National
Warner denounces Va. anti-gay adoption bill
Centrist senator calls legislation ‘mean spirited’ and ‘wrong’

The junior U.S. senator from Virginia is denouncing an anti-gay adoption bill that was approved by the state legislature and is awaiting the governor’s signature.
According to his office, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) spoke out against the legislation Saturday night — calling it “mean-spirited” and “wrong” —while speaking to the Virginia Democrat’s Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner in Richmond, Va.
“And while Virginia Democrats work to provide a fair shot to young people across Virginia, Republicans in Richmond would rather spend their time defining which families should be allowed to adopt foster children,” Warner said. “Let me tell you this: As the first Virginia governor to ban discrimination in state government based on sexual orientation — and as a senator who stood up and voted to repeal the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy — that is mean-spirited, and that is wrong. It is wrong to deny a foster child the opportunity to belong to a supportive, modern family simply because it is led by a same-sex couple in a loving and committed relationship.”
The anti-gay adoption bill would allow private adoption agencies to discriminate in placements conflicting with their religious or moral beliefs, including on the basis of sexual orientation.
Current policy in Virginia prevents unmarried couples — straight or gay — from adopting. There are also no non-discrimination protections in place for LGBT couples. Critics say the new legislation would codify the policy into law.
The Virginia Senate last week approved the bill by a vote of 22-18 and the Virginia House approved it earlier in the month by a vote of 71-28. Jeff Caldwell, a spokesperson for Gov. Bob McDonnell, said he’ll sign the legislation.
Jennifer Chrisler, executive director of the Family Equality Council and among the chief advocates speaking out against the legislation, commended Warner for condemning the legislation.
“Senator Warner’s statements demonstrate why he is a leader in our Congress and why he provided good leadership while governor of Virginia,” Chrisler said. “Every child deserves a family and it is indeed mean-spirited and anti-family to deny children in foster care the opportunity to find a loving home with qualified, caring parents.”
Warner spoke out against the bill after accusing the Republican-controlled Virginia Legislature of practicing the same kind 0f obstructionist politics that he says House Republicans are playing in Congress.
“The House is being run by a ‘just-say-no’ crowd that can’t seem to say ‘yes’ to anything,” the senator said. “And, unfortunately, we’re beginning to see the worst of this style of politics here in Richmond at the state legislature.”
Warner said while Virginia Democrats are focused on creating jobs, Republicans controlling the state legislature are moving through legislation like the anti-gay adoption bill, interfering with abortion rights and manufacturing a voter ID problem to engage in voter suppression efforts.
According to Roll Call, more than 1,200 state lawmakers and Democratic activists and supporters gathered at the Greater Richmond Convention Center for the event, which raised $350,000 for the state party for President Barack Obama’s re-election and former Gov. Tim Kaine’s campaign for the seat of retiring Sen. Jim Webb (D).
The senator’s denunciation of the anti-gay bill is noteworthy because, as a member of Virginia’s federal delegation, he often doesn’t weigh in on state matters. An avowed centrist, Warner also usually doesn’t speak out on social issues.
Federal legislation pending before Congress known as the Every Child Deserves a Family Act would trump the pending anti-gay bill in Virginia by allowing the U.S government to restrict federal funds from going to states that have laws or practices allowing for discrimination in adoption on the basis of LGBT status.
The legislation is sponsored by Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) in the House and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) in the Senate.
Neither Warner nor Webb is a co-sponsor of the legislation. Spokespersons told the Washington Blade the Virginia Democrats are reviewing the bill.
Federal Government
UPenn erases Lia Thomas’s records as part of settlement with White House
University agreed to ban trans women from women’s sports teams

