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National news in brief: July 8

A new ‘Supergay’ iPhone app, soldiers attacked in anti-gay beating, California mandates teaching gay history, Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel pushes for marriage equality and a Michigan anti-bullying bill on life-support.

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Gay superhero a hit in iTunes App Store

SAN FRANCISCO — An unlikely hit is rising in popularity among iPhone and iPod Touch users.

Spanish game creators Klicrainbow boast that the $2.99 app, “Supergay & The Attack of His Ex-Girlfriends” is the first video game to star a gay superhero, and users of the Apple mobile devices are accepting this groundbreaking game with open arms.

The animated game features comic book style art and currently offers the first 10 chapters of the storyline, with promises of more chapters to come.

The game tells the story of Dr. Tom Palmer — a young, attractive scientist working on a controversial cloning experiment — on the eve of his wedding to the daughter of his boss.

Throughout the narrative, Tom grapples with the fact that he’s gay as well as with some of the choices he’s made in his life, according to MSNBC.

“Having a gay character in a game is always something positive that gay gamers can relate to,” Steve Muir, editor of GenuineGamers.com told the Blade. “However in this instance I think the character we see is more of a stereotype than something we can relate to. Having a quick look at the developers and their title, I see the fluorescent pink color, mentions of Gay Power and the ‘Rainbow Ray.’ I understand this is a gay superhero but I can’t image anyone taking this seriously.”

“I think gay gamers, like gay comic fans, have a fascination with the dual identities of superheroes,” gay gaming champion, Matthew Michael Brown told the Blade. “We see some of our personal struggles reflected in the lives of these characters and are thrilled when they hit any medium. That said, video games are the future of entertainment and so to see such progressive characters break into this industry is especially exciting.” Brown won the second season of Sony’s Playstation Network reality series, The Tester.

Gay soldiers allegedly attacked in Colo.

DENVER — Two soldiers identifying as gay stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs were allegedly assaulted by attackers shouting homophobic slurs and racial epithets early Saturday morning.

The soldiers had stopped off at Albert Tacos after a night out at a local nightclub where the men also work. The two soldiers — who had to conceal their identities when making statements about the crime because “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is still in enforcement — said that some of the work friends that came with them to the restaurant caught the attention of a group of men because of the way that they were dressed, according to ABC News Denver.

One of the victims was treated for a facial fracture and had to have his jaw wired shut.

“We’re concerned that these soldiers may not get the support they need because of the ongoing impact of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” J.D. Smith, co-director of the active duty service members organization OutServe, said in a statement. “Will they be investigated for reporting the crime? Or for seeking medical help? These soldiers will have to literally lie at work to hide what’s occurred to them.”

Calif. mandates teaching LGBT history in schools

SACRAMENTO — The California Assembly this week passed 49-25 a bill that would “end LGBT history exclusion in education.”

The Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful Education Act had already passed the Senate 23-14 on April 14, and now heads to Gov. Jerry Brown for signature.

“The struggle of the multicultural and multiethnic LGBT community in California is one of the greatest stories yet to be told,” said Equality California Executive Director Roland Palencia in a statement released minutes after passage. “The FAIR Education Act will ensure that public schools acknowledge the heroism of individuals and communities who in spite of countless barriers continuously overcome adversity.”

The bill was authored by gay state Sen. Mark Leno, and follows another historic California victory 20 months ago, with the passage of official recognition of Harvey Milk Day.

The bill also compels schools to put strict guidelines in place to protect students from bullying based on real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.

“This is a victory not only for the LGBT youth in California who have been fighting to be heard in Sacramento and represented in their history classes, but also for all California youth who deserve to learn a fair and accurate account of California and U.S. history,” said Carolyn Laub, executive director of Gay-Straight Alliance Network. “By passing the FAIR Education Act, the Assembly has taken an unprecedented step to reduce bullying, increase safety for all students and teach students to respect each other’s differences.”

Rahm Emanuel

Rahm Emanuel. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Mayor Emanuel pushes for marriage equality

CHICAGO — In the spirit of Pride month, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel closed June by stating that he hopes Illinois “moves in the direction” of New York after that state passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage there.

