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Obama appointees speak at ‘Not the White House Pride reception’

Jarrett urges LGBT people to ‘be a citizen’

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Valerie Jarrett urged LGBT people to “be a citizen” at the Not the White House Pride reception. (Screenshot via Facebook)

President Trump may have declined to sign a Pride proclamation or host a White House Pride reception, but that didn’t stop former members of the Obama administration from celebrating the occasion.

Hosted by Obama White House LGBT liaisons Gautam Raghavan and Aditi Hardikar, the celebration ā€” dubbedĀ “Not the White House Pride Reception” in homage to Samantha Bee’s competing event with the White House Correspondents’ Dinner ā€” took place Saturday at the Brixton in D.C.

Among the speakers was the first openly gay Army secretary Eric Fanning, who recalled meeting Edie Windsor, the octogenarian plaintiff in the lawsuit that overturnedĀ the Defense of Marriage Act, to remind attendees the Trump administration is temporary.

“I saw Edie literally two days after the election,” Fanning said, “and she ā€” I’m paraphrasing a little bit ā€” points up at me and says, ‘Get over it.’ She said, ‘I started voting in 1947.’ She goes, ‘We made progress and we got knocked back a little bit, but we keep fighting and we will be back.'”

Also speaking was Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to former President Obama who oversaw LGBT issues for the entire eight years of the Obama administration, who said she’s “feeling a little nostalgic over the past five months as you can imagine.”

Recalling pro-LGBT moments of the Obama administration ā€” like “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal, winning marriage equality nationwide, and the final White House Pride reception ā€” Jarrett said the most important thing now for members of the LGBT community is to “be a citizen.”

“We cannot only focus on our issues,” Jarrett said. “We have to be our sister’s keeper. We have to be our brother’s keeper. All of our brothers, all of our sisters, and we have to sweep up and use our voice and use our effort, and this balcony is a beautiful sight. We’re going to take the feeling from this balcony and we’re going to go out in the streets of this great District of Columbia, where we are going to remind everybody what it means to be an American.”

Other speakers includedĀ Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality; lesbian comedian Kate Clinton; and Precious Brady-Davis, activist and organizer. Stephanie Rice, musician and contestant on NBC’s “The Voice,” performed afterward.

The celebration took place on the same day as the D.C. Pride Parade and days after former FBI Director James Comey testified before Congress that he believed Trump urged him to discontinue the investigation into Michael Flynn ā€” a move that potentially constitutes obstruction of justice.

Asked by the Blade during the event if the Trump administration was what she expected, Jarrett replied, “Frankly, It was hard to know what to expect.”

“I think one of the reasons why I wanted to be here today was to say Pride month is not just about celebrating the enormous progress that we’ve made, but it’s also about recognizing we still have a lot of hard work to go, and it’s no time to let up, and we have to be as committed as ever to bending that arc of the moral universe,” Jarrett added.

Jarrett cautioned “clearly, we could lose ground” and the only way to ensure progress is preserved would be solidarity with the progressive movement.

“The only way we’re not going to lose ground is if we build a big, inclusive tent and we help everybody understand why equality for the LGBTQ community is equality for us all,” Jarrett said.

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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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