News
Anti-gay speakers take stage at Values Voter Summit
‘There is no reason that man needs to change the definition of marriage’
Conservative commentator Ben Carson opposes same-sex marriage. (Washington Blade photo by Lee Whitman)
Anti-gay views were largely downplayed on stage Friday during the first day of an annual gathering for social conservatives, although some political commentators bared their teeth against the LGBT community.
Ben Carson, a former neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins University who was recently hired by Fox News as a commentator, echoed his previous opposition to “change the definition” of marriage to include same-sex couples during the Values Voter Summit, which is hosted by the Family Research Council.
“We need to recognize that God created the family structure for a reason and marriage is a sacred institution from God himself, and there is no reason that man needs to change the definition of marriage,” Carson said.
Carson said “it is true” that people should “be respectful” of everyone’s rights and expressed support for some kind of contractual agreement between same-sex couples, but drew the line at marriage equality.
“And I personally believe that any two adults have the right to bind themselves legally in such a way that they have visitation rights, property rights, various other rights,” Carson said. “But that does not require to change the definition of marriage.”
But the most extreme anti-gay sentiment on stage came from Sandy Rios, host of the American Family Association’s “Sandy Rios in the Morning,” who railed against what she called health risks of homosexuality — taking note of the high rate of HIV infection in the gay community — as well as relationship issues she says gay men face.
“Because the love is misplaced they find themselves in a series of heartbreaking situations,” Rios said. “In the homosexual life, especially with men, there are so many partners, there’s so much heartbreak and rejection. You think youth is worshipped in heterosexual sex? It is top of line. And they like young men, young virile men. When you get older when you’re a gay man, there’s so much rejection, there’s heartache.”
Further, Rios dismissed the notion that the death of Matthew Shepard in Laramie Wyo., in 1998, was a bias-motivated crime, and said it was instead the result of a drug deal gone bad, pointing to a recent book by gay journalist Stephen Jimenez to back up her claims.
Rios said social conservatives will continue to offer gay people “hope and redemption,” pointing to those who identify as “ex-gay” as examples. She said gay people who have undertaken ex-gay sexual orientation conversion therapy — a practice debunked and condemned by mainstream psychological groups — are unable to tell their stories “because they’re maligned and threatened.”
“There are tons of ex-gays with fabulous stories that the American people don’t even know about,” Rios said.
Additionally, Rios criticized the Southern Poverty Law Center for identifying the Family Research Council and the American Family Association as hate groups and refusing to apologize for it after a gunman attempted a mass shooting at the Family Research Council headquarters last year.
But for the most part, conservatives abstained from making anti-gay comments on stage. The major focus was screeds against abortion, the implementation of health care reform and blaming President Obama and Democrats for the government shutdown.
Carson, who’s black, won significant media attention and applause for comparing the health care reform law to slavery.
“Obamacare is really, I think, the worst thing that has happened in this nation since slavery,” Carson said. “And it is – in a way, it is slavery, in a way because it is making all of us subservient to the government.”
More than 2,000 people were estimated to have registered for the summit, according to the Family Research Council. That’s slightly less than the estimated 2,500 people who attended the summit last year during a presidential election.
Another reference to same-sex marriage came from Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who criticized Obama for not enforcing marriage laws along with other laws, including the individual mandate in health care reform.
“I think about how our president is today picking and choosing the laws he wants to enforce,” Scott said. “We cannot have a president who picks and chooses, who says, ‘I don’t really like the marriage law,” so he isn’t enforcing it. He says, ‘I don’t like the immigration law, so I’ll go around it.’ He says, ‘I don’t even like the Obamacare law, so I’m going to delay part of it.'”
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) (Washington Blade photo by Lee Whitman)
Presumably, Scott was referring to President Obama’s decision to no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act against litigation, which led to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Section 3 of the law. However, Obama continued to enforce the law even as he refused to defend the law in court.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) also made a reference to “traditional marriage,” but as part of a litany of reasons why the Republican Party needs to focus more on the family.
