Politics
Baldwin reflects on first 100 days as U.S. senator
Lesbian lawmaker sees movement on ENDA, anti-bullying measures
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) will reach her 100th day in the U.S. Senate on Saturday. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
The lesbian lawmaker who made history last year by becoming the first openly gay member of the U.S. Senate is about to mark another milestone: her first 100 days in office.
Saturday will mark 100 days in office for Tammy Baldwin, who was sworn in as the junior senator from Wisconsin on Jan. 3.
In an interview with the Washington Blade this week, Baldwin said nothing has surprised her since she took office in the Senate because the upper chamber of Congress is so obviously different from the House, where she served for 14 years.
“On the home front, the difference is between representing a whole state and representing a slice of that state that’s reconfigured every 10 years,” Baldwin said. “That’s a big difference, and I come from a big state, a state with a really interesting political history. And so, that’s really, really exciting for me personally to represent the whole state of Wisconsin.”
Another key change for Baldwin is the relative ease of getting to know her 99 colleagues in the Senate as opposed to the 434 members with whom she served in the larger House.
“It may be just catching up with people on the walk to the Capitol or an elevator ride — or all the people who’ve already reached out and said, ‘Let’s have dinner, let’s have coffee, let’s get to know each other and find out where our common ground is,” Baldwin said. “It’s one of the things I love about the legislative process — trying to build majority support for certain ideas. A lot of that is done on that person-to-person level. And it’s much tougher in the House.”
And Baldwin is undertaking outreach for the LGBT community as she completes her first 100 days in office. On April 18, the D.C.-based Whitman-Walker Health will honor the senator with its Partner for Life Award at the “Be the Care” event. On Sunday, Baldwin gave a well-received keynote speech at the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund’s annual champagne brunch in D.C.
In terms of LGBT issues, the most prevalent topic in the U.S. Senate these days isn’t legislation, but senators coming out for marriage equality. Just this week, Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) added his name to the list of senators, making a total of 54 in support of marriage equality.
Baldwin said the trend of U.S. senators coming out in favor of marriage equality reflects a growing trend nationwide. A widely cited poll from the Washington Post found that 58 percent of the American public now backs marriage rights for gay couples.
“In many cases, just like the president’s evolution on the issue, it’s been because of individuals wanting their neighbors, their relatives, their friends who are part of the LGBT community to have full and equal rights, including the right to marry the person they love and protect their own families,” Baldwin said. “I think sometimes you see elected officials leading, sometimes you see elected officials following. As long as they get to the right place, I celebrate either way.”
While many of these senators talked about consideration of their gay friends and colleagues before making their announcements, Baldwin said no U.S. senator spoke to her for her perspective as a lesbian in the days before they made their announcements because they were in the middle of spring recess.
And Baldwin has little patience for members of the LGBT community who criticized Republican Sen. Rob Portman (Ohio) for endorsing marriage as a result of his son coming out as gay.
“Obviously, he had a choice between whether to change his mind and do so privately, or change his mind and do so publicly,” Baldwin said. “I think it took courage for him to make this announcement, and, frankly, as I said earlier, the major factor for most Americans changing their mind is because of someone they know, someone they love, someone they work with. And so this is how most Americans change their mind, and I think that’s a great thing. I’m certainly not going to criticize it, and I would ask again, for those who are critical of Sen. Portman and support marriage equality, we want people to get to that place and be ready to take that stance, and we don’t really care what their journey is. We just want them to get there.”
Baldwin sees movement on ENDA, anti-bullying measures
Baldwin has relatively optimistic views about Senate advancement of pro-LGBT bills in the remainder of the 113th Congress. She had particularly high hopes for legislation overseen by a panel on which she serves — the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee — foreseeing advancement of both the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and the Student Non-Discrimination Act.
Recalling that Senate HELP Committee Chair Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) has pledged to move the legislation to the floor this year, Baldwin said we’ll “very likely” see ENDA advance in the Senate.
Although Baldwin sees a path in the Senate for ENDA — even a floor vote — it ends there. She wasn’t optimistic that the House under Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) would be amicable to the legislation.
“I’m feeling optimistic that we can get a floor vote on ENDA,” Baldwin said. “I’m feeling fairly pessimistic about the chances of ENDA moving ahead in the House as currently composed.”
