News
Gay governor of Sicily blocks U.S. military antenna
U.S. Embassy in Rome says antenna needed for support of NATO operations
Less than two months after taking office, Sicilyās openly gay governor has temporarily stopped construction of a U.S. satellite antenna in Sicily, saying he wants assurances that the large dish antenna wonāt have an adverse impact on public health and the environment.
The decision by Rosario Crocetta, 61, to invoke his authority as regional governor to halt construction of the antenna outside the town of Niscemi in south-central Sicily puts him at odds with the national Italian government, which agreed to allow the U.S. to build the facility.
The antenna facility is part of a worldwide U.S. military satellite communications system known as Mobile User Objective System (MUOS). Military officials say it is designed to employ state-of-the-art technology to allow troops on the ground to better communicate with support operations in the U.S. and throughout the world.
When completed, the system will consist of five satellites in earth orbit and four ground antenna stations, including stations in Norfolk, Va.; Washiawa, Hawaii; Geraldtown, Australia; and the one in Niscemi, Sicily.
āAs a member of NATO and an important partner in international security and peace, Italy, as well as all other NATO allies, will benefit from having MUOS for support of NATO operations,ā the U.S. Embassy in Rome said in a statement.
āWe are not against the Americans and are not against the MOUS,ā Crocetta said in a statement to the media. āBut we want all the guarantees for the protection of public health.ā
Crocetta announced his decision to stop construction on the antenna station shortly after protesters opposing the facility clashed with Italian police at the site of the facility. The Italian news agency ANSA reported that protestors blocked trucks and cranes from reaching the construction site.
Among other things, opponents object to the decision by Italian and U.S. military officials to place the facility close to if not within a nature preserve, where they say it could damage the fragile ecosystem.
Opponents also have expressed concern that electromagnetic waves associated with outgoing or incoming signals from the antenna could lead to a greater risk of cancer or leukemia.
Steven A. Davis, a spokesperson for the U.S. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command in San Diego, Calif., told the Blade that the Navy has worked closely with Italian experts in the fields of signal āspectrum and radiofrequencyā on two separate surveys to determine the possible effects of the ground antenna station in Sicily on the public.
āThe findings from both surveys were consistent,ā he said. āThe MUOS ground site meets all U.S. and Italian health and safety regulations.ā He said tests also showed that the MUOS antenna wonāt interfere with local cell phone signals or nearby commercial or government radio, TV or other communication transmissions, including signals from a nearby commercial airport.
Italian media outlets have reported that Crocetta, a former mayor of the Sicilian city of Gela, has spoken with officials in the U.S. Embassy in Rome about the antenna controversy. It couldnāt immediately be determined whether Crocetta and U.S. Ambassador to Italy David Thorne discussed gay-related issues in addition to the dispute over the MUOS antenna.
In December 2010, Thorne, who speaks fluent Italian, took the unusual step of delivering a message in support of LGBT rights andĀ an Italian LGBT helpline in a video broadcast over Italyās version of MTV and YouTube.
āIf you are a victim of discrimination or acts of bullying, talk to someone who is ready to listen,ā he said in the video. āCall the helpline number listed on the screen. Your life is important. You are not alone. Things get better.ā
Congress
Sens. Butler, Smith introduce Pride in Mental Health Act to aid at-risk LGBTQ youth
Bill is backed by Democrats in both chambers
U.S. Sens. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) introduced the Pride in Mental Health Act on Thursday, legislation that would strengthen resources in mental health and crisis intervention for at-risk LGBTQ youth.
āAccessing mental health care and support has become increasingly difficult in nearly every state in the country,āĀ said Butler, who is the first Black LGBTQ senator. āBarriers get even more difficult if you are a young person who lacks a supportive community or is fearful of being outed, harassed, or threatened.”
“I am introducing the Pride in Mental Health Act to help equip LGBTQ+ youth with the resources to get the affirming and often life-saving care they need,” she said.
āMental health care is health care,” said Smith. “And for some LGBTQ+ youth, receiving access to the mental health care they need can mean the difference between living in safety and dignity, and suffering alone through discrimination, bullying, and even violence.āĀ
The Minnesota senator added that data shows LGBTQ students are experiencing “an epidemic” of “anxiety, depression and other serious mental health conditions.”
For example, a 2023 study by The Trevor Project found that 54 percent of LGBTQ youth reported symptoms of depression, compared to 35 percent of their heterosexual counterparts.
