Politics
Group pushes back against anti-trans election ads
Transphobic messages carry consequences beyond Nov. 5

With the 2024 election fast approaching, the Gender Research Advisory Council & Education (GRACE) released a public service announcement this week featuring a conservative U.S. Army veteran named Eric Childs who was raising a trans son before he died in an accident shortly after his Republican governor, Henry McMaster (R-S.C.), signed a series of anti-trans bills.
GRACE hopes Childs’s message will push back against the deluge of anti-trans attack ads run by conservative candidates including former President Donald Trump. Republicans have spent tens of millions in an effort to make trans rights a salient and divisive issue ahead of Election Day.
“To me, serving my country was defense of freedom, fighting for democracy, defending our country in its entirety after we’d been attacked,” Childs said in the PSPA. “Freedom means liberty. It means the ability to live your life as you see fit. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And I wanted that for my children one day.”
In a press release, GRACE featured a quote from Jessicka Spearman Childs, Eric’s widow, and mother to their transgender son: “Eric believed in the importance of freedom for trans kids — the right to live authentically and without fear. He saw this not as a political issue, but as a human one, recognizing that every child deserves the chance to thrive and feel whole. His legacy isn’t just one of military service; it’s one of compassion, empathy, and fighting for the right of every individual to live as their true self.”
GRACE founder and President Alaina Kupec, a veteran and former U.S. Navy intelligence officer, told the Washington Blade, “We at GRACE have watched with horror the political attacks on transgender community. These false narratives have gone unchallenged and we took the initiative to set the record straight.”
She continued, “True conservative values mean the government should not be mandating care or imposing egregious policies designed to merely attack and bully a community. An overwhelming majority from both parties see these attacks as hollow and self serving. And after this election cycle when all is said and done, we will again remind all parties that attacks on the transgender and LGB community are losing them voter support.”
GRACE Executive Director Jennifer Williams, who serves as a councilwoman for Trenton, N.J., shared the following with the Blade, speaking as a private citizen:
“The enormous amounts of money spent on ads targeting .06% of the U.S. population who have never committed a Federal crime shows how desperate some politicians are to win at any costs.
“My personal belief is that these ads started at the beginning of the NFL and college football seasons to scare young men about transgender people, particularly women who are trans. These ads have heightened concerns about personal security and discrimination towards transgender Americans. There will be long-term effects from such egregious and excessive anti-LGBTQ advertising.
“After viewing and hearing these ads for several months, some people may become influenced by fear of what they don’t understand and act out upon their fears – or not respect our humanity. It is obvious that after this election is over, we must rebuild support for transgender Americans across the political and social spectrums in order to protect ourselves. Our very liberties and freedoms will depend on that.”
As explained in the press release, GRACE seeks to engage with “center and center-right audiences who are often not prioritized but whose support is needed to change the current national narrative.”
Data shows anti-trans advertising is likely to backfire politically
A survey published on Thursday by Data For Progress shows voters have been turned off by the anti-trans commercials, findings that are consistent with research by the organization over the past year, where voters consistently reported that their priorities are concentrated on issues like the economy rather than LGBTQ matters.
Data For Progress found that voters believe both parties should spend less time on transgender issues — though on transgender issues, they believe Democrats are more trustworthy and Republicans more extreme.
Further, the survey says voters believe trans people should be treated with respect and they disagree with the use of anti-trans messages in attack ads.
Congress
Senate parliamentarian orders removal of gender-affirming care ban from GOP reconciliation bill
GOP Senate Leader John Thune (S.D.) hoped to pass the bill by end-of-week

