News
Eldridge makes bid for Congress official
No mention of same-sex marriage to Hughes on campaign material
Sean Eldridge has declared his bid for the 19th congressional district in New York (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key).
A gay advocate who had a role in bringing marriage equality to New York has made official his bid to run for Congress — although no mention of his sexual orientation or his own same-sex marriage is found on his campaign material.
In an e-mail blast and an accompanying online video sent out Monday, Eldridge declares he’s running as a Democratic candidate for New York’s 19th congressional district.
“Right now, the voices of everyday New Yorkers are being drowned out by the special interests and party politics, causing gridlock in Washington,” Eldridge says in his video. “We need an independent voice who’ll fight for us, and that’s why I’m running for Congress.”
New York’s 19th congressional district, which comprises Columbia, Delaware, Greene counties in upstate New York, was redistricted in 2012. President Obama won the district by 6.2 percent in the 2012 election.
Should Eldridge secure the Democratic nomination, he’ll run against a Republican incumbent and Iraq war veteran Chris Gibson, who scored a “0” on the Human Rights Campaign’s most recent congressional scorecard.
An opponent of same-sex marriage, Gibson has voted in favor of affirming the Defense of Marriage Act on the House floor. However, Gibson said he supports civil unions and voted in favor of LGBT-inclusive reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.
In addition to defeating Gibson, a win for Eldridge in the general election would also mean he’d be the youngest openly LGBT person to win a seat in Congress.
Eldridge, who worked with Freedom to Marry to help pass the legalization of same-sex marriage in New York in 2011, makes civil rights one of his priorities on the issues section of his campaign website under the heading “Fighting for Equal Protection Under the Law.”
The section obliquely hits on LGBT issues, saying of Eldridge, “He will work to ensure that every American receives equal protection under the law and that no one is fired from their job or denied housing because of who they are or who they love.”
But with an exception to a reference to his “family,” nothing in the campaign material from Eldridge indicates he’s gay or married to Facebook co-founder and owner of The New Republic Chris Hughes. In June 2012. Eldridge married Hughes, who’s net worth has been estimated by Forbes to be more than $600 million.
Eldridge hasn’t been keeping his marriage a secret before. The couple appeared on the cover of an edition of The Advocate that included feature profile touting their work for marriage equality. They also were profiled in The New York Times.
In comparison, Gibson’s campaign website prominently features a photo of his family, children and opposite-sex marriage to Mary Jo Gibson.
The Eldridge campaign didn’t immediately respond to the Washington Blade’s request to comment for this article or why any mention of Hughes is absent from the initial campaign material.
Eldridge’s candidacy for Congress has faced controversy even before it kicked off. After the New York Times initially profiled him and Hughes, another piece disclosed they had purchased a $2 million home overlooking a reservoir in Shokan, N.Y., just in January. That location would enable Eldridge to run in the 19th congressional district.
The couple purchased this home after they bought $5 million estate in Garrison, which lies in a different congressional district, just two years ago. However, the Times reported that the couple made the second purchase after the congressional district in that area became unattainable.
Asked by the Times about his move, Eldridge reportedly dismissed the suggestion it was motivated by politics and was quoted as saying, “The Hudson Valley is my home. It’s where I work. It’s where I got married.”
The National Republican Congressional Committee has already ran an attack ad against Eldridge, calling him “rich and out of touch.” It criticizes him for his allegiance to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and for alleging contributing $250,000 of his own money to elect a state senator in New York.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee defended Eldridge after NRCC ad was released, even though Eldridge has yet to receive the Democratic nomination in the race.
“While a lot of people talk about the needs to create jobs, Sean Eldridge has actually been doing it, investing in small businesses throughout the Hudson Valley and helping them to expand and create jobs,” said DCCC national spokeswoman Emily Bittner. “Sean also has a strong record promoting environmental protection and civil rights throughout New York. While some folks work tirelessly to protect tax breaks for billionaires and corporate special interests, Sean has been working to grow small businesses and fight for middle class families.”
National
United Methodist Church removes 40-year ban on gay clergy
Delegates also voted for other LGBTQ-inclusive measures
The United Methodist Church on Wednesday removed a ban on gay clergy that was in place for more than 40 years, voting to also allow LGBTQ weddings and end prohibitions on the use of United Methodist funds to “promote acceptance of homosexuality.”
Overturning the policy forbidding the church from ordaining “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” effectively formalized a practice that had caused an estimated quarter of U.S. congregations to leave the church.
The New York Times notes additional votes “affirming L.G.B.T.Q. inclusion in the church are expected before the meeting adjourns on Friday.” Wednesday’s measures were passed overwhelmingly and without debate. Delegates met in Charlotte, N.C.
According to the church’s General Council on Finance and Administration, there were 5,424,175 members in the U.S. in 2022 with an estimated global membership approaching 10 million.
The Times notes that other matters of business last week included a “regionalization” plan, which gave autonomy to different regions such that they can establish their own rules on matters including issues of sexuality — about which international factions are likelier to have more conservative views.
