National
Gay mayoral candidates win in Houston, Seattle
Dozens of LGBT candidates win in state and local races throughout country
Annise Parker cruised to a re-election victory, winning more than 50 percent of the vote and thus avoiding a runoff. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Lesbian Annise Parker won a decisive victory in her race for a third and final term as mayor of Houston, Tex., on Tuesday, receiving 57 percent of the vote in a nine-candidate race.
In Seattle, Washington State Sen. Ed Murray beat incumbent Mayor Mike McGinn by a margin of 56 percent to 43 percent to become that city’s first openly gay mayor.
Miami Beach City Commissioner and mayoral candidate Michael Gongora, who’s gay, was trailing businessman Philip Levine by a 50.48 percent to 36.43 percent margin in a four-candidate race. With votes counted in all 36 precincts, Gongora’s bid to become the city’s first openly gay mayor was hanging by a thread.
Under Miami-Dade County election rules, Gongora and Levine would compete in a runoff election next month if Levine fails to capture at least 50.5 percent of the vote. The Miami Herald reported that a recount was expected to be called to determine whether Levine, who contributed more than $1.5 million of his own money into his campaign, could squeak out a victory without a runoff.
Parker and Murray, meanwhile, were among 53 openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual candidates to win election in state, county, and municipal races on Nov. 5 and in several general election races held earlier in the year, according to the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, a national LGBT advocacy group that raises money for LGBT candidates.
All had been endorsed by the Victory Fund.
“We’re extremely proud of all of our candidates,” said Victory Fund President and CEO Chuck Wolfe. “Tonight’s victories across the country and at all levels of government underscore the power of people fighting for fairness, progress, and LGBT equality,” he said.
The 53 endorsed candidates to emerge as winners this year were among a record 85 openly LGBT candidates endorsed by the Victory Fund in the so-called off-year election in 2013, the Victory Fund said in a statement.
Twenty-five of the openly LGBT Victory Fund endorsed candidates lost their races. Three races on Tuesday involving openly gay candidates were too close to call as of early Wednesday, and three of Tuesday’s races involving gay or lesbian candidates were heading for runoff elections in December. Two Victory Fund endorsed candidates withdrew from their races during the campaign.
Victory Fund spokesperson Jeff Spitko said the group’s win rate as of early Wednesday was 61 percent.
Spitko said that of the 54 gay, lesbian, or bisexual candidates endorsed by the Victory Fund who appeared on the ballot on Tuesday, 35 won, 11 lost, three were in races too close to call as of Wednesday morning, and three advanced to run-off elections in December.
At least one openly gay mayoral candidate who was not endorsed by the Victory Fund – Republican Don Guardian of Atlantic City, N.J., — won his race on Tuesday, defeating incumbent Mayor Lorenzo Langford, a Democrat, by a vote of 3,066 to 2,904, according to the Atlantic City Press. Guardian becomes Atlantic City’s first openly gay mayor.*
In the D.C. area, gay attorney Patrick Wojahn won re-election to the College Park, Md., City Council on Tuesday. Wojahn finished second in a race where three candidates competed for two seats in the Council’s District 1.
In College Park’s District 2, gay federal government worker P.J. Brennan won his race unopposed for one of the two seats in that district.
Jim Ireton, the openly gay mayor of Salisbury, Md., the largest city in Maryland’s Eastern Shore region, was among the Victory Fund endorsed candidates to win election earlier in the year. Ireton won his race for a second term as Salisbury’s first out gay mayor by a two-two-one margin back in April.
In other contests that the Victory Fund placed on a list of ten important races to watch, lesbian Celia Israel of Austin, Tex., advanced to a December run-off in her bid for a seat in the Texas House of Representatives. If she wins the run-off she would become the second out member of the Texas House.
Also advancing to a run-off is Catherine LaFond, a candidate for the Charleston, S.C., Water System Commission. If she wins in the run-off, she would become South Carolina’s first and only out LGBT elected official.
