National
DNC 2012: First lady urges LGBT supporters to step up campaign efforts
Michelle Obama speaks at HRC, Victory Fund luncheon


First lady Michelle Obama addresses the Democratic National Convention (Blade file photo by Michael Key)
First lady Michelle Obama encouraged LGBT supporters on Wednesday to do all they can — even packing up to travel to battleground states — to get friends to go to the polls on Election Day to help her husband in the increasingly tight race for the White House.
Michelle Obama spoke to LGBT attendees of the Democratic National Convention at a luncheon hosted by the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund at the Marriott City Center. According to her prepared remarks, she warned the 2012 presidential election will be “even closer” than the previous one.
“And quite frankly, all of these elections are close,” Michelle Obama said. “Since I have been an adult paying attention to this stuff, they’re always close. But in the end, this election, like many, could come down to that last few thousand votes in a single battleground state.”
The first lady recalled that in 2008 her husband won Florida by 236,000 votes — which she said broke down to 36 votes per precinct — and North Carolina by 14,000 votes — which said broke down to five votes per precinct.
Warning attendees at the luncheon that they don’t want to wake up the day after the election wondering if they could have done more, Michelle Obama encouraged them to travel to battleground states to help in the presidential race and to remind friends to donate and go to the polls.
The first lady called on attendees to find 36 votes that would match the margin of victory for each of the Florida precincts in 2008, then “get five more, and then get five more, and again and again” until Election Day.
“If you do not live in a battleground state, get to one,” Michelle Obama said. “Get your suitcase, pack it up, get a car, do something, find that neighbor — get to a battleground state. If you can afford it, write a check — and if you haven’t maxed out, max out. Max out.”
Michelle Obama didn’t devote a large portion of her speech to convincing the LGBT crowd why her husband deserved their support. But she did tick off a few accomplishments: such as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal, refusing to defend the Defense of Marriage Act and “speaking out for the rights of all Americans to be able to do what Barack and I did and marry the love of our lives.”
“And that’s why all of you are here today, because you know that all of that and so much more is at stake in this election,” Michelle Obama said. “We can’t take anything for granted because it’s all still on the line. And I know you’re here today because you believe, like I believe, that our president, my husband, he’s done an extraordinary job.”
The first lady also invoked her label as “mom-in-chief” — which she called herself during her speech the previous night on the floor of the Democratic convention. After saying she’s putting on her “serious-first-lady face,” an audience member said it was, “Your mom face.” Michelle Obama replied, “My mom face, that’s right. That’s it. You heard me, Sasha.”
According to pool reports, about 600 people attended the event, including notables such as Democratic National Committee Treasurer Andy Tobias, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, lesbian New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force and U.S. House candidate Mark Pocan.
Prior to the first lady’s remarks, Democratic National Convention Chair and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa took the stage to deliver remarks as part of the program, saying he’s proud the Democratic platform supports “every American’s right for the freedom to marry.”
Introducing Michelle Obama was Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin, who praised Michelle Obama for “her clear and much-needed message to policymakers and youth alike that bullying is not something that we have to accept in this country.”
Jeremy Hooper, editor of the gay blog “Good as You,” was among those in attendance at the luncheon and told the Washington Blade afterward he was struck by four words Michelle Obama said after talking about her husband’s LGBT accomplishments and commitment to equality: “And he always will.”
“I think that’s notable, considering where the president was versus where he now is,” Hooper said. “The message used to be ‘stick with me and I might get to where you want me to be.’ Now the message is that this administration is with us without fail or end date.”
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.”
-
U.S. Supreme Court2 days ago
Supreme Court to consider bans on trans athletes in school sports
-
Out & About2 days ago
Celebrate the Fourth of July the gay way!
-
Virginia2 days ago
Va. court allows conversion therapy despite law banning it
-
Maryland4 days ago
LGBTQ suicide prevention hotline option is going away. Here’s where else to go in Md.