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Takano poised to win House seat from Calif.

Set to become first gay person of color in Congress

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Mark Takano, gay news, Washington Blade

Mark Takano (Photo courtesy of Takano campaign)

A California public school teacher is poised to win his election and become the first openly gay member of Congress who’s also a person of color.

Mark Takano, a Democrat, leads in the race to represent California’s newly created 41st congressional district in the U.S. House against Republican candidate, Riverside County Supervisor John Tavaglione.

With 54 percent of precincts reporting as of early Wednesday, Takano leads 57-43 percent; several media outlets have projected him the winner.

Chuck Wolfe, CEO of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, said a Takano victory would be significant because in addition to becoming the first openly gay person of color to be elected to Congress as a Japanese-American, Takano would also be the first out person to represent California as a federal lawmaker.

“We’re excited that Mark Takano is heading to Capitol Hill, where he will be the first openly LGBT person of color to serve in Congress, and the first out Californian,” Wolfe said. “Mark joins a small but growing caucus of openly LGBT lawmakers in Washington who are challenging their colleagues to stand on the right side of history.”

A public school teacher for 23 years specializing in British literature, Takano is no stranger to public service. In 1990, he was elected to the Riverside Community College Districtā€™s Board of Trustees and has served on that body since then. In 2001, Takano helped shepherd through the board a measure enabling Riverside Community College employees to have domestic partner benefits.

He made earlier attempts at winning a House seat. In 1992, Takano lost by fewer than 550 votes against Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) in one of the closest congressional elections in California history. Takano made another unsuccessful attempt at running for the seat in 1994.

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Politics

More than 35 trans, genderqueer candidates running across U.S.

‘I’ve always said that trans people make the best natural politicians’

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Brianna Titone is a trans woman running for the Colorado House of Representatives. (Washington Blade file photo)

When Jennifer Williams was collecting signatures for her first political campaign in 2022, people told her, a transgender woman, ā€œI think you would do an awesome job, but you got no chance to win.ā€

Their hesitancy was not unfounded. Williams won her seat on Trenton, N.J.’s City CouncilĀ by a single vote.

This round she is running unopposed with broad community support. She attributes this to the fact that she got her job done. ā€œThings have gone so well,ā€ she says, ā€œI think I delivered on everything I wanted to do.ā€

Williams is not the only trans candidate who has already secured a place in political office for the upcoming cycle. Kim Coco Iwamoto made history in Hawaii as theĀ first personĀ in U.S. history to defeat an incumbent House speaker in a Democratic primaryā€”in addition to being theĀ first out transgenderĀ elected official in Hawaiiā€™s history. (Since there is no other challenger, Iwamoto is the representative-elect).Ā 

Vered Meltzer, the first openly transgender individual to hold elected office in Wisconsin, elected originally in 2014, continues his tenure as a City Council Member in the City of Appleton, after winning in April.

Sarah McBrideĀ is favored to win Delaware’s at-large congressional district, becoming the nationā€™s first out trans congressional lawmaker.Ā 

Across the nation, 35 other transgender, non-binary, and genderqueer candidates are running for office in their local communities.Ā The BladeĀ will be tracking all races live as results come in, in addition to providing insight from interviews conducted with many of the candidates in the weeks leading up to election day.

ā€œTransgender representation in public office is important because unfortunately the GOP has put a target on our backs … Since they’ve decided to use us as a scapegoat for our nation’s problems it’s important that we be able to advocate for ourselves in our own voice while standing up for our own humanity and rights.ā€ ā€“ Mel Manuel, candidate for U.S. House of Representatives.

Identity informationā€”transgender man, transgender woman, non-binary, and genderqueerā€”comes from the LGBTQ Victory Fund and Families United for Trans Rights. 

Candidates emphasize that their identities do not always fit within simple labels.Ā Minita Sanghvi, a candidate for the New York Senate, says, ā€œI present as a butch lesbian and I often donā€™t feel like I am cisgender.ā€ She explains that she sees gender as a continuum. ā€œI see myself as gender diverse or genderqueer because I am not transgender either.ā€

When asked about top issues, the candidatesĀ repeatedly cited topicsĀ other than anti-LGBTQ bills. The focus of the campaigns varies race to race depending on local needs, such as poverty alleviation, improving emergency services, reproductive freedom, gun safety, and infrastructure.Ā 

Many did cite their unique perspective as a trans person making them a better politician. It is not simply about the importance of having diverse voices in the legislature; rather it is about resiliency and creativity.

