National
National news in brief: November 11
Annise Parker will return as Houston’s mayor, nation’s first out gay Republican African American mayor elected, and more on election night
Parker wins re-election as Houston mayor
HOUSTON — The lesbian mayor of Houston will not face a run-off after receiving 51 percent of the vote on Tuesday.
Houston became America’s largest city with an openly gay mayor in 2009 with the election of Annise Parker, the former city controller. In Tuesday’s race, Parker faced five opponents, making her one-round majority victory a notable achievement. Parker will be eligible to campaign for one more two-year term after this term is up in 2013.
Houston also elected to a brand new city council district openly gay attorney Mike Laster, the first openly gay man elected to city council, following Parker who became the first openly lesbian Houston City Council member in 1997. However, transgender Houston City Council candidate Jenifer Rene Pool did not join Parker and Laster in celebrating wins on Tuesday.
Holyoke elects nation’s youngest gay mayor
HOLYOKE, Mass. — A Springfield suburb of nearly 40,000 people elected the nation’s youngest openly gay mayor Tuesday.
ALSO FROM THE BLADE: GAY HERO AT GIFFORDS SHOOTING ELECTED TO ARIZ. SCHOOL BOARD
Alex Morse, 22, is a graduate of Brown University with a degree in urban studies, and — according to his campaign site — is the first college graduate in his family. According to the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, Morse founded ‘Holyoke for All,’ the city’s first LGBT non-profit organization, and was a member of the Massachusetts Governor’s LGBT Commission. Morse was also mentored by former Providence, R.I. Mayor and current Congressman David Cicilline.
Also Tuesday night, Chatham Borough, N.J. elected Bruce Harris mayor. He is likely the nation’s first openly gay, African-American Republican mayor, according to the Victory Fund.
Lesbian prevails in Charlotte Council race
CHARLOTTE — LaWana Mayfield made history Tuesday night, becoming the first openly LGBT city council member in Charlotte history.
According to North Carolina LGBT newspaper, QNotes, Democrat Mayfield defeated Republican Ed Toney 78-22 percent. She defeated controversial incumbent Democrat Warren Turner, who had been accused of sexual harassment last year by several female city employees.
In addition to Mayfield’s election, LGBT blog Pam’s House Blend is reporting anti-gay Durham N.C. mayoral candidate, Pastor Sylvester Williams was soundly defeated by incumbent Bill Bell. Williams is a major backer of an expected 2012 ballot initiative amending the N.C. Constitution to ban marriage for same-sex couples, and campaigned on a strong anti-gay platform.
ALSO FROM THE BLADE: VICTORY IN IOWA BLOW TO OPPONENTS OF SAME-SEX MARRIAGE RIGHTS
Traverse City to retain LGBT non-bias ordinance
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Residents of the northwest Michigan resort town of Traverse City voted by a 2-to-1 margin to retain a nondiscrimination ordinance containing explicit protections for LGBT citizens.
“The people of Traverse City have sent a clear message that they value their LGBT friends, neighbors, co-workers and family members and don’t want to see them left vulnerable to discrimination,” National Gay and Lesbian Task Force executive director, Rea Carey, said in a statement. “This victory creates a stronger and more welcoming city not only for LGBT people and their families, but for everyone.”
Gay candidates win big in local elections
WASHINGTON — A slew of LGBT election night wins swept the nation Tuesday night, with key city council wins in a handful of states.
Bilerico.com, an LGBT blog, announced late Tuesday Zach Adamson’s win in the at-large Indianapolis city council election, becoming the city’s first openly gay city council members. Adamson — a board member with Indiana Stonewall Democrats — was one of three openly gay candidates on the Indianapolis city council ballot, but appears to be the only candidate to cross the finish line.
LGBT activists are calling Michael Smith’s defeat of Largo, Fla., incumbent city commissioner Mary Gray Black a double sweet victory. Black led an effort to fire transgender former city manager Susan Stanton, who had been city manager for more than 14 years until her 2007 termination after announcing she was transitioning.
The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund also announced the election of Fund-endorsed candidate and out lesbian, Caitlin Copple to the Missoula, Mont. City Council, defeating an incumbent who voted against an LGBT non-discrimination ordinance. Also winning city council elections Tuesday night were openly gay candidates Chris Seelbach in Cincinnati and Ryan Mello in Tacoma, Wash.
READ MORE FOR LOCAL LGBT ELECTION NIGHT VICTORIES
Arizona
Shooting outside gay bar in Ariz. leaves three dead
Tucson police investigating double murder-suicide as a hate crime
Three people were fatally shot outside a gay bar in Tucson, Ariz., early Monday morning, about a mile from the city’s nightlife district.
Police have said the shooting, which took place in the parking lot of Venture-N bar at 1239 N. 6th Ave., was likely a hate crime and a double murder-suicide following a verbal altercation.
The suspect, Ousman Ceesay, allegedly shot Vincent Anthony Siqueiros and Cameron Davis Capara while they were outside the club around 12:30 a.m. Monday.
Reports show Capara and Siqueiros were pronounced dead at the scene. Ceesay died after being taken to a local hospital with gunshot wounds.
Police have also said that Ceesay was carrying a list of LGBTQ businesses at the time of the shooting.
Arizona Public Media has said police are investigating the case as a hate crime because the suspect was carrying a note containing the names of multiple LGBTQ-associated businesses.
