National
DOJ finalizes rule to protect LGBT inmates against prison rape
Memo says immigration detention facilities will have to follow suit
The Justice Department made final a rule Thursday to prevent sexual abuse in federal prisons that included provisions aimed at providing better protection for LGBT inmates.
The rule, the first-ever federal effort to set standards at all jail facilities, is in accordance with the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003. It was first proposed last year.
According to a statement from the Justice Department, the standards require, among other things, that facilities try to prevent sexual violence in prison by incorporating the unique vulnerabilities of LGBT people as well as intersex and gender nonconforming inmates into training and screening protocols.
“Sexual violence, against any victim, is an assault on human dignity and an affront to American values,” President Obama wrote in a memorandum accompanying the announcement. “The Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA) was enacted with bipartisan support and established a ‘zero tolerance standard’ for rape in prisons in the United States.”
The standards include specialized training for prison staff and screenings in detention settings to determine if LGBT inmates are at higher risk for being targeted for sexual abuse. The new rule has particular impact on transgender inmates. Agencies must train security staff on respectful searches of transgender inmates; transgender people can’t be assigned to a male or female facility based solely on their anatomy; and transgender inmates will be given the opportunity to shower separately from other inmates.
LGBT advocates hailed the codification of the rule for extending new protections for LGBT inmates — who are seen as being more vulnerable to sexual violence while in prison. According to the National Center for Transgender Equality, one in three former transgender inmates report being sexually abused.
Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, said “no one — and I mean no one” should be subjected to the pain and indignity of rape — even individuals who are incarcerated.
“By adopting these national standards to prevent, detect and respond to prison rape, the federal government put its foot down and said ‘no more.’ LGBT people, often the targets of brutality in detention settings, stand much to gain,” Carey said. “Lives are literally on the line, and these historic standards will help combat this terrible epidemic and lift our common humanity.”
Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, also called the finalization of the rule significant.
“We have an obligation as civilized people to protect the people we incarcerate,” Keisling said. “That has always been an American promise, but one we have barely tried to keep. These new standards, if fully implemented, have the potential to help us keep that promise at least in terms of sexual assault.”
The memorandum says that rule applies to facilities administered by agencies other than the Justice Department. Such facilities would likely include immigration detention facilities run by the private companies or the Department of Homeland Security. Agencies with federal confinement facilities not subject to the Justice Department’s final rule must propose within 120 days any rules or procedures necessary to satisfy the requirements of the law, and make final any such rules or procedures within 240 days of their proposal.
Peter Boogard, a DHS spokesperson, said his department “fully embraces” the law and looks forward to implementing the provisions under the new rule.
“The regulations will build on the substantial improvements we have made to agency policy and procedures to prevent, detect and respond to sexual abuse in immigration detention,” Boogard said. “DHS will move swiftly to promulgate these regulations and will work with the attorney general and others to ensure that the regulations satisfy the requirements of the statute.”
Mary Meg McCarthy, executive director of Heartland Alliance’s National Immigrant Justice Center, urged the Obama administration to monitor DHS closely to ensure the department implements the rule in a timely manner.
“The U.S. government has finally acknowledged that immigrant detainees must be protected from sexual violence while in immigration custody,” said McCarthy said. “We wish the regulations applied to immigration detention facilities immediately. Instead, DHS has another year to implement a law that has been on the books for nearly a decade. Some of the individual provisions announced today are evidence of the Obama administration’s commitment to protecting immigrants from abuse, particularly those who are vulnerable because of their sexual orientation or sexual identity.”
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.
Congress
Ogles faces bipartisan backlash over anti-gay social media post
Tenn. congressman blamed the comment on staffer
U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), who represents Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District, is facing backlash from LGBTQ advocates and fellow Republicans after a social media post declared that “homosexuality has no place in America.”
“Homosexuality has no place in America. Happy Nuclear Family Month,” the congressman wrote in a post on X that was later deleted.
According to the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, an estimated 6.3 percent of U.S. adults identify as LGBTQ.
Following widespread criticism, Ogles removed the post and blamed it on a staff member.
“The post was stupid, hurtful and a complete distraction from my America First focus. The employee has been reprimanded,” Ogles said in a statement.
The Washington Blade reached out to Ogles’s office for comment but did not receive a response by press time.
Among those condemning the message was U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), who called it “absolutely idiotic” in a social media post.
“Homosexuality exists. In America,” Lawler wrote on X. “In fact, Andy, you have family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, and constituents who are gay and lesbian. It doesn’t make them less than or somehow unworthy of being an American.”
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) also criticized Ogles’s remarks.
“For all of recorded history, homosexuals have been a part of humanity,” Cruz told TMZ DC. “I think the behavior of consenting adults is their business.”
Chris Sanders, the executive director for the Tennessee Equality Project and Tennessee Equality Project Foundation provided a statement to the Blade about Ogles’s comment.
“The Tennessee Nuclear Family Month resolution has really backfired on conservatives by ensnaring Congressman Ogles in scandal. He used the resolution as a pretext to say that our community doesn’t belong in America, resulting in incredible backlash from across the partisan divide,” Sanders said. “It is a good opportunity for him to pause and reflect on whether it’s time for him to resign. Fighting one’s own constituents is not the purpose of serving in Congress.”
Human Rights Campaign Senior Press Secretary Jarred Keller provided a statement to the Blade regarding Ogles’s comments.
“LGBTQ+ people are woven into the fabric of America, and any politician who questions that is severely out of touch with reality. When so many people are worried about whether they can afford gas to get to work or groceries for their families, the last thing we need is right-wing Republicans targeting marginalized communities with hateful attacks,” Keller said. “Representative Ogles should spend less time attacking LGBTQ+ people and start addressing the issues that actually matter, because last I checked, our community isn’t the reason families are struggling to make ends meet.”
The controversy comes as Tennessee continues to advance legislation affecting LGBTQ residents. The state already has several laws on the books that LGBTQ advocates have criticized, including the Adult Entertainment Act, enacted in 2023, which restricts certain “adult cabaret performances.”
Lawmakers have also introduced additional measures this legislative session, including the “No Pride Flag or Month Act,” which would prohibit state employees, volunteers, and agents from displaying Pride flags or participating in Pride observances while acting in an official capacity.
Another proposal, the “Banning Bostock Act” would seek to limit the application of state anti-discrimination protections based on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Bostock v. Clayton County. Tennessee lawmakers have also passed other measures restricting LGBTQ rights and access to gender-affirming health care.
Madonna turns Times Square into massive dance floor
Blade welcomes summer intern
PHOTOS: Shepherdstown Pride Parade
Charges against Budapest mayor for organizing Pride march dropped
Gallup finds LGBTQ support among Americans is dropping
Barney Frank’s powerful legacy for LGBTQ federal employees
Claudia López comes up short in Colombian presidential election
PHOTOS: Hagerstown Pride
Hungarian authorities lift Budapest Pride ban
