News
White House mum on marriage going to Supreme Court
White House spokesperson unsure if Obama’s DOJ will take part in litigation
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney has no comment on marriage coming to the Supreme Court (Washington Blade file photo by Damien Salas).
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney side-stepped a question Friday on whether President Obama is eager to see the U.S. Supreme Court take up the issue of marriage equality, reflecting instead on the growth on public support of same-sex marriage.
In response to a question from the Washington Blade, Carney refused to comment on the potential for a nationwide ruling from the Supreme Court on marriage equality in the wake of federal court decision against Virginia’s ban on same-sex marriage.
“Well, I’m not going to speak hypothetically about cases the Supreme Court may or may not take,” Carney said. “What I can tell you is the president supports, as he made clear, making available to LGBT Americans the rights that we all should enjoy, and his views on same-sex marriage were, I think, very powerfully expressed.”
Referencing Obama’s own evolution on his path to announcing his support for marriage equality, Carney said the president takes pride in the growing support for same-sex marriage in recent years.
“He feels very gratified by the enormous progress that’s been made on this issue, and the change in perspectives that I think we’ve seen ‘evolve’ across the country in rather a remarkable amount of time — a remarkably short amount of time — which is not to say that it shouldn’t have happened earlier, but that it is, given the way these kinds of struggles for equal rights play out, notable and commendable that Americans across the country have embraced this issue as strongly as the have,” Carney said.
Carney had no comment when asked whether he anticipates that the Obama administration would participate in any of the pending lawsuits seeking marriage equality as it did with litigation that overturned Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8.
“I wouldn’t be the right person to guess,” Carney said. “You might look for speculation at the Justice Department.”
The Justice Department didn’t immediately respond to the Washington Blade’s request to comment. The Obama administration participated in litigation against DOMA as a party to the lawsuit and in the case against Prop 8 as a friend of the court.
A number of LGBT advocates have weighed in on the possibility of the Obama administration participating in the marriage cases. Freedom to Marry President Evan Wolfson said the administration “should absolutely be part” of all the marriage cases, while legal duo Ted Olson and David Boies as well as Human Rights Campaign Chad Griffin said they’d welcome Obama’s participation.
A brief transcript of the exchange follows:
Washington Blade: A federal court yesterday ruled against Virginia’s ban on same-sex marriage. At least four circuit courts will be considering the issue this spring, which likely means the Supreme Court will be taking up the issue and making a decision next year. Is the president eager for the Supreme Court to make an nationwide decision on this over the course of his presidency?
Jay Carney: Well, I’m not going to speak hypothetically about cases the Supreme Court may or may not take. What I can tell you is the president supports, as he made clear, making available to LGBT Americans the rights that we all should enjoy, and his views on same-sex marriage were, I think, very powerfully expressed. And he feels very gratified by the enormous progress that’s been made on this issue, and the change in perspectives that I think we’ve seen “evolve” across the country in rather a remarkable amount of time — a remarkably short amount of time — which is not to say that it shouldn’t have happened earlier, but that it is, given the way these kinds of struggles for equal rights play out, notable and commendable that Americans across the country have embraced this issue as strongly as the have.
Blade: But do you anticipate the administration will participate in the cases as much as it did in the DOMA and the Prop 8 cases?
Carney: I wouldn’t be the right person to guess. You might look for speculation at the Justice Department.
District of Columbia
Laverne Cox, Reneé Rapp, Deacon Maccubbin named WorldPride grand marshals
Three LGBTQ icons to lead parade
WorldPride organizers announced Thursday that actress and trans activist Laverne Cox, powerhouse performer Reneé Rapp, and LGBTQ trailblazer Deacon Maccubbin will serve as grand marshals for this year’s WorldPride parade.
The Capital Pride Alliance, which is organizing WorldPride 2025 in Washington, D.C., revealed the honorees in a press release, noting that each has made a unique contribution to the fabric of the LGBTQ community.
