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Huntsman comes out for marriage equality

Former presidential hopeful urges conservatives to advance rights

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Jon Huntsman, gay news, Washington Blade
Jon Huntsman, gay news, Washington Blade

Jon Huntsman, Jr. came out for marriage equality in an article in the American Conservative. (Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Calling on fellow conservatives to embrace marriage equality to help rebuild their party, former Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman, Jr., came out on Thursday in support of same-sex marriage.

In a column for the American Conservative, Huntsman issued the call for Republicans to support civil marriage for same-sex couples because the party is “at a crossroads” after losing the popular vote in five of the last six presidential elections.

“[C]onservatives should start to lead again and push their states to join the nine others that allow all their citizens to marry,” Huntsman writes. “I’ve been married for 29 years. My marriage has been the greatest joy of my life. There is nothing conservative about denying other Americans the ability to forge that same relationship with the person they love.”

As governor of Utah, Huntsman previously came out in support of civil unions even though polling at the time showed 70 percent of people in his state were to opposed to them. During the presidential race, he was seen as the most moderate candidate on LGBT issues among his fellow Republicans, although he told the Washington Blade he supports the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act because it “serves a useful purpose.”

Huntsman emphasizes in his article that he supports civil marriage for same-sex couples and the legalization of marriage rights for gay couples doesn’t mean “any religious group would be forced by the state to recognize relationships that run counter to their conscience.”

“Marriage is not an issue that people rationalize through the abstract lens of the law; rather it is something understood emotionally through one’s own experience with family, neighbors, and friends,” Huntsman continued. “The party of Lincoln should stand with our best tradition of equality and support full civil marriage for all Americans.”

A national leader of the organization known as No Labels, which seeks to encourage political leaders to act in a bipartisan fashion to address the nation’s problems, Huntsman is known for his willingness to reach across the aisle.  Prior to his presidential bid, Huntsman served under President Obama as U.S. ambassador to China.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told the Washington Blade during a news conference on Thursday that he wasn’t aware of Huntsman’s new support for marriage equality, but said it’s in line with Obama’s position and demonstrates the country’s evolution as a whole on LGBT issues.

“I think that what we have seen, and the president has spoken about this, is an evolution, if you will, of views across the country about this issue, about extending rights to LGBT Americans,” Carney said. “And the president feels very strongly about that, as you know. So while this is not news I was aware of, it’s certainly in concert with the president’s views.”

Gregory Angelo, executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans, said Huntsman rightly says the Republican Party needs to realign itself to support same-sex marriage.

“Jon Huntsman is correct: the conservative movement is indeed at a crossroads, and it’s encouraging to see more and more conservative leaders such as Gov. Huntsman walking the road that leads to the right side of history,” Angelo said. “The time is now for the party championing free markets to champion the freedom to marry for all.”

Huntsman isn’t the first former Republican presidential candidate to support same-sex marriage, nor is he the first former Republican governor to do so. Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson came out for marriage equality while still running for the Republican Party nomination. Also, Fred Karger, a gay activist who ran for president last year as a Republican, supported same-sex marriage.

Huntsman’s support for marriage equality is also noteworthy because he’s a Mormon, a religion whose leaders have opposed same-sex marriage and purport that homosexuality is in violation of God’s law.

David Baker, a spokesperson for the LGBT Mormon group Affirmation, praised Huntsman for adding his voice to those in support of marriage equality.

“Affirmation commends former Gov. Huntsman for his support for full civil marriage equality and agree with him that marriage equality is the ‘right thing to do’ as ‘all Americans should be treated equally by the law,'” Baker said. “We firmly believe that marriage equality strengthens the institution of the family and that gay couples and their children deserve every societal and legal protection afforded to straight couples.”

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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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