National
Gill Foundation pledges up to $250K to protect Stonewall Inn
LGBTQ landmark faces mounting bills amid coronavirus crisis


Amid concerns the iconic Stonewall Inn in New York City may close due the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the Gill Foundation announced on Sunday it will match contributions of up to $250,000 to protect the business from closure.
The news was timed for the 51st anniversary of the Stonewall riots, which started in 1969 at the Stonewall Inn in New York City and was considered the start of the modern LGBTQ movement.
Scott Miller and Tim Gill, co-chairs of the Gill Foundation, said in a statement āStonewall is a cornerstone of LGBTQ history and it must be protected.ā
āQueer people of color ā including trans women of color like Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and Miss Major ā led the uprisings against police brutality at Stonewall and in doing so helped spark the movement for LGBTQ equality,ā Miller and Gill said. āWe must preserve that history and the legacy of the activists who led the charge.ā
According to a report in CNN, the Stonewall Inn, is faced with mounting bills and uncertainty around when it can reopen during the coronavirus crisis. As a consequence, it has started an online fundraiser to ensure the LGBTQ landmark won’t close for good.
The monthly rent for the Stonewall Inn is over $40,000 and although bar received some Paycheck Protection Program funds, it was significantly less than the owners had expected, CNN reported. The bar sits next to the Stonewall National Monument, which is a national park, but does not receive any federal funding, according to CNN.
The pledge of up to $250,000 from the Gill Foundation will be earmarked to support rent and utility costs.
Stacy Lentz and Kurt Kelly, co-owners of the Stonewall Inn, welcomed the commitment from the Gill Foundation in a statement.
āAs the first and only LGBTQ National Monument, Stonewall is home not only to the history of our community, but also the history of our city and country,ā Lentz and Kelly said. āWe are beyond grateful for this generous pledge that will help us keep the history alive.ā
In 2014, the Gill Foundation coordinated with the National Park Foundation to identify LGBTQ places and events of historical significance. As part of that effortThe Stonewall Inn was designated as a national monument in 2016, making it the first-ever LGBTQ National Monument.
According to the Gill Foundation, the ultimate goal for the Stonewall Inn is a permanent exhibition and visitors center near the Stonewall Inn to commemorate its important history.
The Gill Foundation announcement comes on the heels on news the Gill Foundation committed a $50,000 as part of Stonewall Day for a Pride Live event in a fundraising benefiting transgender advocacy groups, including Trans Lifeline, the TransLatin@ Coalition, Brave Space Alliance and The Ally Coalition.
The White House
VP Harris to oversee White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention
Goal is to implement and expand upon legislation, executive actions

The White House announced Thursday evening that President Joe Biden on Friday will establish the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, to be overseen by Vice President Kamala Harris.
The office will focus on implementing and expanding upon executive and legislative actions, including the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, “to reduce gun violence, which has ravaged communities across the country.”
Serving under Harris will be Stefanie Feldman, “a longtime policy advisor to President Biden on gun violence prevention,” and “leading gun violence prevention advocates Greg Jackson and Rob Wilcox.”
āEvery time Iāve met with families impacted by gun violence as they mourn their loved ones, and Iāve met with so many throughout the country, they all have the same message for their elected officials: ādo something,'” Biden said in a statement.
The president noted his signing of last year’s bipartisan gun violence prevention law, a flagship legislative accomplishment for the administration, along with his issuance of more executive actions than any president in history to address this problem.
Calling these “just the first steps,” Biden said the establishment of the White House Office on Gun Violence Prevention will “build upon these measures and keep Americans safe.”
He also urged Congress to do more by passing legislation requiring universal background checks, and baning assault weapons and high capacity magazines.
In a statement, Harris said, “This epidemic of gun violence requires urgent leadership to end the fear and trauma that Americans experience every day.”
“The new Office of Gun Violence Prevention will play a critical role in implementing President Bidenās and my efforts to reduce violence to the fullest extent under the law,” she said, “while also engaging and encouraging Congressional leaders, state and local leaders, and advocates to come together to build upon the meaningful progress that we have made to save lives.”
“Our promise to the American people is this: we will not stop working to end the epidemic of gun violence in every community, because we do not have a moment, nor a life to spare,” the vice president said.

