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New Jersey judge urged to allow same-sex marriage

Hearing took place nearly two months after DOMA found unconstitutional

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(Blade file photo by Michael Key).

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (Blade file photo by Michael Key).

A New Jersey judge on Thursday heard arguments as to whether the state should extend marriage rights to same-sex couples.

The Associated Press reported Assistant New Jersey Attorney General Kevin Jesperson told Mercer County Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson during a hearing in Trenton the federal government should recognize civil unions as marriages for Social Security and other federal benefits. Jesperson said the six gay and lesbian couples who filed a same-sex marriage lawsuit in 2011 should sue the federal agencies ā€“ and not the state of New Jersey ā€“ that donā€™t recognize their relationships.

Larry Lustberg, an attorney for Garden State Equality, an LGBT rights group, told Jacobson the state can resolve any potential inequalities same-sex couples face by allowing them to marry.

ā€œIt is the state, not the federal government that is the source of the problem here,ā€ Lustberg said as the AP reported.

The hearing took place less than two months after the U.S. Supreme Court found a portion of the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional and struck down Californiaā€™s Proposition 8.

Neighboring New York and Delaware is among the 13 states and D.C. in which same-sex couples can marry. New Jersey and a handful of other states allow gays and lesbians to enter into civil unions.

The American Civil Liberties Union in neighboring Pennsylvania last month filed a lawsuit that challenges the stateā€™s statutory ban on nuptials for gays and lesbians.

The federal government recognizes the marriages of gays and lesbians who legally tied the knot as a result of the DOMA decision, although same-sex couplesā€™ ability to receive Social Security and other federal benefits depends upon whether the state in which they live will recognize their unions.

Christie: Couples in civil unions eligible for federal marriage benefits

Governor Chris Christie in 2012 vetoed a bill that would have extended marriage rights to same-sex couples in the state.

Acting New Jersey Attorney General John Hoffman earlier this month argued in a brief he filed with the court that same-sex couples who have entered into civil unions in the state are eligible to receive federal benefits under the U.S. Supreme Courtā€™s DOMA decision. The Christie administration criticized the White House for withholding federal marriage benefits to gays and lesbians in civil unions.

ā€œ[Any] federal policy or directive or interpretation of Windsor that denies benefits to civil union partners violates the due process and equal protection provisions of the United States Constitution as well as New Jerseyā€™s sovereignty rights,ā€ the brief states.

LGBT rights advocates defended their lawsuit after the hearing.

ā€œThe stateā€™s discrimination is all that bars same-sex couples from the full array of federal protections for their families,ā€ Lambda Legal Deputy Legal Director Hayley Gorenberg said. ā€œNew Jersey can fix this ā€” and it should. The buck stops right here.ā€

ā€œThe U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down DOMA was historic for the nation, but out of reach for us here in New Jersey,ā€ Cindy Meneghin of Butler, N.J., who, along with her partner of Maureen Kilian and their two children, are among the plaintiffs in the same-sex marriage lawsuit. ā€œWe wonā€™t give up until we have the freedom to marry and the opportunity to share that security and joy with our family.ā€

The AP reported Jacobson will not rule on the issue until at least next month.

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State Department

Protesters demand US fully restore PEPFAR funding

Activists blocked intersection outside State Department on Thursday

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HIV/AIDS activists block an intersection outside the State Department on Feb. 6, 2025. They were demanding the Trump-Vance administration to fully restore PEPFAR funding. (Photo courtesy of Housing Works)

Dozens of HIV/AIDS activists on Thursday protested outside the State Department and demanded U.S. officials fully restore President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief funding.

The activists ā€” members of Housing Works, Health GAP, and the Treatment Action Group ā€” blocked an intersection for an hour. Health GAP Executive Director Asia Russell told the Washington Blade that police did not make any arrests.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Jan. 24 directed State Department personnel to stop nearly all U.S. foreign aid spending for 90 days in response to an executive order that President Donald Trump signed after his inauguration. Rubio later issued a waiver that allows PEPFAR and other ā€œlife-saving humanitarian assistanceā€ programs to continue to operate during the freeze.

The Blade on Wednesday reported PEPFAR-funded programs in Kenya and other African countries have been forced to suspend services and even shut down because of a lack of U.S. funding.

ā€œPEPFAR is a program that has saved 26 million lives and changed the trajectory of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic,” said Housing Works CEO Charles King in a press release. “The recent freeze on its funding is not just a bureaucratic decision; it is a death sentence for millions who rely on these life-saving treatments. We cannot allow decades of progress to be undone. The U.S. must immediately reaffirm its commitment to global health and human dignity by restoring PEPFAR funding.” 

