Connect with us

National

State Dept. calls for investigation into murder of LGBT activist in Russia

Yelena Grigoryeva found stabbed to death on Sunday

Published

on

Yelena Gregoryeva, a prominent Russian LGBT rights activist, was murdered in St. Petersburg on July 21. (Photo via Facebook)

Following the murder of a prominent LGBT activist in Russia, the State Department is calling for local authorities in St. Petersburg to launch a thorough investigation into her death, including her reported inclusion in an online anti-LGBT “hit list.”

A State Department spokesperson made the comments via email in response to a Washington Blade inquiry into the murder of Yelena Gregoryeva, who campaigned with the Alliance of Heterosexual and LGBT for Equality

“We are saddened by the tragic murder of activist Yelena Grigoryeva in St. Petersburg,” the spokesperson said. “We extend condolences to her family, friends, and colleagues, and admire her advocacy for the advancement of human rights in Russia.”

The spokesperson also said the incident follows a trend of anti-LGBT hostility in Russia.

Under President Vladimir Putin, Russia enacted a law banning LGBT “propaganda” directed at youth. Since that time, human rights groups have noted an increase in harassment and violence against LGBT people after the law passed.

“We will continue to follow this disturbing case closely, particularly given ongoing concerns about widespread impunity in Russia for violence against members of civil society and LGBTI persons,” the spokesperson said.

According to the Russian LGBT Network, Gregoryeva had been targeted recently on a website that drew inspiration from the horror movie franchise “Saw” and targeted LGBT people. The site, which first appeared in 2018 and called for people to hunt those listed on it, was taken down by Russian authorities last week. 

The State Department spokesperson called for a full investigation into both Gregoryeva’s death as well as the reported anti-LGBT website.

“We call on authorities to investigate this fully, including her reported inclusion on an anti-LGBTI ‘hit list’ published online, and to hold perpetrators fully to account,” the spokesperson said. “We are aware of reports that police have detained a suspect in this incident.”

Amid the perception the Trump administration is too friendly with Putin, whom U.S. intelligence agencies say interfered in the 2016 election on Trump’s behalf, the State Department spokesperson also called on Russia to maintain its obligation to human rights.

“We continue to urge the Russian government to uphold its obligation to ensure human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, in accordance with its international obligations and Russia’s laws and constitution,” the spokesperson said.

The Washington Blade has placed a request with the Russian embassy in the United States seeking comment on the State Department response.

Mark Bromley, chair of the Council for Global Equality, said he was pleased from the State Department response.

“I’m pleased to see that the State Department remains supportive of LGBTI concerns in Russia — including the ongoing persecution in Chechnya and the increasing hostility to LGBT groups across the country,” Bromley said. “This tragic murder casts an ominous shadow.”

Jeremy Kadden, senior international policy advocate for the Human Rights Campaign, said, however, the State Department response isn’t enough.

“The horrific death of Yelena Grigoryeva shocks the conscience and deserves real action from this administration at the highest levels,” Kadden said. “Unfortunately, this is only the latest example of the unconscionable silence from Donald Trump, Mike Pence and Mike Pompeo, who continue to remain silent about human rights abuses against LGBTQ people around the globe. While it is important that the State Department has committed to monitoring the case, and has called for the perpetrators to be held accountable, our nation’s top leaders have an obligation to utilize their platforms to loudly condemn anti-LGBTQ violence in Russia and beyond.”

Advertisement
FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM
SIGN UP FOR E-BLAST

U.S. Supreme Court

Supreme Court to consider bans on trans athletes in school sports

27 states have passed laws limiting participation in athletics programs

Published

on

U.S. Supreme Court (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear two cases involving transgender youth challenging bans prohibiting them from participating in school sports.

In Little v. Hecox, plaintiffs represented by the ACLU, Legal Voice, and the law firm Cooley are challenging Idaho’s 2020 ban, which requires sex testing to adjudicate questions of an athlete’s eligibility.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals described the process in a 2023 decision halting the policy’s enforcement pending an outcome in the litigation. The “sex dispute verification process, whereby any individual can ‘dispute’ the sex of any female student athlete in the state of Idaho,” the court wrote, would “require her to undergo intrusive medical procedures to verify her sex, including gynecological exams.”

In West Virginia v. B.P.J., Lambda Legal, the ACLU, the ACLU of West Virginia, and Cooley are representing a trans middle school student challenging the Mountain State’s 2021 ban on trans athletes.

The plaintiff was participating in cross country when the law was passed, taking puberty blockers that would have significantly reduced the chances that she could have a physiological advantage over cisgender peers.

“Like any other educational program, school athletic programs should be accessible for everyone regardless of their sex or transgender status,” said Joshua Block, senior counsel for the ACLU’s LGBTQ and HIV Project. “Trans kids play sports for the same reasons their peers do — to learn perseverance, dedication, teamwork, and to simply have fun with their friends,” Block said.

