(Editor's note: The next mayor of Los Angeles has a deep history of LGBT support as a straight ally. '“I kind of cut my teeth as an activist working on issues of equality and civil rights,” Garcetti told Frontiers in a Feb. 13 phone interview. “When I was in college in New York, I worked with ACT UP. ")

VACAVILLE, Calif. -- Four girls and a boy lured a lesbian teenager into a remote area and cut off her ponytail in an apparent anti-gay hate crime, authorities say.

The crime happened so fast that the victim had no time to react, she told authorities. The attack left the lesbian teen with a bald spot on the back of her head. After making sure her daughter was safe, the girl's mother got an emergency hair appointment, and the hair stylist said it took her two hours to repair the damage. "It was really traumatic for her," the hair stylist told news10.net.

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- Ahead of an October trial, the lawyer for nine former Micky’s employees has gone public about a lawsuit filed against the West Hollywood gay bar in July 2011.

The plaintiffs are charging the popular nightclub, known for its male strippers and go-go dancers, with civil rights violations, which include lewd conduct, creating a sexually hostile work environment, racial discrimination and discrimination against heterosexual employees, and labor code violations.

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.