National
Lexington’s gay mayor prepares to take office
Gray focusing on jobs, urban development
Jim Gray, mayor elect of Lexington, Ky. (Photo courtesy of Gray's campaign office)
On Nov. 2, a political earthquake rumbled the heart of Kentucky, when pro-business candidate Jim Gray, who is gay, won the race for mayor of Lexington, a city of about 300,000.
Since his victory, Mayor-elect Gray has been preparing to hit the ground running when he is inaugurated on Jan. 2. His jam-packed pre-inauguration schedule included an interview with the New York Times and a meeting with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
“I am impressed with Mayor Bloomberg’s philosophy — basically, get it together, work together,” Gray said during an interview with the Blade.
Gray said he shares several political convictions with Bloomberg and cites, “creating jobs, managing efficiently and building great cities.”
“Whether it is New York City, Lexington or Boise, all have the same economic concerns,” Gray said. “What I also share with Mayor Bloomberg is a belief that private sector experience translates into the role of being mayor. Management skill sets acquired in the private sector can be applied to the public sector.”
Lexington residents voted out incumbent Jim Newberry for Gray, a 57-year-old millionaire who made his fortune with Gray Construction, a family-owned business he and his brothers inherited from their father and built into a behemoth that builds large industrial facilities for manufacturers. Newberry, a 54-year-old lawyer, cited Gray’s resources as a factor in the election.
“I don’t mind telling you that this has been a very difficult election season, and it has saddened me to be accused of so many things that were very much out of touch with reality,” Newberry told the Lexington Herald-Leader, a Kentucky newspaper, shortly after his defeat. “But at the end of the day we just did not have the necessary funding to compete with the overwhelming resources of the opposing side. That having been said, I have no regrets.”
The paper said the race was the most expensive race in the city’s history with more than $2 million raised and spent. Gray lent $480,000 to his campaign, which the Herald-Leader reported stood at about $1.2 million citing campaign finance reports. Newberry reported $1,050,000 for the same period the paper said. Gray plans to leave the company’s leadership to one of his brothers as he did during the campaign.
Gray is the first businessman elected to the city’s top post since the city and county merged governments in 1974. Gray is one of only a handful of openly gay big-city mayors in the country. He’ll be mayor of the third-largest gay-helmed city after Houston (Mayor Annise Parker) and Portland (Mayor Sam Adams). Gray came out in 2005 but has said little about his personal life since then preferring to focus on political issues. Newberry did not bring up Gray’s sexual orientation during the race, unlike Parker’s campaign, which found anti-gay fliers being circulated in Houston. Gray wasn’t out when he launched an unsuccessful run for the mayoral job in 2002.
Gray, wanting to focus on jobs, realizes that downtown Lexington can play a major role in helping boost economic development.
“Young people and others alike want to be in a dynamic urban environment where there’s a lot of kinetic energy and vitality,” he said. “It provides the framework for better jobs. Downtowns and suburban centers can both provide that dynamic.
“We can attract great businesses here. With the University of Kentucky, Transylvania University, and our community colleges, all these educational institutions attract employers because we have a skilled and educated work force. Great quality of life here.”
The continued development of downtown, however, is not without problems. Transportation issues are an ongoing challenge.
“I know we have traffic jams, it’s a way of life, but we avoided an interstate that clear cut our downtown and wonderful 19th century neighborhoods,” Gray said. “That’s a bonus to our quality of life.”
Gray is a staunch advocate for preserving the historic feel of the city, while balancing new development.
“It’s all about authenticity, uniqueness, brand differentiation. We got it all here,” he said. When asked what changes he will implement upon taking office, Gray seemed to have the answers stamped in his mind.
“Encourage transparency, which translates into good management and problem solving. Embrace the spirit of open and honest communication. I share Jack Welch’s [former C.E.O. of General Electric] philosophy, that good business practices include transparency and brand differentiation.”
The odds of a gay candidate winning a high-profile race in a state that overwhelmingly elects conservative Republicans might appear slim. But Gray believes that “elections are about competency and experience, and not about other factors.”
