around government surveillance\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Over 90% of respondents told the group that they believed there was a stigma around conversations about sexual assault in Muslim communities\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>93% said they saw a similar stigma around sexual health and reproductive services within Muslim communities\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In regards to the latter results, Ahmed noted that “queer folks do not feel comfortable” talking about sexual health and identity “within their community” — which she said she finds particularly troubling given that “like other populations, LGBTQ Muslims find out that they’re queer at relatively young ages.”\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>In 2023, a group of \u003ca href=\"https://www.acaciamag.com/articles/navigating-culture-wars\">American and Canadian Muslim scholars published a letter\u003c/a> titled \u003cem>Navigating Differences: Clarifying Sexual and Gender Ethics in Islam,\u003c/em> defending their right to denounce “LGBTQ practices, beliefs and advocacy.” With the letter, these groups were now “basically doing exactly what Christian groups have done,” Ahmed said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A 2017 Pew Research report found that \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/u-s-muslims-more-accepting-homosexuality-white-evangelicals-n788891\">Muslims in America were actually “more accepting of homosexuality” than white Evangelicals\u003c/a>. And historically, as \u003ca href=\"https://www.acaciamag.com/articles/navigating-culture-wars\">queer Muslim scholars have stressed\u003c/a>, diversity of gender and sexuality has been observed in the Muslim world for centuries.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Where is belonging?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The researchers say their initial findings also speak to the challenges queer Muslims encounter over exactly which spaces can offer safety and a sense of belonging.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Conservative Muslims will deny queer Muslims exist,” Ahmed said, but “LGBTQ Muslims will sometimes not particularly want to go to secular LGBTQ spaces because there is distrust about Muslims in LGBTQ communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981880\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981880\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-05-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-05-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-05-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-05-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-05-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-05-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-05-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Naan Biryanis perform a song using traditional instruments to close out the Queer Muslim Open-Mic event at Understory in Oakland, California, on March 30, 2024. \u003ccite>(Marissa Leshnov/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The early survey results show queer Muslims felt slightly more “belonging” in LGBTQ+ spaces than in Muslim spaces. However, 29% of those surveyed said they didn’t feel a sense of belonging in those secular queer spaces either.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Daoud noted that secular queer organizations can “often engage in anti-Muslim racism in the ways that they uphold white supremacy and the ways that they uphold American liberalism.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11969701/this-is-resistance-how-queer-palestinian-artists-and-activists-in-the-bay-area-are-making-themselves-heard\">One example of this, they said, is “pinkwashing”\u003c/a> — described by academic Sa’ed Atshan as “when supporters of the right-wing Israeli state draw attention to a purported advanced LGBTQ rights record in Israel in order to detract attention away from Israel’s gross violations of Palestinian human rights.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981882\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981882\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-16-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-16-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-16-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-16-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-16-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-16-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-16-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Event attendees were asked to take off their shoes at a queer Muslim open-mic event hosted at Understory in Oakland, California, on March 30, 2024. \u003ccite>(Marissa Leshnov/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The stances of LGBTQ+ organizations in America \u003ca href=\"https://19thnews.org/2024/03/lgbtq-americans-gaza-israel-protests/\">have also come under extra scrutiny in the past months\u003c/a> — a Human Rights Campaign’s event in New York was \u003ca href=\"https://www.them.us/story/human-rights-campaign-northrop-grumman-gala-protest\">protested for its ties to a weapons manufacturer\u003c/a> — although \u003ca href=\"https://quitpalestine.org/frameline/\">queer activists have been pressuring organizations\u003c/a> about the treatment of Palestinians for years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2007, the group Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism \u003ca href=\"https://quitpalestine.org/frameline/\">launched a campaign\u003c/a> to pressure the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival to drop its partnership with the Israeli consulate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Queer Crescent researchers hope the insights found in their survey can eventually be used to form key recommendations for secular queer organizations around inclusivity — and cultural competence — when it comes to making LGBTQ+ Muslims feel welcomed and understood in these spaces.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘People are poets’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As heavy as many of the survey’s preliminary findings have proved when it comes to how safe LGBTQ+ Muslims feel in 2024, the people leading Queer Crescent say they’ve also found much comfort among the responses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Daoud said it was especially healing to see how people described their relationship to Islam:\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11981883\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11981883\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-17-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-17-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-17-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-17-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-17-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-17-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/240330-QUEER-RAMADAN-ML-17-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An event attendee browses through handmade soaps on sale at Understory in Oakland, California, on March 30, 2024. \u003ccite>(Marissa Leshnov/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“How they described their belief that being queer and trans is not mutually exclusive to being Muslim,” they said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Respondents also frequently expressed themselves with some sharpness. One response: “I don’t think Allah is going to look you over before heading to Janna [heaven] and be like, ‘My bad, you’re gay.’”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“People already have the power to validate their own experiences,” Daoud said. “People are poets, man.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And this is what makes queer Iftars like the one in Oakland feel special for those who gather in these spaces. Toward the end of the night, Emeryville resident Zara Jamshed read from their poetry book chronicling their pilgrimage to Mecca as a trans and queer person.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To the assembled crowd, Jamshed described in verse how they walked in circles around the Ka’bah amid a sea of people:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I asked Allah if I was a mistake, and Allah said no.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-california-report-magazine/id1314750545?mt=2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Listen to this and more in-depth storytelling by subscribing to The California Report Magazine podcast.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 class=\"routes-Site-routes-Post-Title-__Title__title\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1985440/draft-living-in-californias-sierra-foothills-residents-confront-climate-change\">Facing the Fire: California’s Sierra Foothills Residents Race to Adapt\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This week, we’re featuring a story from Erin Baldassari, KQED’s Senior Editor for Housing Affordability. Erin’s reporting took her back to Nevada County, where she grew up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She wanted to learn how people there are adapting to the rising risk of wildfires due to climate change. And she started by asking folks the same question she’s been asking herself: “What do you do if climate change makes the place you love an increasingly dangerous place to live?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Erin’s story comes to us from the KQED podcast, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/podcasts/soldout\">Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">There are no signs of a doom loop in Oakland’s queer nightlife scene, where brick and mortar nightclubs and bars quadrupled in the last year, and the events to go along with them have grown too. KQED Arts and Culture Editor Nastia Voynovskaya explains what’s behind this flourishing scene.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"card card--enclosed grey\">\n\u003cp id=\"embed-code\" class=\"inconsolata\">\n\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=KQINC3907697122&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\n\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Links:\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13953497/a-queer-party-renaissance-brings-new-life-to-downtown-oakland\">A Queer Party Renaissance Brings New Life to Downtown Oakland\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/oakland-queer-nightlife-scene-renaissance-18121382.php\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">‘Something’s blooming’: Queer nightlife in Oakland is approaching a renaissance\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra, and welcome to the Bay. Local news to keep you rooted. There’s a queer nightlife renaissance happening in Oakland right now, and it’s bringing new life to a downtown that’s probably more well known these days for store closures and fears about crime and safety. But just take a look at the growth of brick and mortar queer spaces, and you’ll find another story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>If you go out in Oakland and meet people and are open, you really meet some of the most determined, heartfelt, and community oriented people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Today, I talk with KQED arts and Culture editor Nastia Voynovskaya about Oakland’s queer nightlife renaissance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>Oakland always had really fun queer parties that were popular, but there were really only a couple of brick and mortar options that you could visit any night of the week before the pandemic. And coming out of the pandemic, we have kind of seen this explosion of a lot of new venues. We’ve had, you know, cocktail lounges, clubs, bars open. So now Oakland’s brick and mortar queer venues are up to eight. That’s up from two, you know, in 2020. So it’s been this really amazing explosion of energy that a lot of people are calling a renaissance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>Most of these venues are located walking distance from 19th Street Bar and 12th Street Bar, so you can really do a loop. And you can start, you know, at Town Bar, for example. I hit the dance floor, maybe see a little drag or one of the other events that they have going on and, and, and then go to feel more and have a classy cocktail. Then you can make your way down to Katie Girl, which is a Latin club. Right across the street from there there’s Nectar Social Club and they have this huge, diverse array of events, art shows, open mic nights and dance parties to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>It seems like you’re describing like a scene that is not really just one thing. It’s like really a diverse sort of range of like vibes and music and spaces. It sounds like.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>Yeah, absolutely. Historically, Oakland’s queer scene has always been a lot more diverse than San Francisco’s. I think when people think of the queer scene in San Francisco, they often think of the Castro, which, for decades has been very male oriented and also skews very white. And Oakland has always been driven by queer people of color and often black women.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>But this new explosion of energy, there’s that. And I think it’s gotten even more diverse in terms of just different events on any night of the week, catering to different gender identities, but also ones that are not just segregated, but really embracing the way that people fluidly identify now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>It seems like it’s not just the venues are these brick and mortar is themselves, right. There’s like also a plethora of programing and events that are happening in the queer nightlife scene organized by queer party promoters. Can you tell us a little bit more about the growth of that over the last year?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>A lot of these promoters were here before the explosion of new venues, but now they have more places to throw events. And with that comes a diversity of more types of events. All these promoters are sort of roaming around town and activating different venues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeremy Redford: \u003c/strong>More so than ever. We need community and that’s what people are looking for.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>Jeremy Radford, the owner of Nectar Social Club, put it really well. We’re he said people aren’t necessarily just going out to downtown Oakland necessarily just see what’s going on. Which is why it might seem more quiet or more sleepy these days, but they are really loyally following these culture makers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeremy Redford: \u003c/strong>So many people are following and tracking the community leaders in the community, builders who they feel aligned with, and they’re putting on their calendars the events that they want to go to that really resonate with them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And I know you talked with some of the owners of these spaces. What did they tell you about why the scene seems to be growing?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>Yeah. Jeremy pointed out that during the pandemic, when everything was shut down, many people had the time to think about what they really wanted to do and come up with new avenues for themselves. So just coming out of that, people are really, really hungry to express and connect.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeremy Redford: \u003c/strong>I wanted to create a space that wasn’t just a nightclub, that was it just a cafe that wasn’t just a small event space. That was a blank canvas and a true third space in its fullest sense that were open daytime to nighttime. And you can come here and do everything from launch a new creative project to chat up the bartenders and make friends, or come dance until 2 a.m. and, you know, bring out all your friends and have the time in your life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>With a lot of storefronts still sitting empty. People also ended up activating sort of unconventional spaces like we’re an actor social club is. It may not be. If you just looked at it, you may not see it as the typical place that would hold a bar in a venue. It’s this very kind of like narrow, skinny bar, and it’s very, very intimate. And with that, you know, they’re able to have these more experimental events because it’s a pretty small space and it can just feel very full when 50 people are there dancing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, I want to talk now some more about the need that these spaces are filling. And I know you spoke with someone named Montana Hooks, who’s the creator behind Queer in Oakland. Can you tell me a little bit about her and her role in the scene?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>So Montana Hooks is the creator of this platform called Queer in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Montana Hooks: \u003c/strong>As Queer in Oakland. I started throwing events probably in like 2018.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>It’s, an online publication where she interviews and writes about queer culture makers, mostly folks of color. And then she also throws events under the Queer and Open banner at different venues. So those can be dance parties, artists markets. Speed dating has been a fun one because she says, you know, people are kind of sick of their phones and sick of apps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Montana Hooks: \u003c/strong>Queer folks to date, especially if you identify as a queer femme where, you know, you maybe when you’re walking down the street, it’s maybe easy to blend in. And the apps were great for that. It helped solve for that problem. But at the same time, there are a lot of, difficulties that come with using these apps. And, and I think we’re experiencing phone fatigue and app fatigue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>She says with all these new brick and mortar spaces, some of which are queer owned but don’t necessarily build themselves as exclusively queer, but that there’s more visibility than there has been in a while.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Montana Hooks: \u003c/strong>And as we’re becoming stronger as a community, I feel like that we can take up space now in ways that less marginalized communities don’t even have to give a second thought.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>You really see that at her events where, like, people are dancing and it has this very intimate energy and she’s been building a lot of really exciting momentum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Montana Hooks: \u003c/strong>They often want to cry, and I’m not even joking because it’s just so beautiful. And I love seeing everyone’s smiling faces. I love watching people meet. I love just being in the background and just seeing everyone do their thing. It’s it’s all so beautiful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Can you tell us about your connection to Oakland and why you wanted to cover this topic?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>I’ve been living in Oakland for all of my adult life, and as a queer person here, you know, I’ve been going out on the scene for that that time also, and it’s just been really exciting to watch all of these new venues pop up. It feels really awesome to have places that feel more inclusive also to folks of different gender identity. And instead of kind of waiting for your favorite queer party to come around once a month or whenever it may be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>It’s just awesome having places to go any night of the week, and also different kinds of activities that don’t just revolve around alcohol. So it just feels like the community is stronger than it has been in years, and maybe in my entire, you know, decade plus here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>How are you also thinking about this story in the context of the mainstream narrative around Oakland right now?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>Yeah, I mean, Oakland definitely has its challenges, and we should acknowledge that. But I do get frustrated when people just exclusively focus on this doom little narrative, because if you go out in Oakland and meet people and are open, you really meet some of the most determined and heartfelt and community oriented people that you will meet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>There’s always this really inspiring energy in Oakland, where people are trying to uplift and support each other through their creative passions. And that’s the thing I love most about it. Queer and trans people of color have always been leading the way and that in Oakland. So with this story, I just really wanted to pay homage to that and and uplift the people that are actually making positive things happen, rather than this constant negative narrative about our town.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, Nastia, thank you so much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>Thanks, Ericka. It was great being here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was Nastia Voynovskaya, arts and culture editor for KQED. By the way, Nastia has got a story on kqed.org that includes a full list of venues and parties to follow and add to your party calendar. We’ve got a link to it in our episode notes. Make sure you check it out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>This 21 minute conversation with Nastia was cut down and edited by senior editor Alan Monticello. Maria Esquinca is our producer. She scored this episode and added all the tape music courtesy of the Audio Network. If you liked this episode and want to support the local news that we bring here at the Bay, consider becoming a KQED member. Just go to kqed.org/donate. And I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra, thanks for listening to the Bay. Talk to you next time.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">There are no signs of a doom loop in Oakland’s queer nightlife scene, where brick and mortar nightclubs and bars quadrupled in the last year, and the events to go along with them have grown too. KQED Arts and Culture Editor Nastia Voynovskaya explains what’s behind this flourishing scene.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"card card--enclosed grey\">\n\u003cp id=\"embed-code\" class=\"inconsolata\">\n\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=KQINC3907697122&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\n\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Links:\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13953497/a-queer-party-renaissance-brings-new-life-to-downtown-oakland\">A Queer Party Renaissance Brings New Life to Downtown Oakland\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/oakland-queer-nightlife-scene-renaissance-18121382.php\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">‘Something’s blooming’: Queer nightlife in Oakland is approaching a renaissance\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra, and welcome to the Bay. Local news to keep you rooted. There’s a queer nightlife renaissance happening in Oakland right now, and it’s bringing new life to a downtown that’s probably more well known these days for store closures and fears about crime and safety. But just take a look at the growth of brick and mortar queer spaces, and you’ll find another story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>If you go out in Oakland and meet people and are open, you really meet some of the most determined, heartfelt, and community oriented people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Today, I talk with KQED arts and Culture editor Nastia Voynovskaya about Oakland’s queer nightlife renaissance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>Oakland always had really fun queer parties that were popular, but there were really only a couple of brick and mortar options that you could visit any night of the week before the pandemic. And coming out of the pandemic, we have kind of seen this explosion of a lot of new venues. We’ve had, you know, cocktail lounges, clubs, bars open. So now Oakland’s brick and mortar queer venues are up to eight. That’s up from two, you know, in 2020. So it’s been this really amazing explosion of energy that a lot of people are calling a renaissance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>Most of these venues are located walking distance from 19th Street Bar and 12th Street Bar, so you can really do a loop. And you can start, you know, at Town Bar, for example. I hit the dance floor, maybe see a little drag or one of the other events that they have going on and, and, and then go to feel more and have a classy cocktail. Then you can make your way down to Katie Girl, which is a Latin club. Right across the street from there there’s Nectar Social Club and they have this huge, diverse array of events, art shows, open mic nights and dance parties to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>It seems like you’re describing like a scene that is not really just one thing. It’s like really a diverse sort of range of like vibes and music and spaces. It sounds like.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>Yeah, absolutely. Historically, Oakland’s queer scene has always been a lot more diverse than San Francisco’s. I think when people think of the queer scene in San Francisco, they often think of the Castro, which, for decades has been very male oriented and also skews very white. And Oakland has always been driven by queer people of color and often black women.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>But this new explosion of energy, there’s that. And I think it’s gotten even more diverse in terms of just different events on any night of the week, catering to different gender identities, but also ones that are not just segregated, but really embracing the way that people fluidly identify now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>It seems like it’s not just the venues are these brick and mortar is themselves, right. There’s like also a plethora of programing and events that are happening in the queer nightlife scene organized by queer party promoters. Can you tell us a little bit more about the growth of that over the last year?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>A lot of these promoters were here before the explosion of new venues, but now they have more places to throw events. And with that comes a diversity of more types of events. All these promoters are sort of roaming around town and activating different venues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeremy Redford: \u003c/strong>More so than ever. We need community and that’s what people are looking for.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>Jeremy Radford, the owner of Nectar Social Club, put it really well. We’re he said people aren’t necessarily just going out to downtown Oakland necessarily just see what’s going on. Which is why it might seem more quiet or more sleepy these days, but they are really loyally following these culture makers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeremy Redford: \u003c/strong>So many people are following and tracking the community leaders in the community, builders who they feel aligned with, and they’re putting on their calendars the events that they want to go to that really resonate with them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And I know you talked with some of the owners of these spaces. What did they tell you about why the scene seems to be growing?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>Yeah. Jeremy pointed out that during the pandemic, when everything was shut down, many people had the time to think about what they really wanted to do and come up with new avenues for themselves. So just coming out of that, people are really, really hungry to express and connect.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeremy Redford: \u003c/strong>I wanted to create a space that wasn’t just a nightclub, that was it just a cafe that wasn’t just a small event space. That was a blank canvas and a true third space in its fullest sense that were open daytime to nighttime. And you can come here and do everything from launch a new creative project to chat up the bartenders and make friends, or come dance until 2 a.m. and, you know, bring out all your friends and have the time in your life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>With a lot of storefronts still sitting empty. People also ended up activating sort of unconventional spaces like we’re an actor social club is. It may not be. If you just looked at it, you may not see it as the typical place that would hold a bar in a venue. It’s this very kind of like narrow, skinny bar, and it’s very, very intimate. And with that, you know, they’re able to have these more experimental events because it’s a pretty small space and it can just feel very full when 50 people are there dancing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, I want to talk now some more about the need that these spaces are filling. And I know you spoke with someone named Montana Hooks, who’s the creator behind Queer in Oakland. Can you tell me a little bit about her and her role in the scene?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>So Montana Hooks is the creator of this platform called Queer in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Montana Hooks: \u003c/strong>As Queer in Oakland. I started throwing events probably in like 2018.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>It’s, an online publication where she interviews and writes about queer culture makers, mostly folks of color. And then she also throws events under the Queer and Open banner at different venues. So those can be dance parties, artists markets. Speed dating has been a fun one because she says, you know, people are kind of sick of their phones and sick of apps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Montana Hooks: \u003c/strong>Queer folks to date, especially if you identify as a queer femme where, you know, you maybe when you’re walking down the street, it’s maybe easy to blend in. And the apps were great for that. It helped solve for that problem. But at the same time, there are a lot of, difficulties that come with using these apps. And, and I think we’re experiencing phone fatigue and app fatigue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>She says with all these new brick and mortar spaces, some of which are queer owned but don’t necessarily build themselves as exclusively queer, but that there’s more visibility than there has been in a while.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Montana Hooks: \u003c/strong>And as we’re becoming stronger as a community, I feel like that we can take up space now in ways that less marginalized communities don’t even have to give a second thought.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>You really see that at her events where, like, people are dancing and it has this very intimate energy and she’s been building a lot of really exciting momentum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Montana Hooks: \u003c/strong>They often want to cry, and I’m not even joking because it’s just so beautiful. And I love seeing everyone’s smiling faces. I love watching people meet. I love just being in the background and just seeing everyone do their thing. It’s it’s all so beautiful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Can you tell us about your connection to Oakland and why you wanted to cover this topic?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>I’ve been living in Oakland for all of my adult life, and as a queer person here, you know, I’ve been going out on the scene for that that time also, and it’s just been really exciting to watch all of these new venues pop up. It feels really awesome to have places that feel more inclusive also to folks of different gender identity. And instead of kind of waiting for your favorite queer party to come around once a month or whenever it may be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>It’s just awesome having places to go any night of the week, and also different kinds of activities that don’t just revolve around alcohol. So it just feels like the community is stronger than it has been in years, and maybe in my entire, you know, decade plus here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>How are you also thinking about this story in the context of the mainstream narrative around Oakland right now?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>Yeah, I mean, Oakland definitely has its challenges, and we should acknowledge that. But I do get frustrated when people just exclusively focus on this doom little narrative, because if you go out in Oakland and meet people and are open, you really meet some of the most determined and heartfelt and community oriented people that you will meet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>There’s always this really inspiring energy in Oakland, where people are trying to uplift and support each other through their creative passions. And that’s the thing I love most about it. Queer and trans people of color have always been leading the way and that in Oakland. So with this story, I just really wanted to pay homage to that and and uplift the people that are actually making positive things happen, rather than this constant negative narrative about our town.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, Nastia, thank you so much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nastia Voynovskaya: \u003c/strong>Thanks, Ericka. It was great being here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was Nastia Voynovskaya, arts and culture editor for KQED. By the way, Nastia has got a story on kqed.org that includes a full list of venues and parties to follow and add to your party calendar. We’ve got a link to it in our episode notes. Make sure you check it out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>This 21 minute conversation with Nastia was cut down and edited by senior editor Alan Monticello. Maria Esquinca is our producer. She scored this episode and added all the tape music courtesy of the Audio Network. If you liked this episode and want to support the local news that we bring here at the Bay, consider becoming a KQED member. Just go to kqed.org/donate. And I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra, thanks for listening to the Bay. Talk to you next time.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>"
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-california-report-magazine/id1314750545?mt=2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Listen to this and more in-depth storytelling by subscribing to The California Report Magazine podcast.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 class=\"routes-Site-routes-Post-Title-__Title__title\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11981023/a-queer-journalist-reflects-on-the-legacy-of-the-propostion-8-trial-tapes\">Proposition 8 Trial Tapes Hold Lessons for One Queer Journalist\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In November 2008, California voters took away the right to marry from same-sex couples. Proposition 8, won with just over half of the vote. But two years later, two same-sex couples sued the State of California in federal court. Prop 8 was eventually overturned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That landmark trial was videotaped, but the recordings were never released to the public. Until a few years ago, when KQED sued for access to the tapes and won. The U.S. Supreme Court \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11911275/supreme-court-ruling-clears-way-for-release-of-footage-from-landmark-trial-that-legalized-same-sex-marriage-in-california\">allowed them to be unsealed in October 2022\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED’s community engagement reporter Carlos Cabrera Lomeli, spent more than forty hours going through that tape. As a queer journalist covering California’s gay marriage journey, Carlos says he learned a lot about himself in the process.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 class=\"routes-Site-routes-Post-Title-__Title__title\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11981066/at-64-santa-cruz-slalom-skateboarding-mom-trains-for-world-games\">64-Year-Old ‘Badass Skate Mom’ Is Headed for the World Skate Games\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Judi Oyama first learned to skate in the 1970s on a board her brother made her in wood shop. Today, 50 years into a groundbreaking career, she’s still considered of the best skateboarders in the nation. In fact, Judi recently qualified to race at the World Skate Games in Rome this fall. At 64, Judi says she’s the fastest she’s ever been. KAZU’s Erin Malsbury brings us her story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"title": "'Racist Trees' Film Explores History of Housing Exclusion in Palm Springs",
