National
New calls for ENDA directive as White House reception approaches
Will Obama be heckled by attendees seeking workplace protections?
President Obama is facing renewed calls for an ENDA executive order. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
The absence of federal LGBT workplace non-discrimination protections continues to rile advocates as the White House prepares to welcome members of the LGBT community for a Pride reception.
LGBT advocates told the Washington Blade days before the event they had a singular desire for what they want President Obama to say to attendees — that he’ll sign an executive order barring federal contractors from discriminating against LGBT workers.
Fred Sainz, vice president of communications for the Human Rights Campaign, recalled Obama’s words during the 2008 presidential campaign as he called on him to announce he’ll sign the executive order.
“It’s been five long years since he made a promise to sign it and it’s long past time it gets done,” Sainz said. “This president has done virtually everything right on issues of LGBT equality. He’s been a steadfast ally. That’s why it’s so frustrating to see time go by without his signature on an EO that would protect millions of LGBT workers nationwide.”
The executive order is considered a campaign promise based on a “yes” response that then-candidate Obama gave on a questionnaire to the Houston GLBT Political Caucus indicating he supports a non-discrimination policy for all federal contractors based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
The Pride reception comes as the LGBT workplace non-discrimination issue has gained prominence — even in mainstream media. Last week, Ellen Sturtz, a lesbian activist affiliated with GetEQUAL, made headlines when she confronted first lady Michelle Obama at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in D.C. and heckled her about the executive order.
Given the media interest in the confrontation last week, it’s possible advocates would pursue the same strategy — this time at an event where the president is slated to appear and one geared specifically for the LGBT community.
Heather Cronk, managing director of GetEQUAL, said her organization is planning “an action” for this week when asked whether her organization is doing something for the Pride reception. She declined to elaborate.
Shin Inouye, a White House spokesperson, offered few details via email when asked what Obama intends to say at the Pride reception.
“On Thursday, the President will deliver remarks at the LGBT Pride Month celebration at the White House,” Inouye said.
Tico Almeida, president of Freedom to Work, took the liberty of crafting a speech for Obama.
“When I first campaigned for president, I promised – in writing – to take executive action preventing federal contractors like ExxonMobil from wasting taxpayer money by discriminating against LGBT Americans,” Almeida said he hoped Obama would say. “For five years you’ve waited for me to do what’s right – sometimes patiently and sometimes not. … I’m sorry we’ve moved too slowly on this promise, but the good news is I brought a pen with me today.”
As pressure mounts on Obama to sign the executive order, members of the LGBT community from across the country are slated to make an appearance at the Pride reception on Thursday.
In a statement on June 3, Daryl Justin Finizio, mayor of New London, Conn., announced on his Facebook page he was set to attend the reception along with his spouse, Todd Ledbetter.
“My partner and I are moved by this invitation and are very grateful to President Obama for doing so much to support equal rights for all Americans,” Finizio said. “We’re proud to attend and represent our progressive city and its broad and diverse community of people from different nationalities, religions and genders.”
Also slated to attend the reception is the first gay couple legally married in Michigan, according to MLive.com. Gene Barfield and his spouse, Tim LaCroix, were married in March in the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians reservation after being together 30 years. Their marriage isn’t recognized by the state itself, which has a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
Barfield, who marched on the White House and returned his service medals from his time in the U.S. Navy in protest of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” reportedly said he was shocked to receive the invitation.
“We’re always going to be in shock about this,” Barfield said. “The fact that there is going to be an LGBT celebration at the White House, times change, times change.”
According to Los Angeles Times, also planning to attend the reception is Rev. R. Guy Erwin, who was recently elected the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s first openly gay bishop. Bishop-elect Erwin was elected last month to a six-year term in the church’s Southwest California Synod, which includes the greater Los Angeles area.
Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force said she wants the president to announce at the reception he’ll issue a directive to protect LGBT employees.
“We want to see him honor Pride month by ending the daily fear experienced by millions of Americans of losing their livelihoods because of who they are or who they love,” Carey said.
Pennsylvania
Pa. House passes bill to codify marriage equality in state law
Governor supports gay state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta’s measure
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill that would codify marriage equality in state law.
House Bill 1800 passed by a 127-72 vote margin. Twenty-six Republicans voted for the measure.
The Republican-controlled Pennsylvania Senate will now consider the bill that state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D-Philadelphia), who is the first openly gay person of color elected to the state’s General Assembly, introduced. Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro supports the measure.
“Here in Pennsylvania, we believe in your freedom to marry who you love,” said Shapiro on Wednesday. “Today, the House has stepped up to protect that right.”
BREAKING: The Pennsylvania House just passed @RepKenyatta's bill to codify marriage equality into law in PA — and they did it with broad bipartisan support.
— Governor Josh Shapiro (@GovernorShapiro) March 25, 2026
Here in Pennsylvania, we believe in your freedom to marry who you love. Today, the House has stepped up to protect that…
Florida
DeSantis signs emergency bill that restores Fla. ADAP funding
Temporary funds to last through June 30
After the Florida Department of Health made huge cuts to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program in January, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed emergency legislation restoring HIV access to more than 12,000 Floridians.