When asked if being gay hindered his ability to reach out to certain voters, Gray, the city’s current vice-mayor, firmly said, “No. I was elected because of my experience.”
”I had hundreds of dedicated volunteers, going door to door, a great campaign manager, Jamie Emmons, who will now be my chief of staff, and many supporters writing checks,” Gray said. “As with most campaigns, stressful days and worrisome nights seem to eventually wear on all candidates, no matter how thick their skin. Politics is war without weapons, but democracy is an extraordinary system, and I was fortunate to participate in it. I kept reminding myself of that.”
Gray’s timing for running for mayor in Lexington coincided with the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal debate but Gray said he’s focusing on local issues instead of lobbying his state’s two conservative senators, both of whom oppose repeal of the anti-gay policy.
“I haven’t thought about lobbying them,” he said. “Certainly repeal has positive momentum going forward. But I try to focus on local issues and avoid going outside the limits of my authority and jurisdiction.”
There was no congratulatory call from Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the Senate minority leader, but someone from his staff called Gray on McConnell’s behalf. There was no call from Senator-elect Rand Paul, either, but Gray said he doesn’t feel slighted.
“He’s a busy guy today,” Gray said.
As for other gay and lesbian political aspirants, Gray says take the plunge.
“If your heart is in it, go for it,” he said.
State Department
State Department implements anti-trans bathroom policy
Memo notes directive corresponds with White House executive order
The State Department on April 20 announced employees cannot use bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity.
The Daily Signal, a conservative news website, reported the State Department announced the new policy in a memo titled “Updates Regarding Biological Sex and Intimate Spaces, Including Restrooms.”
The State Department has not responded to the Washington Blade’s request for comment on the directive.
“The administration affirms that there are two sexes — male and female — and that federal facilities should operate on this objective and longstanding basis to ensure consistency, privacy, and safety in shared spaces,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Piggot told the Daily Signal. “In line with President Trump’s executive order this provides clear, uniform guidance to the department by grounding policy in biological sex as determined at birth.”
President Donald Trump shortly after he took office in January 2025 issued an executive order that directed the federal government to only recognize two genders: male and female. The sweeping directive also ordered federal government agencies to “effectuate this policy by taking appropriate action to ensure that intimate spaces designated for women, girls, or females (or for men, boys, or males) are designated by sex and not identity.”
The Daily Signal notes the new State Department policy “does not prohibit single-occupancy restrooms.”
National
I’m telling the scared little girl I once was it’s okay to feel free
This week is Lesbian Visibility Week
Uncloseted Media published this article on April 23.
By SOPHIE HOLLAND | At 13 years old, I remember looking in the mirror in my Toronto bathroom and thinking, “Yeah, I’m a lesbian.” At the time, I thought it was a dirty word. Thinking back, it could be because the first time I heard it was when a family member said, “I don’t know what a lesbian is, they are like aliens.”
And although I walked around in camouflage Crocs with a rainbow My Little Pony charm, plaid knee-length shorts and a shark tooth necklace (yes, these are all, in my opinion, stereotypically lesbian apparel!), I didn’t feel like I fit the mold. The longer I thought about it, the worse I felt, so I buried my feelings deep inside.
Now I am 25, and I have been out since I was 22. Three years ago, I never could have imagined that I’d be working for a queer news publication and celebrating Lesbian Visibility Week, an annual event meant to honor and uplift lesbian perspectives and highlight the hardships our community faces. To me, LVW is so important because, frankly, it has been an absolute shit show getting here, to a place where I feel love and joy most days.
I think back to the frustration of constantly being asked, “Do you have a boyfriend?” Of watching princess movies and seeing a broken girl only find herself when her prince charming arrives. I remember listening to music that was always about heterosexual relationships. I remember feeling left out in high school when, one by one, my friends got boyfriends.