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"content": "\u003cp>Palm Springs has a deep history as a celebrity getaway, a retirement spot, and a place that’s pretty LGBTQ-friendly. With stunning mountain views and numerous golf courses, it’s also a place where owning your home is pretty lucrative — unless your view of the neighboring golf course and those distant mountains is blocked by a wall of trees. Then, you might feel like the residents of a historically Black neighborhood called Crossley Tract. They’ve been fighting with the city for decades to remove these so-called “racist trees.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The controversy around the trees has made international headlines. Now, there’s a full-length documentary called \u003ca href=\"https://www.thirteen.org/programs/independent-lens/racist-trees-lqrqbs/\">“Racist Trees,”\u003c/a> which explores the hidden history of excluding Black people from housing in Palm Springs. The documentary also reveals how the conflict over the Crossley Tract trees is resolved; however, this article and audio story are both spoiler-free.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003cem>California Report Magazine\u003c/em>’s host, Sasha Khokha, sat down with filmmakers Sara Newens and Mina T. Son to talk about Racist Trees, which is available on PBS’s Independent Lens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Below are excerpts of the conversation. For the full interview on The California Report Magazine, listen to the audio at the top of this story.\u003c/em>\u003ci> \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>On why they made this film\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>SARA NEWENS: We were on the lookout for stories that were somewhat local. We have both spent a lot of time in Palm Springs as a respite to get away, to enjoy the sun. We were there, and we saw the cover of the Desert Sun: it was a picture of this wall of trees and a headline that basically said many residents believe they were planted with racist intent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My first thought was, “There’s a Black community in Palm Springs that I don’t know about? Where is this neighborhood?!” We figured if it was a blind spot for us that this neighborhood even existed, then it might be for a lot of other people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11980368\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_02-1-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11980368\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_02-1-scaled.jpg\" alt='A folded newspaper from The Desert Sun that says \"Divided by Trees\" on a doormat.' width=\"2560\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_02-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_02-1-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_02-1-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_02-1-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_02-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_02-1-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_02-1-1920x1080.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">One of several articles featured on the cover of The Desert Sun that sparked international media attention and backlash against the so-called ‘racist trees’ that were planted in Palm Springs in the late 1950s. \u003ccite>(Jerry Henry)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>On the history of Crossley Tract\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>MINA T. SON: Crossley Tract is named after Lawrence Crossley, who founded the neighborhood. Crossley bought this tract of land for Black families to be able to live in the city. It wasn’t incorporated as part of Palm Springs at the time, so it was just on the outskirts, which is why he was able to buy the land and allow families to live there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SARA NEWENS: But many of the Black families had to live in Crossley Tract because they were pushed out of an area that is now downtown Palm Springs, called Section 14. Section 14 is originally tribal land and part of the reservation of the Agua Caliente Band of Indians, who welcomed Black families onto their land. Actually, all communities of color were welcome to live there because they weren’t allowed to live in Palm Springs proper. At some point, city leaders realized that the commercial value of this land was very valuable, and they forcibly removed these families.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>On the trees themselves\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>MINA T. SON: Imagine a wall 60 feet tall and five to maybe 10 feet deep. It was such a striking visual metaphor about exclusion and segregation. Not only is this community sort of excluded from the rest of the city of Palm Springs, but these trees — because they’re so big, and they’re so tall — they’re actually blocking that million-dollar view of the mountains that so many people in Palm Springs come for. Real estate has skyrocketed, but [Crossley Tract] has not seen that appreciation. Many speculate it’s because of these trees and the lack of that view.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When [Crossley Tract residents] started complaining and trying to raise their voices to the city about having the trees removed, and having that be unanswered for decades, I think it compounded the idea of being unseen and unheard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11980372\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_SigImage-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11980372\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_SigImage-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A Black man sits in a chair outside with trees in the background.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1350\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_SigImage-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_SigImage-800x422.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_SigImage-1020x538.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_SigImage-160x84.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_SigImage-1536x810.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_SigImage-2048x1080.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_SigImage-1920x1013.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Crossley Tract resident Charles Metcalf, Jr. finds himself surrounded by detritus from the imposing Tamarisk trees bordering his property. \u003ccite>(Jerry Henry)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>On the tension between white gay leadership and Black residents\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>SARA NEWENS: From the beginning, Mina and I really wanted to investigate this “turning a blind eye” to racism in a liberal town. I think it’s more common that people can talk about overt racial issues in other areas of the country. It was just very mystifying to us why [in Palm Springs] there wasn’t more acknowledgment of this being a potential issue, especially given the history with Section 14. So we really wanted to showcase the lengths to which it can be uncomfortable for white people to acknowledge [racism], especially if they have their own identity of their progressive politics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In some ways — and we’ve heard this from many people of color who have watched the film — it’s more insidious that this is happening in liberal communities. There is no acknowledgment, despite a community literally sitting there saying, “This feels like an act of racism! Our property values are being depressed, and we deserve what everyone else in this city deserves.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>“There’s no tamarisk trees anywhere else along this golf course. Anywhere. Now, I’m not blaming the current city officials for planting these trees here, but I’m kind of borderline blaming them for being the reason why they’re still here.”\u003c/i> — Charles Metcalf, Jr.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SARA NEWENS: I think what Charles says [in our documentary] sums up nicely the fact that it doesn’t matter if there was racist intent when the trees were planted. It’s the fact that they remained there, and there were many efforts by the Black community to try to get the city’s attention. Unfortunately, it took this white guy named Trae Daniel to come in and really start using a megaphone to get the city’s attention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11980370\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_04-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11980370\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_04-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A white man wearing a blue dress shirt sits in a chair outside in a backyard in front of a pool.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_04-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_04-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_04-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_04-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_04-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_04-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_04-1920x1080.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Trae Daniel, a newer resident of Crossley Tract, took up the mantle to advocate for the removal of the Tamarisk trees after the city of Palm Springs ignored Black residents for decades. \u003ccite>(Jerry Henry)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>MINA T. SON: One of the things that Sara and I found particularly interesting about the story was Trae’s role. Why was he so invested in these trees? Particularly because he’s not Black and didn’t have that investment in the neighborhood. People can speculate, but I think he sticks with saying that he believed something was wrong, and he thought if he could be a part of correcting that wrong, he wanted to be able to use his voice. And I think the residents [of Crossley Tract] understood that. They welcomed it, and they acknowledged the power that he had.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>On takeaways for viewers\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>MINA T. SON: This story seems local, because obviously it’s in Palm Springs and it’s talking about this one row of trees. But it’s representative of so many other issues in the country. In this city, it happens to be trees. In Santa Monica, it’s highways. In other areas, it’s railroads. There’s so many other barriers and so many other stories like this across the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If we want real progress in this country, I think people need to have very open and probably uncomfortable conversations around race. And that includes what happened in the past. I think it’s hard for people when they think, well, I didn’t do that, so why do I have to talk about it? Or why do I have to feel bad about it? Or why do I have to do something about it? It’s not personal in that sense, but it’s very systemic. It’s people outside of the Black community and people outside of these marginalized communities that have to do the work and find ways to make amends in order to truly move forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That was really our hope. We hope that people outside of these communities, including ourselves, look at our blind spots and then see how we can make amends and progress.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Palm Springs has a deep history as a celebrity getaway, a retirement spot, and a place that’s pretty LGBTQ-friendly. With stunning mountain views and numerous golf courses, it’s also a place where owning your home is pretty lucrative — unless your view of the neighboring golf course and those distant mountains is blocked by a wall of trees. Then, you might feel like the residents of a historically Black neighborhood called Crossley Tract. They’ve been fighting with the city for decades to remove these so-called “racist trees.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The controversy around the trees has made international headlines. Now, there’s a full-length documentary called \u003ca href=\"https://www.thirteen.org/programs/independent-lens/racist-trees-lqrqbs/\">“Racist Trees,”\u003c/a> which explores the hidden history of excluding Black people from housing in Palm Springs. The documentary also reveals how the conflict over the Crossley Tract trees is resolved; however, this article and audio story are both spoiler-free.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003cem>California Report Magazine\u003c/em>’s host, Sasha Khokha, sat down with filmmakers Sara Newens and Mina T. Son to talk about Racist Trees, which is available on PBS’s Independent Lens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Below are excerpts of the conversation. For the full interview on The California Report Magazine, listen to the audio at the top of this story.\u003c/em>\u003ci> \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>On why they made this film\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>SARA NEWENS: We were on the lookout for stories that were somewhat local. We have both spent a lot of time in Palm Springs as a respite to get away, to enjoy the sun. We were there, and we saw the cover of the Desert Sun: it was a picture of this wall of trees and a headline that basically said many residents believe they were planted with racist intent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My first thought was, “There’s a Black community in Palm Springs that I don’t know about? Where is this neighborhood?!” We figured if it was a blind spot for us that this neighborhood even existed, then it might be for a lot of other people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11980368\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_02-1-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11980368\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_02-1-scaled.jpg\" alt='A folded newspaper from The Desert Sun that says \"Divided by Trees\" on a doormat.' width=\"2560\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_02-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_02-1-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_02-1-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_02-1-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_02-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_02-1-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_02-1-1920x1080.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">One of several articles featured on the cover of The Desert Sun that sparked international media attention and backlash against the so-called ‘racist trees’ that were planted in Palm Springs in the late 1950s. \u003ccite>(Jerry Henry)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>On the history of Crossley Tract\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>MINA T. SON: Crossley Tract is named after Lawrence Crossley, who founded the neighborhood. Crossley bought this tract of land for Black families to be able to live in the city. It wasn’t incorporated as part of Palm Springs at the time, so it was just on the outskirts, which is why he was able to buy the land and allow families to live there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SARA NEWENS: But many of the Black families had to live in Crossley Tract because they were pushed out of an area that is now downtown Palm Springs, called Section 14. Section 14 is originally tribal land and part of the reservation of the Agua Caliente Band of Indians, who welcomed Black families onto their land. Actually, all communities of color were welcome to live there because they weren’t allowed to live in Palm Springs proper. At some point, city leaders realized that the commercial value of this land was very valuable, and they forcibly removed these families.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>On the trees themselves\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>MINA T. SON: Imagine a wall 60 feet tall and five to maybe 10 feet deep. It was such a striking visual metaphor about exclusion and segregation. Not only is this community sort of excluded from the rest of the city of Palm Springs, but these trees — because they’re so big, and they’re so tall — they’re actually blocking that million-dollar view of the mountains that so many people in Palm Springs come for. Real estate has skyrocketed, but [Crossley Tract] has not seen that appreciation. Many speculate it’s because of these trees and the lack of that view.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When [Crossley Tract residents] started complaining and trying to raise their voices to the city about having the trees removed, and having that be unanswered for decades, I think it compounded the idea of being unseen and unheard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11980372\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_SigImage-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11980372\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_SigImage-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A Black man sits in a chair outside with trees in the background.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1350\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_SigImage-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_SigImage-800x422.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_SigImage-1020x538.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_SigImage-160x84.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_SigImage-1536x810.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_SigImage-2048x1080.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_SigImage-1920x1013.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Crossley Tract resident Charles Metcalf, Jr. finds himself surrounded by detritus from the imposing Tamarisk trees bordering his property. \u003ccite>(Jerry Henry)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>On the tension between white gay leadership and Black residents\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>SARA NEWENS: From the beginning, Mina and I really wanted to investigate this “turning a blind eye” to racism in a liberal town. I think it’s more common that people can talk about overt racial issues in other areas of the country. It was just very mystifying to us why [in Palm Springs] there wasn’t more acknowledgment of this being a potential issue, especially given the history with Section 14. So we really wanted to showcase the lengths to which it can be uncomfortable for white people to acknowledge [racism], especially if they have their own identity of their progressive politics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In some ways — and we’ve heard this from many people of color who have watched the film — it’s more insidious that this is happening in liberal communities. There is no acknowledgment, despite a community literally sitting there saying, “This feels like an act of racism! Our property values are being depressed, and we deserve what everyone else in this city deserves.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>“There’s no tamarisk trees anywhere else along this golf course. Anywhere. Now, I’m not blaming the current city officials for planting these trees here, but I’m kind of borderline blaming them for being the reason why they’re still here.”\u003c/i> — Charles Metcalf, Jr.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SARA NEWENS: I think what Charles says [in our documentary] sums up nicely the fact that it doesn’t matter if there was racist intent when the trees were planted. It’s the fact that they remained there, and there were many efforts by the Black community to try to get the city’s attention. Unfortunately, it took this white guy named Trae Daniel to come in and really start using a megaphone to get the city’s attention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11980370\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_04-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11980370\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_04-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A white man wearing a blue dress shirt sits in a chair outside in a backyard in front of a pool.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_04-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_04-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_04-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_04-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_04-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_04-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/RACISTTREES_PubStills_04-1920x1080.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Trae Daniel, a newer resident of Crossley Tract, took up the mantle to advocate for the removal of the Tamarisk trees after the city of Palm Springs ignored Black residents for decades. \u003ccite>(Jerry Henry)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>MINA T. SON: One of the things that Sara and I found particularly interesting about the story was Trae’s role. Why was he so invested in these trees? Particularly because he’s not Black and didn’t have that investment in the neighborhood. People can speculate, but I think he sticks with saying that he believed something was wrong, and he thought if he could be a part of correcting that wrong, he wanted to be able to use his voice. And I think the residents [of Crossley Tract] understood that. They welcomed it, and they acknowledged the power that he had.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>On takeaways for viewers\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>MINA T. SON: This story seems local, because obviously it’s in Palm Springs and it’s talking about this one row of trees. But it’s representative of so many other issues in the country. In this city, it happens to be trees. In Santa Monica, it’s highways. In other areas, it’s railroads. There’s so many other barriers and so many other stories like this across the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If we want real progress in this country, I think people need to have very open and probably uncomfortable conversations around race. And that includes what happened in the past. I think it’s hard for people when they think, well, I didn’t do that, so why do I have to talk about it? Or why do I have to feel bad about it? Or why do I have to do something about it? It’s not personal in that sense, but it’s very systemic. It’s people outside of the Black community and people outside of these marginalized communities that have to do the work and find ways to make amends in order to truly move forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That was really our hope. We hope that people outside of these communities, including ourselves, look at our blind spots and then see how we can make amends and progress.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>A Southern California school district sued by the state has updated its policy requiring staff to notify parents that a student is using a different pronoun or bathroom designated for another gender and now will only mention that a child has requested a change to their student records.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Chino Valley Unified School District board approved the updated policy on Thursday as the district fights a lawsuit filed by Democratic state Attorney General Rob Bonta, who called the original policy discriminatory. Bonta on Friday did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the board’s decision.[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Kristi Hirst, co-founder, Our Schools USA\"]‘They’re just broadening the scope so that they don’t obviously single that population out. But the intent behind it, in my opinion, is no different.’[/pullquote]The policy maintains part of the original rule requiring staff to notify parents within three days of their child requesting any changes to their “official or unofficial records,” although it does not specify what that would include. All references to gender identification changes have been removed from the policy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>LGBTQ+ advocates said the new mandate is simply a legal loophole to repackage the same policy that continues to violate the rights of students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re just broadening the scope so that they don’t obviously single that population out,” said Kristi Hirst, who co-founded the public education advocacy group Our Schools USA. “But the intent behind it, in my opinion, is no different.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both Chino’s original and updated policies include other scenarios in which school staff would have to notify parents, such as when their child is significantly injured at school. However, schools were already required to report when a child’s safety was threatened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The battle at the district in Chino, a city about 32 miles east of Los Angeles, is part of a nationwide debate over local school districts and the rights of parents and LGBTQ+ students. States across the country have sought to impose bans on gender-affirming care, bar trans athletes from girls’ and women’s sports, and require schools to “out” trans and nonbinary students to their parents. Some lawmakers in other states have introduced bills in their legislatures with broad language requiring that parents be notified of any changes to their child’s emotional health or well-being.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In California, proponents of the notification policies are trying to get a measure on the November ballot to require schools to notify parents if a child asks to change their gender identification at school, bar transgender girls in grades seven and up from participating in girls’ sports, and ban gender-affirming care for minors.[aside label='More on Education' tag='education']Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom garnered attention last year when he threatened to fine another Southern California district, Temecula Valley Unified, for rejecting an elementary school social studies curriculum that included supplementary material mentioning politician and gay rights advocate Harvey Milk. The district later reversed course.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Chino Valley Unified board introduced its policy last summer after a Republican lawmaker was unable to advance legislation in the state Legislature, which is dominated by Democrats, requiring school staff to notify parents about their child’s request for a gender identification change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chino Valley Unified school board President Sonja Shaw, who helped craft the original policy, said before the vote on Thursday that the board is committed to upholding the rights of parents and prioritizing the well-being of students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This new policy strikes a balance between these two important principles, ensuring that parents are kept informed every step of the way,” Shaw said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Teachers, parents and advocates who oppose the school board policy say it could put students’ safety at risk if they live in abusive households. Andrea McFarland, a high school English teacher for Chino Valley Unified, said the policy the board approved last year was unfair to teachers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t want to be put in that place to have to choose between potentially putting a child in an unsafe position when they walk in the door at home,” McFarland said. “I don’t know what they’re walking into.”[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Chino Valley Unified school board President Sonja Shaw\"]‘This new policy strikes a balance between these two important principles, ensuring that parents are kept informed every step of the way.’[/pullquote]She said the updated policy is unclear about what would be considered “unofficial records,” a term she hasn’t heard used in her 13 years as an educator.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A judge halted part of the policy last year that required schools to tell parents if their child asked to change their gender identification. He did not grant the state’s attempt in October to block another part of the policy requiring schools to notify parents about a child’s request to change information in their student records.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Emily Rae, a lawyer representing the district, said the board decided to consider the updated policy in response to the judge’s rulings so far in the case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The district still believes the existing policy is legally defensible and constitutional,” she said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She cited a recent ruling over a similar notification policy at Temecula Valley Unified, where a judge allowed the district to require school staff to notify parents if their child asks to change their gender identification at school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A Southern California school district sued by the state has updated its policy requiring staff to notify parents that a student is using a different pronoun or bathroom designated for another gender and now will only mention that a child has requested a change to their student records.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Chino Valley Unified School District board approved the updated policy on Thursday as the district fights a lawsuit filed by Democratic state Attorney General Rob Bonta, who called the original policy discriminatory. Bonta on Friday did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the board’s decision.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The policy maintains part of the original rule requiring staff to notify parents within three days of their child requesting any changes to their “official or unofficial records,” although it does not specify what that would include. All references to gender identification changes have been removed from the policy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>LGBTQ+ advocates said the new mandate is simply a legal loophole to repackage the same policy that continues to violate the rights of students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re just broadening the scope so that they don’t obviously single that population out,” said Kristi Hirst, who co-founded the public education advocacy group Our Schools USA. “But the intent behind it, in my opinion, is no different.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both Chino’s original and updated policies include other scenarios in which school staff would have to notify parents, such as when their child is significantly injured at school. However, schools were already required to report when a child’s safety was threatened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The battle at the district in Chino, a city about 32 miles east of Los Angeles, is part of a nationwide debate over local school districts and the rights of parents and LGBTQ+ students. States across the country have sought to impose bans on gender-affirming care, bar trans athletes from girls’ and women’s sports, and require schools to “out” trans and nonbinary students to their parents. Some lawmakers in other states have introduced bills in their legislatures with broad language requiring that parents be notified of any changes to their child’s emotional health or well-being.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In California, proponents of the notification policies are trying to get a measure on the November ballot to require schools to notify parents if a child asks to change their gender identification at school, bar transgender girls in grades seven and up from participating in girls’ sports, and ban gender-affirming care for minors.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom garnered attention last year when he threatened to fine another Southern California district, Temecula Valley Unified, for rejecting an elementary school social studies curriculum that included supplementary material mentioning politician and gay rights advocate Harvey Milk. The district later reversed course.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Chino Valley Unified board introduced its policy last summer after a Republican lawmaker was unable to advance legislation in the state Legislature, which is dominated by Democrats, requiring school staff to notify parents about their child’s request for a gender identification change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chino Valley Unified school board President Sonja Shaw, who helped craft the original policy, said before the vote on Thursday that the board is committed to upholding the rights of parents and prioritizing the well-being of students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This new policy strikes a balance between these two important principles, ensuring that parents are kept informed every step of the way,” Shaw said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Teachers, parents and advocates who oppose the school board policy say it could put students’ safety at risk if they live in abusive households. Andrea McFarland, a high school English teacher for Chino Valley Unified, said the policy the board approved last year was unfair to teachers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t want to be put in that place to have to choose between potentially putting a child in an unsafe position when they walk in the door at home,” McFarland said. “I don’t know what they’re walking into.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>She said the updated policy is unclear about what would be considered “unofficial records,” a term she hasn’t heard used in her 13 years as an educator.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A judge halted part of the policy last year that required schools to tell parents if their child asked to change their gender identification. He did not grant the state’s attempt in October to block another part of the policy requiring schools to notify parents about a child’s request to change information in their student records.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Emily Rae, a lawyer representing the district, said the board decided to consider the updated policy in response to the judge’s rulings so far in the case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The district still believes the existing policy is legally defensible and constitutional,” she said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She cited a recent ruling over a similar notification policy at Temecula Valley Unified, where a judge allowed the district to require school staff to notify parents if their child asks to change their gender identification at school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "'It's Kind of Game On': The Crowded Field of Contenders Vying to Be California's Next Governor",
"headTitle": "‘It’s Kind of Game On’: The Crowded Field of Contenders Vying to Be California’s Next Governor | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Voters won’t weigh in for more than two years — the primary election is not until June 2026 — but the race to be California’s next governor is already growing crowded with major contenders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Outgoing state Senate leader \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/toni-atkins-1962/\">Toni Atkins\u003c/a> today became the latest high-ranking Democrat to declare their candidacy, holding a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpTxcK6gSjo\">kickoff rally\u003c/a> packed with union members in her hometown of San Diego.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Three other prominent hopefuls — all current or former statewide elected officials looking for a promotion — have announced their intentions to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, who terms out in 2027, and there are likely to be even more who jump in. It’s a reflection of the scramble to gain the upper hand in what is expected to be a fierce contest, as well as the tremendous resources required to mount a serious campaign in California’s first open race for governor in eight years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re letting their intentions be known so they can wave the flag,” said Andrew Acosta, a Democratic political consultant not affiliated with any of the campaigns. “You need to consolidate, you need to get in the game, you need to go talk to donors.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Atkins follows Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, who was the \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2023/04/california-public-transit-budget/#wm-story-2\">first out of the gate\u003c/a> last April, touting the opportunities that California gave her immigrant father. Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2023/09/california-crime-protest-oakland/#wm-story-3\">joined the race in September\u003c/a> with a video tracking his rise from poverty. And former Controller Betty Yee \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/betty-yee-california-governor-2026-17916212.php\">said she will run for governor\u003c/a>, though she has yet to formally launch her campaign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Andrew Acosta, Democratic political consultant\"]‘They’re letting their intentions be known so they can wave the flag. You need to consolidate, you need to get in the game, you need to go talk to donors.’[/pullquote]Attorney General Rob Bonta, who\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/article/rob-bonta-governor-housing-newsom-california-18109079.php\"> acknowledged last year\u003c/a> that he is “seriously considering” seeking the governorship, is still expected to make a bid. Then there’s the question of who might carry the banner for the Republican Party, which has lost the last three gubernatorial elections by nearly 20 percentage points or more and has not won a statewide office in California since 2006.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nevertheless, the race is already far more formed than it was at the same point in the 2018 election. Newsom, at that time the lieutenant governor, probably set a speed record when he \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-pol-gavin-newsom-20150212-story.html\">announced his candidacy\u003c/a> in February 2015, just three months after then-Gov. Jerry Brown won a second term — but then his rivals hesitated. Some waited almost another two years before launching their campaigns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Look what happened to them,” Acosta said. “By the time people got in the race, Newsom’s team had done a good job of framing that the race was already over. And it kind of was.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Racking up endorsements and fundraising is key in a state like California where, because of the sheer size, advertising trumps retail politics and millions of dollars are needed to get on the air in multiple expensive media markets. Though most voters are not yet paying attention to an election that is years away, jumping in early allows candidates to start pulling those important levers behind the scenes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s especially critical for someone like Atkins, who has never run for statewide office and will need to work even harder to build familiarity with voters. She \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2023/08/parental-rights-california-2/#wm-story-2\">hands over the office\u003c/a> of Senate president pro tem on Feb. 5 and terms out of the Legislature at the end of the year, losing a powerful post from which to solicit donations and support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"news_11973095,news_11962489\"]“You’d rather be in a position where you are dictating it on your own terms,” Acosta said. “So it’s kind of game on.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Atkins’ rally ended, Thurmond rolled out a new union endorsement, while earlier this week, Kounalakis announced that she had received the backing of another 16 of Atkins’ legislative colleagues. The daughter of a wealthy real estate developer, Kounalakis, has a substantial financial advantage in the race and reported raising more than $3.7 million by the end of last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Atkins seemed to nod to that in her remarks today, which laid out her journey from a poor upbringing in rural West Virginia to become the first woman who has led both houses of the California Legislature, where she has carried bills making it easier to build housing and protecting abortion rights.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You shouldn’t have to be a millionaire to make it in California,” she said. “You should only have to have a dream and people who care enough to help you reach it. Let’s achieve that dream together.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Expect to hear a lot more about the history that this slate could make of candidates. Atkins, Kounalakis or Yee would be the first woman governor in California’s history. Atkins would also be the first openly LGBTQ+ person to lead the state, Thurmond would be the first Black person and Bonta or Yee would be the first Asian American.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Voters won’t weigh in for more than two years — the primary election is not until June 2026 — but the race to be California’s next governor is already growing crowded with major contenders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Outgoing state Senate leader \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/toni-atkins-1962/\">Toni Atkins\u003c/a> today became the latest high-ranking Democrat to declare their candidacy, holding a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpTxcK6gSjo\">kickoff rally\u003c/a> packed with union members in her hometown of San Diego.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Three other prominent hopefuls — all current or former statewide elected officials looking for a promotion — have announced their intentions to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, who terms out in 2027, and there are likely to be even more who jump in. It’s a reflection of the scramble to gain the upper hand in what is expected to be a fierce contest, as well as the tremendous resources required to mount a serious campaign in California’s first open race for governor in eight years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re letting their intentions be known so they can wave the flag,” said Andrew Acosta, a Democratic political consultant not affiliated with any of the campaigns. “You need to consolidate, you need to get in the game, you need to go talk to donors.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Atkins follows Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, who was the \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2023/04/california-public-transit-budget/#wm-story-2\">first out of the gate\u003c/a> last April, touting the opportunities that California gave her immigrant father. Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2023/09/california-crime-protest-oakland/#wm-story-3\">joined the race in September\u003c/a> with a video tracking his rise from poverty. And former Controller Betty Yee \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/betty-yee-california-governor-2026-17916212.php\">said she will run for governor\u003c/a>, though she has yet to formally launch her campaign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Attorney General Rob Bonta, who\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/article/rob-bonta-governor-housing-newsom-california-18109079.php\"> acknowledged last year\u003c/a> that he is “seriously considering” seeking the governorship, is still expected to make a bid. Then there’s the question of who might carry the banner for the Republican Party, which has lost the last three gubernatorial elections by nearly 20 percentage points or more and has not won a statewide office in California since 2006.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nevertheless, the race is already far more formed than it was at the same point in the 2018 election. Newsom, at that time the lieutenant governor, probably set a speed record when he \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-pol-gavin-newsom-20150212-story.html\">announced his candidacy\u003c/a> in February 2015, just three months after then-Gov. Jerry Brown won a second term — but then his rivals hesitated. Some waited almost another two years before launching their campaigns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Look what happened to them,” Acosta said. “By the time people got in the race, Newsom’s team had done a good job of framing that the race was already over. And it kind of was.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Racking up endorsements and fundraising is key in a state like California where, because of the sheer size, advertising trumps retail politics and millions of dollars are needed to get on the air in multiple expensive media markets. Though most voters are not yet paying attention to an election that is years away, jumping in early allows candidates to start pulling those important levers behind the scenes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s especially critical for someone like Atkins, who has never run for statewide office and will need to work even harder to build familiarity with voters. She \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2023/08/parental-rights-california-2/#wm-story-2\">hands over the office\u003c/a> of Senate president pro tem on Feb. 5 and terms out of the Legislature at the end of the year, losing a powerful post from which to solicit donations and support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“You’d rather be in a position where you are dictating it on your own terms,” Acosta said. “So it’s kind of game on.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Atkins’ rally ended, Thurmond rolled out a new union endorsement, while earlier this week, Kounalakis announced that she had received the backing of another 16 of Atkins’ legislative colleagues. The daughter of a wealthy real estate developer, Kounalakis, has a substantial financial advantage in the race and reported raising more than $3.7 million by the end of last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Atkins seemed to nod to that in her remarks today, which laid out her journey from a poor upbringing in rural West Virginia to become the first woman who has led both houses of the California Legislature, where she has carried bills making it easier to build housing and protecting abortion rights.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You shouldn’t have to be a millionaire to make it in California,” she said. “You should only have to have a dream and people who care enough to help you reach it. Let’s achieve that dream together.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Expect to hear a lot more about the history that this slate could make of candidates. Atkins, Kounalakis or Yee would be the first woman governor in California’s history. Atkins would also be the first openly LGBTQ+ person to lead the state, Thurmond would be the first Black person and Bonta or Yee would be the first Asian American.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "‘This Is Resistance’: Queer Palestinian Artists and Activists in the Bay Area Are Speaking Out",
