National
EXCLUSIVE: Connolly to co-sponsor adoption anti-bias bill
Va. lawmaker denounces GOP moves against gay parents, abortion

A Democratic congressman from Northern Virginia has pledged to co-sponsor an adoption non-discrimination bill in the U.S. House in response to a GOP effort in Virginia to allow adoption agencies to discriminate against prospective gay parents.
In an exclusive interview with the Washington Blade, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) said he’ll co-sponsor the Every Child Deserves a Family Act, which would restrict federal funds for states that allow for discrimination in adoption based on LGBT status.
“I think on the merits it’s a good idea,” Connolly said. “Bringing children into a loving home is the object here, and that’s irrespective of the sexual orientation of the adults in that home. Can they provide a climate of love and protection and nurturing? That’s what children need.”
Connolly’s co-sponsorship of the bill, whose chief sponsor is Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.), brings the total number of supporters to 92. The bill has one Republican co-sponsor, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.). In the Senate, Kirsten Gillibrand sponsors the bill, which has nine co-sponsors.
Connolly announces his support for the federal bill as the Republican-controlled Virginia Legislature has approved anti-gay legislation that would allow private adoption agencies to discriminate in placements conflicting with their religious or moral beliefs, including on the basis of sexual orientation. The bill is on its way to the desk of Gov. Bob McDonnell, who’s indicated he’ll sign the measure.
Connolly said he wanted to co-sponsor the federal adoption anti-discrimination measure “especially in light of this odious, reactionary legislation in Richmond.”
“I want to do everything at the federal level in my power to try to counteract it, and [the Every Child Deserves a Family Act] give us that opportunity,” Connolly said.
Connolly denounced the Virginia Legislature for passing the anti-gay bill — calling it a “big step backward” — as he more broadly criticized state lawmakers for pushing forward with what he called “reactionary bills,” such as a measure requiring women to have an ultrasound before they have an abortion.
“Imagine mandating a medical procedure, even though that it’s not medically indicated for political reasons,” Connolly said. “Frankly, it’s a totalitarian state.”
Connolly said the anti-gay adoption bill is “not far removed from that same phenomenon” and predicted the passage of both bills will “hurt the economic climate” of Virginia.
“Big employers do not like any barriers — discriminatory barriers — to their hiring, to their workforce, to their ability creatively to get their work done,” Connolly said. “It’s an enormous step backwards — very injurious to the economic interests of the Commonwealth of Virginia, to say nothing of individual liberty.”
If McDonnell signs either piece of legislation, Connolly said the governor would become “radioactive” if he decides to pursue national office — such as running mate to the Republican presidential nominee.
“Good luck in explaining that in the general election to the American people,” Connolly said. “You have compromised the individual rights of every woman in America, and, as the national trend is going in the other direction recognizing long delayed rights of gay and lesbian individuals in America, here’s the Commonwealth of Virginia going in exactly the opposite direction.”
Although Connolly has signed on in support of the Every Child Deserves a Family Act, he also predicted the legislation would no see movement in Congress as long as Republicans remain in control of the House.
“Sadly, this reactionary narrative with respect to the rights of gay and lesbian individuals has taken hold among the Republicans nationwide, and so I fully expect that the House Republican leadership will do everything in their power to block this legislation from going to the floor,” Connolly said.
The Virginia Democrat isn’t the only member of the federal delegation who’s a co-sponsor of the Every Child Deserves a Family Act. Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) is also a co-sponsor. The office of the other Virginia Democrat in the U.S. House, Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) didn’t respond to the Blade’s request for comment on the bill.
Spokespersons for the two Democrats representing Virginia in the U.S. Senate — Mark Warner and Jim Webb — have said the officials are reviewing the bill. Warner last week denounced the anti-gay adoption legislation as “mean-spirited” and “wrong” during a political event in Richmond.
Jennifer Chrisler, executive director of the Family Equality Council and among the chief advocates of the legislation, commended Connolly for signing on in support of the bill.
“We are thrilled with Rep. Connolly’s support and the support of a growing number of lawmakers for the the Every Child Deserves a Family Act,” Chrisler said. “They all understand that this issue is about the best interests of the 404,000 children in foster care in our country. The current laws and policies in Virginia and other states are a barrier to kids finding a forever home.”
New York
Men convicted of murdering two men in NYC gay bar drugging scheme sentenced
One of the victims, John Umberger, was D.C. political consultant

A New York judge on Wednesday sentenced three men convicted of killing a D.C. political consultant and another man who they targeted at gay bars in Manhattan.
NBC New York notes a jury in February convicted Jayqwan Hamilton, Jacob Barroso, and Robert DeMaio of murder, robbery, and conspiracy in relation to druggings and robberies that targeted gay bars in Manhattan from March 2021 to June 2022.
John Umberger, a 33-year-old political consultant from D.C., and Julio Ramirez, a 25-year-old social worker, died. Prosecutors said Hamilton, Barroso, and DeMaio targeted three other men at gay bars.
The jury convicted Hamilton and DeMaio of murdering Umberger. State Supreme Court Judge Felicia Mennin sentenced Hamilton and DeMaio to 40 years to life in prison.
Barroso, who was convicted of killing Ramirez, received a 20 years to life sentence.
National
Medical groups file lawsuit over Trump deletion of health information
Crucial datasets included LGBTQ, HIV resources

