June is pride month, a time to celebrate the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and Trasngender Community and their struggle for equal rights. Organizers chose june as pride month to honor the 1969 stonewall riots in new york city. They were a series of uprisings by the Gay Community against police raids of the stonewall inn, a popular gay bar in greenwich village. The riots are considered the start of the modern gay rights movement. President trump marked pride month this year with a tweet celebrating lgbt rights, becoming the first republican president to acknowledge pride month. But just a month earlier his administration had effectively banned transgendered people from the military. Stacey long simmons is the director of advocacy and action at the national Lgbtq Task Force. Its so nice to have you with us. Stacey thank you, so nice to be here. Soledad thank you. Those two things are in complete contradiction so assess for me i pride month is kind of a low bar but assess for me how you would say President Trump and the administration is doing when it comes to issues for lgbtq people. Stacey well first let me just say isnt it interesting that this president would be speaking out of both sides of his mouth in terms of what he would do on such an important such an important symbolic day as pride month and what hes actually doing in terms of policy which is rolling back continually every single area of the progress that we have done under the previous administration. Soledad i know youre being sarcastic but some people might not read that sarcasm like clearly. He literally does that all the time. Says one thing and in the actions does completely the opposite and in some very devastating ways. Stacey thats absolutely correct. I mean one of the early things that they did was in the department of education removing the guidance that very much protected transgender youth in the schools and provided schools with clarity about how they should handle having transgender students in their in their schools. Ledad under secretary betsy devos. Stacey thats correct. Soledad the president has sought to remove questions about Sexual Identity from the 2020 census. At. Stacey sure. So the ensus is really important and our organization has been leading on this since way way back when and was part of the early days when same sex couples were actually able to identify themselves in the in the census. And so fast forward we recognize that its very circular to say that well we would support your community and give you money to focus on your needs but we dont really know how many of you there are. And so now to say that were not going to include you in the census is erecting a barrier. And it really keeps us from being able to have adequate representation adequate access to resources and adequate opportunities to really quantify our numbers and our specific in particular needs. Soledas national Lgbtq Task Force one could imagine that your job issues. Period full stop and im always amazed that its not you guys get into many many other issues around criminal justice run immigration unions sometimes. You will on this. Stacey sure. Because this country is actually representative of the Lgbtq Community. So all of the issues that were grappling with whether its parenting our children or having quality education or being able to have gainful employment its the reason why its so essential to us that we are alongside all of our partners in the Labor Movement and in the Reproductive Health rights justice movement. It really has a very direct impact on our quality of life. Soledad what do you think will be the role of gay rights when it comes to e ignored because people dont care. Now its already started. So very very long election cycle. Stacey well im of two minds. I think that we are certainly past the point where candidates can go forward and not have specific ideas or not sort of cater to the Lgbtq Community in any way. Ur community specifically indirectly. However the culture wars that are underway as i mentioned earlier with regard to transgender people are still one of the tactics that are used to divide and separate. So its done racially its done along religious lines its done along Sexual Orientation and gender identity as well. And so i think that those candidates are going to have to be willing to pick up the baton and continue the work to get the equality act passed into law and also fix some of the damage thats been done under the current administration. Soledad stacey long simmons, its so nice to have you thank you. Stacey thank you so much. Next on matter of fact. The dairlyland in distress. Thought he was doing better, um, what could i have done, what could have i said . Farmers struggling with a mental and a financial crisis. Is help on the way . Plus, students leading the charge to change disciplinary policies in schools. Charge to change disciplinary policies in schools. Oney by using dish soap to clean grease on more than dishes . Try dawn ultra. Dawn is for more than just dishes. With 3x more grease cleaning power per drop, it tackles tough grease on a variety of surfaces. Try dawn ultra. You mighyour joints. Ng for your heart. Or your digestion. So why wouldnt you take something for the most important part of you. Your brain. With an ingredient originally discovered in jellyfish, prevagen has been shown in Clinical Trials to improve shortterm memory. Prevagen. Healthier brain. Better life. My mom washes the dishes. Before she puts them in the dishwasher. So what does the dishwasher do . Cascade platinum does the work for you, prewashing and removing stuckon foods, the first time. Wow, thats clean cascade platinum. [ scoffs ] if you say so. Im sorry . What teach here isnt telling you is that snapshot rewards safe drivers with discounts on car insurance. What . Or maybe he didnt know. [ chuckles ] im done with this class. Youre not even enrolled in this class. I know. Im supposed to be in ceramics. Do you know room 303. Oh. Thank you. Yeah. Good luck, everybody. Oh. Thank you. Yeah. When you have nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea try new pepto liquicaps for fast relief and ultracoating. Nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea get powerful relief with new pepto bismol liquicaps. Did you know you can save money by using dish soap to clean grease on more than dishes . Try dawn ultra. Dawn is for more than just dishes. With 3x more grease cleaning power per drop, it tackles tough grease on a variety of surfaces. Try dawn ultra. Farmers are feelle optimistic about the ag industry. The monthly survey from Purdue University found Farmer Sentiment has hit its lowest level in two years. Researchers say farmers remain worried about their financial future as the trade war with china goes on. Yids because of rt flooding. And farmers arent just facing a financial crisis. But a Mental Health one, as well. Groups like farm aid and the Wisconsin Farm Center report significant increases in the number of farmers asking for psychological help. Correspondent jess gomez shows us how one small farm town in wisconsin is responding. I have always loved the farm. We milked cows, raised the family, had lots of neighborhood parties, people loved to come to our place. It is a good life. Jessica winter slowly making way for spring on the statz family farm in loganville, wisconsin. For brenda statz, its the first spring in 35 years, without her husband. Brenda statz you could tell he was uneasy with what the way things were going. Jessica leon had a history of depression. It resurfaced last winter, when the family sold its dairy cows. Is what i lived. Jessica after years of low milk equipment andrs the the couple, with help from their two sons, started transitioning to beef and grain farming. But leon struggled with the change. Brenda statz he didnt want to go places, where normally he was very outgoing. Didnt like to have friends over anymore. Didnt like to eat as much. Jessica despite months of treatment, leons third Suicide Attempt was successful. Brenda its like when you see your child struggling and they cant help themselves. Thats what he was. He fought it hard though. Give me a minute. Jessica leons suicide, rocking the small city of loganville. The barns are deteriorated now and each one had cows in them. Jessica leons friend, dale meyer, had been taking him to treatment in madison. Dale meyer thought he was doing better, um, what could i have done, what could have i said . Jessica five months later, meyer is doing a lot. Organizing monthly meetings for f a local church. So we staff crisis 24 hours a day 365 days a year. Jessica the idea to connect farmers to nearby Mental Healthcare resources, financial help, and Suicide Prevention training. If we can keep people alive and give them options, thats what they are missing is options they struggle bad. I dont want to start crying again. Conversations that were once only behind closed doors. Don meyer i think farmers are very private people and as i grew up in earlier generations they didnt talk about anything like this. In the past we have not talked. We are talking better now. Jessica in iowa, talking to farmers is what dr. Mike rosmann does every day. Hes one of the only a handful of psychologists in the country specializing in agriculture. Dr. Mike rosmann we need to understand what motivates farmers and why do farmers have such a strong inclination to take out their failures on themselves, even though they cant control most of the factors that impact farming and. Jessica rosmann says the current economic strain coupled with the lack of adequate Mental Health care in rural areas is creating a crisis not seen since the 1980s. The scars of farm life, no longer just physical. Dr. Mike rossman i refuse to let my boy farm, it was too hard on me and i said i dont need want you to do it. Do something else. Jessica rosmann says whats happening in places like loganville, a small town with a big heart, is a step in the right direction. For the statz family, theres comfort in knowing, leons death could help save a life. Brenda statz people have contacted me and they said, they are so thankful because we dont know what to do. Jessica as for their dairy barn, it hasnt been touched since the day the cows left. Just in case the next generation picks up, where leon left off. Brenda statz this is the family farm, the statz family farm, and thats what leon always said, it was never about just him, it was the family and we will just keep going. Jessica in loganville, wi, for matter of fact, im jessica gomez. Soledad republican senator joni ernst of iowa and senator tammy baldwin, a wisconsin d provisions to be included in the 2018 farm bill passed in december. The bill allocated 50 Million Dollars over five years for Mental Health resources but local communities say much of that money has yet to make its way to rural farmers. When we come back. Giving students the chance to balance the scales of justice on their own terms. Plus. One of mother natures slowest and arguably laziest creatures is now inspiration for a robot. Soledad two million high four times more likely than their white peers to be given an out of school suspension. And often the suspensions and expulsions were for minor infractions like dress Code Violations and tardiness. In effort to address the Racial Disparities and take a more restorative approach to juvenile justice, Many School Districts are trying new methods of discipline. Including peer courts. Correspondent Robin Hamilton takes us to a school in washington, dc that is testing a new law academy. Where theyre training students to hear actual cases from their fellow classmates. When youre in high school, getting disciplined by an adult is bad enough. But what happens when the punishment comes from your peers . Now i am going to explain the rules. That could happen here at Dunbar High School in washington, d. C. These students are participating in a peer mediation class a halfcredit course that teaches the mechanics of a court case. The responsibility neglected was being respectful to others. Todays mock trial has larry hyman defending his friend richard