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Gay N.H. Executive Council candidate stumps in D.C.

Chris Pappas said sexual orientation “not an issue”

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Gay News, Washington Blade, Gay New Hampshire

Chris Pappas (Photo courtesy of Chris Pappas)

The Victory Fund on Friday hosted a fundraiser for gay New Hampshire Executive Council candidate Chris Pappas at the Beacon Bar and Grill’s Sky Lounge in D.C.

Gay New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley was among the roughly 50 people who attended; while U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.,) former Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese and Maryland Del. Heather Mizeur (D-Montgomery County) are among those who co-hosted the gathering.

“It was a nice group and a successful event,” said Pappas.

Pappas, who co-owns a popular Manchester restaurant that his family opened nearly a century ago, was a state representative before he served two terms as Hillsborough County treasurer. He declared his candidacy for the five-member gubernatorial advisory and oversight body in March after former Manchester Mayor Ray Wieczorek announced he would not seek another term. Pappas, 31, will face either current Hillsborough County Treasurer Robert Burns, state Sen. Tom DeBlois or local business owner Chuck Rolecek in November.

He told the Blade that he decided to run in response to the Republican Party’s near sweep of statewide offices in 2010. Pappas specifically pointed to the GOP-controlled Executive Council’s decisions to defund the state’s Planned Parenthood clinics and block a federal grant that would have funded a study into the proposed expansion of a commuter rail line from Boston into southern New Hampshire as two issues that specifically influenced his decision.

“The Executive Council has real power over the decision making process and the purse strings of our state,” he noted. “I think they’ve been using that to real extreme political ends.”

Pappas applauded lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who overwhelmingly voted against a bill in March that would have repealed the law that has allowed gays and lesbians to marry in New Hampshire since 2010.

“It was years in the making of folks who had worked on the ground here building a coalition of not just Democrats and progressives, but Republicans and Libertarians as well,” he said. “That proved a successful strategy in the Legislature this year.”

Governor John Lynch, who announced last September that he would not seek a fifth term, signed the state’s same-sex marriage law in 2009. The two leading Republican gubernatorial candidates — Kevin Smith and Ovide Lamontagne — have said they would sign a same-sex marriage repeal bill if elected.

“We want to elect people who are advocates and [who are] going [to] work for us on this issue,” said Pappas. “It could come to a head again this year if we don’t elect the right governor.”

Pappas has hired a full-time campaign manager and opened an office in Manchester since officially declaring his candidacy. He said his sexual orientation is “not an issue” among potential voters, but conceded that he will need to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to remain a competitive candidate going into November.

“We have a tactical advantage, but that can be easily outweighed with the amount of money that’s going to be put into television ads and the amount of money that’s going to come from these national right wing super PACS,” said Pappas, referring to New Hampshire’s status as a swing state in this year’s presidential election. He added he remains confident that voters will “see through efforts” from the Koch brothers and Karl Rove to “influence our elections with secret corporate money.”

“All the television ads in the world won’t outweigh the impact of neighbors talking to neighbors about the issues and values that matters to working families,” added his campaign in a follow-up e-mail to the Blade. “That’s what our grassroots team is already doing.”

In spite of these concerns, those who attended Pappas’ D.C. fundraiser were quick to praise him.

“Chris is a rising political star who’s already deeply experienced and knowledgeable about state government,” said Victory Fund CEO Chuck Wolfe. “If he wins this race he’ll be one of the state’s highest-ranking openly LGBT officials, but more importantly he’ll be in a position to serve all the people of New Hampshire. We’re proud to endorse him.”

Buckley, a former New Hampshire state representative from Manchester, agreed.

“Chris has the ability to bring people together and solve problems,” he added. “He has a bright future.”

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Congress

Sens. Butler, Smith introduce Pride in Mental Health Act to aid at-risk LGBTQ youth

Bill is backed by Democrats in both chambers

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U.S. Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.) speaks at the International LGBTQ Leaders Conference on Nov. 30, 2023. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

U.S. Sens. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) introduced the Pride in Mental Health Act on Thursday, legislation that would strengthen resources in mental health and crisis intervention for at-risk LGBTQ youth.

“Accessing mental health care and support has become increasingly difficult in nearly every state in the country,” said Butler, who is the first Black LGBTQ senator. “Barriers get even more difficult if you are a young person who lacks a supportive community or is fearful of being outed, harassed, or threatened.”

“I am introducing the Pride in Mental Health Act to help equip LGBTQ+ youth with the resources to get the affirming and often life-saving care they need,” she said.

“Mental health care is health care,” said Smith. “And for some LGBTQ+ youth, receiving access to the mental health care they need can mean the difference between living in safety and dignity, and suffering alone through discrimination, bullying, and even violence.” 

The Minnesota senator added that data shows LGBTQ students are experiencing “an epidemic” of “anxiety, depression and other serious mental health conditions.”

