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Quinn: More work on LGBT issues needed in N.Y.

NYC Council speaker calls lack of trans protections ‘not acceptable’

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Gay News, Washington Blade, Christine Quinn

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (Photo by Thomas Good)

HOUSTON — For lesbian New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the passage of a same-sex marriage law in New York was a big win, but she acknowledges that more work on LGBT issues is needed.

“It passed in a pretty low time in our economy and a tough time for the city and state, and what I’ve noticed is wherever I go in the city — even still — people are happy,” Quinn told the Washington Blade. “You go to senior centers, they’re still congratulating me. It’s really created, I think, a lot of joy and a stronger sense of community in the city.”

Quinn made the remarks during the 27th International Gay & Lesbian Leadership Conference — sponsored by the Gay & Lesbian Leadership Institute — after a panel session titled “Victory in New York: A Model for Success,” in which participants discussed the strategy that led to the enactment of same-sex marriage in New York.

Despite that victory, one key piece of pro-LGBT state legislation that still hasn’t passed in New York is GENDA, or the Gender Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would institute non-discrimination protections for transgender people in the private workforce.

Quinn noted that New York City has transgender protections, but called the lack of statutory protections at the state level “simply not acceptable.”

“So I think we can be simultaneously happy, proud of ourselves, but not satisfied because we have more work to do, and GENDA is top of that list,” Quinn said.

Quinn added she’s “optimistic” that transgender employment protections will pass “very soon” in the New York Legislature because Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) — credited with leading the marriage fight in New York — supports the measure.

Other advancements Quinn is seeking on LGBT issues include a reduction in hate crimes, additional funding for LGBT organizations and effective implementation of the Dignity for All Schools Act, a law that bars bullying in schools, including on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Asked about President Obama’s lack of support for marriage equality, Quinn said she’s unhappy with anyone who doesn’t support marriage rights for gay couples, but commends those who say they could evolve on the issue — which Obama has done.

“I applaud people who are open to discussing, thinking and evolving, and the president is certainly in that category, but I want him to fully get there,” Quinn said.

Quinn, who’s expected to run for mayor of New York City in 2013, declined to say whether she would pursue the office.

Pressed further on the implications of having an openly lesbian mayor of the nation’s largest city, Quinn said an openly LGBT person winning elected office anywhere is a “step forward.”

“I think anytime somebody who’s openly LGBT gets elected to office — whatever office that is, whatever city, state, town that’s in — it is helpful to moving LGBT issues forward, and all civil and human rights issues forward,” Quinn said. “What city it is, what position it is doesn’t matter. Anytime it happens, it’s a step forward for everybody.”

A transcript of the interview with Quinn follows:

Washington Blade: You’ve had marriage equality in New York State for quite a few months now. How do you think that has changed New York City?

Christine Quinn: I think the thing that’s most fun about marriage equality passing is how happy it has made people. It passed in a pretty low time in our economy and a tough time for the city and state, and what I’ve noticed is wherever I go in the city — even still — people are happy. You go to senior centers, they’re still congratulating me. It’s really created, I think, a lot of joy and a stronger sense of community in the city.

Blade: Marriage equality is a big win, but statutory protections for transgender people in the workplace remains outstanding in the State of New York. Do you have any —

Quinn: Absolutely. Our work is not done. We have the GENDA in New York City; we don’t have it in New York State. And that’s simply not acceptable, so I think we can be simultaneously happy, proud of ourselves, but not satisfied because we have more work to do, and GENDA is top of that list.

Blade: I know you’re not in Albany, but are you able to make a prediction for when you think we will see those protections put in place?

Quinn: I’m optimistic that GENDA will be passed very soon. The governor, who is incredibly popular and incredibly effective, is supportive. He was one of the key differences in getting marriage, so I’m very optimistic it’ll be in the near future.

Blade: Are there any other LGBT issues you want to see addressed either at the state or city level?

Quinn: We have to find ways to reduce hate crimes against all people — particularly people who are perceived to be LGBT.

Our statewide advocacy group, the [Empire State] Pride Agenda, has done a lot of great work around funding for LGBT organizations. Our organizations are funded at a disproportionately low percentage compared to others. That health and human service work has to continue.

And we have a big “to-do” on our list, which is to get to the Dignity for All Schools Act implemented effectively over the next couple years. So that’s just a few.

