National
Carney says first lady ‘brilliantly’ handled heckler
W.H. Spokesperson says he hasn’t spoken to Obama about incident
Michelle Obama (Blade file photo by Michael Key)
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said on Wednesday that First Lady Michelle Obama “brilliantly” handled a lesbian heckler who called for an LGBT workplace non-discrimination executive order.
Carney made the remark in response to a question from CBS News’ Mark Knoller, who asked Carney if he had spoken to the President about the incident. Carney says he has not yet spoken to Obama about the issue but offered his own views.
“I haven’t asked the President that, but it’s my personal opinion that she handled it brilliantly,” Carney said.
Under previous questioning from the Chicago Tribune, Carney pointed to comments he made in the previous day’s briefing on the executive order, reiterating that the White House prefers a legislative path to addressing LGBT workplace discrimination.
“I’ve addressed this many times, but we do believe that that’s the right way to go,” Carney said. “It was the right way to go with ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ and the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ and we believe this is the right way to go strategically. And that’s why we’re working with Chairman Harkin and others and pushing for this legislatively.”
Carney’s remarks come a day after lesbian activist Ellen Sturtz, who is affiliated with GetEQUAL, shouted out to Michelle Obama, during a Democratic National Committee fundraiser at a private residence in Washington D.C. for an update on the president’s action to combat LGBT workplace discrimination.
A transcript of the exchange follows:
CHICAGO TRIBUNE: The First Lady, at an event last night, was confronted by a protestor who was asking about the executive order for federal contractors, and I’m just wondering if you could explain again why the President hasn’t signed the executive order.
CARNEY: Well, I did yesterday, so I could point you to what I said yesterday. The President fully supports a legislative effort, a bill called ENDA, on this matter. And again, I would just point you to what I said yesterday.
CHICAGO TRIBUNE The legislative effort doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Given what you know about how Congress is moving things, I think it’s unlikely to move. So I’m just wondering what is the —
CARNEY: I think that assessment is made frequently about difficult propositions, but that does not mean we should not support it and it does not mean that it won’t come to pass.
CHICAGO TRIBUNE: Is there some reason you think it should be a legislative effort and not an executive order?
CARNEY: Again, I’ve addressed this many times, but we do believe that that’s the right way to go. It was the right way to go with “don’t ask, don’t tell” and the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” and we believe this is the right way to go strategically. And that’s why we’re working with Chairman Harkin and others and pushing for this legislatively.
Mark.
CBS News: Jay, if I could follow up on that — any chance you asked the President what he thinks of the way Mrs. Obama responded to a heckler last evening?
CARNEY: I haven’t asked the President that, but it’s my personal opinion that she handled it brilliantly.
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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