In a settlement with the Trump-Vance administration announced on Tuesday, the University of Pennsylvania will ban transgender athletes from competing and erase swimming records set by transgender former student Lia Thomas.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights found the university in violation of Title IX, the federal rights law barring sex based discrimination in educational institutions, by “permitting males to compete in women’s intercollegiate athletics and to occupy women-only intimate facilities.”
The statement issued by University of Pennsylvania President J. Larry Jameson highlighted how the law’s interpretation was changed substantially under President Donald Trump’s second term.
“The Department of Education OCR investigated the participation of one transgender athlete on the women’s swimming team three years ago, during the 2021-2022 swim season,” he wrote. “At that time, Penn was in compliance with NCAA eligibility rules and Title IX as then interpreted.”
Jameson continued, “Penn has always followed — and continues to follow — Title IX and the applicable policy of the NCAA regarding transgender athletes. NCAA eligibility rules changed in February 2025 with Executive Orders 14168 and 14201 and Penn will continue to adhere to these new rules.”
Writing that “we acknowledge that some student-athletes were disadvantaged by these rules” in place while Thomas was allowed to compete, the university president added, “We recognize this and will apologize to those who experienced a competitive disadvantage or experienced anxiety because of the policies in effect at the time.”
“Today’s resolution agreement with UPenn is yet another example of the Trump effect in action,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. “Thanks to the leadership of President Trump, UPenn has agreed both to apologize for its past Title IX violations and to ensure that women’s sports are protected at the university for future generations of female athletes.”
Under former President Joe Biden, the department’s Office of Civil Rights sought to protect against anti-LGBTQ discrimination in education, bringing investigations and enforcement actions in cases where school officials might, for example, require trans students to use restrooms and facilities consistent with their birth sex or fail to respond to peer harassment over their gender identity.
Much of the legal reasoning behind the Biden-Harris administration’s positions extended from the 2020 U.S. Supreme Court case Bostock v. Clayton County, which found that sex-based discrimination includes that which is based on sexual orientation or gender identity under Title VII rules covering employment practices.
The Trump-Vance administration last week put the state of California on notice that its trans athlete policies were, or once were, in violation of Title IX, which comes amid the ongoing battle with Maine over the same issue.
New York
Two teens shot steps from Stonewall Inn after NYC Pride parade
One of the victims remains in critical condition

On Sunday night, following the annual NYC Pride March, two girls were shot in Sheridan Square, feet away from the historic Stonewall Inn.
According to an NYPD report, the two girls, aged 16 and 17, were shot around 10:15 p.m. as Pride festivities began to wind down. The 16-year-old was struck in the head and, according to police sources, is said to be in critical condition, while the 17-year-old was said to be in stable condition.
The Washington Blade confirmed with the NYPD the details from the police reports and learned no arrests had been made as of noon Monday.
The shooting took place in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, mere feet away from the most famous gay bar in the city — if not the world — the Stonewall Inn. Earlier that day, hundreds of thousands of people marched down Christopher Street to celebrate 55 years of LGBTQ people standing up for their rights.
In June 1969, after police raided the Stonewall Inn, members of the LGBTQ community pushed back, sparking what became known as the Stonewall riots. Over the course of two days, LGBTQ New Yorkers protested the discriminatory policing of queer spaces across the city and mobilized to speak out — and throw bottles if need be — at officers attempting to suppress their existence.
The following year, LGBTQ people returned to the Stonewall Inn and marched through the same streets where queer New Yorkers had been arrested, marking the first “Gay Pride March” in history and declaring that LGBTQ people were not going anywhere.
New York State Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, whose district includes Greenwich Village, took to social media to comment on the shooting.
“After decades of peaceful Pride celebrations — this year gun fire and two people shot near the Stonewall Inn is a reminder that gun violence is everywhere,” the lesbian lawmaker said on X. “Guns are a problem despite the NRA BS.”
New York
Zohran Mamdani participates in NYC Pride parade
Mayoral candidate has detailed LGBTQ rights platform

Zohran Mamdani, the candidate for mayor of New York City who pulled a surprise victory in the primary contest last week, walked in the city’s Pride parade on Sunday.
The Democratic Socialist and New York State Assembly member published photos on social media with New York Attorney General Letitia James, telling followers it was “a joy to march in NYC Pride with the people’s champ” and to “see so many friends on this gorgeous day.”
“Happy Pride NYC,” he wrote, adding a rainbow emoji.
Mamdani’s platform includes a detailed plan for LGBTQ people who “across the United States are facing an increasingly hostile political environment.”
His campaign website explains: “New York City must be a refuge for LGBTQIA+ people, but private institutions in our own city have already started capitulating to Trump’s assault on trans rights.
“Meanwhile, the cost of living crisis confronting working class people across the city hits the LGBTQIA+ community particularly hard, with higher rates of unemployment and homelessness than the rest of the city.”
“The Mamdani administration will protect LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers by expanding and protecting gender-affirming care citywide, making NYC an LGBTQIA+ sanctuary city, and creating the Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs.”
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