bangoora over a fight with a female friend, whom zarea boyd is representing. My student was on her way home yesterday when the harassed her. Shelina warren teaches the class, and brought the Pilot Program to dunbar. Next year, she hopes to try real incidents from school where students decide the fate of their peers. A lot of times when you put them in the drivers seat and you allow them to see it from a different point of view, then they see things differently. Dunbar high has a rich, if not conflicted history. Once the only school for African Americans in d. C. During segregation, it was seen as a place of high achievement. A century later, the school was dilapidated, and had a student population marred by absenteeism, disciplinary problems and overcrowding. Outsidon te inside. So wsurveyeo figure out whats going on at dunbar. A lot of our students just wante schools assistant principal. So instead of the principal or assistant principal or the dean of students giving you a consequence, i think having your peers say you know, mike, you were wrong today and these are your possible consequences, its not like suspending a student. The peer mediation class is inspired by a game called we the jury, which is part of icivics, an Online Learning platform that teaches Civic Engagement to students. Louise dube is the executive director. Iv i education is something that is incredibly important to our country, that every Student Needs to be trained on how our system of government works. When you talk to somebody and say, were going to bring civics to class you know there are going to be students who say ugh boring. The best way to engage students as young as fourth grade is through games. Our goal is to reimagine civics so they find it fascinating in which they can find themselves, that its relevant to their lives according to icivics, nearly 100,000 teachers across 50 states use the online platform, and the goal is to not only teach students the importance of Civic Engagement, but to give them lessons they can take beyond the classroom. How can we Work Together to figure out, you know, whats going on, whys this taking place, and lets meet at a norm so that when they take these skil better citizens. But what about the stigma that can come from one peer judging another peer . Since a real case has not been tried yet, the jury is still out on that one students and teachers arent worried. Not at all. It gives us a sense of power and shows us that we have a voice. And they know the students too. So a lot of that plays a part into how they mediate giving students the chance to balance the scales of justice on their own terms. Court is adjourned. Robin hamilton for matter of fact. Soledad according to a study from the u. S. Department of justice and George Washington university 99percent of youth , courts sentenced their peers to community service. Other sentences included written apologies, tutoring, and jail tours. Coming up next. The holiday proving good news doesnt always travel fast. Do you know the historical significance of june nineteenth . Soledad now to a weekly feature we like to call were paying attention even if youre too busy. This wednesday is june 19th or juneteenth. Its the oldest known celebration commemorating the emancipation of the last remaining slaves. On that day in 1865, Major General Gordon Granger landed in galveston, texas to announce the end of civil war and that all who were slaves were now free. This good news was bittersweet because twoandahalf years before that announcement, president Abraham Lincoln had signed the emancipation proclamation. Its still not clear why there was a delay in getting the word ex but despite the confusion and shock, made it newly freed men, 250,000 women, and children turned that day into a celebration. In 1980, juneteenth became an official holiday in texas. In other parts of the country, the holiday is sometimes called emancipation day, freedom day and black independence day. When we return. Sloths are slow, sleep all day, but can their leisurely approach to life save the planet . Dales little girl is heading to college. Luckily, her dorm is about 10 minutes from a hotel by wyndham. Ashleys meeting all her inlaws, and shes about 10 minutes from a hotel by wyndham. Jeff is flying to. Oh never mind. But hey, 10 minutes from a wyndham. Hes having the best. Day. Ever and hes about. 10 minutes 10 minutes. From a hotel by wyndham. With over 6,000 Hotels Across the country, a great hotel by wyndham is closer than you think. Book direct at wyndhamhotels. Com. Soledad and finally, one of mother natures slowest and arguably the laziest creatures, the sloth, is now inspiration for a robot. This is the slothbot. Engineers at the Georgia Institute of technology created the device. Its powered by two solar panels and equipped with 3d printed gearing to move from tree branch to tree branch or for now just a cable. The slothbot mimics the real animals sluggish movements, only moving when it must, with the goal of eventually measuring environmental changes in rain forests. Right now, the next step is to move the slothbot to the tree canopy at the Atlanta Botanical Garden to see how it performs there. Then eventually the engineers will create a body for the robot that looks just like a sloth. And taca sloths by the way need to rest as much as 22 hours a day in the treetops. Robert handa hello and welcome to Asian Pacific america. Im robert handa, your host for our show here on nbc bay area and cozi tv. Today, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in film, both in front and behind the camera. Asian Pacific America went on the road to talk with cultural pioneers and the stars and cowriters of always be my maybe, now on netflix, ali wong and randall park, along with director nahnatchka khan. And we start our show with one of our favorite events. Its time for frameline 43, the San Francisco international lgbtqplus Film Festival that starts this week. Now, founded in 1977, this Film Festival is the longestrunning, largest, and considered by many to be the most widely recognized