ā€œI’ve always said that trans people make the best natural politicians,ā€ says Alfred Twu, a candidate running for the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board. ā€œWe’re already used to getting personal attacks, nothing really phases us, and weā€™re even used to explaining our life story to random people.ā€

ā€œWe have a lot to contribute because we have to follow a journey of self-discovery,ā€ says Williams. ā€œAlong the way, we really look at how people are affected by the government, negatively and positively, what the role of government should be, and how precious our liberties and freedoms are.ā€Ā 

It doesnā€™t hurt that being an openly trans public servant leads to greater acceptance and understanding of the LGBTQ community.

ā€œI am very proud to have the opportunity to give people a visual example as to what a transgender person actually looks like, and what we do day in and day out when we have responsibility serving the people that elected us,ā€ says Lisa Middleton, a trans woman running aĀ competitive raceĀ for the California State Senate in a slightly red-leaning district.Ā 

ā€œThe more that we show that we can lead and we can deliver as representatives of our fellow citizens, I think that’s going to change hearts and minds faster than anything else,ā€ says Williams.

The Candidates

Abigail Salisbury

Non-binary/Genderqueer candidate running for Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Race Status: Unknown

Aime Wichtendahl

Trans woman running for Iowa House of Representatives

Race Status: Unknown

ā€œBerkley is about a quarter Asian… But we don’t have anybody on the tenant board from an Asian American background. This becomes an issue because we have so many people who are first-time tenants and a lot of people are immigrants. They just got to this country, and they often don’t know what their rights are. Berkeley has been a bit lagging compared to some of our neighboring cities in providing information in different languages.ā€ ā€“ Alfred Twu

Alfred Twu

Genderqueer/Non-Binary candidate running for Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board in California

Race Status: Unknown

Amber Fellows 

Genderqueer/Non-Binary candidate running for Ypsilanti City Council in Michigan

Race Status: Unknown

Ambureen Rana

Genderqueer/Non-Binary candidate running for Maine House of Representatives

Race Status: Unknown

Ashley Brundage

Trans woman running for Florida House of Representatives

Race Status: Unknown

Brian Cina

Non-binary/Genderqueer candidate running for Vermont House of Representatives

Race Status: Unknown

Brianna Titone

Trans woman running for Colorado House of Representatives

Race Status: Unknown

Brion Curran

Genderqueer/Non-Binary candidate running for Minnesota House of Representatives

Race Status: Unknown

DeShanna Neal

Genderqueer/Non-Binary candidate running for Delaware House of Representatives

Race Status: Unknown

Eleanor Moreno

Genderqueer/Non-Binary candidate running for Grand Rapids School Board in Michigan

Race Status: Unknown

Emma Curtis

Trans woman running forĀ Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council in Kentucky

Race Status: Unknown

Evelyn Rios Stafford

Trans woman running forĀ Washington County Justice of the Peace in Arkansas

Race Status: Unknown

Helen Grant

Genderqueer/Non-Binary candidate running for Norman City Council in Oklahoma

Race Status: Unknown

Jo Miller

Transgender Non-Binary candidate running for Woodbury City Council New Jersey

Race Status: Unknown

Joshua Query

Genderqueer/Non-Binary candidate running for New Hampshire House of Representatives

Race Status: Unknown

Leigh Finke

Trans woman running forĀ Minnesota House of Representatives

Race Status: Unknown

Leslie Blackburn

Genderqueer candidate running for Lodi Township Trustee in Michigan

Race Status: Unknown

ā€œI am a strong believer in a woman’s right to choose. My opponent is absolutely opposed to that. Itā€™s a fundamental issue for millions of women. It also the politicization of healthcare, and as a transgender woman, I have been dealing with politicized healthcare all my adult life.ā€ ā€“Lisa Middleton

Lisa Middleton

Trans woman running for California State SenateĀ 

Race Status: Unknown

Lorena Austin

Genderqueer/Non-Binary candidate running for Arizona House of Representatives

Race Status: Unknown

Mari Cordes

Genderqueer candidate running for Vermont House of Representatives

Race Status: Unknown

Marielle De Leon

Trans woman running for San Juan Municipal Legislature in Puerto Rico

Race Status: Unknown

Mel Manuel

Transgender Non-Binary candidate running for US House of Representatives in Louisiana