On the issue of bullying, Baldwin was optimistic that both chambers would approve legislation — provided the Senate undertakes education reform known as Elementary & Secondary Education Act reauthorization and includes the measure in the larger vehicle. Legislation that has addressed these issues are the Student Non-Discrimination Act and the Safe Schools Improvement Act.
“I think the prospect for either a Student Non-Discrimination Act within that bill or an anti-bullying measure within that bill — or even both — remains a distinct possibility,” Baldwin said. “And that is something that I think may be able to pass through both houses of Congress — especially given earlier action in the House on the Violence Against Women Act that had LGBT-inclusion. It suggests a willingness to act in similar ways to protect LGBT youth.”
Baldwin based on her distinction on the chances of passing ENDA and an anti-bullying inclusive education reform bill on the temperament of House Republican leadership — as well as passing the LGBT measure as one segment of another vehicle.
“I would say the parallel between VAWA and the ESEA is if we can make these very important provisions a part of a bill that gains some momentum, and that the Republicans in the House see as must-pass legislation, our prospects are brighter,” Baldwin said.
Although she predicts movement on ENDA, Baldwin also said she expects changes to ENDA upon reintroduction, which she anticipates later this month. The Blade previously reported the legislation was under review before its planned reintroduction later this month.
Baldwin didn’t detail the ways in which the legislation would be changed, but talked vaguely about changes to ENDA that are the result of lessons learned from states and municipalities that have enacted non-discrimination policies based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
“I certainly think there’ll be some changes based on the hard work of advocacy and legal defense organizations across the U.S. where lessons have been learned from state level legislation, and we want to capture some of those changes in the proposal that’s introduced in the Senate,” Baldwin said. “That said, there’s also always the counter-attention of trying to keep all the range of supportive organizations on board and all of the, not only all of the prior sponsors of the legislation, but obviously you want to build on that to gain momentum. So, I think that’s the — as I understand it — the process that’s ongoing right now, and we hope it’ll come to a conclusion shortly so that the bill can be introduced.”
As previously reported by the Blade, Baldwin confirmed two areas where ENDA is under reconsideration are the religious exemption, which was previously in line with Title VII of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964, and disparate impact, an issue previously unaddressed by ENDA that deals with discriminatory action by employers that isn’t discriminatory on its face.
Thoughts on immigration, court cases
Another piece of legislation of interest to the LGBT community is the immigration reform bill that the “Gang of Eight” in the U.S. Senate is expected to make public soon. The Blade reported earlier this week that the Uniting American Families Act — legislation that would enable gay Americans to sponsor their foreign same-sex partners for residency in the United States — is unlikely to be included as part of the agreement.
That’s an expectation shared by Baldwin. Still, she said she expects Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the sponsor of UAFA in the Senate, to attempt to amend any legislation that goes through the Senate Judiciary Committee with a provision to include gay couples.
“We have the very strong potential of having the Judiciary Committee look at the some of the areas where the ‘Gang of Eight’ on immigration have left silent,” Baldwin said. “I expect that the committee will do that. And I’m very hopeful about the odds of UAFA ultimately becoming a part of the immigration reform measure.”
While not a member of the Gang of Eight producing the initial immigration reform legislation, Baldwin said she has been speaking with members of the Judiciary Committee about including UAFA as they address the bill.
“I certainly keep in touch with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and have been voicing my strong interest in seeing them take up UAFA as an amendment at that stage of consideration of the bill,” Baldwin said.
The legislative front isn’t the only place where LGBT advances are expected. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule in June in two marriage equality-related lawsuits: one challenging California’s Proposition 8, the other challenging the Defense of Marriage Act.
Baldwin, who attended oral arguments in the DOMA case, said she’s hopeful about an outcome that would enable the federal government to recognize legally married same-sex couples.
“I’m very hopeful that there will be a determination that DOMA is unconstitutional,” Baldwin said. “My hope is that then marriages would be recognized by the federal government regardless of venue or jurisdiction, but that really is one of the key issues that people are watching, and again, we don’t know how broadly the court will apply its decision.”
Although she wasn’t in attendance for the Prop 8 arguments, Baldwin was hopeful about a positive court ruling, although she didn’t know what the scope of the ruling would ultimately be.
