Category: News

Please join us for dinner, drinks, and our monthly meeting Tuesday, April 9th. All Democrats are welcome to attend meetings. Annual memberships cost $20 for the whole year and help us accomplish our mission and objectives.

Special guest Robin McGehee will talk about her work with the City of Fresno, as the newly appointed LGBTQ+ Liaison to the Office of the Mayor, as well as her National work to organize against the ‘Don’t Say Gay” efforts in the state of Florida and beyond. She will have one of the youth that she organizes with, Zander Moricz Zooming in from ground zero!

Meeting documents (agenda, minutes, reports, etc) can be viewed / downloaded at: https://bit.ly/fsd-mtgdocs

We hope you can join us at this meeting. If you have additions to the agenda, future speaker suggestions, or announcements to be included on our meeting handout please send them to info@fresnostonewalldemocrats.org.

For Zoom and other links visit our LinkTree at https://linktr.ee/fresnostonewall

Please join us this month for a special treat as we welcome Dr. Peter Robertson as our speaker.

FOSTERING AUTHENTIC AND SINCERE LGBTQ+ ALLYSHIP.
Dr. Peter Robertson (he/his/him) shares award-winning doctoral dissertation research and findings, completed at Fresno State. (Dissertation chair and faculty mentor: Dr. Jonathan Pryor).

ABOUT PETER ROBERTSON:
Dr. Peter Robertson (he/his/him) has been referred to as a “change maker” on behalf of Fresno’s disenfranchised and marginalized communities. For the past 36 years, he has been passionate about serving others and strives to lead by example.

A four-time graduate of Fresno State (BA, MA, MBA, and EdD), the genesis for his activism was fostered as an undergraduate student. He was a founding member of United Student Pride, a co-founder of the Fresno Reel Pride Film Festival, and named a grand marshal for the inaugural Fresno Rainbow Pride Parade. In 2023, he was presented the Harvey Milk Award: Champion of Change by the City of Fresno. Recently, he was appointed the co-chair of the President’s LGBTQ2+ and Allies Advisory Council at Fresno State.

As a Fresno State staff member, he has continued to advocate for creating a powerful sense of belonging while maintaining respect for students, alumnx and allies, as well as faculty and staff. As a volunteer, he established the Bulldog Pride Fund, and started the Rainbow Alumnx and Allies Club.

Robertson is the director of alumni connections with the Fresno State Alumni Association, where he has worked for, donated to, and volunteered with the past 21 years.

2022 Fresno Arts Council Horizon Award — https://youtu.be/SWAqUNFguZE

Fresno Stonewall Democrats met on January 9, 2024, to decide on candidate endorsements for the upcoming Primary Election on March 5, 2024. We are pleased to share the following endorsements:

FEDERAL ENDORSEMENTS
U.S. Senator: Adam Schiff

STATE ENDORSEMENTS
CA Assembly District 6: Evan Minton

CITY & COUNTY OF FRESNO ENDORSEMENTS
Fresno Co. Board of Supervisors District 2: Bryce Herrera
Fresno Co. Board of Supervisors District 3: Miguel Arias
Fresno Co. Board of Supervisors District 5: Jennifer Cruz
Fresno City Council District 2: Mike Karbassi
Fresno City Council District 4: Tyler Maxwell

Fresno Stonewall Democrats will be conducting our Endorsement Meeting on Tuesday, January 9th, where members will vote to decide which candidates to endorse for the upcoming Primary Election on March 5, 2024. Candidates in local races (Fresno County Supervisor, Fresno City Council, and Mayor) have been invited to attend if they would like to address members before the selection process begins (candidates will be allowed to speak for two minutes).

Fresno Stonewall Democrats has asked candidates to complete our Questionnaire to inform our members as to their positions on issues related to our mission and goals. Below are candidates who completed our questionnaire.

QUESTIONNAIRES RECEIVED:

• Matthew Gillian for City Council D2
• Mike Karbassi for City Council D2
• Tyler Maxwell for City Council D4
• EJ Hinojosa for Fresno County Supervisor D3
• Miguel Arias for Fresno County Supervisor D3
• Jennifer Cruz for Fresno County Supervisor D5

We will also be considering endorsements in two State races:

• U.S. Senate
• State Assembly AD-6

We didn’t receive questionnaires from candidates for these offices but we’d like to mention that Evan Minton for State Assembly AD-6 (click here for his Bio) was our guest speaker in September 2023, is a champion for Transgender issues, and is the only Democrat running for that office.

Candidates being considered for endorsement:

Endorsement of a candidate requires 60% of members voting. New members must wait a grace period of twienty-eight (28) days before they are eligible to vote — this means only members who joined on December 12, 2023 or earlier may participate in this process.

