Trans activists Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera to get New York monument

Original Post: PINK NEWS

Transgender activists Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera will be commemorated with a monument in the city of New York.

It may be placed down the street from the Stonewall Inn, where the 1969 Stonewall Riots took place led by Johnson and Rivera.



The two transgender women of colour led the uprising against homophobic police raids, an era-defining moment in the struggle for LGBT equality.

Rivera and Johnson also later co-founded the organisation STAR, or Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries, a group dedicated to helping homeless young drag queens and trans women of colour.

The monument will mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and it is proposed for the Ruth Wittenberg Triangle in Greenwich Village, the New York Times reported.

It will also be one of the world’s first monuments dedicated to transgender people.

New York’s first lady, Chirlane McCray, told the newspaper: “The LGBTQ movement was portrayed very much as a white, gay male movement.

“This monument counters that trend of whitewashing the history.”

The Stonewall Riots

On June 28 1969, the police stopped by The Stonewall Inn on the grounds of checking for alcohol law violations and other transgressions, which is something they did regularly.

What actually occurred was police intimidation and demands for payoffs in return for not arresting or publicising the names of customers.

Johnson, known for her fierce activism and advocacy of homeless queer people and sex workers, was one of the first to resist police intimidation at the bar, and Rivera is rumoured to have thrown the first bottle.

The riot reportedly broke out when lesbian activist Stormé DeLarverie was attacked by police for saying her handcuffs were too tight.

Other Stonewall customers threw bottles, coins and other items at the officers as tensions boiled over when those inside the bar were dragged outside by police.

Both Johnson and Rivera, instrumental in the LGBT rights movement, are credited with playing major roles in the backlash against police brutality at the Stonewall Inn.

www.SunServe.org | (954) 764-5150 | info@sunserve.org | Social Media Admin

Google Grants $1.5 Mil to Trevor Project for LGBTQ Youth Suicide Prevention Research

Original post: LINK

The Trevor Project, the world's largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youth, is one of twenty recipients of $25 million in grants from Google. 

Through the Google AI Impact Challenge, an open call to nonprofits and research institutions, the Trevor Project was selected to receive $1.5 million to "to assess suicide risk level of LGBTQ youth in crisis more quickly." 

According to a press release, Trevor Project will work closely with Google AI experts to "incorporate machine learning and natural language processing into its crisis services, which save young LGBTQ lives by supporting them via phone, chat, and text. With Google’s help, The Trevor Project will be able to assess suicide risk level of youth in crisis more quickly, allowing counselors to better tailor their support and to provide relevant resources and consistent quality of care."

Amit Paley, CEO & Executive Director of The Trevor Project, is excited to put the money to good use.

"The Trevor Project estimates that each year more than 1.5 million LGBTQ youth in the U.S. experience suicidal ideation or some form of crisis - and many of their moments of crisis are unique and extremely personal," he said. "Our crisis counselors work tirelessly every day to support these LGBTQ youth. This support from Google will allow our counselors to leverage AI and leading-edge technology to identify highest risk youth faster and serve them with even higher quality of care."

Jacquelline Fuller, President of Google.org, is thrilled to work with the Trevor Project.

"At Google, we have seen how AI can help us accomplish daily tasks and travels, and we believe in its potential to help address some of the world’s biggest humanitarian challenges," she said. "We are excited to support The Trevor Project’s work to use AI to achieve even greater social impact." 

The Trevor Projects emphasized how AI technology will become a cornerstone in their suicide prevention work.

"Vulnerable communities including LGBTQ youth deserve to be supported with the latest innovations in health technology," said the Chief of Staff, Sam Dorison.

www.SunServe.org | (954) 764-5150 | info@sunserve.org | Social Media Admin

Straight penguins are now the minority at this aquarium. Most of them are gay couples.

Original post: LINK

Most of the penguins at the Oceanworld Aquarium Dingle in Ireland are in same-sex couples.

Animal manager Louise Overy told the Irish Mirror that, while other zoos are proud to have one same-sex penguin couple, they have four among their population of 14 penguins.

“We have two homosexual pairs and two lesbian ones,” she said.

“You cannot tell a male penguin from a female by their sexual organs so the only way we know is when we see them mating and not producing chicks.”

Overy said that the penguins eventually figure out that they aren’t going to have a chick unless they take more drastic measures.

“The lesbian ones will take action if they feel broody. They will waddle over to a male to do what needs to be done and rear the chick with their female partner.”

She explained that the aquarium’s queer penguin population has grown over the last few years.

“We have had a gay couple here before. Five years ago Penelope and Misty got plenty of coverage but we never expected it to catch on.”

Two years ago, a lesbian king penguin couple in New Zealand who were nicknamed “Thelma and Louise” got international attention when they raised a chick together.

www.SunServe.org | (954) 764-5150 | info@sunserve.org | Social Media Admin