"headTitle": "‘This Is Resistance’: Queer Palestinian Artists and Activists in the Bay Area Are Speaking Out | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Under the flashing lights of Oakland’s Continental Club on Oct. 29, San Francisco drag artist Mama Ganuush wears a flowing white gown and sweeps their hands passionately to the music — while clutching the Palestinian flag.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mama Ganuush, who is African Palestinian, told KQED that members of their extended family have been killed during \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/gaza/\">the months-long siege of Gaza by Israeli forces\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is resistance,” Ganuush said of their performance. “As Palestinians, our existence in this world is a form of resistance.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ganuush was lip-syncing to “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21T5u9qtBlk\">Al Haq Silahi\u003c/a>” — “The Truth is My Weapon” — by Lebanese artist Julia Boutros. Boutros wrote the song for \u003ca href=\"https://www.arabnews.com/news/offbeat/608401\">Palestinians during the 2014 war\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I feel like the Palestinian issue is a queer issue,” Ganuush said. “We always stand up facing oppression from authoritarian systems.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Felt like I was coming out’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The shockingly high death toll and wide-scale destruction of Gaza has prompted \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11967074/as-apec-kicks-off-protestors-are-descending-on-san-francisco-heres-what-you-need-to-know\">crowds of Bay Area residents to flood the streets\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11967536/protesters-calling-for-gaza-ceasefire-block-bay-bridges-westbound-lanes\">block bridges\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11969094/sf-supervisor-preston-calls-for-city-to-adopt-resolution-demanding-gaza-cease-fire\">in support of a cease-fire\u003c/a> in recent weeks. One of these protests, on Dec. 2 in San Francisco’s Castro District, was \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/free-palestine-rally-sf-18528116.php\">organized by the group Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism\u003c/a> — or QUIT! — along with other members of the city’s queer community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11969733\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11969733 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A person with a beard and wearing a dress and a long necklace holds the Palestinian flag on a stage.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-01-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-01-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-01-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mama Ganuush, an African-Palestinian drag artist, waves a Palestinian flag as they perform at Oakland’s Continental Club on Oct. 29. \u003ccite>(Photo courtesy of Saman Qadir)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>One demonstrator wrote the group a letter after participating in the rally, detailing what the experience had meant to him. Zak, a first-generation Palestinian who gave only his first name in his letter, told QUIT! that “Marching down Castro St with my flag and wearing a Keffiyeh felt like I was coming out, not as gay, but as Palestinian to the Queer Community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>QUIT!’s current incarnation was founded in 2000. But as longtime group member Mindy Spatt explained, the pro-Palestine group has taken several forms over the years in support of other causes, or inspired by other groups: from Lesbians and Gays Against Intervention, organized around Central America, to DAGGER, (Dykes and Gay Guys Emergency Response), formed during the U.S. invasion of Iraq.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The group quickly evolved into an organization focused on supporting Palestinians, Spatt said, a cause that members like her have been politically invested in for a long time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During a visit to the West Bank in 1990, an altercation broke out in the small town Spatt was staying in, she recalled. In response, the Israeli military enforced a curfew, prompting Palestinian children to march in the streets in protest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11969735\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-03-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11969735 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-03-KQED.jpg\" alt='A group of people sit in the middle of a city street while several people hold a sign reading \"Queers of the Plaza: Free Palestine.\"' width=\"1500\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-03-KQED.jpg 1500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-03-KQED-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-03-KQED-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-03-KQED-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-03-KQED-1152x1536.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">LGBTQ+ activists, including local pro-Palestine group Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism (QUIT!), demonstrate in San Francisco on Dec. 2 in support of a cease-fire in Gaza. \u003ccite>(Photo courtesy of Mindy Spatt)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I saw them shooting at a 12-year-old girl. No one could ever tell me they haven’t been killing children because I’ve seen it,” Spatt said. “As a Jew, it was actually really painful to me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although it was not the only violence Spatt said she witnessed — it was the incident that resonated most strongly, leading to her \u003ca href=\"https://quitpalestine.org/frameline/\">activism with QUIT!\u003c/a> back in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There was all this stuff with the Israeli government promoting itself as this bastion of freedom for gay people,” Spatt said. “And we were like, ‘Well, really? Is it safe for Palestinian gay people in Israel?’ ”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Protesting ‘pinkwashing’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Last month, \u003ca href=\"https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-palestine-war-soldier-rainbow-flag-gaza-condemned-pinkwashing-textbook\">images of an Israeli soldier holding up a Pride flag amid ruins in Gaza began circulating on social media\u003c/a>. The photos were heavily criticized by many queer advocates, who called them a form of “pinkwashing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sa’ed Atshan, \u003ca href=\"https://www.swarthmore.edu/profile/saed-atshan\">an associate professor of peace and conflict studies at Swarthmore College\u003c/a> and the author of \u003ci>Queer Palestine and the Empire of Critique\u003c/i> said pinkwashing refers to “when supporters of the right-wing Israeli state draw attention to a purported advanced LGBTQ rights record in Israel in order to detract attention away from Israel’s gross violations of Palestinian human rights.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It becomes a civilizational discourse that’s used to dehumanize Palestinians by pathologizing Palestinians as being homophobic,” Atshan said, “and therefore to attempt to justify the oppression that Palestinians face from Israel.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pinkwashing also ignores the struggle of queer Palestinians and the specific surveillance they face at the hands of Israeli authorities, Atshan said. Since the 1980s, “the Israeli security and intelligence services have been \u003ca href=\"https://www.vice.com/en/article/av8b5j/gay-palestinians-are-being-blackmailed-into-working-as-informants\">targeting LGBTQ Palestinians\u003c/a> to serve as informants and collaborators,” he said. “They target vulnerable Palestinians. So, for example, a young woman who maybe had an extramarital relationship or premarital sex, and that is discovered, that could then be used against her to try to entrap or blackmail.”[aside postID=\"news_11969370\" hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231207-BISAN-SHEHADEH-MD-04-KQED-1020x680.jpg']This kind of targeting, Atshan added, “becomes a kind of tool that’s used by the colonial apparatus to further subjugate and dominate Palestinians.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘I will not let them steal my joy’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>San Francisco artist Zaheer Suboh characterizes some of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.them.us/story/lgbtq-solidarity-palestine-saed-atshan\">criticism of Palestinian activism\u003c/a> that he often \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CzPXvI2PM3d/?hl=en&img_index=1\">faces online\u003c/a> or in person as: “These Hamas agents would want to kill you. So, why are you fighting for the rights of Palestinians?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Suboh calls such statements a “logically fallacious argument against liberating people in general” — and argues that it’s hypocritical coming from people in the United States, considering \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/anti-trans-laws\">this country’s own recent wave of anti-trans and anti-gay legislation.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Suboh, a queer Palestinian DJ who performs as Subeaux, grew up in the West Bank. For him, pinkwashing is “essentially legitimizing the apartheid mission of Israel by saying that it is the only safe place for gay people in the Middle East.” He said he personally wouldn’t feel safe in Israel — because of the persecution he’d face for just being Palestinian.\u003cbr>\n[ad fullwidth]\u003cbr>\nSuboh said he vividly remembers the daily checkpoints he had to go through as a child to get to school, seeing soldiers with guns asking for Palestinians’ papers and searching their belongings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But he also remembers his family’s land and the bustling markets on the streets of Ramallah.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I miss waking up early mornings with my siblings and my dad and going to our big fig tree,” Suboh said. “It was so big. Its stalks were so stretched out wide that you could climb all the way up on the sides of it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Suboh, who now lives in the Castro District, said he uses his performances as a way to create spaces for connection. “One of my life goals is to bring queer people together … through joy, through music, through community building,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11969736\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-04-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11969736 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A DJ behind a turntable in front of a doorway.\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1061\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-04-KQED.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-04-KQED-800x531.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-04-KQED-1020x676.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-04-KQED-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-04-KQED-1536x1019.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco DJ Zaheer Suboh, who performs as Subeaux, says it has been difficult balancing his art and his activism amid Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza. \u003ccite>(Photo courtesy of Zaheer Suboh)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Suboh said he’s currently trying to find a balance in his life between DJing and activism, something he finds challenging because of the deep anger he feels watching Israeli forces continue their siege on Gaza.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I will not let this injustice steal another thing from me. Because my people’s land has already been stolen, my people’s lives have already been stolen,” Suboh said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I will not let them steal my joy on top of everything that they’ve already stolen.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Under the flashing lights of Oakland’s Continental Club on Oct. 29, San Francisco drag artist Mama Ganuush wears a flowing white gown and sweeps their hands passionately to the music — while clutching the Palestinian flag.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mama Ganuush, who is African Palestinian, told KQED that members of their extended family have been killed during \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/gaza/\">the months-long siege of Gaza by Israeli forces\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is resistance,” Ganuush said of their performance. “As Palestinians, our existence in this world is a form of resistance.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ganuush was lip-syncing to “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21T5u9qtBlk\">Al Haq Silahi\u003c/a>” — “The Truth is My Weapon” — by Lebanese artist Julia Boutros. Boutros wrote the song for \u003ca href=\"https://www.arabnews.com/news/offbeat/608401\">Palestinians during the 2014 war\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I feel like the Palestinian issue is a queer issue,” Ganuush said. “We always stand up facing oppression from authoritarian systems.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Felt like I was coming out’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The shockingly high death toll and wide-scale destruction of Gaza has prompted \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11967074/as-apec-kicks-off-protestors-are-descending-on-san-francisco-heres-what-you-need-to-know\">crowds of Bay Area residents to flood the streets\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11967536/protesters-calling-for-gaza-ceasefire-block-bay-bridges-westbound-lanes\">block bridges\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11969094/sf-supervisor-preston-calls-for-city-to-adopt-resolution-demanding-gaza-cease-fire\">in support of a cease-fire\u003c/a> in recent weeks. One of these protests, on Dec. 2 in San Francisco’s Castro District, was \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/free-palestine-rally-sf-18528116.php\">organized by the group Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism\u003c/a> — or QUIT! — along with other members of the city’s queer community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11969733\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11969733 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A person with a beard and wearing a dress and a long necklace holds the Palestinian flag on a stage.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-01-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-01-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-01-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mama Ganuush, an African-Palestinian drag artist, waves a Palestinian flag as they perform at Oakland’s Continental Club on Oct. 29. \u003ccite>(Photo courtesy of Saman Qadir)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>One demonstrator wrote the group a letter after participating in the rally, detailing what the experience had meant to him. Zak, a first-generation Palestinian who gave only his first name in his letter, told QUIT! that “Marching down Castro St with my flag and wearing a Keffiyeh felt like I was coming out, not as gay, but as Palestinian to the Queer Community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>QUIT!’s current incarnation was founded in 2000. But as longtime group member Mindy Spatt explained, the pro-Palestine group has taken several forms over the years in support of other causes, or inspired by other groups: from Lesbians and Gays Against Intervention, organized around Central America, to DAGGER, (Dykes and Gay Guys Emergency Response), formed during the U.S. invasion of Iraq.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The group quickly evolved into an organization focused on supporting Palestinians, Spatt said, a cause that members like her have been politically invested in for a long time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During a visit to the West Bank in 1990, an altercation broke out in the small town Spatt was staying in, she recalled. In response, the Israeli military enforced a curfew, prompting Palestinian children to march in the streets in protest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11969735\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1500px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-03-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11969735 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-03-KQED.jpg\" alt='A group of people sit in the middle of a city street while several people hold a sign reading \"Queers of the Plaza: Free Palestine.\"' width=\"1500\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-03-KQED.jpg 1500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-03-KQED-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-03-KQED-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-03-KQED-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-03-KQED-1152x1536.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">LGBTQ+ activists, including local pro-Palestine group Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism (QUIT!), demonstrate in San Francisco on Dec. 2 in support of a cease-fire in Gaza. \u003ccite>(Photo courtesy of Mindy Spatt)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I saw them shooting at a 12-year-old girl. No one could ever tell me they haven’t been killing children because I’ve seen it,” Spatt said. “As a Jew, it was actually really painful to me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although it was not the only violence Spatt said she witnessed — it was the incident that resonated most strongly, leading to her \u003ca href=\"https://quitpalestine.org/frameline/\">activism with QUIT!\u003c/a> back in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There was all this stuff with the Israeli government promoting itself as this bastion of freedom for gay people,” Spatt said. “And we were like, ‘Well, really? Is it safe for Palestinian gay people in Israel?’ ”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Protesting ‘pinkwashing’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Last month, \u003ca href=\"https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-palestine-war-soldier-rainbow-flag-gaza-condemned-pinkwashing-textbook\">images of an Israeli soldier holding up a Pride flag amid ruins in Gaza began circulating on social media\u003c/a>. The photos were heavily criticized by many queer advocates, who called them a form of “pinkwashing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sa’ed Atshan, \u003ca href=\"https://www.swarthmore.edu/profile/saed-atshan\">an associate professor of peace and conflict studies at Swarthmore College\u003c/a> and the author of \u003ci>Queer Palestine and the Empire of Critique\u003c/i> said pinkwashing refers to “when supporters of the right-wing Israeli state draw attention to a purported advanced LGBTQ rights record in Israel in order to detract attention away from Israel’s gross violations of Palestinian human rights.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It becomes a civilizational discourse that’s used to dehumanize Palestinians by pathologizing Palestinians as being homophobic,” Atshan said, “and therefore to attempt to justify the oppression that Palestinians face from Israel.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pinkwashing also ignores the struggle of queer Palestinians and the specific surveillance they face at the hands of Israeli authorities, Atshan said. Since the 1980s, “the Israeli security and intelligence services have been \u003ca href=\"https://www.vice.com/en/article/av8b5j/gay-palestinians-are-being-blackmailed-into-working-as-informants\">targeting LGBTQ Palestinians\u003c/a> to serve as informants and collaborators,” he said. “They target vulnerable Palestinians. So, for example, a young woman who maybe had an extramarital relationship or premarital sex, and that is discovered, that could then be used against her to try to entrap or blackmail.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>This kind of targeting, Atshan added, “becomes a kind of tool that’s used by the colonial apparatus to further subjugate and dominate Palestinians.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘I will not let them steal my joy’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>San Francisco artist Zaheer Suboh characterizes some of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.them.us/story/lgbtq-solidarity-palestine-saed-atshan\">criticism of Palestinian activism\u003c/a> that he often \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CzPXvI2PM3d/?hl=en&img_index=1\">faces online\u003c/a> or in person as: “These Hamas agents would want to kill you. So, why are you fighting for the rights of Palestinians?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Suboh calls such statements a “logically fallacious argument against liberating people in general” — and argues that it’s hypocritical coming from people in the United States, considering \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/anti-trans-laws\">this country’s own recent wave of anti-trans and anti-gay legislation.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Suboh, a queer Palestinian DJ who performs as Subeaux, grew up in the West Bank. For him, pinkwashing is “essentially legitimizing the apartheid mission of Israel by saying that it is the only safe place for gay people in the Middle East.” He said he personally wouldn’t feel safe in Israel — because of the persecution he’d face for just being Palestinian.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cbr>\nSuboh said he vividly remembers the daily checkpoints he had to go through as a child to get to school, seeing soldiers with guns asking for Palestinians’ papers and searching their belongings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But he also remembers his family’s land and the bustling markets on the streets of Ramallah.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I miss waking up early mornings with my siblings and my dad and going to our big fig tree,” Suboh said. “It was so big. Its stalks were so stretched out wide that you could climb all the way up on the sides of it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Suboh, who now lives in the Castro District, said he uses his performances as a way to create spaces for connection. “One of my life goals is to bring queer people together … through joy, through music, through community building,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11969736\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-04-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11969736 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A DJ behind a turntable in front of a doorway.\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1061\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-04-KQED.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-04-KQED-800x531.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-04-KQED-1020x676.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-04-KQED-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/231213-Pinkwashing-04-KQED-1536x1019.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco DJ Zaheer Suboh, who performs as Subeaux, says it has been difficult balancing his art and his activism amid Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza. \u003ccite>(Photo courtesy of Zaheer Suboh)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Suboh said he’s currently trying to find a balance in his life between DJing and activism, something he finds challenging because of the deep anger he feels watching Israeli forces continue their siege on Gaza.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I will not let this injustice steal another thing from me. Because my people’s land has already been stolen, my people’s lives have already been stolen,” Suboh said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I will not let them steal my joy on top of everything that they’ve already stolen.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "inside-the-trial-that-overturned-californias-same-sex-marriage-ban-proposition-8-mike-johnson-lgbtq-rights",
"title": "Inside the Trial That Overturned California's Same-Sex Marriage Ban",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=KQINC7526943476\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These are some of the ideas promoted by Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson, the man \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/house-speaker-republicans-emmer-mccarthy-54352a64be041cd445bda8df28b24f03\">Republicans unanimously elected speaker of the House of Representatives on Oct. 25\u003c/a>, a position second-in-line for the presidency after the vice president:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Marriage between two men or two women \u003ca href=\"https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-kfile/134019997/\">is not what God intended, and only traditional heterosexual marriage can lead to real happiness\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Homosexuality \u003ca href=\"https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-mike-johnson-2005/134051395/\">is a lifestyle choice, not an immutable characteristic\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Children are harmed \u003ca href=\"https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-kfile/134019997/\">by not having one mother and one father\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>States \u003ca href=\"https://www.splcenter.org/sites/default/files/adf_-amicusbrief_lawrence_v_texas.pdf\">should be allowed to criminalize consensual sex between two men\u003c/a> as a way to slow the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>“Experts project that homosexual marriage is the dark harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy,” Johnson \u003ca href=\"https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-kfile/134020593/\">wrote in 2004 in an opinion article\u003c/a> in The Times of Shreveport, Louisiana.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asked recently by Fox News for his views on homosexuality, Johnson said simply, “Go pick up a Bible. That’s what I believe and so I make no apologies for it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s why we call him MAGA Mike,” said openly gay Congressman Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach). “He is literally one of the most extreme voices in his party as it relates to LGBTQ rights. And so his record is really troubling.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many of the ideas espoused by Johnson also served as the ideological basis of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/proposition-8\">Proposition 8\u003c/a>, the 2008 ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage in California until it was struck down in 2010.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Such constitutional amendments, Johnson said, “are the people’s only way to prevent same-sex marriage as demanded by activist courts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rise of Johnson to the speakership coincides with renewed ultraconservative activism under the guise of keeping public policy from getting in between parents and their children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At school board meetings, city councils and state legislatures around the country — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11965684/amidst-backlash-conservative-groups-target-south-bay-school-board-seats\">including in the Bay Area\u003c/a> — conservative activists led by organizations such as \u003ca href=\"https://www.momsforliberty.org/\">Moms for Liberty\u003c/a> are using “parental rights” as a cry to stir up anger against policies supporting transgender youth and their families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The notion that children need protection from predatory queer people or their allies is nothing new. In the 1970s, former beauty pageant winner \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/1970s-christian-crusader-anita-bryant-helped-spawn-floridas-lgbtq-cult-rcna24215\">Anita Bryant used it to roll back gay rights ordinances in Florida\u003c/a>. Here in California in 1978, \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-08-04/gearhart-briggs-initiative-ban-gay-teachers-proposition-6\">it was the misguided rationale behind the so-called Briggs Initiative\u003c/a>, which sought to prevent openly gay and lesbian people from teaching in K-12 schools. Voters soundly defeated it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that was not the case 15 years ago, on Nov. 4, 2008 — when Proposition 8 passed. It was a night when Californians overwhelmingly voted to elect Barack Obama president while simultaneously taking away the right of same-sex couples to marry. For LGBTQ+ voters, it was political whiplash — euphoria and despair in one night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Proposition 8 passed with 52% of the vote, eliminating a right that had been granted to gay and lesbian couples by the California Supreme Court less than six months earlier.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Anti-gay tropes on trial\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As it happens, the ideas embraced by Speaker Johnson and supporters of Proposition 8 were all put on trial in 2010 after two same-sex couples sued in federal court to overturn the measure when they were denied marriage licenses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That Proposition 8 trial — which included expert witnesses testifying under oath about anti-gay tropes, theories and political arguments — resulted in Proposition 8 being struck down in 2010 when the federal trial judge deemed the evidence against same-sex marriage to be uncompelling and ruled that the law violated the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ruling, and the legal battle ended when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up a final appeal in 2013.[aside postID=\"news_11911275\" hero=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/04/RS5337_KQEDprop8castro_01.jpg\"]For more than a decade after it ended, videotapes of the trial were under seal until KQED fought a long legal battle to make them available to the public. The U.S. Supreme Court \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11911275/supreme-court-ruling-clears-way-for-release-of-footage-from-landmark-trial-that-legalized-same-sex-marriage-in-california\">allowed them to be unsealed in October 2022\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the videotapes were released, KQED invited the four Proposition 8 plaintiffs — Kris Perry and Sandy Stier along with Paul Katami and Jeffrey Zarrillo — to view them for the first time and talk about the trial, its aftermath and its significance today.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘The lie won people over, and the lie was based on fear’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>One thing that stood out is that the ‘Yes on 8’ messages still echo today.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Leaders in the Catholic and Mormon Churches promoted the campaign to ban same-sex marriages in California. Among the ‘Yes on 8’ slogans: “Protect the Children.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The sad part of it is, that campaign worked because the convenience of the lie won people over, and the lie was based on fear,” recalls Paul Katami. “And that fear included children. So I would never say it was a brilliant tactic, but it was an evil tactic.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Watch a video featuring Paul Katami and Jeffrey Zarrillo reflecting on their experiences, produced by KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/ccabreralomeli\">Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGFgrXJx950\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Attorney Thomas R. Burke led KQED’s successful legal battle to unseal the tapes. He said the trial tested the homophobic, hateful arguments promoted by Proposition 8 supporters. The witnesses, the withering cross-examinations and the poignant testimony are all caught on \u003ca href=\"https://cand.uscourts.gov/notices/video-recordings-of-perry-v-schwarzenegger-now-available/\">video that is now available to anyone who wants to watch\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The evidence didn’t support you,” Burke said, referring to ‘Yes on 8’ defenders. “You had great lawyers arguing your cause, and you didn’t win. And if people thought you should have won, they can see and judge for themselves. If you didn’t have that recorded, that couldn’t happen.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The historic trial resulted in a landmark decision when Judge Vaughn Walker struck down the ballot measure, ruling it violated the U.S. Constitution — but it was hardly a foregone conclusion at the start.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Jeffrey Zarrillo, Proposition 8 plaintiff\"]‘I said to Paul at one point, ‘Even if we lose, we can go to our graves knowing that we didn’t stand for being treated as second-class citizens. We tried to do something about it.”[/pullquote]“I remember feeling very anxious and scared, honestly, not knowing how any of it would turn out,” lead plaintiff Kris Perry said after viewing trial clips at KQED. “People were really, you know, counting on us to deliver. And there was a lot of pressure.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perry’s wife, Sandy Stier, recalls what seemed like days and days of preparation before going on the stand. She remembers worrying about how the trial might affect their lives, “not only for me, what it might be like for my kids, for my parents, my siblings and my community. And so it was very, very anxious going into court that day, not knowing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Zarrillo and Katami were the first witnesses called to testify.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I had so many fears going into the trial,” Katami said. “I was not confident because this was uncharted territory for both of us as human beings.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I said to Paul at one point, ‘Even if we lose, we can go to our graves knowing that we didn’t stand for being treated as second-class citizens,’” Zarrillo said. “We tried to do something about it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The trial was originally going to be televised on closed circuit TV via YouTube until Proposition 8 attorneys objected, and the U.S. Supreme Court intervened to prevent it. But Judge Walker recorded the trial anyway, he said, for his personal use in writing the decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the stand, Katami was asked by one of their attorneys, David Boies, what the big deal was about not being able to marry when they had the option of a domestic partnership.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The big deal is it’s creating a separate category for us. And that’s a major deal because it makes you into a second-, third- … and fourth-class citizen,” Katami said that day in January 2010.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11966192\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11966192\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/03032023_prop9lawsuit-469-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"Two people sit next to each other in chairs in front of a white backdrop.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/03032023_prop9lawsuit-469-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/03032023_prop9lawsuit-469-KQED-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/03032023_prop9lawsuit-469-KQED-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/03032023_prop9lawsuit-469-KQED-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/03032023_prop9lawsuit-469-KQED-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/03032023_prop9lawsuit-469-KQED-1920x1278.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jeffrey Zarrillo, left, and Paul Katami, plaintiffs in the landmark lawsuit that overturned California’s ban on same-sex marriage, sit during an interview at the KQED offices in San Francisco on March 3, 2023. Katami and Zarrillo had come to the studio to watch clips of their testimony in federal court, which KQED had fought to get unsealed. \u003ccite>(Kori Suzuki/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Concerns over renewed efforts to make LGBTQ+ people second-class citizens were shared by none other than U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor this summer, following the high court’s ruling siding with a Christian graphic artist who refused to work with same-sex couples. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11955680/explaining-303-creative-decision\">Sotomayor wrote in her dissent that the decision’s effect was to “mark gays and lesbians for second-class status”\u003c/a> and that the ruling opened the door to further discrimination.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reflecting on his testimony, Katami said until the Proposition 8 trial, many heterosexuals didn’t know the hundreds of rights automatically afforded straight couples — but denied to LGBTQ people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And if you don’t have that protection because marriage allows that protection, there’s a bright spotlight that shines down on those rights when you don’t have them,” Katami says.[aside postID=\"news_11955680\" hero=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/GettyImages-180517172-1020x680.jpg\"]Viewing the trial tapes, Zarrillo noted that “when you’re on the stand like that, you have to really figure out, how do I answer this question [in a way] that is not going to hurt our cause?” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Perry was asked in court to describe her relationship with Stier, whom she met while both were students at UC Santa Cruz, Perry testified, “I met Sandy thinking she was maybe the sparkliest person I ever met. And I wanted to be her friend.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the stand, Stier testified that after meeting Perry, she “ really felt like the thunderbolt of change for me.” Unlike Perry, Stier wasn’t an out lesbian at the time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I had moved to California, got married to a man, had two kids, and knew that something wasn’t working for me,” Stier told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Watch a video featuring Kris Perry and Sandy Stier reflecting on their experiences, produced by KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/ccabreralomeli\">Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMlRY1EIifk\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The trial tapes reveal the humanity of the issue, ably presented by the four plaintiffs, Judge Walker said recently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Both of the couples were very able witnesses — very attractive witnesses… So, we’re talking about matters that are intensely personal and important to them. That’s pretty compelling testimony under any circumstances,” Walker told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the audible and visible emotion of their testimony was out of view until the trial tapes were unsealed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course, unlike TV shows, where every courtroom scene is riveting and entertaining, real-life trials are mostly “hours and hours of tedium broken episodically by sometimes emotions (or) events of great interest. But they are few and far between,” Walker said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, the retired judge said the tapes will be helpful in law schools to show students how courts deal with “a social issue or a constitutional issue of widespread importance.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Honey Mahogany, transgender rights activist and chair of the San Francisco Democratic Central Committee \"]‘Seeing what happened during the trial behind the scenes is really important because it helps expose the truth. It helps expose the fact that this is just about two people loving each other.’[/pullquote]After Proposition 8 was struck down, both couples soon married and remain so today. But LGBTQ people are still under attack by people hoping to use them as political fodder on behalf of conservative causes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think that is incredibly dangerous,” transgender rights activist Honey Mahogany said. “These are tropes that have always been a part of emotionally manipulating people to advantage a certain political group or cause, right? They’re not based in fact.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mahogany, who also chairs the San Francisco Democratic Central Committee, said the release of the trial tapes helps to humanize issues and the plaintiffs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Seeing what happened during the trial behind the scenes is really important because it helps expose the truth,” Mahogany said. “It helps expose the fact that this is just about two people loving each other, wanting to cement their relationship, wanting to protect each other … and their children.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mahogany said that given the risks of failure, what the Proposition 8 plaintiffs did was “incredibly important and brave.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She hopes their example will encourage others to come forward today to humanize LGBTQ issues. “We can learn from history. We can, you know, find our champions and also our storytellers to help us tell our stories,” Mahogany said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the videotapes now accessible online, their stories told under oath can be seen by anyone who wishes to watch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They fought for a decade that this would not be seen,” Burke said. “And I think there’s a reason for that,” Burke said, implying their arguments simply didn’t hold up under legal scrutiny.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although Walker’s ruling striking down Proposition 8 was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, the measure’s wording remains in the California Constitution. But voters will have the chance to change that next November. The State Legislature\u003ca href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/California_Right_to_Marry_and_Repeal_Proposition_8_Amendment_(2024)\"> placed a measure on the fall 2024 ballot that removes that invalidated language\u003c/a> and replaces it with an affirmation of the right of all couples to marry in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>A version of this story was originally published on Nov. 2.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=KQINC7526943476\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These are some of the ideas promoted by Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson, the man \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/house-speaker-republicans-emmer-mccarthy-54352a64be041cd445bda8df28b24f03\">Republicans unanimously elected speaker of the House of Representatives on Oct. 25\u003c/a>, a position second-in-line for the presidency after the vice president:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Marriage between two men or two women \u003ca href=\"https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-kfile/134019997/\">is not what God intended, and only traditional heterosexual marriage can lead to real happiness\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Homosexuality \u003ca href=\"https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-mike-johnson-2005/134051395/\">is a lifestyle choice, not an immutable characteristic\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Children are harmed \u003ca href=\"https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-kfile/134019997/\">by not having one mother and one father\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>States \u003ca href=\"https://www.splcenter.org/sites/default/files/adf_-amicusbrief_lawrence_v_texas.pdf\">should be allowed to criminalize consensual sex between two men\u003c/a> as a way to slow the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>“Experts project that homosexual marriage is the dark harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy,” Johnson \u003ca href=\"https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-kfile/134020593/\">wrote in 2004 in an opinion article\u003c/a> in The Times of Shreveport, Louisiana.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asked recently by Fox News for his views on homosexuality, Johnson said simply, “Go pick up a Bible. That’s what I believe and so I make no apologies for it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s why we call him MAGA Mike,” said openly gay Congressman Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach). “He is literally one of the most extreme voices in his party as it relates to LGBTQ rights. And so his record is really troubling.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many of the ideas espoused by Johnson also served as the ideological basis of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/proposition-8\">Proposition 8\u003c/a>, the 2008 ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage in California until it was struck down in 2010.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Such constitutional amendments, Johnson said, “are the people’s only way to prevent same-sex marriage as demanded by activist courts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rise of Johnson to the speakership coincides with renewed ultraconservative activism under the guise of keeping public policy from getting in between parents and their children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At school board meetings, city councils and state legislatures around the country — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11965684/amidst-backlash-conservative-groups-target-south-bay-school-board-seats\">including in the Bay Area\u003c/a> — conservative activists led by organizations such as \u003ca href=\"https://www.momsforliberty.org/\">Moms for Liberty\u003c/a> are using “parental rights” as a cry to stir up anger against policies supporting transgender youth and their families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The notion that children need protection from predatory queer people or their allies is nothing new. In the 1970s, former beauty pageant winner \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/1970s-christian-crusader-anita-bryant-helped-spawn-floridas-lgbtq-cult-rcna24215\">Anita Bryant used it to roll back gay rights ordinances in Florida\u003c/a>. Here in California in 1978, \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-08-04/gearhart-briggs-initiative-ban-gay-teachers-proposition-6\">it was the misguided rationale behind the so-called Briggs Initiative\u003c/a>, which sought to prevent openly gay and lesbian people from teaching in K-12 schools. Voters soundly defeated it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that was not the case 15 years ago, on Nov. 4, 2008 — when Proposition 8 passed. It was a night when Californians overwhelmingly voted to elect Barack Obama president while simultaneously taking away the right of same-sex couples to marry. For LGBTQ+ voters, it was political whiplash — euphoria and despair in one night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Proposition 8 passed with 52% of the vote, eliminating a right that had been granted to gay and lesbian couples by the California Supreme Court less than six months earlier.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Anti-gay tropes on trial\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As it happens, the ideas embraced by Speaker Johnson and supporters of Proposition 8 were all put on trial in 2010 after two same-sex couples sued in federal court to overturn the measure when they were denied marriage licenses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That Proposition 8 trial — which included expert witnesses testifying under oath about anti-gay tropes, theories and political arguments — resulted in Proposition 8 being struck down in 2010 when the federal trial judge deemed the evidence against same-sex marriage to be uncompelling and ruled that the law violated the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ruling, and the legal battle ended when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up a final appeal in 2013.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>For more than a decade after it ended, videotapes of the trial were under seal until KQED fought a long legal battle to make them available to the public. The U.S. Supreme Court \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11911275/supreme-court-ruling-clears-way-for-release-of-footage-from-landmark-trial-that-legalized-same-sex-marriage-in-california\">allowed them to be unsealed in October 2022\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the videotapes were released, KQED invited the four Proposition 8 plaintiffs — Kris Perry and Sandy Stier along with Paul Katami and Jeffrey Zarrillo — to view them for the first time and talk about the trial, its aftermath and its significance today.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘The lie won people over, and the lie was based on fear’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>One thing that stood out is that the ‘Yes on 8’ messages still echo today.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Leaders in the Catholic and Mormon Churches promoted the campaign to ban same-sex marriages in California. Among the ‘Yes on 8’ slogans: “Protect the Children.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The sad part of it is, that campaign worked because the convenience of the lie won people over, and the lie was based on fear,” recalls Paul Katami. “And that fear included children. So I would never say it was a brilliant tactic, but it was an evil tactic.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Watch a video featuring Paul Katami and Jeffrey Zarrillo reflecting on their experiences, produced by KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/ccabreralomeli\">Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/CGFgrXJx950'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/CGFgrXJx950'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Attorney Thomas R. Burke led KQED’s successful legal battle to unseal the tapes. He said the trial tested the homophobic, hateful arguments promoted by Proposition 8 supporters. The witnesses, the withering cross-examinations and the poignant testimony are all caught on \u003ca href=\"https://cand.uscourts.gov/notices/video-recordings-of-perry-v-schwarzenegger-now-available/\">video that is now available to anyone who wants to watch\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The evidence didn’t support you,” Burke said, referring to ‘Yes on 8’ defenders. “You had great lawyers arguing your cause, and you didn’t win. And if people thought you should have won, they can see and judge for themselves. If you didn’t have that recorded, that couldn’t happen.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The historic trial resulted in a landmark decision when Judge Vaughn Walker struck down the ballot measure, ruling it violated the U.S. Constitution — but it was hardly a foregone conclusion at the start.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘I said to Paul at one point, ‘Even if we lose, we can go to our graves knowing that we didn’t stand for being treated as second-class citizens. We tried to do something about it.”",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“I remember feeling very anxious and scared, honestly, not knowing how any of it would turn out,” lead plaintiff Kris Perry said after viewing trial clips at KQED. “People were really, you know, counting on us to deliver. And there was a lot of pressure.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perry’s wife, Sandy Stier, recalls what seemed like days and days of preparation before going on the stand. She remembers worrying about how the trial might affect their lives, “not only for me, what it might be like for my kids, for my parents, my siblings and my community. And so it was very, very anxious going into court that day, not knowing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Zarrillo and Katami were the first witnesses called to testify.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I had so many fears going into the trial,” Katami said. “I was not confident because this was uncharted territory for both of us as human beings.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I said to Paul at one point, ‘Even if we lose, we can go to our graves knowing that we didn’t stand for being treated as second-class citizens,’” Zarrillo said. “We tried to do something about it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The trial was originally going to be televised on closed circuit TV via YouTube until Proposition 8 attorneys objected, and the U.S. Supreme Court intervened to prevent it. But Judge Walker recorded the trial anyway, he said, for his personal use in writing the decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the stand, Katami was asked by one of their attorneys, David Boies, what the big deal was about not being able to marry when they had the option of a domestic partnership.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The big deal is it’s creating a separate category for us. And that’s a major deal because it makes you into a second-, third- … and fourth-class citizen,” Katami said that day in January 2010.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11966192\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11966192\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/03032023_prop9lawsuit-469-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"Two people sit next to each other in chairs in front of a white backdrop.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/03032023_prop9lawsuit-469-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/03032023_prop9lawsuit-469-KQED-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/03032023_prop9lawsuit-469-KQED-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/03032023_prop9lawsuit-469-KQED-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/03032023_prop9lawsuit-469-KQED-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/03032023_prop9lawsuit-469-KQED-1920x1278.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jeffrey Zarrillo, left, and Paul Katami, plaintiffs in the landmark lawsuit that overturned California’s ban on same-sex marriage, sit during an interview at the KQED offices in San Francisco on March 3, 2023. Katami and Zarrillo had come to the studio to watch clips of their testimony in federal court, which KQED had fought to get unsealed. \u003ccite>(Kori Suzuki/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Concerns over renewed efforts to make LGBTQ+ people second-class citizens were shared by none other than U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor this summer, following the high court’s ruling siding with a Christian graphic artist who refused to work with same-sex couples. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11955680/explaining-303-creative-decision\">Sotomayor wrote in her dissent that the decision’s effect was to “mark gays and lesbians for second-class status”\u003c/a> and that the ruling opened the door to further discrimination.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reflecting on his testimony, Katami said until the Proposition 8 trial, many heterosexuals didn’t know the hundreds of rights automatically afforded straight couples — but denied to LGBTQ people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And if you don’t have that protection because marriage allows that protection, there’s a bright spotlight that shines down on those rights when you don’t have them,” Katami says.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Viewing the trial tapes, Zarrillo noted that “when you’re on the stand like that, you have to really figure out, how do I answer this question [in a way] that is not going to hurt our cause?” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Perry was asked in court to describe her relationship with Stier, whom she met while both were students at UC Santa Cruz, Perry testified, “I met Sandy thinking she was maybe the sparkliest person I ever met. And I wanted to be her friend.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the stand, Stier testified that after meeting Perry, she “ really felt like the thunderbolt of change for me.” Unlike Perry, Stier wasn’t an out lesbian at the time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I had moved to California, got married to a man, had two kids, and knew that something wasn’t working for me,” Stier told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Watch a video featuring Kris Perry and Sandy Stier reflecting on their experiences, produced by KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/ccabreralomeli\">Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/gMlRY1EIifk'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/gMlRY1EIifk'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>The trial tapes reveal the humanity of the issue, ably presented by the four plaintiffs, Judge Walker said recently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Both of the couples were very able witnesses — very attractive witnesses… So, we’re talking about matters that are intensely personal and important to them. That’s pretty compelling testimony under any circumstances,” Walker told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the audible and visible emotion of their testimony was out of view until the trial tapes were unsealed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course, unlike TV shows, where every courtroom scene is riveting and entertaining, real-life trials are mostly “hours and hours of tedium broken episodically by sometimes emotions (or) events of great interest. But they are few and far between,” Walker said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, the retired judge said the tapes will be helpful in law schools to show students how courts deal with “a social issue or a constitutional issue of widespread importance.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘Seeing what happened during the trial behind the scenes is really important because it helps expose the truth. It helps expose the fact that this is just about two people loving each other.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>After Proposition 8 was struck down, both couples soon married and remain so today. But LGBTQ people are still under attack by people hoping to use them as political fodder on behalf of conservative causes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think that is incredibly dangerous,” transgender rights activist Honey Mahogany said. “These are tropes that have always been a part of emotionally manipulating people to advantage a certain political group or cause, right? They’re not based in fact.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mahogany, who also chairs the San Francisco Democratic Central Committee, said the release of the trial tapes helps to humanize issues and the plaintiffs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Seeing what happened during the trial behind the scenes is really important because it helps expose the truth,” Mahogany said. “It helps expose the fact that this is just about two people loving each other, wanting to cement their relationship, wanting to protect each other … and their children.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mahogany said that given the risks of failure, what the Proposition 8 plaintiffs did was “incredibly important and brave.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She hopes their example will encourage others to come forward today to humanize LGBTQ issues. “We can learn from history. We can, you know, find our champions and also our storytellers to help us tell our stories,” Mahogany said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the videotapes now accessible online, their stories told under oath can be seen by anyone who wishes to watch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They fought for a decade that this would not be seen,” Burke said. “And I think there’s a reason for that,” Burke said, implying their arguments simply didn’t hold up under legal scrutiny.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although Walker’s ruling striking down Proposition 8 was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, the measure’s wording remains in the California Constitution. But voters will have the chance to change that next November. The State Legislature\u003ca href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/California_Right_to_Marry_and_Repeal_Proposition_8_Amendment_(2024)\"> placed a measure on the fall 2024 ballot that removes that invalidated language\u003c/a> and replaces it with an affirmation of the right of all couples to marry in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>A version of this story was originally published on Nov. 2.\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>On a Saturday morning in late August, the Silicon Valley Association of Republican Women hosted a meeting to recruit candidates for local school board races.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The gathering at Calvary Chapel on Hillsdale Avenue in San José began with a prayer from the group’s vice president, Mingi Bodine. [pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Mingi Bodine, vice president, Silicon Valley Association of Republican Women\"]‘Father, we are asking not only for your forgiveness of our sins, but rescuing the children, who have been under the most evil public school system America has ever seen.’[/pullquote]“Father, we are asking not only for your forgiveness of our sins but rescuing the children, who have been under the most evil public school system America has ever seen,” Bodine said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the next two hours, advocates implored potential candidates to pursue school board seats under the banner of “parents’ rights” — with the goal of policing textbooks and transgender expression and countering the influence of teacher unions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The leader of one local parents’ rights group, Informed Parents of Silicon Valley, shared his plans to encourage parents to opt their children out of sex ed classes. And conservatives who had won seats on South Bay school boards offered unvarnished explanations for their leap into politics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I decided I’m going to run. Why? Because they were hurting the children,” said Linda Chavez, who was elected to the board of the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District, in East San José, in 2018.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They had just finished passing all of this gay stuff,” Chavez said. “And this is one of the first districts who did it, and I looked around and said, this is all going to go this way — not on my watch.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2022, Chavez and three other candidates backed by the Silicon Valley Association of Republican Women won school board seats in the South Bay. A year later — as clashes over transgender rights, Pride flags, and LGBTQ+ inclusive curriculum have spread across California and the nation — conservative organizations in liberal Santa Clara County are redoubling their efforts to gain a foothold on local school boards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they are facing growing pushback from opponents who are raising alarms about the groups’ collective aims. [pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"San José City Councilmember Omar Torres\"]‘Right-wing individuals and organizations have made it clear to me, to our transgender community, to our LGBTQ community that we should be retreating back into the closet to hide our true selves and to conform to a version of society that denies me to be my true authentic self.’[/pullquote]On Tuesday, members of San José’s City Council denounced Informed Parents of Silicon Valley for using anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric in their campaign to remove kids from sex-ed. In response, the council unanimously passed a resolution “affirming support of the transgender and broader LGBTQ+ communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilmember Omar Torres, the city’s first openly gay Latino councilmember, co-authored the resolution. He was overcome with emotion as he attempted to speak from the dais — twice asking for more time to collect his thoughts, as other council members walked over to embrace him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I stand here crying not only as a councilmember but as a human who has been the target of hate solely because of my sexual orientation,” Torres said. “Right-wing individuals and organizations have made it clear to me, to our transgender community, to our LGBTQ community that we should be retreating back into the closet to hide our true selves and to conform to a version of society that denies me to be my true authentic self.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Members of the council and their allies vowed to counter the influence of the conservative organizations — drawing battle lines ahead of what could be a more significant confrontation on school board ballots in 2024.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What you don’t want to have happen is that everybody stays quiet,” said Ken Yeager, a professor of political science at San José State and the first openly gay elected official in Santa Clara County. “Then, these evangelicals think, ‘Oh, OK, the political climate has changed, we can be much more bold in our actions because there isn’t going to be any type of reaction to it.” [aside postID=news_11962571 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/230927-CHINO-TRANSGENDER-SCHOOL-BOARD-Getty-DM-KQED-1020x680.jpg']Informed Parents caught the attention of the council last month when their volunteers distributed literature outside of schools in the Cambrian, Franklin-McKinney and San José Unified school districts, which declared “Your children are at risk!” and accused local schools of teaching “Gender confusion and gender transitioning.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilmember Pam Foley called the literature “inappropriate and totally unnecessary.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These fliers contain misinformation and hateful dog whistles that target our LGBTQ community,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Larry Pegram, the founder of Informed Parents of Silicon Valley, defended his group’s outreach to parents and said their agenda is not anti-LGBTQ+.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We welcome anyone and everyone who’s interested in asserting parental rights over their children’s education,” said Pegram, a former San José councilmember, told KQED. “Whether those parents are gay, trans, cisgendered, or anything else really doesn’t matter to us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A core goal of the group’s opt-out campaign, Pegram said, is to teach parents about their ability to remove their children from classes they consider inappropriate, such as comprehensive sex education (which includes LGBTQ+ inclusive language) and HIV/AIDS prevention education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A 2015 California law requires students to receive sex ed once in middle school and once in high school, although it can be taught earlier. School districts are required to notify parents about the instruction and inform them about their ability to excuse their child.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All that we are doing is helping parents know what their rights are and make a decision as to whether or not they want to opt their children out of these various activities,” Pegram said. [pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Larry Pegram, founder, Informed Parents of Silicon Valley\"]‘If we can create parent organizations at the various school districts, we’ve got the army. So that when someone stands up and says, ‘Yes, I want to run,’ we’ve got an army. … and we can begin to use that army for all of the labor needs that occur in a political campaign’[/pullquote]Pegram told KQED his group is not involved in politics. But at the August church meeting for prospective school board candidates, Pegram offered extensive guidance to candidates about campaigning, fundraising and messaging, saying, “If you want to see a change in curriculum in the schools, you have to make a change in the face of the people that are running the district.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our organization, Informed Parents of Silicon Valley, is dedicated to helping you candidates get elected,” Pegram said before adding, “Now, we’re a 501(c)(3) organization. We don’t — I’m doing this for the tape — we do not endorse any candidates.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pegram said his group’s distribution of the “opt-out bookmarks” will encourage like-minded parents to form organizations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If we can create parent organizations at the various school districts, we’ve got the army. So that when someone stands up and says, ‘Yes, I want to run,’ we’ve got an army … and we can begin to use that army for all of the labor needs that occur in a political campaign,” he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Critics of Informed Parents see the group as Pegram’s latest effort to target LGBTQ+ rights in the South Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yeager, who detailed the history of local LGBTQ+ politics in his book \u003cem>Run!, \u003c/em>recounted Pegram’s opposition to ordinances protecting the city’s gay residents from discrimination in 1980. Later, Pegram was a local advocate for Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage statewide in 2008.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The focus is always on children,” Yeager said. “But obviously, their main aim is really to sort of take over politics and to sort of deprive LGBTQ people of the same rights as everybody else.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pegram maintained that his own political history is “irrelevant” to the current work of Informed Parents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dr. Melissa Michelson, a political science professor at Menlo College, said she sees a similar playbook at work in the current debates playing out over LGBTQ+ issues in schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The culture wars are all about finding that new thing that divides and tries to, you know, to pull away from the opposition’s coalition. And so maybe 10, 15 years ago, it was marriage equality,” said Michelson, who studies LGBTQ+ politics and transgender rights. “And now the focus has turned to what’s going on in schools, what’s going on in school libraries, what’s going on in school curriculums.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Michelson said school board elections present a unique opportunity for small groups of well-organized activists. The races are often low-information contests, and candidates don’t run as a member of a political party, leaving voters without a partisan cue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s also a strategic move in a blue state like California, where anti-LGBTQ+ legislation is unlikely to succeed at the state level. Instead, California’s Republican Party has made a concerted effort to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11922860/california-republicans-are-betting-big-on-local-school-board-races\">invest in school board candidates as a way of building political power\u003c/a> at the local level.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, the Silicon Valley Association of Republican Women supported more than a dozen candidates for school board across Santa Clara County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Four of those candidates won: Marc Cooper in the Franklin-McKinley School District; Pamela Gardiner in the Morgan Hill Unified School District; Jim Zito in the Evergreen School District; and Linda Chavez, in her bid for reelection in the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But their ties to conservative parents’ rights groups have created divisions at the local level. Cooper was censured last month by his board colleagues for appearing on a flier promoting his presence at an event organized by Informed Parents. The group was \u003ca href=\"https://omny.fm/shows/kqed-segmented-audio/kqed-newscast-f7e7b8f6-de8e-4fa1-b10d-7c41d2c291df\">forced to apologize to San José councilmember Bien Doan\u003c/a> for featuring his image on the same flier without his knowledge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tensions were already high leading into Tuesday’s council meeting. The resolution had initially called for the explicit condemnation of Informed Parents and accused the group of harassing families in their attempts to distribute opt-out literature. But after legal threats from the group, Informed Parents’ name was removed from the legislation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the meeting, about two dozen residents showed up to testify — many sharing personal experiences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sandra Rivera, a teacher and president of the teachers union in Alum Rock, told the council about raising a transgender son in local schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As my son navigated who he was, it was through educators here in San José and in safe spaces created by them that helped him feel safe exploring his gender,” Rivera said. “Groups such as Informed Parents of Silicon Valley are wolves in sheep’s clothing trying to justify hate.” [aside label='More Stories on LGBTQ+ Discrimination' tag='lgbtq-discrimination']Other parents showed up to support Informed Parents and blasted the school board for condemning the group. Ha Tran, a San José parent of two, said the resolution was full of “false claims and should be discarded.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These groups are there because schools are not doing their jobs,” Tran added. “These schools are biased and promote LGBQT+ and cause kids to be confused.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Michelson said that on its face, Informed Parents’ campaign to opt children out of sex ed classes is a far cry from efforts to out transgender students and ban books.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think for most people, that’s where it crosses the line — versus telling people, ‘Hey, just a reminder, you can opt your kid out of this curriculum,’” Michelson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Informed Parents’ fear-mongering rhetoric and political activity, Michelson added, could undermine their stated goals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you’re going to give it up that easy and people are going to know that that’s what you’re really doing, then you’re going to have to expect some backlash,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>On a Saturday morning in late August, the Silicon Valley Association of Republican Women hosted a meeting to recruit candidates for local school board races.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The gathering at Calvary Chapel on Hillsdale Avenue in San José began with a prayer from the group’s vice president, Mingi Bodine. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘Father, we are asking not only for your forgiveness of our sins, but rescuing the children, who have been under the most evil public school system America has ever seen.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Father, we are asking not only for your forgiveness of our sins but rescuing the children, who have been under the most evil public school system America has ever seen,” Bodine said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the next two hours, advocates implored potential candidates to pursue school board seats under the banner of “parents’ rights” — with the goal of policing textbooks and transgender expression and countering the influence of teacher unions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The leader of one local parents’ rights group, Informed Parents of Silicon Valley, shared his plans to encourage parents to opt their children out of sex ed classes. And conservatives who had won seats on South Bay school boards offered unvarnished explanations for their leap into politics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I decided I’m going to run. Why? Because they were hurting the children,” said Linda Chavez, who was elected to the board of the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District, in East San José, in 2018.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They had just finished passing all of this gay stuff,” Chavez said. “And this is one of the first districts who did it, and I looked around and said, this is all going to go this way — not on my watch.