Nine private medical and public health advocacy organizations, including two from D.C., filed a lawsuit on May 20 in federal court in Seattle challenging what it calls the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’s illegal deletion of dozens or more of its webpages containing health related information, including HIV information.
The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington, names as defendants Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and HHS itself, and several agencies operating under HHS and its directors, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration.
“This action challenges the widespread deletion of public health resources from federal agencies,” the lawsuit states. “Dozens (if not more) of taxpayer-funded webpages, databases, and other crucial resources have vanished since January 20, 2025, leaving doctors, nurses, researchers, and the public scrambling for information,” it says.
“These actions have undermined the longstanding, congressionally mandated regime; irreparably harmed Plaintiffs and others who rely on these federal resources; and put the nation’s public health infrastructure in unnecessary jeopardy,” the lawsuit continues.
It adds, “The removal of public health resources was apparently prompted by two recent executive orders – one focused on ‘gender ideology’ and the other targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (‘DEI’) programs. Defendants implemented these executive orders in a haphazard manner that resulted in the deletion (inadvertent or otherwise) of health-related websites and databases, including information related to pregnancy risks, public health datasets, information about opioid-use disorder, and many other valuable resources.”
The lawsuit does not mention that it was President Donald Trump who issued the two executive orders in question.
A White House spokesperson couldn’t immediately be reached for comment on the lawsuit.
While not mentioning Trump by name, the lawsuit names as defendants in addition to HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., Matthew Buzzelli, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health; Martin Makary, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration; Thomas Engels, administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration; and Charles Ezell, acting director of the Office of Personnel Management.
The 44-page lawsuit complaint includes an addendum with a chart showing the titles or descriptions of 49 “affected resource” website pages that it says were deleted because of the executive orders. The chart shows that just four of the sites were restored after initially being deleted.
Of the 49 sites, 15 addressed LGBTQ-related health issues and six others addressed HIV issues, according to the chart.
“The unannounced and unprecedented deletion of these federal webpages and datasets came as a shock to the medical and scientific communities, which had come to rely on them to monitor and respond to disease outbreaks, assist physicians and other clinicians in daily care, and inform the public about a wide range of healthcare issues,” the lawsuit states.
“Health professionals, nonprofit organizations, and state and local authorities used the websites and datasets daily in care for their patients, to provide resources to their communities, and promote public health,” it says.
Jose Zuniga, president and CEO of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC), one of the organizations that signed on as a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said in a statement that the deleted information from the HHS websites “includes essential information about LGBTQ+ health, gender and reproductive rights, clinical trial data, Mpox and other vaccine guidance and HIV prevention resources.”
Zuniga added, “IAPAC champions evidence-based, data-informed HIV responses and we reject ideologically driven efforts that undermine public health and erase marginalized communities.”
Lisa Amore, a spokesperson for Whitman-Walker Health, D.C.’s largest LGBTQ supportive health services provider, also expressed concern about the potential impact of the HHS website deletions.
“As the region’s leader in HIV care and prevention, Whitman-Walker Health relies on scientific data to help us drive our resources and measure our successes,” Amore said in response to a request for comment from the Washington Blade.
“The District of Columbia has made great strides in the fight against HIV,” Amore said. “But the removal of public facing information from the HHS website makes our collective work much harder and will set HIV care and prevention backward,” she said.
The lawsuit calls on the court to issue a declaratory judgement that the “deletion of public health webpages and resources is unlawful and invalid” and to issue a preliminary or permanent injunction ordering government officials named as defendants in the lawsuit “to restore the public health webpages and resources that have been deleted and to maintain their web domains in accordance with their statutory duties.”
It also calls on the court to require defendant government officials to “file a status report with the Court within twenty-four hours of entry of a preliminary injunction, and at regular intervals, thereafter, confirming compliance with these orders.”
The health organizations that joined the lawsuit as plaintiffs include the Washington State Medical Association, Washington State Nurses Association, Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Academy Health, Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, Fast-Track Cities Institute, International Association of Providers of AIDS Care, National LGBT Cancer Network, and Vermont Medical Society.
The Fast-Track Cities Institute and International Association of Providers of AIDS Care are based in D.C.
U.S. Federal Courts
Federal judge scraps trans-inclusive workplace discrimination protections
Ruling appears to contradict US Supreme Court precedent

Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas has struck down guidelines by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission designed to protect against workplace harassment based on gender identity and sexual orientation.
The EEOC in April 2024 updated its guidelines to comply with the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County (2020), which determined that discrimination against transgender people constituted sex-based discrimination as proscribed under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
To ensure compliance with the law, the agency recommended that employers honor their employees’ preferred pronouns while granting them access to bathrooms and allowing them to wear dress code-compliant clothing that aligns with their gender identities.
While the the guidelines are not legally binding, Kacsmaryk ruled that their issuance created “mandatory standards” exceeding the EEOC’s statutory authority that were “inconsistent with the text, history, and tradition of Title VII and recent Supreme Court precedent.”
“Title VII does not require employers or courts to blind themselves to the biological differences between men and women,” he wrote in the opinion.
The case, which was brought by the conservative think tank behind Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation, presents the greatest setback for LGBTQ inclusive workplace protections since President Donald Trump’s issuance of an executive order on the first day of his second term directing U.S. federal agencies to recognize only two genders as determined by birth sex.
Last month, top Democrats from both chambers of Congress reintroduced the Equality Act, which would codify LGBTQ-inclusive protections against discrimination into federal law, covering employment as well as areas like housing and jury service.