National
House votes to bar ‘Don’t Ask’ repeal training for chaplains
Sponsor introduces measure without first reading guidance
The U.S. House voted on Friday in favor of a measure withholding funds for “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal training for military chaplains as part of major Pentagon spending legislation.
Lawmakers approved the measure, which was introduced by Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kansas), by a vote of 236-184 as part of the fiscal year 2012 defense appropriations bill. The amendment states, “None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to implement the curriculum of the Chaplain Corps Tier 1 DADT repeal training dated April 11, 2011.”
According to the Human Rights Campaign, Huelskamp offered the amendment without first having read the repeal guidance offered to chaplains. Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), a gay lawmaker, asked Huelskamp on the House floor whether he had looked over the guidance before offering the amendment.
“We tried to obtain a copy of that from the Department of Defense today and they refused to provide a copy,” Huelskamp reportedly replied. “What I do have is an online three-page summary of the manual.”
In response, Polis said, “I think that the straight answer is no. In fact, our ranking member and others have been unable to get that from the Navy Liaison’s Office.”
Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, lambasted lawmakers in statement for adopting the anti-gay amendment as part of the defense spending bill.
“In their continued zeal to interfere with the repeal of [‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’] and micromanage the Defense Department, House Republicans have reached a new low by voting to strip funds for trainings that they have not even read,” Solmonese said. “By all reports, training for [‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’] repeal has been proceeding smoothly and the memorandum that they have found so concerning has been withdrawn.”
Nine Democrats voted in favor of the measure: Reps. John Barrow (D-Ga.), Dan Boren (D-Okla.), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), Tim Holden (D-Pa.), Larry Kissell (D-N.C.), Jim Matheson (D-Utah), Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.), Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) and Mike Ross (D-Ark.).
Additionally, nine Republicans voted against the amendment on the floor: Reps. Justin Amash (R-Mich.), Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.), Robert Dold (R-Ill.), Richard Hanna (R-N.Y.), Nan Hayworth (R-N.Y.), Leonard Lance (R-N.J.), Partick Meehan (R-Pa.) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.).
On Thursday, the House also approved by a vote of 248-175 an amendment to the defense appropriations bill stating that no Pentagon funds could be used in contravention to the Defense of Marriage Act. The amendment was offered by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.).
Both amendments come on the heels of guidance the Navy issued in April stating military facilities could be used for same-sex marriages in states where it’s legal and chaplains could officiate over these ceremonies, if they so chose, in their official capacities. The Navy has since rescinded this guidance and said further review is necessary.
The defense appropriations bill is different from the defense authorization bill, which was earlier approved by the House. An authorization bill permits the appropriations of funds for a department, but doesn’t allow the department to cut a check or enter into a contract. An appropriations bill, however, confers budget authority on federal agencies to incur obligations.
The House version of the defense authorization bill contains a similar measure reaffirming the Defense of Marriage Act as well as other anti-gay measures. The Senate Armed Services Committee, however, left out these provisions in its version of the legislation.
National
Queen Jean is Tony’s first transgender winner
Designer/activist wins for work on ‘Cats: The Jellicle Ball’
It was a historic night at the 79th annual Tony Awards on Sunday as Queen Jean won the award for Best Costume Design of a Musical, making her the first out transgender person to win a Tony.
“This experience has been monumental. We are here for the legacy of queer people, trans people,” she said. “We are taking up space in ways we have to take up space. We have to shift the paradigm. So I just want to say, thank you all so much for this incredible honor. The world right now is deeply, deeply combating so many ailments, and we know as a society that when we come together, we can make real, permanent change.”
She won the award for her work on “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” and was also nominated for best costume design of a play for “Liberation.”
In addition to her stage work, Queen Jean is the founder of Black Trans Liberation, an organization that supports trans and gender-nonconforming people in New York City.
National
Madonna turns Times Square into massive dance floor
Pop icon celebrates Pride month with surprise performance
Pop icon Madonna celebrated Pride month with a pop-up performance in New York City’s Times Square on Thursday to the delight of 50,000 fans.
She performed for about 15 minutes high above street level, including several songs from her new album “Confessions II” due on July 3, along with a trio of songs from the first “Confessions on a Dance Floor.”
In addition to the brand new “Love Sensation,” she performed “I Feel So Free” and “Bring Your Love,” plus “Hung Up,” “Get Together” and “I Love New York.” She wished the crowd a happy Pride season; the event was shared with audiences through Grindr’s first-ever livestream.
National
Gallup finds LGBTQ support among Americans is dropping
Marriage equality support lowest since 2016
Gallup, one of the leading organizations in public opinion polling, has found that LGBTQ support among Americans is dropping.
The poll, whose data was collected using Gallup’s annual Values and Beliefs survey, was conducted in May and was published on Wednesday. The data was collected through telephone interviews from a sample of more than 1,000 adults living in all 50 states and D.C. using random digit dialing.
It highlights declining attitudes surrounding LGBTQ issues in multiple areas — from support for same-sex marriage to views on gender identity and the morality of one’s sexuality.
One of the most striking findings was that support for marriage equality fell six points from its 2022-2023 high.
The survey also found that 62 percent of Americans view gay and lesbian relations as morally acceptable, the lowest level since 2016 just after same-sex marriage was legalized nationwide by the U.S. Supreme Court.
One newer question on the poll found that the perceived morality of changing one’s gender has dropped eight points since 2021, indicating the American public is less supportive of transgender people.
The data attributes much of the decline to shifting Republican views alongside the party itself. Conservative leaders have pushed back against diversity, equity, and inclusion programs that were intended to foster greater acceptance of LGBTQ people and other historically disadvantaged groups.
President Donald Trump has been a guiding force behind waves of anti-LGBTQ sentiment, particularly when it comes to trans rights. The president has enacted multiple executive orders, including Executive Order 14168, “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” which mandates that gender be defined by one’s sex assigned at birth. He also signed Executive Order 14183, “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness,” which barred qualified trans applicants from joining the military and led to the removal of trans service members already serving in the armed forces.
Additionally, he signed Executive Order 14201, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” which prohibits trans female athletes from participating on women’s and girls’ sports teams.
In February, Gallup found that an estimated 9 percent of Americans identified as part of the LGBTQ community in some form.
The organization also found that 23 percent of adults under age 30 identify as LGBTQ, compared with 10 percent of those ages 30 to 49 and 3 percent or less among those ages 50 and older.
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