National
McCaskill latest to back same-sex marriage
Mo. senator says supporting same-sex marriage ‘is simply the right thing to do’

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) came out in support for marriage equality via Tumblr posting (Photo public domain)
A Democratic U.S. senator representing a socially conservative state on Sunday night became the latest prominent figure to came out in support of marriage equality.
Via her Tumblr account, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) made her relatively low-key announcement in a posting with a title that cites a biblical passage: “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. I Corinthians 13.”
In her posting, McCaskill says she reached her decision because many of her gay and lesbian friends were embracing long-term committed relationships and she found herself “unable to look them in the eye without honestly confronting this uncomfortable inequality.”
“Supporting marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples is simply the right thing to do for our country, a country founded on the principals of liberty and equality,” McCaskill says.
McCaskill notes significant debate is taking place within the United States on marriage rights for same-sex couples and says people of faith of have taken different sides on the issue. She maintains churches shouldn’t be forced to recognize a union that’s inconsistent with their beliefs, but government is a different matter.
“I have come to the conclusion that our government should not limit the right to marry based on who you love,” McCaskill says. “While churches should never be required to conduct marriages outside of their religious beliefs, neither should the government tell people who they have a right to marry.”
McCaskill concludes her posting by predicting the issue won’t be controversial in the future.
“Good people disagree with me,” McCaskill says. “On the other hand, my children have a hard time understanding why this is even controversial. I think history will agree with my children.”
The announcement comes on heels of other recent high-profile figures announcing support for marriage equality. These include Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
McCaskiil also announced her new position just days before the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act.
A.J. Bockelman, executive director of the Missouri LGBT statewide rights group PROMO, praised McCaskill and compared her evolution to that of President Obama’s.
“As we have seen with the President, our own Sen. Claire McCaskill has evolved on marriage equality,” Bockelman said. “We are proud to have her represent fair minded Missourians in the Senate.”
McCaskill comes out for marriage equality just after she won re-election following a closely watched race between her and former Republican Congressman W. Todd Akin, whose campaign imploded when he said a woman’s body can terminate a pregnancy after a “legitimate rape.” McCaskill won’t come up for election again until her six-year term ends in 2018.
The last public statement from McCaskill on same-sex marriage was in an article published Thursday in Politico in which she she was considering the issue, but hadn’t yet come to support marriage rights for gay couples.
“I think there’s a lot of shift going on in the country, and I’m thinking about it,” McCaskill was quoted as saying at the time.
McCaskill has a somewhat strong record on LGBT rights as a member of the Senate, although she hasn’t taken a leadership role on the issue. A member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, she was among the those who voted in favor of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal in May 2010 even before the Pentagon report came out for implementing open service later that year.
In the Human Rights Campaign’s most recent congressional scorecard, McCaskill scored a 76 out of 100 points. She lost points for not co-sponsoring bills such as the legislation to repeal DOMA and the Uniting American Families Act.
Arizona
Shooting outside gay bar in Ariz. leaves three dead
Tucson police investigating double murder-suicide as a hate crime
Three people were fatally shot outside a gay bar in Tucson, Ariz., early Monday morning, about a mile from the city’s nightlife district.
Police have said the shooting, which took place in the parking lot of Venture-N bar at 1239 N. 6th Ave., was likely a hate crime and a double murder-suicide following a verbal altercation.
The suspect, Ousman Ceesay, allegedly shot Vincent Anthony Siqueiros and Cameron Davis Capara while they were outside the club around 12:30 a.m. Monday.
Reports show Capara and Siqueiros were pronounced dead at the scene. Ceesay died after being taken to a local hospital with gunshot wounds.
Police have also said that Ceesay was carrying a list of LGBTQ businesses at the time of the shooting.
Arizona Public Media has said police are investigating the case as a hate crime because the suspect was carrying a note containing the names of multiple LGBTQ-associated businesses.
“I am deeply saddened that another senseless loss of life has happened in our community,” Tucson Police Chief Monica Prieto said in a statement. “Bias-based crimes are especially heinous and have no place in our community.”
According to Prieto, there is no imminent threat to the community, and the Tucson Police Department is working to provide extra protection to various LGBTQ businesses across town.
Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva, who represents the area, issued a statement condemning the act of violence, which appears to have been at least in part motivated by homophobia.
“I am disgusted and deeply saddened to learn of a targeted act of hate and the cold-blooded murder of two members of our LGBTQIA+ community, Vincent Siqueiros and Cameron Capara, at the Venture-N bar in Tucson last night. This horrific attack is a painful reminder that even in welcoming communities like Tucson, hate and violence against the LGBTQIA+ community still exist.”
