National
Mehlman among speakers at secret gay donor conference
OutGiving summit features Plouffe, Collins, others
Ken Mehlman (screen capture from CSREurope via You Tube)
Gay former Republican National Committee Chair Ken Mehlman was among the speakers at a secret LGBT donor conference that took place over the weekend in D.C. and was attended by advocates and high-ranking public officials.
According to a program schedule obtained by the Washington Blade, Mehlman, who came out as gay in 2010, spoke on at least two panels during the annual OutGiving conference hosted by the Gill Action Fund. The organization works at the state level to advance LGBT rights, and to oust lawmakers who oppose them.
A source who attended the conference, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Mehlman spoke on a panel about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal with Winnie Stachelberg, vice president of external affairs at the Center for American Progress, and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who was the lead Republican in the Senate pushing for legislation to repeal the military’s gay ban.
Another source familiar with the event, who also requested anonymity, said Mehlman was among 30 or more speakers at the event and presented a session on Republican evolution on LGBT rights with Margaret Hoover, a straight LGBT-friendly conservative activist who testified last year before the Maryland Senate in favor of the same-sex marriage bill.
Mehlman worked for the White House and was later RNC chair at the same time former President George W. Bush was advocating for a federal constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. However, the gay Republican later apologized for his involvement with campaigns exploiting marital politics and is credited with helping to lobby on behalf of the marriage equality bill in New York.
Mike Rogers, a D.C.-based gay activist known for his outing of closeted gay politicians who pursue anti-gay policies, praised Mehlman for taking part in the conference and said it helps him reverse the damage he caused as a GOP operative. Rogers didn’t attend the OutGiving conference.
“I am happy to see Ken Mehlman working to undo the years of damage that he inflicted on the American people and the LGBT community,” Rogers said. “Ken is taking the steps toward redemption and his participation in donor conferences is important in helping to secure new supporters of our movement in the corporate community. I commend him for his recent work.”
The anonymous attendee also said David Plouffe, a campaign manager for President Obama during his 2008 run and now a senior adviser at the White House, gave a speech to attendees about the work the administration has done over the course of Obama’s first term. Clo Ewing, an Obama campaign spokesperson, said his remarks weren’t available.
Also in attendance was lesbian Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), who’s pursuing a run for U.S. Senate; she delivered a speech, the source said.
The OutGiving conference is an annual gathering where leading donors and LGBT advocates converge to plan strategies and secure financial commitments for state and federal elections around the country. The conference this year took place at the Mandarin Oriental hotel, starting on the evening of April 26 through April 29. The event is secretive and individuals participate on the condition that they pledge not to speak publicly about it.
One donor who attended the event, who spoke on condition of anonymity, estimated that between 100 and 200 donors, activists and other individuals were in attendance. The donor wouldn’t reveal anything about the nature of the discussions or panels, but said programs and content haven’t “changed dramatically” from previous years and that it was “a very positive conversation.”
More information about what was said during the talks wasn’t known. Unless otherwise noted, the offices for the named individuals in this article didn’t respond to a request for comment or declined to say anything.
According to the schedule obtained by the Washington Blade, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) was another scheduled speaker at the event. She’s considered a leading LGBT advocate in the Senate and was a proponent of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal in 2010.
A number of governors were slated to participate in the event. Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire, who recently pushed through same-sex marriage legislation in their states, were set to speak on one panel.
On another panel, Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin and Delaware Gov. Jack Markell were scheduled to speak. Sue Abbey, a Shumlin spokesperson, confirmed the governor participated in the conference, but didn’t respond to a request to comment further.
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick was set to talk on the same panel. But Alex Goldstein, a Patrick campaign spokesperson, said a last minute conflict prevented the governor from attending, even though he backs the work of OutGiving in supporting “the cause of equality across the nation.”
