National
Unitarians rally for LGBT rights, immigration reform
Campaign delivers 15,000 signatures to Congress
Rally participants stood in a line, holding signs with letters made up of petition signatures on Wednesday. (DC Agenda photo by Michael Key)
Activists affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association rallied Wednesday upon delivering 15,000 signatures to Congress promoting LGBT rights and immigration reform.
About a dozen participants gathered on the East Lawn of Capitol Hill to support the effort and hear from local religious leaders and residents about the importance of advancing such issues. The event was coordinated by Standing on the Side of Love, a campaign sponsored by the Unitarian Church.
At one point, as participants stood in a line, they held signs with letters made up of petition signatures spelling out the slogan, “We Stand on the Side of Love.”
Adam Gerhardstein, campaign manager for Standing on the Side of Love, said participants gathered with “a message of inclusion, encouragement and support.”
“While we have a small group here today, we represent a much larger constituency,” he said. “Over 15,000 people during this congressional break sent in their words of support for the immigrant community, for the gay and lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. They ask for immigration reform. They ask for full equality under all matters governed by law for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.”
Gerhardstein said issues of immigration reform and LGBT rights “intersect much more than people ever think” because “many people are gay immigrants, many people have partners who are gay immigrants.”
Under current immigration law, LGBT Americans can’t sponsor same-sex partners who are foreign nationals for residency in the United States. Activists are seeking a provision in immigration reform that would allow LGBT people to sponsor their foreign partners for residency, similar to how straight people can sponsor their spouses.
Steve Ralls, spokesperson for Immigration Equality, which helped to coordinate the event, said the effort from the Unitarian Association was particularly important in pushing for LGBT inclusion in immigration reform.
“This is significant and important because the faith community is such a critical part of the immigration reform coalition,” he said. “Unitarians have been one of the strongest and consistent voices calling for a bill that includes LGBT families.”
The 15,000 signatures include 10,000 signatures calling for full equality for LGBT people and 5,000 signatures calling on Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform.
Gerhardstein told DC Agenda the petitions were split into two categories because his group had been working on gathering the signatures of LGBT rights longer than the immigration signatures.
“The important thing is that everybody who signed those petitions and postcards did it because they stand on the side of love with people who are being marginalized or oppressed just because of who they are,” he said.
Among those who spoke at the rally was Erwin de Leon, a gay D.C. resident and DC Agenda contributor, who married his spouse in D.C. last week.
De Leon said “the hard reality” of his marriage is that his license “isn’t worth much outside the [local] jurisdiction.” He noted that he and his spouse feel the need to take their living wills with them sometimes when they travel in case of a medical emergency.
“We both dread the thought of not being able to be by the side of the one injured [or] worse, not being able to make the life and death decisions only a spouse should make,” he said.
De Leon decried the federal government’s refusal to recognize same-sex marriage under the Defense of Marriage Act, which means he and his partner aren’t entitled to each other’s Social Security benefits and would have to pay taxes on the inheritance they leave to each other.
Another problem facing de Leon is his status as an immigrant. Because the federal government doesn’t recognize same-sex marriage, de Leon’s spouse can’t sponsor him for his green card.
“Even though I consider the United States my home, I lived here legally for several years, and in my heart, I know I’m as American as my native born cousin, I have no recourse but to wait for my mother’s sponsorship to come through, which will take many years unless the immigration system is reformed,” he said.
De Leon said if he were in an opposite-sex marriage, his spouse could apply for a green card for him that could probably be obtained by the year’s end.
U.S. Military/Pentagon
Federal appeals court rules White House illegally banned trans troops
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says Pentagon will appeal to SCOTUS
A panel of federal appeals court judges ruled that President Donald Trump’s policy banning transgender troops likely violates their constitutional rights.
The three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled 2-1 that Trump’s Executive Order 14183, also known as “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness,” was created with the intent to exclude people from the military based on their gender identity.
The policy argues that trans people are inherently incapable of meeting the military’s “high standards of readiness, lethality, cohesion, honesty, humility, uniformity, and integrity,” citing a history of or signs of gender dysphoria as the cause. According to the Defense Department, this creates “medical, surgical, and mental health constraints on [an] individual.”
The policy states that, regardless of the physical or intellectual capabilities of each applicant, it views trans military applicants as a monolith, considering them less qualified than their cisgender peers.
Despite the panel’s majority opinion issued on Monday, the first day of Pride Month, the ban remains in effect. The U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Pentagon to enforce the policy last year and will continue to allow it to remain in place as litigation proceeds.
The panel’s new ruling will prevent the military from discharging current service members named in the lawsuit, but it does not allow new transrecruits to join.
The policy “appears to be driven by the bare desire to harm a politically unpopular group: persons who identify as transgender,” Judge Robert Wilkins, a Democratic appointee of President Barack Obama wrote for the majority.
