News
Gay journalist, political organizer Doug Ireland dies
New Yorker contributed to Gay City News, Village Voice


Doug Ireland (Photo courtesy of Gay City News)
Doug Ireland, a longtime LGBT rights advocate who switched roles from an organizer of progressive political causes and election campaigns in the 1960s and 1970s to become an internationally recognized journalist and commentator, died Oct. 26 in his home in New York’s East Village. He was 67.
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Since at least the 1980s, Ireland has worked at various times as a columnist for The Village Voice, The New York Observer, New York Magazine, POZ Magazine, the L.A. Weekly, the Paris-based daily newspaper Liberation, and the French political-investigative magazine BAKCHICH, according to biographical information on his Linked-In page.
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He served since 2005 as international contributing editor to Gay City News, the New York weekly newspaper for the LGBT community.
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Ken Sherrill, professor emeritus in political science at New Yorkās Hunter College and a friend of Irelandās since the early 1960s, said Ireland emerged in his early career as an āextraordinaryā organizer of political campaigns, both for liberal-left causes and for progressive public officials, such as the late-U.S. Rep. Bella Abzug (D-N.Y).
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āHe was an excellent campaign organizer,ā Sherrill said. āHe reinvented himself as an excellent journalist and most important he had a passionate commitment to justice.ā
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Irelandās longtime friend Valerie Goodman told Gay City News he had been suffering in recent years from diabetes and the after-effects of two strokes.
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āDespite chronic, at times debilitating pain and frequent hospitalizations, Ireland remained a dogged reporter and book critic in recent years, writing articles for nearly every issue of Gay City News,ā said Paul Schindler, the Gay City News editor, in an article published after Irelandās death.
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Sherrill and others who knew Ireland said he became involved in the early 1960s with the new left movement initially as a member and later as one of the leaders of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) beginning at the age of 17.
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According to a Wikipedia biography of Ireland, he dropped out of the SDS in 1966 to devote his time and energy to electoral organizing against the Vietnam War, initially with several U.S. labor unions and later on behalf of anti-war candidates running for public office.
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Among other things, Ireland joined the staff of the 1968 campaign of then Democratic U.S. Sen. Eugene McCarthy, who challenged President Lyndon Johnson for the Democratic Party nomination on an anti-Vietnam War platform. Although McCarthy lost his bid for the nomination to then Vice President Hubert Humphrey after Johnson withdrew as a candidate, the McCarthy campaign and Irelandās efforts have been credited with helping open the way for the election of anti-war candidates to Congress.
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Two such candidates, Allard Lowenstein of Long Island and Bella Abzug of New York City, won their races for the U.S. House of Representatives with Ireland serving as a lead organizer of their campaigns, Sherrill told the Blade.
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āHe was an extraordinary organizer,ā Sherrill said. āHe could bring people together who would ordinarily not talk to each other.ā
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Sherrill said Ireland succeeded where some left-leaning political advocates failed because he was ācapable of supreme pragmatismā to achieve political objectives, even when, at times, he enlisted the help of machine politicians.
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New York-based gay freelance travel writer and photographer Michael Luongo praised Irelandās skills as a reporter as well as a commentator, saying Ireland developed a vast network of sources and contacts in the U.S. and abroad.
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āI fully admired his work, always amazed at his network of contacts and how he was able to go deep on issues around the world relating to the LGBT struggle,ā Luongo said.
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Luongo said that in his conversations with Ireland in recent years, which were mostly by phone, he was moved by Irelandās enthusiastic willingness to help him in his own work on travel related stories and to explain how he gathered news for his own reporting.
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āMy phone is always on,ā he quoted Ireland as telling him. āI never sleep.ā
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Ireland went on to explain, said Luongo, āThere were always people he knew in trouble who might need his help at any time among the activists and contacts scattered around the globe and throughout the time zones. That was what struck me most in my conversations with him,ā Luongo said.
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āYou would simply read his stuff and wonder, how did he get that? And then I knew; he was on the phone, on email, constantly trying to find people to interview.ā
District of Columbia
Senate passes separate bill to avert $1.1 billion cut to D.C. budget
Bipartisan measure prompts Democrats to back GOP funding measure

In a dramatic turn of events, the U.S. Senate at 6:30 p.m. on Friday passed a free-standing bill proposed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) that calls for amending the Republican-backed budget reconciliation measure to add language eliminating the measureās call for a $1.1 billion cut in the D.C. budget.
Schumerās announcement on the Senate floor that the bill, which was introduced by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), had bipartisan support prompted eight other Democratic senators and one independent to join Schumer in voting for a motion enabling the GOP-backed budget measure to clear a Democratic filibuster requiring 60 votes to overcome.
The cloture motion to end the filibuster passed by a close margin of 62 to 38, with 37 Democrats who strongly opposed the GOP budget measure voting against cloture. Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was the only GOP senator to vote against cloture. Ā
The Senate then voted along partisan lines to approve the budget reconciliation measure that still includes the $1.1 billion D.C. budget cut provision in an action that averted a federal government shutdown that would have begun at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, March 15.