I tried the boyfriend, and I tried really hard for it to work at a large detriment to my wellbeing. I brainwashed myself into thinking I was probably bisexual, which I told my closest friends around 16 and unsuccessfully told my parents at the same age. I was probably subconsciously using this as a litmus test of their acceptance and to soothe the anxiety I felt around my sexuality.
Learning to love who I am did not only come from me unraveling my internalized lesbophobia and dissecting the oppressive societal messages of heteronormativity. It came from meeting an awesome community of lesbians and queers. I found people who understood my worldview and who showed me the ropes. I no longer had to stutter over concepts like lesbian loneliness or my frustration with misogynistic straight men.
They all just got it.
Without this community, I am not sure if I could be as warm and confident in myself as I am today.
And while I still experience homophobia, like being spat on while walking with an ex in downtown Toronto or having a stranger yell in my face “Are you fucking lesbians?” in Kensington Market, the joy and love still outweighs the nasty.
So, as the sentimental dyke that I have become, I decided to ask a set of lesbians in my orbit — including my friends as well as Uncloseted staffers, board members and followers — if they would share a little bit about what makes them love being a lesbian. And now, I can share it with all of you. Here they are. Happy LVW!
Timi Sotire
Falling in love with her was a reset. I felt like a kid again, hopeful about the future. We’ve had to overcome many obstacles to be together, but I’d choose her in every lifetime. I was sick with a long-term health condition when we met, and hanging out with Sophia really helped me with my recovery after my surgery.
Bella Sayegh
Being a lesbian is one of the most beautiful things in the world. To be authentically yourself in resistance and joy is so special within the lesbian community.
Parker Wales
When I met Liv, I finally understood why almost every song is about love.
Gillian Kilgour
There is no connection quite as perfect as between lesbians, no one sees me like my lesbians do.
Chyna Price
There’s many things I love about being a lesbian. But here are my top three:
- There’s just a deeper understanding when it comes to being loved by another woman.
- The next one would be the sense of community, especially being a POC masculine-presenting lesbian. I don’t feel like I’m cosplaying as someone else like I felt like I was doing before I came out.
- There’s so much history going back to the 1800s on how we found and fought for our love. That fight makes me proud because it shows me … that we’ve [found] ways to express our love even when it was misunderstood, illegal and deemed as madness.
Hope Pisoni
Before I knew I was a lesbian, romantic relationships seemed suffocating — it felt like everyone would expect me to act my part in the meticulous performance that is heterosexuality. But meeting my spouse and discovering our identities together showed me just how freeing it could be to love without a script to follow.
Leital Molad
It was the joy of watching the New York Sirens defeat the Toronto Sceptres at our first professional women’s hockey game — surrounded by hundreds (maybe thousands?) of cheering lesbians.
Angela Earl
I spent years building a life that looked right. But I never felt settled, and eventually I started asking what would actually make me happy. Coming out was about more than who I love, it was letting go of everything I was told to be. The last few years have felt like coming home to a life that had been waiting for me.
Tali Bray
What I love about being a lesbian is what I love about being in love … the wonder and joy of “oh, this is what it’s supposed to feel like.” I love moving through the world with women.
Izzy Stokes
I didn’t fall in love until I realized that queerness was an option. My queer friends have helped me see so much more than I grew up seeing. I’m so proud of us, and I’m so grateful for my lesbian community.
Nandika Chatterjee
When I met my fiancée is when I started to feel most like myself. That meant loving myself for who I am and embracing my identity as a lesbian. I felt free in a way I have never before. That’s the long and short of it.
Liz Lucking
The love and joy of being a lesbian is getting to live the life I dreamed of but never thought I would get to have!
Reflections
As I read these beautiful entries, it’s not lost on me that we’re still living in a world where lesbians are more likely to struggle with maternity problems, fetishization, and compulsory heterosexuality — not to mention the intersectional pressures of racism from both inside and outside the queer community. That’s part of why, according to a 2024 survey, 22 percent of LGBTQ women have attempted suicide, and 66 percent have sought treatment for trauma.
