National
Highlights from top talk: Jan. 9
Highlights from the best LGBT commentary on the web
Starting this week, the Washington Blade will be bringing you highlights from some of the week’s best LGBT news analysis and opinion on the web, including the work of some of our favorites in LGBT media and the ‘blogosphere.’ Think of us as your curator for the best of this week’s queer talk.
“Interviews with administration officials, however, suggest that the president believes he can stand pat and still win a large majority of gay votes, based on his track record, which includes his decision not to defend a 1996 law that defines marriage as a legal union between a man and a woman.” – Mark Landler writing in the New York Times: On Gay Rights, Obama Lets Surrogates Take the Lead
“Hitch said and wrote often that ‘I say that homosexuality is not just a form of sex, it’s a form of love — and it commands our respect for that reason.'” – Doug Ireland writing in Gay City News: My Queer Friend Christopher Hitchens
“These 2012 GOP Primary debates are filled with both humor and horror when it comes to LGBT issues. The fact that these straight white guys are up there talking about how to ‘preserve marriage’ from LGBT Americans as well as basic civil rights is embarrassing.” – Pam Spaulding writing on FireDogLake.com: GOP Clown Car runs off of the road, accelerating on its gay and womb-control obsession
“Flippy floppy flippy floppy. Never forget that when he was running for Senate against Ted Kennedy, Mitt Romney said he’d be better on gay rights than Kennedy. The man claimed to be more pro-gay than Ted freaking Kennedy. So what are we to believe? That a man with a history of being super duper pro-gay and a flip-flopper is flip-flopping about being super duper pro-gay, or that somehow someone made a fake flyer with paid for by the Romney campaign on it? Keep lying, Mitt.” – John Aravosis at Americablog.com: Romney now disavowing 2002 pro-gay campaign flyer
“I’ll admit that I’m terrified of motorcycles. One look at Huff tho and I’d climb up behind him and wrap my arms around his waist. I’d just ask him if we could keep the ignition off and sit like that for a while…” – Bil Browning at Bilerico.com: Luke Huff: Gay Pro Biker
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.
