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GOP moderates seeking concessions from Reid

Search for 60 votes continues as ‘Don’t Ask’ repeal hangs in balance

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GOP moderates in the U.S. Senate are seeking concessions from Democratic leadership in exchange for breaking with the Republican caucus and voting for cloture on Tuesday on major defense legislation containing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal, according to Capitol Hill sources.

One Republican source said among those seeking concessions from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) are Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Olympia Snowe (R-Maine, Scott Brown (R-Mass.), George Voinovoich (R-Ohio) and Richard Lugar (R-Ind.).

“There are several Republicans who are going to [Reid] saying, ‘Look, Mr. Majority Leader, work with us here because we have votes for cloture,'” the Republican source said.

It’s unclear what specific concessions the moderate Republicans are seeking, but they likely involve allowing GOP amendments to come to the floor on the fiscal year 2011 defense authorization bill, which contains language that would lead to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal.

“What was chaffing those members, as well as [Senate Minority Leader Mitch] McConnell (R-Ky.), was that … there was no consultation when Reid just said, ‘OK, boom! We’re going to have a cloture vote, and, oh, by the way, I’ve already put in my amendments and there’s no room for anything else,'” the Republican source said.

The three amendments that Reid has said he would allow on the floor are measures to strip the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal language from the bill; a measure to attach the DREAM Act, an immigration-related bill, to the legislation; and a measure addressing the “secret holds” senators can place on presidential nominees.

Another Republican source said Democratic leadership intends to attach the DREAM Act to the defense authorization bill as part of a manager’s amendment that also has language related to other defense items.

Reid’s office declined to comment on the concessions sought by GOP moderates or whether the majority leader would accept them.

The vote for cloture on the defense authorization is set for Tuesday at 2:15 p.m. A “yes” vote from 60 senators is required to move forward.

The Republican caucus has reportedly been telling GOP senators not to vote for cloture on the defense authorization bill because Sen. Reid is allowing limited amendments on the legislation.

The votes of Collins and Snowe are seen among repeal advocates as key to breaking a filibuster and moving forward with the defense authorization bill.

In conjunction with Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, pop singer Lady Gaga was set to appear at a rally in Portland, Maine, on Monday to urge the Maine senators to vote for cloture on the defense authorization bill.

SLDN Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis said in a statement promoting the event on Sunday that there aren’t yet sufficient votes to break a filibuster.

“We need Sens. Snowe and Collins on board; they’re key to us breaking the filibuster,” Sarvis said. “With the vote less than 48 hours away, we need everyone supporting repeal to call the Senate.”

(Sen. Susan Collins photo by Michael Key)

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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

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U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon (Screen capture: C-SPAN)

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.

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New York

Two teens shot steps from Stonewall Inn after NYC Pride parade

One of the victims remains in critical condition

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The Stonewall National Memorial in New York on June 19, 2024. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

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.”

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New York

Zohran Mamdani participates in NYC Pride parade

Mayoral candidate has detailed LGBTQ rights platform

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NYC mayoral candidate and New York State Assembly member Zohran Mamdani (Screen capture: NBC News/YouTube)

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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