“The feeling that the court may basically rule it’s improperly before the Supreme Court at this time either because of standing issues or because they basically made a premature decision to take up the case,” Baldwin said. “In either event, my understanding is that the lower court ruling, which declared Proposition 8 unconstitutional, would stand, but, unfortunately, that would mean the reach was only to the State of California, not nationally.”
Congress
Bill seeks to block global gag rule expansion
Policy now bans US foreign aid to groups promoting ‘gender ideology’
Lawmakers on Wednesday introduced a bill that would block the expansion of the global gag rule.
President Ronald Reagan in 1985 implemented the global gag rule, also known as the “Mexico City” policy, which bans U.S. foreign aid for groups that support abortion and/or offer abortion-related services.
Trump reinstated the rule during his first administration. The Biden-Harris administration shortly after it took office in 2021 rescinded it.
The Trump-Vance administration earlier this year expanded the global gag rule to ban U.S. foreign aid for groups that promote “gender ideology.” The expansion took effect on Feb. 26.
U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) introduced the Protecting Human Rights and Public Health in Foreign Assistance Act in the U.S. Senate. U.S. Reps. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), and Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) introduced it in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“Using taxpayer money to export the Trump administration’s anti-trans, anti-science, and anti-abortion ideological agenda isn’t just immoral — it’s antithetical to efficient, effective, and rights-based foreign assistance,” said Council for Global Equality Senior Policy Fellow Beirne Roose-Snyder on Wednesday in a press release.
Meng added the Trump-Vance administration’s “crusade against healthcare and global aid is putting millions of lives at risk worldwide.”
“No one will flourish under the new expanded global gag rule,” said the New York Democrat. “These policies weaponize foreign aid and will result in greater harm, particularly for women and girls, marginalized communities, and LGBTQI+ individuals.”
“They should never have been implemented at all, let alone without even a basic public comment process,” she added. “This legislation will reverse these dangerous policies.”
The White House
From red carpet to chaos: A first-person narrative of the WHCD shooting
The Blade’s WH correspondent Joe Reberkenny recounts his night at the WHCD after a shooter attempted to gain entry.
It started as any White House Correspondents’ Dinner is supposed to go—I assume. I’ve never been to one before this, but based on other events I’ve attended at the Hilton, including an HRC gala, it all seemed fairly normal.
There was a lot of traffic. Police had blocked off streets encompassing a large portion of Adams Morgan—particularly around the hotel. The president was making his first appearance after boycotting the event during his first term, so there was a sense of anticipation. It took me about 45 minutes to go just under a mile from my apartment to about three blocks from the hotel in my Uber. I waited until the last possible second before I felt like I was going to be late—6:30—to get out of the car, because it was raining and I was wearing my green tux.
I walked up to a group of people checking tickets at the base of the hotel. They seemed to just be glancing at the tiny, index-card-sized tickets rather than conducting any kind of full security screening outside. As I walked from that first checkpoint to the drive-around drop-off area, I joined what was essentially one long line for the red carpet. It eventually split into people who wanted photos and those who didn’t—but again, there was no real need to show anything beyond that small ticket upon entering, and even that wasn’t being checked closely.
A light went off in my head; I felt that, given the speed at which security was checking tickets, they couldn’t fully see the foil logo and tiny table numbers from that distance. I remember thinking that if I had a similarly sized piece of paper, I could have gotten through up to that point.
I also noticed there was no real security checkpoint or metal detectors upon initially entering the hotel grounds—unlike what I had seen at the HRC gala the year before.
I waited about 35 minutes in line in the car drop-off area—without cars, since it had been repurposed to corral press and their guests before entering the building and heading onto the red carpet. I took my photo, then went up the escalator to meet my date, Jacob Bernard from Democracy Forward. They wouldn’t let him onto the red carpet without his ticket, so I gave him his, which I had been holding. He was already inside the venue despite not having his ticket on him and had been at one of the pre-parties.
That also struck me as odd—that you could access a pre-dinner party without a ticket or going through any visible security.
After I found him, we took a photo together at a step-and-repeat past the main red carpet area around 7:45. Oddly enough, a group of my friends—gays who I regularly see on the dance floors of the gay bars of Washington, who work in various government and media-adjacent fields—found me, and we took pictures together. None were White House correspondents or held a “hard pass” to the White House (security credentials that allow entry into the White House complex).