He added, “Categorically excluding kids from school sports just because they are transgender will only make our schools less safe and more hurtful places for all youth. We believe the lower courts were right to block these discriminatory laws, and we will continue to defend the freedom of all kids to play.”

“Our client just wants to play sports with her friends and peers,” said Lambda Legal Senior Counsel Tara Borelli. “Everyone understands the value of participating in team athletics, for fitness, leadership, socialization, and myriad other benefits.”

Borelli continued, “The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit last April issued a thoughtful and thorough ruling allowing B.P.J. to continue participating in track events. That well-reasoned decision should stand the test of time, and we stand ready to defend it.”

Shortly after taking control of both legislative chambers, Republican members of Congress tried — unsuccessfully — to pass a national ban like those now enforced in 27 states since 2020.

Continue Reading

Federal Government

UPenn erases Lia Thomas’s records as part of settlement with White House

University agreed to ban trans women from women’s sports teams

Published

on

U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon (Screen capture: C-SPAN)

In a settlement with the Trump-Vance administration announced on Tuesday, the University of Pennsylvania will ban transgender athletes from competing and erase swimming records set by transgender former student Lia Thomas.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights found the university in violation of Title IX, the federal rights law barring sex based discrimination in educational institutions, by “permitting males to compete in women’s intercollegiate athletics and to occupy women-only intimate facilities.”

The statement issued by University of Pennsylvania President J. Larry Jameson highlighted how the law’s interpretation was changed substantially under President Donald Trump’s second term.

“The Department of Education OCR investigated the participation of one transgender athlete on the women’s swimming team three years ago, during the 2021-2022 swim season,” he wrote. “At that time, Penn was in compliance with NCAA eligibility rules and Title IX as then interpreted.”

Jameson continued, “Penn has always followed — and continues to follow — Title IX and the applicable policy of the NCAA regarding transgender athletes. NCAA eligibility rules changed in February 2025 with Executive Orders 14168 and 14201 and Penn will continue to adhere to these new rules.”

Writing that “we acknowledge that some student-athletes were disadvantaged by these rules” in place while Thomas was allowed to compete, the university president added, “We recognize this and will apologize to those who experienced a competitive disadvantage or experienced anxiety because of the policies in effect at the time.”

“Today’s resolution agreement with UPenn is yet another example of the Trump effect in action,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. “Thanks to the leadership of President Trump, UPenn has agreed both to apologize for its past Title IX violations and to ensure that women’s sports are protected at the university for future generations of female athletes.”

Under former President Joe Biden, the department’s Office of Civil Rights sought to protect against anti-LGBTQ discrimination in education, bringing investigations and enforcement actions in cases where school officials might, for example, require trans students to use restrooms and facilities consistent with their birth sex or fail to respond to peer harassment over their gender identity.

Much of the legal reasoning behind the Biden-Harris administration’s positions extended from the 2020 U.S. Supreme Court case Bostock v. Clayton County, which found that sex-based discrimination includes that which is based on sexual orientation or gender identity under Title VII rules covering employment practices.

The Trump-Vance administration last week put the state of California on notice that its trans athlete policies were, or once were, in violation of Title IX, which comes amid the ongoing battle with Maine over the same issue.

Continue Reading

New York

Two teens shot steps from Stonewall Inn after NYC Pride parade

One of the victims remains in critical condition

Published

on

The Stonewall National Memorial in New York on June 19, 2024. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

On Sunday night, following the annual NYC Pride March, two girls were shot in Sheridan Square, feet away from the historic Stonewall Inn.

According to an NYPD report, the two girls, aged 16 and 17, were shot around 10:15 p.m. as Pride festivities began to wind down. The 16-year-old was struck in the head and, according to police sources, is said to be in critical condition, while the 17-year-old was said to be in stable condition.

The Washington Blade confirmed with the NYPD the details from the police reports and learned no arrests had been made as of noon Monday.

The shooting took place in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, mere feet away from the most famous gay bar in the city — if not the world — the Stonewall Inn. Earlier that day, hundreds of thousands of people marched down Christopher Street to celebrate 55 years of LGBTQ people standing up for their rights.

In June 1969, after police raided the Stonewall Inn, members of the LGBTQ community pushed back, sparking what became known as the Stonewall riots. Over the course of two days, LGBTQ New Yorkers protested the discriminatory policing of queer spaces across the city and mobilized to speak out — and throw bottles if need be — at officers attempting to suppress their existence.

The following year, LGBTQ people returned to the Stonewall Inn and marched through the same streets where queer New Yorkers had been arrested, marking the first “Gay Pride March” in history and declaring that LGBTQ people were not going anywhere.

New York State Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, whose district includes Greenwich Village, took to social media to comment on the shooting.

“After decades of peaceful Pride celebrations — this year gun fire and two people shot near the Stonewall Inn is a reminder that gun violence is everywhere,” the lesbian lawmaker said on X. “Guns are a problem despite the NRA BS.”

Continue Reading

Popular