Race Status: Unknown

ā€œI moved to the U.S. in 2001 because I realized I was gay. India, where I was growing up, was not a very safe place to be for a gay kid in the 1990s or the 80s ā€¦ I’m really grateful for everything that America has given me. When I was growing up, I never imagined that I would have a life where I get married, have a child, be on his birth certificate, be able to raise a family, go to work in a place where I was accepted for who I was, that I didn’t have to hide who I was ā€¦ I got my chance at the American dream. I want everyone else to get their chance at the American dream.ā€ ā€“ Minita Sanghvi

Minita Sanghvi

Genderqueer/Non-Binary candidate running for New York State Senate

Race Status: Unknown

Nathan Bruemmer

Trans man running for Florida House of Representatives

Race Status: Unknown

Paul Bixler

Trans woman running for Liberty Elementary School District #25, Governing Board in Arizona

Race Status: Unknown

Precious Brady-Davis

Trans woman running for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Board of Commissioners

Race Status: Unknown

Remy Drabkin

Genderqueer/Non-Binary candidate running for Mayor of McMinnville, Oregon

Race Status: Unknown

“It is vital that transgender and gender-diverse people have adequate representation at all levels of government because we are members of our communities, and we need representation just like everyone else. The issues that are important to us are often the very same issues that are important to everyone, but they sometimes affect us in unique or disproportionate ways.” ā€“ Serenity Johnson

Serenity Johnson

Trans woman running for Radcliff City Council in KentuckyĀ 

Race Status: Unknown

Terra Lawson-Remer

Genderqueer/Non-Binary candidate running for San Diego County Board of Supervisors in California

Race Status: Unknown

ā€œI’m running at the statehouse level after serving on my city council, because Indiana deserves to have a General Assembly that works to lift folks up, and not beat them down; that acts to expand folks’ rights, and not diminish them; and that looks more like all the people it serves.ā€ ā€“Veronica Pejril

Veronica Pejril

Trans woman running for Indiana State Senate

Race Status: Unknown

Vivian Smotherman

Trans woman running for Colorado State SenateĀ 

Race Status: Unknown

Xavier Johnson

Genderqueer/Non-Binary candidate running for Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board Commission in California

Race Status: Unknown

Zooey Zephyr 

Trans woman running for Montana House of Representatives

Race Status: Unknown

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District of Columbia

Activists hold chalk art protest at McDonaldā€™s after anti-gay assault

Police say victim attacked, beaten by 15 people for not saying ā€˜excuse meā€™

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Local gay activist Joey Minervini and two others drew supportive messages in chalk at the site of an anti-gay attack. (Photo courtesy of Joey Minervini)

Local gay activist Joey Minervini and two others used chalk to draw LGBTQ supportive messages on the sidewalk outside the McDonaldā€™s restaurant at 14th and U Streets, N.W. at 9 a.m. Sunday Nov. 3, one week after D.C. police say a gay man was attacked and assaulted by 15 men and women at that McDonaldā€™s while shouting the word ā€œfaggot.ā€

Police say they are investigating the Oct. 27 assault against Sebastian Thomas Robles Lascarro, 22, that Lascarro has said began inside the McDonaldā€™s at about 1 a.m. when one of the attackers, a woman, criticized him for not saying ā€œexcuse meā€ when he walked past her.

ā€œHe ignored her, and he walked away,ā€ Lascarroā€™s husband, Stuart West, told the Washington Blade. West said his husband told him the woman then called him a faggot and her friends, who were mostly men, blocked the exit door at the McDonaldā€™s, preventing Lascarro from leaving and about 10 of the attackers began to punch him repeatedly in the face and body.

He was taken by ambulance to Howard University Hospital, where he was treated for multiple cuts and bruises before being released the next day.

Minervini released a series of photos he took of the Nov. 3 chalk protest, a few of which show the words ā€œEXCUSE ME We All Belongā€ drawn in rainbow colored chalk on the sidewalk in front of the McDonaldā€™s entrance. Other messages they drew on the sidewalk included, ā€œWe all belong here,ā€ and ā€œD.C. For You And Me,ā€ with a drawing next to it with fingers making the peace sign.

Joining Minervini for the protest was D.C. artist and muralist Chelsea Ritter-Soronen, who operates a local chalk art and mural business called CHALK RIOT, Minervini told the Blade. He said one of his friends, Darren Pierre, also participated in doing the chalk art drawings.  

