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Sports highlighted during U.N. human rights declaration anniversary

Ban Ki-moon says Navratilova ‘inspired’ him

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Martina Navratilova, tennis, gay news, Washington Blade, sports
Martina Navratilova, tennis, gay news, Washington Blade, sports

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Dec. 10, 2013, saidĀ Martina Navratilova “inspired” him. (Photo courtesy of John Wright Photo)

UNITED NATIONSā€”LGBT activists this week used the 65th anniversary of the ratification of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at the U.N. to highlight efforts to combat homophobia and transphobia in sports.

Gay MSNBC anchor Thomas Roberts on Dec. 10 moderated a U.N. panel at the U.N. on which retired tennis champion Martina Navratilova, former Washington Wizards center Jason Collins, South African activist Thandeka ā€œTumiā€ Mkhuma, intersex advocate Huda Viloria, Anastasia Smirnova of the Russian LGBT Network and U.N. Assistant Secretary General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic sat. Singer Melissa Etheridge and Jessica Stern, executive director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, were among those who also attended the event.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a video that Navratilova, who came out in 1981, ā€œinspiredā€ him. He added the retired tennis champion ā€œpaved the way forā€ Collins and other LGBT athletes to publicly declare their sexual orientation or gender identity and expression.

ā€œThey understand an abuse against any of us is an affront to all,ā€ said Ban. ā€œHuman rights can only be visible when we stand in solidarity as one.ā€

Smirnova said the attention the Kremlinā€™s LGBT rights record has received ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics that will take place in Sochi, Russia, in February has allowed her organization to ā€œshed light on the most ugly developments happening in the country.ā€ She added the Olympics and other international sporting events can be ā€œa great celebration of excellence and diversity.ā€

ā€œAs a celebration of diversity, it has great potential to show common universal commitment to humanity, to show dignity, to show international solidarity with those who are experiencing hardships,ā€ said Smirnova.

Mkhuma paid tribute to former South African President Nelson Mandela during the panel, noting he unified his country through sports. The anti-Apartheid champion presented the 1995 Rugby World Cup championship trophy to Francois Pienaar, a white South African who was the then-captain of the Springboks, while wearing the team jersey with his number.

Mkhuma said her stepfather, who is a pastor, kicked her out of her home when she was 16 because she is a lesbian. South African authorities have yet to arrest the person who beat and raped her in 2009.

Mkhuma said the lesbian soccer team she joined has become her family and ā€œmy community.ā€

ā€œAs a survivor of rape, it is still hard for me to live in South Africa,ā€ she said as her voice quivered and Navratilova comforted her. ā€œIt is all our responsibility to end hate and to end violence.ā€

The U.N. General Assembly on Dec. 10, 1948, ratified the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The U.N. in 2011 adopted a resolution in support of LGBT rights.

ā€œThe [U.N.’s] Universal Declaration of Human Rights promises a world in which everyone is born free and equal in dignity and rights ā€” no exceptions, no one left behind,ā€ said U.N. High Commission for Human Rights Navi Pillay in July during a Cape Town, South Africa, press conference at which the U.N. launched a campaign in support of global LGBT rights. ā€œYet itā€™s still a hollow promise for many millions of LGBT people forced to confront hatred, intolerance, violence and discrimination on a daily basis.ā€

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power on Tuesday described the Russian law that bans gay propaganda to minors as ā€œoutrageousā€ and ā€œdangerousā€ during a meeting with nearly 30 LGBT rights advocates at the U.S. Mission to the U.N. in New York that IGLHRC organized. Turkish Parliamentarian Melda Onur, Maria Fontenelle of the St. Lucian LGBT advocacy group United and Strong, Thilaga Sulathireh of the Malaysian organization Justice for Sisters and Family Equality Council Executive Director Gabriel Blau are among those who attended the roundtable.

LGBT rights advocates from Namibia, Malawi, Cameroon, Zimbabwe and other African countries also took part in an IGLHRC briefing in lower Manhattan on Dec. 9.

ā€œTo deny gays and lesbians the right to live freely and to threaten them with discrimination and even death is not a form of moral or religious Puritanism,ā€ said Power. ā€œItā€™s in fact barbarism.ā€

Etheridge joined ā€œMilkā€ producer Bruce Cohen and Smirnova on Dec. 9 for the formal launch of the ā€œUprising of Loveā€ campaign that seeks to support LGBT Russians. Collins is among those who attended a Manhattan fundraiser for United for Equality in Sports and Entertainment the following day.

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy on Dec. 5 held a reception at her Tokyo residence to commemorate the ratification of Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Gay Pennsylvania state Rep. Brian Sims is among those who spoke.

ā€œToday, we recognize that human rights include womenā€™s rights, reproductive rights, racial and ethnic justice, the rights of the ill and infirmed, the rights of the differently abled, and the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities,ā€ said Sims in his speech.

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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.

ā€œAccessing mental health care and support has become increasingly difficult in nearly every state in the country,ā€Ā said Butler, who is the first Black LGBTQ senator. ā€œBarriers 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.

ā€œMental 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.ā€Ā 

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. mayorĀ honors 10th anniversary of Team Rayceen Productions

LGBTQ entertainment, advocacy organization praised for ā€˜vital workā€™

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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.

ā€œWhereas 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,ā€ the proclamation states.

The proclamation adds that through its YouTube Channel, Team Rayceen Productions created a platform for ā€œBlack 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.ā€

It also praises Team Rayceen Productions for its partnership with the Mayorā€™s Office of LGBTQ Affairs in helping to produce ā€œexciting events like the District of Pride talent showcase held each June and the iconic 17th Street High Heel Race celebrated in October.ā€

ā€œWhereas 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,ā€ the proclamation continues.

ā€œNow, 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,ā€ it concludes.

ā€œWe thank Mayor Bowser for this special proclamation, which highlights where it all began, with the Black LGBTQIA+ community of Washington, D.C,ā€ Team Rayceen Productions says in a statement. ā€œStarting 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 Mayorā€™s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, we are #dcproud of what we have accomplished in the Nationā€™s Capital,ā€ 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 ā€“ as online co-hosts, event staff, performers, DJs, photographers, and more,ā€ 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 ā€œderisive, 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 ā€œit 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 ā€œtext, 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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