National
Will Dems include marriage equality in platform?
Several voting members support adding language
Rep. Barney Frank is on the Democratic Party platform committee (Blade file photo by Michael Key)
The question of whether the Democratic Party platform will include an endorsement of same-sex marriage has reemerged after the naming of committee members who’ll write the document.
The Washington Blade solicited responses from each member of the platform drafting committee — both voting and non-voting members — to determine if they’d support including an endorsement of marriage equality in the platform with the exception of Tom Wheeler, who couldn’t be reached for comment.
Three voting members — Carlos Odio, a Latino Democratic activist, Donna Harris-Aikens, the National Education Association’s director of policy and practice, and NARAL Pro-Choice America President Nancy Keenan — went on the record saying they’d unequivocally back such language, as did two non-voting members — Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Democratic National Committee Secretary Alice Germond — while others had different responses and the majority had no response at all.
Last week, the Democratic National Committee announced the names of the 15 people who’ll serve on the platform drafting committee, which will create the platform defining the principles of the Democratic Party over the course of the next four years during the second term of office that President Obama is seeking.
The platform drafting committee, which will be chaired by former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, includes Democrats ranging from high-profile public officials, to scholars, to leaders of non-profit organizations. Among them is Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), the longest-serving openly gay member of Congress who announced his planned retirement as a lawmaker late last year.
Other notables include Keenan, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. Serving as ex-officio members, or non-voting members, are Patrick, Germond and Wheeler.
The first publicly scheduled meeting for the group is a national hearing during the weekend of July 27 in Minneapolis, Minn., where the committee will hear public presentations. The committee will then meet to draft the platform which will ultimately be used as a working document by the full platform committee chaired by Newark Mayor Cory Booker and retired Lt. Gen. Claudia Kennedy, the first female to reach the rank of three-star general in the Army. Veteran political consultant Andy Grossman has been named as the DNC’s national platform director.
The full Platform Committee will convene at a meeting during the weekend of Aug. 10 in Detroit where members will discuss the draft platform and have the opportunity to submit new proposed amendments, which need approval by a majority of the committee voting and present for passage. The platform will then be delivered to convention delegates in Charlotte.
Odio, who served as deputy Latino vote director for the 2008 Obama campaign and as a liaison for Latino leaders at the White House Office of Political Affairs, said he’ll “absolutely” advocate for a marriage equality plank in the Democratic Party platform.
“I look forward to working with the other members of the committee to draft a platform that, like the president and the party, are on the right side of history on this and other important issues,” Odio said.
Odio is now director of special projects at the New Organizing Institute, an organization that facilitates for social justice through grassroots and online activism.
Miguel Gonzales, an NEA spokesperson, confirmed that Harris-Aikens would similarly support the idea of including marriage equality in the platform on behalf of NEA without providing a direct statement from her.
Similar statements came from the two non-voting members of the panel. Patrick expressed support for a marriage equality plank in a statement delivered to the Blade in April that has previously gone unpublished.
“Like the President, I believe people should come before their government as equals,” Patrick said. “In Massachusetts, that has meant that people can marry whomever they love. I am proud that marriage equality is the law of our Commonwealth and appreciate that other states are moving in that direction. While I do not believe that marriage is or ought to be the subject of federal law, I support the proposed plank as an expression of human rights for which the Democratic Party stands.”
Kevin Harris, a DNC spokesperson, said Germond is similarly in favor of the language even though she doesn’t have a vote in the platform drafting process.
“Alice supports a marriage equality plank to the platform,” Harris said. “While she does not have a vote on either the drafting or the Platform Committee, she will make her views known where appropriate.”
Keenan also sent a supportive statement to the Blade.
“I strongly support marriage equality and look forward to working with the other members of the committee on a platform that reflects President Obama’s and the party’s views on this and other important issues,” Keenan said.
Keenan added that the process for drafting the platform has just begun and will take time over the coming weeks.
“President Obama has made his support for marriage equality very clear,” Keenan said. “We are beginning the nuts and bolts part of the committee and we will manage details with this the same way we will all other issues over the course of the next few weeks.”
Spokespersons for the two members of Congress on the platform drafting committee — Frank and Lee — responded by saying they have no comment at this time on whether they’ll advocate for a marriage equality plank.
Eric Orner, a Frank spokesperson, said the lawmaker, who earlier this month wed his partner, Jim Ready, said the Massachusetts Democrat isn’t yet ready to speak about marriage equality in the platform.
“Barney has no comment on the topic right now, but asked me to tell you that he’d glad to talk at some point closer to the convention,” Orner said. “He’s still familiarizing himself with issues that may be raised in regard to the party platform.”
In an April interview with the Blade, Frank expressed lukewarm support for the idea of marriage equality in the Democratic Party platform, saying he “would like it,” but thought support for repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act would be more important for the platform.
“The only federal question is DOMA,” Frank said. “The federal government doesn’t have a rule about marriage or not, so I would want there to be a plank that says, ‘We respect the right of states to make this decision.’ I think what’s important from the federal standpoint is to go out against DOMA.”
