National
National news in brief: September 9
Calif. Gov Brown to sign two LGBT bills, Pentagon to allow gay military magazine on bases, Mistrial in Lawrence King murder and Salt Lake City man survives brutal bashing outside club
Gov. Jerry Brown is expected to sign two LGBT bills into law. (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)
Gov. Jerry Brown is expected to sign two LGBT bills into law. (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)
Calif. Gov. Brown to sign 2 pro-LGBT bills
SACRAMENTO — Two major LGBT bills are headed to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk for signature. The first, ‘Seth’s Law,’ is an anti-bullying bill that would establish anti-harassment policies and programs at all California schools meeting specific criteria.
A second bill would mandate California colleges collect sexual orientation and gender identity data, and designate staff to address the needs of LGBT students on campus, according to Equality California. The law would also require public colleges and universities to include a policy on harassment and intimidation as part of its student code of conduct.
‘Seth’s Law’ is named for Seth Walsh, a California teen who hanged himself after being tormented by anti-gay bullying last year. Both bills are expected to be signed into law.
White House honors Trevor Project, GLSEN
WASHINGTON — Two LGBT non-profits were honored by the White House in a ceremony last week as ‘Champions of Change.’
The Obama administration initiative honors Americans combating some of society’s biggest problems. The Trevor Project, which works to stop LGBT teen suicide and challenge bullying in schools and in sports was honored along with the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network, which works in schools to educate the public on the needs and challenges of LGBT youth.
GLSEN Executive Director Eliza Byard and Trevor Project interim Executive Director and C.E.O. David McFarland received the award on behalf of each of their organizations.
Pentagon to allow gay, lesbian magazine on bases
WASHINGTON — According to the Washington Post, OutServe the magazine will go on sale Sept. 20 at U.S. military bases with the Pentagon’s blessing.
The magazine — which is targeted specifically to enlisted lesbians and gays — is published by the gay and lesbian active duty service members organization that launched last year with the help of social networks, like Facebook. The organization boasts nearly 4,000 members.
Mistrial declared in Lawrence King murder trial
LOS ANGELES — A mistrial was declared after a jury was unable to reach a verdict in the trial of the 17-year-old teen accused of murdering 15-year-old Lawrence King in February 2008.
The heavily scrutinized trial of Brandon McInerney had to be moved to Los Angeles due to the media attention surrounding the shooting of the young gay student, according to news blog FireDogLake. During the eight weeks of testimony, the jury heard from nearly 100 witnesses, with the defense leaning heavily on what is known as the “gay panic defense,” in which a defendant claims he or she acted in a state of violent temporary insanity because of “homosexual panic.”
McInerney brought a gun to school and shot the victim in the back of the head twice at point blank range allegedly after King began wearing makeup to school. McInerney apparently also warned a friend he would be committing the act the day before.
Man ‘curb stomped’ outside Salt Lake City club
SALT LAKE CITY — A gay 20-year-old Salt Lake City man spent four days hospitalized, lost six teeth, and suffered a broken jaw as the result of a brutal attack that included what is called a “curb stomp” outside of a Salt Lake City club.
According to Q Salt Lake magazine, Dane Hall was leaving Club Sound, which is gay themed on Friday nights, when he was attacked by four men wearing red shouting anti-gay slurs. After repeated punches and kicks, one of the assailants positioned Hall’s open mouth on the street curb, and kicked the back of his head, knocking out the teeth, while the others kicked Hall in the abdomen. The assailants stole $40 and Hall’s identification.
A similar attack occurred at the same spot in April, but calls made from the cell phone stolen in that incident did not lead the police to the assailants. Both cases remain open.
A fund to cover Hall’s $30,000 in medical expenses has been set up at a local bank, and both Club Sound and a neighboring bar are holding benefits to raise money for Hall’s medical bills.
