News
White House: Tennessee anti-trans bathroom bill ‘mean-spirited’
Earnest defers comment on whether bill will result in loss of fed’l funds
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key).
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.”
District of Columbia
Blade welcomes fall intern
Alexis McLean is student at University of North Florida
The Washington Blade this week welcomed Alexis McLean as its fall intern.
Alexis is studying political science at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla. She is interning with the Blade as part of a continued partnership with the Washington Center.
“I am looking forward to spending my time in the fall with the Washington Blade, as this is a new experience for me,” said Alexis. “I have not experienced any journalist jobs in the past so this would be my first time, and I am excited to better my writing and communications skills with this internship.”
Alexis’s internship with the Blade ends in early December.
Rehoboth Beach
SUNFESTIVAL takes center stage as Rehoboth Beach closes out summer
Labor Day Weekend bustling with events, including David Archuleta performance
Labor Day Weekend marks the unofficial end of summer in Rehoboth Beach, but there will be no shortage of LGBTQ events, with CAMP Rehoboth’s annual SUNFESTIVAL taking over town this weekend.
Thursday (9/3)
Get your Labor Day Weekend started early Thursday night with happy hour from 5-7 p.m. at Diego’s Bar & Nightclub, followed by Naughtee Bingo hosted by Magnolia Applebottom at 8:30 p.m.
After bingo, the party continues with Dancing at Diego’s from 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.
Aqua Bar & Grill will also kick off its Labor Day Weekend festivities Thursday with a DJ spinning from 9 p.m.-1 a.m.
Friday (9/4)
The weekend ramps up Friday night at Aqua, where DJ Matt Bailer will keep the dance floor moving from 9 p.m.-1 a.m.
Over at Diego’s, DJ Steve Sidewalk will then take over Diego’s for Freedom Friday from 9 p.m.-1:30 a.m.
Saturday (9/5)
The main event of the weekend arrives Saturday with the opening night of CAMP Rehoboth’s SUNFESTIVAL.
Billed as the ultimate party to close out the summer, SUNFESTIVAL has become one of Rehoboth’s signature Labor Day Weekend events. The annual celebration sells out each year, with proceeds benefiting CAMP Rehoboth.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with refreshments available at the cash bar while attendees are invited to socialize and find their seats.
Saturday night will feature local singer Ashley Williams as the opening performer, followed by headliner David Archuleta. The event will also feature a live auction.
Back across town Saturday, Aqua will continue its Labor Day Weekend DJ lineup from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Diego’s will also have plenty happening, with ‘Splash Party’ hosted by Magnolia Applebottom at 5 p.m., followed by a Saturday Dance Party with Brett Oosterhaus from 9 p.m.- 1:30 a.m.
The Blue Moon hosts its popular Legends Show at 9 p.m. It’s an all-live singing show by the Blue Moon cast of celebrity impersonators.
Etienne Pilon has taken Rehoboth by storm this summer. Check out the talented singer/pianist at The Pines from 7-10 p.m.
Sunday (9/6)
Sunday’s SUNFESTIVAL event will shift the focus to the dance floor, with globally renowned DJs Robbie Leslie and James Anthony scheduled to perform. Doors open at 7 p.m., with dancing continuing until 1 a.m.
On Sunday, Aqua will throw its annual White Party, with DJs spinning from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Guests are encouraged to dress in white for the holiday weekend celebration.
Diego’s will host its Sunday High T-Dance with Pamala Stanley at 5 p.m. Later that evening, DJ Tannr will be spinning at 9 p.m.
John Flynn is on the piano from 6-8 p.m. at the Blue Moon.
Monday (9/7)
The final day of Labor Day Weekend brings one last chance to hit the dance floor before summer officially winds down.
Aqua will close out its five-day Labor Day Weekend celebration with DJ Biff from 3-7 p.m.
Maryland
Anne Arundel schools now need parent permission to call trans students by preferred names
Conservative groups challenged system’s policy
By JESSICA CALEFATI | Anne Arundel County Public Schools staff cannot use transgender students’ preferred names if their parents oppose it, according to an internal document reviewed by the Banner, a change that comes after conservative groups challenged the school system’s approach to gender identity.
Teachers union president Kristina Korona told members in an Aug. 20 email that the new guidance undermines district policy on acceptance and inclusivity and “will begin harming affected students immediately.”
Previously, the district didn’t require parental permission to use a high school student’s chosen name and pronouns corresponding to their gender identity, the internal document says. Now it does. The change comes as parents challenge the suburban school system’s gender identity policy and regulation in court and the Trump-Vance administration threatens the district’s funding.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
Blade welcomes fall intern
PHOTOS: Miss Gay Old Bay
SUNFESTIVAL takes center stage as Rehoboth Beach closes out summer
Anne Arundel schools now need parent permission to call trans students by preferred names
Shooting outside gay bar in Ariz. leaves three dead
San Francisco, long a queer safe haven, remains competitive for homebuyers
Calendar: August 28-September 3
‘Teenage Sex and Death’ has never been more entertaining
Actor Tim Curry dies at 80
