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Obama nominates lesbian Latina judge to Pa. court

Quiñones serves as judge on Philadelphia County Court

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President Obama nominated Nitza Quinones Alejandro to become a federal judge in Pennsylvania (Blade file photo by Michael Key)

President Obama has nominated for first time time ever an out lesbian Latina to serve as a federal judge, making another achievement for the LGBT community before the end of his first term.

The White House announced on Tuesday that Obama named Nitza Quiñones Alejandro as part of a group of three nominees to sit on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. According to the Human Rights Campaign, Quiñones is a lesbian and was recommended by Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.).

“These men and women have had distinguished legal careers and I am honored to ask them to continue their work as judges on the federal bench,” Obama said. “They will serve the American people with integrity and an unwavering commitment to justice.”

According to a bio provided by the White House, Quiñones already serves as a judge on the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, where she has presided since 1991 over both civil and criminal matters. Before that, Quiñones worked as a staff attorney for the Department of Veterans Affairs and as an attorney advisor for the Department of Health & Human Services.

A Puerto Rico native, Quiñones received her law degree in 1975 from the University of Puerto Rico School of Law and graduated with honors in 1972 from the University of Puerto Rico with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

In a joint statement with Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Casey praised the judicial nominees that Obama made on Wednesday. The statement says each of three nominees were recommended by either Casey or Toomey.

“I’m pleased that the White House has nominated these exceptionally qualified members of the legal community to the bench,” Casey said. “I was proud to work in a bipartisan fashion with Sen. Toomey to nominate these individuals, and I’m hopeful that the Senate will work in a constructive manner to confirm them to the bench in the near future. I’m confident that these individuals who Sen. Toomey and I have recommended and the White House has nominated will serve with the highest standards and discharge justice in a fair and impartial way.”

Toomey, a Tea Party Republican who was elected to the Senate in 2010, also commended Quiñones for her record as he praised the additional nominations that were made.

“In her 21 years on the bench, Nitza Quiñones Alejandro has presided over many cases incorporating different facets of the law,” Toomey said. “In addition to her extensive experience in the courtroom, she has also remained active in her community through her work with schools and mentoring summer law interns.”

Obama nominates Quiñones with just slightly more than one month remaining for the 112th Congress, so it’s unlikely the Senate will act to confirm Quiñones before it adjourns. Obama will have to renominate her next year if he continues to want her to have a seat on the federal court.

Quiñones’s nomination brings the total number of openly gay judicial nominees made by Obama to eight. Another openly gay judicial nomination that Obama made last week — William Thomas, was named to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida — is also unlikely to see Senate action because his nomination was made so late in the year. Yet another gay nominee, Michael McShane, whom Obama named to U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, was announced in September and has yet to see Senate action.

Pamela Ki Mai Chen, whom Obama named to be a federal judge for the Eastern District of New York, is set to have a vote before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. But per the rules of the committee, Chen’s nomination made be held over for the following executive session if any member of the committee wants more time.

Other openly gay judicial nominees Obama has made are J. Paul Oetken, who was confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York; Allison Nathan, who was also confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York; and Michael Fitzgerald, who was confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Obama nominated Edmund Dumont to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, but that nomination was rescinded after no action was taken on the appointment and DuMont requested his name be withdrawn.

Michael Cole-Schwartz, an HRC spokesperson, commended Obama for nominating Quiñones to the bench, saying,”We applaud President Obama for continuing to nominate federal judges that are not only experienced jurists but also reflect the rich diversity of our country.”

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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

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U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon (Screen capture: C-SPAN)

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.

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New York

Two teens shot steps from Stonewall Inn after NYC Pride parade

One of the victims remains in critical condition

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The Stonewall National Memorial in New York on June 19, 2024. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

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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New York

Zohran Mamdani participates in NYC Pride parade

Mayoral candidate has detailed LGBTQ rights platform

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NYC mayoral candidate and New York State Assembly member Zohran Mamdani (Screen capture: NBC News/YouTube)

Zohran Mamdani, the candidate for mayor of New York City who pulled a surprise victory in the primary contest last week, walked in the city’s Pride parade on Sunday.

The Democratic Socialist and New York State Assembly member published photos on social media with New York Attorney General Letitia James, telling followers it was “a joy to march in NYC Pride with the people’s champ” and to “see so many friends on this gorgeous day.”

“Happy Pride NYC,” he wrote, adding a rainbow emoji.

Mamdani’s platform includes a detailed plan for LGBTQ people who “across the United States are facing an increasingly hostile political environment.”

His campaign website explains: “New York City must be a refuge for LGBTQIA+ people, but private institutions in our own city have already started capitulating to Trump’s assault on trans rights.

“Meanwhile, the cost of living crisis confronting working class people across the city hits the LGBTQIA+ community particularly hard, with higher rates of unemployment and homelessness than the rest of the city.”

“The Mamdani administration will protect LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers by expanding and protecting gender-affirming care citywide, making NYC an LGBTQIA+ sanctuary city, and creating the Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs.”

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