Schumer pointed out in the Senate debate over the budget measure that the U.S. House of Representatives, which approved the budget measure containing the $1.1 billion D.C. budget cut four days earlier, will now also have to vote on the freestanding bill exempting D.C. from the House-initiated budget cut when it returns from its recess on March 24.
According to Schumer and others supporting the Collins bill, the bill enjoys bipartisan support in the House, which some political observers say is expected to pass the bill.
The Senate passed the Collins bill by voice vote without a roll call vote being taken after the Senate approved the budget reconciliation measure.
The House budget reconciliation bill passed March 11 broke from longtime past practices for budget bills by declaring D.C. a federal agency and subjecting it to what D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowler and city officials called an unjustified city budget cut that would have a ādevastatingā impact on D.C. residents.
The unexpected budget cut, if not reversed now by the House, would require the city to make large scale cuts in its current fiscal year 2025 budget that would impact a wide range of city programs, including programs impacting the LGBTQ community, according to observers.
In his remarks on the Senate floor, Schumer said he agreed with his Democratic colleagues who voted against the cloture motion that the GOP backed budget conciliation bill, which is backed by President Donald Trump, is a bad bill that will be harmful to the country.
āFor sure the Republican bill is a terrible option,ā Shumer said on the Senate Floor on Thursday. āBut I believe allowing Donald Trump to take … much more power via a government shutdown is a far worse option,ā the Washington Post quoted him as saying.
Among those who chose not to join Schumer in voting for cloture to end the filibuster and allow the GOP budget measure to be approved were U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), the Senateās only openly lesbian member, and the two Democratic senators from Maryland and Virginia.
But each of them spoke out strongly in favor of the Collins bill to exempt D.C. from the $1.1 billion budget cut.
D.C. officials had initially asked senators to amend the budget reconciliation measure itself to take out the provision calling for the D.C. budget cut. But such an amendment would have been far less likely to pass, and it would have required the House to approve it. With a House vote on that not likely to happen until March 24, the deadline would have been missed to avoid a government shutdown.
Although Collins introduced the freestanding bill in cooperation with Schumer and with strong support from U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Senate observers believe the Collins bill would not have received as much support from Senate Republicans if Schumer had not worked out a deal with Senate GOP leaders to garner enough Democratic votes to end the filibuster and secure passage of the GOP budget reconciliation measure.
Kenya
Queer Kenyans with HIV/AIDS face double burden of stigma, discrimination
Advocacy group released findings of 2024 report on March 3

Queer Kenyans living with HIV/AIDS face the double burden of stigma and discrimination due to their LGBTQ identities and HIV status.
The National Empowerment Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS in Kenya (NEPHAK)’s latest report notes this reality, while also revealing queer people stigmatize and discriminate against each other because of their HIV status.
The 2024 report titled “People Living with HIV Stigma Index Assessment,” which NEPHAK released on March 3, notes that although stigma and discrimination vary across different populations in Kenya, queer people are more affected because of the double burdens of LGBTQ identities and HIV-positive status.
āFor instance, gays or men who have sex with men (MSM) reported feeling marginalized and devalued, often being labelled as immoral and worthless individuals with a bleak future,ā states the 78-page report. āThey frequently bore the blame for their HIV-positive status and shunned by family, friends, and neighbors who caution their children against associating with them.ā
The NEPHAK survey sampled a total of 1,305 people living with HIV/AIDS across the country, of which 322 or 24.6 percent were key populations that include gay men, transgender people, sex workers, and people who inject drugs. Eighty-five of the 322 people from key populations surveyed were gay men, while 60 were trans.
The surveyās 21-member National Steering Committee of which Women Fighting AIDS in Kenya CEO Dorothy Onyango is chair, includes Solomon Wambua of the Key Populations Consortium, Ludfine Bunde from UNAIDS, and Allan Maleche from KELIN Kenya, a group that champions equal access to healthcare for LGBTQ people and others.
The reportās general findings note that HIV-related stigma and discrimination remain a concern in Kenya, with low HIV disclosure levels within the family. For instance, it reveals 56 percent of respondents confirmed their spouses knew their HIV status, while only 28.7 said their children knew. The survey also notes roughly half of respondents said their partners were HIV positive, whereas 36.5 percent said their partners are negative.
With regards to HIV testing, 62.5 percent of respondents voluntarily chose to get tested while 97.2 percent of respondents said they were on HIV treatment.
The report also states 15.3 percent of respondents had their HIV status revealed to others by healthcare workers without their consent at healthcare facilities. Twenty-nine percent said they were unsure if their medical records are kept confidential.
The survey lists discriminatory remarks from other people at 27.8 percent, discriminatory comments from family members and friends at 24 percent, and verbal harassment at 22 percent as the top three HIV-related stigma and discrimination that people living with the virus face.