In New York City, six of the seven openly gay or lesbian candidates for the City Council won their races on Tuesday. All were Democrats running in solid Democratic districts.
Although the mayoral contest in Houston centered mostly on non-LGBT issues, Parker’s main opponent, millionaire attorney Ben Hall, raised concern among LGBT activists when he expressed opposition to same-sex marriage and said he would not push for legislation to ban discrimination against LGBT people.
Some political observers thought Hall had a shot at forcing Parker into a run-off election in December if he and some of the other candidates in the race prevented Parker from receiving at least 50 percent of the vote needed to win the election outright.
But Hall received 28 percent of the vote and all of the remaining candidates received a combined vote of just 15 percent.
Parker’ supporters said city residents got to know and like Parker since she served on the City Council in an at-large seat from 1998 to 2003 and served as city controller from 2004 to 2010. She won election to her first two-year term as mayor in 2010.
“I love this city,” Parker said in her victory speech Tuesday night. “Tonight, I feel like it loves me back, so thank you for the very warm welcome…Thank you to the many people who made this victory possible.”
A list of the LGBT candidates that won and lost their races throughout the country can be seen here: http://www.gaypolitics.com/
Vice President JD Vance and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, will visit Hungary next week.
An announcement the White House released on Thursday said the Vances will be in Budapest, the Hungarian capital, from April 7-8.
JD Vance “will hold bilateral meetings with” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The announcement further indicates the vice president “will also deliver remarks on the rich partnership between the United States and Hungary.”
The Vances will travel to Hungary less than a week before the country’s parliamentary elections take place on April 12.
Orbán, who has been in office since 2010, and his Fidesz-KDNP coalition government have faced widespread criticism over its anti-LGBTQ crackdown.
The Associated Press notes polls indicate Orbán is trailing Péter Magyar and his center-right Tisza party.
President Donald Trump removed Attorney General Pam Bondi from her post Thursday, following growing criticism over how she and the Department of Justice handled a range of issues, including matters related to sex offender and Trump ally Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump announced Bondi’s removal on Truth Social, where he also said Todd Blanche will serve as acting head of the Justice Department.
“Pam Bondi is a great American patriot and a loyal friend, who faithfully served as my attorney general over the past year,” Trump wrote on the platform. “Pam did a tremendous job overseeing a massive crackdown on crime across our country, with murders plummeting to their lowest level since 1900.”
Trump was seen as recently as Wednesday with the now-former attorney general at a Supreme Court hearing on citizenship.
The decision contrasts with Trump’s previous public praise of Bondi, the 87th U.S. attorney general and former 37th attorney general of Florida, who served in that role from 2011-2019 before joining the Trump-Vance administration. He has frequently lauded her loyalty and said he speaks with her often. Bondi was also one of president’s defense lawyers during his first impeachment trial.
Privately, however, Trump had grown frustrated that Bondi was not “moving quickly enough” to prosecute critics and political adversaries he wanted to face criminal charges, according to multiple sources. The New York Times reported that her inability to charge former FBI Director James B. Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James with any crimes is a large factor in the president’s choice to fire her from the government’s primary law enforcement agency.
The move comes as Trump has sought to minimize public turmoil within his administration, avoiding the perception of a revolving-door Cabinet that defined his first term.
Lee Zeldin, a former Republican congressman from New York who unsuccessfully ran for governor, has emerged as a leading contender to lead the Justice Department. He has been one of Trump’s most reliable allies.
“He’s our secret weapon,” Trump said of Zeldin in February during a White House event promoting the coal industry, adding, “He’s getting those approvals done in record-setting time.”
Bondi has also growing faced scrutiny from Congress.
The House Oversight Committee recently subpoenaed her to testify about the department’s handling of certain files, where she declined to answer key questions during a contentious House Judiciary Committee hearing in February.
The Tampa native has a long history of opposing LGBTQ rights through her roles in government. As Florida attorney general, she fought against the legalization of same-sex marriage, arguing it would cause “serious public harm,” pushing forward a legal battle that cost taxpayers nearly half a million dollars. She also asked the Florida Supreme Court to overturn a lower court ruling that found the state’s same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional.