Another light went off in my head that indicated party crashers probably shouldn’t be getting inside to an event that is supposed to be one of the most secure rooms in the country.
After the photos, I could see groups of people being moved from pre-party spaces in various meeting rooms on other floors and directed toward the main floor where the red carpet had been.
My guest and I went back up to the main floor and walked through a small security checkpoint that included only a handful of metal detectors. From there, I went down the stairs from the lobby into the International Ballroom, where we took our seats at Table 200. I talked to a few people I knew—very traditional pre-event chit-chat. The vibes felt good. It was my first time attending, and I was genuinely excited.
Around 8:15, the Marine Corps Band played and “Commandant’s Four” color guard presented the flags. We were then told to take our seats.
They introduced the head table—the president, first lady, vice president, and members of the White House Correspondents’ Association board. Weijia Jiang, senior White House correspondent for CBS News and president of the WHCA, gave a brief speech, essentially saying we would eat first and then move into the main program, which was supposed to feature mentalist Oz Pearlman.
At this point my table, 200 which included members of the Wall Street Journal, the Blade, and a European outlet all started eating. About 15 minutes later, Washington Hilton staff began clearing plates and preparing to bring out the next course.
As they cleared the plates, I heard four loud bangs.
I saw hotel employees immediately start ducking. They seemed to understand the gravity of the situation much faster than most attendees, including myself. At first, it sounded like a tray might have fallen over (but I later found out that wasn’t the case).
After about 30 seconds of watching some people duck, others look around in confusion, and some continue eating and drinking, I got down. I kneeled with my chair in front of me as a kind of barrier. Being at Table 200, I felt somewhat removed from where the actual incident occurred.
Then I saw the president being whisked away quickly by Secret Service, along with the first lady and others at the head table.
My reporter instincts kicked in. I grabbed my phone and started filming. I saw SWAT team members rush into the ballroom and onto the stage, clearing the area. I captured a video of people looking around, confused about what had just happened.
A few minutes later, the room was told by the WHCA president to hold on—that they would provide more information and guidance on what would happen next. There was some indication that they might try to continue the event despite what had occurred.
Everyone started frantically checking X to see if any major outlets were reporting. I was receiving texts from family, friends, and colleagues about the rapidly unfolding situation.
I walked to the bathroom—twice, technically. I couldn’t find it initially because it was hidden behind black curtains. (Later, those curtains were removed, and the men’s room was in clearer view.)
During the first walk to the bathroom, I called my editor to tell him what was happening. He instructed me to start sending copy to another editor, who would get it online. The ballroom had almost no service—it’s in the basement of a 12-story hotel—so it was a challenge. I utilized SMS fallback (since iMessage wasn’t working) to send updates.
I returned to the table, where people were still hovering—calling editors, scrolling, texting, sending photos and copy. I was already drafting my story and sending it in chunks, adding details as I gathered more information.
I walked my guest toward the bathroom again, which was on the opposite side of the ballroom from our table, so I had to cross what felt like a sea of journalists, PR officials, guests, and others on their phones, talking and scrolling. My guest pointed out that the press pool was being held in an alcove away from the ballroom doors and escalator exit—not in the ballroom with everyone else.
“Alive” by the Bee Gees was playing over the speakers in the bathroom, which felt a little too on the nose.
On my way out, I heard someone speaking over a microphone and rushed to the ballroom entrance. WHCA President Weijia Jiang was speaking. She announced that the event was over and the space was being evacuated.
She also said that President Trump would hold a press conference at the White House in about 25 minutes.
That’s when I knew it was a race against the clock.
I called my editor a second time to update him and asked if I should head to the briefing (knowing the answer would be yes). He confirmed.
Then the crowd began to move. People grabbed purses, bottles—some left belongings behind. Even though it was technically becoming a crime scene, no one was actively forcing us out. It felt more like a collective understanding: It was time to go.
I texted my guest: “OK, I have to go to the White House. I’m so sorry to leave you.”
I made my way with the sea of people toward the one exit we were allowed to use and zipped between women in fancy gowns and men looking like penguins.
I put on my hard press pass, opened the Capital Bikeshare app, reserved the closest e-bike, and headed out.
