National
LGBTQ groups oppose immigration overhaul bill
Republican opposition has essentially killed measure that includes foreign aid

LGBTQ rights groups have expressed their opposition to a $118 billion bill that would overhaul the country’s asylum system and provide additional aid to Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies.
U.S. Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) on Sunday released the Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act.
The three lawmakers in a statement said the bill is “the strongest border security package in decades to reassert control of the border, end catch and release, enhance security, fix the asylum system and support border communities.”
“Sinema, Lankford, and Murphy’s bipartisan package reasserts control of the border, protects border communities, disrupts the flow of fentanyl into the country and solves the border crisis by ending catch and release, strengthening our asylum system by delivering determinations efficiently and fairly, enhancing security and improving the legal immigration system,” reads the statement posted on Sinema’s website.
The bill, among other things, would make the asylum process faster. The measure would also increase the burden for asylum seekers to prove a “credible fear” of persecution in their country of origin and allow the Department of Homeland Security to close the Southern border if at least 5,000 migrants cross during a 7-day period.
The Associated Press notes the bill also contains $60 billion in aid for Ukraine and $14 billion in aid for Israel. The measure would extend an additional $10 billion in humanitarian aid to civilians in Ukraine, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
“While we recognize the urgent need to pass meaningful immigration reform and address the challenges at our Southern border, the legislation’s proposed changes to our asylum system would cause irreparable harm to the lives of asylum seekers, including LGBTQ+ people,” said Human Rights Campaign Government Affairs Vice President David Stacy in a letter he sent to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday.
Stacy in his letter said HRC has “significant concerns that, under the new border expulsion authority, LGBTQ+ asylum seekers would be left languishing in Mexico for their asylum claims to be heard and at risk of increased violence.” The letter also references two of the previous White House’s policies: The “Remain in Mexico” policy that forced asylum seekers to pursue their cases in Mexico and Title 42, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rule that closed the Southern border to most asylum seekers and migrants because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Human rights organizations have documented murder, sexual assault, extortion and kidnapping of LGBTQ+ asylum seekers under the Trump administration’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ and Title 42 policies, and this new authority would enable similar circumstances for those waiting to make their asylum claims,” said Stacy. “LGBTQ+ asylum seekers will face the difficult choice between returning to a country where they face persecution, or remaining in a dangerous limbo as they wait to enter the United States.”
The Biden-Harris administration ended the “Remain in Mexico” policy in 2021. Title 42 expired last May.
‘Immigration is an LGBTQ issue’
The National LGBTQ Task Force is among the groups that participated in a protest against the Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act that took place Tuesday in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Immigration is an LGBTQ issue,” said Allen Morris, the group’s policy director.
“LGBTQ people are currently seeking asylum from countries where their very existence is criminalized and under threat,” added Morris. “The safety of our border and people in need of safety should not be used for political gain.”
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and U.S. Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Greg Casar (D-Texas) and Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.) spoke alongside CASA Executive Director Gustavo Torres, Anu Joshi of the American Civil Liberties Union and others.
Padilla criticized Republicans who did not consult with Latino lawmakers from the negotiations over the bill. The California Democrat also singled out former President Donald Trump and his opposition to it.
“It’s a shame that they (Republicans) follow the lead of a fear-mongering, anti-immigrant former president at every turn,” said Padilla. “Our country deserves better.”
“The product that they put forward would deny immigrants fleeing for their lives from the opportunity to seek asylum,” he added.

The press conference took place hours before Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said the bill is essentially dead because of opposition from House Majority Leader Mike Johnson (R-La.) and a growing number of other Republicans. The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday is also expected to vote on whether to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who was born in Cuba.
Amber Laenen contributed to this article.
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

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.
New York
Two teens shot steps from Stonewall Inn after NYC Pride parade
One of the victims remains in critical condition

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.”
New York
Zohran Mamdani participates in NYC Pride parade
Mayoral candidate has detailed LGBTQ rights platform

Zohran Mamdani, the candidate for mayor of New York City who pulled a surprise victory in the primary contest last week, walked in the city’s Pride parade on Sunday.
The Democratic Socialist and New York State Assembly member published photos on social media with New York Attorney General Letitia James, telling followers it was “a joy to march in NYC Pride with the people’s champ” and to “see so many friends on this gorgeous day.”
“Happy Pride NYC,” he wrote, adding a rainbow emoji.
Mamdani’s platform includes a detailed plan for LGBTQ people who “across the United States are facing an increasingly hostile political environment.”
His campaign website explains: “New York City must be a refuge for LGBTQIA+ people, but private institutions in our own city have already started capitulating to Trump’s assault on trans rights.
“Meanwhile, the cost of living crisis confronting working class people across the city hits the LGBTQIA+ community particularly hard, with higher rates of unemployment and homelessness than the rest of the city.”
“The Mamdani administration will protect LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers by expanding and protecting gender-affirming care citywide, making NYC an LGBTQIA+ sanctuary city, and creating the Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs.”
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