āAs recounted by people living with HIV who participated in the 2024 Stigma Index study, there is no way the country will deliver on the 95.95.95 HIV Treatment targets and join the world in the path to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 if HIV-related stigma and discrimination is not tackled,ā Onyango.
She reiterated HIV-related stigma and discrimination continue to hamper HIV prevention efforts, treatment, and care interventions in all of Kenya’s 47 counties and among all populations.
āStigma experienced by adolescent girls and young women and key populations, whether sex workers, men who have sex with men, transgender persons and people who inject drugs/ people who use drugs, remain high,ā Onyango stated.
The stigma breakdown for key populations by the report reveals 48.3 percent of trans people reported experiencing verbal harassment, 31.7 percent reported instances of blackmail, and 28.3 percent admitted they do not seek health care. Another 36.7 percent of respondents said their families discriminate against the because of their gender identity. Of the 60 trans people surveyed, 41, or 68.3 percent, said they belong to a network or support group for trans people.
Almost half, or 48.2 percent, of the 85 gay people surveyed said they experience verbal harassment and 50 percent indicated family and friends discriminate against them. Another 39.5 percent said they are afraid to seek health care; 38.8 percent avoided seeking medical treatment due to concerns about their identity being exposed, while 81.2 percent said they belong to an MSM network.
āMany MSM felt compelled to conceal their identity and remained closeted, further isolating themselves from support networks. These discriminatory attitudes also deterred MSM from seeking essential healthcare services, as they feared judgement and condemnation,ā reads the report.
It further notes MSM basic rights are frequently disregarded or denied, making them vulnerable to verbal and physical assaults, insecure, and marginalized. Religious communities also promote stigma that further isolates gay people and contributes to their isolation.
āI have experienced discrimination and stigma in church where the MSM have been branded evil and linked to sin. We have been called purveyors of immorality and disease by pastors,ā an unnamed MSM from Mombasa told NEPHAK researchers. āAdditionally, there have been instances of discrimination among my MSM friends who are HIV negative, for example, when they refuse to share drinks with those of us who are HIV positive.ā
Another MSM living with HIV noted disclosing his status is very difficult and their family and community because of stigma, even from a partner.
āIt happened that I went to a certain facility and one of the health workers said to me, the activities you engage in (having sex with fellow men) should be prayed for so that you stop as they are putting you at risk,ā they told NEPHAK researchers.
Some MSM living with HIV, however, noted joining support groups after they learned their status has had a positive impact.
āMeeting up with people who have the same status has been comforting,” one MSM told NEPHAK researchers. “This is because we get to share our ideas and experiences, as well as give each other advice on how to live positively.
The report urges relevant organizations and the Key Population Consortium to create awareness campaigns to tackle stigma and discrimination against queer people with HIV/AIDS. It also calls for households, communities, and relevant institutions to become more sensitive to the promotion and protection of the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS and working with religious leaders to address HIV-related stigma and discrimination.
The report further urges relevant health institutions and partner organizations to expand knowledge of the law, privacy and confidentiality among officials, administrators, clergy, and the general public.
World
InterPride issues advisory for transgender, nonbinary people traveling to US
WorldPride to take place in D.C. from May 17-June 8

InterPride on Wednesday issued a travel advisories for transgender and nonbinary people who want to travel to the U.S. for this year’s WorldPride.
“Due to an executive order issued by the U.S. president on Jan. 20, all travelers must select either ‘male’ or ‘female’ when applying for entry or visas. The gender listed at birth will be considered valid,” reads the advisory that InterPride posted on its Facebook page. “If your passport has ‘X’ as a gender marker or differs from your birth-assigned gender, we strongly recommend contacting the U.S. diplomatic mission before traveling to confirm entry requirements.”
WorldPride is scheduled to take place in D.C. from May 17-June 8.
InterPride is the organization that coordinates WorldPride events. The Capital Pride Alliance is the local host.
“With WorldPride Washington, DC 2025 coming up, weāre working on a guide and will share updates soon,” reads InterPride’s advisory.
President Donald Trump’s anti-transgender executive orders have sparked growing concern among governments and advocacy groups around the world.
Germany’s Federal Foreign Office last week issued a travel advisory for trans and nonbinary people who are planning to visit the U.S. It specifically notes Trumpās executive order that bans the State Department from issuing passports with āXā gender markers.
āThe relevant gender identity of the applicant at the time of birth is the relevant one,ā reads the advisory. āTravelers who have the āXā gender marker or whose current gender entry differs from their gender identity at birth should contact the relevant U.S. diplomatic mission in Germany before entering the country and find out the applicable entry requirements.ā
Egale Canada, one of Canadaās largest LGBTQ advocacy organizations, on Feb. 6 announced its members will not attend WorldPride and any other event in the U.S. because of the Trump-Vance administration’s policies.
Capital Pride told the Washington Blade it is working with InterPride on the guide it mentioned in its advisory.