President Obama Designates Stonewall National Monument

~ First National Monument Honoring LGBT Rights ~

“We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths –- that all of us are created equal –- is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth. It is now our generation’s task to carry on what those pioneers began.”  - President Barack Obama, 2013 Inaugural Address

Since taking office, President Obama and his Administration have made historic strides in expanding opportunities and advancing equality and justice for all Americans, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans. From major legislative achievements to historic court victories to important policy changes, the President has fought to promote the equal rights of all Americans — no matter who they are or who they love. That commitment to leveling the playing field and ensuring equal protection under the law is the bedrock principle this nation was founded on and has guided the President’s actions in support of all Americans.

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Orlando Aftermath

This article was written by Fred Palmer, the publisher of Outword Magazine. As is often the case, we were not able to fit this work into the current issue because of space constraints. Usually all of us here at Outword like to keep a pretty low profile in the pages, but every now and then, it’s important for us to speak what’s in our hearts and minds. This is one of those times.

Read more: The June 23, 2016 Issue is out now.

Pastor Roger Jimenez Condemned

The Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC) and senior pastor of New Season Church in Sacramento, California, and Dr. John Jackson, president of William Jessup University, have released the following joint statement condemning bigoted comments in regards to the June 12 terrorist attack on the LGBT community in Orlando made by Pastor Roger Jimenez of the Verity Baptist Church :

"We stand resolved in our condemnation of the heinous attack that occurred in Orlando. We also condemn the detestable statements made by a pastor in Sacramento.

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SF GLBT History Museum Presents Traveling Exhibition of Gay Erotic Art, 1950s-1990s  

From July to October, the GLBT History Museum will present a historical retrospective of erotic illustrations by artists who worked for gay men's magazines from the 1950s to the 1990s.

"Stroke: From Under the Mattress to the Museum Wall" originated at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art in New York City. The San Francisco show is its only scheduled West Coast appearance.

Curated by artist Robert W. Richards, this exhibition of a largely forgotten body of work not only explores the male form, but also offers an examination of erotic fantasies as experienced through publications that were available at nearly every newsstand in America, but that men often hid under their mattresses for fear of being discovered.

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