National
Obama admin. reiterates ‘opposition’ to anti-gay Uganda bill
State Dept. says measure will undermine efforts to combat HIV/AIDS


Protesters outside the Ugandan embassy in Northwest D.C. on Dec. 1, 2012. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
The Obama administration late on Friday criticized the passage of a Ugandan bill earlier in the day that would impose a life sentence upon anyone found guilty of repeated same-sex sexual acts.
Statements against the measure came from both the State Department and the White House National Security Council.
Jonathan Lalley, assistant press secretary for national security at the White House, said the Obama administration is “deeply concerned” about the Uganda measure.
“We are deeply concerned by the Ugandan Parliament’s passage of anti-homosexuality legislation,” said Lalley. “As Americans, we believe that people everywhere deserve to live in freedom and equality – and that no one should face violence or discrimination for who they are or who they love. We join those in Uganda and around the world who appeal for respect for the human rights of LGBT persons and of all persons.”
Lalley added the U.S. embassy in Kampala has been and remains “in regular contact” with the Ugandan government on this bill and other human rights issues.
Aaron Jensen, spokesperson for the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights & Labor, told the Washington Blade the Obama administration opposes measures like Uganda’s so-called Anti-Homosexuality Bill.
“The United States respects the sovereignty of Uganda and the prerogatives of its Parliament to pass legislation,” said Jensen. “Nevertheless, we oppose any legislation that undermines a person’s enjoyment of his or her human rights, and for that reason we condemn legislation that criminalizes consensual sexual conduct between adults or criminalizes simply being of a particular sexual orientation or gender identity.”
Jensen said the Anti-Homosexuality Bill would not only discriminate against LGBT Ugandans but “seriously undermine” efforts to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS in the African country.
“We reiterate our long-standing opposition to this bill,” he told the Blade.
The Anti-Homosexuality Bill that Parliamentarian David Bahati introduced in 2009 also seeks to ban the “promotion” of same-sex sexual relations. The measure would also require anyone with knowledge of “homosexual activity” to report it to authorities within 24 hours.
Lawmakers removed a provision of the bill that sought to impose the death penalty against anyone convicted of repeated same-sex acts.
President Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other U.S. officials have repeatedly spoken out against the Anti-Homosexuality Bill.
Obama made his views about the measure known during his speech at the National Prayer Breakfast in D.C. in 2010. A Christian evangelical group known as “The Family,” which has ties to anti-gay lawmakers in Uganda, hosts the annual event.
“We may disagree about gay marriage, but surely we can agree that it is unconscionable to target gays and lesbians for who they are — whether it’s here in the United States or, as [then-Secretary of State] Hillary [Clinton] mentioned, more extremely in odious laws that are being proposed most recently in Uganda,” said Obama.
The White House and British Prime Minister David Cameron have also suggested a country’s LGBT rights record should factor into the allocation of international aid.
“The U.K. is concerned about the potential impact of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill approved today by the Ugandan Parliament on the country’s human rights,” said U.K. Foreign Office Minister Hugh Robertson in a statement. “Whilst recognizing Uganda’s sovereignty, we believe that this bill is incompatible with the defense of minority rights and would increase persecution and discrimination of ordinary people across Uganda. We have and will continue to raise our concerns.”
U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) described the measure’s passage as “a sad day for human rights around the world.”
“While most nations are moving towards compassion, tolerance and non-discrimination, Uganda is unfortunately moving backward,” said the Florida Republican in a statement. “All people deserve to live free of harassment and discrimination and should be able to express themselves without fear of persecution. All people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect across every country and continent.”
Homosexuality remains criminalized in more than 70 countries with Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iran and portions of northern Nigeria imposing the death penalty upon anyone found guilty of same-sex sexual activity.
The Center for Constitutional Rights in March 2012 filed a federal lawsuit against Scott Lively in Massachusetts on behalf of Sexual Minorities Uganda, an LGBT advocacy group, that accused the evangelical Christian of exploiting homophobic attitudes in the East African country and encouraging Ugandan lawmakers to approve the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. U.S. District Judge Michael A. Posner of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts in August ruled SMUG’s lawsuit can move forward.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has yet to sign the Anti-Homosexuality Bill into law.
Chris Johnson contributed to this report.
Federal Government
UPenn erases Lia Thomas’s records as part of settlement with White House
University agreed to ban trans women from women’s sports teams

