The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest LGBTQ rights organization, announced on Wednesday that Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will be the keynote speaker at its annual National Dinner fundraiser in Washington, D.C.

The dinner is one of the biggest nights for the HRC — where thousands of LGBTQ civil rights advocates, elected officials, celebrities and community leaders mingle in the nation’s capital to raise money for the ongoing fight against LGBTQ discrimination.

This year’s dinner will take place at the Washington Hilton.

Alongside Whitmer, HRC will honor changemakers and LGBTQ+ allies and icons Marcia Gay Harden, André De Shields, and Junior LaBeija at the event.

Whitmer is a strong ally and proud mother of an LGBTQ+ child whose pro-equality leadership has led to critical civil rights protections for Michigan’s LGBTQ+ community.

HRC President Kelley Robinson issued a statement explaining why they chose the straight Michigander to deliver the headlining keynote address — pointing to her long track record and unwavering support in recent years, as anti-LGBTQ sentiment has not only grown but become more divisive in American politics. This is particularly important now as GOP leaders continue to attack and minimize rights for transgender people across the country.

“Gov. Gretchen Whitmer exemplifies the kind of allyship our community needs in this moment. She is a proud parent of an LGBTQ+ child and a governor whose leadership and commitment to equality have advanced crucial civil rights protections for LGBTQ+ people in Michigan,” Robinson said. “We are thrilled to have her join us at this year’s National Dinner and look forward to hearing how we can take Michigan’s lessons to create safe and welcoming spaces across the country.”

Some of those lessons Whitmer helped push include signing legislation that expanded the Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act to include sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression, signing executive directives to strengthen protections against anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination in state employment, and prohibiting the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services from using state or federal funds for harmful “conversion therapy” practices on youth.

She was also the first governor to fly the Pride flag on a Michigan state building in 2019.

“I’m a proud mom of a gay daughter, so it is personal when politicians try to tell people who they can be or who they can love,” said Whitmer. “In Michigan, we didn’t just talk about equality, we wrote it into law. We expanded Elliott-Larsen so no one can be fired or evicted for who they are. None of that happened by accident, and none of it is guaranteed. That’s why I’m proud to stand with HRC to organize, turn out, and win this November, because every right we’ve won is on the ballot.”

For tickets to the dinner, visit HRC.org.

The man behind some of the strongest push against the Southern Poverty Law Center, who has an extensive anti-LGBTQ history, is being asked to speak before the House Judiciary Committee as part of its ongoing investigations into the nonprofit legal organization.

Last month, the Justice Department indicted the SPLC on 11 counts of wire fraud, false statements made to a federally insured bank, and conspiracy to commit money laundering related to payments to informants.

The DOJ alleges the civil rights group defrauded donors by using their money to fund the extremist groups it claims to be fighting. It also alleges the SPLC used more than $3 million paid to informants through a now-defunct program designed to infiltrate white supremacist and other extremist organizations.

Since then, the House Judiciary Committee, which says its main goals are to “protect constitutional freedoms and civil liberties, provide oversight of the U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, and manage legal and regulatory matters” has launched its own investigation into the ongoing litigation against the civil rights organization and tapped far-right journalist Tyler O’Neil to speak on the matter on Wednesday.

O’Neil has worked for several outlets that advance far-right perspectives, including the Washington Free Beacon and Fox News, and is currently the senior editor at the Daily Signal.

The Daily Signal began as a newsletter for the conservative Heritage Foundation, which authored Project 2025, a policy blueprint for a second Trump administration that outlines expanded executive power, increased conservative control of federal agencies, reduced civil and human rights protections, and a vision of the U.S. as a Christian nationalist nation.

O’Neil has written extensively about progressive organizations — most notably the SPLC. He authored the book “Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center,” in which he argues that the organization’s “hate map,” which identifies extremist groups — including neo-Nazis, Ku Klux Klan groups, and openly antisemitic organizations — is “an organ of disinformation” for also including mainstream conservative groups. He also did an interview with the Heritage foundation in 2022 about his work on the civil rights group, where it was called a “left-wing smear factory.”

In addition to his work on the SPLC, O’Neil has a long history of anti-LGBTQ — and specifically anti-transgender — commentary. At one point, he spotlighted the Reintegrative Therapy Association, a practice likened to conversion therapy by the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. The American Medical Association has condemned the practice, stating: “Professional consensus rejects pathologizing homosexuality and gender nonconformity and evidence does not support the efficacy of changing sexual orientation.”

He has also attacked Christian groups that actively support LGBTQ people, particularly the Episcopal Church. He called the church “one of the most flaccid and spineless of the dying mainline Protestant denominations” and criticized its theology as a “watered-down bastardization of Christianity.”

O’Neil has also defended the anti-LGBTQ “pro-family” policies of former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who had been in office from 2010 until earlier this month. Orbán and his government faced widespread criticism for policies including banning Pride celebrations and restricting legal gender recognition for trans and intersex people.

The European Commission in 2022 sued Hungary, a member of the EU, over the country’s 2021 anti-LGBTQ propaganda law.