High-profile LGBT advocates were also among the speakers scheduled to participate. Mary Bonauto, the civil rights project director at Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders who recently argued before the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals against the Defense of Marriage Act, was scheduled to speak. Ted Olson, who’s litigating on behalf of the American Foundation for Equal Rights against California’s Proposition 8, was another scheduled speaker. Sean Eldridge, president of the small-business investment fund Hudson River Ventures and senior adviser at Freedom to Marry, was also set to talk.
Chris Cormier, Gill Action's director of donor relations (Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Advocates affiliated with Gill Action were also slated to speak, including Tim Gill, the gay billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded the organization in 2005, and Chris Cormier, the organization’s director of donor relations. One source familiar with the event said Kirk Fordham, the newly named executive director of the organization, had offered general remarks and the summit marked his first OutGiving. Former individuals affiliated with Gill Action — Patrick Guerriero and Bill Smith — were also on the schedule.
Others listed as participants at the event — but not as speakers — were Patrick Murphy, the former U.S. House member who led the way for “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal and until was running for Pennsylvania attorney general before he lost the Democratic primary, and Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster.
Also on the schedule was lesbian political satirist Kate Clinton, whose speech was likely intended to lighten the mood at the event amid serious discussion of LGBT advocacy.
John Aravosis, who’s gay and editor of AMERICAblog, said the secretive nature of the OutGiving summit doesn’t bother him. He wasn’t in attendance.
“If you hold strategy sessions in public, then they’re press conferences and not strategy sessions,” Aravosis said. “We don’t need the religious right taking notes about what our plans are for the next year.”
CORRECTION: An initial version of this article reported that Patrick Murphy was still pursuing a run for Pennsylvania attorney general. The Blade regrets the error.
Pennsylvania
Malcolm Kenyatta could become the first LGBTQ statewide elected official in Pa.
State lawmaker a prominent Biden-Harris 2024 reelection campaign surrogate
Following his win in the Democratic primary contest on Wednesday, Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, who is running for auditor general, is positioned to potentially become the first openly LGBTQ elected official serving the commonwealth.
In a statement celebrating his victory, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund President Annise Parker said, “Pennsylvanians trust Malcolm Kenyatta to be their watchdog as auditor general because that’s exactly what he’s been as a legislator.”
“LGBTQ+ Victory Fund is all in for Malcolm, because we know he has the experience to win this race and carry on his fight for students, seniors and workers as Pennsylvania’s auditor general,” she said.
Parker added, “LGBTQ+ Americans are severely underrepresented in public office and the numbers are even worse for Black LGBTQ+ representation. I look forward to doing everything I can to mobilize LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians and our allies to get out and vote for Malcolm this November so we can make history.”
In April 2023, Kenyatta was appointed by the White House to serve as director of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans.
He has been an active surrogate in the Biden-Harris 2024 reelection campaign.
The White House
White House debuts action plan targeting pollutants in drinking water
Same-sex couples face higher risk from environmental hazards
Headlining an Earth Day event in Northern Virginia’s Prince William Forest on Monday, President Joe Biden announced the disbursement of $7 billion in new grants for solar projects and warned of his Republican opponent’s plans to roll back the progress his administration has made toward addressing the harms of climate change.
The administration has led more than 500 programs geared toward communities most impacted by health and safety hazards like pollution and extreme weather events.
In a statement to the Washington Blade on Wednesday, Brenda Mallory, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, said, “President Biden is leading the most ambitious climate, conservation, and environmental justice agenda in history — and that means working toward a future where all people can breathe clean air, drink clean water, and live in a healthy community.”
“This Earth Week, the Biden-Harris Administration announced $7 billion in solar energy projects for over 900,000 households in disadvantaged communities while creating hundreds of thousands of clean energy jobs, which are being made more accessible by the American Climate Corps,” she said. “President Biden is delivering on his promise to help protect all communities from the impacts of climate change — including the LGBTQI+ community — and that we leave no community behind as we build an equitable and inclusive clean energy economy for all.”
Recent milestones in the administration’s climate policies include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s issuance on April 10 of legally enforceable standard for detecting and treating drinking water contaminated with polyfluoroalkyl substances.