In a settlement with the Trump-Vance administration announced on Tuesday, the University of Pennsylvania will ban transgender athletes from competing and erase swimming records set by transgender former student Lia Thomas.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights found the university in violation of Title IX, the federal rights law barring sex based discrimination in educational institutions, by “permitting males to compete in women’s intercollegiate athletics and to occupy women-only intimate facilities.”
The statement issued by University of Pennsylvania President J. Larry Jameson highlighted how the law’s interpretation was changed substantially under President Donald Trump’s second term.
“The Department of Education OCR investigated the participation of one transgender athlete on the women’s swimming team three years ago, during the 2021-2022 swim season,” he wrote. “At that time, Penn was in compliance with NCAA eligibility rules and Title IX as then interpreted.”
Jameson continued, “Penn has always followed — and continues to follow — Title IX and the applicable policy of the NCAA regarding transgender athletes. NCAA eligibility rules changed in February 2025 with Executive Orders 14168 and 14201 and Penn will continue to adhere to these new rules.”
Writing that “we acknowledge that some student-athletes were disadvantaged by these rules” in place while Thomas was allowed to compete, the university president added, “We recognize this and will apologize to those who experienced a competitive disadvantage or experienced anxiety because of the policies in effect at the time.”
“Today’s resolution agreement with UPenn is yet another example of the Trump effect in action,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. “Thanks to the leadership of President Trump, UPenn has agreed both to apologize for its past Title IX violations and to ensure that women’s sports are protected at the university for future generations of female athletes.”
Under former President Joe Biden, the department’s Office of Civil Rights sought to protect against anti-LGBTQ discrimination in education, bringing investigations and enforcement actions in cases where school officials might, for example, require trans students to use restrooms and facilities consistent with their birth sex or fail to respond to peer harassment over their gender identity.
Much of the legal reasoning behind the Biden-Harris administration’s positions extended from the 2020 U.S. Supreme Court case Bostock v. Clayton County, which found that sex-based discrimination includes that which is based on sexual orientation or gender identity under Title VII rules covering employment practices.
The Trump-Vance administration last week put the state of California on notice that its trans athlete policies were, or once were, in violation of Title IX, which comes amid the ongoing battle with Maine over the same issue.
New York
Two teens shot steps from Stonewall Inn after NYC Pride parade
One of the victims remains in critical condition

On Sunday night, following the annual NYC Pride March, two girls were shot in Sheridan Square, feet away from the historic Stonewall Inn.
According to an NYPD report, the two girls, aged 16 and 17, were shot around 10:15 p.m. as Pride festivities began to wind down. The 16-year-old was struck in the head and, according to police sources, is said to be in critical condition, while the 17-year-old was said to be in stable condition.
The Washington Blade confirmed with the NYPD the details from the police reports and learned no arrests had been made as of noon Monday.
The shooting took place in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, mere feet away from the most famous gay bar in the city — if not the world — the Stonewall Inn. Earlier that day, hundreds of thousands of people marched down Christopher Street to celebrate 55 years of LGBTQ people standing up for their rights.
In June 1969, after police raided the Stonewall Inn, members of the LGBTQ community pushed back, sparking what became known as the Stonewall riots. Over the course of two days, LGBTQ New Yorkers protested the discriminatory policing of queer spaces across the city and mobilized to speak out — and throw bottles if need be — at officers attempting to suppress their existence.
The following year, LGBTQ people returned to the Stonewall Inn and marched through the same streets where queer New Yorkers had been arrested, marking the first “Gay Pride March” in history and declaring that LGBTQ people were not going anywhere.
New York State Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, whose district includes Greenwich Village, took to social media to comment on the shooting.
“After decades of peaceful Pride celebrations — this year gun fire and two people shot near the Stonewall Inn is a reminder that gun violence is everywhere,” the lesbian lawmaker said on X. “Guns are a problem despite the NRA BS.”
New York
Zohran Mamdani participates in NYC Pride parade
Mayoral candidate has detailed LGBTQ rights platform

Zohran Mamdani, the candidate for mayor of New York City who pulled a surprise victory in the primary contest last week, walked in the city’s Pride parade on Sunday.
The Democratic Socialist and New York State Assembly member published photos on social media with New York Attorney General Letitia James, telling followers it was “a joy to march in NYC Pride with the people’s champ” and to “see so many friends on this gorgeous day.”
“Happy Pride NYC,” he wrote, adding a rainbow emoji.
Mamdani’s platform includes a detailed plan for LGBTQ people who “across the United States are facing an increasingly hostile political environment.”
His campaign website explains: “New York City must be a refuge for LGBTQIA+ people, but private institutions in our own city have already started capitulating to Trump’s assault on trans rights.
“Meanwhile, the cost of living crisis confronting working class people across the city hits the LGBTQIA+ community particularly hard, with higher rates of unemployment and homelessness than the rest of the city.”
“The Mamdani administration will protect LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers by expanding and protecting gender-affirming care citywide, making NYC an LGBTQIA+ sanctuary city, and creating the Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs.”
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