Similarly, Julie Little Nickson, Lee’s chief of staff, said her boss has no comment on the issue — even though ThinkProgress earlier this month named her among 11 “most pro-gay” U.S. House members.
“We are not commenting on these issues for now, but Barbara will be happy to discuss with you when we get closer to the convention,” Nickson said.
A nuanced response came from full committee chair Kennedy, who noted the process for drafting the platform is very open and encourages public comment.
“Personally, I am progressive on LGBT issues,” Kennedy said. “But the specifics on the language on marriage equality — not yet teed up for the drafting committee, I don’t think.”
Kennedy didn’t respond to a follow-up email to clarify whether she personally supports the idea of a marriage equality plank in the Democratic Party platform.
LGBT advocacy groups, led by the New York-based Freedom to Marry, have been pushing for the inclusion of a plank endorsing same-sex marriage — an idea that has received support from many Democrats, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), U.S. Senate candidates Tammy Baldwin and Elizabeth Warren, four former Democratic National Committee chairs and 22 U.S. senators.
Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom to Marry, pledged to work with committee members to attain the goal of a marriage-equality inclusive platform this fall and predicted the efforts would be successful.
“We are continuing to work for a freedom to marry platform plank, reflecting the support of an overwhelming majority of Democrats and substantial majority of independent voters, and fully expect that the committee members and ultimately the party will support and adopt a freeedom to marry plank,” Wolfson said. “We look forward to working closely with them and other Democratic leaders.”
A DNC staff person, speaking on condition of anonymity, similarly expected that the platform would address marriage equality in some way now that President Obama has expressed support for same-sex marriage. The staff person said he believes all 15 members of the platform drafting committee supports marriage equality.
“It goes without saying there will be some sort of marriage equality plank included in the platform,” the staffer said.
A list of those involved with the Democratic platform committee follows:
Platform Drafting Committee
Former U.S. Rep. Tony Coelho
Tino Cuellar, attorney and official in Clinton and Obama administrations
Rep. Barney Frank
Donna Harris-Aikens, National Education Association’s Education director of policy and practice
Colin Kahl, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East
Nancy Keenan, NARAL Pro-Choice America President
Heather Kendall Miller, staff attorney for Native American Rights Fund
Thea Lee, policy director and chief international economist at the AFL-CIO
Rep. Barbara Lee
Susan Ness, former member of the Federal Communications Commission
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter
Carlos Odio, Latino Democratic activist
former U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler
Christen Young, associate policy director for Health Care with the Obama campaign
Ex-Officio Platform Drafting Committee Members
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick
DNC Secretary Alice Germond
Tom Wheeler
Full Platform Committee Chairs
Newark Mayor Cory Booker
Retired Lt. Gen. Claudia Kennedy
National Platform Director
Andrew Grossman, veteran political consultant
Federal Government
RFK Jr.’s HHS report pushes therapy, not medical interventions, for trans youth
‘Discredited junk science’ — GLAAD
A 409-page report released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services challenges the ethics of medical interventions for youth experiencing gender dysphoria, the treatments that are often collectively called gender-affirming care, instead advocating for psychotherapy alone.
The document comes in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order barring the federal government from supporting gender transitions for anyone younger than 19.
“Our duty is to protect our nation’s children — not expose them to unproven and irreversible medical interventions,” National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya said in a statement. “We must follow the gold standard of science, not activist agendas.”
While the report does not constitute clinical guidance, its findings nevertheless conflict with not just the recommendations of LGBTQ advocacy groups but also those issued by organizations with relevant expertise in science and medicine.
The American Medical Association, for instance, notes that “empirical evidence has demonstrated that trans and non-binary gender identities are normal variations of human identity and expression.”
Gender-affirming care for transgender youth under standards widely used in the U.S. includes supportive talk therapy along with — in some but not all cases — puberty blockers or hormone treatment.
“The suggestion that someone’s authentic self and who they are can be ‘changed’ is discredited junk science,” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement. “This so-called guidance is grossly misleading and in direct contrast to the recommendation of every leading health authority in the world. This report amounts to nothing more than forcing the same discredited idea of conversion therapy that ripped families apart and harmed gay, lesbian, and bisexual young people for decades.”
GLAAD further notes that the “government has not released the names of those involved in consulting or authoring this report.”
Janelle Perez, executive director of LPAC, said, “For decades, every major medical association–including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics–have affirmed that medical care is the only safe and effective treatment for transgender youth experiencing gender dysphoria.
“This report is simply promoting conversion therapy by a different name – and the American people know better. We know that conversion therapy isn’t actually therapy – it isolates and harms kids, scapegoats parents, and divides families through blame and rejection. These tactics have been used against gay kids for decades, and now the same people want to use them against transgender youth and their families.
“The end result here will be a devastating denial of essential health care for transgender youth, replaced by a dangerous practice that every major U.S. medical and mental health association agree promotes anxiety, depression, and increased risk of suicidal thoughts and attempts.