“This rule sets health safeguards and will require public water systems to monitor and reduce the levels of PFAS in our nation’s drinking water, and notify the public of any exceedances of those levels,” according to a White House fact sheet. “The rule sets drinking water limits for five individual PFAS, including the most frequently found PFOA and PFOS.”
The move is expected to protect 100 million Americans from exposure to the “forever chemicals,” which have been linked to severe health problems including cancers, liver and heart damage, and developmental impacts in children.
An interactive dashboard from the United States Geological Survey shows the concentrations of polyfluoroalkyl substances in tapwater are highest in urban areas with dense populations, including cities like New York and Los Angeles.
During Biden’s tenure, the federal government has launched more than 500 programs that are geared toward investing in the communities most impacted by climate change, whether the harms may arise from chemical pollutants, extreme weather events, or other causes.
New research by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law found that because LGBTQ Americans are likelier to live in coastal areas and densely populated cities, households with same-sex couples are likelier to experience the adverse effects of climate change.
The report notes that previous research, including a study that used “national Census data on same-sex households by census tract combined with data on hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) from the National Air Toxics Assessment” to model “the relationship between same-sex households and risk of cancer and respiratory illness” found “that higher prevalence of same-sex households is associated with higher risks for these diseases.”
“Climate change action plans at federal, state, and local levels, including disaster preparedness, response, and recovery plans, must be inclusive and address the specific needs and vulnerabilities facing LGBT people,” the Williams Institute wrote.
With respect to polyfluoroalkyl substances, the EPA’s adoption of new standards follows other federal actions undertaken during the Biden-Harris administration to protect firefighters and healthcare workers, test for and clean up pollution, and phase out or reduce use of the chemicals in fire suppressants, food packaging, and federal procurement.
Maine
Maine governor signs transgender, abortion sanctuary bill into law
Bomb threats made against lawmakers before measure’s passage
BY ERIN REED | On Tuesday, Maine Gov. Janet Mills signed LD 227, a sanctuary bill that protects transgender and abortion providers and patients from out-of-state prosecution, into law.
With this action, Maine becomes the 16th state to explicitly protect trans and abortion care in state law from prosecution. This follows several bomb threats targeting state legislators after social media attacks from far-right anti-trans influencers such as Riley Gaines and Chaya Raichik of Libs of TikTok.
An earlier version of the bill failed in committee after similar attacks in January. Undeterred, Democrats reconvened and added additional protections to the bill before it was passed into law.
The law is extensive. It asserts that gender-affirming care and reproductive health care are “legal rights” in Maine. It states that criminal and civil actions against providers and patients are not enforceable if the provision or access to that care occurred within Maine’s borders, asserting jurisdiction over those matters.
It bars cooperation with out-of-state subpoenas and arrest warrants for gender-affirming care and abortion that happen within the state. It even protects doctors who provide gender-affirming care and abortion from certain adverse actions by medical boards, malpractice insurance, and other regulating entities, shielding those providers from attempts to economically harm them through out-of-state legislation designed to dissuade them from providing care.
You can see the findings section of the bill here:
The bill also explicitly enshrines the World Professional Association of Transgender Health’s Standards of Care, which have been the target of right-wing disinformation campaigns, into state law for the coverage of trans healthcare:
The bill is said to be necessary due to attempts to prosecute doctors and seek information from patients across state lines. In recent months, attorneys general in other states have attempted to obtain health care data on trans patients who traveled to obtain care. According to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, attorneys general in Tennessee, Indiana, Missouri, and Texas attempted to obtain detailed medical records “to terrorize transgender teens in their states … opening the door to criminalizing women’s private reproductive health care choices.”
The most blatant of these attempts was from the attorney general of Texas, who, according to the Senate Finance Committee, “sent demands to at least two non-Texas entities.” One of these entities was Seattle Children’s Hospital, which received a letter threatening administrators with arrest unless they sent data on Texas patients traveling to Seattle to obtain gender-affirming care.