Two months ago, as the Washington Blade reported, the Sunshine State cut the vast majority of those in ADAP by shifting the income levels required for eligibility — without following standard procedure when changing government policy outside of legislative or executive action.
The bill, signed by DeSantis on Tuesday, passed both chambers of the Florida Legislature unanimously and appropriates $30.9 million in emergency bridge funding through June 30, 2026. It restores Florida’s ADAP income eligibility to 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Level — the level it was prior to the January cuts. The legislation also requires the FDOH to submit detailed monthly financial reports to legislative leadership beginning April 1.
Under the old policy, eligibility would have been limited to those making no more than 130 percent of the federal poverty level, or $20,345 per year.
“For 10 weeks, 12,000 Floridians living with HIV did not know if they could fill their next prescription. Today, they can,” Esteban Wood, director of advocacy and legislative affairs at AIDS Healthcare Foundation, said in a statement.
The detailed reports now required to be sent to legislative leadership must include all federal revenues and expenditures, including manufacturer rebates; enrollment figures by county and insurance status; prescription utilization by drug class; and any projected funding shortfalls. This is the first time the Legislature has required this level of financial transparency from the program.
DeSantis signed the legislation one day after a Leon County Circuit Court judge denied AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s request for an injunction to block the significant changes the DeSantis administration is making to the program, which it claims faces a $120 million shortfall for calendar year 2026.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a national organization focused on protecting and expanding HIV healthcare access and prevention methods, filed a lawsuit over the change in eligibility, arguing the Florida Department of Health did not follow the laid out path for formally changing policy and was acting outside established procedures.
Typically, altering eligibility for a statewide program requires either legislative action or adherence to a multistep rule-making process, including: publishing a Notice of Proposed Rule; providing a statement of estimated regulatory costs; allowing public comment; holding hearings if requested; responding to challenges; and formally adopting the rule. According to AIDS Healthcare Foundation, none of these steps occurred.
The long-term structure of ADAP will be determined by the 2026–2027 fiscal year state budget, something that lawmakers have until June 30 to finish.
Federal Government
Markwayne Mullin confirmed as next DHS secretary
Okla. senator to succeed Kristi Noem
The U.S. Senate confirmed Markwayne Mullin as the next secretary of Homeland Security on Monday, as the agency continues to grapple with what lawmakers have described as a “never-ending” funding standoff, with Democrats attempting to withhold funding from one of the nation’s largest and most costly agencies.
Mullin — a Republican senator from Oklahoma, former mixed martial arts fighter, and plumbing business owner — was confirmed in a 54–45 vote. Two Democrats — U.S. Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) — sided with Republicans in supporting his confirmation.
The new agency head is expected to follow the policy direction set by President Donald Trump, emphasizing stricter immigration enforcement. This includes proposals to support immigration agents at polling sites and to cut funding to so-called “sanctuary cities.”
Mullin replaces Kristi Noem, who was fired earlier this month following a widely scrutinized 2-day congressional hearing on Capitol Hill.
During the hearing, Noem faced intense questioning over her response to several crises, including the fatal shooting of two American citizens in Minneapolis by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, a $220 million border security advertising campaign that featured her on horseback near Mount Rushmore amid one of the largest federal workforce reductions in U.S. history, and the federal response to major natural disasters such as the July 2025 Texas floods and Hurricane Helene in 2024.
Noem had previously drawn criticism for a series of policy decisions in South Dakota that broadly focused on restricting the rights of LGBTQ individuals. In 2023, she signed House Bill 1080, banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors. She also signed legislation and executive orders restricting trans athletes’ participation in women’s sports, as well as the state’s “Religious Freedom Restoration Act,” which critics argued enabled discrimination against LGBTQ individuals. Additionally, the state canceled contracts related to LGBTQ support services — including suicide prevention and health care navigation programs‚ and later agreed to a $300,000 settlement with trans advocacy group, The Transformation Project.
Despite her removal from DHS, Noem will remain in the Trump-Vance administration as a special envoy for the “Shield of the Americas,” an initiative aimed at promoting U.S. influence in the Western Hemisphere, including efforts to counter cartel networks, reduce Chinese influence, and manage migration.
The new head of DHS has served in Congress since 2013, in both houses of the federal legislature. While in the Senate and a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Mullin has been a vocal critic of policies aimed at expanding LGBTQ inclusion. He led a group of lawmakers in urging the Administration for Community Living to reverse a rule requiring states to prioritize Older Americans Act services based on sexual orientation and gender identity, arguing the policy could have unintended consequences.
Mullin also makes history as the first Native American — and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation — to lead the Department of Homeland Security. He was also among the 147 Republicans who voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results despite no evidence of widespread fraud, and was present in the U.S. House of Representatives chamber on Jan. 6.
Pa. House passes bill to codify marriage equality in state law
A surtax would end this war quickly
DeSantis signs emergency bill that restores Fla. ADAP funding
Menaka Guruswamy celebrated as India’s first openly LGBTQ MP
Trans-led HIV clinic in Portsmouth struggles amid funding cuts
‘How We Survived’ panel set for March 25
Calendar: March 21-26
PHOTOS: Capital Stonewall Democrats 50th anniversary
‘Inherit the Wind’ isn’t about science vs. religion, but the right to think