“When that hate is combined with easy access to firearms, the consequences can be deadly. I am sick and tired of Congress refusing to lift a finger to protect our communities while, every day, dozens of people are shot and killed across the country. It does not have to be this way. The House of Representatives is returning to session this week, and our first action should be passing common-sense gun safety reforms that we know can save lives.”
Other federal lawmakers also condemned the shooting.
The Congressional Equality Caucus, which is made up of federal legislators advancing LGBTQ interests, issued a statement after news broke.
“Our hearts are with the friends and loved ones of the victims of this devastating attack outside a Tucson gay bar and with the Tucson LGBTQI+ community,” it said on X. “No one should fear violence because of who they are — and we’re going to continue fighting to build a world where no one does.”
The Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ organization in the country, released a statement following the shooting.
“We are heartbroken by the loss of Vincent Anthony Siqueiros and Cameron Davis Capara and our hearts are with their families, loved ones, and the entire Tucson LGBTQ+ community. Once again, we are reminded that gun violence robs people of their lives, destroys families, and devastates communities.”
A candlelight vigil honoring the victims is planned for Sept. 2 at 6:30 p.m. at Catalina Park in North Tucson.
Congress
HRC president campaigns for Chris Pappas in NH
Gay congressman running to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen
Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson on Sunday campaigned for U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) in New Hampshire.
Robinson traveled to Manchester, the state’s largest city, nine days before the Sept. 8 primary that will determine who will vie for retiring U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.)’s seat.
We’re hitting the pavement across New Hampshire to fight for a freer, fairer future for everyone.
Glad to have Human Rights Campaign President @KelleyJRobinson join us for a canvass launch in Manchester today. pic.twitter.com/XWCEaQxy4o
— Chris Pappas (@ChrisPappasNH) August 30, 2026
Former U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu, who represented New Hampshire in the U.S. Senate from 2003-2009, will face off against former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, who represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate from 2010-2013, in the Republican primary.
Karishma Manzur is among the Democrats challenging Pappas.
A poll the University of New Hampshire Survey Center released on Aug. 26 shows Sununu is ahead of Brown. The same survey shows Pappas ahead of Manzur and his other Democratic challengers.
The UNH Survey Center poll shows Sununu ahead of Pappas by a 45-43 percent margin if they were to face off in the general election. The margin of error is +/-2.1 percent.
Pappas would become the first openly gay man elected to the U.S. Senate if he were to win in November.
National
Milo Yiannopoulos deported to UK
ICE arrested far-right provocateur in New Orleans on Thursday
Editor’s note: The Department of Homeland Security on Saturday said Milo Yiannopoulos has been deported to the U.K.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Thursday arrested far-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos.
A DHS spokesperson in a statement sent to the Washington Blade said ICE arrested Yiannopoulos, who they described as “an illegal alien from the United Kingdom,” at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
The DHS spokesperson said Yiannopoulos “legally entered the country” in New York on May 14, 2019.
“He chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation’s laws,” said the spokesperson.
The DHS spokesperson said an immigration judge on July 22 “issued a final order of removal” for Yiannopoulos “after failing to show up for his immigration hearing.” The Times-Picayune newspaper in New Orleans on Friday reported Yiannopoulos is being held at an ICE detention center in Alexandria, La., which is about 200 miles northwest of the Crescent City.
“He will remain in ICE custody pending removal,” said the DHS spokesperson.
Yiannopoulos has, among other things, repeatedly targeted transgender people and Muslims.
The American Conservative Union, which organizes the annual Conversative Political Action Conference, in 2017 disinvited Yiannopoulos from speaking at that year’s CPAC after a video in which he appeared to condone sex between adults and underage boys emerged. Yiannopoulos subsequently resigned from Breitbart News, a far-right news website, where he had been a senior editor.
Yiannopoulos later that year married his boyfriend in Hawaii. The far-right provocateur in 2021 claimed he was an “ex-gay.”
The Australian government in 2019 banned Yiannopoulos from entering the country “on character grounds.” Yiannopoulos was also banned from Facebook, Twitter (now X), and other social media platforms.

The Times-Picayune reported Yiannopoulos “most recently worked for” Ye, formerly known as Kanye West.
The controversial rapper is scheduled to perform in New Orleans on Friday.
Laura Loomer, a far-right conspiracy theorist who is close to President Donald Trump, has called for Yiannopoulos’s deportation. Loomer on Friday wrote on X that she “reported him to ICE and the FBI” after he “called for me to be assassinated.”
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