“I am deeply saddened that another senseless loss of life has happened in our community,” Tucson Police Chief Monica Prieto said in a statement. “Bias-based crimes are especially heinous and have no place in our community.”
According to Prieto, there is no imminent threat to the community, and the Tucson Police Department is working to provide extra protection to various LGBTQ businesses across town.
Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva, who represents the area, issued a statement condemning the act of violence, which appears to have been at least in part motivated by homophobia.
“I am disgusted and deeply saddened to learn of a targeted act of hate and the cold-blooded murder of two members of our LGBTQIA+ community, Vincent Siqueiros and Cameron Capara, at the Venture-N bar in Tucson last night. This horrific attack is a painful reminder that even in welcoming communities like Tucson, hate and violence against the LGBTQIA+ community still exist.”
“When that hate is combined with easy access to firearms, the consequences can be deadly. I am sick and tired of Congress refusing to lift a finger to protect our communities while, every day, dozens of people are shot and killed across the country. It does not have to be this way. The House of Representatives is returning to session this week, and our first action should be passing common-sense gun safety reforms that we know can save lives.”
Other federal lawmakers also condemned the shooting.
The Congressional Equality Caucus, which is made up of federal legislators advancing LGBTQ interests, issued a statement after news broke.
“Our hearts are with the friends and loved ones of the victims of this devastating attack outside a Tucson gay bar and with the Tucson LGBTQI+ community,” it said on X. “No one should fear violence because of who they are — and we’re going to continue fighting to build a world where no one does.”
The Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ organization in the country, released a statement following the shooting.
“We are heartbroken by the loss of Vincent Anthony Siqueiros and Cameron Davis Capara and our hearts are with their families, loved ones, and the entire Tucson LGBTQ+ community. Once again, we are reminded that gun violence robs people of their lives, destroys families, and devastates communities.”
A candlelight vigil honoring the victims is planned for Sept. 2 at 6:30 p.m. at Catalina Park in North Tucson.
Congress
HRC president campaigns for Chris Pappas in NH
Gay congressman running to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen
Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson on Sunday campaigned for U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) in New Hampshire.
Robinson traveled to Manchester, the state’s largest city, nine days before the Sept. 8 primary that will determine who will vie for retiring U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.)’s seat.
We’re hitting the pavement across New Hampshire to fight for a freer, fairer future for everyone.
Glad to have Human Rights Campaign President @KelleyJRobinson join us for a canvass launch in Manchester today. pic.twitter.com/XWCEaQxy4o
— Chris Pappas (@ChrisPappasNH) August 30, 2026
Former U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu, who represented New Hampshire in the U.S. Senate from 2003-2009, will face off against former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, who represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate from 2010-2013, in the Republican primary.
Karishma Manzur is among the Democrats challenging Pappas.
A poll the University of New Hampshire Survey Center released on Aug. 26 shows Sununu is ahead of Brown. The same survey shows Pappas ahead of Manzur and his other Democratic challengers.
The UNH Survey Center poll shows Sununu ahead of Pappas by a 45-43 percent margin if they were to face off in the general election. The margin of error is +/-2.1 percent.
Pappas would become the first openly gay man elected to the U.S. Senate if he were to win in November.
National
Milo Yiannopoulos deported to UK
ICE arrested far-right provocateur in New Orleans on Thursday
Editor’s note: The Department of Homeland Security on Saturday said Milo Yiannopoulos has been deported to the U.K.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Thursday arrested far-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos.
A DHS spokesperson in a statement sent to the Washington Blade said ICE arrested Yiannopoulos, who they described as “an illegal alien from the United Kingdom,” at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
The DHS spokesperson said Yiannopoulos “legally entered the country” in New York on May 14, 2019.
“He chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation’s laws,” said the spokesperson.
The DHS spokesperson said an immigration judge on July 22 “issued a final order of removal” for Yiannopoulos “after failing to show up for his immigration hearing.” The Times-Picayune newspaper in New Orleans on Friday reported Yiannopoulos is being held at an ICE detention center in Alexandria, La., which is about 200 miles northwest of the Crescent City.
“He will remain in ICE custody pending removal,” said the DHS spokesperson.
Yiannopoulos has, among other things, repeatedly targeted transgender people and Muslims.
The American Conservative Union, which organizes the annual Conversative Political Action Conference, in 2017 disinvited Yiannopoulos from speaking at that year’s CPAC after a video in which he appeared to condone sex between adults and underage boys emerged. Yiannopoulos subsequently resigned from Breitbart News, a far-right news website, where he had been a senior editor.
Yiannopoulos later that year married his boyfriend in Hawaii. The far-right provocateur in 2021 claimed he was an “ex-gay.”
The Australian government in 2019 banned Yiannopoulos from entering the country “on character grounds.” Yiannopoulos was also banned from Facebook, Twitter (now X), and other social media platforms.

The Times-Picayune reported Yiannopoulos “most recently worked for” Ye, formerly known as Kanye West.
The controversial rapper is scheduled to perform in New Orleans on Friday.
Laura Loomer, a far-right conspiracy theorist who is close to President Donald Trump, has called for Yiannopoulos’s deportation. Loomer on Friday wrote on X that she “reported him to ICE and the FBI” after he “called for me to be assassinated.”
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