Judge Justin Walker, the author of the dissenting opinion and a Republican Trump appointee, argued that the authority to determine military policy does not rest with the courts. Instead, he wrote, the Constitution grants that power to Congress through legislation and to the president as commander in chief of the armed forces.
“We have neither the expertise nor the authority to decide whether the military can exclude the plaintiffs from its ranks. The Constitution assigns that authority to Congress and the commander-in-chief,” Walker wrote.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth indicated that an appeal is in the works, posting, “See you at SCOTUS” on X on Monday in response to the ruling.
Jennifer Levi, senior director of transgender and queer rights at GLAD Law, which has led the litigation since last November, applauded the decision.
“Today’s decision is a powerful vindication of the plaintiffs’ extraordinary courage and unwavering commitment to their country,” Levi said.
The Washington Blade spoke with Second Lt. Nicolas (Nic) Talbott of the U.S. Army, the lead plaintiff in the case, and Levi from GLAD Law back in November.
While discussing the case and his experiences as a trans service member, Talbott said his identity is an asset rather than a hindrance, particularly when it comes to identifying problems and finding solutions, regardless of what others may think or say.
“Being transgender is not some sad thing that people go through,” Talbott told the Blade. “This is something that has taken years and years and years of dedication and discipline and research and ups and downs to get to the point where I am today … my ability to transition was essential to getting me to that point where I am today.”
He also discussed the impact of removing qualified and dedicated service members from the military, arguing that the consequences will be felt long after Trump leaves office.
“When we’re losing thousands of those qualified, experienced individuals … those are seats that are not just going to be able to be filled by anybody,” he said. “[That’s] military training that’s not going to be able to be replaced for years and years to come.”
“Every person who puts on the uniform is expected to make a tremendous amount of sacrifice,” Talbott said. “Who I am under this uniform should have no bearing on that … We shouldn’t be picking and choosing which veterans are worthy of our thanks on that day.”
Levi characterized the policy as overtly cruel and legally indefensible to the Blade.
“This policy and its rollout is even more cruel than the first in a number of ways,” Levi explained. “For one, the policy itself says that transgender people are dishonest, untrustworthy and undisciplined, which is deeply offensive and degrading and demeaning.”
She also argued that the administration’s cost justification is flawed, saying that removing and replacing trans service members is more expensive than retaining them.
“There’s no legitimate justification relating to cost … it is far more expensive to both purge the military of people who are serving and also to replace people … than to provide the minuscule amount of costs for medications other service members routinely get.”
National
Results from key Tuesday primary races
State officials in California had not called the governor’s race as of Wednesday morning but Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra appear likely to advance to the general election.
The race for governor has been scrambled several times after Kamala Harris opted not to run, Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out after sexual misconduct allegations surfaced, and Rep. Katie Porter’s campaign fizzled. Becerra would be the state’s first Latino governor since 1875 if elected. Hilton was endorsed by President Trump.
In the Los Angeles mayor’s race, the AP declared that incumbent Mayor Karen Bass will advance to the Nov. 3 runoff while former reality TV star Spencer Pratt and LA Council member Nithya Raman were competing for second place. California is notoriously slow in counting ballots and only about half of the results were available by Wednesday morning.
In San Francisco, Democratic State Sen. Scott Wiener advanced to the general election in November, besting Supervisor Connie Chan, who was endorsed by House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi is retiring from Congress after nearly 40 years in the House.
In Iowa, Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek won the primary for an open U.S. Senate seat, defeating state Sen. Zach Wahls. Turek will face Rep. Ashley Hinson, who won the GOP primary with President Donald Trump’s endorsement, in the general election.
The Iowa seat is open because Sen. Joni Ernst (R) decided not to seek re-election. The primary was closely watched by LGBTQ advocates because Wahls rose to national prominence after a speech he made defending marriage equality went viral in 2011. Wahls was raised by a lesbian couple.
National
White House Correspondents’ Dinner rescheduled after shooting
‘We will not allow an act of violence to have the last word’
The White House Correspondents’ Association announced on Tuesday that it has rescheduled its annual dinner for July 24 after the April event was halted when gunshots rang out at the Washington Hilton.
Cole Allen, 31, is charged with the attempted assassination of President Trump, who was in the ballroom at the time of the incident. One Secret Service officer was wounded in the attack. Officers stopped Allen before he could enter the ballroom where 2,500 journalists and politicos were having dinner and waiting for Trump to speak. It was Trump’s first time attending as president.
“We will not allow an act of violence to have the last word, especially during a year when we are reflecting on the 250th anniversary of America and everything we stand for,” said WHCA President Weijia Jiang in a statement to members.
She did not announce further details, including venue and ticketing.
Washington Blade White House reporter Joe Reberkenny was in the audience when shots were fired and reported live on social media from the scene.
This post will be updated as more details are announced.
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