Federal Government
Republican state AGs challenge Biden administration’s revised Title IX policies
New rules protect LGBTQ students from discrimination
Four Republicans state attorneys general have sued the Biden-Harris administration over the U.S. Department of Education’s new Title IX policies that were finalized April 19 and carry anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ students in public schools.
The lawsuit filed on Tuesday, which is led by the attorneys general of Kentucky and Tennessee, follows a pair of legal challenges from nine Republican states on Monday — all contesting the administration’s interpretation that sex-based discrimination under the statute also covers that which is based on the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
The administration also rolled back Trump-era rules governing how schools must respond to allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault, which were widely perceived as biased in favor of the interests of those who are accused.
“The U.S. Department of Education has no authority to let boys into girls’ locker rooms,” Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said in a statement. “In the decades since its adoption, Title IX has been universally understood to protect the privacy and safety of women in private spaces like locker rooms and bathrooms.”
“Florida is suing the Biden administration over its unlawful Title IX changes,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote on social media. “Biden is abusing his constitutional authority to push an ideological agenda that harms women and girls and conflicts with the truth.”
After announcing the finalization of the department’s new rules, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona told reporters, “These regulations make it crystal clear that everyone can access schools that are safe, welcoming and that respect their rights.”
The new rule does not provide guidance on whether schools must allow transgender students to play on sports teams corresponding with their gender identity to comply with Title IX, a question that is addressed in a separate rule proposed by the agency in April.
LGBTQ and civil rights advocacy groups praised the changes. Lambda Legal issued a statement arguing the new rule “protects LGBTQ+ students from discrimination and other abuse,” adding that it “appropriately underscores that Title IX’s civil rights protections clearly cover LGBTQ+ students, as well as survivors and pregnant and parenting students across race and gender identity.”
Rehoboth Beach
Former CAMP Rehoboth official sentenced to nine months in prison
Salvator Seeley pleaded guilty to felony theft charge for embezzlement
Salvator “Sal” Seeley, who served as an official with the Rehoboth Beach, Del., CAMP Rehoboth LGBTQ community center for 20 years, was sentenced on April 5 by a Sussex County Superior Court judge to nine months in prison and to pay $176,000 in restitution to the organization.
The sentencing took place about five weeks after Seeley pleaded guilty to a charge of Theft in Excess of $50,000 for allegedly embezzling funds from CAMP Rehoboth, a spokesperson for the Delaware Department of Justice told the Washington Blade.
Seeley’s guilty plea came shortly after a grand jury, at the request of prosecutors, indicted him on the felony theft charge following an investigation that found he had embezzled at least $176,000 from the nonprofit LGBTQ organization.
“Salvatore C. Seeley, between the 27th day of February 2019 and the 7th day of September 2021, in the County of Sussex, State of Delaware, did take property belonging to CAMP Rehoboth, Inc., consisting of United States currency and other miscellaneous property valued at more than $50,000, intending to appropriate the same,” the indictment states.
“The State recommended a sentence of two years of incarceration based on the large-scale theft and the impact to the non-profit organization,” Delaware Department of Justice spokesperson Caroline Harrison told the Blade in a statement.
“The defense cited Seeley’s lack of a record and gambling addiction in arguing for a probationary sentence,” the statement says. “Seeley was sentenced in Superior Court to a nine-month prison term and to pay a total of $176,000 in restitution for the stolen funds,” Harrison says in the statement.
Neither Seeley nor his attorney could immediately be reached for comment.
At the time of Seeley’s indictment in February, CAMP Rehoboth released a statement saying it first discovered “financial irregularities” within the organization on Sept. 7, 2021, “and took immediate action and notified state authorities.” The statement says this resulted in the investigation of Seeley by the state Department of Justice as well as an internal investigation by CAMP Rehoboth to review its “financial control policies” that led to an updating of those policies.
“As we have communicated from day one, CAMP Rehoboth has fully cooperated with law enforcement,” the statement continues. “At its request, we did not speak publicly about the investigation while it was ongoing for fear it would jeopardize its integrity,” according to the statement. “This was extremely difficult given our commitment to transparency with the community about day-to-day operations during the recent leadership transition.”
The statement was referring to Kim Leisey, who began her job as CAMP Rehoboth’s new executive director in July of 2023, while the Seeley investigation had yet to be completed, following the organization’s process of searching for a new director. It says Seeley left his job as Health and Wellness Director of CAMP Rehoboth in September of 2021 after working for the organization for more than 20 years.
“Mr. Seeley’s actions are a deep betrayal to not only CAMP Rehoboth but also the entire community we serve,” the statement says.
United Methodist Church removes 40-year ban on gay clergy
Republican state AGs challenge Biden administration’s revised Title IX policies
University students have a right to protest
Former CAMP Rehoboth official sentenced to nine months in prison
Christian Siriano to serve as grand marshal of Annapolis Pride Parade
Md. governor signs Freedom to Read Act
HHS reverses Trump-era anti-LGBTQ rule
4th Circuit rules gender identity is a protected characteristic
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