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2022, Chavez and three other candidates backed by the Silicon Valley Association of Republican Women won school board seats in the South Bay. A year later — as clashes over transgender rights, Pride flags, and LGBTQ+ inclusive curriculum have spread across California and the nation — conservative organizations in liberal Santa Clara County are redoubling their efforts to gain a foothold on local school boards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they are facing growing pushback from opponents who are raising alarms about the groups’ collective aims. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘Right-wing individuals and organizations have made it clear to me, to our transgender community, to our LGBTQ community that we should be retreating back into the closet to hide our true selves and to conform to a version of society that denies me to be my true authentic self.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>On Tuesday, members of San José’s City Council denounced Informed Parents of Silicon Valley for using anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric in their campaign to remove kids from sex-ed. In response, the council unanimously passed a resolution “affirming support of the transgender and broader LGBTQ+ communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilmember Omar Torres, the city’s first openly gay Latino councilmember, co-authored the resolution. He was overcome with emotion as he attempted to speak from the dais — twice asking for more time to collect his thoughts, as other council members walked over to embrace him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I stand here crying not only as a councilmember but as a human who has been the target of hate solely because of my sexual orientation,” Torres said. “Right-wing individuals and organizations have made it clear to me, to our transgender community, to our LGBTQ community that we should be retreating back into the closet to hide our true selves and to conform to a version of society that denies me to be my true authentic self.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Members of the council and their allies vowed to counter the influence of the conservative organizations — drawing battle lines ahead of what could be a more significant confrontation on school board ballots in 2024.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What you don’t want to have happen is that everybody stays quiet,” said Ken Yeager, a professor of political science at San José State and the first openly gay elected official in Santa Clara County. “Then, these evangelicals think, ‘Oh, OK, the political climate has changed, we can be much more bold in our actions because there isn’t going to be any type of reaction to it.” \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Informed Parents caught the attention of the council last month when their volunteers distributed literature outside of schools in the Cambrian, Franklin-McKinney and San José Unified school districts, which declared “Your children are at risk!” and accused local schools of teaching “Gender confusion and gender transitioning.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilmember Pam Foley called the literature “inappropriate and totally unnecessary.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These fliers contain misinformation and hateful dog whistles that target our LGBTQ community,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Larry Pegram, the founder of Informed Parents of Silicon Valley, defended his group’s outreach to parents and said their agenda is not anti-LGBTQ+.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We welcome anyone and everyone who’s interested in asserting parental rights over their children’s education,” said Pegram, a former San José councilmember, told KQED. “Whether those parents are gay, trans, cisgendered, or anything else really doesn’t matter to us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A core goal of the group’s opt-out campaign, Pegram said, is to teach parents about their ability to remove their children from classes they consider inappropriate, such as comprehensive sex education (which includes LGBTQ+ inclusive language) and HIV/AIDS prevention education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A 2015 California law requires students to receive sex ed once in middle school and once in high school, although it can be taught earlier. School districts are required to notify parents about the instruction and inform them about their ability to excuse their child.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All that we are doing is helping parents know what their rights are and make a decision as to whether or not they want to opt their children out of these various activities,” Pegram said. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Pegram told KQED his group is not involved in politics. But at the August church meeting for prospective school board candidates, Pegram offered extensive guidance to candidates about campaigning, fundraising and messaging, saying, “If you want to see a change in curriculum in the schools, you have to make a change in the face of the people that are running the district.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our organization, Informed Parents of Silicon Valley, is dedicated to helping you candidates get elected,” Pegram said before adding, “Now, we’re a 501(c)(3) organization. We don’t — I’m doing this for the tape — we do not endorse any candidates.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pegram said his group’s distribution of the “opt-out bookmarks” will encourage like-minded parents to form organizations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If we can create parent organizations at the various school districts, we’ve got the army. So that when someone stands up and says, ‘Yes, I want to run,’ we’ve got an army … and we can begin to use that army for all of the labor needs that occur in a political campaign,” he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Critics of Informed Parents see the group as Pegram’s latest effort to target LGBTQ+ rights in the South Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yeager, who detailed the history of local LGBTQ+ politics in his book \u003cem>Run!, \u003c/em>recounted Pegram’s opposition to ordinances protecting the city’s gay residents from discrimination in 1980. Later, Pegram was a local advocate for Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage statewide in 2008.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The focus is always on children,” Yeager said. “But obviously, their main aim is really to sort of take over politics and to sort of deprive LGBTQ people of the same rights as everybody else.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pegram maintained that his own political history is “irrelevant” to the current work of Informed Parents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dr. Melissa Michelson, a political science professor at Menlo College, said she sees a similar playbook at work in the current debates playing out over LGBTQ+ issues in schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The culture wars are all about finding that new thing that divides and tries to, you know, to pull away from the opposition’s coalition. And so maybe 10, 15 years ago, it was marriage equality,” said Michelson, who studies LGBTQ+ politics and transgender rights. “And now the focus has turned to what’s going on in schools, what’s going on in school libraries, what’s going on in school curriculums.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Michelson said school board elections present a unique opportunity for small groups of well-organized activists. The races are often low-information contests, and candidates don’t run as a member of a political party, leaving voters without a partisan cue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s also a strategic move in a blue state like California, where anti-LGBTQ+ legislation is unlikely to succeed at the state level. Instead, California’s Republican Party has made a concerted effort to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11922860/california-republicans-are-betting-big-on-local-school-board-races\">invest in school board candidates as a way of building political power\u003c/a> at the local level.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, the Silicon Valley Association of Republican Women supported more than a dozen candidates for school board across Santa Clara County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Four of those candidates won: Marc Cooper in the Franklin-McKinley School District; Pamela Gardiner in the Morgan Hill Unified School District; Jim Zito in the Evergreen School District; and Linda Chavez, in her bid for reelection in the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But their ties to conservative parents’ rights groups have created divisions at the local level. Cooper was censured last month by his board colleagues for appearing on a flier promoting his presence at an event organized by Informed Parents. The group was \u003ca href=\"https://omny.fm/shows/kqed-segmented-audio/kqed-newscast-f7e7b8f6-de8e-4fa1-b10d-7c41d2c291df\">forced to apologize to San José councilmember Bien Doan\u003c/a> for featuring his image on the same flier without his knowledge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tensions were already high leading into Tuesday’s council meeting. The resolution had initially called for the explicit condemnation of Informed Parents and accused the group of harassing families in their attempts to distribute opt-out literature. But after legal threats from the group, Informed Parents’ name was removed from the legislation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the meeting, about two dozen residents showed up to testify — many sharing personal experiences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sandra Rivera, a teacher and president of the teachers union in Alum Rock, told the council about raising a transgender son in local schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As my son navigated who he was, it was through educators here in San José and in safe spaces created by them that helped him feel safe exploring his gender,” Rivera said. “Groups such as Informed Parents of Silicon Valley are wolves in sheep’s clothing trying to justify hate.” \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Other parents showed up to support Informed Parents and blasted the school board for condemning the group. Ha Tran, a San José parent of two, said the resolution was full of “false claims and should be discarded.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These groups are there because schools are not doing their jobs,” Tran added. “These schools are biased and promote LGBQT+ and cause kids to be confused.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Michelson said that on its face, Informed Parents’ campaign to opt children out of sex ed classes is a far cry from efforts to out transgender students and ban books.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think for most people, that’s where it crosses the line — versus telling people, ‘Hey, just a reminder, you can opt your kid out of this curriculum,’” Michelson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Informed Parents’ fear-mongering rhetoric and political activity, Michelson added, could undermine their stated goals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you’re going to give it up that easy and people are going to know that that’s what you’re really doing, then you’re going to have to expect some backlash,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "california-prisons-fail-to-uphold-transgender-rights-despite-state-law",
"title": "California Prisons Fail to Uphold Transgender Rights Despite State Law",
"publishDate": 1697209258,
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"headTitle": "California Prisons Fail to Uphold Transgender Rights Despite State Law | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Warning: There are descriptions of physical and sexual violence in this piece. Also, where legal names and chosen names differ, we’re using chosen names.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[dropcap]S[/dropcap]yiaah Skylit had been stuck in solitary confinement at a maximum-security men’s prison for months when, in the fall of 2020, she got the news that gave her hope: Gov. Gavin Newsom had signed the \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200SB132\">Transgender Respect, Agency and Dignity Act\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Authored by state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), the law requires California prison staff to use the chosen pronouns of incarcerated people who are intersex or identify as nonbinary or transgender, as Skylit does.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It allows those incarcerated people to \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/prea/sb-132-faqs/\">select a gender preference for the guards who search them\u003c/a>. Most significantly, it mandates that prison officials, under most circumstances, honor requests to be housed at the type of facility — male or female — that aligns with the incarcerated person’s gender identity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For six years, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation bounced Skylit from one men’s prison to another. At each, safety proved elusive. By 2020, she was isolated in a cell for her own protection after brutal attacks by people she was incarcerated with and, \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23991903-syiaahkvsp2ndamendedcomplaint2022-03-03\">a lawsuit alleges (PDF)\u003c/a>, by guards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The prospect of serving out her remaining sentence in a women’s facility seemed nothing short of a miracle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For me, what it felt like was a sanctuary,” she said in one of several dozen interviews with KQED over the course of a year. “A place to be who you were meant to be without any retaliation, without any violence, without any judgment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Decades have passed since simply \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11917624/how-a-young-gay-man-survived-one-of-the-darkest-eras-in-california-queer-history\">being LGBTQ+ was considered a crime and a mental illness\u003c/a>. But bias and marginalization still lead to high rates of criminalization, especially for \u003ca href=\"https://transequality.org/sites/default/files/docs/resources/NTDS_Report.pdf\">Black trans women (PDF)\u003c/a> like Skylit. Once incarcerated, harsh prison conditions take a serious toll on mental health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://cpb-us-e2.wpmucdn.com/sites.uci.edu/dist/0/1149/files/2013/06/BulletinVol2Issue2.pdf\">Studies (PDF)\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://transequality.org/sites/default/files/docs/usts/USTS%20Full%20Report%20-%20FINAL%201.6.17.pdf\">surveys (PDF)\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/pdca15.pdf\">federal data (PDF)\u003c/a> show that trans women held in men’s prisons are sexually and physically assaulted at rates as much as 13 times higher than cisgender men. When they report assaults or fears for their safety, they’re often met with \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23991938-tni-coalition-letter-to-governor-newsom-71723pdf-2\">staff retaliation (PDF)\u003c/a>. It’s not uncommon for trans women to harm themselves — just to get to the safety of a prison mental health bed. Skylit had lived that, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Syiaah Skylit, transgender woman in California prison\"]‘For me, what it felt like was a sanctuary. A place to be who you were meant to be without any retaliation, without any violence, without any judgment.’[/pullquote]The Transgender Respect, Agency and Dignity Act promised an end to those nightmares.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No more having to hide in fear,” Skylit said. “No more having to be quiet about who I really am. I was excited. I couldn’t wait.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This story is a result of a year-long investigation into the effectiveness of the legislation that aimed to reduce the trauma of transgender women in California’s prisons. KQED’s reporters interviewed a dozen incarcerated people and reviewed data along with several hundred pages of prison grievances, disciplinary records and legal filings. The reporting revealed that trans women like Skylit and many others transferred to a women’s prison under the new law have not found the sanctuary they were seeking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Skylit, the nightmares have only gotten worse.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Living with secrets\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Skylit grew up in Compton. When she was 5, she and her siblings entered the foster care system after their mother suffered a mental health break. When Skylit was 14, her mother died by apparent suicide, and the following year, she said, “I tried to kill myself by running in front of a moving train.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She was physically uninjured but sent to a psychiatric hospital. It wouldn’t be the last time she’d tried to take her own life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11964099\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11964099\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/Free-Syiaah-social-KQED-800x949.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"949\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/Free-Syiaah-social-KQED-800x949.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/Free-Syiaah-social-KQED-1020x1210.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/Free-Syiaah-social-KQED-160x190.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/Free-Syiaah-social-KQED-1295x1536.jpg 1295w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/Free-Syiaah-social-KQED.jpg 1686w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In August 2020, as Syiaah Skylit sat in solitary confinement at Kern Valley State Prison for her own protection, transgender advocates launched a Change.org campaign urging clemency for her. She helped with the design of the artwork. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Syiaah Skylit, Micah Bazant and Freddie Francis)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Skylit is a slight 5 feet, 5 inches tall with a big, dimpled smile. As a teen and living as a boy, she was bullied for being a flashy dresser, for the way she carried herself. She experimented with a gay relationship, but it left her feeling “confused.” The adults in her life were religious and viewed LGBTQ+ people as sinners. Her brothers were gang members. She did what they asked of her, she said, because “I didn’t want to look weak.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I couldn’t come out and be myself around people like my family and my friends that I grew up with,” Skylit said. “I grew up in a hard-ass neighborhood. That ain’t about to fly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, she harbored a secret she never shared with her brothers, one even she didn’t fully comprehend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I would dress up. I would put makeup on. All I understood as a person was, ‘Hey, I like this,’” she said. “So if I like this, why is it so bad? Am I a bad person?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A stint in juvenile detention didn’t stop Skylit from setting her sights on a bright future. She finished high school on time, enrolled in community college, worked multiple jobs and, for a while, paid her rent. But anxiety, depression and drug use interrupted her stability. She’d already been homeless once when, facing eviction in 2012, she and a friend robbed a convenience store in San Bernardino County. It yielded little, so they robbed a Los Angeles County jewelry store — and got caught.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At 22, Skylit was facing criminal trials in both counties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Syiaah Skylit, transgender woman in California prison\"]‘I couldn’t come out and be myself around people like my family and my friends that I grew up with. I grew up in a hard-ass neighborhood. That ain’t about to fly.’[/pullquote]Her first stop was a San Bernardino County jail, where she came out as gay to get to the relative safety of what was then called the “alternative lifestyles tank.” According to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23999484-syiaah2015sanbernardinocolawsuit\">class-action lawsuit (DOC)\u003c/a>, the conditions were distressing: discrimination by staff and denial of basic services. Skylit, under her legal name, was among the named plaintiffs. A settlement led to \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24002812-sanbernardinoinjunctiverelief\">significant reforms (DOC)\u003c/a>. It was in that jail, she said, where she first learned to advocate for her rights, even in the face of retaliation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s also where she first encountered openly transgender women and was blown away by their courage and joyful confidence. In their midst, Skylit said, she at last felt free of judgment, open to self-acceptance. Her next stop — a stint in the segregated LGBTQ+ tank at the Los Angeles County jail — only reinforced those feelings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s when I got a taste of all the ‘T’ and I was just living it,” she said of the ‘T’ for Transgender in the alphabet soup of LGBTQ+. “It was like discovering myself.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She was sentenced to 16 years in prison. It may seem paradoxical, but incarceration gave Skylit breathing room to explore her gender identity. In court, she apologized to her robbery victims. Then, she made a promise to herself to use “every second, every minute” of her time inside “to really find out who I am. I mean, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I felt I had.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Skylit entered California’s prison system for men in December 2015. Soon, she chose her new name. “Syiaah” is an acronym — sexy, young, intelligent, ambitious, authentic and heroic. She picked “Sky” as “an inspiration to reach higher limits.” And “lit” is a nod to her hip-hop Compton roots “to be vibrant, live.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Put it together, it’s ‘I keep the sky lit’,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In keeping with the up-to-date \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24002874-ama-medical-spectrum-of-gender-d-295312\">medical (DOC)\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/diversity/education/transgender-and-gender-nonconforming-patients\">psychiatric\u003c/a> understanding of gender identity, the Transgender Respect, Agency and Dignity Act doesn’t require incarcerated people to be on hormone replacement therapy or to be interested in gender-affirming surgeries to be transferred to housing that aligns with their sense of safety. During Skylit’s early years in prison, that wasn’t the case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11957664 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/110822-KernValleyPrison-LV_CM_04-1020x680.jpg']The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation \u003cem>did\u003c/em> consider such transfer requests. The federal Prison Rape Elimination Act had since 2012 \u003ca href=\"https://www.prearesourcecenter.org/frequently-asked-questions/does-policy-houses-transgender-or-intersex-inmates-based-exclusively\">forbidden\u003c/a> the department from housing prisoners based solely on external genital anatomy. But the CDCR did it on a case-by-case basis, and the tiny number granted all happened to be for trans women who’d had gender-affirming genital surgery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not everybody wants that. Gender identity and gender transition are deeply personal. Skylit’s records show she declared her transgender identity on a special CDCR form about a year after arrival — and soon after started \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24018578-skylit-2019-housing-complaint\">asking to be transferred to a women’s prison (DOC)\u003c/a>. That went nowhere. So Skylit worked to stay true to her transition, even as she was funneled through a series of men’s prisons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When I tapped into it, despite the long time I was facing, I was happy,” she said. “But that happiness turned into survival real fast.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Met by violence\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Almost immediately, Skylit’s gender identity and small stature made her a target. On several occasions, she said, correctional officers placed her in cells with large men who specifically requested her and then pressured her for sex. When she filed grievances in an attempt to switch cells or responded to physical assaults by fighting, she said, staff responded with Rule Violation Reports, known as RVRs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The more I would push back,” she said, “the more they would attack me with RVRs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, Skylit pressed on. She requested hormone replacement therapy, and by the time those treatments started, in 2018, she’d been moved to Mule Creek State Prison near the small Sierra foothills town of Ione. It’s one of a dozen or so facilities in the state designated as “transgender hubs.” That means, medical and mental services for trans prisoners are concentrated there, as are prison commissary items unavailable elsewhere, such as sports bras and makeup for trans women, and boxer shorts for trans men.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Skylit could finally stop MacGyvering her fashion looks. She could style her hair, wear makeup and earrings. On the prison yard, she said she found a sense of belonging with her trans sisters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were out there,” she said. “Having fun, protecting each other.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But even at men’s prisons designated as transgender hubs, trans women were mixed with cisgender men in common areas and their assigned cells. The truer Skylit felt to herself, she said, the greater the danger she experienced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Yeah, it’s OK to come out and you got a nice little outfit on, but guess what you just did?” she said. “You just called attention to yourself and now you have certain people who are making sexual advances towards you, and some of them don’t stop.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of her trans sisters exchanged sex for safety. But even that was no guarantee of safety. Skylit wept while recounting how a close friend staggered out of her cell “with a huge gash in her skull, busted lip, trying to get out of the room that she placed herself in because she wanted to be \u003cem>herself\u003c/em>. And she couldn’t complain to the officers, because they’re not gonna do anything.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Syiaah Skylit, transgender woman in California prison\"]‘Either I’m gonna be who I wanna be or I’m gonna end up dead. Girl, I can’t be dead and be myself at the same time.’[/pullquote]So Skylit found herself facing a soul-crushing choice between her safety and her identity. Skylit drew a line against assault. That meant more fights and more disciplinary write-ups. The hormone treatments caused muscle weakness, so she made another compromise. She began stopping and starting the medications depending on the danger she was facing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Either I’m gonna be who I wanna be or I’m gonna end up dead,” she said. “Girl, I can’t be dead and be myself at the same time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a survival strategy it made sense, but abruptly going on and off hormones brings on acute mood swings. It also heightens \u003ca href=\"https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/diversity/education/transgender-and-gender-nonconforming-patients/gender-dysphoria-diagnosis\">gender dysphoria\u003c/a>, a mental health diagnosis associated with distress a person can feel at being a gender other than the one assigned at birth. Skylit had experienced that for most of her life, as she hid her true gender identity, and it caused depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Skylit juggled these stressors, prison officials transferred her again — this time to Kern Valley State Prison, a maximum-security facility in the Central Valley town of Delano that houses some of the state’s most violent offenders. Among them, transgender advocates \u003ca href=\"https://prisonhealth.news/2021/10/29/lgbtq-prison-testimonies-dakota-rose-in-california/\">note\u003c/a>, are gang members known to target LGBTQ+ people in prisons. That’s where she \u003ca href=\"https://sfbayview.com/2021/05/trans-woman-seeks-release-from-cdcr-custody-after-attacks/\">hit a new low\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Skylit and a \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23991903-syiaahkvsp2ndamendedcomplaint2022-03-03\">lawsuit filed on her behalf (DOC),\u003c/a> she was assaulted twice by incarcerated men and witnessed gruesome attacks on two other trans women. Terrified, she says she asked to speak to a sergeant about her safety concerns. Instead, she alleges, two officers followed her into her cell. One pulled down her pants, ran a baton along her bottom and threatened to rape her with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And I’m just sitting there like this can’t be real,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11954055 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/06/230626-CALIFORNIA-PRISONERS-AP-RP-KQED-1020x735.jpg']That night, she drank from a bottle of laundry detergent in a desperate attempt to get sent to a mental health crisis unit. An officer stripped her of her clothes and left her lying naked in her cell next to the empty bottle. The next day, an officer pepper sprayed her at close range. Others beat her with batons. CDCR does not comment on active litigation. In legal filings, the named officers have denied wrongdoing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finally, Skylit said, a sergeant agreed to isolate her for her protection. That’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.vera.org/news/violence-torture-and-isolation-what-its-like-to-be-trans-in-prison\">a common fate for trans women\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s sad to be thankful for complete solitary confinement, isolation,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She would stay there for seven months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Skylit had sought help from various attorneys. One responded. Jen Orthwein is a forensic psychologist who once treated transgender clients behind prison walls. They later co-founded a queer-owned law firm to challenge the harsh conditions they’d witnessed. Orthwein worked with other transgender advocates to launch a \u003ca href=\"https://www.change.org/p/gavin-newsom-call-for-the-immediate-release-of-syiaah-skylit-from-cdcr-custody-blacktranslivesmatter?utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=custom_url&recruited_by_id=cc830240-3ea3-11e9-a4df-e5579d49cec9\">petition\u003c/a> for clemency on Skylit’s behalf.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, with colored pencils and paper, Skylit got to work crafting a series of illustrated \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24018571-its-a-colorful-world-by-syiaah-skylit\">children’s books (DOC)\u003c/a> featuring gender-non-conforming characters. Among them is a rainbow-colored kid named Unique, who is fully embraced by loving parents but bullied on the playground for delighting in toys conventionally meant for both boys and girls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The project helped Skylit reimagine her traumatic past. She also hoped her books might make their way into the world and change the mindset of young readers “to where they’re not growing into hatred, but actually out of it.” She finished two, got started on a third. And that’s where she was when Orthewin gave her the good news. The Transgender Respect, Agency and Dignity Act was state law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11964104\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11964104\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231011-ITS-A-COLORFUL-WORLD-2-KQED-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Scans of two pages of drawing and text from a hand written book.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231011-ITS-A-COLORFUL-WORLD-2-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231011-ITS-A-COLORFUL-WORLD-2-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231011-ITS-A-COLORFUL-WORLD-2-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231011-ITS-A-COLORFUL-WORLD-2-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231011-ITS-A-COLORFUL-WORLD-2-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231011-ITS-A-COLORFUL-WORLD-2-KQED.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Excerpts from ‘It’s a Colorful World.’ \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Syiaah Skylit)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It was like a prayer had been answered,” Skylit said. “Like, ‘This is it!’ This is going to be the beginning of Syiaah Skylit at her best, at completely being herself.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>New perils\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Wiener’s bill was years in the making, and he’s quick to note that top CDCR officials were on board. They welcomed advocates to join a working group to brainstorm solutions to unsafe conditions and sought input directly from incarcerated transgender people. The Office of Inspector General detailed in \u003ca href=\"https://www.oig.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Special-Review-Incarcerated-Transgender-Nonbinary-Intersex-Individuals.pdf\">a 2020 report (PDF)\u003c/a> the painful responses to those surveys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Laws in \u003ca href=\"https://www.acluct.org/en/know-your-rights/know-your-rights-trans-people-who-are-incarcerated-connecticut\">Connecticut\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23991974-952-management-of-gender-diverse-and-intersex-inmates-final-version\">Rhode Island (DOC)\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://lgbtqbar.org/bar-news/tiproject/ma/\">Massachusetts\u003c/a> call for similar reforms, while \u003ca href=\"https://www.aclu-nj.org/en/press-releases/settlement-nj-civil-rights-suit-promises-necessary-reform-affirming-transgender\">New Jersey\u003c/a> has made comparable policy changes in response to litigation. But advocates who helped craft California’s law say it is the most expansive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wiener said in an interview that he knew at the start that the magnitude of changes mandated by the law required patience and that it would take time to implement. More recently, though, he’s grown deeply concerned about the way his legislation has played out on the ground. Because, he said, even with senior CDCR management on board, “the culture in the individual prisons is just so challenging that it doesn’t translate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11964100\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11964100\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/SenWienerAtSanQuentinTransRemembranceDay-2019-KQED-800x539.jpg\" alt='A group of people, most wearing the same uniform of blue shirts and pants, stand together holding signs and joined by a person wearing a suit helping to hold a banner reading \"trans lives matter.\"' width=\"800\" height=\"539\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/SenWienerAtSanQuentinTransRemembranceDay-2019-KQED-800x539.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/SenWienerAtSanQuentinTransRemembranceDay-2019-KQED-1020x687.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/SenWienerAtSanQuentinTransRemembranceDay-2019-KQED-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/SenWienerAtSanQuentinTransRemembranceDay-2019-KQED-1536x1035.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/SenWienerAtSanQuentinTransRemembranceDay-2019-KQED-1920x1294.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/SenWienerAtSanQuentinTransRemembranceDay-2019-KQED.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) attends CDCR’s first Transgender Remembrance Day in 2019, organized jointly by trans and cisgender incarcerated people. Wiener had already authored the bill that would become the Transgender Respect, Agency and Dignity Act, with buy-in from top CDCR officials. \u003ccite>(California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Officials chose the Central California Women’s Facility, or CCWF, in Chowchilla as the prison where all the trans women would go first. It’s a facility with a \u003ca href=\"https://prisonlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/16.08.18-Prison-Law-Office-report-on-CCWF.pdf\">troubled history (PDF)\u003c/a> when it comes to staff accountability.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of a dozen CCWF prisoners interviewed by KQED, all said they heard correctional staff express hostility to the new law even before the transfers began, warning the cisgender population that fakers and sexual predators were heading their way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tasha Brown, a cisgender woman, said she heard guards say, “The doors were going to be open for people to come in to violate us, to rape us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tomas Green, a transgender man, said he heard guards “telling women here that the trans women were men and that they were gonna get raped.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11936438 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/12/1920px-CentralCaliforniaWomensFacility-1020x816.jpeg']Alexanne Danis, a cisgender woman, said she heard a lieutenant openly state that the transfers “don’t belong here, that they have to leave.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Officers and fellow cisgender incarcerated people, Danis said, also spoke about driving the new transfers out, “saying that they were gonna stage stuff and that they were gonna make it sound worse than it was if anything did happen.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Michelle Calvin was one of the first transgender women to arrive at CCWF. She helped work on Wiener’s legislation and has since transferred to the lower-security California Institution for Women. She heard the characterizations by staff that trans women were “gonna come over here and rape y’all and beat y’all up and take y’all stuff.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The power to reverse the law, she heard officers tell incarcerated people, rested in their hands: “Take your house back. Take your prison back.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Advocates who helped craft the law were well aware of this toxic environment. They say they pressed officials to allow them to hold a town hall at the women’s prison to defuse these narratives before the transfers began. It never happened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the trans women who began arriving in the first half of 2021 had no idea what they were stepping into.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Orthwein, Skylit’s attorney, was part of the working group that informed the new law and said key CDCR decisions around implementation proved harmful. The new arrivals were held in segregation for their first month. There, they were issued new prison identification numbers beginning with a distinctive two-letter combination. Instead of “some semblance of privacy about their transgender status,” which advocates had pressed for, this immediately outed them, feeding hostility and rejection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CCWF houses people in dorms, as many as eight to a room. Without exception, the trans women interviewed by KQED said they have been refused entry to dorms by prisoners who viewed them as “men.