Joining the senators as cosponsors are Democratic U.S. Sens. Ed Markey (Mass.), Bob Casey (Penn.), Peter Welch (Vt.), Alex Padilla (Calif.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.), Cory Booker (N.J.), and Tammy Baldwin (Wis.). Baldwin was the first LGBTQ woman elected to the House in 1999 and the first LGBTQ woman elected to the Senate in 2013.
Leading the House version of the bill are LGBTQ Democratic U.S. Reps. Sharice Davids (Kan.), Eric Sorensen (Ill.), and Ritchie Torres (N.Y.), along with 163 other House members.
Organizations that have backed the Pride in Mental Health Act include the Human Rights Campaign, GLSEN, American Academy of Pediatrics, National Education Association (NEA), National Center for Transgender Equality, Seattle Indian Health Board, PFLAG National, The Trevor Project, American Psychological Association, Whitman-Walker Institute, InterACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth, National Alliance on Mental Illness, American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Mental Health America, and Center for Law and Social Policy.
District of Columbia
D.C. mayorĀ honors 10th anniversary of Team Rayceen Productions
LGBTQ entertainment, advocacy organization praised for āvital workā
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser today issued an official proclamation declaring Monday, March 18, 2024, as Team Rayceen Day in honor of the local LGBTQ entertainment and advocacy organization Team Rayceen Productions named after its co-founder Rayceen Pendarvis.
āWhereas Rayceen, along with Team Rayceen Productions co-founder, Zar, have spent 10 years advocating for the Black LGBTQI+ community using various forms including in-person events, social media, and YouTube,ā the proclamation states.
The proclamation adds that through its YouTube Channel, Team Rayceen Productions created a platform for āBlack LGBTQIA+ individuals to discuss various topics including spotlighting nonprofit organizations and small businesses, voter registration and participation, the state of LGBTQIA+ rights and resources in D.C, gender equality and equity, and the amplification of opportunities to bring the community together.ā
It also praises Team Rayceen Productions for its partnership with the Mayorās Office of LGBTQ Affairs in helping to produce āexciting events like the District of Pride talent showcase held each June and the iconic 17th Street High Heel Race celebrated in October.ā
āWhereas I thank Team Rayceen Productions for its vital and necessary work and am #DCProud to wish you all the best as you continue to support Black LGBTQIA+ residents across all 8 Wards,ā the proclamation continues.
āNow, therefore, I, the Mayor of Washington, D.C., do hereby proclaim March 18, 2024, as TEAM RAYCEEN DAY in Washington, D.C. and do commit this observance to all Washingtonians,ā it concludes.
āWe thank Mayor Bowser for this special proclamation, which highlights where it all began, with the Black LGBTQIA+ community of Washington, D.C,ā Team Rayceen Productions says in a statement. āStarting with The Ask Rayceen Show, Reel Affirmation, and events with D.C. Public Library to Art All Night, Silver Pride by Whitman-Walker, and events with the Mayorās Office of LGBTQ Affairs, we are #dcproud of what we have accomplished in the Nationās Capital,ā the statement says.
“For TEAM RAYCEEN DAY, we thank the diverse group of individuals who have made everything we have done possible by volunteering their time and talents over the past decade ā as online co-hosts, event staff, performers, DJs, photographers, and more,ā says the statement.
U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court declines to hear case over drag show at Texas university
Students argue First Amendment protects performance
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday declined to hear a First Amendment case over a public university president’s refusal to allow an LGBTQ student group to host a drag show on campus.
The group’s application was denied without the justices providing their reasoning or issuing dissenting opinions, as is custom for such requests for emergency review.
When plaintiffs sought to organize the drag performance to raise money for suicide prevention in March 2023, West Texas A&M University President Walter Wendler cancelled the event, citing the Bible and other religious texts.
The students sued, arguing the move constituted prior restraint and viewpoint-based discrimination, in violation of the First Amendment. Wendler had called drag shows āderisive, divisive and demoralizing misogyny,” adding that “a harmless drag show” was “not possible.”
The notoriously conservative Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, who former President Donald Trump appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, ruled against the plaintiffs in September, writing that āit is not clearly established that all drag shows are inherently expressive.”
Kacsmaryk further argued that the High Court’s precedent-setting opinions protecting stage performances and establishing that “speech may not be banned on the ground that it expresses ideas that offend” was inconsistent with constitutional interpretation based on ātext, history and tradition.”
Plaintiffs appealed to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which is by far the most conservative of the nation’s 12 appellate circuit courts. They sought emergency review by the Supreme Court because the 5th Circuit refused to fast-track their case, so arguments were scheduled to begin after the date of their drag show.