For example, a 2023 study by The Trevor Project found that 54 percent of LGBTQ youth reported symptoms of depression, compared to 35 percent of their heterosexual counterparts.

Joining the senators as cosponsors are Democratic U.S. Sens. Ed Markey (Mass.), Bob Casey (Penn.), Peter Welch (Vt.), Alex Padilla (Calif.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.), Cory Booker (N.J.), and Tammy Baldwin (Wis.). Baldwin was the first LGBTQ woman elected to the House in 1999 and the first LGBTQ woman elected to the Senate in 2013.

Leading the House version of the bill are LGBTQ Democratic U.S. Reps. Sharice Davids (Kan.), Eric Sorensen (Ill.), and Ritchie Torres (N.Y.), along with 163 other House members.

Organizations that have backed the Pride in Mental Health Act include the Human Rights Campaign, GLSEN, American Academy of Pediatrics, National Education Association (NEA), National Center for Transgender Equality, Seattle Indian Health Board, PFLAG National, The Trevor Project, American Psychological Association, Whitman-Walker Institute, InterACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth, National Alliance on Mental Illness, American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Mental Health America, and Center for Law and Social Policy.

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District of Columbia

D.C. mayor honors 10th anniversary of Team Rayceen Productions

LGBTQ entertainment, advocacy organization praised for ‘vital work’

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Rayceen Pendarvis co-founded Team Rayceen Productions. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser today issued an official proclamation declaring Monday, March 18, 2024, as Team Rayceen Day in honor of the local LGBTQ entertainment and advocacy organization Team Rayceen Productions named after its co-founder Rayceen Pendarvis.

“Whereas Rayceen, along with Team Rayceen Productions co-founder, Zar, have spent 10 years advocating for the Black LGBTQI+ community using various forms including in-person events, social media, and YouTube,” the proclamation states.

The proclamation adds that through its YouTube Channel, Team Rayceen Productions created a platform for “Black LGBTQIA+ individuals to discuss various topics including spotlighting nonprofit organizations and small businesses, voter registration and participation, the state of LGBTQIA+ rights and resources in D.C, gender equality and equity, and the amplification of opportunities to bring the community together.”

It also praises Team Rayceen Productions for its partnership with the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs in helping to produce “exciting events like the District of Pride talent showcase held each June and the iconic 17th Street High Heel Race celebrated in October.”

“Whereas I thank Team Rayceen Productions for its vital and necessary work and am #DCProud to wish you all the best as you continue to support Black LGBTQIA+ residents across all 8 Wards,” the proclamation continues.

“Now, therefore, I, the Mayor of Washington, D.C., do hereby proclaim March 18, 2024, as TEAM RAYCEEN DAY in Washington, D.C. and do commit this observance to all Washingtonians,” it concludes.

“We thank Mayor Bowser for this special proclamation, which highlights where it all began, with the Black LGBTQIA+ community of Washington, D.C,” Team Rayceen Productions says in a statement. “Starting with The Ask Rayceen Show, Reel Affirmation, and events with D.C. Public Library to Art All Night, Silver Pride by Whitman-Walker, and events with the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, we are #dcproud of what we have accomplished in the Nation’s Capital,” the statement says. 

“For TEAM RAYCEEN DAY, we thank the diverse group of individuals who have made everything we have done possible by volunteering their time and talents over the past decade – as online co-hosts, event staff, performers, DJs, photographers, and more,” says the statement.

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U.S. Supreme Court

Supreme Court declines to hear case over drag show at Texas university

Students argue First Amendment protects performance

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The U.S. Supreme Court justices on June 30, 2022. ((Photo by Fred Schilling of the U.S. Supreme Court)

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday declined to hear a First Amendment case over a public university president’s refusal to allow an LGBTQ student group to host a drag show on campus.

The group’s application was denied without the justices providing their reasoning or issuing dissenting opinions, as is custom for such requests for emergency review.

When plaintiffs sought to organize the drag performance to raise money for suicide prevention in March 2023, West Texas A&M University President Walter Wendler cancelled the event, citing the Bible and other religious texts.

The students sued, arguing the move constituted prior restraint and viewpoint-based discrimination, in violation of the First Amendment. Wendler had called drag shows “derisive, divisive and demoralizing misogyny,” adding that “a harmless drag show” was “not possible.”

The notoriously conservative Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, who former President Donald Trump appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, ruled against the plaintiffs in September, writing that “it is not clearly established that all drag shows are inherently expressive.”

Kacsmaryk further argued that the High Court’s precedent-setting opinions protecting stage performances and establishing that “speech may not be banned on the ground that it expresses ideas that offend” was inconsistent with constitutional interpretation based on “text, history and tradition.”

Plaintiffs appealed to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which is by far the most conservative of the nation’s 12 appellate circuit courts. They sought emergency review by the Supreme Court because the 5th Circuit refused to fast-track their case, so arguments were scheduled to begin after the date of their drag show.

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