Wolf, a Pulse survivor, was recently appointed National Press Secretary of the Human Rights Campaign.
(Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)
National
LGBTQ media āexcitedā about Press Forward national media funds
Coalition of donors pledges $500 million for local news

Members of News Is Out, a collaborative of six leading LGBTQ media organizations across the country, have expressed support and excitement about the newly announced national Press Forward effort to support local media in the United States. News Is Out members represent more than 200 years of LGBTQ news and culture coverage, with two member papers starting more than 50 years ago.
āThis new effort from foundations, including MacArthur Foundation and Knight Foundation, truly will be a game-changer in the local media space,ā said Tracy Baim, co-founder of Windy City Times, which is part of a Chicago collaborative that is also advocating for local funding in that city. āLocal media are critical to covering issues across the country, from LGBTQ+ and environmental issues to education and criminal justice reform. Philanthropy can provide an important complement to other needed revenues to help local media survive and thrive.ā
In the U.S., 7.1 percent of adults, or 18 million people, identify as LGBTQ, according to Gallup. About 21 percent of Gen Z identifies as LGBTQ. The media serving this community has been life-saving, resource sharing and an integral part of the movement for LGBTQ equality, News Is Out members said, adding that this media continues to fill a vital information need.
According to the Press Forward announcement, āA coalition of 22 donors announced Press Forward, a national initiative to strengthen communities and democracy by supporting local news and information with an infusion of more than a half-billion dollars over the next five years.
āPress Forward will enhance local journalism at an unprecedented level to re-center local news as a force for community cohesion; support new models and solutions that are ready to scale; and close longstanding inequities in journalism coverage and practice.ā
The Knight Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation have been leading the Press Forward effort.
News Is Out is supported in part by a technology grant from the Knight Foundation. The program is called the Queer Media Sustainability Lab
News Is Out is a nearly two-year-old alliance created launched by the Local Media Association, with initial funding from Google News Initiative. The members are Bay Area Reporter, Dallas Voice, Philadelphia Gay News, Washington Blade, Windy City Times and TAGG, a national queer womenās magazine.
News Is Out members have collaborated on editorial, business and fundraising opportunities.
āLGBTQ media have always played a critical role in covering and informing our communities,ā said Lynne Brown, publisher of the Washington Blade. āWhile we have lost dozens of LGBTQ news media outlets in recent years, those of us who have survived are thriving in 2023. We have done so because we have innovated and sought new forms of revenue. The News Is Out Collaborative has assisted with support that propels us forward.ā
āLGBTQ+ media is needed now more than ever, as our communities face a backlash across this country,ā said Leo Cusimano, publisher of the Dallas Voice. āBy working together in News Is Out, we have formed a strong alliance to help our members in technology training, editorial collaborations and much more. New funds into this ecosystem will be vital to strengthening the network of local LGBTQ+ media in this country.ā
Federal Government
Census Bureau asks White House to test questions on sexual orientation, gender identity
Data would be included in annual American Community Survey

The U.S. Census Bureau on Tuesday asked the Biden administration to sign off on plans to test questions on sexual orientation and gender identity for respondents aged 15 and older on the agency’s annual American Community Survey.
Data on these metrics will help inform civil rights and equal employment enforcement, the Census Bureau said in a notice published on the Federal Register.
Testing will help the agency determine wording, response categories and placementĀ of the questions on the survey ā its most comprehensive, covering 3.5 million households each year.
A key unknown will be how answers will be provided by proxies such as parents, spouses or others in a household who isnāt the person about whom the question is asked.
“Younger LGBT people might not yet be out to their parents or others who are answering these questions as a proxy reporter, so the quality of the data might not be as good for younger people,ā M. V. Lee Badgett, an economics professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, told PBS News.
Currently, the Census Bureau and its annual American Community Survey only ask questions about same-sex couples who are married or cohabitating.
āWe anticipate having much more info about the LGBT people than is currently available ā including about the demographic and socioeconomic status of LGBT people who arenāt in same-sex couple households, including occupational status, industry and wages, and about LGBT people who were born outside the U.S. and LGBT people with disabilities, and their families,ā Kerith Conron, research director of the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, told the Associated Press.
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