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National News in Brief: July 28

NY joins a Federal DOMA challenge, SLDN calls for executive order barring discrimination in military, Apple ends partnership with anti-gay site, and more.

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Edith Windsor

A lawsuit was brought against the government by the ACLU on behalf of Edie Windsor, whose partner died in 2009. (Washington Blade Photo by Michael Key)

N.Y. weighs in on federal DOMA challenge

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman filed a brief in a New York federal court in Windsor v. United States, which is seeking to overturn the third section of the Defense of Marriage Act.

DOMA prevents the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages performed in the states where such marriages are legal.

The Windsor case was brought against the government by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of Edie Windsor. When her wife and partner of 44 years, Thea, passed away in 2009, DOMA forced Edie to pay excessive penalties because her marriage was not recognized.

In filing, Schneiderman called DOMA “an unprecedented intrusion into the power of the state to define marriage.” Schneiderman’s position is similar to that of U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and President Obama who earlier this year announced the Justice Department would no longer defend DOMA in court.

SLDN seeks exec order barring discrimination

WASHINGTON — Servicemembers Legal Defense Network is calling on President Obama to sign an executive order barring all discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity in the armed forces.

“Signing legislation that allows for repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ was an historic milestone, and we appreciate the president’s leadership and commitment in making that happen,” SLDN Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis said. “Every service member deserves equal respect in the work environment, and it’s critical that gay and lesbian service members have the same avenues for recourse as their straight counterparts when it comes to discrimination and harassment.”

Using the Change.org petition platform, the organization is calling for an executive order to give LGBT personnel avenues besides the chain of command to pursue resolution of bias claims.

Effort to undo LGBT history bill in Calif.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — After passing two weeks ago a historic law in California requiring school curriculum to include the contributions of the disabled and LGBT people, a group received the secretary of state’s permission to begin collecting signatures for a ballot measure repealing the law.

 

The Capitol Resource Institute has launched a new website, stopsb48.com, in an effort to assist in gathering the 504,000 signatures needed to repeal the FAIR Education Act via ballot referendum, which would reverse the rule requiring schools to include the achievements of disabled Americans and LGBT people like Harvey Milk, Mark Bingham and Bayard Rustin, which some experts say may have a positive effect on the self-esteem of young people in these groups.

Equality California has launched its own campaign in support of defending the law in order to promote the well-being of young LGBT people, whose suicide rates are four times those of their straight counterparts.

Lesbian’s T-shirt deemed offensive at Dollywood

NASHVILLE — A woman visiting Dollywood with her partner was confronted by an

employee and asked to turn her shirt inside out, claiming the “Marriage is so gay” slogan might offend other visitors.

Olivier Odom initially complied with the request during a July 9 visit, according to the Associated Press, but now wants Dollywood to take steps to be more inclusive of LGBT visitors. Dollywood staff contend the park does not discriminate but often asks visitors to cover tattoos or clothing that could offend others.

“The park is open every day to everybody,” Park spokesman Pete Owens told the AP. “We try to provide an environment for families of all shapes and sizes to enjoy themselves.”

Apple ends partnership with ‘Christian Values Network’

SAN FRANCISCO — Following the lead of Microsoft, Macy’s, Delta Airlines and others, Apple this week removed its iTunes store from the “Christian Values Network,” following allegations the site is linked to controversial anti-gay organizations like the Family Research Council deemed ‘hate groups’ by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

A total of 35,000 people signed petitions at Change.org and AllOut.org demanding Apple cut ties with the website in only a few short weeks.

“Apple is a fair-minded business,” said the petition’s author, Ben Crowther. “I’m glad this petition helped make Apple aware of this issue, and I am thrilled that they removed iTunes from CVN.”

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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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U.S. Supreme Court

Supreme Court upholds ACA rule that makes PrEP, other preventative care free

Liberal justices joined three conservatives in majority opinion

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The U.S. Supreme Court as composed June 30, 2022, to present. Front row, left to right: Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., and Associate Justice Elena Kagan. Back row, left to right: Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Associate Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, Associate Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, and Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. (Photo Credit: Fred Schilling, the U.S. Supreme Court)

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday upheld a portion of the Affordable Care Act requiring private health insurers to cover the cost of preventative care including PrEP, which significantly reduces the risk of transmitting HIV.

Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh authored the majority opinion in the case, Kennedy v. Braidwood Management. He was joined by two conservatives, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett, along with the three liberal justices, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown-Jackson.

The court’s decision rejected the plaintiffs’ challenge to the Affordable Care Act’s reliance on the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force to “unilaterally” determine which types of care and services must be covered by payors without cost-sharing.

An independent all-volunteer panel of nationally recognized experts in prevention and primary care, the 16 task force members are selected by the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to serve four-year terms.

They are responsible for evaluating the efficacy of counseling, screenings for diseases like cancer and diabetes, and preventative medicines — like Truvada for PrEP, drugs to reduce heart disease and strokes, and eye ointment for newborns to prevent infections.

Parties bringing the challenge objected especially to the mandatory coverage of PrEP, with some arguing the drugs would “encourage and facilitate homosexual behavior” against their religious beliefs.

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