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Trans immigrant activist declines invitation to attend White House Pride reception

Jennicet Gutiérrez heckled Obama during 2015 event

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Jennicet Gutiérrez (Photo courtesy of Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement)

The co-executive director of an organization that advocates on behalf of transgender and gender non-conforming immigrants has declined an invitation to attend the White House’s Pride Month celebration on Wednesday.

Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement Co-Executive Director Jennicet Gutiérrez on Tuesday told the Washington Blade during a telephone interview that she “very consciously” decided “not to attend” the event “because the community is under attack.”

“There are people that are coming after us, both politicians and white supremacists, and it just doesn’t feel right to me coming and celebrating and listening to a speech when there are all these attacks happening,” said Gutiérrez. “I don’t see how that can be a solution to what we are dealing with in our daily lives.”

Gutiérrez is a trans woman who was born in Mexico’s Jalisco state.

Gutiérrez noted she and her Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement colleagues over the last eight years have organized around a variety of immigration-related issues that include ending the detention of trans people in immigrant detention centers and stopping the deportation of trans people who ask for asylum in the U.S.

“Those things are still happening,” said Gutiérrez. “So, that’s why I made the conscious decision to decline the invitation.”

Gutiérrez noted three trans women — Victoria Orellano, Roxsana Hernández and Johana “Joa” Medina León — who died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody or immediately after their release in 2007, 2018 and 2019 respectively. (Neither President Obama, nor President Biden were in the White House when Orellano, Hernández or Medina passed away.)

Pablo Sánchez Gotopo, a Venezuelan man with AIDS who died in ICE custody in Mississippi on Oct. 1, 2021.

Title 42, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rule that closed the Southern border to most asylum seekers and migrants because of the pandemic, remains in place.

The White House in April announced it would terminate the rule the previous administration implemented in March 2020. Title 42 was to have ended on May 23, but a federal judge blocked the Biden administration’s plans.

“Title 42 is still in place and people are stuck, and that’s not ok,” said Gutiérrez. “Communities here are willing to welcome them, to support them, to get them back on track so they can find their way and fight for dreams overall.”

Gutiérrez in 2015 heckled Obama during a White House Pride Month reception.

She pointed out that Biden was standing next to him. Gutiérrez also noted many attendees booed her.

“I was really surprised by the reaction,” said Gutiérrez. “I thought I was surrounded by people that truly care about change, that were fighting for the most vulnerable among us and when they were just bullying and silencing.”

Gutiérrez further described the treatment she received at the reception as “very humiliating.”

“It was really heartbreaking and that’s also part of the problem,” she said. “If we can’t get behind people who are facing so many injustices, then how are we going to fight for all of us … it’s been shown that time after time trans folks and non-binary individuals are often left behind.”

The 2015 reception took place two days before the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark Obergefell ruling that extended marriage rights to same-sex couples throughout the country. Growing concerns over whether the U.S. Supreme Court will strike down Roe v. Wade will loom over this year’s event.

Gutiérrez described marriage equality to the Blade as an issue that is “very digestible, very pleasing to the mainstream.”

“Rarely did you see trans folks in campaigns and people of color in general being part of it,” she said, once again referring to the reaction she received when she challenged Obama in 2015. “So that to me was very disappointing to see that reaction and to live it and to feel the hypocrisy and how some people are seeking their own benefit and don’t really care about the rest of us.”

The White House has yet to respond to the Blade’s request for comment on Gutiérrez’s decision.

The letter in which Gutiérrez declined the invitation is here.

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The White House

White House responds to Pride flag ban in spending bill

Nearly 50 anti-LGBTQ riders defeated in government funding package

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Cuba, Pride flag, gay news, U.S. Embassy, Washington Blade
The Pride flag flies in front of the U.S. Embassy in Cuba in 2016. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Embassy in Cuba)

The White House issued a statement reacting to an anti-LGBTQ provision in the omnibus spending appropriations bill signed by President Joe Biden on Saturday.

Nearly 50 anti-LGBTQ riders were defeated that Republicans had tried to force into the government funding bill, however, the provision to ban the display of Pride flag at U.S. embassies and diplomatic missions made it into the final version.

