National
Still no answer on ENDA executive order
Carney says he’ll look into why order hasn’t been issued
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney (Blade file photo by Michael Key)
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney declined to provide an immediate answer Monday as to why President Obama hasn’t taken administrative action to institute non-discrimination protections for LGBT people in the workplace.
In response to a question from the Washington Blade, Carney said he could look into the issue of what might be preventing President Obama from issuing an executive order prohibiting federal dollars from going to companies that don’t have non-discrimination protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
“I don’t have anything new for you on that, so I don’t have probably an answer that will move that story along for you,” Carney said. “But if you want to ask me, I can look into it for you.”
Carney has been asked about such a directive before and what Obama is doing to provide LGBT workers with non-discrimination protections, but the White House hasn’t said whether the president would issue the executive order.
In response to a request to follow up on Carney’s comments, Shin Inouye, a White House spokesperson, said later Monday via e-mail, “We have no updates for you.”
Obama supports legislation known as the Employment Non-Discrimation Act, which would prohibit job bias against LGBT workers in most situations in the private and public workforce. But the legislation is unlikely to pass as long as Republicans remain in control of the House.
The executive order has been seen as interim alternative to the passage of ENDA as well as an alternate way to protect LGBT workers against discrimination in the workplace. The executive order would provide recourse through the Department of Labor while ENDA would provide recourse through the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
A transcript of the exchange between the Blade and Carney follows:
Washington Blade: I want to follow up on what I asked you about earlier on the lack of federal non-discrimination protections for LGBT people in the workplace. The president supports legislation known as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act that would address this issue, but he can also take administration action. He can issue an executive order saying federal dollars won’t go to contractors that don’t have their own non-discrimination protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity. If the president supports legislation to address this issue, what’s stopping him from issuing an executive order that would move toward the same goal?
Jay Carney: Chris, I don’t have anything new for you on that, so I don’t have probably an answer that will move that story along for you. But if you want to ask me, I can look into it for you.
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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