“For the rapid changes that we’ve seen in America in recent years have only made the family more important, not less,” Lee said. “The family is the foundation not only of our society, but also of our economy, our culture and our Republican form of government.”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) received significant attention for his speech, but focused for the most part on his objections to health care reform and his pursuit of defunding the law. The senator also accused of the administration of telling “servicemen and women that they cannot share their faith or risk discipline.”
Multiple times during his speech, protesters interrupted Cruz. One called on him to support a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, a provision of immigration reform that he has opposed.
The stronger anti-gay sentiment was seen at the convention booths across the hall at the Omni Shoreham Hotel. Kiosks were set up by the National Organization for Marriage, the Liberty Counsel, the Heritage Foundation and Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays.
Attendees who spoke with the Washington Blade weren’t enthusiastic about expressing their opposition t0 same-sex marriage.
Drew Grotelueschen, a 20-year-old student from Trinity International Law School, said he’s “not really sure” if the country is settling on accepting same-sex marriage, but wasn’t against the idea.
“Honestly, with the culture right now, it’s probably leaning more toward making gay marriage free everywhere, but I’m not sure yet,” Grotelueschen said. “I haven’t thought it that much.”
Diane Orosz, a 20-year-old student from University of Buffalo, said she opposes same-sex marriage on the grounds that gay couples can’t procreate, but seemed resigned to the idea that it’s legal in many places.
“With the society that we do have, it’s more liberal,” Orosz said. “I feel as though, unfortunately, there might be a settlement on gay marriage itself, but I don’t agree with [it.]…Love, the feeling, the emotion is the same, but marriage defines a man and a woman and their union together…Unfortunately, with our more liberal society, and free hippy type of society, I feel like gay marriage is inevitable.”
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) expressed a view in favor of “social issues,” but didn’t articulate with detail what they consist of or voice any anti-gay sentiment.
“And I’ve also been lectured, as many of you have, about how we need to stop talking about social issues if we want to win elections,” Rubio said. “But if we’re serious about saving the American dream, we can’t stop talking about these issues. We can’t stop talking about the importance of our values and our culture. We can’t stop talking about them because the moral well-being of our people is directly linked to their economic well-being.”
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said the Republican Party should embrace social issues (Washington Blade photo by Lee Whitman).
A Wider Bridge on Friday announced it will shut down at the end of the month.
The group that “mobilizes the LGBTQ community to fight antisemitism and support Israel and its LGBTQ community” in a letter to supporters said financial challenges prompted the decision.
“After 15 years of building bridges between LGBTQ communities in North America and Israel, A Wider Bridge has made the difficult decision to wind down operations as of Dec. 31, 2025,” it reads.
“This decision comes after challenging financial realities despite our best efforts to secure sustainable funding. We deeply appreciate our supporters and partners who made this work possible.”
Arthur Slepian founded A Wider Bridge in 2010.
The organization in 2016 organized a reception at the National LGBTQ Task Force’s Creating Change Conference in Chicago that was to have featured to Israeli activists. More than 200 people who protested against A Wider Bridge forced the event’s cancellation.
A Wider Bridge in 2024 urged the Capital Pride Alliance and other Pride organizers to ensure Jewish people can safely participate in their events in response to an increase in antisemitic attacks after Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported authorities in Vermont late last year charged Ethan Felson, who was A Wider Bridge’s then-executive director, with lewd and lascivious conduct after alleged sexual misconduct against a museum employee. Rabbi Denise Eger succeeded Felson as A Wider Bridge’s interim executive director.
A Wider Bridge in June honored U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) at its Pride event that took place at the Capital Jewish Museum in D.C. The event took place 15 days after a gunman killed two Israeli Embassy employees — Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim — as they were leaving an event at the museum.