Cox made history in 2014 as the first openly transgender person nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in an acting category for her role in Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black.” She went on to win a Daytime Emmy in 2015 for her documentary “Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word,” which followed seven young trans people as they navigated coming out.
Rapp, a singer and actress who identifies as a lesbian, rose to prominence as Regina George in the Broadway musical “Mean Girls.” She reprised the role in the 2024 film adaptation and also stars in Max’s “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” portraying a character coming to terms with her sexuality. Rapp has released an EP, “Everything to Everyone,” and an album, “Snow Angel.” She announced her sophomore album, “Bite Me,” on May 21 and is slated to perform at the WorldPride Music Festival at the RFK Festival Grounds.
Deacon Maccubbin, widely regarded as a cornerstone of Washington’s LGBTQ+ history, helped organize D.C.’s first Gay Pride Party in 1975. The event took place outside Lambda Rising, one of the first LGBTQ bookstores in the nation, which Maccubbin founded. For his decades of advocacy and activism, he is often referred to as “the patriarch of D.C. Pride.”
“I am so honored to serve as one of the grand marshals for WorldPride this year. This has been one of the most difficult times in recent history for queer and trans people globally,” Cox said. “But in the face of all the rhetorical, legislative and physical attacks, we continue to have the courage to embrace who we truly are, to celebrate our beauty, resilience and bravery as a community. We refuse to allow fear to keep us from ourselves and each other. We remain out loud and proud.”
“Pride is everything. It is protection, it is visibility, it is intersectional. But most importantly, it is a celebration of existence and protest,” Rapp said.
The three will march down 14th Street for the WorldPride Parade in Washington on June 7.
Congress
House passes reconciliation with gender-affirming care funding ban
‘Big Beautiful Bill’ now heads to the Senate
The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday voted 215-214 for passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” reconciliation package, which includes provisions that would prohibit the use of federal funds to support gender-affirming care.
But for an 11th hour revision of the bill late Wednesday night by conservative lawmakers, Medicaid and CHIP would have been restricted only from covering treatments and interventions administered to patients younger than 18.
The legislation would also drop requirements that some health insurers must cover gender-affirming care as an “essential health benefit” and force states that currently mandate such coverage to find it independently. Plans could still offer coverage for transgender care but without the EHB classification patients will likely pay higher out of pocket costs.
To offset the cost of extending tax cuts from 2017 that disproportionately benefited the wealthiest Americans, the reconciliation bill contains significant cuts to spending for federal programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The Human Rights Campaign criticized House Republicans in a press release and statement by the group’s president, Kelley Robinson:
“People in this country want policies and solutions that make life better and expand access to the American Dream. Instead, anti-equality lawmakers voted to give handouts to billionaires built on the backs of hardworking people — with devastating consequences for the LGBTQ+ community.
“If the cuts to programs like Medicaid and SNAP or resources like Planned Parenthood clinics weren’t devastating enough, House Republicans added a last minute provision that expands its attacks on access to best practice health care to transgender adults.
“This cruel addition shows their priorities have never been about lowering costs or expanding health care access–but in targeting people simply for who they are. These lawmakers have abandoned their constituents, and as they head back to their districts, know this: they will hear from us.”
Senate Republicans are expected to pass the bill with the budget reconciliation process, which would allow them to bypass the filibuster and clear the spending package with a simple majority vote.
Changes are expected as the bill will be reviewed and amended by committees, particularly the Finance Committee, and then brought to the floor for debate — though modifications are expected to focus on Medicaid reductions and debate over state and local tax deductions.
2025 D.C. Trans Pride was held at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library on Saturday, May 17. The day was filled with panel discussions, art, social events, speakers, a resource fair and the Engendered Spirit Awards. Awardees included Lyra McMillan, Pip Baitinger, Steph Niaupari and Hayden Gise. The keynote address was delivered by athlete and advocate Schuyler Bailar.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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