Minervini said most passersby, including customers entering and leaving the McDonaldā€™s, appeared to be supportive of the protest, with some taking pictures of the chalk drawings.

ā€œThe vibe there was positive,ā€ he said. ā€œSome people were unaware of what we were doing, so I explained to them a gay man was attacked for apparently not saying ā€˜excuse me.ā€™ So, thatā€™s why we were chalking the words ā€˜excuse meā€™ to reclaim the phrase,ā€ Minervini said. ā€œWe were doing it there to reclaim the space a little bit.ā€

He said he did not see any of the McDonaldā€™s employees come out to look at the drawings up until the time the three ended their chalk art action about 10:15 or 10:30 a.m. Minervini said he and a friend walked past the McDonaldā€™s around 5 p.m. Sunday evening and the chalk drawings were still on the sidewalk.

D.C. police have listed the attack against Lascarro as a suspected hate crime. But they have not provided an update on their investigation, including whether investigators have interviewed McDonaldā€™s employees who were present during the attack or whether they have requested video footage from the security cameras at the McDonaldā€™s.

West, Lascarroā€™s husband, said the ambulance took Lascarro to the hospital before police arrived and police officers first spoke to Lascarro about the attack at the hospital rather than at the scene of the assault.  

ā€œThankfully, he has been recovering from his injuries, the scrapes, cuts, bruising and swelling have all started to heal, but I fear the real damage canā€™t be seen,ā€ West said in an updated message in a GoFundMe posting he set up to help defray the costs of Lascarroā€™s medical expenses.

ā€œUnfortunately, after this incident, heā€™s battling with many emotions including anxiety, depression, fear of leaving the house and worse, questions whether D.C. is the right fit for him,ā€ West says in his posting.

West told the Blade Lascarro, who goes by his middle name of Thomas, is a recent immigrant from Colombia who has permanent U.S. resident status. He said Lascarro had been at the nearby gay bars Crush and Bunker before stopping at the McDonaldā€™s on his way home.

(Photo courtesy of Joey Minervini)
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World

Out in the World: LGBTQ news from Asia, Canada, and Europe

Tokyo High Court Japanā€™s same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional

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(Los Angeles Blade graphic)

JAPAN

The Tokyo High Court ruled that the countryā€™s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, upholding a lower court ruling. This is the second High Court ruling favoring same-sex marriage after the Sapporo High Court came to a similar conclusion earlier this year, and more High Court rulings are expected over the next few months. 

The court found that laws restricting marriage to opposite-sex couples “are not based on reasonable grounds” and lead to “discriminatory treatment (of people) based on their sexual orientation,” according to the ruling.

The rulings donā€™t immediately create a right to same-sex marriage in Japan, but they add pressure on the government to address the unconstitutionality. These cases will likely find their way to the Supreme Court next year.

Same-sex marriage is not currently legal anywhere in Japan, and the government has long asserted that Section 24 of the post-war constitution rules out same-sex marriage. Section 24 states ā€œmarriage shall be based only on the mutual consent of both sexes and it shall be maintained through mutual cooperation with the equal rights of husband and wife as a basis.ā€

However, equal marriage supporters point out that Section 24 was not intended to deal with same-sex marriage, but rather to assert the right of individuals to marry the person of their choice, rather than traditional arranged marriages. 

A series of recent court victories have gradually opened up recognition of equal rights for same-sex couples in Japan. Five lower courts have found that the ban on same-sex marriage violates the constitution, while only one lower court has upheld the ban as constitutional. 

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court found that same-sex couples are entitled to survivorsā€™ benefits for victims of crime. 

Additionally, 450 municipalities and 30 of Japanā€™s 47 prefectures have instituted partnership registries for same-sex couples. Although these registries have little legal force, they have helped couples access local services and demonstrate growing recognition of same-sex couplesā€™ rights.

This weekā€™s High Court ruling comes at a time of flux in Japanese politics. During last weekā€™s parliamentary election, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party lost its governing majority, while the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party, which supports same-sex marriage, made huge gains.

Anglo Nippon Politics reports that a very narrow majority of newly elected legislators have expressed support for same-sex marriage, but that the dynamics of the new parliament may make it difficult for the LDP, which hopes to hold onto power with support for smaller conservative parties, to advance controversial issues.

CANADAĀ 

The Alberta government under United Conservative Party Premier Danielle Smith introduced four pieces of anti-LGBTQ and anti-transgender legislation last week, prompting protests in the capital Edmonton and in the provinceā€™s largest city Calgary.

