National
Obama still evolving on marriage
President refers to married gay couples in HRC speech
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney (Blade file photo by Michael Key)
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Monday that President Obama continues to evolve on same-sex marriage.
Under questioning from the Washington Blade, Carney confirmed Obama remains in a state of evolution on the issue after he first said his views could change on the issue in October 2010.
“I don’t have an update for you on his position,” Carney said. “The remarks he made last year stand and I just don’t have anything new to add to that.”
Asked when this evolution might conclude, Carney repeated he doesn’t have “anything new.”
Obama first suggested his views on the issue could evolve in October 2010 during an interview with AMERICAblog’s Joe Sudbay. Some advocates have been pushing him to complete this evolution and publicly endorse same-sex marriage.
In 1996, Obama, during his bid to become an Illinois state senator, said in a questionnaire response to the Windy City Times, “I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages.”
On Saturday, questions emerged over whether Obama had come to support marriage equality when he gave the keynote speech at the 15th annual Human Rights Campaign National Dinner. The president made references to the enactment of same-sex marriage rights in New York as well as to the spouses of gay Americans without making an explicit endorsement of marriage equality.
At one point, when talking about progress, Obama said, “It happens when a father realizes he doesn’t just love her daughter, but also her wife.”
Carney dismissed any interpretation of those remarks as a hint that Obama now supports same-sex marriage.
“I would say that you’re over-interpreting remarks,” Carney said. “The president’s position on gay marriage is well known. The comments he made late last year about his views on it are well known, and I have no updates for you. I wouldn’t read into language there any change.”
Asked whether Obama’s comments referring to married gay couples at the dinner were disingenuous, Carney replied, “I think this president’s record on LGBT issues, his commitment to the rights of all Americans was evident on Saturday night both in his remarks and the response he got from the audience there, so I’ll leave it at that.”
Later on Monday, President Obama confirmed in an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos that he’s “still working” on his views on same-sex marriage.
According to the Associated Press, Obama said gay couples should at a minimum have strong civil unions, but he stopped short of backing marriage equality. Obama was quoted as saying friends, family and children of same-sex couples whom he knows who are thriving are influencing his evolving views.
A brief transcript of the exchange between the Blade and Carney follows:
Washington Blade: Jay, I’d like some clarification on some things the president said on Saturday during a speech before an LGBT audience at the Human Rights Campaign dinner.
When he was talking about the American Jobs Act, the president said, “You’re also folks who are worried about the economy and whether or not your partner or husband or wife will be able to find a job.” Later on, when talking about progress, he said, “It happens when a father realizes he doesn’t just love her daughter, but also her wife.”
Should I interpret those remarks to mean the president now supports same-sex marriage?
Jay Carney: I would say that you’re over-interpreting remarks. I would just leave it to you to analyze. The president’s position on gay marriage is well known. The comments he made late last year about his views on it are well known, and I have no updates for you. I wouldn’t read into language there any change.
Blade: But isn’t it disingenuous for the president to speak reverentially about these people’s spouses when he doesn’t support same-sex marriage?
Carney: Again, I’ll let the president address that question. I think this president’s record on LGBT issues, his commitment to the rights of all Americans was evident on Saturday night both in his remarks and the response he got from the audience there, so I’ll leave it at that.
Blade: We’re approaching the one-year anniversary when the president first said he could evolve on same-sex marriage. He said that late in October 2010 in an interview with progressive bloggers. Has that evolution been shelved or is it still on the table?
Carney: Again, I think I just answered that question. I don’t have an update for you on his position. The remarks he made last year stand and I just don’t have anything new to add to that.
Blade: But when will the evolution come to an end?
Carney: Again, I don’t have anything new to add to that.
Watch the video here (via Think Progress):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZXjWVdotl8&feature=player_embedded
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.
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