National
HHS moves again to enable anti-LGBT discrimination in health care
Proposal would allow denial of services based on religious objections
HHS has proposed a rule to allow anti-trans discrimination in health care.
On the heels of creating a new conscience division at the Department of Health & Human Services, the Trump administration has proposed a new religious exemption that critics say would allow widespread discrimination against women seeking abortions and against LGBT people.
Camilla Taylor, senior counsel for Lambda Legal, told the Washington Blade the proposal is “a travesty, outrageous” in terms of its potential to allow denial of medical services for LGBT people.
“It undoubtedly will result in increased denials of service to LGBT people,” Taylor said. “It’s intended to facilitate federally funded health care providers denying service not just to LGBT people, but to women and other vulnerable groups.”
Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, said in a conference call with reporters the proposal ignores federal laws against discrimination in health care.
“The Department of Health & Human Services … proposed a regulation that goes well beyond existing laws to create sweeping, dangerous exemptions that would encourage health care providers to pick and choose which patients they will and won’t treat,” Keisling said.
The language of the 216-page proposal is geared more toward allowing medical providers to deny abortion-related services on the basis of religious objections, but it contains broad language allowing for exemptions for any reason as well as code words critics say are intended to deny LGBT people medical services.
A provision allowing for exemptions on “sterilization” procedures, for example, is seen as a slur meant to include gender reassignment surgery for transgender people. Other provisions condoning religious counseling are construed as allowing federal payments for widely discredited “ex-gay” conversion therapy.
Taylor said the although rule is specific to abortion, much of the broader language in the proposal would impact access to health care for LGBT people.
“It allows federally funded accredited health care providers to deny services on religious or moral beliefs, whatever the hell that means,” Taylor said.
The proposed rule comes one day after the creation of the Conscience & Religious Freedom Division with the HHS Office for Civil Rights, which has been panned as a tool for enabling the kind of denial of services enabled in the religious freedom rule.
“It’s weaponizing the Office of Civil Rights within HHS to target people for denial of health care at taxpayer expense,” Taylor said.
On the same day as the proposed rule was published, HHS announced a similar reversal of Obama-era policy to allow states to limit access to Medicaid to health institutions, including Planned Parenthood, that provide services to which the states object.
In contrast to the Trump administration, the Obama administration issued a rule interpreting the provision barring sex discrimination under the Affordable Care Act to ban medical providers from discriminating against transgender patients or women who have had abortions. After a legal challenge, however, HHS was enjoined from enforcing that rule as a result of a court order issued by U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in Texas.
Even with the Trump administration’s proposed rule, the provision of Obamacare barring sex discrimination, Section 1557, remains in effect. Individuals who feel they faced anti-LGBT discrimination in the health care system still have a private right to sue in federal court under that underlying statute.
Taylor, however, said many courts have put these lawsuits on hold in anticipation of new regulations coming from the Trump administration.
“It’s unclear what remedy people will have in court,” Taylor said. “We would argue that those courts should take action, should remedy the discrimination.”
The proposed rule isn’t yet in effect. The proposal allows for a comment period of 60 days, which will proceed the finalization of the rule at a later time.
As such, many LGBT legal groups said at this time they’re unable to sue the federal government over the rule and will wait until the rule is made final.
Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said no litigation against the proposal is planned at this time.
“There is nothing in the proposed rule that specifically targets LGBT people, though some of the broad proposed definitions would open the door to potential discrimination against LGBT people and others,” Minter said. “We are still analyzing the potential ramifications. Especially since the rule is not yet final, we are not planning litigation at this time.”
Taylor said a Lambda Legal lawsuit against the new rule is “very likely,” but the timing isn’t yet clear as the comment period process unfolds.
“We are already asking people to call us if they’ve been denied health care, and the creation of this new HHS unit, I think, is an invitation to health care providers to start denying treatment to people now in anticipation that the administration is going to assist them,” Taylor said. “So there may be specific lawsuits that come up prior to the ruling going into effect that concern the administration’s efforts to provide exemptions to non-discrimination requirements.”
Arizona
Shooting outside gay bar in Ariz. leaves three dead
Tucson police investigating double murder-suicide as a hate crime
Three people were fatally shot outside a gay bar in Tucson, Ariz., early Monday morning, about a mile from the city’s nightlife district.
Police have said the shooting, which took place in the parking lot of Venture-N bar at 1239 N. 6th Ave., was likely a hate crime and a double murder-suicide following a verbal altercation.
The suspect, Ousman Ceesay, allegedly shot Vincent Anthony Siqueiros and Cameron Davis Capara while they were outside the club around 12:30 a.m. Monday.
Reports show Capara and Siqueiros were pronounced dead at the scene. Ceesay died after being taken to a local hospital with gunshot wounds.
Police have also said that Ceesay was carrying a list of LGBTQ businesses at the time of the shooting.
Arizona Public Media has said police are investigating the case as a hate crime because the suspect was carrying a note containing the names of multiple LGBTQ-associated businesses.
“I am deeply saddened that another senseless loss of life has happened in our community,” Tucson Police Chief Monica Prieto said in a statement. “Bias-based crimes are especially heinous and have no place in our community.”