Blade: What’s your take on the presidential race, and as a Democrat do you have a favorite candidate among the Republicans?

Quinn: My favorite candidate is President Obama. And he’s going to win re-election, and I think the Republicans make it clearer every day of the week that there is no one worth supporting on their side.

Blade: At the federal level, we’ve seen a lot of advances, but President Obama has yet to support marriage equality. Does that disappoint you?

Quinn: I’m disappointed in anybody who doesn’t agree with us in marriage equality. That said, I applaud people who are open to discussing, thinking and evolving, and the president is certainly in that category, but I want him to fully get there.

Blade: I’m sure a lot of people are asking you this, but I’m going to take a stab at it here. Are you going to run for mayor in 2013?

Quinn: There’s more time to talk about that, but thank you for asking me all the legislative questions.

Blade: One last question for you. Hypothetically speaking, what do you think would be the implications of having an openly lesbian mayor of the nation’s largest city?

Quinn: Look, I think anytime somebody who’s openly LGBT gets elected to office — whatever office that is, whatever city, state, town that’s in — it is helpful to moving LGBT issues forward, and all civil and human rights issues forward. What city it is, what position it is doesn’t matter. Anytime it happens, it’s a step forward for everybody.

Blade: Thank you so much, Madam Speaker.

Watch the video of the interview here:

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Federal Government

RFK Jr.’s HHS report pushes therapy, not medical interventions, for trans youth

‘Discredited junk science’ — GLAAD

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HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

A 409-page report released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services challenges the ethics of medical interventions for youth experiencing gender dysphoria, the treatments that are often collectively called gender-affirming care, instead advocating for psychotherapy alone.

The document comes in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order barring the federal government from supporting gender transitions for anyone younger than 19.

“Our duty is to protect our nation’s children — not expose them to unproven and irreversible medical interventions,” National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya said in a statement. “We must follow the gold standard of science, not activist agendas.”

While the report does not constitute clinical guidance, its findings nevertheless conflict with not just the recommendations of LGBTQ advocacy groups but also those issued by organizations with relevant expertise in science and medicine.

The American Medical Association, for instance, notes that “empirical evidence has demonstrated that trans and non-binary gender identities are normal variations of human identity and expression.”

Gender-affirming care for transgender youth under standards widely used in the U.S. includes supportive talk therapy along with — in some but not all cases — puberty blockers or hormone treatment.

“The suggestion that someone’s authentic self and who they are can be ‘changed’ is discredited junk science,” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement. “This so-called guidance is grossly misleading and in direct contrast to the recommendation of every leading health authority in the world. This report amounts to nothing more than forcing the same discredited idea of conversion therapy that ripped families apart and harmed gay, lesbian, and bisexual young people for decades.”

GLAAD further notes that the “government has not released the names of those involved in consulting or authoring this report.”

Janelle Perez, executive director of LPAC, said, “For decades, every major medical association–including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics–have affirmed that medical care is the only safe and effective treatment for transgender youth experiencing gender dysphoria.

“This report is simply promoting conversion therapy by a different name – and the American people know better. We know that conversion therapy isn’t actually therapy – it isolates and harms kids, scapegoats parents, and divides families through blame and rejection. These tactics have been used against gay kids for decades, and now the same people want to use them against transgender youth and their families.

“The end result here will be a devastating denial of essential health care for transgender youth, replaced by a dangerous practice that every major U.S. medical and mental health association agree promotes anxiety, depression, and increased risk of suicidal thoughts and attempts.

“Like being gay or lesbian, being transgender is not a choice, and no amount of pressure can force someone to change who they are. We also know that 98% of people who receive transition-related health care continue to receive that health care throughout their lifetime. Trans health care is health care.”

“Today’s report seeks to erase decades of research and learning, replacing it with propaganda. The claims in today’s report would rip health care away from kids and take decision-making out of the hands of parents,” said Shannon Minter, legal director of NCLR. “It promotes the same kind of conversion therapy long used to shame LGBTQ+ people into hating themselves for being unable to change something they can’t change.”

“Like being gay or lesbian, being transgender is not a choice—it’s rooted in biology and genetics,” Minter said. “No amount or talk or pressure will change that.” 