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Skylit’s first day in the general population, in mid-July 2021, guards started writing her up for minor violations. Within a month, she was in solitary confinement, accused of having a consensual relationship with her cisgender female bunkmate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sex is against prison rules systemwide, but every CCWF prisoner interviewed for this piece said it’s extremely common, especially in women’s prisons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Tomas Green, transgender man in California prison\"]‘At the end of the day, we’re humans. I’m not saying every relationship in here is just peachy perfect, no. You have a lot of relationships in here that are toxic — fight, argue. But that’s life in the free world.’[/pullquote]“Yes, you’re not supposed to have sex but it happens. It’s natural and there’s nothing that’s gonna stop it from happening,” said Giovanni Gonzales, a transgender man who runs a group to educate peers about gender identity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Relationships form quickly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At the end of the day, we’re humans,” Green said. “I’m not saying every relationship in here is just peachy perfect, no. You have a lot of relationships in here that are toxic — fight, argue. But that’s life in the free world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, while sex and intimacy may be universal, punishment is not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gonzales and Green said staff often turn a blind eye to cisgender women who couple up, especially if they express their gender in stereotypically feminine ways. If a transgender man is caught being amorous, they said, a rule violation is more likely. As for the trans women who were just arriving at CCWF, a harsher set of unwritten rules seemed to apply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One cisgender couple in Skylit’s dorm had been having regular sex without consequence, she said. As Skylit was handcuffed and written up for her relationship, she asked an officer why she was going to isolation and the bunkmate wasn’t. He replied, “Because you’re a man and she’s a woman.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a hearing to discuss her situation, records show that Acting Warden Michael Pallares told her he would push to send her back to men’s prison. She claimed he was hostile, “calling me a predator, saying that I’m preying on women.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In men’s prison, Skylit had lived in constant fear of sexual assault. Now \u003cem>she \u003c/em>was cast as a sexual predator. Her disciplinary paperwork relied on “confidential sources” to suggest she was faking her status because she “displays very masculine behavior when with the inmate population.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In isolation, according to grievances and a government claim filed by Orthwein, Skylit’s gender identity was undermined. She had trouble accessing her hormones and was denied a razor for 40 days straight. She grew a full beard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People screaming at me, yelling at me, calling me a man, and I need to go back to the men’s prison,” she said. “‘Look at the hair on yo’ face.’ [I was] pleading, pleading, pleading, ‘Please give me a razor, please give me a razor,’ and denied every time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A psychologist misgendered Skylit in a report, yet \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24018435-psychologist-note-razors-clothing\">noted (DOC)\u003c/a> that an extended stay in isolation would likely increase her mental health symptoms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the months that followed, Skylit was sent multiple times to a mental health unit for being suicidal. She was bumped up to a more intensive level of mental health care. Yet she remained in solitary confinement for eight months. Then, without explanation, Pallares released her to the general population.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her freedom wouldn’t last.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘What did you all do to our homegirl?’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Skylit’s time in isolation had taken a toll. On the yard, she said she made enemies when she responded to threats and harassment with aggressive posturing and language. She said she tried not to engage, hanging out and playing cards every day with a couple of other trans women and one cisgender woman who was sweet on her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We would hold hands,” she said. “We would hug, we would kiss.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Prison officials aren’t supposed to penalize trans women more harshly for breaking rules that cisgender prisoners also break, like the one forbidding any behavior that could lead to sex. But the atmosphere around these relationships, interviews and records reveal, was tense and complex.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While some cisgender women feared or lashed out at the new arrivals, others were eager to partner with them. Of a half-dozen transgender women at CCWF who were interviewed by KQED, the five who have not had gender-affirming genital surgery, said they’ve been subject to sexual advances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11955680 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/GettyImages-180517172-1020x680.jpg']Meanwhile, \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24016207-mossgroup-sb132-cdcr-assessment-report\">a report (DOC)\u003c/a> on the implementation of the new law commissioned by CDCR found that a “sexualized environment, including being sexually pressured or pursued,” was among the reasons given by transgender women who voluntarily returned to men’s prison. Other reasons included “hostile reception from staff or incarcerated individuals,” “false allegations to be removed from room” and “issues with getting hygiene items, such as razors.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In men’s prison, Skylit said, consensual sex generally went unpunished. That made it hard for her to imagine just how much the bond with her new “bestie” would cost her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On May 19, 2022, Skylit and her friends were on the yard drinking prison-made wine, disciplinary records show. Skylit and her girlfriend were kissing. A few minutes after Skylit went to use the porta-potty, she said, the girlfriend followed her in and started throwing up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Skylit said she was holding her hair back when Calvin, one of the trans friends she played cards with, let her know a guard was approaching. Skylit stepped out and asked a couple of other people to check on the girlfriend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They “opened the door and they say, ‘What did you all do to our homegirl? We don’t know what you two doing, we don’t know what’s going on over here,’” Skylit recounted. “And I said, ‘We just been drinking and she was in the thing throwing up.’ But now, it’s a commotion. It’s a crowd coming up.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Skylit and two other witnesses, the girlfriend came out, and the guard scolded them. “She was like, ‘I’m OK bestie, I love you so much,’ and I hugged her and I walked away.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rumors about a rape started circulating. Skylit said she heard it “from like one or two people. It wasn’t \u003cem>big\u003c/em> until the next day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Syiaah Skylit, transgender woman in California prison\"]‘They were surrounding me and pushing me and spitting on me and swinging at me.’[/pullquote]By then, a fictional narrative had taken shape: In those few moments inside the porta-potty, Skylit had committed rape, while Calvin stood guard. To be clear, prison officials never accused her of rape or sexual assault. The girlfriend told them — and KQED — that it never happened. Still, the rumors proved to be Skylit’s undoing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That next day, according to Skylit and five witnesses, as she was returning from a mental health appointment, she was roughed up on the yard by 12 to 15 incarcerated people who called her “nothing but a rapist.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They were surrounding me and pushing me and spitting on me and swinging at me,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED obtained video of the incident through a public records request. There’s no audio, but the grainy image shows Skylit, who had a pass to be on the yard, doing an about-face as a group of incarcerated people in civilian clothes approached her. One appears to throw liquid at her. A few shove and punch her. She gets agitated. At one point, it’s clear that she’s yelling. But she mostly keeps her arms crossed. She never hits back. Still, she is the only one punished.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/nS5qpi-NXfE\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>As Syiaah Skylit, wearing a long-sleeved white shirt under her prison blues, walked through the yard at Central California Women’s Facility in May 2022, she was accosted by incarcerated people who accused her of being a rapist. Courtesy of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’d been out of solitary confinement for just four weeks. She went right back in — and she hasn’t come out in more than a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A sergeant who, the video shows, does not walk out to the yard until Skylit is handcuffed, wrote her \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24018553-referring-to-sexual-intercourse-through-rape\">rule violation report (DOC)\u003c/a>. He states that he heard her yell, “I’m gonna f- you bitches,” and a few variations on that theme. Then, using her legal name, he adds an editorial aside: “It should be known that when [Skylit] mentioned f-, [Skylit] was referring to sexual intercourse through rape.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CCWF initially accused Skylit of “threatening the life of a prisoner,” and referred her to the local district attorney for felony prosecution. It didn’t stick. Ultimately, her writeup was reduced to “behavior which could lead to violence.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Syiaah Skylit, transgender woman in California prison\"]‘It’s sad to be thankful for complete solitary confinement, isolation.’[/pullquote]In her defense, Skylit pointed to the video as evidence that she wasn’t the aggressor and that others had committed violence against \u003cem>her.\u003c/em> Records show that the senior hearing officer called the video “irrelevant.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CDCR does not comment on specific incarcerated people. Asked to respond to the behavior of the sergeant, it said state regulations forbid discrimination by staff and grant incarcerated people the right to be treated “respectfully, impartially, and fairly by all employees.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Skylit was far from alone in experiencing false allegations. Of the trans women at CCWF interviewed by KQED, each said they had been similarly targeted by others who were incarcerated and even by staff. Most were sent to solitary confinement pending investigations. Some were already there when they said they were framed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fancy Lipsey, records show, spent seven months in isolation after she was physically assaulted by other incarcerated people. As soon as she got out, a cisgender woman “went over to the officers and told them that I touched her vagina and her breasts in the dayroom.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They reviewed the video on the spot “and saw that I was nowhere near this woman.” Still, they told Lipsey they were taking her back to solitary confinement. That’s when she cut her wrists, ending up on suicide watch instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Calvin said she was punished after a roommate “went up to the program office and said I supposedly choked” another cisgender woman in their dorm in the middle of the night. The allegation came days after the alleged assault, which no one witnessed or reported at the time. Calvin said it took months to clear her name.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tremayne Carroll, a trans woman who uses a wheelchair, said that after she rebuffed sexual advances from a cisgender woman, that woman yelled to guards that Carroll had sexually assaulted her. When that went nowhere, the woman changed her story and said the two had had consensual sex.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Freddy Fox, an intersex prisoner who identifies as a trans woman and goes by “Foxy,” said she landed in solitary confinement after being assaulted. Alone in her cell in the weeks that followed, she was verbally harassed and accused of sexual impropriety.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They would allege that I had exposed myself, then I’d have to go to the cameras to show that I did not expose myself,” Foxy said. The officers would then reduce the write-up to a lesser violation, she said, “but it’s still a sexual misconduct! That was the go-to thing in 2021 when we first arrived.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Porta-potty rapist’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Skylit’s case stands out in one crucial way: The false rape allegation went viral. Her chosen and legal names ended up all \u003ca href=\"https://reduxx.info/exclusive-female-inmate-reports-rape-occurred-in-california-womens-prison/\">over the internet.\u003c/a> One outlet called her the perpetrator of a “\u003ca href=\"https://justthenews.com/government/courts-law/alleged-port-potty-rape-throws-harsh-glare-california-coed-prison-law-after\">port-a-potty rape\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s because, as soon as the Transgender Respect, Agency and Dignity Act went into effect, an anti-trans organization called the Women’s Liberation Front started working to roll it back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In November 2021, it filed \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22276203-chandlervcdcrcomplaint\">a lawsuit (DOC)\u003c/a> in federal court alleging the law violates the constitutional rights of cisgender women by forcing them to be housed with trans women who still have male genitalia. Simply having them there, the pending suit alleges, “substantially” increases the risk “of sexual harassment, sexual assault, rape, and physical violence, and to psychological fear of such harms.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Women’s Liberation Front was looking for a villain. The rumors about Skylit fit its narrative perfectly. Even though there were no eyewitnesses, no prison investigation and a girlfriend who \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22276218-43-3-asia-davis-declaration\">said the rape never happened (DOC)\u003c/a>, attorneys for the organization gathered hearsay declarations. The attorney handed them over to anti-trans websites and \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22276220-decl-of-plaintiff-supporter-mimi-lee-alleging-rape-of-ad-in-opposition-to-dismissal-033113109979\">attached them to a motion in the legal docket (DOC)\u003c/a>, making the declarations public record.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the tier in solitary confinement, the taunts of “porta-potty rapist” have been endless.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label='More on LGBTQI+ Rights' tag='transgender-rights']“I tell people, stop calling me that,” Skylit said. “Then, I’m a problem because I say things like, ‘Well, if I’m a rapist, then you a rapist,’ and then it’s like, ‘Oh, now he’s a threat, he’s arguing, he’s aggressive.’ I’m in a cage. By myself.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Skylit said cisgender incarcerated people have threatened to stab her, even chop off her penis. They’ve done it in front of officers without consequence. Yet just about every time she has erupted with verbal threats, she is written up. Prison officials have used the outbursts, and the enemies she’s made, as justification to keep her in solitary confinement, labeling her a “threat to the management and security of the institution.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some prisoners in solitary confinement — what CDCR calls restricted housing — are allowed cellmates for company. Skylit has had to cell alone. Some are allowed onto an open yard. But Skylit was designated a potential threat to others, so she has had to exercise in a cage that’s about 12-by-8 feet, often surrounded by other incarcerated people who insult her. When she attends her mental health groups, she is among those who must sit in a cage the size of a telephone booth called a “therapeutic module.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Multiple \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6987940/\">studies \u003c/a>confirm how damaging long-term solitary confinement is to mental health. So it’s no surprise that Skylit has struggled. Records show she has harmed herself on several occasions, once punching the wall until her hand bled. After that incident, for a few weeks in August 2022, she was medicated against her will with high doses of antipsychotic drugs. Too drugged to mount a defense, she was found guilty of multiple rule violations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A judge determined the prison violated her civil rights by force-medicating her. For Skylit, it was an important victory. But the whole experience eroded her faith in the prison mental health system. As the months ticked by, she went off all her medications — not just the hormones, but also the ones that treat depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Shattered trust\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It’s important to note that many cisgender incarcerated people at CCWF with histories of sexual victimization were truly scared of the newly arriving transgender women. Some still are. The fear-mongering from staff and outside anti-trans groups has not helped. But those fears appear to be unfounded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED requested discipline data from CCWF. In the two years after the new law took effect, staff did not issue a single rule violation for physical or sexual violence to the trans women who came over from men’s prisons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, write-ups for violence were common in the rest of the prison population, including for fighting, assault and battery on prisoners and staff, and even inciting a riot. The data also show that the new arrivals under the law were six times more likely than other CCWF prisoners to be punished for behavior that could lead to consensual sex.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As it happens, there was a violent predator at CCWF. Allegedly, there was more than one and they weren’t transgender women. They were cisgender men, employees of the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In May 2023, as Skylit struggled to hold onto herself in her solitary cell, she heard the news that Gregory Rodriguez, a longtime guard at CCWF, was facing a 96-count criminal complaint for allegedly sexually assaulting more than a dozen incarcerated women over the course of years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’d been allowed to retire in August 2022 while under investigation. In addition to those charges, six women filed lawsuits under Jane Roe or Jane Doe pseudonyms against Rodriguez in federal court, contending he lured them to a suite of offices where there are no cameras and forcibly raped them. One of these alleged assaults took place on May 20, 2022, the same day that the crowd surrounded Skylit and called \u003cem>her\u003c/em> a rapist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CDCR \u003ca href=\"https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article280162624.html\">settled those suits\u003c/a> earlier this month for $3.7 million. More lawsuits have been filed alleging sexual assaults by CCWF employees. Four of the named victims are transgender women, Skylit among them. Her \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24018568-skylitsexabusecomplaintaug14_2023\">lawsuit (DOC)\u003c/a> contends that Rodriguez and Pallares, the warden who called her a predator, each demanded sexual favors from her in the spring of 2022 “for the purpose of humiliating, degrading and demeaning” her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For him to have me come into that room, it’s just so dirty,” Skylit said. “I feel dirty.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pallares was demoted in January after the Rodriguez scandal broke. Currently, an associate warden at Pleasant Valley State Prison, he declined comment. Prison officials wouldn’t say whether Pallares was under investigation. But in a statement, officials said CDCR investigates all sexual assault allegations, and “resolutely condemns any staff member who violates their oath and shatters the trust of the public.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Syiaah Skylit, transgender woman in California prison\"]‘I don’t even understand who I am anymore. I’m full of anger. Hatred, ooh, hatred is huge for me right now. I’m lost, I’m completely lost.’[/pullquote]The totality of Skylit’s experience has left \u003cem>her \u003c/em>shattered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They come to my door every day asking me if I want to take my hormones. No, I don’t want to take no hormones,” she told KQED in March after 10 months of isolation. “I don’t even understand who I am anymore. I’m full of anger. Hatred, ooh, hatred is huge for me right now. I’m lost, I’m completely lost.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Spending more than two years in solitary confinement means she hasn’t had access to the kind of programming that would earn her good-time credits and earlier release, like school, work and vocational training. She has never laid a finger on another prisoner or an officer, but her disciplinary write-ups have nevertheless added more than a year to her original 16-year sentence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Prison officials are again recommending that Skylit be returned to a men’s prison. It requires a hearing that’s already been postponed for 17 months. She’s flip-flopped on whether to go back voluntarily. Being stuck in a box is destroying her, she said, and getting back into the general population may help her get out sooner. But with being falsely labeled a rapist, she’s terrified.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They will kill me,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If she does end up back in men’s prison, she shared in an emotional phone call, she plans to keep her gender identity secret. To prepare for the possibility, she started working out so she could fight for her life. She sold her earrings. And she cut off all her hair. She’d been growing it out for more than eight years, ever since those trans women in county jail lit a fire inside her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Making herself “bald-headed” as she said, was a painful act of surrender.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Skylit also threw away the trans-friendly children’s books she’d worked so hard to bring to life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I told myself, I’m not gonna get emotional or emo with this stuff no more,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A path forward\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>California’s law was meant to protect transgender women, but the culture at CCWF and rising anti-trans fervor all over the country have exposed them to new traumas. Implementation has been slow. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.oig.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Special-Review-No.-22-01.pdf\">report (PDF)\u003c/a> issued in late August by the current inspector general noted a “significant backlog” in transfer requests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of nearly 400 incarcerated people who’ve requested housing transfers under the law — the vast majority transgender women asking to move to women’s prison — more than 300 are still waiting for a committee to hear their case. Many live in daily fear of sexual and physical assault, said A.D. Lewis, an attorney who runs Trans Beyond Bars, a project for the Berkeley-based Prison Law Office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A transgender man, Lewis regularly communicates with trans-incarcerated people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The three dozen or so trans women who made it to CCWF — most during the first six months of implementation — are the vanguard. Many, like Skylit, have suffered. A small number have been transferred to the California Institution for Women, a lower security prison in San Bernardino County, where they say conditions are slightly better.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Jen Orthwein, forensic psychologist, co-founder of Medina Orthwein LLP\"]‘These systems are so built to destroy people, and if they survive and get out, they’re not better and they’re often much worse.’[/pullquote]In a statement, CDCR said it is working to implement some of the changes \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24016207-mossgroup-sb132-cdcr-assessment-report\">recommended by outside consultants (DOC)\u003c/a> earlier this year and is committed to providing “a safe, humane, respectful and rehabilitative environment for all incarcerated people, including the transgender, non-binary and intersex community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Advocates acknowledge that the cycles of harm continue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Instead of respecting trans people’s self-determination and prioritizing their safety, as the law requires,” Lewis said, correctional staff and other incarcerated people have used it “to put a target on trans peoples’ back.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shortly after prison officials received KQED’s questions for this story in September, CCWF revoked all phone privileges for Skylit and others in solitary confinement. In an email to KQED after the initial publication of this story, a CDCR official said the revocation of phone privileges was a policy change ending what had been a temporary, more liberal phone privileges policy instituted in the early days of the COVID pandemic. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Skylit’s attorney worries about the impact of the trauma on her future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These systems are so built to destroy people, and if they survive and get out, they’re not better and they’re often much worse,” Orthwein said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a letter sent in July 2023 to Newsom, nearly two-dozen advocacy and legal organizations pressing for better treatment for transgender, nonbinary and intersex prisoners \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23991938-tni-coalition-letter-to-governor-newsom-71723pdf-2\">urged clemency (DOC)\u003c/a> for those who have experienced harm in prison.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wiener, meanwhile, expressed deep frustration with the pace of implementation. In response to KQED’s findings, he said he was “horrified to hear how trans women are being treated in women’s prison, both by the prisons and by other inmates. The fact that they’re being treated harshly and slandered, called rapists when they’re not, it’s terrifying and we’re not going to just let this go.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Lee Romney is a longtime journalist who spent 23 years at the \u003c/em>Los Angeles Times\u003cem>. Jennifer Johnson is a former career public defender who helped launch San Francisco’s Behavioral Health Court. This reporting, supported by the Fund for Investigative Journalism and the California Health Care Foundation, is part of a forthcoming podcast they’re co-creating. Called \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.novemberinmysoul.com/\">\u003cem>November In My Soul\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, it explores the way bias makes its way into our intertwined mental health and criminal legal systems.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story has been updated.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "California’s Transgender Respect, Agency and Dignity Act was meant to protect transgender people, but the culture at state prisons and rising anti-trans fervor throughout the country have exposed them to new traumas.",
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"title": "California Prisons Fail to Uphold Transgender Rights Despite State Law | KQED",
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"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"https://www.novemberinmysoul.com/about/#62b093f21c801819ce513743\">Lee Romney and Jenny Johnson\u003c/a>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Warning: There are descriptions of physical and sexual violence in this piece. Also, where legal names and chosen names differ, we’re using chosen names.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">S\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>yiaah Skylit had been stuck in solitary confinement at a maximum-security men’s prison for months when, in the fall of 2020, she got the news that gave her hope: Gov. Gavin Newsom had signed the \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200SB132\">Transgender Respect, Agency and Dignity Act\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Authored by state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), the law requires California prison staff to use the chosen pronouns of incarcerated people who are intersex or identify as nonbinary or transgender, as Skylit does.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It allows those incarcerated people to \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/prea/sb-132-faqs/\">select a gender preference for the guards who search them\u003c/a>. Most significantly, it mandates that prison officials, under most circumstances, honor requests to be housed at the type of facility — male or female — that aligns with the incarcerated person’s gender identity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For six years, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation bounced Skylit from one men’s prison to another. At each, safety proved elusive. By 2020, she was isolated in a cell for her own protection after brutal attacks by people she was incarcerated with and, \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23991903-syiaahkvsp2ndamendedcomplaint2022-03-03\">a lawsuit alleges (PDF)\u003c/a>, by guards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The prospect of serving out her remaining sentence in a women’s facility seemed nothing short of a miracle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For me, what it felt like was a sanctuary,” she said in one of several dozen interviews with KQED over the course of a year. “A place to be who you were meant to be without any retaliation, without any violence, without any judgment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Decades have passed since simply \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11917624/how-a-young-gay-man-survived-one-of-the-darkest-eras-in-california-queer-history\">being LGBTQ+ was considered a crime and a mental illness\u003c/a>. But bias and marginalization still lead to high rates of criminalization, especially for \u003ca href=\"https://transequality.org/sites/default/files/docs/resources/NTDS_Report.pdf\">Black trans women (PDF)\u003c/a> like Skylit. Once incarcerated, harsh prison conditions take a serious toll on mental health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://cpb-us-e2.wpmucdn.com/sites.uci.edu/dist/0/1149/files/2013/06/BulletinVol2Issue2.pdf\">Studies (PDF)\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://transequality.org/sites/default/files/docs/usts/USTS%20Full%20Report%20-%20FINAL%201.6.17.pdf\">surveys (PDF)\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/pdca15.pdf\">federal data (PDF)\u003c/a> show that trans women held in men’s prisons are sexually and physically assaulted at rates as much as 13 times higher than cisgender men. When they report assaults or fears for their safety, they’re often met with \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23991938-tni-coalition-letter-to-governor-newsom-71723pdf-2\">staff retaliation (PDF)\u003c/a>. It’s not uncommon for trans women to harm themselves — just to get to the safety of a prison mental health bed. Skylit had lived that, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The Transgender Respect, Agency and Dignity Act promised an end to those nightmares.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No more having to hide in fear,” Skylit said. “No more having to be quiet about who I really am. I was excited. I couldn’t wait.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This story is a result of a year-long investigation into the effectiveness of the legislation that aimed to reduce the trauma of transgender women in California’s prisons. KQED’s reporters interviewed a dozen incarcerated people and reviewed data along with several hundred pages of prison grievances, disciplinary records and legal filings. The reporting revealed that trans women like Skylit and many others transferred to a women’s prison under the new law have not found the sanctuary they were seeking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Skylit, the nightmares have only gotten worse.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Living with secrets\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Skylit grew up in Compton. When she was 5, she and her siblings entered the foster care system after their mother suffered a mental health break. When Skylit was 14, her mother died by apparent suicide, and the following year, she said, “I tried to kill myself by running in front of a moving train.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She was physically uninjured but sent to a psychiatric hospital. It wouldn’t be the last time she’d tried to take her own life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11964099\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11964099\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/Free-Syiaah-social-KQED-800x949.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"949\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/Free-Syiaah-social-KQED-800x949.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/Free-Syiaah-social-KQED-1020x1210.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/Free-Syiaah-social-KQED-160x190.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/Free-Syiaah-social-KQED-1295x1536.jpg 1295w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/Free-Syiaah-social-KQED.jpg 1686w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In August 2020, as Syiaah Skylit sat in solitary confinement at Kern Valley State Prison for her own protection, transgender advocates launched a Change.org campaign urging clemency for her. She helped with the design of the artwork. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Syiaah Skylit, Micah Bazant and Freddie Francis)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Skylit is a slight 5 feet, 5 inches tall with a big, dimpled smile. As a teen and living as a boy, she was bullied for being a flashy dresser, for the way she carried herself. She experimented with a gay relationship, but it left her feeling “confused.” The adults in her life were religious and viewed LGBTQ+ people as sinners. Her brothers were gang members. She did what they asked of her, she said, because “I didn’t want to look weak.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I couldn’t come out and be myself around people like my family and my friends that I grew up with,” Skylit said. “I grew up in a hard-ass neighborhood. That ain’t about to fly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, she harbored a secret she never shared with her brothers, one even she didn’t fully comprehend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I would dress up. I would put makeup on. All I understood as a person was, ‘Hey, I like this,’” she said. “So if I like this, why is it so bad? Am I a bad person?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A stint in juvenile detention didn’t stop Skylit from setting her sights on a bright future. She finished high school on time, enrolled in community college, worked multiple jobs and, for a while, paid her rent. But anxiety, depression and drug use interrupted her stability. She’d already been homeless once when, facing eviction in 2012, she and a friend robbed a convenience store in San Bernardino County. It yielded little, so they robbed a Los Angeles County jewelry store — and got caught.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At 22, Skylit was facing criminal trials in both counties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Her first stop was a San Bernardino County jail, where she came out as gay to get to the relative safety of what was then called the “alternative lifestyles tank.” According to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23999484-syiaah2015sanbernardinocolawsuit\">class-action lawsuit (DOC)\u003c/a>, the conditions were distressing: discrimination by staff and denial of basic services. Skylit, under her legal name, was among the named plaintiffs. A settlement led to \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24002812-sanbernardinoinjunctiverelief\">significant reforms (DOC)\u003c/a>. It was in that jail, she said, where she first learned to advocate for her rights, even in the face of retaliation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s also where she first encountered openly transgender women and was blown away by their courage and joyful confidence. In their midst, Skylit said, she at last felt free of judgment, open to self-acceptance. Her next stop — a stint in the segregated LGBTQ+ tank at the Los Angeles County jail — only reinforced those feelings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s when I got a taste of all the ‘T’ and I was just living it,” she said of the ‘T’ for Transgender in the alphabet soup of LGBTQ+. “It was like discovering myself.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She was sentenced to 16 years in prison. It may seem paradoxical, but incarceration gave Skylit breathing room to explore her gender identity. In court, she apologized to her robbery victims. Then, she made a promise to herself to use “every second, every minute” of her time inside “to really find out who I am. I mean, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I felt I had.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Skylit entered California’s prison system for men in December 2015. Soon, she chose her new name. “Syiaah” is an acronym — sexy, young, intelligent, ambitious, authentic and heroic. She picked “Sky” as “an inspiration to reach higher limits.” And “lit” is a nod to her hip-hop Compton roots “to be vibrant, live.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Put it together, it’s ‘I keep the sky lit’,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In keeping with the up-to-date \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24002874-ama-medical-spectrum-of-gender-d-295312\">medical (DOC)\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/diversity/education/transgender-and-gender-nonconforming-patients\">psychiatric\u003c/a> understanding of gender identity, the Transgender Respect, Agency and Dignity Act doesn’t require incarcerated people to be on hormone replacement therapy or to be interested in gender-affirming surgeries to be transferred to housing that aligns with their sense of safety. During Skylit’s early years in prison, that wasn’t the case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation \u003cem>did\u003c/em> consider such transfer requests. The federal Prison Rape Elimination Act had since 2012 \u003ca href=\"https://www.prearesourcecenter.org/frequently-asked-questions/does-policy-houses-transgender-or-intersex-inmates-based-exclusively\">forbidden\u003c/a> the department from housing prisoners based solely on external genital anatomy. But the CDCR did it on a case-by-case basis, and the tiny number granted all happened to be for trans women who’d had gender-affirming genital surgery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not everybody wants that. Gender identity and gender transition are deeply personal. Skylit’s records show she declared her transgender identity on a special CDCR form about a year after arrival — and soon after started \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24018578-skylit-2019-housing-complaint\">asking to be transferred to a women’s prison (DOC)\u003c/a>. That went nowhere. So Skylit worked to stay true to her transition, even as she was funneled through a series of men’s prisons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When I tapped into it, despite the long time I was facing, I was happy,” she said. “But that happiness turned into survival real fast.