5:30 PM – Dinner, drinks, and general discussion of hot topics or current events
6:00 PM – Meeting Calls to Order

The Agenda, previous meeting minutes, and other relevant meeting documents, are available online here:

Greetings Democrats,

We are meeting this month on Friday, December 8th at 6:30 pm for a party! Please join us at Patty & Keith Cappelluti’s Fabulous Home to enjoy holiday music, good food, tasty drinks, and great company!

We hope to have some silent auction items available for you!

We will also be collecting non-perishable food items for the Fresno EOC’s LGBTQ+ Resource Center downtown as well as hygiene products (shampoo, conditioner, soap, brushes, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, lotion, feminine products, etc).

Everyone is invited to attend this free event and kick off the holiday season with us.

PLEASE Tap or Click the Flyer below to RSVP:

(Download Flyer)

We hope you can attend this free event and enjoy the company of other like-minded Democrats. Whether you can make it or not, Fresno Stonewall Democrats appreciates your support and wish you a fabulous holiday season and all the best in 2024.

NEXT GENERAL MEETING: JANUARY 9, 2024

In January the club will meet to consider and vote on candidate endorsements for the upcoming election cycle. Our endorsements serve as a Voting Guide for many of the club’s members and followers who might be undecided on some positions. If you’re a paid member you are encouraged to attend this meeting to participate in the decision making process. If you are not a paid member you may join the membership to participate as long as you do so by December 12 (new members must wait 28 days before they are eligible to vote in club matters).

Please join us at our November meeting to hear D’Aungillique Jackson, Fresno State Graduate, Bulldog Pride Fund Scholar, and first LGBTQIA+ Student Body President. Earlier this year she was invited to The 2nd Pride Reception at The White House by Vice President Kamala Harris. D’Aungillique also led the Black Lives Matter Protest in Fresno in 2020, one of the city’s largest and most peaceful demonstrations; she was the youngest member of Fresno’s Commission on Police Reform; and she was President of the Fresno State chapter of the NAACP.

Meeting Agenda and other documents:

As a recent Fresno State graduate, D’Aungillique earned her B.A. in Sociology in the Fall of 2022. She is a people activator and mobilizer. Though she is not native to Fresno, D’Aungillique’s lived experiences as a Black American woman, a military kid, and an LGBTQIA+ youth have ignited within her a passion to advocate for equity and transformative justice wherever she goes.

Her most recent accomplishments include being an invited guest of Vice President Kamala
Harris at her “2023 Pride Reception” for esteemed LGBTQ+ organizers, becoming a member of
the Central Valley’s “40 under 40” Class of 2023, serving as the 2021-2022 Fresno State
Student Body President, Becoming a Bulldog Pride Fund Scholar (2021 – 2022), receiving the
2020 John D. Welty Award for Community Excellence in Community Service, serving as Faith in
the Valley’s Community Justice Fellow, serving as the youngest commissioner on Fresno’s
Commission for Police Reform, and leading Fresno’s largest, most peaceful protest—the city of
Fresno’s Black Lives Matter protest on May 31st, 2020. Above all, D’Aungillique Jackson is most
proud to be a recharting member of the Fresno State NAACP college chapter, the 2019-2021
Chapter President, and the current campus advisor for this organization.

Members of our club attended the annual Eleanor Roosevelt Birthday Luncheon organized by the Historic Fresno County Democratic Women’s Club. Honorees at this event were three women in our community that have made significant change for our community, impacted politics, and have been leaders over several decades.

• Hon. Dezie Woods-Jones, BWOPA Founder & State President
• Hon. Cynthia A. Sterling, BWOPA Fresno/SJV President
• Marsha Conant, NWPC Fresno President

FCDWC President Carole Laval welcomed everyone to the event and acknowledged the many elected leaders in the audience as well as candidates who are actively running campaigns. There were many sponsors attending and several other Democratic clubs represented in the audience.

This year’s theme was “It’s Up To The Women”, honoring women who lead.

The Keynote speaker was Susannah Delano, Executive Director of Close The Gap California, a statewide campaign that seeks to close the gender gap in the California Legislature. She gave a great talk on what her organization does, what they’ve accomplished, and what the future looks like.

M.C. Sandra Garcia, Sr. District Representative for Congressman Jim Costa, introduced each of the honorees as they were presented with their awards and addressed the audience.

The event closed with a surprise appearance by Congressman Jim Costa who gave the event a thoughtful closing speech and personally congratulated all three honorees and posed for pictures.

Marsha Conant, the final honoree, is also our own Vice President of Fresno Stonewall Democrats!

Congratulations to all three honorees! We wish all of you all the best.

If you were at last week’s meeting you know we had a couple of great speakers and several announcements and sponsorship decisions to make on upcoming events. We called to order a little late to allow the restaurant server to take our dinner orders and avoid interruptions during our agenda.

We had over 15 attendees in person at Los Amigos Restaurant and several connected on Zoom. Also in the room we had Matthew Gillian, candidate for City Council, and SCCCD Trustee Magdelana Gomez.