More recently, Bondi established a “Title IX Special Investigations Team” within the Justice Department focused on restricting transgender women and girls from participating in women’s and girls’ sports teams and accessing facilities aligned with their gender identity. She also told Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to turn over the medical records of anyone under 19 who received gender-affirming care.
Her removal follows Trump’s decision last month to oust another controversial female Cabinet figure, Kristi Noem.
The White House
VIDEO: Gay journalist detained for booing Trumps at ‘Chicago’ opening night
Eugene Ramirez booed first family at Kennedy Center
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attended the opening night of “Chicago” at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday. They were greeted by a mix of cheers, applause, and some audible boos.
Among them was Eugene Ramirez, a gay Washington resident, who later shared his account of the night after being briefly detained by security for booing the president and giving a thumbs-down gesture — an expression of what many would call a textbook definition of constitutionally protected speech to criticize the government.
Ramirez attended the opening night performance with a group of friends, hoping to catch a final show before the center undergoes two years of major changes under Trump oversight. The musical, based on a 1926 play of the same name, has become synonymous with Broadway success.
With music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse, “Chicago” has cemented itself as a cultural staple — known for its signature Fosse choreography, stripped-down staging, and sleek, campy aesthetic. The story follows Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, women who murder their husbands but — with the help of the manipulative, charismatic, and narcissistic attorney Billy Flynn — walk away scot-free.
It remains the longest-running American musical in Broadway history, and its 2002 film adaptation famously won the Academy Award for Best Picture. On this night, however, the production also became the backdrop for a very modern moment of political protest.
“I accompanied five friends to opening night of ‘Chicago’, as a way to enjoy a final performance in the Kennedy Center as we know it,” Ramirez began to recount to the Washington Blade, describing the moment his group settled into their seats inside the ornate Opera House theater.
Just before the performance began, the twice impeached president and first lady appeared in the balcony box, drawing immediate attention from the audience below. Theatergoers stood, cheered, clapped, and waved, while Ramirez made a different choice.
While accounts of the crowd’s reaction have varied, Ramirez said his response was intentional, immediate, and within his rights. Moments after booing and giving a thumbs-down while recording on his iPhone, security intervened.
The video of Ramirez booing the Trump’s is here:
“Within moments, the director [of security] and another guard approached and escorted me to a side area where several other security guards were waiting,” he said. “I was detained until everyone was seated and the lights dimmed.”
As he was escorted away, Ramirez said his instincts as a journalist kicked in. A former lead anchor for Sinclair’s national evening news broadcast, he said the situation immediately felt off — or more aptly put — as if he could see the strings being pulled from someone attempting to control the narrative.
“Journalism is a vocation, not just a job. I immediately knew there wasn’t just an uncomfortable interaction with security,” he said. “The Kennedy Center is a federally funded cultural institution, and being questioned about speech related to the president in that setting felt like something the public should know about.”
Ramirez explained the difference between a standard visit by a public official and this performance: the president’s appearance wasn’t just ceremonial; it was very clearly a media moment.
“The White House press pool was there, and it was clear this was an effort to manage the president’s image in the media,” Ramirez continued. “The irony was not lost on me that this was happening on opening night of ‘Chicago’, a musical about manipulating the press to shape public perception.”
According to Ramirez, the explanation he received from Kennedy Center Director of Safety and Security Karles C. Jackson Sr., was brief, but illuminating.
“He said, ‘they don’t want booing,’ and even called out my thumbs-down gesture. He never clarified who ‘they’ were, but whether it was the administration or the Kennedy Center, the distinction felt meaningless,” he explained. “Mr. Jackson ultimately told me he was just trying to do his job, shook my hand, and allowed me to return to my seat once the lights dimmed and the overture started playing.”
Ramirez said he didn’t blame the guard individually, noting the broader context of the Kennedy Center’s uncertain future and the pressures staff were under.
