National
LGBT-inclusive domestic violence bill passes Congress
Vote marks first time pro-gay bill has passed under Boehner
The U.S. House passed an LGBT-inclusive version of the VAWA reauthorization. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
The Republican-controlled House on Thursday made history by passing an LGBT-inclusive version of a bill aimed at preventing domestic violence and aiding its victims.
It’s significant because passage of the legislation marks the first time the House has passed an LGBT-inclusive bill since U.S. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) took control of the chamber at the start of 2011.
The reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act — a law first signed into law in 1994 — passed the House by a vote of 286-138 early Thursday afternoon. The entire caucus of 199 House Democrats voted for the measure as well as 87 Republicans, providing the necessary majority support for passage.
Earlier this month, the Senate approved this version of VAWA on a bipartisan basis by a vote of 78-22. Passage in both chambers of Congress means President Obama’s signature is the last remaining step before the bill becomes law.
In a statement, President Obama commended the House for passing the Senate version of the legislation, taking particular note of the protections it affords LGBT people.
“Over more than two decades, this law has saved countless lives and transformed the way we treat victims of abuse,” Obama said. “Today’s vote will go even further by continuing to reduce domestic violence, improving how we treat victims of rape, and extending protections to Native American women and members of the LGBT community.”
An earlier Republican version of VAWA reauthorization that lacked LGBT inclusion failed to pass on the House floor on the same day just prior to passage of the more inclusive bill. That measure failed by a vote 166-257.
The VAWA reauthorization bill passed by the House has language that aims to help LGBT victims of domestic violence in three ways:
• First, the legislation mandates all programs or activities that receive funding under VAWA provide services regardless of a person’s actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.
• Second, it explicitly includes the LGBT community in the largest VAWA grant program, the “STOP Grant Program,” which provides funding to care providers who collaborate with prosecution and law enforcement officials to address domestic violence.
• Finally, the bill sets up a grant program specifically aimed at providing services and outreach to underserved populations, including programs that provide care specifically for LGBT people.
Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, called House passage of the bill “a huge victory” for the millions of people affected by domestic violence and noted these victims include LGBT people.
“A survivor’s distress should not be compounded by a lack of proper response from service providers or law enforcement,” Carey said. “Imagine being assaulted, scared and in pain — and then also being turned away from the care you need simply because of who you are or who you love. This legislation will better ensure that does not happen.”
Data exists showing LGBT people who are victims of domestic violence suffer from discrimination when seeking help at shelters. According to a 2010 report from the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, 44.6 percent of LGBT domestic violence survivors were turned away by a shelter and 54.4 percent of LGBT survivors seeking an order of protection were denied help.
Gregory Angelo, executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans, commended the 87 House Republicans for joining with Democrats to vote in favor of the measure.
“Codifying law to acknowledge the reality that gays and lesbians can be the unfortunate victims of domestic abuse just as their straight counterparts is an issue of basic fairness, and we applaud those Republicans in the House who demonstrated the importance of equal protection under the law with their votes today,” Angelo said.
Asked by the Washington Blade whether passage of LGBT-inclusive domestic violence legislation could indicate that the chamber would support a pro-LGBT bill like the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, Angelo was optimistic.
“Today’s vote certainly indicates that there is an appetite among some in the House Republican caucus for LGBT-inclusive legislation that codifies equal protection under the law,” Angelo said.
It should be mentioned that the House under the 112th Congress more frequently has passed language with anti-gay language, such as a version of the defense authorization bill banning same-sex marriages on military bases and other legislation containing language that reaffirms the Defense of Marriage Act.
Drew Hammill, a spokesperson for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), pushed back on the notion that Republicans deserve credit for passing an LGBT-inclusive bill, saying Republican leaders were forced to bring up the legislation.
“To give them credit for ‘allowing’ this to pass is ridiculous,” Hammill said. “House Dems and advocates turned up the heat and made this too hot to handle. They lost control of this and are in disarray. [House Majority Leader Eric] Cantor had tried to find a different path and failed miserably.”
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.”
New York
Zohran Mamdani participates in NYC Pride parade
Mayoral candidate has detailed LGBTQ rights platform
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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