The political heavyweight left his position as White House chief of staff in 2009 to pursue the Chicago mayoral spot being opened with the retirement of Richard M. Daley. Emanuel secured that spot in March 2010 in a race against many local big names, including former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, who long backed the idea of marriage equality and voted against both “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in 1993 and the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996.

Emanuel’s statement is his strongest yet on the topic of marriage equality, and advocates hope he will play as pivotal a role in pushing for a bill as Mayor Michael Bloomberg did in New York City.

“Obviously as someone who is working on marriage equality in this state I’m thrilled to see it,” gay state assembly member Greg Harris, author of the state’s civil unions law, told the Blade. “I think it goes to show that mainstream of political thought in Illinois is moving toward full marriage equality for all people, but that doesn’t mean there still isn’t lots of work to do in the state.”

“No matter what the states do, until we get rid of the Federal [Defense of Marriage Act] there will never be full equality for any same-sex relationship.”

Mich. anti-bullying bill put on hold

LANSING, Mich. — The fate of a proposed law that would have specifically protected students from anti-gay and anti-trans harassment and bullying, along with other forms of bullying is now in question as lawmakers go on break.

“Matt’s Safe-School Law,” named for a teen who committed suicide after being bullied, exists in two versions in the state legislature, one where protected classes like gay and lesbian kids are specifically enumerated — a version backed by the state Board of Education, Michigan’s LGBT advocacy group Equality Michigan, and the Republican Rick Snyder — and a general version of the bill that does not specify any protected classes.

The Republican-controlled legislature has only held hearings on the general version of the bill, according to Michigan’s LGBT newspaper, Between the Lines. The June 29 Education Committee hearing saw anti-bullying groups come out against the less powerful version of the bill.

“We are disappointed to have to oppose House Bill 4163 today but feel that changes can be made to strengthen it so it becomes the powerful tool it is intended to be,” Equality Michigan Policy Director Emily Dievendorf said in a statement after the hearing. “Our kids need to be assured that their second home, their school, is conducive to learning and is accepting of who they are.”

Michigan is one of only six states without anti-bullying legislation, which compels schools to create safer environments for students in regard to harassment and bullying.

 

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Federal judge blocks Trump’s order restricting gender-affirming care for youth

Seven families with transgender, nonbinary children challenged directive

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President Donald Trump (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

A federal judge on Thursday issued a temporary restraining order that blocks President Donald Trump’s Jan. 29 executive order restricting access to gender-affirming health care for transgender people under age 19.

The order by Judge Brendan Hurson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, came in response to a request from the plaintiffs in a lawsuit, filed on Feb. 4, against Trump’s directive.

The plaintiffs are seven families with trans or nonbinary children. They are represented by PFLAG National, GMLA, Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Maryland, and the law firms Hogan Lovells and Jenner & Block.

Hurson’s temporary restraining order will halt enforcement of Trump’s order for 14 days, but it can be extended. This means health care providers and medical institutions can provide gender-affirming care to minor patients without the risk of losing federal funding.

Families in the lawsuit say their appointments were cancelled shortly after the executive order was issued. Hospitals in Colorado, Virginia, and D.C. stopped providing prescriptions for puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and other interventions for trans patients as they evaluated Trump’s directive.

The harms associated with suddenly withholding access to medical care for these patients were a major focus of Thursday’s hearing on the plaintiffs’ request for the temporary restraining order.

The president’s “order seems to deny that this population even exists, or deserves to exist,” Hurson said, noting the elevated risk of suicide, poverty, addiction, and other hardships among trans people.

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Trump’s trans erasure arrives at National Park Service

Fate of major 2016 LGBTQ Theme Study unclear

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NYC Pride participants in front of the Stonewall Inn in 2019. (File photo by Andrew Nasonov)

President Trump’s efforts at erasing trans identity intensified this week as employees at the National Park Service were instructed to remove the “T” and “Q” from “LGBTQ” from all internal and external communications.

The change was first noticed on the website of the Stonewall National Monument; trans people of color were integral to the events at Stonewall, which is widely viewed as the kickoff of the modern LGBTQ rights movement. The Stonewall National Monument is the first U.S. national monument dedicated to LGBTQ rights and history.

