Robbers target an LGBTQ nightclub in California, a new walking tour in Washington D.C. teaches LGBTQ history, and a Christian homeless shelters fights a pro-LGBTQ law in Washington.
Armed Robbers Target LGBTQ Nightclub
Oasis, an LGBTQ nightclub in San Francisco, was hit by armed robbers at 5 a.m., when three workers were cleaning up for the night, according to CBS News.
The workers were held at gunpoint as the robbers stole expensive alcohol bottles and damaged items. Club owner D’Arcy Drollinger estimated the loss and damage at about $10,000. Just before the robbery, a group of people attempted to break into SF Eagle Bar, a nearby gay leather bar nearby.
"Right now, I think that the city is going through a terrible situation about safety and security," SF Eagle Bar owner Lex Montiel told CBS.
New Walking Tour Teaches LGBTQ History
Human Rights Campaign headquarters. Photo via Adam Fagen, Flickr.
A new walking tour, titled Beyond the Closet: The Persecution and Liberation of the LGBTQ Community in Washington, D.C., launched in June with a high turnout.
The two to three hour-tour, created by Zach Patalingjug, highlights Washington, D.C.'s important and nuanced LGBTQ+ history. Patalingjug spent a year researching for the tour.
“I wanted to create a company that really explores the hidden gems, the lesser-known history of Washington, D.C., to get the experiences that are truly authentic, and to tell stories that you don’t hear on most sightseeing tours,” he told the Washington Blade.
Christian Homeless Shelter Fights Pro-LGBTQ Law
Photo via Unsplash.
Lawyers for a Christian homeless shelter will appear in a federal appeals court to challenge a Washington anti-discrimination law. The law would require it to hire LGBTQ people, as well as others who don’t share its religious beliefs.
Union Gospel Mission in Yakima, which is southeast of Seattle, is requesting the appeals court to revive a lawsuit dismissed by a lower court last year, according to NBC News.
The case arises out of a 2017 lawsuit after a bisexual Christian man was denied a job as an attorney at a legal aid clinic operated by the Union Gospel Mission in Seattle.
Ryan Tucker, a senior counsel with the homeless shelter, said it has constitutional freedom to “hire fellow believers who share the mission’s calling to spread the gospel and care for vulnerable people in the community.”
Court documents obtained by NBC show that the shelter says its policy is to hire only those who adhere to its religious beliefs and expects “employees to abstain from sexual immorality, including adultery, non-married cohabitation, and homosexual conduct.”