“With the center closing in the coming months, some of these security guards being pressured to restrict our freedom of speech may only have a few weeks of work left.”
He believes the decision to remove him was driven less by disruption than optics, particularly given the presence of the press.
“It was very clearly about protection — whether protecting the president from visible dissent, or his image before the media present. There was no disruption as almost everyone was standing and reacting loudly to the arrival of the president and first lady, with cheers, applause, and hand gestures. The difference was that my reaction, unlike most, was negative.”
Drawing on his experience covering public officials, Ramirez said the incident felt more about controlling perception than security.
“Usually, law enforcement may monitor or intervene if there’s a disruption, but here there was no disruption at all. Simply expressing dissent in a public, cultural space drew the attention of security. It made it feel less like a matter of decorum and more like an effort to control the narrative around the president,” he said. “It’s about what happens when dissent is treated as disruption rather than a right.”
“The show hadn’t started. I threatened no one. Billy Flynn would have approved of the optics. The rest of us should be paying attention.”
Ramirez framed the incident as part of a broader constitutional concern, one that is plaguing the Trump-Vance administration as they continue to reject rules and normalcy set forth by other reserved presidents.
“Being singled out by security at a federally funded institution for expressing dissent shouldn’t be brushed off; it undermines the First Amendment,” he said, looking at it slightly distanced from it now. “Being of Cuban heritage, and a journalist, it’s a right I’m not willing to give up readily.”
“Publicly funded cultural institutions should allow visible dissent, even in politically charged moments,” he added. “Of course, I understand the need to manage disruptions during a performance, but that was not the case here.”
The themes of “Chicago”, a long-running satire about media manipulation and public perception, added another layer of irony to the experience, Ramirez explained.
“The satire truly leapt off the stage! A show about controlling the narrative, manipulating the press, and covering up truths by leaning on showmanship and distractions. The show is decades old, but could’ve been written today. We’re being razzle-dazzled daily and it’s getting harder to tell fact from fiction, no matter where you get your news.”
He, being gay, also acknowledged how hard it must have been for the performers on stage, assuming that at least some in the cast were also members of the LGBTQ community — and artists — two things Trump doesn’t always get along with.
“It was not lost on me that many of the actors on that stage, that the president and first lady presumably applauded, are members of the LGBTQ community which this administration has rolled back protections for under the guise of religious liberty and free speech, resulting in blatant discrimination.”
He pointed to a particular number that felt surreal given the circumstances.
“Its ‘Razzle Dazzle’ number celebrates keeping audiences off balance; at its climax, a massive American flag descends as the song celebrates blinding audiences to what is real. Watching that scene after being detained for a thumbs-down was surreal.”
Ramirez said the show’s closing lines were especially sharp given the presidential audience and what he just experienced.
“At the end of the show,
Velma says: ‘You know, a lot of people have lost faith in America.’
Roxie replies: ‘And for what America stands for.’
Velma: ‘But we are the living examples of what a wonderful country this is.’
Roxie: ‘So we’d just like to say thank you and God bless you.’
They had both just gotten away with murder!”
His closing lines, however, were a bit more pointed than “scintillating sinners” Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly’s were in the show.
“Democracy only works when citizens are allowed to boo,” he said. “Tuesday night at the Kennedy Center, ‘Chicago’ made that point better than I ever could.”
The Blade reached out to the Kennedy Center but did not receive a comment back.
Mayor Bowser signs bill requiring insurers to cover PrEP
JD Vance to travel to Hungary next week
Pam Bondi ousted as attorney general
VIDEO: Gay journalist detained for booing Trumps at ‘Chicago’ opening night
Idaho Gov. signs harshest anti-trans bathroom bill in the country
‘Out for McDuffie’ event held at D.C. gay bar
‘Jonah’ an undeniably compelling but unusual memory play
The Oscar-losing performance that’s too good to miss
Thousands attend ‘No Kings’ protests in D.C.