ā€œWe demand Secretary Rubio immediately reverse his deadly, illegal stop-work order, which has already disrupted life-saving HIV services worldwide,” added Russell. “Any waiver process is too little, too late.”

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The White House

Trump bars trans women and girls from sports

The administration reversed course on the Biden-Harris policy on Title IX

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President Donald Trump (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued another executive order taking aim at the transgender community, this time focusing on eligibility for sports participation.

In a signing ceremony for ā€œKeeping Men Out of Womenā€™s Sports” in the East Room of the White House, the president proclaimed “With this executive order, the war on womenā€™s sports is over.”

Despite the insistence by Trump and Republicans that trans women and girls have a biological advantage in sports over cisgender women and girls, the research has been inconclusive, at best.

A study in the peer reviewed Sports Medicine journal found ā€œno direct or consistent researchā€ pointing to this conclusion. A different review in 2023 found that post-pubertal differences are ā€œreduced, if not erased, over time by gender affirming hormone therapy.ā€

Other critics of efforts to exclude trans student athletes have pointed to the small number of people who are impacted. Charlie Baker, president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, testified last year that fewer than 10 of the NCAA’s 522,000+ student athletes identify as trans.

The Trump-Vance administration has reversed course from the Biden-Harris administration’s policy on Title IX rules barring sex-based discrimination.

ā€œIf youā€™re going to have womenā€™s sports, if youā€™re going to provide opportunities for women, then they have to be equally safe, equally fair, and equally private opportunities, and so that means that youā€™re going to preserve womenā€™s sports for women,” a White House official said prior to the issuance of the order.

Former President Joe Biden’s Title IX rules, which went into effect last year, clarified that pursuant to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County (2020), sex-based discrimination includes that which is based on the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

The White House official indicated that the administration will consider additional guidance, regulations, and interpretations of Title IX, as well as exploring options to handle noncompliance by threatening federal funding for schools and education programs.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump ā€œdoes expect the Olympic Committee and the NCAA to no longer allow men to compete in womenā€™s sports.ā€

One of the first legislative moves by the new Congress last month was House Republicans’ passage of the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act,” which would ban trans women and girls from participating in competitive athletics.

The bill is now before the U.S. Senate, where Republicans have a three-seat majority but would need 60 votes to overcome the filibuster.

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California

Los Angeles Blade names new publisher

Alexander Rodriguez brings deep media, business experience to outlet

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Alexander Rodriguez (Photo courtesy of Alexander Rodriguez)

The Los Angeles Blade, Southern Californiaā€™s leading LGBTQ news outlet, today announced the appointment of a new publisher, Alexander Rodriguez. 

Rodriguez has a long background in queer media, business development, and a deep commitment to the Los Angeles community. He has worked as a lead writer and podcast host for Metrosource Magazine and for GED Magazine; content director for FleshBot Gay; and as host and producer for the ā€œOn the Rocksā€ podcast. On the business side, Rodriguez spent years working in business development in the banking industry throughout Los Angeles. He also has an extensive background in event planning and management and has served on the boards of many LGBTQ non-profits. As a TV and radio personality, he has served as emcee for LGBTQ events around the nation. 

ā€œIā€™m excited to bring my diverse media and business experience to the Los Angeles Blade,ā€ Rodriguez said. ā€œWe will continue the Bladeā€™s mission of serving as our communityā€™s news outlet of record during these challenging times and work toward building bridges within our community and beyond.ā€

 Rodriguez starts in his new role on Monday, Feb. 3.

ā€œWe are thrilled to welcome Alexander to the Blade team,ā€ said Kevin Naff, one of the owners of the Los Angeles Blade. ā€œHis multimedia and business side experience will help us grow the Blade in L.A. and continue our commitment to best-in-class journalism serving the LGBTQ community in Southern California.ā€

Rodriguez becomes the Los Angeles Bladeā€™s second publisher following the unexpected death of founding publisher Troy Masters in December. Masters served in the role for nearly eight years. The community will come together for a celebration of Mastersā€™s life on Monday, Feb. 10, 7-9 p.m. at the Abbey. 

ā€œTroyā€™s legacy is in good hands with Alexander at the helm alongside our new local news editor, Gisselle Palomera,ā€ Naff added.

The Los Angeles Blade, launched in 2017, celebrates its eighth anniversary in March. It is the sister publication of the Washington Blade, founded in 1969, which offers unmatched coverage of queer political news and is the only LGBTQ outlet in the White House press pool and the White House Correspondentsā€™ Association, and the only LGBTQ outlet with a dedicated seat in the White House briefing room.

Alexander Rodriguez can be reached at [email protected].

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