National
Queen Jean is Tony’s first transgender winner
Designer/activist wins for work on ‘Cats: The Jellicle Ball’
It was a historic night at the 79th annual Tony Awards on Sunday as Queen Jean won the award for Best Costume Design of a Musical, making her the first out transgender person to win a Tony.
“This experience has been monumental. We are here for the legacy of queer people, trans people,” she said. “We are taking up space in ways we have to take up space. We have to shift the paradigm. So I just want to say, thank you all so much for this incredible honor. The world right now is deeply, deeply combating so many ailments, and we know as a society that when we come together, we can make real, permanent change.”
She won the award for her work on “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” and was also nominated for best costume design of a play for “Liberation.”
In addition to her stage work, Queen Jean is the founder of Black Trans Liberation, an organization that supports trans and gender-nonconforming people in New York City.
National
Madonna turns Times Square into massive dance floor
Pop icon celebrates Pride month with surprise performance
Pop icon Madonna celebrated Pride month with a pop-up performance in New York City’s Times Square on Thursday to the delight of 50,000 fans.
She performed for about 15 minutes high above street level, including several songs from her new album “Confessions II” due on July 3, along with a trio of songs from the first “Confessions on a Dance Floor.”
In addition to the brand new “Love Sensation,” she performed “I Feel So Free” and “Bring Your Love,” plus “Hung Up,” “Get Together” and “I Love New York.” She wished the crowd a happy Pride season; the event was shared with audiences through Grindr’s first-ever livestream.
National
Gallup finds LGBTQ support among Americans is dropping
Marriage equality support lowest since 2016
Gallup, one of the leading organizations in public opinion polling, has found that LGBTQ support among Americans is dropping.
The poll, whose data was collected using Gallup’s annual Values and Beliefs survey, was conducted in May and was published on Wednesday. The data was collected through telephone interviews from a sample of more than 1,000 adults living in all 50 states and D.C. using random digit dialing.
It highlights declining attitudes surrounding LGBTQ issues in multiple areas — from support for same-sex marriage to views on gender identity and the morality of one’s sexuality.
One of the most striking findings was that support for marriage equality fell six points from its 2022-2023 high.
The survey also found that 62 percent of Americans view gay and lesbian relations as morally acceptable, the lowest level since 2016 just after same-sex marriage was legalized nationwide by the U.S. Supreme Court.
One newer question on the poll found that the perceived morality of changing one’s gender has dropped eight points since 2021, indicating the American public is less supportive of transgender people.
The data attributes much of the decline to shifting Republican views alongside the party itself. Conservative leaders have pushed back against diversity, equity, and inclusion programs that were intended to foster greater acceptance of LGBTQ people and other historically disadvantaged groups.
President Donald Trump has been a guiding force behind waves of anti-LGBTQ sentiment, particularly when it comes to trans rights. The president has enacted multiple executive orders, including Executive Order 14168, “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” which mandates that gender be defined by one’s sex assigned at birth. He also signed Executive Order 14183, “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness,” which barred qualified trans applicants from joining the military and led to the removal of trans service members already serving in the armed forces.
Additionally, he signed Executive Order 14201, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” which prohibits trans female athletes from participating on women’s and girls’ sports teams.
In February, Gallup found that an estimated 9 percent of Americans identified as part of the LGBTQ community in some form.
The organization also found that 23 percent of adults under age 30 identify as LGBTQ, compared with 10 percent of those ages 30 to 49 and 3 percent or less among those ages 50 and older.
Rehoboth’s Pride on the Bay set for June 27
Blade editor inducted into D.C. Society of Professional Journalists Hall of Fame
Pride in a new world order
McDuffie on LGBTQ support and standing up to Trump
PHOTOS: Fairfax City Pride
Controversial ‘Blue Film’ pushes past taboos for gripping drama
Timothy Nelson on the premiere of his opera ‘Song of Sakuntala’
PHOTOS: ‘Soul Divas’
‘Mighty Real’ explores history of LGBTQ music
