National
Fast Five Fix: April 9
Catholic leaders threaten funding for Colorado charity that helps poor immigrants over ties to another group with ties to an LGBT group, and more
Jenna Talackova, transgender contestant recently reinstated to the Canadian Miss Universe pageant, sat down with Barbara Walters. (Via Towleroad)
Anchorage Alaska updates: while it seems that the push to outlaw discrimination in Alaska’s largest city has failed, we’re learning that more than half of the precincts ran out of ballots, that there’s been thousands of questioned ballots — according to a note in Towleroad — and JoeMyGod tells us that the ACLU is calling for an investigation into voter fraud. Don’t be surprised if there is a lawsuit. One thing there probably won’t be: a resolution for Anchorage’s LGBT community. Here is your news:
- Truth Wins Out reveals that Jason Russell — who was discovered in L.A. recently on a frightening naked street side rant — spoke to a 2005 Christian conference in San Antonio telling them that his Kony 2012-producing group Invisible Children is “God’s Trojan Horse.”
- In a case of guilt by 6 degrees of association, Tolweroad tells us the Catholic Campaign for Human Development — a project of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops — is threatening to stop funding a group in Colorado that provides support for poor immigrants, because that group is affiliated with an immigrant rights coalition that works with One Colorado, the group pushing for equal rights for same-sex couples.
- Arrests were made last week in St. Petersburg, Russia, after police said that a protest against an anti-gay law barring gay propaganda was itself gay propaganda.
- Pam’s House Blend brings us excerpts and transcripts of a conversation between Courage Campaign’s Adam Bink and Michelangelo Signorile in which Bink explains how victory is possible in North Carolina, where the electorate will soon decide whether to amend the state constitution to bar any recognition of same-sex couples.
- Want to know if you can adopt in Arkansas? Foster in Florida? Marry in Maryland? Get fired for being gay in Philadelphia? The Movement Advancement Project has new interactive maps!
Finally, Bonnie Raitt is back, and her newest video for “Right Down The Line” features gay couples showing off their love.
http://vimeo.com/39861811
(h/t Towleroad)
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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Gallup finds LGBTQ support among Americans is dropping
