LOS ANGELES -- Equality California (EQCA) announced today two parallel events designed to extend its LGBT education and outreach efforts in the Central Valley.

EQCA, the largest LGBT advocacy organization in California, will host a Town Hall meeting followed by a “Health Happens with Equality” briefing on Thursday, May 16 at 6 pm at the Fresno LGBT Community Center. Both events are free and open to the public.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed that it views a 2010 law prohibiting sex discrimination in health care services as protecting transgender and other LGBT people from discrimination based on gender identity and gender stereotyping.

The announcement comes after the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), along with other groups, sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) asking for a clarification of the law.

(Editor's Note: This was previously published in Huffington Post's Gay Voices, a content sharing partner of SDGLN.)

Over the holidays last year, my partner and I traveled back to my family's home for Christmas. It was the first real opportunity I had to spend time with my entire extended family since I got back into the movement working for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.