News
Bolton opposes Uganda, Nigeria anti-gay laws
Possible 2016 GOP contender has taken stand in support of marriage equality

Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton opposes anti-gay laws in Nigeria and Uganda. (Photo by Gage Skidmore; courtesy Wikimedia Commons)
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Former U.S. ambassador to the United States John Bolton said on Thursday he opposes recently passed anti-gay laws in Uganda and Nigeria, extending bipartisan opposition to measures already condemned by the Obama administration.
Bolton spoke briefly about the laws when asked for his thoughts by the Washington Blade in the halls of the Gaylord Convention Center during the 2014 Conservative Political Action Conference.
“Well, I’m opposed to them, but I’m not in the middle of an interview,” Bolton said before walking off.
The Nigeria law makes entering into a same-sex marriage or civil union punishable by up to 14 years in prison, and membership in an LGBT organization is punishable with jail time of up to 10 years. The Uganda law makes certain homosexual acts punishable with life in prison in addition to making illegal not reporting gay people to the police.
Although Bolton, who served as U.S. envoy to the United Nations under President George W. Bush, is viewed as a conservative, he’s taken a strong stand in favor of gay rights. Last year, he told the National Review he supports marriage equality “at both the state level and the federal level.”
“Gay marriage is something I’ve thought about at length as I’ve looked at my future,” Bolton was quoted as saying. “I concluded, a couple years ago, that I think it should be permissible and treated the same at both levels.”
During his speech at CPAC, Bolton lambasted President Obama for his foreign policy, calling him “our biggest national security crisis.”
“We can and must replace the Obama/Clinton/Kerry/Biden doctrine,” he said. “That is the key to success this November and in 2016 and that is the key to ensuring America’s freedom and security in the years ahead.”
As the National Review noted, Bolton is considered a possible Republican presidential candidate in 2016.
Mark Bromley, chair of the pro-LGBT Council for Global Equality, praised Bolton for speaking out against the anti-gay laws.
“I think this shows that even conservative Republicans have come to see anti-gay legislation in countries like Uganda, Nigeria and Russia as an affront to fundamental rights and democratic societies,” Bromley said. “I hope they will explain their views to U.S. audiences that still don’t fully understand the extent to which anti-LGBT campaigns overseas serve to embolden foreign dictators who are likely to oppose broader U.S. global interests.”
Photos
PHOTOS: Helen Hayes Awards
Gay Men’s Chorus, local drag artists have featured performance at ceremony

The 41st Helen Hayes Awards were held at The Anthem on Monday, May 19. Felicia Curry and Mike Millan served as the hosts.
A performance featuring members of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington and local drag artists was held at the end of the first act of the program to celebrate WorldPride 2025.
The annual awards ceremony honors achievement in D.C.-area theater productions and is produced by Theatre Washington.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)


























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.