National
Senate panel advances two gay judicial nominees
McShane, Quinones reported out favorably by voice vote
Nitza Quiñones Alejandro nomination as a U.S. judge was approved by Senate panel (Image courtesy of the United States Senate)
Following a call from the White House to fill vacancies on the federal court, a Senate panel on Thursday approved two openly gay nominees to the floor en banc as part of a group of six pending appointments.
The Senate Judiciary Committee reported out by voice vote the nominations of Michael McShane, nominated for a seat on the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, and Nitza Quinones Alejandro, nominated for a seat U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Both nominees were named by President Obama in the previous Congress and renominated again at the start of this year.
McShane, whose nomination was recommended by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), has served on the Multnomah County Circuit Court since 1997, where he handles civil, criminal and family court cases. If confirmed, he would be the first openly gay federal judge in Oregon.
Quinones, whose nomination was recommended by Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), serves as a judge on the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, where she has presided since 1991 over civil and criminal matters. A Puerto Rico native, Quinones would be the first out lesbian Latina to serve as a federal judge.
The committee has advanced the nominees as the Obama administration is ramping up public pressure on the Senate to confirm judicial appointments. On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney offered a three-slide presentation on vacancies remaining in the federal judiciary — noting the average wait time for an Obama judicial nominee to get a floor vote is three to four times longer than it was during the Bush administration.
“This is a problem that needs to be resolved for the sake of our judicial system, for the sake of a carrying out of justice in our country in an expedited and deliberate manner,” Carney said.
It should be noted the committee votes on Quinones and McShane were scheduled before Carney offered his remarks on Tuesday during the White House briefing.
Carney particularly emphasized the importance of confirming Caitlin Halligan, another nominee, to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. But the following day, Senate Republicans succeeded in filibustering the nomination. President Obama in a statement afterward said he was “deeply disappointed” because he believes Halligan is highly qualified for the role.
But earlier this week, the Senate confirmed by voice vote the nomination of Pamela Ki Mai Chen, a lesbian, for a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. She’s the first openly gay Asian-American confirmed to the federal bench.
National
Queen Jean is Tony’s first transgender winner
Designer/activist wins for work on ‘Cats: The Jellicle Ball’
It was a historic night at the 79th annual Tony Awards on Sunday as Queen Jean won the award for Best Costume Design of a Musical, making her the first out transgender person to win a Tony.
“This experience has been monumental. We are here for the legacy of queer people, trans people,” she said. “We are taking up space in ways we have to take up space. We have to shift the paradigm. So I just want to say, thank you all so much for this incredible honor. The world right now is deeply, deeply combating so many ailments, and we know as a society that when we come together, we can make real, permanent change.”
She won the award for her work on “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” and was also nominated for best costume design of a play for “Liberation.”
In addition to her stage work, Queen Jean is the founder of Black Trans Liberation, an organization that supports trans and gender-nonconforming people in New York City.
National
Madonna turns Times Square into massive dance floor
Pop icon celebrates Pride month with surprise performance
Pop icon Madonna celebrated Pride month with a pop-up performance in New York City’s Times Square on Thursday to the delight of 50,000 fans.
She performed for about 15 minutes high above street level, including several songs from her new album “Confessions II” due on July 3, along with a trio of songs from the first “Confessions on a Dance Floor.”
In addition to the brand new “Love Sensation,” she performed “I Feel So Free” and “Bring Your Love,” plus “Hung Up,” “Get Together” and “I Love New York.” She wished the crowd a happy Pride season; the event was shared with audiences through Grindr’s first-ever livestream.
National
Gallup finds LGBTQ support among Americans is dropping
Marriage equality support lowest since 2016
Gallup, one of the leading organizations in public opinion polling, has found that LGBTQ support among Americans is dropping.
The poll, whose data was collected using Gallup’s annual Values and Beliefs survey, was conducted in May and was published on Wednesday. The data was collected through telephone interviews from a sample of more than 1,000 adults living in all 50 states and D.C. using random digit dialing.
It highlights declining attitudes surrounding LGBTQ issues in multiple areas — from support for same-sex marriage to views on gender identity and the morality of one’s sexuality.
One of the most striking findings was that support for marriage equality fell six points from its 2022-2023 high.
The survey also found that 62 percent of Americans view gay and lesbian relations as morally acceptable, the lowest level since 2016 just after same-sex marriage was legalized nationwide by the U.S. Supreme Court.
One newer question on the poll found that the perceived morality of changing one’s gender has dropped eight points since 2021, indicating the American public is less supportive of transgender people.
The data attributes much of the decline to shifting Republican views alongside the party itself. Conservative leaders have pushed back against diversity, equity, and inclusion programs that were intended to foster greater acceptance of LGBTQ people and other historically disadvantaged groups.
President Donald Trump has been a guiding force behind waves of anti-LGBTQ sentiment, particularly when it comes to trans rights. The president has enacted multiple executive orders, including Executive Order 14168, “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” which mandates that gender be defined by one’s sex assigned at birth. He also signed Executive Order 14183, “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness,” which barred qualified trans applicants from joining the military and led to the removal of trans service members already serving in the armed forces.
Additionally, he signed Executive Order 14201, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” which prohibits trans female athletes from participating on women’s and girls’ sports teams.
In February, Gallup found that an estimated 9 percent of Americans identified as part of the LGBTQ community in some form.
The organization also found that 23 percent of adults under age 30 identify as LGBTQ, compared with 10 percent of those ages 30 to 49 and 3 percent or less among those ages 50 and older.
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