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Met by violence\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Almost immediately, Skylit’s gender identity and small stature made her a target. On several occasions, she said, correctional officers placed her in cells with large men who specifically requested her and then pressured her for sex. When she filed grievances in an attempt to switch cells or responded to physical assaults by fighting, she said, staff responded with Rule Violation Reports, known as RVRs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The more I would push back,” she said, “the more they would attack me with RVRs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, Skylit pressed on. She requested hormone replacement therapy, and by the time those treatments started, in 2018, she’d been moved to Mule Creek State Prison near the small Sierra foothills town of Ione. It’s one of a dozen or so facilities in the state designated as “transgender hubs.” That means, medical and mental services for trans prisoners are concentrated there, as are prison commissary items unavailable elsewhere, such as sports bras and makeup for trans women, and boxer shorts for trans men.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Skylit could finally stop MacGyvering her fashion looks. She could style her hair, wear makeup and earrings. On the prison yard, she said she found a sense of belonging with her trans sisters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were out there,” she said. “Having fun, protecting each other.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But even at men’s prisons designated as transgender hubs, trans women were mixed with cisgender men in common areas and their assigned cells. The truer Skylit felt to herself, she said, the greater the danger she experienced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Yeah, it’s OK to come out and you got a nice little outfit on, but guess what you just did?” she said. “You just called attention to yourself and now you have certain people who are making sexual advances towards you, and some of them don’t stop.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of her trans sisters exchanged sex for safety. But even that was no guarantee of safety. Skylit wept while recounting how a close friend staggered out of her cell “with a huge gash in her skull, busted lip, trying to get out of the room that she placed herself in because she wanted to be \u003cem>herself\u003c/em>. And she couldn’t complain to the officers, because they’re not gonna do anything.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘Either I’m gonna be who I wanna be or I’m gonna end up dead. Girl, I can’t be dead and be myself at the same time.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>So Skylit found herself facing a soul-crushing choice between her safety and her identity. Skylit drew a line against assault. That meant more fights and more disciplinary write-ups. The hormone treatments caused muscle weakness, so she made another compromise. She began stopping and starting the medications depending on the danger she was facing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Either I’m gonna be who I wanna be or I’m gonna end up dead,” she said. “Girl, I can’t be dead and be myself at the same time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a survival strategy it made sense, but abruptly going on and off hormones brings on acute mood swings. It also heightens \u003ca href=\"https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/diversity/education/transgender-and-gender-nonconforming-patients/gender-dysphoria-diagnosis\">gender dysphoria\u003c/a>, a mental health diagnosis associated with distress a person can feel at being a gender other than the one assigned at birth. Skylit had experienced that for most of her life, as she hid her true gender identity, and it caused depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Skylit juggled these stressors, prison officials transferred her again — this time to Kern Valley State Prison, a maximum-security facility in the Central Valley town of Delano that houses some of the state’s most violent offenders. Among them, transgender advocates \u003ca href=\"https://prisonhealth.news/2021/10/29/lgbtq-prison-testimonies-dakota-rose-in-california/\">note\u003c/a>, are gang members known to target LGBTQ+ people in prisons. That’s where she \u003ca href=\"https://sfbayview.com/2021/05/trans-woman-seeks-release-from-cdcr-custody-after-attacks/\">hit a new low\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Skylit and a \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23991903-syiaahkvsp2ndamendedcomplaint2022-03-03\">lawsuit filed on her behalf (DOC),\u003c/a> she was assaulted twice by incarcerated men and witnessed gruesome attacks on two other trans women. Terrified, she says she asked to speak to a sergeant about her safety concerns. Instead, she alleges, two officers followed her into her cell. One pulled down her pants, ran a baton along her bottom and threatened to rape her with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And I’m just sitting there like this can’t be real,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>That night, she drank from a bottle of laundry detergent in a desperate attempt to get sent to a mental health crisis unit. An officer stripped her of her clothes and left her lying naked in her cell next to the empty bottle. The next day, an officer pepper sprayed her at close range. Others beat her with batons. CDCR does not comment on active litigation. In legal filings, the named officers have denied wrongdoing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finally, Skylit said, a sergeant agreed to isolate her for her protection. That’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.vera.org/news/violence-torture-and-isolation-what-its-like-to-be-trans-in-prison\">a common fate for trans women\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s sad to be thankful for complete solitary confinement, isolation,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She would stay there for seven months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Skylit had sought help from various attorneys. One responded. Jen Orthwein is a forensic psychologist who once treated transgender clients behind prison walls. They later co-founded a queer-owned law firm to challenge the harsh conditions they’d witnessed. Orthwein worked with other transgender advocates to launch a \u003ca href=\"https://www.change.org/p/gavin-newsom-call-for-the-immediate-release-of-syiaah-skylit-from-cdcr-custody-blacktranslivesmatter?utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=custom_url&recruited_by_id=cc830240-3ea3-11e9-a4df-e5579d49cec9\">petition\u003c/a> for clemency on Skylit’s behalf.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, with colored pencils and paper, Skylit got to work crafting a series of illustrated \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24018571-its-a-colorful-world-by-syiaah-skylit\">children’s books (DOC)\u003c/a> featuring gender-non-conforming characters. Among them is a rainbow-colored kid named Unique, who is fully embraced by loving parents but bullied on the playground for delighting in toys conventionally meant for both boys and girls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The project helped Skylit reimagine her traumatic past. She also hoped her books might make their way into the world and change the mindset of young readers “to where they’re not growing into hatred, but actually out of it.” She finished two, got started on a third. And that’s where she was when Orthewin gave her the good news. The Transgender Respect, Agency and Dignity Act was state law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11964104\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11964104\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231011-ITS-A-COLORFUL-WORLD-2-KQED-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"Scans of two pages of drawing and text from a hand written book.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231011-ITS-A-COLORFUL-WORLD-2-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231011-ITS-A-COLORFUL-WORLD-2-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231011-ITS-A-COLORFUL-WORLD-2-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231011-ITS-A-COLORFUL-WORLD-2-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231011-ITS-A-COLORFUL-WORLD-2-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/231011-ITS-A-COLORFUL-WORLD-2-KQED.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Excerpts from ‘It’s a Colorful World.’ \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Syiaah Skylit)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It was like a prayer had been answered,” Skylit said. “Like, ‘This is it!’ This is going to be the beginning of Syiaah Skylit at her best, at completely being herself.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>New perils\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Wiener’s bill was years in the making, and he’s quick to note that top CDCR officials were on board. They welcomed advocates to join a working group to brainstorm solutions to unsafe conditions and sought input directly from incarcerated transgender people. The Office of Inspector General detailed in \u003ca href=\"https://www.oig.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Special-Review-Incarcerated-Transgender-Nonbinary-Intersex-Individuals.pdf\">a 2020 report (PDF)\u003c/a> the painful responses to those surveys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Laws in \u003ca href=\"https://www.acluct.org/en/know-your-rights/know-your-rights-trans-people-who-are-incarcerated-connecticut\">Connecticut\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23991974-952-management-of-gender-diverse-and-intersex-inmates-final-version\">Rhode Island (DOC)\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://lgbtqbar.org/bar-news/tiproject/ma/\">Massachusetts\u003c/a> call for similar reforms, while \u003ca href=\"https://www.aclu-nj.org/en/press-releases/settlement-nj-civil-rights-suit-promises-necessary-reform-affirming-transgender\">New Jersey\u003c/a> has made comparable policy changes in response to litigation. But advocates who helped craft California’s law say it is the most expansive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wiener said in an interview that he knew at the start that the magnitude of changes mandated by the law required patience and that it would take time to implement. More recently, though, he’s grown deeply concerned about the way his legislation has played out on the ground. Because, he said, even with senior CDCR management on board, “the culture in the individual prisons is just so challenging that it doesn’t translate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11964100\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11964100\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/SenWienerAtSanQuentinTransRemembranceDay-2019-KQED-800x539.jpg\" alt='A group of people, most wearing the same uniform of blue shirts and pants, stand together holding signs and joined by a person wearing a suit helping to hold a banner reading \"trans lives matter.\"' width=\"800\" height=\"539\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/SenWienerAtSanQuentinTransRemembranceDay-2019-KQED-800x539.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/SenWienerAtSanQuentinTransRemembranceDay-2019-KQED-1020x687.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/SenWienerAtSanQuentinTransRemembranceDay-2019-KQED-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/SenWienerAtSanQuentinTransRemembranceDay-2019-KQED-1536x1035.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/SenWienerAtSanQuentinTransRemembranceDay-2019-KQED-1920x1294.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/SenWienerAtSanQuentinTransRemembranceDay-2019-KQED.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) attends CDCR’s first Transgender Remembrance Day in 2019, organized jointly by trans and cisgender incarcerated people. Wiener had already authored the bill that would become the Transgender Respect, Agency and Dignity Act, with buy-in from top CDCR officials. \u003ccite>(California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Officials chose the Central California Women’s Facility, or CCWF, in Chowchilla as the prison where all the trans women would go first. It’s a facility with a \u003ca href=\"https://prisonlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/16.08.18-Prison-Law-Office-report-on-CCWF.pdf\">troubled history (PDF)\u003c/a> when it comes to staff accountability.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of a dozen CCWF prisoners interviewed by KQED, all said they heard correctional staff express hostility to the new law even before the transfers began, warning the cisgender population that fakers and sexual predators were heading their way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tasha Brown, a cisgender woman, said she heard guards say, “The doors were going to be open for people to come in to violate us, to rape us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tomas Green, a transgender man, said he heard guards “telling women here that the trans women were men and that they were gonna get raped.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Alexanne Danis, a cisgender woman, said she heard a lieutenant openly state that the transfers “don’t belong here, that they have to leave.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Officers and fellow cisgender incarcerated people, Danis said, also spoke about driving the new transfers out, “saying that they were gonna stage stuff and that they were gonna make it sound worse than it was if anything did happen.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Michelle Calvin was one of the first transgender women to arrive at CCWF. She helped work on Wiener’s legislation and has since transferred to the lower-security California Institution for Women. She heard the characterizations by staff that trans women were “gonna come over here and rape y’all and beat y’all up and take y’all stuff.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The power to reverse the law, she heard officers tell incarcerated people, rested in their hands: “Take your house back. Take your prison back.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Advocates who helped craft the law were well aware of this toxic environment. They say they pressed officials to allow them to hold a town hall at the women’s prison to defuse these narratives before the transfers began. It never happened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the trans women who began arriving in the first half of 2021 had no idea what they were stepping into.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Orthwein, Skylit’s attorney, was part of the working group that informed the new law and said key CDCR decisions around implementation proved harmful. The new arrivals were held in segregation for their first month. There, they were issued new prison identification numbers beginning with a distinctive two-letter combination. Instead of “some semblance of privacy about their transgender status,” which advocates had pressed for, this immediately outed them, feeding hostility and rejection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CCWF houses people in dorms, as many as eight to a room. Without exception, the trans women interviewed by KQED said they have been refused entry to dorms by prisoners who viewed them as “men.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Skylit’s first day in the general population, in mid-July 2021, guards started writing her up for minor violations. Within a month, she was in solitary confinement, accused of having a consensual relationship with her cisgender female bunkmate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sex is against prison rules systemwide, but every CCWF prisoner interviewed for this piece said it’s extremely common, especially in women’s prisons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘At the end of the day, we’re humans. I’m not saying every relationship in here is just peachy perfect, no. You have a lot of relationships in here that are toxic — fight, argue. But that’s life in the free world.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Yes, you’re not supposed to have sex but it happens. It’s natural and there’s nothing that’s gonna stop it from happening,” said Giovanni Gonzales, a transgender man who runs a group to educate peers about gender identity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Relationships form quickly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At the end of the day, we’re humans,” Green said. “I’m not saying every relationship in here is just peachy perfect, no. You have a lot of relationships in here that are toxic — fight, argue. But that’s life in the free world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, while sex and intimacy may be universal, punishment is not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gonzales and Green said staff often turn a blind eye to cisgender women who couple up, especially if they express their gender in stereotypically feminine ways. If a transgender man is caught being amorous, they said, a rule violation is more likely. As for the trans women who were just arriving at CCWF, a harsher set of unwritten rules seemed to apply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One cisgender couple in Skylit’s dorm had been having regular sex without consequence, she said. As Skylit was handcuffed and written up for her relationship, she asked an officer why she was going to isolation and the bunkmate wasn’t. He replied, “Because you’re a man and she’s a woman.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a hearing to discuss her situation, records show that Acting Warden Michael Pallares told her he would push to send her back to men’s prison. She claimed he was hostile, “calling me a predator, saying that I’m preying on women.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In men’s prison, Skylit had lived in constant fear of sexual assault. Now \u003cem>she \u003c/em>was cast as a sexual predator. Her disciplinary paperwork relied on “confidential sources” to suggest she was faking her status because she “displays very masculine behavior when with the inmate population.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In isolation, according to grievances and a government claim filed by Orthwein, Skylit’s gender identity was undermined. She had trouble accessing her hormones and was denied a razor for 40 days straight. She grew a full beard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People screaming at me, yelling at me, calling me a man, and I need to go back to the men’s prison,” she said. “‘Look at the hair on yo’ face.’ [I was] pleading, pleading, pleading, ‘Please give me a razor, please give me a razor,’ and denied every time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A psychologist misgendered Skylit in a report, yet \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24018435-psychologist-note-razors-clothing\">noted (DOC)\u003c/a> that an extended stay in isolation would likely increase her mental health symptoms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the months that followed, Skylit was sent multiple times to a mental health unit for being suicidal. She was bumped up to a more intensive level of mental health care. Yet she remained in solitary confinement for eight months. Then, without explanation, Pallares released her to the general population.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her freedom wouldn’t last.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘What did you all do to our homegirl?’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Skylit’s time in isolation had taken a toll. On the yard, she said she made enemies when she responded to threats and harassment with aggressive posturing and language. She said she tried not to engage, hanging out and playing cards every day with a couple of other trans women and one cisgender woman who was sweet on her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We would hold hands,” she said. “We would hug, we would kiss.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Prison officials aren’t supposed to penalize trans women more harshly for breaking rules that cisgender prisoners also break, like the one forbidding any behavior that could lead to sex. But the atmosphere around these relationships, interviews and records reveal, was tense and complex.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While some cisgender women feared or lashed out at the new arrivals, others were eager to partner with them. Of a half-dozen transgender women at CCWF who were interviewed by KQED, the five who have not had gender-affirming genital surgery, said they’ve been subject to sexual advances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Meanwhile, \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24016207-mossgroup-sb132-cdcr-assessment-report\">a report (DOC)\u003c/a> on the implementation of the new law commissioned by CDCR found that a “sexualized environment, including being sexually pressured or pursued,” was among the reasons given by transgender women who voluntarily returned to men’s prison. Other reasons included “hostile reception from staff or incarcerated individuals,” “false allegations to be removed from room” and “issues with getting hygiene items, such as razors.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In men’s prison, Skylit said, consensual sex generally went unpunished. That made it hard for her to imagine just how much the bond with her new “bestie” would cost her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On May 19, 2022, Skylit and her friends were on the yard drinking prison-made wine, disciplinary records show. Skylit and her girlfriend were kissing. A few minutes after Skylit went to use the porta-potty, she said, the girlfriend followed her in and started throwing up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Skylit said she was holding her hair back when Calvin, one of the trans friends she played cards with, let her know a guard was approaching. Skylit stepped out and asked a couple of other people to check on the girlfriend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They “opened the door and they say, ‘What did you all do to our homegirl? We don’t know what you two doing, we don’t know what’s going on over here,’” Skylit recounted. “And I said, ‘We just been drinking and she was in the thing throwing up.’ But now, it’s a commotion. It’s a crowd coming up.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Skylit and two other witnesses, the girlfriend came out, and the guard scolded them. “She was like, ‘I’m OK bestie, I love you so much,’ and I hugged her and I walked away.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rumors about a rape started circulating. Skylit said she heard it “from like one or two people. It wasn’t \u003cem>big\u003c/em> until the next day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘They were surrounding me and pushing me and spitting on me and swinging at me.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>By then, a fictional narrative had taken shape: In those few moments inside the porta-potty, Skylit had committed rape, while Calvin stood guard. To be clear, prison officials never accused her of rape or sexual assault. The girlfriend told them — and KQED — that it never happened. Still, the rumors proved to be Skylit’s undoing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That next day, according to Skylit and five witnesses, as she was returning from a mental health appointment, she was roughed up on the yard by 12 to 15 incarcerated people who called her “nothing but a rapist.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They were surrounding me and pushing me and spitting on me and swinging at me,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED obtained video of the incident through a public records request. There’s no audio, but the grainy image shows Skylit, who had a pass to be on the yard, doing an about-face as a group of incarcerated people in civilian clothes approached her. One appears to throw liquid at her. A few shove and punch her. She gets agitated. At one point, it’s clear that she’s yelling. But she mostly keeps her arms crossed. She never hits back. Still, she is the only one punished.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/nS5qpi-NXfE'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/nS5qpi-NXfE'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>As Syiaah Skylit, wearing a long-sleeved white shirt under her prison blues, walked through the yard at Central California Women’s Facility in May 2022, she was accosted by incarcerated people who accused her of being a rapist. Courtesy of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’d been out of solitary confinement for just four weeks. She went right back in — and she hasn’t come out in more than a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A sergeant who, the video shows, does not walk out to the yard until Skylit is handcuffed, wrote her \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24018553-referring-to-sexual-intercourse-through-rape\">rule violation report (DOC)\u003c/a>. He states that he heard her yell, “I’m gonna f- you bitches,” and a few variations on that theme. Then, using her legal name, he adds an editorial aside: “It should be known that when [Skylit] mentioned f-, [Skylit] was referring to sexual intercourse through rape.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CCWF initially accused Skylit of “threatening the life of a prisoner,” and referred her to the local district attorney for felony prosecution. It didn’t stick. Ultimately, her writeup was reduced to “behavior which could lead to violence.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In her defense, Skylit pointed to the video as evidence that she wasn’t the aggressor and that others had committed violence against \u003cem>her.\u003c/em> Records show that the senior hearing officer called the video “irrelevant.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CDCR does not comment on specific incarcerated people. Asked to respond to the behavior of the sergeant, it said state regulations forbid discrimination by staff and grant incarcerated people the right to be treated “respectfully, impartially, and fairly by all employees.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Skylit was far from alone in experiencing false allegations. Of the trans women at CCWF interviewed by KQED, each said they had been similarly targeted by others who were incarcerated and even by staff. Most were sent to solitary confinement pending investigations. Some were already there when they said they were framed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fancy Lipsey, records show, spent seven months in isolation after she was physically assaulted by other incarcerated people. As soon as she got out, a cisgender woman “went over to the officers and told them that I touched her vagina and her breasts in the dayroom.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They reviewed the video on the spot “and saw that I was nowhere near this woman.” Still, they told Lipsey they were taking her back to solitary confinement. That’s when she cut her wrists, ending up on suicide watch instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Calvin said she was punished after a roommate “went up to the program office and said I supposedly choked” another cisgender woman in their dorm in the middle of the night. The allegation came days after the alleged assault, which no one witnessed or reported at the time. Calvin said it took months to clear her name.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tremayne Carroll, a trans woman who uses a wheelchair, said that after she rebuffed sexual advances from a cisgender woman, that woman yelled to guards that Carroll had sexually assaulted her. When that went nowhere, the woman changed her story and said the two had had consensual sex.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Freddy Fox, an intersex prisoner who identifies as a trans woman and goes by “Foxy,” said she landed in solitary confinement after being assaulted. Alone in her cell in the weeks that followed, she was verbally harassed and accused of sexual impropriety.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They would allege that I had exposed myself, then I’d have to go to the cameras to show that I did not expose myself,” Foxy said. The officers would then reduce the write-up to a lesser violation, she said, “but it’s still a sexual misconduct! That was the go-to thing in 2021 when we first arrived.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Porta-potty rapist’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Skylit’s case stands out in one crucial way: The false rape allegation went viral. Her chosen and legal names ended up all \u003ca href=\"https://reduxx.info/exclusive-female-inmate-reports-rape-occurred-in-california-womens-prison/\">over the internet.\u003c/a> One outlet called her the perpetrator of a “\u003ca href=\"https://justthenews.com/government/courts-law/alleged-port-potty-rape-throws-harsh-glare-california-coed-prison-law-after\">port-a-potty rape\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s because, as soon as the Transgender Respect, Agency and Dignity Act went into effect, an anti-trans organization called the Women’s Liberation Front started working to roll it back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In November 2021, it filed \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22276203-chandlervcdcrcomplaint\">a lawsuit (DOC)\u003c/a> in federal court alleging the law violates the constitutional rights of cisgender women by forcing them to be housed with trans women who still have male genitalia. Simply having them there, the pending suit alleges, “substantially” increases the risk “of sexual harassment, sexual assault, rape, and physical violence, and to psychological fear of such harms.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Women’s Liberation Front was looking for a villain. The rumors about Skylit fit its narrative perfectly. Even though there were no eyewitnesses, no prison investigation and a girlfriend who \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22276218-43-3-asia-davis-declaration\">said the rape never happened (DOC)\u003c/a>, attorneys for the organization gathered hearsay declarations. The attorney handed them over to anti-trans websites and \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22276220-decl-of-plaintiff-supporter-mimi-lee-alleging-rape-of-ad-in-opposition-to-dismissal-033113109979\">attached them to a motion in the legal docket (DOC)\u003c/a>, making the declarations public record.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the tier in solitary confinement, the taunts of “porta-potty rapist” have been endless.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“I tell people, stop calling me that,” Skylit said. “Then, I’m a problem because I say things like, ‘Well, if I’m a rapist, then you a rapist,’ and then it’s like, ‘Oh, now he’s a threat, he’s arguing, he’s aggressive.’ I’m in a cage. By myself.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Skylit said cisgender incarcerated people have threatened to stab her, even chop off her penis. They’ve done it in front of officers without consequence. Yet just about every time she has erupted with verbal threats, she is written up. Prison officials have used the outbursts, and the enemies she’s made, as justification to keep her in solitary confinement, labeling her a “threat to the management and security of the institution.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some prisoners in solitary confinement — what CDCR calls restricted housing — are allowed cellmates for company. Skylit has had to cell alone. Some are allowed onto an open yard. But Skylit was designated a potential threat to others, so she has had to exercise in a cage that’s about 12-by-8 feet, often surrounded by other incarcerated people who insult her. When she attends her mental health groups, she is among those who must sit in a cage the size of a telephone booth called a “therapeutic module.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Multiple \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6987940/\">studies \u003c/a>confirm how damaging long-term solitary confinement is to mental health. So it’s no surprise that Skylit has struggled. Records show she has harmed herself on several occasions, once punching the wall until her hand bled. After that incident, for a few weeks in August 2022, she was medicated against her will with high doses of antipsychotic drugs. Too drugged to mount a defense, she was found guilty of multiple rule violations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A judge determined the prison violated her civil rights by force-medicating her. For Skylit, it was an important victory. But the whole experience eroded her faith in the prison mental health system. As the months ticked by, she went off all her medications — not just the hormones, but also the ones that treat depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Shattered trust\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It’s important to note that many cisgender incarcerated people at CCWF with histories of sexual victimization were truly scared of the newly arriving transgender women. Some still are. The fear-mongering from staff and outside anti-trans groups has not helped. But those fears appear to be unfounded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED requested discipline data from CCWF. In the two years after the new law took effect, staff did not issue a single rule violation for physical or sexual violence to the trans women who came over from men’s prisons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, write-ups for violence were common in the rest of the prison population, including for fighting, assault and battery on prisoners and staff, and even inciting a riot. The data also show that the new arrivals under the law were six times more likely than other CCWF prisoners to be punished for behavior that could lead to consensual sex.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As it happens, there was a violent predator at CCWF. Allegedly, there was more than one and they weren’t transgender women. They were cisgender men, employees of the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In May 2023, as Skylit struggled to hold onto herself in her solitary cell, she heard the news that Gregory Rodriguez, a longtime guard at CCWF, was facing a 96-count criminal complaint for allegedly sexually assaulting more than a dozen incarcerated women over the course of years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’d been allowed to retire in August 2022 while under investigation. In addition to those charges, six women filed lawsuits under Jane Roe or Jane Doe pseudonyms against Rodriguez in federal court, contending he lured them to a suite of offices where there are no cameras and forcibly raped them. One of these alleged assaults took place on May 20, 2022, the same day that the crowd surrounded Skylit and called \u003cem>her\u003c/em> a rapist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CDCR \u003ca href=\"https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article280162624.html\">settled those suits\u003c/a> earlier this month for $3.7 million. More lawsuits have been filed alleging sexual assaults by CCWF employees. Four of the named victims are transgender women, Skylit among them. Her \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24018568-skylitsexabusecomplaintaug14_2023\">lawsuit (DOC)\u003c/a> contends that Rodriguez and Pallares, the warden who called her a predator, each demanded sexual favors from her in the spring of 2022 “for the purpose of humiliating, degrading and demeaning” her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For him to have me come into that room, it’s just so dirty,” Skylit said. “I feel dirty.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pallares was demoted in January after the Rodriguez scandal broke. Currently, an associate warden at Pleasant Valley State Prison, he declined comment. Prison officials wouldn’t say whether Pallares was under investigation. But in a statement, officials said CDCR investigates all sexual assault allegations, and “resolutely condemns any staff member who violates their oath and shatters the trust of the public.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘I don’t even understand who I am anymore. I’m full of anger. Hatred, ooh, hatred is huge for me right now. I’m lost, I’m completely lost.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The totality of Skylit’s experience has left \u003cem>her \u003c/em>shattered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They come to my door every day asking me if I want to take my hormones. No, I don’t want to take no hormones,” she told KQED in March after 10 months of isolation. “I don’t even understand who I am anymore. I’m full of anger. Hatred, ooh, hatred is huge for me right now. I’m lost, I’m completely lost.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Spending more than two years in solitary confinement means she hasn’t had access to the kind of programming that would earn her good-time credits and earlier release, like school, work and vocational training. She has never laid a finger on another prisoner or an officer, but her disciplinary write-ups have nevertheless added more than a year to her original 16-year sentence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Prison officials are again recommending that Skylit be returned to a men’s prison. It requires a hearing that’s already been postponed for 17 months. She’s flip-flopped on whether to go back voluntarily. Being stuck in a box is destroying her, she said, and getting back into the general population may help her get out sooner. But with being falsely labeled a rapist, she’s terrified.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They will kill me,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If she does end up back in men’s prison, she shared in an emotional phone call, she plans to keep her gender identity secret. To prepare for the possibility, she started working out so she could fight for her life. She sold her earrings. And she cut off all her hair. She’d been growing it out for more than eight years, ever since those trans women in county jail lit a fire inside her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Making herself “bald-headed” as she said, was a painful act of surrender.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Skylit also threw away the trans-friendly children’s books she’d worked so hard to bring to life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I told myself, I’m not gonna get emotional or emo with this stuff no more,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A path forward\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>California’s law was meant to protect transgender women, but the culture at CCWF and rising anti-trans fervor all over the country have exposed them to new traumas. Implementation has been slow. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.oig.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Special-Review-No.-22-01.pdf\">report (PDF)\u003c/a> issued in late August by the current inspector general noted a “significant backlog” in transfer requests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of nearly 400 incarcerated people who’ve requested housing transfers under the law — the vast majority transgender women asking to move to women’s prison — more than 300 are still waiting for a committee to hear their case. Many live in daily fear of sexual and physical assault, said A.D. Lewis, an attorney who runs Trans Beyond Bars, a project for the Berkeley-based Prison Law Office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A transgender man, Lewis regularly communicates with trans-incarcerated people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The three dozen or so trans women who made it to CCWF — most during the first six months of implementation — are the vanguard. Many, like Skylit, have suffered. A small number have been transferred to the California Institution for Women, a lower security prison in San Bernardino County, where they say conditions are slightly better.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In a statement, CDCR said it is working to implement some of the changes \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24016207-mossgroup-sb132-cdcr-assessment-report\">recommended by outside consultants (DOC)\u003c/a> earlier this year and is committed to providing “a safe, humane, respectful and rehabilitative environment for all incarcerated people, including the transgender, non-binary and intersex community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Advocates acknowledge that the cycles of harm continue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Instead of respecting trans people’s self-determination and prioritizing their safety, as the law requires,” Lewis said, correctional staff and other incarcerated people have used it “to put a target on trans peoples’ back.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shortly after prison officials received KQED’s questions for this story in September, CCWF revoked all phone privileges for Skylit and others in solitary confinement. In an email to KQED after the initial publication of this story, a CDCR official said the revocation of phone privileges was a policy change ending what had been a temporary, more liberal phone privileges policy instituted in the early days of the COVID pandemic. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Skylit’s attorney worries about the impact of the trauma on her future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These systems are so built to destroy people, and if they survive and get out, they’re not better and they’re often much worse,” Orthwein said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a letter sent in July 2023 to Newsom, nearly two-dozen advocacy and legal organizations pressing for better treatment for transgender, nonbinary and intersex prisoners \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23991938-tni-coalition-letter-to-governor-newsom-71723pdf-2\">urged clemency (DOC)\u003c/a> for those who have experienced harm in prison.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wiener, meanwhile, expressed deep frustration with the pace of implementation. In response to KQED’s findings, he said he was “horrified to hear how trans women are being treated in women’s prison, both by the prisons and by other inmates. The fact that they’re being treated harshly and slandered, called rapists when they’re not, it’s terrifying and we’re not going to just let this go.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Lee Romney is a longtime journalist who spent 23 years at the \u003c/em>Los Angeles Times\u003cem>. Jennifer Johnson is a former career public defender who helped launch San Francisco’s Behavioral Health Court. This reporting, supported by the Fund for Investigative Journalism and the California Health Care Foundation, is part of a forthcoming podcast they’re co-creating. Called \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.novemberinmysoul.com/\">\u003cem>November In My Soul\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, it explores the way bias makes its way into our intertwined mental health and criminal legal systems.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story has been updated.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "california-democrats-search-for-counter-to-transgender-reporting-policies",