“President Biden believes it was inappropriate to abuse the process that was essential to keep the government open by including this policy targeting LGBTQI+ Americans. While it will have no impact on the ability of members of the LGBTQI+ community to serve openly in our embassies or to celebrate Pride, the administration fought against the inclusion of this policy and we will continue to work with members of Congress to find an opportunity to repeal it,” the White House statement read. “We were successful in defeating 50+ other policy riders attacking the LGBTQI+ community that Congressional Republicans attempted to insert into the legislation. President Biden is committed to fighting for LGBTQI+ equality at home and abroad.”

On Saturday the White House released a signing statement from the president which read:

“The bipartisan funding bill I just signed keeps the government open, invests in the American people and strengthens our economy and national security. This agreement represents a compromise, which means neither side got everything it wanted. But it rejects extreme cuts from House Republicans and expands access to child care, invests in cancer research, funds mental health and substance use care, advances American leadership abroad and provides resources to secure the border that my administration successfully fought to include. That’s good news for the American people.

But I want to be clear: Congress’s work isn’t finished. The House must pass the bipartisan national security supplemental to advance our national security interests. And Congress must pass the bipartisan border security agreement — the toughest and fairest reforms in decades — to ensure we have the policies and funding needed to secure the border. It’s time to get this done.”

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The White House

Biden ‘heartbroken’ over death of Nex Benedict

‘Nonbinary and transgender people are some of the bravest Americans I know’

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President Joe Biden at the White House Pride month reception on June 10, 2023. (Washington Blade photo by Christopher Kane)

President Joe Biden issued a statement on Thursday about the death of Nex Benedict, the trans-nonbinary Oklahoma teen whose death last month after enduring months of bullying sparked national conversations about anti-LGBTQ discrimination in the state and across the country.

The results of an autopsy report released on Wednesday showed Benedict had died after ingesting diphenhydramine, an antihistimine with brand names including Benadryl, and fluoxetine (Prozac), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor often used to treat depression.

The president’s statement reads:

“Jill and I are heartbroken by the recent loss of Nex Benedict. Every young person deserves to have the fundamental right and freedom to be who they are, and feel safe and supported at school and in their communities. Nex Benedict, a kid who just wanted to be accepted, should still be here with us today. 

“Nonbinary and transgender people are some of the bravest Americans I know. But nobody should have to be brave just to be themselves. In memory of Nex, we must all recommit to our work to end discrimination and address the suicide crisis impacting too many nonbinary and transgender children. Bullying is hurtful and cruel, and no one should face the bullying that Nex did. Parents and schools must take reports of bullying seriously. My prayers are with Nex’s family, friends, and all who loved them – and to all LGBTQI+ Americans for whom this tragedy feels so personal, know this: I will always have your back.

“To LGBTQI+ young people across the country – you are loved exactly as you are. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or alone, you can call or text 988, the National Crisis Hotline, and dial the number ‘3’ to talk to a counselor who has been specifically trained to support LGBTQI+ youth.”

In late February, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre began a press briefing by acknowledging Benedict’s death, telling reporters “Our hearts are with Nex Benedict’s family, friends, entire school community in the wake of this horrific and gut wrenching tragedy.”

Earlier, Vice President Kamala Harris, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Jean-Pierre issued statements on X, formerly Twitter, about the teen’s passing.

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White House press secretary honors David Mixner

Prominent activist died on Monday

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White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on March 12, 2024 (Washington Blade photo by Christopher Kane)

During a press briefing on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre honored the passing of celebrated LGBTQ activist and author David Mixner, which was announced on his personal Facebook page late Monday.

His “moral clarity never wavered,” she said, “which is why he became such an invaluable confidant for so many, including presidential hopefuls, elected leaders and voices of the movement for LGBTQ+ equality.”

Jean-Pierre continued, “Perhaps most importantly, he was deeply dedicated to mentoring the next generation of LGBTQ+ leaders fighting to create a better world,” adding, “those of us doing this work today, including myself, owe him a debt of gratitude.”

Serving since May 2022, Jean-Pierre is the first Black and the first openly-LGBTQ White House press secretary.

Mixner, who reportedly passed from long COVID-19, first rose to prominence as an anti-Vietnam War activist. He became known as a political strategist who was close with former President Bill Clinton — and convinced him to address a gay and lesbian audience in 1992, becoming the first major presidential candidate to do so.

From his work securing then-California Gov. Ronald Reagan’s opposition to a measure banning gay schoolteachers to his activism over HIV/AIDS — and issues from nuclear disarmament to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ — Mixner’s influence spanned decades.

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