Seattle Children’s Hospital settled that case out of court this week, agreeing to withdraw its Texas business registration in return for Texas dropping its investigation. This likely will have no impact on Seattle Children’s Hospital, which has stated it did not treat any youth via telemedicine or in person in Texas; the hospital will be able to continue treating Texas youth who travel outside of Texas to obtain their care. That settlement was likely compelling due to a nearly identical law in Washington that barred out-of-state investigations on trans care obtained solely in the state of Washington.
The bill has faced a rocky road to passage. A similar bill was debated in January, but after coming under intense attack from anti-trans activists who misleadingly called it a “transgender trafficking bill,” the bill was voluntarily withdrawn by its sponsor.
When LD 227 was introduced, it faced even more attacks from Gaines and Libs of TikTok. These attacks were followed by bomb threats that forced the evacuation of the legislature, promising “death to pedophiles” and stating that a bomb would detonate within a few hours in the capitol building.
Despite these threats, legislators strengthened both the abortion and gender-affirming care provisions and pressed forward, passing the bill into law. Provisions found in the new bill include protecting people who “aid and assist” gender-affirming care and abortion, protections against court orders from other states for care obtained in Maine, and even protections against adverse actions by health insurance and malpractice insurance providers, which have been recent targets of out-of-state legislation aimed at financially discouraging doctors from providing gender-affirming care and abortion care even in states where it is legal.
See a few of the extensive health insurance and malpractice provisions here:
Speaking about the bill, Gia Drew, executive director of Equality Maine, said in a statement, “We are thrilled to see LD 227, the shield bill, be signed into law by Gov. Mills. Thanks to our pro equality and pro reproductive choice elected officials who refused to back down in the face of disinformation. This bill couldn’t come into effect at a better time, as more than 40 percent of states across the country have either banned or attempted to block access to reproductive care, which includes abortions, as well as transgender healthcare for minors. Thanks to our coalition partners who worked tirelessly to phone bank, lobby, and get this bill over the finish line to protect community health.”
Destie Hohman Sprague of the Maine Women’s Lobby celebrated the passage of the bill despite threats of violence, saying in a statement, “A gender-just Maine ensures that all Mainers have access to quality health care that supports their mental and physical wellbeing and bodily autonomy, including comprehensive reproductive and gender-affirming care. We celebrate the passage of LD 227, which helps us meet that goal. Still, the patterns of violence and disinformation ahead of the vote reflected the growing connections between misogyny, extremism, and anti-democratic threats and actions. We must continue to advocate for policies that protect bodily autonomy, and push back against extremist rhetoric that threatens our states’ rights and our citizens’ freedoms.”
The decision to pass the legislation comes as the Biden administration released updated HIPAA protections that protect “reproductive health care” from out-of-state prosecutions and investigations.
Although the definition of “reproductive health care” is broad in the new HIPAA regulations, it is uncertain whether they will include gender-affirming care. For at least 16 states, though, gender-affirming care is now explicitly protected by state law and shielded from out-of-state legislation, providing trans people and those seeking abortions with protections as the fight increasingly crosses state lines.
****************************************************************************
Erin Reed is a transgender woman (she/her pronouns) and researcher who tracks anti-LGBTQ+ legislation around the world and helps people become better advocates for their queer family, friends, colleagues, and community. Reed also is a social media consultant and public speaker.
******************************************************************************************
The preceding article was first published at Erin In The Morning and is republished with permission.
After Biden signs TikTok ban its CEO vows federal court battle
Malcolm Kenyatta could become the first LGBTQ statewide elected official in Pa.
Bowser budget proposal calls for $5.25 million for 2025 World Pride
White House debuts action plan targeting pollutants in drinking water
Health care for Marylanders with HIV is facing huge cuts this summer
Daniel Zamudio murderer’s parole request denied
State Department releases annual human rights report
‘Amm(i)gone’ explores family, queerness, and faith
Joe Vogel campaign holds ‘Big Gay Canvass Kickoff’