Minutes were not available due to a technical issue and will be available at the next meeting.

Monte reported for the Treasurer’s Report that we have $3,335.52 in our checking account.

Vice President Marsha Conant gave a report on recent and upcoming events.

Terry Stasio explained the proposed bylaws that were included on the agenda for consideration. Motions were made and seconded for both items and passed by majority vote of members present, including members on Zoom. In summary, the three bylaws that called for a 30 day notice or waiting period have been changed to 28 days; the second item added that in special elections where there was only one democratic candidate the club could endorse that candidate without having to announce an endorsement meeting.

Another call for nominations of a new treasurer was made but there were no interested members at this time. If you know someone that would be willing to step up for this volunteer position please refer them to us via email or ask them to attend our October meeting.

Volunteers are needed to work the Fresno County Democratic Party’s table at the Big Fresno Fair this October 4th through the 15th! Click here for more information or click here to sign up for a shift and get a free ticket to the fair: https://www.mobilize.us/fresnocountydemocraticparty/event/579710/

Member Cathy Brass spoke about the Democratic Headquarters and the financial challenges it’s facing. Donations and volunteers to run the office are urgently needed to keep things going. One-time or recurring monthly donations can be made here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/fresnodemocrats.

Gender Euphoria is coming up on September 23 (THIS Saturday) at 6:00 pm at Fresno City College in the Old Admin Building. This dinner and talent night is a fundraiser hosted by Trans-E-Motion. Tickets are $35 for individuals and $250 (plus Eventbrite fees) for a table of 10. FSD voted to sponsor a table of 10 and started a signup list of attendees at this meeting to fill those seats. If you’re interested in joining us please contact Terry to see if there are any more seats available at the club’s table. Click here for flyer. You can purchase individual tickets or donate to the organization here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gender-euphoria-2023-tickets-686981569367

Rainbow Wonderland Garden Party at Gazebo Gardens is coming up on October 15 at 6:00 pm. Proceeds benefit the LGBTQ2+ Studies Endowed Scholarship Fund. The club also voted to be a sponsor of this event at the $250 “Pride Blue” level. This includes four seats at the event and sponsorship recognition in media and the program. Click here to purchase your own tickets ($30) or see the flyer: page 1 page 2

Trunk Or Treat is an annual event for the whole family, hosted by Fresno Rainbow Pride, a project of Community Link. There will be treats, a game area, prizes, vendors, and more. Last year’s event was very well attended and is a family event that everyone can come to. It will be held at 1444 C Street in Fresno on October 15 from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm.  Click here for the flyer.

Special Guest Speaker: Marsha introduced our Special Guest Speaker Evan Minton who is a candidate for Assembly District 6. A bio was included in our previous meeting announcement and you can click here to access a copy of it. See Evan’s website for additional information about his accomplishments and campaign information.

Visiting Candidate: Terry introduced Matthew Gillian, candidate for City Council District 2. Matthew spoke about the non-profit organization Inspiration Transportation he founded and how it helped and inspired him to move forward with his campaign. A new website for his campaign in is development. You can contact him by email at matt@gillianforfresno.com. Mr. Gillian has also completed our club questionnaire and is asking to be considered for endorsement.

Live Auction: Cathy Brass also brought a cute vase with a small cactus / succulent and there was fierce bidding that went on between a few members, even one on Zoom, until we arrived at the winning bid of $110. All money will go to support office expenses of the Fresno County Democratic Party.

Our next meeting will be October 10th when we will have IDC Fresno‘s Empress I & IV Jesse Villalobos! Please attend this special meeting to hear about Jesse’s live and his involvement in starting a Court chapter here in Fresno.

This month FSD has announcements to make about important upcoming events, possible sponsorships, and bylaw changes. With State and Local elections around the corner, we are making efforts to bring you candidates that you’ll likely want to hear from.

This Tuesday we will have Matthew Gillian, candidate for Fresno City Council District 2. Matthew has completed our Questionnaire (click here to view or download) and will be in person at the meeting to talk about his campaign.

Our Featured Speaker this month is Evan Minton, candidate for Assembly District 6 (via Zoom)

EVAN has served as a policy advocate to expand access to health care, including mental health care; as a legislative aide protecting voting rights and safeguarding workers’ rights; and as a national trailblazer fighting for the rights of the transgender community. (click here for more about Evan Minton)

IF ELECTED, EVAN WILL BECOME THE FIRST TRANS LEGISLATOR.

Everyone is invited to order dinner and/or drinks during our social and “hot topic” segment starting at 5:30 pm. At 6:00 pm we call the meeting to order and proceed with our agenda and speakers. If you have additions to the agenda, speaker suggestions, or announcements to be included at the meeting please send them to info@fresnostonewalldemocrats.org.