National
NAACP approves resolution endorsing marriage equality
103-year old civil rights group joins President in supporting same-sex marriage
(image courtesy NAACP)
The NAACP announced on Saturday its board has voted in a favor of resolution endorsing same-sex marriage on the basis that marriage rights for gay couples is consistent with equal protection under the U.S. Constitution.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, founded 103 years ago to advocate for the civil rights of black Americans, made the resolution public after the board voted in favor of the measure. The vote tally wasn’t immediately available.
The resolution affirms the NAACP’s commitment to equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment while at the same time states a commitment to religious freedom under the First Amendment.
“The NAACP Constitution affirmatively states our objective to ensure the ‘political, education, social and economic equality’ of all people,” the resolution states. “Therefore, the NAACP has opposed and will continue to oppose any national, state, local policy or legislative initiative that seeks to codify discrimination or hatred into the law or to remove the Constitutional rights of LGBT citizens. We support marriage equality consistent with equal protection under the law provided under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. Further, we strongly affirm the religious freedoms of all people as protected by the First Amendment.”
The endorsement from the Baltimore-based organization comes on the heels of President’s Obama’s announcement in support of same-sex marriage. Within the span of a couple weeks, the nation’s first black president and the country’s premier organization for civil rights of black Americans have come out in favor of same-sex marriage. Other prominent black Americans — actor Will Smith, rapper Jay-Z and House Assistant Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) — have also followed Obama’s lead.
Leaders within the NAACP said support marriage equality is consistent with the organization’s advocacy for civil rights.
Roslyn Brock, board chair of the NAACP, said, “The mission of the NAACP has always been to ensure political, social and economic equality of all people. We have and will oppose efforts to codify discrimination into law.”
NAACP’s Benjamin Jealous (Photo courtesy NAACP)
“The NAACP’s support for marriage equality is deeply rooted in the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution and equal protection of all people,” Jealous said. “The well-funded right wing organizations who are attempting to split our communities are no friend to civil rights, and they will not succeed.”
Previously, the NAACP had no position on marriage equality. Julian Bond, chairman emeritus of the organization, has personally advocated for LGBT rights and same-sex marriage, saying the goals of the LGBT rights movement were consistent with the goals of the black civil rights movement.
Even though the NAACP had no official position in favor of marriage equality, the organization had advocated against legislative ban on same-sex marriage. Among these actions included stated opposition to the Defense of Marriage Act and constitutional bans on same-sex marriage in North Carolina and California.
LGBT rights groups hailed the NAACP’s announcement in support of marriage equality as a milestone in the pursuit of marriage rights for gay couples.
Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom to Marry, was among the LGBT advocates who had high praise for the organization.
“The NAACP has long been the nation’s conscience and champion for an America where all share equally in the promise of liberty and justice for all,” Wolfson said. “Today the NAACP resoundingly affirmed that the freedom to marry is a civil right and family value that belongs to all of us, and that discriminatory barriers to marriage must fall.”
Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said the vote is “another example of the traction marriage equality continues to gain in every community.”
“It’s time the shameful myth that the African-American community is somehow out of lockstep with the rest of the country on marriage equality is retired — once and for all,” Solmonese said. “The facts and clear momentum toward marriage speak for themselves.”
Black Americans have been seen as among the minorities within the country that are least supportive of marriage rights for gay couples. In November, a Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll found 58 percent of black Americans believe same-sex marriage was“unacceptable,” while 35 percent deemed it “acceptable.”
But views may be changing. Following the Obama’s endorsement of same-sex marriage, a Washington Post-ABC News poll published Tuesday found that 54 percent of black Americans had a favorable view of the president’s announcement, while 37 viewed it unfavorably.
Anti-gay groups have accused of trying to exploit racial tensions as part of efforts to oppose same-sex marriage. Internal documents from the National Organization for Marriage, obtained by the Human Rights Campaign and made public in March, reveal the organization tried to “drive a wedge between gays and blacks” as part of its strategy.
