National
Fast Five Fix: April 4
Anchorage results unclear, fun with NOM, stroke can make you gay, WMATA says “rub against me and I’ll expose you,” and about that Bruno Mars outing…
"Rub against me, and I'll expose you!" proclaims a new anti-harassment campaign by Washington Metro Area Transit Association.
We thought we’d know by now, but we don’t: Towleroad says there are conflicting media reports about the result of Anchorage’s vote on an LGBT non-discrimination ordinance, after accusations of widespread irregularities. While we wait for clarity there, here are five more stories you should be talking about today:
- Stop telling everyone Bruno Mars came out of the closet Monday. He totally didn’t come out of the closet, says Towleroad.
- AMERICAblog finds this for us: stroke can make you gay. In related news, I’m looking for advice on safely giving Channing Tatum a stroke. (OBVIOUSLY JUST KIDDING [but taking suggestions on other things that can make men turn gay])
- An anti-gay group in Liberia — where the President just awkwardly defended her anti-gay nation’s policies during a media event with pro-gay Tony Blair — has published a “hit list” with the names of gays and lesbians in that nation, says Think Progress. Shame on Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who ought to give back her Nobel Peace Prize.
- Blogger (and friend of the Blade) Scott Wooledge pulled a fast one on you. His Huffington Post piece — which claimed that Microsoft and Apple requested NOM boycott them too, after the anti-gay group’s boycott of Starbucks resulted in an outpouring of good will and an uptick in brand loyalty — was just satire. I’d like to nominate it for best satire piece of 2012 right now.
- JoeMyGod: Its official, NPH will host the Tonys again!
Finally, so so very very much more about the National Organization for Marriage from Matt Baume and Marriage News Watch at the American Foundation for Equal Rights:
(h/t JoeMyGod)
BONUS: John Aravosis over at AMERICAblog gay shared his reaction to Dan Savage’s new MTV show “Savage U” with his readers:
“I’m amazed at how much he knows. Granted, he’s been doing this for decades, but still. His answers are funny, interesting, and insightful. Dan is no Dr. Drew. And hallelujah for that. I’ve always found Dr. Drew a bit uptight, and I’ll never forget the tirade he let Kathy Griffin go on about an-l sex once on their TV show (not the radio tirade), and I recall him agreeing with her (sorry, have to use the funny spelling or the ads flee). Dan, however, is more of a midwest version of Dr. Ruth, without the accent. Very self-affirming for the recipients of his advice (except for no-condom guy), which is nice to see.”
“Like most new shows, it needs to find its groove. And I do think Dan is at his best when he lets his hair down. And that’s not in intimate situations when a camera is on him. I’d really like to see Dan do some of the format that Dr. Drew and that idiot Adam used on their old TV show, hanging out in a cool space with people – almost like a MTV unplugged set – having a good back and forth, watching the audience get into it, watching Dan play off the audience. I don’t think standing at a podium lends itself to good TV. That Drew/Adam set did.”
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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