News
White House: Tennessee anti-trans bathroom bill ‘mean-spirited’
Earnest defers comment on whether bill will result in loss of fed’l funds

Anti-transgender bathroom legislation moving forward in the Tennessee state legislature is just as “mean-spirited” as newly enacted anti-LGBT laws in North Carolina and Mississippi, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Tuesday.
Earnest denounced the Tennessee bill in response to a question from the Washington Blade on whether passing the measure, House Bill 2414, would result in a loss of federal funding for the state as predicted by Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slattery in an opinion Monday.
“What I can tell you is that the administration is firmly committed to promoting and defending equal rights for all Americans, including LGBT Americans,” Earnest said. “Specific laws like this that seek to target and marginalize one small segment of the population is nothing less than mean-spirited. That was true when they passed similar provisions in places like North Carolina and Mississippi, and it’s true as it’s being considered in a place like Tennessee.”
Similar to North Carolina’s controversial anti-LGBT law House Bill 2, Tennessee’s HB 2414 would prohibit transgender students from using public restrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identity.
Alluding to companies that have publicly criticized the North Carolina anti-LGBT law and, in some cases, withheld business from the state, Earnest warned Tennessee it could be subject to economic penalties if HB 2414 becomes law.
“What’s also true in Tennessee is that that state has thrived in part because of their ability to make their case across the country that they’ve got a great climate to do business,” Earnest said. “Passing mean-spirited bills through the state legislature is not a good endorsement of your business climate and ultimately individuals businesses will have to make their own decisions about this.”
Recalling the history of racial discrimination and Jim Crow laws in South, Earnest also said Tennessee should take heed of its past before deciding to enact legislation targeting a minority community.
“I think what is also true is states like Tennessee, and to a certain extent, North Carolina and Mississippi, have a long history over the last couple generations of working through questions of civil rights,” Earnest said. “President Obama has talked on a number of occasions about the important progress that our country has made with regard to civil rights. This is a good illustration that the fight for civil rights is not over, and demanding equality for every American and ensuring that Americans are not singled out because of their sex, or their race, or what their last name is, or their religion, or who they love or who they are is a struggle that continues. And the president every time is going to be on the side of equality and justice for every American.”
Earnest deferred to federal agencies on whether HB 2414 would result in a loss of federal funding for Tennessee, which is estimated to receive $1.2 billion a year under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
“This is a question individual agencies have been considering after previous states have passed these bills into law,” Earnest said. “I don’t know what mechanism is in place for agencies to consider those kinds of questions in advance of the law being passed.”
The Blade has placed a request in with the Department of Education seeking comment on whether the measure would affect Title IX funding for Tennessee.
The reviews by the federal agencies of the anti-LGBT laws in North Carolina and Mississippi remain going and Earnest said he doesn’t know when those investigations would be complete.
“I don’t have an expectation for that,” Earnest said. “You’ll have to talk to the individuals agencies about that. They’re obviously coordinating their agencies along themselves, and they’re obviously doing this work in conjunction with the Department of Justice because there was important legal questions that had to be resolved, but I don’t have an update for you in terms of what that will be.”
Australia
Australian prime minister re-elected
Anthony Albanese marched in 2023 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Saturday won re-election.
Albanese’s Labor Party defeated the Liberal Party that Peter Dutton led.
Dutton, who lost his seat in parliament, quickly conceded to Albanese, who is the first Australian prime minister to win re-election in 21 years. Foreign Minister Penny Wong, a lesbian who represents South Australia in the Australian Senate, on Saturday introduced Albanese at his victory party.
“Today the Australian people have voted for Australian values; for fairness, aspiration, and opportunity for all, for the strength to show courage in adversity, and kindness to those in need,” said Albanese. “Australians have voted for a future that holds true to these values.”
(9News Australia)
Albanese has been prime minister since 2022. In 2023 he became the first Australian prime minister to march in the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade.
Voters re-elected Albanese less than a week after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his Liberal Party won the country’s federal election. The Trump-Vance administration’s global tariffs are among the issues that factored into both country’s votes.
“Congratulations to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on his victory in Australia’s federal election,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio on X. “Australia is a valued U.S. friend and a close partner.”
“We look forward to continuing to promote freedom and security in the Indo-Pacific and around the world,” he added.
Virginia
Va. LG opposed marriage equality affirmation bill in handwritten note
Winsome Earle-Sears constitutionally required to sign HB 174 as Senate president

Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears last year in a handwritten note indicated her opposition to marriage rights for same-sex couples when she signed a bill that affirmed marriage equality in the state.
Brandon Jarvis of Virginia Scope on May 1 published Earle-Sears’s note on House Bill 174, which state Del. Rozia Henson, a Prince William County Democrat who is gay, introduced.
The Virginia Senate passed HB 174 by a 22-17 vote margin, and the state constitution required Earle-Sears to sign it as the chamber’s president. Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed the measure into law after it received bipartisan support.
“As the lieutenant governor, I recognize and respect my constitutional obligation to adhere to procedures set out in the constitution of Virginia,” wrote Earle-Sears in her note. “However, I remain morally opposed to the content of HB 174 as passed by the General Assembly.”
Earle-Sears, a former U.S. Marine who served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2002-2004, in 2021 became the first woman elected Virginia’s lieutenant governor. Activists have criticized her for her opposition to LGBTQ rights in Virginia.
She sparked controversy last year when she misgendered state Sen. Danica Roem (D-Manassas), who is transgender, on the Senate floor. Earle-Sears has also spoken at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Earle-Sears is running to succeed Youngkin as governor once his term ends in January 2026. She will likely face former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat who previously represented Virginia’s 7th Congressional District.
John Reid, a conservative talk show host who is openly gay, last month secured the Republican nomination to succeed Earle-Sears as lieutenant governor. Youngkin has called for Reid to end his campaign amid reports that he posted “pornographic content” on social media.
Reid has strongly denied the reports.
World Pride 2025
D.C. liquor board extends drinking hours for WorldPride
Gay bars, other liquor-serving establishments can stay open 24 hours

D.C.’s Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board, which regulates liquor sales for the city’s bars, restaurants, nightclubs, and other establishments licensed to serve alcoholic beverages, has approved extended hours for alcohol service and sales during the days when most WorldPride events will be held in the nation’s capital.
In a May 2 announcement, the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration, which works with the board, said the extended liquor serving and sales hours for WorldPride will take place beginning Friday, May 30, through 4 a.m. Monday, June 9.
Although the official schedule for WorldPride events shows the events will take place May 17-June 8, most of the large events, including a two-day Pride street festival, parade, and concert, were expected to take place between May 30 and June 8.
According to the ABCA announcement and an ABCA spokesperson, liquor servicing establishments with the appropriate license can stay open for 24 hours and serve alcoholic beverages from 6 a.m. through the day and evening until 4 a.m., with no liquor sales allowed from 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. during the May 30-June 9 period.
The ABCA announcement says liquor serving establishments must apply for the extended hours option and pay a $100 registration fee by a deadline on May 27.
Sources familiar with the liquor board have said the board has for many years approved the extension of liquor serving and sales hours for important events and for certain holidays such as New Year’s Eve.
At the time it approved the extended hours for WorldPride the liquor board also approved extended hours during the time when games for a World Cup soccer tournament will be held in the city on June 18, June 22, and June 26.
It couldn’t immediately be determined how many of D.C.’s 22 LGBTQ bars plan to apply for the extended drinking hours. David Perruzza, owner of the Adams Morgan gay bar Pitchers and its adjoining lesbian bar A League of Her Own, said he will apply for the 4 a.m. extended hours option but he does not intend to keep the two bars open for the full 23 hours.
Under the city’s current alcoholic beverage regulations, licensed liquor serving establishments may serve alcoholic beverages until 2 a.m. on weekdays and 3 a.m. on weekends.
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