Vice President JD Vance spoke at an April rally for Orbán, supporting the hardline anti-transgender approach the former prime minister has taken in Hungary.

Overall, O’Neil’s work reflects a clear pattern of endorsing anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, defending groups organizations have labeled as hate groups, and consistently writing through a Christian conservative nationalist lens.

Kyle Herrig of the Congressional Integrity Project, an organization “committed to exposing the reality behind Republicans’ politically motivated oversight and investigations,” gave a statement about the Judiciary Committee’s decision to have O’Neil testify, saying it further endangers those most vulnerable.

“House Republicans can’t find credible witnesses for their anti-civil rights crusade next week because they have no credible case. They’re giving a microphone to one of the far-right’s most discredited, anti-LGBTQ+ extremists and dressing it up as congressional oversight. It’s all in service of the Trump administration’s backwards prosecution of the Southern Poverty Law Center, the premiere organization tracking the very extremism people like Tyler O’Neill support. Attacking the SPLC doesn’t do anything to make Americans safer. It just makes it easier for racist, anti-LGBTQ+ organizations to operate in the dark.”

A Judiciary Democrats spokesperson provided a statement to the Washington Blade on O’Neil’s relationship and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric:

“Mr. O’Neil is no stranger to the committee — he has already testified twice in this Congress and has become something of a default witness for people who want to support and platform far-right extremist rhetoric. Judiciary Republicans’ decision to rely on him again here suggests a shortage of both new evidence and credible claims against the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Committee Democrats remain focused on protecting civil rights and resisting political efforts to discredit organizations that track and combat extremism, hate, and discrimination. As in prior hearings, Democrats are prepared to carefully scrutinize Mr. O’Neil’s hateful and out-of-touch ideas and debunk his false allegations about organizations dedicated to defending all of our civil rights.”

A Judiciary spokesperson [Republican] also provided the Blade with a comment, ultimately agreeing with O’Neil that the characterisation of some conservative groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center is unfair.

“We always knew the Southern Poverty Law Center was wrongfully targeting conservative groups as hate groups. Now we know the SPLC funneled money to extremists, raising questions whether the SPLC has been artificially elevating the domestic extremist threat and misleading its donors.”

The Blade reached out to O’Neil and the Daily Signal about O’Neil’s slated testimony for the committee.

Lambda Legal announced Wednesday that it has a new Deputy Legal Director of Policy.

Cathryn “Kate” Oakley, a former staff member at the Human Rights Campaign, is now Deputy Legal Director of Policy at Lambda Legal.

Oakley has covered extensive ground in the fight for LGBTQ rights in the courtroom and beyond. Since joining HRC in 2012, she has held several advocacy roles, including Senior Director of Legal Policy, Senior Counsel, and State Legislative Director. Throughout her career, Oakley has worked to advance LGBTQ equality in federal and state legislative offices across the country.

Working on landmark legislation like the Respect for Marriage Act and the Virginia Values Act, while fighting discriminatory efforts such as North Carolina House Bill 2, Oakley also served as a founding author of HRC’s Municipal Equality Index and co-author of the State Equality Index, two of the organization’s most widely accessed resources. She has also provided on-the-spot legal analysis of landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions, including U.S. v. Skrmetti, Obergefell v. Hodges, and U.S. v. Windsor.

Now, Oakley is looking toward changing federal policy to “stand up for the LGBTQ+ community and everyone living with HIV.”

“Freedom and equality are hanging in the balance in America, and LGBTQ+ people are on the frontlines,” Oakley said. “Lambda Legal has been at the forefront of fighting for LGBTQ+ civil rights for decades, and the nation needs that leadership now more than ever. I am honored to join this powerful team and look forward to fiercely and passionately defending the communities we serve together.”

In addition to her extensive work creating protections LGBTQ people across the country have used to stay safe against anti-LGBTQ politicians and policies, Oakley is also a member of the Virginia Bar. Prior to joining the Human Rights Campaign, Oakley practiced domestic relations law at the Law Offices of Jay B. Myerson in Fairfax County.

In addition to practicing law, Oakley has also worked to educate the next generation of lawyers while serving as an adjunct professor at George Washington University since 2014. There, she has co-taught the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and the Law course in the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program.

“Kate Oakley is exactly the kind of leader Lambda Legal needs at this moment,” said Kevin Jennings, chief executive officer at Lambda Legal. “Her command of nondiscrimination law and her years on the front lines fighting anti-transgender legislation make her an outstanding addition to our team. We are thrilled to welcome her.”

Douglas Curtis, chief legal officer at Lambda Legal highlighted Oakley’s experience within the LGBTQ rights arena as a major draw for the nonprofit”s newest policy head.

“Kate’s experience is a tremendous asset to Lambda Legal,” Curtis said. “She has spent her career turning legal expertise into real wins for LGBTQ+ people at every level of government, and I could not be more excited to have her alongside us in this fight.”

Lambda Legal currently has multiple ongoing cases against the Trump-Vance administration challenging a range of anti-LGBTQ policies pushed by the White House. The organization is involved in seven open cases against the administration, centered on trans rights and related federal policy shifts, with five preliminary injunctions granted in current cases.