According to Prieto, there is no imminent threat to the community, and the Tucson Police Department is working to provide extra protection to various LGBTQ businesses across town.
Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva, who represents the area, issued a statement condemning the act of violence, which appears to have been at least in part motivated by homophobia.
“I am disgusted and deeply saddened to learn of a targeted act of hate and the cold-blooded murder of two members of our LGBTQIA+ community, Vincent Siqueiros and Cameron Capara, at the Venture-N bar in Tucson last night. This horrific attack is a painful reminder that even in welcoming communities like Tucson, hate and violence against the LGBTQIA+ community still exist.”
“When that hate is combined with easy access to firearms, the consequences can be deadly. I am sick and tired of Congress refusing to lift a finger to protect our communities while, every day, dozens of people are shot and killed across the country. It does not have to be this way. The House of Representatives is returning to session this week, and our first action should be passing common-sense gun safety reforms that we know can save lives.”
Other federal lawmakers also condemned the shooting.
The Congressional Equality Caucus, which is made up of federal legislators advancing LGBTQ interests, issued a statement after news broke.
“Our hearts are with the friends and loved ones of the victims of this devastating attack outside a Tucson gay bar and with the Tucson LGBTQI+ community,” it said on X. “No one should fear violence because of who they are — and we’re going to continue fighting to build a world where no one does.”
The Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ organization in the country, released a statement following the shooting.
“We are heartbroken by the loss of Vincent Anthony Siqueiros and Cameron Davis Capara and our hearts are with their families, loved ones, and the entire Tucson LGBTQ+ community. Once again, we are reminded that gun violence robs people of their lives, destroys families, and devastates communities.”
A candlelight vigil honoring the victims is planned for Sept. 2 at 6:30 p.m. at Catalina Park in North Tucson.
Congress
HRC president campaigns for Chris Pappas in NH
Gay congressman running to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen
Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson on Sunday campaigned for U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) in New Hampshire.
Robinson traveled to Manchester, the state’s largest city, nine days before the Sept. 8 primary that will determine who will vie for retiring U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.)’s seat.
We’re hitting the pavement across New Hampshire to fight for a freer, fairer future for everyone.
Glad to have Human Rights Campaign President @KelleyJRobinson join us for a canvass launch in Manchester today. pic.twitter.com/XWCEaQxy4o
— Chris Pappas (@ChrisPappasNH) August 30, 2026
Former U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu, who represented New Hampshire in the U.S. Senate from 2003-2009, will face off against former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, who represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate from 2010-2013, in the Republican primary.
Karishma Manzur is among the Democrats challenging Pappas.
A poll the University of New Hampshire Survey Center released on Aug. 26 shows Sununu is ahead of Brown. The same survey shows Pappas ahead of Manzur and his other Democratic challengers.
The UNH Survey Center poll shows Sununu ahead of Pappas by a 45-43 percent margin if they were to face off in the general election. The margin of error is +/-2.1 percent.
Pappas would become the first openly gay man elected to the U.S. Senate if he were to win in November.
National
Milo Yiannopoulos deported to UK
ICE arrested far-right provocateur in New Orleans on Thursday
Editor’s note: The Department of Homeland Security on Saturday said Milo Yiannopoulos has been deported to the U.K.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Thursday arrested far-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos.
A DHS spokesperson in a statement sent to the Washington Blade said ICE arrested Yiannopoulos, who they described as “an illegal alien from the United Kingdom,” at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
The DHS spokesperson said Yiannopoulos “legally entered the country” in New York on May 14, 2019.
“He chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation’s laws,” said the spokesperson.
The DHS spokesperson said an immigration judge on July 22 “issued a final order of removal” for Yiannopoulos “after failing to show up for his immigration hearing.” The Times-Picayune newspaper in New Orleans on Friday reported Yiannopoulos is being held at an ICE detention center in Alexandria, La., which is about 200 miles northwest of the Crescent City.
“He will remain in ICE custody pending removal,” said the DHS spokesperson.
Yiannopoulos has, among other things, repeatedly targeted transgender people and Muslims.
The American Conservative Union, which organizes the annual Conversative Political Action Conference, in 2017 disinvited Yiannopoulos from speaking at that year’s CPAC after a video in which he appeared to condone sex between adults and underage boys emerged. Yiannopoulos subsequently resigned from Breitbart News, a far-right news website, where he had been a senior editor.
Yiannopoulos later that year married his boyfriend in Hawaii. The far-right provocateur in 2021 claimed he was an “ex-gay.”
The Australian government in 2019 banned Yiannopoulos from entering the country “on character grounds.” Yiannopoulos was also banned from Facebook, Twitter (now X), and other social media platforms.
The Times-Picayune reported Yiannopoulos “most recently worked for” Ye, formerly known as Kanye West.
The controversial rapper is scheduled to perform in New Orleans on Friday.
Laura Loomer, a far-right conspiracy theorist who is close to President Donald Trump, has called for Yiannopoulos’s deportation. Loomer on Friday wrote on X that she “reported him to ICE and the FBI” after he “called for me to be assassinated.”
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