"title": "California Democrats Search for 'Counter' to Transgender Reporting Policies",
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"content": "\u003cp>When California’s top education official, Tony Thurmond, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11959851/tony-thurmond-on-culture-wars-in-california-schools\">showed up at a local school board meeting in Chino\u003c/a> this summer, he was ready for a fight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this conservative school board was ready, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like dozens of local school board candidates across the state, their president and other members were backed by both local religious leaders and national far-right groups. Frustrated by the domination of California Democrats in Sacramento and around the state, those groups have focused not on electing state lawmakers or even local city leaders, but instead on \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-11-29/despite-statewide-losses-california-conservatives-say-school-board-wars-arent-over\">putting conservative majorities\u003c/a> on local school boards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Chino, that resulted in a ban on the pride flag and then, this summer, a policy to require teachers and school staff to alert parents if a student requests to be “identified or treated” as a gender other than the one listed on their birth certificate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some supporters argue the policy is necessary to keep parents abreast of what their kids are doing at school, while others have gone further to suggest that teachers are pushing students to change their gender identities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Thurmond, who this week \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11962489/california-education-chief-tony-thurmond-announces-run-for-governor-in-2026-race\">announced his bid for governor\u003c/a> in the 2026 race, showed up to the board meeting in San Bernardino County to voice his opposition to the notification proposal, he was berated by board president Sonja Shaw. That evening, Chino Valley Unified School District passed the transgender reporting policy, which has now been adopted by a half-dozen districts across California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, Democrats are grappling with how to respond. While party leaders like Thurmond have spoken out strongly against the transgender notification policies — and the state attorney general is suing the district over its policy — the state Legislature recently ended its annual session without any concrete action on the parental notification issue. Lawmakers have also acknowledged the challenge of crafting responses on a fast-moving issue largely playing out on the local level. When recently asked if he thinks Democrats were caught off guard by the push, Thurmond was blunt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11962595\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11962595\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/022_ElSobrante_BettyReidSoskinMiddleSchool_09222021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"California Superintendent Tony Thurmond is pictured speaking from a wooden podium. He has a business suit and black face mask on. It's daytime.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1278\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/022_ElSobrante_BettyReidSoskinMiddleSchool_09222021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/022_ElSobrante_BettyReidSoskinMiddleSchool_09222021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/022_ElSobrante_BettyReidSoskinMiddleSchool_09222021-qut-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/022_ElSobrante_BettyReidSoskinMiddleSchool_09222021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/022_ElSobrante_BettyReidSoskinMiddleSchool_09222021-qut-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">California Superintendent Tony Thurmond told KQED that Democrats and progressives need to come up with ways to counter what some are calling anti-trans policies throughout California that focus on LGBTQ students. Thurmond recently showed up to a school board meeting in San Bernardino County to voice his opposition to a transgender reporting policy, which has now been adopted by a half-dozen districts across California. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I think the short answer is yes,” he \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11959851/tony-thurmond-on-culture-wars-in-california-schools\">said on KQED’s Political Breakdown\u003c/a>. “This is a scripted playbook. It is a nationally driven playbook by groups that have been losing at the ballot box in congressional races, and [for] the White House and in state legislatures. And they’ve made a decision that they’re going to wage war at the local level, at the school district level and the school board. And so, Democrats and progressives and others need to come back with ways to counter this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But countering what backers frame not as anti-trans policies, but simply “parental rights” is proving to be a more politically fraught conversation for Democrats than other conservative culture crusades, such as banning books or restricting abortion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond\"]‘It is a nationally driven playbook by groups that have been losing at the ballot box. … They’re going to wage war at the local level, at the school district level and the school board. And so, Democrats and progressives and others need to come back with ways to counter this.’[/pullquote]And Gov. Gavin Newsom — who normally relishes his role publicly baiting Republicans for issues he sees as politically expedient for the left — has acknowledged the political minefield that issues involving transgender students present for Democrats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While broadly defending transgender kids, the governor has also, at times, acknowledged the nuance of an issue that intersects with not one, but two, thorny political questions: One, the public’s general uneasiness with transgender issues, which were not even part of the broader political debate a few years ago. And two, the public support for including parents in conversations about their kids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Late last week, Newsom signed a bill requiring all public schools to have at least one gender-neutral bathroom, but vetoed legislation requiring courts to consider a parent’s affirmation of their child’s gender identity in custody and visitation decisions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a recent onstage interview with Politico, Newsom mocked Republican leaders for focusing on transgender kids over issues like academics and for obsessively talking about a group that makes up just a tiny fraction of the population. But he also said, that after talking to parents, he gets why they’re angry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I totally understand why you were out there. If I were told those things, I would’ve been out there too,” he said. “People are being ginned up. And so, I’m not here to criticize them, but there’s a lot of misunderstanding, misrepresentation out there because people are weaponizing these grievances against vulnerable communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11962596\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11962596\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/003_SanFrancisco_NewsomRecallEvent_09142021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"California Gov. Gavin Newsom is pictured speaking from a podium inside a conference room.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/003_SanFrancisco_NewsomRecallEvent_09142021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/003_SanFrancisco_NewsomRecallEvent_09142021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/003_SanFrancisco_NewsomRecallEvent_09142021-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/003_SanFrancisco_NewsomRecallEvent_09142021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/003_SanFrancisco_NewsomRecallEvent_09142021-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gov. Newsom signed Senate Bill 760 on Saturday, Sept. 23, that requires all public schools to have at least 1 gender-neutral bathroom. Newsom later vetoed legislation requiring courts to consider a parent’s affirmation of their child’s gender identity in custody and visitation decisions. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At the state Capitol, Democrats lambasted the transgender reporting policies as an affront to student privacy that will potentially endanger kids and thrust teachers into the middle of delicate family conversations. A direct legislative response, however, was constrained by both the Capitol calendar and the power local governments have over decision-making in California schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the Temecula Valley Unified School District in Riverside County voted earlier this year to ban curriculum materials that referenced gay rights leader Harvey Milk, the state Legislature fired back, passing a bill to prevent book banning in the state. Newsom signed that bill Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Gov. Gavin Newsom\"]‘People are being ginned up. And so, I’m not here to criticize them, but there’s a lot of misunderstanding, misrepresentation out there because people are weaponizing these grievances against vulnerable communities.’[/pullquote]But that legislation was the product of months of compromise — which led to the removal of language placing tougher restrictions on districts, in the face of opposition from the group representing California school boards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the transgender reporting policies began to proliferate this summer, Assemblymember Alex Lee (D-San José) said his colleagues in the Legislative LGBTQ caucus had conversations with fellow Democrats and the Newsom administration about a legislative response, but decided that more time was needed to craft a bill that could pass legal muster.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re really playing kind of a whack-a-mole approach to it — when they come up with new ways to hurt LGBTQ families and kids, we have to make sure we are approaching it with much more sensitivity and much more nuance,” Lee said. “So, there is more time and delay when we’re coming up with [a] new policy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee vowed “quick, decisive action” on the issue when the Legislature reconvenes in January, though he acknowledged a political response on the local level will be critical as LGBTQ rights debates continue to serve as flashpoints in districts up and down the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label='More on LGBTQ Students’ Rights' tag='lgbtq-students']“I really hope that folks will take that to heart and really get involved in local school districts,” Lee added. “Local control does matter, so it really matters who actually runs for school board, who’s involved in that process.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Chino, the board was swung toward a conservative majority in last year’s election \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11922860/california-republicans-are-betting-big-on-local-school-board-races\">through the organizing work of the California Republican Party\u003c/a> and Real Impact, a political group run by local pastor Jack Hibbs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chino’s transgender reporting policy followed a ban on the display of certain flags, including the LGBTQ pride flag. The moves came after a series of tense meetings marked by personal attacks and heightened rhetoric. On both issues, the lone dissenting vote on the five-member board was cast by Donald Bridge, the former president of the local teachers union.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Opponents of the policies pushed by the board majority worry this year’s raucous debates could stymie efforts to reverse the political balance of the board in the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When potential candidates look at what he’s going through, are they going to jump in? I wouldn’t,” said Brenda Walker, current president of the Associated Chino Teachers union. “So, yes, it’s going to be difficult to find candidates.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Walker said her members have already noticed a chilling effect on both students and teachers compared to last school year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For now, the concerns are moot: A superior court judge in San Bernardino County has put Chino’s transgender notification policy on hold after California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit arguing the policy violates the privacy rights of students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But supporters of similar policies are hoping to expand their campaign beyond this initial series of local skirmishes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly two dozen conservative and religious groups, including Real Impact, have formed the Coalition for Parental Rights, to encourage more California school districts to adopt transgender reporting policies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some members of that group are also attempting to qualify three statewide initiatives for the November ballot: a transgender notification law, a ban on transgender students from competing on sports teams consistent with their gender identity, and a ban on puberty blockers and sexual reassignment surgery for minors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Erin Friday, who heads the group Our Duty, and who is sponsoring the notification ballot measure, said she’s turning to California voters after a similar policy was blocked by the state Legislature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re ignoring [us] and saying that we’re right-wing bigots,” Friday said. “And that’s just not true. We’re parents who are safeguarding the bodily integrity of our children.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Rob Stutzman, GOP consultant\"]‘If voters are presented with a specific question about, you know, ‘Should parents be notified if their minor child identifies as transgender?’ I think that’s likely to pass.’[/pullquote]If the transgender reporting law qualifies for the ballot, progressives would be wise to define the effort as an attack on LGBTQ children, said GOP consultant Rob Stutzman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To the extent that it starts to become a backlash to LGBTQ citizens, that’s not going to fly in California,” Stutzman said. “But if voters are presented with a specific question about, you know, ‘Should parents be notified if their minor child identifies as transgender?’ I think that’s likely to pass. Now, the people running the campaign could be distasteful enough that it clouds out the actual policy question before them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those who have been involved in education leadership say that while the details of the current dustup are new, the broad contours are not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11936552 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/01/122622-Eli-Erlick-TH-01-CM-1020x680.jpg']Camille Maben served on the Rocklin School Board for nearly 30 years, starting in the early 1990s. She recalled a debate 20 years ago over sex education curriculum at the board that also made national headlines. The conservative majority at the time, she said, voted to institute an “abstinence only” curriculum — and were promptly voted out of power in the next election. The new board repealed the abstinence-only class in lieu of a more “well-rounded” approach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What it did really was kind of reset our community’s look at education … and work to have a board that was balanced, that put students first always,” she said. “When an issue takes off and becomes part of a bigger conversation or agenda … it’s easy to lose sight of … you’re locally elected to serve the people within your community and do your best for those people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maben said the current debate seems strikingly similar. Rocklin’s new conservative majority recently passed a policy nearly identical to the Chino Hills one, also requiring school staff to notify parents of a change to a kid’s gender status. Teachers and others are already planning to sue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mabel said in any community, school board members would do well to listen to the entire community — not just their allies. If they don’t, she said, each community has recourse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>“\u003c/em>The process we have in place, not only locally, but as a country, is if you really don’t like it, no matter what side you’re on, then when it comes time for election, you change that. And you elect someone else. That’s the process we have. That’s how democracy works,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "With some school districts passing anti-LGBTQ policies and conservative groups threatening ballot measures, KQED looks at how Democrats are responding and the political dilemma it presents.",
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"title": "California Democrats Search for 'Counter' to Transgender Reporting Policies | KQED",
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"headline": "California Democrats Search for 'Counter' to Transgender Reporting Policies",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When California’s top education official, Tony Thurmond, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11959851/tony-thurmond-on-culture-wars-in-california-schools\">showed up at a local school board meeting in Chino\u003c/a> this summer, he was ready for a fight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this conservative school board was ready, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like dozens of local school board candidates across the state, their president and other members were backed by both local religious leaders and national far-right groups. Frustrated by the domination of California Democrats in Sacramento and around the state, those groups have focused not on electing state lawmakers or even local city leaders, but instead on \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-11-29/despite-statewide-losses-california-conservatives-say-school-board-wars-arent-over\">putting conservative majorities\u003c/a> on local school boards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Chino, that resulted in a ban on the pride flag and then, this summer, a policy to require teachers and school staff to alert parents if a student requests to be “identified or treated” as a gender other than the one listed on their birth certificate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some supporters argue the policy is necessary to keep parents abreast of what their kids are doing at school, while others have gone further to suggest that teachers are pushing students to change their gender identities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Thurmond, who this week \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11962489/california-education-chief-tony-thurmond-announces-run-for-governor-in-2026-race\">announced his bid for governor\u003c/a> in the 2026 race, showed up to the board meeting in San Bernardino County to voice his opposition to the notification proposal, he was berated by board president Sonja Shaw. That evening, Chino Valley Unified School District passed the transgender reporting policy, which has now been adopted by a half-dozen districts across California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, Democrats are grappling with how to respond. While party leaders like Thurmond have spoken out strongly against the transgender notification policies — and the state attorney general is suing the district over its policy — the state Legislature recently ended its annual session without any concrete action on the parental notification issue. Lawmakers have also acknowledged the challenge of crafting responses on a fast-moving issue largely playing out on the local level. When recently asked if he thinks Democrats were caught off guard by the push, Thurmond was blunt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11962595\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11962595\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/022_ElSobrante_BettyReidSoskinMiddleSchool_09222021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"California Superintendent Tony Thurmond is pictured speaking from a wooden podium. He has a business suit and black face mask on. It's daytime.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1278\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/022_ElSobrante_BettyReidSoskinMiddleSchool_09222021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/022_ElSobrante_BettyReidSoskinMiddleSchool_09222021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/022_ElSobrante_BettyReidSoskinMiddleSchool_09222021-qut-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/022_ElSobrante_BettyReidSoskinMiddleSchool_09222021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/022_ElSobrante_BettyReidSoskinMiddleSchool_09222021-qut-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">California Superintendent Tony Thurmond told KQED that Democrats and progressives need to come up with ways to counter what some are calling anti-trans policies throughout California that focus on LGBTQ students. Thurmond recently showed up to a school board meeting in San Bernardino County to voice his opposition to a transgender reporting policy, which has now been adopted by a half-dozen districts across California. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I think the short answer is yes,” he \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11959851/tony-thurmond-on-culture-wars-in-california-schools\">said on KQED’s Political Breakdown\u003c/a>. “This is a scripted playbook. It is a nationally driven playbook by groups that have been losing at the ballot box in congressional races, and [for] the White House and in state legislatures. And they’ve made a decision that they’re going to wage war at the local level, at the school district level and the school board. And so, Democrats and progressives and others need to come back with ways to counter this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But countering what backers frame not as anti-trans policies, but simply “parental rights” is proving to be a more politically fraught conversation for Democrats than other conservative culture crusades, such as banning books or restricting abortion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘It is a nationally driven playbook by groups that have been losing at the ballot box. … They’re going to wage war at the local level, at the school district level and the school board. And so, Democrats and progressives and others need to come back with ways to counter this.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>And Gov. Gavin Newsom — who normally relishes his role publicly baiting Republicans for issues he sees as politically expedient for the left — has acknowledged the political minefield that issues involving transgender students present for Democrats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While broadly defending transgender kids, the governor has also, at times, acknowledged the nuance of an issue that intersects with not one, but two, thorny political questions: One, the public’s general uneasiness with transgender issues, which were not even part of the broader political debate a few years ago. And two, the public support for including parents in conversations about their kids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Late last week, Newsom signed a bill requiring all public schools to have at least one gender-neutral bathroom, but vetoed legislation requiring courts to consider a parent’s affirmation of their child’s gender identity in custody and visitation decisions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a recent onstage interview with Politico, Newsom mocked Republican leaders for focusing on transgender kids over issues like academics and for obsessively talking about a group that makes up just a tiny fraction of the population. But he also said, that after talking to parents, he gets why they’re angry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I totally understand why you were out there. If I were told those things, I would’ve been out there too,” he said. “People are being ginned up. And so, I’m not here to criticize them, but there’s a lot of misunderstanding, misrepresentation out there because people are weaponizing these grievances against vulnerable communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11962596\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11962596\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/003_SanFrancisco_NewsomRecallEvent_09142021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"California Gov. Gavin Newsom is pictured speaking from a podium inside a conference room.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/003_SanFrancisco_NewsomRecallEvent_09142021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/003_SanFrancisco_NewsomRecallEvent_09142021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/003_SanFrancisco_NewsomRecallEvent_09142021-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/003_SanFrancisco_NewsomRecallEvent_09142021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/003_SanFrancisco_NewsomRecallEvent_09142021-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gov. Newsom signed Senate Bill 760 on Saturday, Sept. 23, that requires all public schools to have at least 1 gender-neutral bathroom. Newsom later vetoed legislation requiring courts to consider a parent’s affirmation of their child’s gender identity in custody and visitation decisions. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At the state Capitol, Democrats lambasted the transgender reporting policies as an affront to student privacy that will potentially endanger kids and thrust teachers into the middle of delicate family conversations. A direct legislative response, however, was constrained by both the Capitol calendar and the power local governments have over decision-making in California schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the Temecula Valley Unified School District in Riverside County voted earlier this year to ban curriculum materials that referenced gay rights leader Harvey Milk, the state Legislature fired back, passing a bill to prevent book banning in the state. Newsom signed that bill Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>But that legislation was the product of months of compromise — which led to the removal of language placing tougher restrictions on districts, in the face of opposition from the group representing California school boards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the transgender reporting policies began to proliferate this summer, Assemblymember Alex Lee (D-San José) said his colleagues in the Legislative LGBTQ caucus had conversations with fellow Democrats and the Newsom administration about a legislative response, but decided that more time was needed to craft a bill that could pass legal muster.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re really playing kind of a whack-a-mole approach to it — when they come up with new ways to hurt LGBTQ families and kids, we have to make sure we are approaching it with much more sensitivity and much more nuance,” Lee said. “So, there is more time and delay when we’re coming up with [a] new policy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee vowed “quick, decisive action” on the issue when the Legislature reconvenes in January, though he acknowledged a political response on the local level will be critical as LGBTQ rights debates continue to serve as flashpoints in districts up and down the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“I really hope that folks will take that to heart and really get involved in local school districts,” Lee added. “Local control does matter, so it really matters who actually runs for school board, who’s involved in that process.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Chino, the board was swung toward a conservative majority in last year’s election \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11922860/california-republicans-are-betting-big-on-local-school-board-races\">through the organizing work of the California Republican Party\u003c/a> and Real Impact, a political group run by local pastor Jack Hibbs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chino’s transgender reporting policy followed a ban on the display of certain flags, including the LGBTQ pride flag. The moves came after a series of tense meetings marked by personal attacks and heightened rhetoric. On both issues, the lone dissenting vote on the five-member board was cast by Donald Bridge, the former president of the local teachers union.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Opponents of the policies pushed by the board majority worry this year’s raucous debates could stymie efforts to reverse the political balance of the board in the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When potential candidates look at what he’s going through, are they going to jump in? I wouldn’t,” said Brenda Walker, current president of the Associated Chino Teachers union. “So, yes, it’s going to be difficult to find candidates.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Walker said her members have already noticed a chilling effect on both students and teachers compared to last school year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For now, the concerns are moot: A superior court judge in San Bernardino County has put Chino’s transgender notification policy on hold after California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit arguing the policy violates the privacy rights of students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But supporters of similar policies are hoping to expand their campaign beyond this initial series of local skirmishes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly two dozen conservative and religious groups, including Real Impact, have formed the Coalition for Parental Rights, to encourage more California school districts to adopt transgender reporting policies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some members of that group are also attempting to qualify three statewide initiatives for the November ballot: a transgender notification law, a ban on transgender students from competing on sports teams consistent with their gender identity, and a ban on puberty blockers and sexual reassignment surgery for minors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Erin Friday, who heads the group Our Duty, and who is sponsoring the notification ballot measure, said she’s turning to California voters after a similar policy was blocked by the state Legislature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re ignoring [us] and saying that we’re right-wing bigots,” Friday said. “And that’s just not true. We’re parents who are safeguarding the bodily integrity of our children.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>If the transgender reporting law qualifies for the ballot, progressives would be wise to define the effort as an attack on LGBTQ children, said GOP consultant Rob Stutzman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To the extent that it starts to become a backlash to LGBTQ citizens, that’s not going to fly in California,” Stutzman said. “But if voters are presented with a specific question about, you know, ‘Should parents be notified if their minor child identifies as transgender?’ I think that’s likely to pass. Now, the people running the campaign could be distasteful enough that it clouds out the actual policy question before them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those who have been involved in education leadership say that while the details of the current dustup are new, the broad contours are not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Camille Maben served on the Rocklin School Board for nearly 30 years, starting in the early 1990s. She recalled a debate 20 years ago over sex education curriculum at the board that also made national headlines. The conservative majority at the time, she said, voted to institute an “abstinence only” curriculum — and were promptly voted out of power in the next election. The new board repealed the abstinence-only class in lieu of a more “well-rounded” approach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What it did really was kind of reset our community’s look at education … and work to have a board that was balanced, that put students first always,” she said. “When an issue takes off and becomes part of a bigger conversation or agenda … it’s easy to lose sight of … you’re locally elected to serve the people within your community and do your best for those people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maben said the current debate seems strikingly similar. Rocklin’s new conservative majority recently passed a policy nearly identical to the Chino Hills one, also requiring school staff to notify parents of a change to a kid’s gender status. Teachers and others are already planning to sue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mabel said in any community, school board members would do well to listen to the entire community — not just their allies. If they don’t, she said, each community has recourse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>“\u003c/em>The process we have in place, not only locally, but as a country, is if you really don’t like it, no matter what side you’re on, then when it comes time for election, you change that. And you elect someone else. That’s the process we have. That’s how democracy works,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"id": "baycurious",
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"tagline": "Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time",
"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
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},
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},
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"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
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"order": 8
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"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
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"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
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"order": 1
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"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
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"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
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"title": "Forum",
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"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"order": 9
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"meta": {
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"source": "WNYC"
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"id": "fresh-air",
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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"hidden-brain": {
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"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
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"source": "NPR"
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"how-i-built-this": {
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"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
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"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
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"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"jerrybrown": {
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"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"order": 18
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},
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"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
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"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
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},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
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"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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