Smith had initially announced the legislation in February, amid a general hysteria about transgender youth and school inclusion policies that had swept through conservative parties across Canada. 

The four bills ban gender care for trans youth, require parental notification and consent if a trans student wishes to use a different name or pronoun in school, bars trans women from competing in sports in schools and colleges, and requires parental notification and ā€œopt-inā€ if sexual orientation, gender identity, or human sexuality will be discussed in classrooms.

Opponents criticized Smith for the legislation, which critics said was timed to help Smith in a leadership review held this weekend. Smithā€™s leadership was upheld with more than 91 percent of the vote at the UCP convention in Red Deer on Saturday.

More than 1,000 people showed up at Calgary City Hall to demonstrate against the bills on Saturday, as well as against the UCPā€™s priorities for Alberta, while hundreds more turned up in front of the provincial legislature in Edmonton.

Rowan Morris, an organizer with Trans Rights YEG, told the Edmonton Journal that the bills had galvanized opposition from across the political spectrum, recalling a conversion he had with a conservative supporter.

ā€œ[She said], ā€˜My whole family is here, weā€™re all conservatives, we will all be conservatives for the rest of our lives, but we recognize that bodily autonomy is a freedom we need to uphold for all Albertans. Whether we agree on how you live your life or not, the government does not have a place in your private medical decisions with your doctor,ā€™ā€ Morris said.

Because of the UCPā€™s majority in the provincial legislature, there is little chance the bills wonā€™t pass. Voters next go to the polls in Alberta in October 2027.

Voters in Canada have had a chance to weigh in on anti-trans policies this year, and the results have been mixed. In Manitoba and New Brunswick, voters turfed conservative parties from government after they introduced or announced anti-trans policies, while in British Columbia, voters kept the governing New Democrats in office after the opposition Conservatives had announced several similar anti-trans policies.

Last month, voters in Saskatchewan returned its conservative government to power after it introduced a parental notification and consent policy in violation of Canadaā€™s Charter of Rights and pledged to introduce a ban on trans students accessing change rooms and bathrooms in schools if reelected.

GERMANY

The Gender Self-Determination Act came into force on Friday, marking a historic advancement for trans rights in Germany. 

Under the new law, anyone will be able to change their legal name and gender by making a simple application at their local registry office. 

The new law replaces the Transsexuals Act, which dates from the early 1980s, and required anyone wishing to change their legal gender to get permission from a judge after submitting two psychological assessments. 

The law allows name and gender changes for minors. Children under 14 can have the process done by their parents, while those over 14 can do so with parental permission. Youth will also have to submit a declaration that they have sought advice from a psychologist or from a youth welfare specialist.

Also included in the law is a new protection that makes it a criminal offense to out a trans person without their consent.

Gender self-determination is increasingly the norm in Western European countries. Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Portugal, Malta, Greece, Ireland, Norway, Iceland, and Denmark have all introduced similar legislation in recent years. Additionally, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Uruguay, India, Pakistan, as well as several provinces and states of Canada, the U.S., and Mexico allow gender self-determination.

SWITZERLANDĀ 

The Swiss canton of Vaud became the latest place in Europe to ban so-called conversion therapy, as legislation to ban the discredited practice of attempting to change a personā€™s sexual orientation or gender identity nationwide has stalled in the federal parliament.

Vaud is the third of Switzerlandā€™s 26 cantons to ban conversion therapy, following Neuchatel last December and Valais earlier this year. Vaud is Switzerlandā€™s third-largest canton, home to more than 800,000 people. 

In 2022, the lower house of the Swiss parliament passed a motion calling on the government to introduce a conversion therapy ban, but the motion was rejected by the upper house earlier this year.  Legislators at the time said they wanted to wait for more information from the Federal Council, which was due to report on conversion therapy over the summer. 

In the meantime, several other Swiss cantons have begun debating local bans on conversion therapy, including Geneva, Bern, and Zurich. 

Doctors and therapists are already prohibited from practicing conversion therapy in Switzerland by their professional associations, but much conversion therapy is carried out by unlicensed individuals.

Conversion therapy has already been banned across much of Western Europe, including France, Germany, Norway, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Malta, Greece, Cyprus, and Iceland. It has also been banned in Mexico, Ecuador, New Zealand, Canada, Taiwan, and in many U.S. and Australian states.

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