I walked up Columbia Road to 20th and Wyoming, grabbed the bike, and rode down Wyoming, then 18th, cut over to U Street, and went straight down 16th to the White House. That ride was exhilarating. I also filmed an Instagram Reel updating my followers on what was going on. I could see tourists and D.C. residents alike looking at me from their cars and the sidewalk, obviously confused as to why a man dressed in a tux had hopped on a bike.
I got off the bike where 16th Street meets Lafayette Square and darted toward the first White House security checkpoint, where they were verifying press credentials. Luckily, I had mine. After that, it turned into a mad dash. Everyone who made it through started moving quickly.
The sound of heels on what I think was cobblestone—or maybe brick—sticks with me. My own shoes were clacking as I ran toward the White House alongside other journalists in heels and dress shoes.
At the Secret Service checkpoint, there was a separate line for hard pass holders. Having my hard pass let me skip much of the impeccably dressed line of journalists who didn’t think to bring their hard pass with them.
It was probably the most exquisitely dressed press crowd I’ve ever seen—tuxedos, gowns, full makeup. It felt like something out of “The Hunger Games.”
I went through security, put my belongings through the metal detector, entered my code, grabbed my things, and ran to the briefing room.
The White House
Grindr to host first-ever White House Correspondents’ Dinner party
App’s head of global government affairs a long-time GOP-aligned lobbyist
Gay dating and hookup app Grindr will host its first-ever White House Correspondents’ Weekend party on April 24.
The event is scheduled for the night before the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, an annual gathering meant to celebrate the First Amendment, honor journalism, and raise money for scholarships.
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is organized by the White House Correspondents’ Association, a group of journalists who regularly cover the president and the administration.
An invitation obtained by the Washington Blade’s Joe Reberkenny and Michael K. Lavers reads:
“We’d be thrilled to have you join us at Grindr’s inaugural White House Correspondents’ Dinner Weekend Party, a Friday evening gathering to bring together policymakers, journalists, and LGBTQ community leaders as we toast the First Amendment.”
The Blade requested an interview with Joe Hack, Grindr’s head of global government affairs, but was unable to reach him via phone or Zoom. He did, however, provide a statement shared with other outlets, offering limited explanation for why the company decided 2026 was the year for the app to host this event.
“Grindr represents a global community with real stakes in Washington. The issues being debated here — HIV funding, digital privacy, LGBTQ+ human rights — are daily life for our community. Nobody does connections like Grindr, and WHCD weekend is the most iconic place in the country to make them. We figured it was time to host.”
Hack said the company has been “well received” by lawmakers in both parties and has found “common ground” on issues such as HIV funding and keeping minors off the app. He credited longstanding relationships in Washington and what he described as Grindr’s “respectful” approach to lobbying.
Hack, a longtime Republican-aligned lobbyist, previously worked for several GOP lawmakers, including U.S. Sens. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), George Voinovich (R-Ohio), Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), and U.S. Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.).
According to congressional disclosure forms compiled by OpenSecrets, Grindr spent $1.3 million on lobbying in 2025— more than Tinder and Hinge’s parent company Match Group.
“This is going to be elevated Grindr,” Hack told TheWrap when describing the invite-only party that has already generated buzz on social media. “This isn’t going to be a bunch of shirtless men walking around. This is going to be very elevated, elegant, but still us.”
He also pointed to the company’s work on HIV-related initiatives, including efforts to maintain federal funding for healthcare partners that distribute HIV self-testing kits through the app.
The event comes at a particularly notable moment for an LGBTQ-focused connection platform to enter the Washington social circuit at a high-profile political weekend, as LGBTQ rights remain under constant attack from conservative lawmakers, particularly around transgender healthcare, sports participation, and public accommodations.
New Hungarian prime minister takes office
Comings & Goings
Learn more about queer love
Calendar: May 8-14
Va. Supreme Court invalidates Democrat-backed redistricting plan
Gay ICE detainee freed after 150 days in detention
A reign defined by commitment and human impact
Ukrainian MPs advance new Civil Code without protections for same-sex couples
DOE investigates Smith College’s trans-inclusive policy
Key West Pride’s state funding pulled
-
New York5 days agoGay ICE detainee freed after 150 days in detention
-
Arts & Entertainment4 days ago
A reign defined by commitment and human impact
-
Ukraine4 days ago
Ukrainian MPs advance new Civil Code without protections for same-sex couples
-
Federal Government4 days ago
DOE investigates Smith College’s trans-inclusive policy