So if you are a lesbian who isn’t out or doesn’t feel safe, I hope you read this and can glean some hope from these messages. So when you look in the mirror, you know that it’s okay to release the weight — which can feel so heavy — of a heteronormative world.
We still have a long fight until all lesbians can feel safe to be themselves, but this is a community that does not back away from the tough, from the joy, from being loud and from all the other things that it takes to start a small revolution.
Hell yeah, lesbians! Here’s to you.
*I am signing off with my cat on my lap and a pride flag over my head <3.
Cuba
Trans parent charged with kidnapping, allegedly fled to Cuba with child
Cuban authorities helped locate Rose Inessa-Ethington
Federal authorities have charged a transgender woman with kidnapping after she allegedly fled to Cuba with her 10-year-old child.
An affidavit that Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Jennifer Waterfield filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Utah on April 16 notes the child is a “biological male who identifies as a female” and “splits time living with divorced parents who share custody” in Cache County, Utah.
Waterfield notes the child on March 28 “was supposed to be traveling by car to” Calgary, Alberta, “for a planned camping trip with his transgender mother, Rose Inessa-Ethington, Rose’s partner, Blue Inessa-Ethington, and Blue’s 3-year-old child.”
The affidavit notes the group instead flew from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Mexico City on March 29. Waterfield writes the Inessa-Ethingtons and the two children then flew from Mérida, Mexico, to Havana on April 1.
The 10-year-old child called her biological mother on March 28 after they arrived in Canada. The custody agreement, according to the affidavit, required Rose Inessa-Ethington to return the child to her former spouse on April 3.
“Interviews of MV [Minor Victim] 1’s family members provided significant concerns for MV 1’s well-being, as MV 1 was born a male, however, identifies as a female child, which is largely believed to be due to manipulation by Rose Inessa-Ethington,” reads the affidavit. “Concerns exist that MV 1 was transported to Cuba for gender reassignment surgery prior to puberty.”
The affidavit indicates authorities found a note in the Inessa-Ethingtons’ home with “instruction from a mental health therapist located in Washington, D.C., including instruction to send the therapist the $10,000.00 and instructions on gender-affirming medical care for children.”
The affidavit does not identify the specific “mental health therapist” in D.C.
A Utah judge on April 13 ordered Rose Inessa-Ethington to “immediately” return the child to her former spouse. The former spouse also received sole custody.
“Your affiant believes that due to the extensive planning and preparation exhibited by both Rose Inessa-Ethington and Blue Inessa-Ethington to isolate MV 1 and take MV 1 to Havana, Cuba, without notifying or requesting permission from MV 1’s mother indicates they are likely not planning to return to the United States,” wrote Waterfield.
The affidavit notes Cuban authorities found the Inessa-Ethingtons and the child.
A press release the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah issued notes the Inessa-Ethingtons “were deported from Cuba” on Monday “with the assistance of the FBI.”
The couple has been charged with International Parental Kidnapping. The Inessa-Ethingtons were arraigned in Richmond, Va., on Monday. The press release notes a federal court in Salt Lake City will soon handle the case.
The New York Times reported the child is now back with their biological mother.
“We are grateful to law enforcement for working swiftly to return the child to the biological mother,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah in the press release.
The case is unfolding against the backdrop of increased tensions between Washington and Havana after U.S. forces on Jan. 3 seized now former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
President Donald Trump shortly after he took office in January 2025 issued an executive order that directed the federal government to only recognize two genders: male and female. A second White House directive banned federally-funded gender-affirming care for anyone under 19.
The U.S. Supreme Court last year in the Skrmetti decision upheld a Tennessee law that bans gender-affirming care for minors.
Cuba’s national health care system has offered free sex-reassignment surgeries since 2008.
Activists who are critical of Mariela Castro, the daughter of former President Raúl Castro who spearheads LGBTQ issues as director of Cuba’s National Center for Sexual Education, have previously told the Washington Blade that access to these procedures is limited. The Blade on Wednesday asked a contact in Havana to clarify whether Cuban law currently allows minors to undergo sex-reassignment surgery.
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