“Though we are winding down, this is not a time to back down. We recognize the deep importance of our mission and work amid attacks on Jewish people and LGBTQ people – and LGBTQ Jews at the intersection,” said A Wider Bridge in its letter. “Our board members remain committed to showing up in their individual capacities to represent queer Jews across diverse spaces — and we know our partners and supporters will continue to do the same.”
Editor’s note: Washington Blade International News Editor Michael K. Lavers traveled to Israel and Palestine with A Wider Bridge in 2016.
The White House
‘Trump Rx’ plan includes sharp cuts to HIV drug prices
President made announcement on Friday
President Donald Trump met with leaders from some of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies at the White House on Friday to announce his new “Trump Rx” plan and outline efforts to reduce medication costs for Americans.
During the roughly 47-minute meeting in the Roosevelt Room, Trump detailed his administration’s efforts to cut prescription drug prices and make medications more affordable for U.S. patients.
“Starting next year, American drug prices will come down fast, furious, and will soon be among the lowest in the developed world,” Trump said during the meeting. “For decades, Americans have been forced to pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs by far … We will get the lowest price of anyone in the world.”
Trump signed an executive order in May directing his administration “to do everything in its power to slash prescription drug prices for Americans while getting other countries to pay more.”
“This represents the greatest victory for patient affordability in the history of American health care, by far, and every single American will benefit,” he added.
Several pharmaceutical executives stood behind the president during the announcement, including Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson, Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan, Genentech CEO Ashley Magargee, Boehringer Ingelheim (USA) CEO Jean-Michel Boers, Gilead Sciences CEO Dan O’Day, Bristol Myers Squibb General Counsel Cari Gallman, GSK CEO Emma Walmsley, Merck CEO Robert Davis, and Amgen Executive Vice President Peter Griffith.
Also in attendance were Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz, and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary.
Under the Trump Rx plan, the administration outlined a series of proposed drug price changes across multiple companies and therapeutic areas. Among them were reductions for Amgen’s cholesterol-lowering drug repatha from $573 to $239; Bristol Myers Squibb’s HIV medication reyataz from $1,449 to $217; Boehringer Ingelheim’s type 2 diabetes medication jentadueto from $525 to $55; Genentech’s flu medication xofluza from $168 to $50; and Gilead Sciences’ hepatitis C medication epclusa from $24,920 to $2,425.
Additional reductions included several GSK inhalers — such as the asthma inhaler advair diskus 500/50, from $265 to $89 — Merck’s diabetes medication januvia from $330 to $100, Novartis’ multiple sclerosis medication mayzent from $9,987 to $1,137, and Sanofi’s blood thinner plavix from $756 to $16. Sanofi insulin products would also be capped at $35 per month’s supply.
These prices, however, would only be available to patients who purchase medications directly through TrumpRx. According to the program’s website, TrumpRx “connects patients directly with the best prices, increasing transparency, and cutting out costly third-party markups.”
Kennedy spoke after Trump, thanking the president for efforts to lower pharmaceutical costs in the U.S., where evidence has shown that drug prices — including both brand-name and generic medications — are nearly 2.78 times higher than prices in comparable countries. According to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, roughly half of every dollar spent on brand-name drugs goes to entities that play no role in their research, development, or manufacturing.
“This is affordability in action,” Kennedy said. “We are reversing that trend and making sure that Americans can afford to get the life-saving solutions.”
Gilead CEO Dan O’Day also spoke about how the restructuring of drug costs under TrumpRx, combined with emerging technologies, could help reduce HIV transmission — a virus that, if untreated, can progress to AIDS. The LGBTQ community remains disproportionately affected by HIV.
“Thank you, Mr. President — you and the administration,” O’Day said. “I think this objective of achieving the commitment to affordability and future innovation is extraordinary … We just recently launched a new medicine that’s only given twice a year to prevent HIV, and we’re working with Secretary Kennedy and his entire team, as well as the State Department, as a part of your strategy to support ending the epidemic during your term.