Restrictions on the use of federal funds for gender-affirming care will be stripped from the Republican-led Senate reconciliation bill, following a ruling by the Senate parliamentarian on Tuesday that struck down a number of health related provisions.
The legislation banned coverage for transgender medical care through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, language that was also included in the House version of the bill passed on May 22 with a vote of 215-214.
The parliamentarian’s decision also rejected Republican proposals for a Medicaid provider tax framework, which allows states to charge health care providers and use the funds to support their programs, along with broader cuts to Medicaid.
Amid calls to override Tuesday’s ruling from Republicans like U.S. Rep. Greg Steube (Fla.), GOP Senate Majority Leader John Thune (S.D.) told reporters “That would not be a good outcome for getting a bill done.”
He also acknowledged that the timing and schedule might have to be adjusted. Senate Republicans had hoped to pass the reconciliation bill by the end of this week, though this was not a legal or procedural deadline.
Dubbed the “one big, beautiful bill” by President Donald Trump, the legislation would extend tax breaks from 2017 that overwhelmingly benefit the wealthiest Americans and corporations. To cover the cost, which is estimated to exceed $4 trillion over 10 years, the bill would make drastic cuts to social welfare programs, particularly Medicaid.
Democrats are not in a position to negotiate across the aisle with Republicans holding majorities in both chambers of Congress, but for months they have been calling attention to the effort by their GOP colleagues to strip Americans of their health insurance to pay for the tax breaks.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 10.9 million people would lose their coverage, either through Medicaid or the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. Some Republicans like U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (Mo.) are pushing back against the deep cuts to Medicaid, arguing they would be devastating for many of their constituents and also to hospitals, nursing homes, and community health care providers in rural areas.
In a statement emailed to the Washington Blade on Tuesday, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.) said, “Anti-trans extremists are attempting to use the full power of the government to hurt kids, and recent Supreme Court decisions in Skrmetti and Medina are enabling their quest.”
While today’s ruling by the Senate parliamentarian is a temporary win, I will keep pushing back on these shameful attempts to harm trans kids and their families for trying to live authentically,” said the senator, who also serves as ranking member of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee.
U.S. Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), who is gay and chairs the Congressional Equality Caucus, also shared a statement with the Washington Blade addressing the parliamentarian’s ruling:
“This ruling by the Senate Parliamentarian is a win for the transgender people who rely on Medicaid and CHIP to access the healthcare they need to live fuller, happier, and healthier lives—but the fight is not over yet,” the congressman said.
“Republican Senators must abide by her ruling and remove the ban from the final version of Trump’s Big Ugly Bill,” he said. “Yet, even with this provision removed, this bill is terrible for the American people, including trans Americans. Every Equality Caucus member voted against it in the House and we’re ready to do so again if the Senate sends it back to the House.”
The Human Rights Campaign issued a press release with a statement from the organization’s vice president for government affairs, David Stacy:
“The fact remains that this bill belongs in the trash. It continues to include devastating cuts to health care programs — including Medicaid — that would disproportionately harm the LGBTQ+ community, all so the already rich can receive huge tax cuts,” Stacy said.
“While it comes as a relief that the Senate parliamentarian concluded that one provision in the nightmarish reconciliation bill that would have denied essential, best practice health care to transgender adults does not belong, we aren’t done fighting,” he said. “With attacks on our community coming from many directions, including the Supreme Court, we will work to defeat this bill with everything we’ve got.”
Congress
Murkowski, Shaheen reintroduce Global Respect Act
Bill would sanction foreign nationals who commit anti-LGBTQ human rights abuses

U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) on Wednesday once again introduced a bill that would sanction foreign nationals who carry out human rights abuses against LGBTQ and intersex people.
The two senators have previously introduced the Global Respect Act. Co-sponsors include U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)
“Around the world, individuals who are part of the LGBTQ+ community are in danger for simply existing,” said Murkowski in a press release. “Hate and violence cannot and should not be tolerated. I’m hopeful that this legislation will establish actionable consequences for these inexcusable human rights violations, and create a safer world for all people — regardless of who they are or who they love.”
Shaheen in the press release notes “the risk of personal harm for LGBTQI individuals for publicly identifying who they are or expressing who they love has tragically increased in recent years.”
“Human rights, as defined by the Universal Declaration of Human rights, recognizes that global freedom, justice, and peace depend on ‘the inherent dignity’ and ‘the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family,” said the New Hampshire Democrat. “LBGTQI human rights are universal human rights. We must ensure that we hold all violators of those rights accountable.”
The promotion of LGBTQ and intersex rights abroad was a cornerstone of the Biden-Harris administration’s foreign policy.
The current White House has suspended most foreign aid. The elimination of these funds has left the global LGBTQ and intersex rights movement reeling.
Congress
Garcia elected top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee
Gay Calif. lawmaker vows to hold Trump-Vance administration accountable

U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) on Tuesday was elected top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee in a vote that signaled the conference’s overwhelming support for a newer voice on Capitol Hill who will play a key role taking on President Donald Trump.
With a margin of 150-63, the 47-year-old openly gay congressman defeated U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), alongside U.S. Reps. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) and Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.) who exited the race after the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee backed Garcia.
Serving only since 2023, the congressman has had a remarkably quick ascent leading up to his election this week as ranking member of one of the most powerful House committees, awarded a leadership position serving under House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (Mass.) and selected as a co-chair of former Vice President Kamala Harris’s 2024 presidential campaign.
Democratic members began jockeying for the top seat on the oversight committee this spring after the late-U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia stepped away amid news that his esophageal cancer had returned. He died in May.
Connolly last year fended off a challenge from one of the most well known House Democrats, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), though with a narrower margin that signaled intra-party tensions over whether leadership roles should still be awarded based on seniority.
Garcia positioned himself as a bridge between the two camps — a consensus candidate with executive managerial experience as the former mayor of Long Beach, Calif. At the same time, particularly since the start of Trump’s second term, the congressman has emerged as one of the most outspoken critics of the new Republican regime.
In a statement on X Tuesday, Garcia thanked his colleagues and promised to “hold Donald Trump and his administration accountable.”
I'm honored to have been elected by @HouseDemocrats to serve as Ranking Member on @OversightDems.
— Congressman Robert Garcia (@RepRobertGarcia) June 24, 2025
We will hold Donald Trump and his Administration accountable for their corruption – and work to make our government more effective for the American people.
Let's get to work.
If Democrats win control of the House next year, the oversight committee will be able to exercise powers that are now available only to Republicans under the chair, U.S. Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), which include the authority to investigate virtually any matter across the federal government, to issue subpoenas, and to compel testimony.
In the meantime, Garcia on Monday promised that Democrats on the committee would “vigorously fight” Republican Speaker Mike Johnson’s (La.) plans “to dismantle the Government Accountability Office.”
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