National
U.S. may allow gay couples to use single customs form
Proposed change follows years of criticism
U.S. Customs & Border Protection is set to publish a proposed rule on Tuesday that will ease the paperwork burden on same-sex couples returning to the United States after traveling abroad.
Under the proposed change, same-sex couples residing in one household who travel together on their return home can make a single joint declaration. Same-sex couples have been forced to fill out two separate forms, even though the customs form states “only one written declaration per family is required.”
The definition of the term “members of a family residing in one household” would be expanded to include domestic relationships, including foster children, stepchildren, half-siblings, legal wards — as well as same-sex couples. Two adults of the same gender in a civil union, domestic partnership or who have shared financial assets and obligations would be eligible.
The CBP statement makes no explicit mention of married same-sex couples — likely because of the Defense of Marriage Act — although they would be eligible as well under different terms if they’re living together in the same household and have shared financial assets.
LGBT groups that had requested the change praised the Obama administration for starting the process to make it happen.
Rachel Tiven, executive director of Immigration Equality, said her organization is “proud to see this change come to fruition.”
“Separating families in the customs line was a waste of government resources and a painful symbol of the double standard LGBT families face at the federal level,” Tiven said. “This proposal ends that insult. It sends an unmistakable message that the administration, and the United States, recognize gay families as ‘real families,’ too.”
Jennifer Chrisler, executive director of the Family Equality Council, hailed the proposed change as a major victory and said the administration proposed the rule because it “recognized the need to modernize forms and regulations to reflect the reality of today’s American families.”
“No child should have to ask their parent if they really are a family because of an arcane customs form,” Chrisler said. “But that is what is happening to LGBT families who are treated differently when re-entering the United States through Customs & Border Protection after travelling abroad. In many cases couples are forced to declare they have no relationship with their spouses and parents are forced to split up their children in order to get through the customs process.”
According to a statement from CBP, the change should reduce the number of declarations, streamline passenger processing by CBP officers and bring down costs. Additionally, CBP states that the proposed change would “more accurately reflect relationships between members of the public who are traveling together as a family.”
Comments on the proposed rule must be received by May 26.
UPDATE: This article has been clarified to better reflect how the change would impact married same-sex couples.
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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