“I’ve never been more optimistic about the innovation that exists across these companies and the impact this could have on America’s health and economy,” he added.
Trump interjected, asking, “And that’s working well with HIV?”
“Yes,” O’Day replied.
“It’s a big event,” Trump said.
“It literally prevents HIV almost 100 percent given twice a year,” O’Day responded.
A similar anti-HIV medication is currently prescribed more than injectable form mentioned by O’Day. PrEP, is a medication regimen proven to significantly reduce HIV infection rates for people at high risk. Without insurance, brand-name Truvada can cost roughly $2,000 per month, while a generic version costs about $60 per month.
Even when medication prices are reduced, PrEP access carries additional costs, including clinic and laboratory fees, office visits, required HIV and sexually transmitted infection testing, adherence services and counseling, and outreach to potentially eligible patients and providers.
According to a 2022 study, the annual total cost per person for PrEP — including medication and required clinical and laboratory monitoring — is approximately $12,000 to $13,000 per year.
The TrumpRx federal platform website is now live at TrumpRx.gov, but the program is not slated to begin offering reduced drug prices until January.
Rehoboth Beach
Rehoboth’s Blue Moon is for sale but owners aim to keep it in gay-friendly hands
$4.5 million listing includes real estate; business sold separately
Gay gasps could be heard around the DMV earlier this week when a real estate listing for Rehoboth Beach’s iconic Blue Moon bar and restaurant hit social media.
Take a breath. The Moon is for sale but the longtime owners are not in a hurry and are committed to preserving its legacy as a gay-friendly space.
“We had no idea the interest this would create,” Tim Ragan, one of the owners, told the Blade this week. “I guess I was a little naive about that.”
Ragan explained that he and longtime partner Randy Haney are separating the real estate from the business. The two buildings associated with the sale are listed by Carrie Lingo at 35 Baltimore Ave., and include an apartment, the front restaurant (6,600 square feet with three floors and a basement), and a secondary building (roughly 1,800 square feet on two floors). They are listed for $4.5 million.
The bar and restaurant business is being sold separately; the price has not been publicly disclosed.
But Ragan, who has owned the Moon for 20 years, told the Blade nothing is imminent and that the Moon remains open through the holidays and is scheduled to reopen for the 2026 season on Feb. 10. He has already scheduled some 2026 entertainment.
“It’s time to look for the next people who can continue the history of the Moon and cultivate the next chapter,” Ragan said, noting that he turns 70 next year. “We’re not panicked; we separated the building from the business. Some buyers can’t afford both.”
He said there have been many inquiries and they’ve considered some offers but nothing is firm yet.
Given the Moon’s pioneering role in queering Rehoboth Beach since its debut 44 years ago in 1981, many LGBTQ visitors and residents are concerned about losing such an iconic queer space to redevelopment or chain ownership.
“That’s the No. 1 consideration,” Ragan said, “preserving a commitment to the gay community and honoring its history. The legacy needs to continue.” He added that they are not inclined to sell to one of the local restaurant chains.
You can view the real estate listing here.
A Wider Bridge to close
‘Trump Rx’ plan includes sharp cuts to HIV drug prices
Rehoboth’s Blue Moon is for sale but owners aim to keep it in gay-friendly hands
Comings & Goings
Advocates say MTG bill threatens trans youth, families, and doctors
LGBTQ Democrats say they’re ready to fight to win in 2026
Brian Footer suspends campaign for Ward 1 D.C. Council seat
Far-right José Antonio Kast elected Chile’s next president
Lighting candles in a time of exhaustion
In real estate, trust the process
-
Politics3 days agoLGBTQ Democrats say they’re ready to fight to win in 2026
-
District of Columbia2 days ago
Brian Footer suspends campaign for Ward 1 D.C. Council seat
-
Chile5 days ago
Far-right José Antonio Kast elected Chile’s next president
-
Opinions3 days ago
Lighting candles in a time of exhaustion