Reaction to that move was swift. New York City Council member Erik Bottcher wrote, “The Trump administration has erased transgender people from the Stonewall National Monument website. We will not allow them to erase the very existence of our siblings. We are one community!!”

But what most didn’t realize is that the removal of the “T” and “Q” (for transgender and queer) extends to all National Park Service and Interior Department communications, raising concerns that the move could jeopardize future LGBTQ monuments and project work.

The Blade reached out to the National Park Service for comment on the trans erasure and received a curt response that the agency is implementing Trump’s executive order “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” as well as agency directives to end all DEI initiatives.

The question being debated internally now, according to a knowledgable source, is what to do with a massive LGBTQ Theme Study, which as of Feb. 14 was still available on the NPS website. In 2014, the Gill Foundation recognized an omission of historic LGBTQ sites in the nation’s records, and the organization made a grant to the National Park Service to commission a first-of-its-kind LGBTQ Theme Study, which was published in 2016. It was a landmark project that represented major progress for the LGBTQ community in having our contributions included in the broader American story, something that is becoming increasingly difficult given efforts like “Don’t Say Gay” laws that ban the teaching of LGBTQ topics in schools.

A source told the Blade that National Park Service communications staff suggested that removing chapters of the 2016 Theme Study that pertain to transgender people might placate anti-trans political appointees. But one employee pushed back on that, suggesting instead that the entire Theme Study be removed. Editing the document to remove one community’s contributions and perspective violates the academic intent of the project, according to the source. A final decision on how to proceed is expected soon. 

Meanwhile, a protest is planned for Friday, Feb. 14 at noon at Christopher Park in New York City (7th Ave. S. and Christopher Street). The protest is being planned by staff at the Stonewall Inn. 

“The Stonewall Inn and The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative are outraged and appalled by the recent removal of the word ‘transgender’ from the Stonewall National Monument page on the National Park Service website,” the groups said in a statement. “Let us be clear: Stonewall is transgender history. Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and countless other trans and gender-nonconforming individuals fought bravely, and often at great personal risk, to push back against oppressive systems. Their courage, sacrifice, and leadership were central to the resistance we now celebrate as the foundation of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.”

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Victory Institute executive director speaks about movement response to Trump 2.0

Advocacy groups will lead efforts to push back against anti-LGBTQ administration

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LGBTQ Victory Institute Executive Director Elliot Imse speaks at the International LGBTQ Leaders Conference on Dec. 1, 2022. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

President Donald Trump’s issuance of a series of executive orders targeting transgender rights and LGBTQ-inclusive diversity programs on the first day of his second term was a clear signal of the new administration’s appetite for going after queer and gender diverse people. 

The Jan. 20 directives also brought into focus the extent to which organizations in the LGBTQ movement, particularly those whose work includes impact litigation, will be responsible for protecting the communities they serve from harmful and discriminatory laws and policies over the next four years.

At a critical time that is likely to test the limits of their capacity, these groups are facing challenges that could restrict their access to critical resources thanks in part to the conservative movement’s opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion in both government and the private sector. 

LGBTQ organizations expected federal funding for their work would dry up when the incoming administration took over, given that Trump and his allies made no secret of their plans to aggressively reshape the government including by ridding U.S. agencies of all DEI-related programs, policies, and activities. 

Trump went even further, however, issuing orders to categorically freeze the disbursement of government funds tied to preexisting grants and contracts, while threatening investigations of private companies for “illegal” policies and practices related to DEI.

Partly in response to pressure from conservative leaders and activists, over the past couple of years companies have increasingly backed away from DEI efforts including, especially, support for LGBTQ communities and causes. 

Coupled with the loss of federal funding, a decline in corporate giving to LGBTQ organizations could have devastating impacts on the communities they serve, potentially leading to cutbacks in programs and services core to their missions or imperiling their efforts to push back against a hostile regime. 

“Continuing to fund our work is obviously top of mind for everyone right now,” Elliot Imse, executive director of the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute, told the Washington Blade during an interview last week.  

The move by many private companies away from supporting LGBTQ equality has been surprising, Imse said, but “what we know is it’s a very uncertain environment for corporations right now, and they are feeling out these new realities.” 