Human Rights Campaign Chief of Staff Jay Brown released a statement: “Trans people are who we are. We’re born this way. And we deserve to live our best lives and have a fair shot and equal opportunity at living a good life.

“This report misrepresents the science that has led all mainstream American medical and mental health professionals to declare healthcare for transgender youth to be best practice and instead follows a script predetermined not by experts but by Sec. Kennedy and anti-equality politicians.”




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The White House

Trump nominates Mike Waltz to become next UN ambassador

Former Fla. congressman had been national security advisor

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U.N. headquarters in New York (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

President Donald Trump on Thursday announced he will nominate Mike Waltz to become the next U.S. ambassador to the U.N.

Waltz, a former Florida congressman, had been the national security advisor.

Trump announced the nomination amid reports that Waltz and his deputy, Alex Wong, were going to leave the administration after Waltz in March added a journalist to a Signal chat in which he, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and other officials discussed plans to attack Houthi rebels in Yemen.

“I am pleased to announce that I will be nominating Mike Waltz to be the next United States ambassador to the United Nations,” said Trump in a Truth Social post that announced Waltz’s nomination. “From his time in uniform on the battlefield, in Congress and, as my National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our nation’s Interests first. I know he will do the same in his new role.”

Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as interim national security advisor, “while continuing his strong leadership at the State Department.”

“Together, we will continue to fight tirelessly to make America, and the world, safe again,” said Trump.

Trump shortly after his election nominated U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) to become the next U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Trump in March withdrew her nomination in order to ensure Republicans maintained their narrow majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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U.S. Federal Courts

Second federal lawsuit filed against White House passport policy

Two of seven plaintiffs live in Md.

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Lambda Legal on April 25 filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of seven transgender and nonbinary people who are challenging the Trump-Vance administration’s passport policy.

The lawsuit, which Lambda Legal filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland in Baltimore, alleges the policy that bans the State Department from issuing passports with “X” gender markers “has caused and is causing grave and immediate harm to transgender people like plaintiffs, in violation of their constitutional rights to equal protection.”

Two of the seven plaintiffs — Jill Tran and Peter Poe — live in Maryland. The State Department, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and the federal government are defendants.

“The discriminatory passport policy exposes transgender U.S. citizens to harassment, abuse, and discrimination, in some cases endangering them abroad or preventing them from traveling, by forcing them to use identification documents that share private information against their wishes,” said Lambda Legal in a press release.

Zander Schlacter, a New York-based textile artist and designer, is the lead plaintiff.

The lawsuit notes he legally changed his name and gender in New York.

Schlacter less than a week before President Donald Trump’s inauguration “sent an expedited application to update his legal name on his passport, using form DS-5504.”

Trump once he took office signed an executive order that banned the State Department from issuing passports with “X” gender markers. The lawsuit notes Schlacter received his new passport in February.

“The passport has his correct legal name, but now has an incorrect sex marker of ‘F’ or ‘female,'” notes the lawsuit. “Mr. Schlacter also received a letter from the State Department notifying him that ‘the date of birth, place of birth, name, or sex was corrected on your passport application,’ with ‘sex’ circled in red. The stated reason was ‘to correct your information to show your biological sex at birth.'”

“I, like many transgender people, experience fear of harassment or violence when moving through public spaces, especially where a photo ID is required,” said Schlacter in the press release that announced the lawsuit. “My safety is further at risk because of my inaccurate passport. I am unwilling to subject myself and my family to the threat of harassment and discrimination at the hands of border officials or anyone who views my passport.”

Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken in June 2021 announced the State Department would begin to issue gender-neutral passports and documents for American citizens who were born overseas.

Dana Zzyym, an intersex U.S. Navy veteran who identifies as nonbinary, in 2015 filed a federal lawsuit against the State Department after it denied their application for a passport with an “X” gender marker. Zzyym in October 2021 received the first gender-neutral American passport.

Lambda Legal represented Zzyym.

The State Department policy took effect on April 11, 2022.

Trump signed his executive order shortly after he took office in January. Germany, Denmark, Finland, and the Netherlands are among the countries that have issued travel advisories for trans and nonbinary people who plan to visit the U.S.

A federal judge in Boston earlier this month issued a preliminary injunction against the executive order.  The American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit on behalf of seven trans and nonbinary people.

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