“The strategic goal of this project is to drive a wedge between gays and blacks—two key Democratic constituencies,” one documents reads. “Find, equip, energize and connect African American spokespeople for marriage, develop a media campaign around their objections to gay marriage as a civil right; provoke the gay marriage base into responding by denouncing these spokesmen and women as bigots.”
Solmonese said the NAACP’s endorsement of same-sex marriage demonstrates that NOM’s strategy to exploit the black community has failed.
“NOM has pursued ugly racial politics seeking to divide people, but what is becoming crystal clear is that its strategy is not working,” Solmonese said. “Americans from all walks of life are uniting to support love, commitment, and stronger families.”
NOM didn’t immediately respond to a request to comment on the NAACP’s endorsement.
One state with a significant black population could soon be deciding the issue of same-sex marriage. In Maryland, where opponents of same-sex marriage are seeking to place a referendum of the law on the ballot, an estimated 29 percent of the population is black.
Josh Levin, campaign manager for Marylanders for Marriage Equality, praised the NAACP for the endorsing marriage equality and said it demonstrates growing black support for same-sex marriage.
“We could not be more pleased with the NAACP board decision to support marriage equality,” Levin said. “It is yet again reflective of the growing momentum within the African-American community — like all communities — to support stronger families and protect children.”
Among the groups that have been working to preserve the Maryland same-sex marriage law, Levin said, is the Baltimore branch of the NAACP.
“The signs are clear: a majority of all Marylanders — people of all backgrounds — support making families stronger and protecting all children equally under the law,” Levin said.
U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court to consider bans on trans athletes in school sports
27 states have passed laws limiting participation in athletics programs
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear two cases involving transgender youth challenging bans prohibiting them from participating in school sports.
In Little v. Hecox, plaintiffs represented by the ACLU, Legal Voice, and the law firm Cooley are challenging Idaho’s 2020 ban, which requires sex testing to adjudicate questions of an athlete’s eligibility.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals described the process in a 2023 decision halting the policy’s enforcement pending an outcome in the litigation. The “sex dispute verification process, whereby any individual can ‘dispute’ the sex of any female student athlete in the state of Idaho,” the court wrote, would “require her to undergo intrusive medical procedures to verify her sex, including gynecological exams.”
In West Virginia v. B.P.J., Lambda Legal, the ACLU, the ACLU of West Virginia, and Cooley are representing a trans middle school student challenging the Mountain State’s 2021 ban on trans athletes.
The plaintiff was participating in cross country when the law was passed, taking puberty blockers that would have significantly reduced the chances that she could have a physiological advantage over cisgender peers.
“Like any other educational program, school athletic programs should be accessible for everyone regardless of their sex or transgender status,” said Joshua Block, senior counsel for the ACLU’s LGBTQ and HIV Project. “Trans kids play sports for the same reasons their peers do — to learn perseverance, dedication, teamwork, and to simply have fun with their friends,” Block said.
He added, “Categorically excluding kids from school sports just because they are transgender will only make our schools less safe and more hurtful places for all youth. We believe the lower courts were right to block these discriminatory laws, and we will continue to defend the freedom of all kids to play.”
“Our client just wants to play sports with her friends and peers,” said Lambda Legal Senior Counsel Tara Borelli. “Everyone understands the value of participating in team athletics, for fitness, leadership, socialization, and myriad other benefits.”
Borelli continued, “The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit last April issued a thoughtful and thorough ruling allowing B.P.J. to continue participating in track events. That well-reasoned decision should stand the test of time, and we stand ready to defend it.”
Shortly after taking control of both legislative chambers, Republican members of Congress tried — unsuccessfully — to pass a national ban like those now enforced in 27 states since 2020.
