Connect with us

National

Takano on path to make history in Calif. race

Democrat would be first out gay person of color in Congress

Published

on

U.S. House candidate Mark Takano (photo courtesy Takano campaign)

Mark Takano is poised to make history.

The openly gay congressional candidate is the only Democrat running in a newly created Democratic-leaning district in California. And if he wins in November 2012, the 51-year-old Japanese-American would become the first openly gay person of color elected to Congress.

“The significance of that achievement is the unique voice that an openly gay member of Congress of color can bring to the House floor and the House committee rooms,” Takano said in an interview with the Washington Blade. “It’s a double-awareness of what it means to be vulnerable.”

Takano said this “double-awareness” comes as a result of the discrimination that both Japanese-Americans and LGBT Americans have faced in this country.

In 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt issued an executive order placing an estimated 110,000 Japanese-Americans in internment camps as the United States battled Japan during World War II. Takano said his parents and grandparents were among those who were interned, and his grandmother lost the property she owned as a result of the government’s action.

The U.S. government eventually apologized for its actions. In 1988, Congress passed and President Reagan signed legislation apologizing for the internment and disbursing more than $1.6 billion to Japanese-Americans who had been interned and their heirs. Takano said he believes the LGBT community will achieve a similar victory in reaching full legal equality.

“They were able to right the wrong by passing the Japanese-American redress bill,” Takano said. “Watching that example gives me faith that the LGBT community is also going to prevail in their quest for full inclusion and full equality. Because I’ve watched it happen.”

Takano said he expects to take the Employment Non-Discrimination Act over the finish line during his tenure in Congress. He also said he wants to work toward repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act and passage of the Uniting American Families Act.

His election to Congress would also help maintain the level of LGBT representation in the House. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), the longest-serving openly gay U.S. House member, announced in November that he won’t seek a 17th term in office. Lesbian Rep. Tammy Baldwin is leaving the House to pursue a run for U.S. Senate.

That leaves Reps. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) and David Cicilline (D-R.I.) as the only incumbent openly gay U.S. House members. Mark Pocan, another openly gay candidate, is seeking to win the seat that Baldwin is vacating.

Reflecting on Frank’s retirement, Takano said he feels a tinge of sadness that he won’t be able to serve alongside the Massachusetts Democrat.

“I really hoped as the first openly gay member of Congress who is a person of color that I get to serve with the openly gay member of Congress who’s the most colorful,” Takano joked.

He said Frank’s departure should instill a “sense of urgency” in the LGBT community in the upcoming election to maintain the number of openly LGBT people in Congress.

“If we’re going to move the agenda forward, it’s going to mean that we’re going to have to ensure that we keep the members there and increase our numbers this year,” Takano said. “We have an opportunity to do so.”

But the No. 1 priority for Takano if he’s elected to represent California’s 41st congressional district is addressing what he calls the “disastrous unemployment situation” in the country. According to the Labor Department, the national unemployment stands at 8.6 percent, which is down from recent months but still a high rate of joblessness.

Takano said that has been the top concern of the donors he’s spoken to — including LGBT donors — as he makes the case for his candidacy.

“This is a very dangerous situation for the nation to continue to have this unemployment because it threatens social stability and democratic institutions,” Takano said. “If it lasts too long, we’ll see the danger of extremist politics. I have concerns that vulnerable minorities will be in danger, so as LGBT Americans, we have a strong interest in making sure that we get all Americans back to work.”

A public school teacher for 23 years specializing in British literature, Takano also said education issues are of concern to him and he wants to reduce the high-school drop out rate while increasing the numbers of students attending college. He also said his district suffers from air pollution and he wants to be an environmental advocate in Congress.

Takano is no stranger to public service. In 1990, he was elected to the Riverside Community College District’s Board of Trustees and has served on that body since then. In 2001, Takano helped shepherd through the board a measure enabling Riverside Community College employees to have domestic partner benefits.

The candidate also made earlier attempts at winning a congressional House seat. In 1992, he defeated six contenders to win the Democratic nomination for then-California’s 43rd Congressional District. Takano didn’t succeed in the general election, but lost by fewer than 550 votes against Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) in one of the closest congressional elections in California history. Takano made another unsuccessful attempt at running for the seat in 1994.