On the other hand, the moment also presents an opportunity to remind businesses that commitments to DEI are good for their bottom line while rewarding companies that resist pressure to abandon their LGBTQ customers, employees, and communities, Imse said. 

“There’s a lot of courageous corporations out there, too, right now, a lot that are continuing to step up. And we need to be grateful; we need to be making purchasing decisions as a community with those corporations in mind. Every corporation that has reaffirmed its commitment to us, we need to go out and support them.” 

“While Victory Institute — like all LGBTQ+ organizations — is concerned about the current fundraising environment, we have a programmatic plan in place that directly addresses the realities of what is happening across the country right now,” he said, with programs to support LGBTQ elected officials serving everywhere from small municipal offices to the most powerful positions in government. 

A diverse pipeline of out leaders from diverse backgrounds is the best bulwark “against attacks on our equality and democratic backsliding,” Imse said. “We have a very robust programmatic plan for 2025 — and we need to execute on it at this critical moment.”

While the Victory Institute is currently looking for funding to support the organization’s international work to compensate for the loss of federal grants, Imse said the group plans to expand U.S.-based programs, maximizing their reach at a time when this work is especially critical.  

“We’re going to be in more cities than ever before. We’re going to have a larger training presence than ever before, including our LGBTQ+ Public Leadership Summits, which are specifically designed to inspire and recruit LGBTQ+ people to run for office. It is essential folks reject the demoralization of the current moment and that we have more boots on the ground to support those willing to step up and run.” 

He added, “we are hopeful that we will be able to raise the money we need to carry these programs out, and we believe we can make the case to donors that these programs are an essential path forward.” 

At the same time, Imse acknowledged that LGBTQ groups, including the Victory Institute, are in a difficult position at the moment and “we’ll absolutely have to adjust if we see a downturn in fundraising throughout the year.”

“it’s going to be an uphill battle, there’s no doubt about that. Like all other organizations, we’re going to watch the numbers and adjust as necessary,” he said, adding, “the people we have at our organization are what makes our organization strong — their expertise, their relationships, the networks that they’ve built.” 

And while he said “making sure that we meet the moment is something that keeps me up at night,” Imse stressed that “figuring out how to balance the reality we are in versus optimism is something that is on everyone’s mind as you talk to LGBTQ+ community members, your staff, your funders” who recognize that “you must have hope, because if people back away from our equality at this moment, it’ll be much worse than even the situation we’re in right now.”

There is no shortage of good reasons to hold onto hope, Imse said. “Our movement has always thrived in moments of crisis. While we’d prefer no crisis, it refocuses us. It motivates us. And oftentimes leads to breakthroughs that we may not have had otherwise. It destroys complacency. It instills urgency.”

After Trump took office and the new Congress was sated with GOP majorities in both chambers, LGBTQ groups whose work includes lobbying or government relations understood their ability to influence policy at the federal level would be limited, at least until Democratic allies have the opportunity to retake control of the House in 2026. 

The Victory Institute was especially well positioned to shift away from Washington, Imse said, because state legislatures, city councils, and school boards have always been the organization’s “bread and butter” and the elections for these positions “truly matter” even if they are less “high profile” than U.S. congressional races. 

“When we’re talking about opportunities to make progress in the near future, opportunities to launch a successful offense and defense, it is in these legislative bodies,” he said. “And they arguably make more impact on individuals’ lives than the federal government does.”

Imse added this is especially true with regard to opportunities for legislative action to support LGBTQ Americans and defend their rights, which is unlikely to happen on Capitol Hill for a “long time.” 

It is especially important now that LGBTQ communities and organizations support each other, he said. 

LGBTQ movement groups, particularly those with international focus, “have been phenomenal in bringing us together and trying to find out what’s been done, keeping us up to date on potential litigation opportunities, as well as looking for funders that are willing to step up at this absolutely critical moment in our movement’s history,” Imse said. 

“We also need our community to step up in terms of supporting these organizations,” he said, “financially through resources and capacity and giving their time, because that’s the only way we’re going to be able to move forward effectively.”

It is “important that our community members remain active, engaged, and involved, and that our LGBTQ+ media continues to ensure our stories are being told,” Imse said, adding, “Especially right now, this is an entire movement ecosystem that is working to make sure whatever backsliding is about to occur is not permanent.”

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