Federal Government
UPenn erases Lia Thomas’s records as part of settlement with White House
University agreed to ban trans women from women’s sports teams
In a settlement with the Trump-Vance administration announced on Tuesday, the University of Pennsylvania will ban transgender athletes from competing and erase swimming records set by transgender former student Lia Thomas.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights found the university in violation of Title IX, the federal rights law barring sex based discrimination in educational institutions, by “permitting males to compete in women’s intercollegiate athletics and to occupy women-only intimate facilities.”
The statement issued by University of Pennsylvania President J. Larry Jameson highlighted how the law’s interpretation was changed substantially under President Donald Trump’s second term.
“The Department of Education OCR investigated the participation of one transgender athlete on the women’s swimming team three years ago, during the 2021-2022 swim season,” he wrote. “At that time, Penn was in compliance with NCAA eligibility rules and Title IX as then interpreted.”
Jameson continued, “Penn has always followed — and continues to follow — Title IX and the applicable policy of the NCAA regarding transgender athletes. NCAA eligibility rules changed in February 2025 with Executive Orders 14168 and 14201 and Penn will continue to adhere to these new rules.”
Writing that “we acknowledge that some student-athletes were disadvantaged by these rules” in place while Thomas was allowed to compete, the university president added, “We recognize this and will apologize to those who experienced a competitive disadvantage or experienced anxiety because of the policies in effect at the time.”
“Today’s resolution agreement with UPenn is yet another example of the Trump effect in action,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. “Thanks to the leadership of President Trump, UPenn has agreed both to apologize for its past Title IX violations and to ensure that women’s sports are protected at the university for future generations of female athletes.”
Under former President Joe Biden, the department’s Office of Civil Rights sought to protect against anti-LGBTQ discrimination in education, bringing investigations and enforcement actions in cases where school officials might, for example, require trans students to use restrooms and facilities consistent with their birth sex or fail to respond to peer harassment over their gender identity.
Much of the legal reasoning behind the Biden-Harris administration’s positions extended from the 2020 U.S. Supreme Court case Bostock v. Clayton County, which found that sex-based discrimination includes that which is based on sexual orientation or gender identity under Title VII rules covering employment practices.
The Trump-Vance administration last week put the state of California on notice that its trans athlete policies were, or once were, in violation of Title IX, which comes amid the ongoing battle with Maine over the same issue.
New York
Two teens shot steps from Stonewall Inn after NYC Pride parade
One of the victims remains in critical condition
On Sunday night, following the annual NYC Pride March, two girls were shot in Sheridan Square, feet away from the historic Stonewall Inn.
According to an NYPD report, the two girls, aged 16 and 17, were shot around 10:15 p.m. as Pride festivities began to wind down. The 16-year-old was struck in the head and, according to police sources, is said to be in critical condition, while the 17-year-old was said to be in stable condition.
The Washington Blade confirmed with the NYPD the details from the police reports and learned no arrests had been made as of noon Monday.
The shooting took place in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, mere feet away from the most famous gay bar in the city — if not the world — the Stonewall Inn. Earlier that day, hundreds of thousands of people marched down Christopher Street to celebrate 55 years of LGBTQ people standing up for their rights.
In June 1969, after police raided the Stonewall Inn, members of the LGBTQ community pushed back, sparking what became known as the Stonewall riots. Over the course of two days, LGBTQ New Yorkers protested the discriminatory policing of queer spaces across the city and mobilized to speak out — and throw bottles if need be — at officers attempting to suppress their existence.
The following year, LGBTQ people returned to the Stonewall Inn and marched through the same streets where queer New Yorkers had been arrested, marking the first “Gay Pride March” in history and declaring that LGBTQ people were not going anywhere.
New York State Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, whose district includes Greenwich Village, took to social media to comment on the shooting.
“After decades of peaceful Pride celebrations — this year gun fire and two people shot near the Stonewall Inn is a reminder that gun violence is everywhere,” the lesbian lawmaker said on X. “Guns are a problem despite the NRA BS.”
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