Takano is likely to claim the Democratic nomination in the congressional race. The deadline for filing is March 9, and no other Democrat has yet to enter the race. Odds are also good for Takano in the general election. The 41st congressional district is new, but had it existed in 2008, President Obama would have won there by 20 points.

Still, even though the district is Democratic-leaning, Takano isn’t in the clear because he’ll be up against a Republican opponent. Riverside County Supervisor John Tavaglione has thrown his hat into the race.

The Human Rights Campaign, the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and gay Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) have already endorsed Takano. During a recent trip to D.C., Takano also secured endorsements from retiring gay Rep. Frank as well as members of the House Democratic leadership, including Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).

Jennifer Crider, a Pelosi spokesperson, said of the Democratic leader’s endorsement of Takano, “She supports Mark Takano because he is committed to reigniting the American dream by getting people back to work, helping them stay in their homes and building strong small businesses. He will be a great representative of his district as well as the LGBT and Asian-American communities.”

Additionally, Takano also won the endorsement of fellow Japanese-American Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), the most senior U.S. senator. Takano said Inouye’s support is significant because the senator rarely endorses a Democratic candidate before a primary is held.

In a statement provided to the Washington Blade, Inouye said, “Mark Takano has served this newly created congressional District as a classroom teacher, college board trustee and community leader for more than two decades. As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives I am confident that Mark will work hard to create quality jobs, improve public education and preserve national security.  I have known Mark for some time and I am pleased to endorse his campaign for Congress.”

 

Advertisement
FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM
SIGN UP FOR E-BLAST

U.S. Supreme Court

Supreme Court to consider bans on trans athletes in school sports

27 states have passed laws limiting participation in athletics programs

Published

on

U.S. Supreme Court (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear two cases involving transgender youth challenging bans prohibiting them from participating in school sports.

In Little v. Hecox, plaintiffs represented by the ACLU, Legal Voice, and the law firm Cooley are challenging Idaho’s 2020 ban, which requires sex testing to adjudicate questions of an athlete’s eligibility.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals described the process in a 2023 decision halting the policy’s enforcement pending an outcome in the litigation. The “sex dispute verification process, whereby any individual can ‘dispute’ the sex of any female student athlete in the state of Idaho,” the court wrote, would “require her to undergo intrusive medical procedures to verify her sex, including gynecological exams.”

In West Virginia v. B.P.J., Lambda Legal, the ACLU, the ACLU of West Virginia, and Cooley are representing a trans middle school student challenging the Mountain State’s 2021 ban on trans athletes.

The plaintiff was participating in cross country when the law was passed, taking puberty blockers that would have significantly reduced the chances that she could have a physiological advantage over cisgender peers.

“Like any other educational program, school athletic programs should be accessible for everyone regardless of their sex or transgender status,” said Joshua Block, senior counsel for the ACLU’s LGBTQ and HIV Project. “Trans kids play sports for the same reasons their peers do — to learn perseverance, dedication, teamwork, and to simply have fun with their friends,” Block said.

He added, “Categorically excluding kids from school sports just because they are transgender will only make our schools less safe and more hurtful places for all youth. We believe the lower courts were right to block these discriminatory laws, and we will continue to defend the freedom of all kids to play.”

“Our client just wants to play sports with her friends and peers,” said Lambda Legal Senior Counsel Tara Borelli. “Everyone understands the value of participating in team athletics, for fitness, leadership, socialization, and myriad other benefits.”

Borelli continued, “The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit last April issued a thoughtful and thorough ruling allowing B.P.J. to continue participating in track events. That well-reasoned decision should stand the test of time, and we stand ready to defend it.”

Shortly after taking control of both legislative chambers, Republican members of Congress tried — unsuccessfully — to pass a national ban like those now enforced in 27 states since 2020.