“Like being gay or lesbian, being transgender is not a choice, and no amount of pressure can force someone to change who they are. We also know that 98% of people who receive transition-related health care continue to receive that health care throughout their lifetime. Trans health care is health care.”
“Today’s report seeks to erase decades of research and learning, replacing it with propaganda. The claims in today’s report would rip health care away from kids and take decision-making out of the hands of parents,” said Shannon Minter, legal director of NCLR. “It promotes the same kind of conversion therapy long used to shame LGBTQ+ people into hating themselves for being unable to change something they can’t change.”
“Like being gay or lesbian, being transgender is not a choice—it’s rooted in biology and genetics,” Minter said. “No amount or talk or pressure will change that.”
Human Rights Campaign Chief of Staff Jay Brown released a statement: “Trans people are who we are. We’re born this way. And we deserve to live our best lives and have a fair shot and equal opportunity at living a good life.
“This report misrepresents the science that has led all mainstream American medical and mental health professionals to declare healthcare for transgender youth to be best practice and instead follows a script predetermined not by experts but by Sec. Kennedy and anti-equality politicians.”
The White House
Trump nominates Mike Waltz to become next UN ambassador
Former Fla. congressman had been national security advisor
President Donald Trump on Thursday announced he will nominate Mike Waltz to become the next U.S. ambassador to the U.N.
Waltz, a former Florida congressman, had been the national security advisor.
Trump announced the nomination amid reports that Waltz and his deputy, Alex Wong, were going to leave the administration after Waltz in March added a journalist to a Signal chat in which he, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and other officials discussed plans to attack Houthi rebels in Yemen.
“I am pleased to announce that I will be nominating Mike Waltz to be the next United States ambassador to the United Nations,” said Trump in a Truth Social post that announced Waltz’s nomination. “From his time in uniform on the battlefield, in Congress and, as my National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our nation’s Interests first. I know he will do the same in his new role.”
Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as interim national security advisor, “while continuing his strong leadership at the State Department.”
“Together, we will continue to fight tirelessly to make America, and the world, safe again,” said Trump.
Trump shortly after his election nominated U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) to become the next U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Trump in March withdrew her nomination in order to ensure Republicans maintained their narrow majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
U.S. Federal Courts
Second federal lawsuit filed against White House passport policy
Two of seven plaintiffs live in Md.
Lambda Legal on April 25 filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of seven transgender and nonbinary people who are challenging the Trump-Vance administration’s passport policy.
The lawsuit, which Lambda Legal filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland in Baltimore, alleges the policy that bans the State Department from issuing passports with “X” gender markers “has caused and is causing grave and immediate harm to transgender people like plaintiffs, in violation of their constitutional rights to equal protection.”
Two of the seven plaintiffs — Jill Tran and Peter Poe — live in Maryland. The State Department, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and the federal government are defendants.
“The discriminatory passport policy exposes transgender U.S. citizens to harassment, abuse, and discrimination, in some cases endangering them abroad or preventing them from traveling, by forcing them to use identification documents that share private information against their wishes,” said Lambda Legal in a press release.
Zander Schlacter, a New York-based textile artist and designer, is the lead plaintiff.
The lawsuit notes he legally changed his name and gender in New York.
Schlacter less than a week before President Donald Trump’s inauguration “sent an expedited application to update his legal name on his passport, using form DS-5504.”
Trump once he took office signed an executive order that banned the State Department from issuing passports with “X” gender markers. The lawsuit notes Schlacter received his new passport in February.
“The passport has his correct legal name, but now has an incorrect sex marker of ‘F’ or ‘female,'” notes the lawsuit. “Mr. Schlacter also received a letter from the State Department notifying him that ‘the date of birth, place of birth, name, or sex was corrected on your passport application,’ with ‘sex’ circled in red. The stated reason was ‘to correct your information to show your biological sex at birth.'”
“I, like many transgender people, experience fear of harassment or violence when moving through public spaces, especially where a photo ID is required,” said Schlacter in the press release that announced the lawsuit. “My safety is further at risk because of my inaccurate passport. I am unwilling to subject myself and my family to the threat of harassment and discrimination at the hands of border officials or anyone who views my passport.”
Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken in June 2021 announced the State Department would begin to issue gender-neutral passports and documents for American citizens who were born overseas.
Dana Zzyym, an intersex U.S. Navy veteran who identifies as nonbinary, in 2015 filed a federal lawsuit against the State Department after it denied their application for a passport with an “X” gender marker. Zzyym in October 2021 received the first gender-neutral American passport.
Lambda Legal represented Zzyym.
The State Department policy took effect on April 11, 2022.
Trump signed his executive order shortly after he took office in January. Germany, Denmark, Finland, and the Netherlands are among the countries that have issued travel advisories for trans and nonbinary people who plan to visit the U.S.
A federal judge in Boston earlier this month issued a preliminary injunction against the executive order. The American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit on behalf of seven trans and nonbinary people.
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