LGBTQ news and entertainment
Some news items you might have missed: • The Advocate: A small-town city council in Washington state voted to defund an after-school program that provided safe space and pizza for LGBTQ+ youth after concerns that it could “influence” students to become queer or trans. Continue reading “Town Defunds After-School LGBTQ Pizza Program + More News”
From ‘Bottoms (photo courtesy Orion Pictures)
Starbucks demonstrates yet again why the coffee retailer is a great LGBT ally.
Earlier this year, Jim Ritter – LGBTQ liaison officer for the Seattle Police Department – launched the Seattle Police Department Safe Place program to help stave off anti-LGBTQ-related crimes and harassment.
Now, coffee giant Starbucks has signed on to the program which will include all 97 company-owned stores in the great Seattle area.
Via press release:
Designed to identify plentiful safe and secure places for victims of anti-LGBTQ-related crimes and harassment, SPD Safe Place’s mission is intentionally uncomplicated. Window clings with the program’s rainbow logo are circulated to Seattle area businesses and public facilities identifying them as places where staff who’ve received SPD Safe Place training will call 911 and allow victims to remain on the premises until police arrive.
“We’re not wanting employees to tackle the suspect who is doing this,” he emphasized. “We want to make sure the employees stay safe and people in the businesses stay safe. I think the way this was designed, that’s certainly happening. Remember, these suspects don’t want to be seen. They don’t want to be following victims into a room full of people who can identify them.”
Officer Ritter says not one company he has approached in taking part in the program has turned him away.
Happy Friday, folks!