Continue Reading

Federal Government

UPenn erases Lia Thomas’s records as part of settlement with White House

University agreed to ban trans women from women’s sports teams

Published

on

U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon (Screen capture: C-SPAN)

In a settlement with the Trump-Vance administration announced on Tuesday, the University of Pennsylvania will ban transgender athletes from competing and erase swimming records set by transgender former student Lia Thomas.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights found the university in violation of Title IX, the federal rights law barring sex based discrimination in educational institutions, by “permitting males to compete in women’s intercollegiate athletics and to occupy women-only intimate facilities.”

The statement issued by University of Pennsylvania President J. Larry Jameson highlighted how the law’s interpretation was changed substantially under President Donald Trump’s second term.

“The Department of Education OCR investigated the participation of one transgender athlete on the women’s swimming team three years ago, during the 2021-2022 swim season,” he wrote. “At that time, Penn was in compliance with NCAA eligibility rules and Title IX as then interpreted.”

Jameson continued, “Penn has always followed — and continues to follow — Title IX and the applicable policy of the NCAA regarding transgender athletes. NCAA eligibility rules changed in February 2025 with Executive Orders 14168 and 14201 and Penn will continue to adhere to these new rules.”

Writing that “we acknowledge that some student-athletes were disadvantaged by these rules” in place while Thomas was allowed to compete, the university president added, “We recognize this and will apologize to those who experienced a competitive disadvantage or experienced anxiety because of the policies in effect at the time.”

“Today’s resolution agreement with UPenn is yet another example of the Trump effect in action,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. “Thanks to the leadership of President Trump, UPenn has agreed both to apologize for its past Title IX violations and to ensure that women’s sports are protected at the university for future generations of female athletes.”

Under former President Joe Biden, the department’s Office of Civil Rights sought to protect against anti-LGBTQ discrimination in education, bringing investigations and enforcement actions in cases where school officials might, for example, require trans students to use restrooms and facilities consistent with their birth sex or fail to respond to peer harassment over their gender identity.

Much of the legal reasoning behind the Biden-Harris administration’s positions extended from the 2020 U.S. Supreme Court case Bostock v. Clayton County, which found that sex-based discrimination includes that which is based on sexual orientation or gender identity under Title VII rules covering employment practices.

The Trump-Vance administration last week put the state of California on notice that its trans athlete policies were, or once were, in violation of Title IX, which comes amid the ongoing battle with Maine over the same issue.

Continue Reading

New York

Two teens shot steps from Stonewall Inn after NYC Pride parade

One of the victims remains in critical condition

Published

on

The Stonewall National Memorial in New York on June 19, 2024. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

On Sunday night, following the annual NYC Pride March, two girls were shot in Sheridan Square, feet away from the historic Stonewall Inn.

According to an NYPD report, the two girls, aged 16 and 17, were shot around 10:15 p.m. as Pride festivities began to wind down. The 16-year-old was struck in the head and, according to police sources, is said to be in critical condition, while the 17-year-old was said to be in stable condition.

The Washington Blade confirmed with the NYPD the details from the police reports and learned no arrests had been made as of noon Monday.

The shooting took place in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, mere feet away from the most famous gay bar in the city — if not the world — the Stonewall Inn. Earlier that day, hundreds of thousands of people marched down Christopher Street to celebrate 55 years of LGBTQ people standing up for their rights.

In June 1969, after police raided the Stonewall Inn, members of the LGBTQ community pushed back, sparking what became known as the Stonewall riots. Over the course of two days, LGBTQ New Yorkers protested the discriminatory policing of queer spaces across the city and mobilized to speak out — and throw bottles if need be — at officers attempting to suppress their existence.

The following year, LGBTQ people returned to the Stonewall Inn and marched through the same streets where queer New Yorkers had been arrested, marking the first “Gay Pride March” in history and declaring that LGBTQ people were not going anywhere.

New York State Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, whose district includes Greenwich Village, took to social media to comment on the shooting.

“After decades of peaceful Pride celebrations — this year gun fire and two people shot near the Stonewall Inn is a reminder that gun violence is everywhere,” the lesbian lawmaker said on X. “Guns are a problem despite the NRA BS.”

Continue Reading

Popular