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Trump’s win and its impact on LGBTQ Americans is 2024’s top story

Sarah McBride, sinking corporate support for DEI among year’s headlines

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President Trump’s victory was the story of the year. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The year 2024 didn’t end the way many LGBTQ rights supporters expected, with the re-election of Donald Trump and the anti-LGBTQ promises of the Project 2025 blueprint for his new administration. Here are the top 10 stories of the year as determined by Blade staff.

#10 LGBTQ federal workers face tough decisions amid Trump transition

There is always turnover in the federal government during presidential transitions, but the 2024 election may cause an unprecedented exodus from the public sector with President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to disband, reorient, or disempower agencies like the Education Department, the Justice Department, and the EPA in his second term. Project 2025 presents additional challenges for those who may wish to stay in their jobs after the incoming administration takes over, between the mandate to overhaul the federal civil service and — for LGBTQ employees who spoke with the Blade — the document’s proposals for removing anti-discrimination protections while stopping agencies from working to expand the community’s rights and protections.

#9 Documents show plans for ‘Christian nationalism’ in Trump second term

Activists protest outside of the Heritage Foundation in downtown Washington on Jan. 1, 2024. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

During the campaign, President-elect Donald Trump sought to distance himself from Project 2025, the document penned by many of the advisers closest to him both now and during his first administration, which promises a second term whose governing mandate is shaped by Christian nationalism. Other right-wing think tanks and organizations whose leaders are close to the former and future president, however, have advanced policy documents that also would make Christian nationalism a guiding principle of governance and public policy. Among them is the Center for Renewing America, which is led by Russell Vought, who was director of the Office of Management and Budget in the first Trump administration.

#8 Biden-Harris administration releases new Title IX regulations

The Biden-Harris administration in April released new Title IX regulations, clarifying that prohibitions on sex-based discrimination in educational programs that receive federal funding includes that which is based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Lambda Legal praised the move, writing in a statement that it “protects LGBTQ+ students from discrimination and other abuse.” The policy also reverses some Trump-era Title IX rules governing how schools must respond to reports of sexual harassment and sexual assault, which were widely seen as imbalanced in favor of the accused. Conservative state attorneys general sued the administration to challenge the new interpretation of the policy.

#7 Anti-trans attack ads 

Republicans spent at least $215 million on anti-trans attack ads that were run on TV for GOP campaigns in 2024, with most coming from President-elect Donald Trump’s team. After the election, Democrats debated the extent to which Republican messaging on trans rights helped to deliver major victories from the White House to the races that won the GOP control over both chambers of Congress. While the quantitative evidence of their efficacy has been mixed, with research by groups like GLAAD concluding that the commercials “yielded no statistically significant shift in voter choice, mobilization or likelihood to vote,” they tended to make viewers’ attitudes toward trans people more negative.

#6 Biden-Harris administration sets record for number of LGBTQ confirmed judges

The Biden-Harris administration named a record number of LGBTQ appointees to serve at all levels of the federal government, and likewise sought to appoint jurists to the federal bench who reflected America’s diversity. With the Senate’s confirmation in September of Mary Kay Costello’s nomination to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the White House secured its 12th judicial appointment for an LGBTQ candidate — surpassing, within in four years, the record that was set during the Obama-Biden administration over the course of two terms.

#5 Biden pardons discharged LGBTQ veterans

In June, President Joe Biden issued historic pardons for approximately 2,000 LGBTQ service members who had been discharged from the military and were court-martialed over their sexual orientation or gender identity under discriminatory policies of the past, like “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The administration announced that recipients of certificates of pardon will be able to petition for a change in their discharge status, which can facilitate their access to benefits through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Efforts to restore justice to those harmed by anti-LGBTQ policies in the military are ongoing, however, as bureaucratic and administrative hurdles continue to stand in the way.

#4 Corporate America goes soft on LGBTQ support

Several major publicly traded companies announced cuts in 2024 to LGBTQ-focused diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts — from sponsorship of Pride month events to participation in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index survey. The trend marks a decisive shift away from years of corporate allyship amid right-wing pressure campaigns and calls for boycotts like that which has continued to harm sales at Bud Light after more than a year. LGBTQ employees at Target who were involved in the retailer’s annual Pride collection shared concerns with the Blade over the company’s decision to radically scale back the LGBTQ-themed merchandise offered in June 2024.

#3 McBride wins historic election to Congress

Rep.-elect Sarah McBride (D-Del.) gives a victory speech in Wilmington, Del. on Nov. 5. (Washington Blade photo by Daniel Truitt)

Delaware State Sen. Sarah McBride became the first transgender candidate elected to Congress in November, with her successful bid for Delaware’s at-large congressional seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. In response, U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) led a campaign to exclude her from women’s bathrooms in the Capitol, prompting the enactment of a new policy by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson (La.) under which single-sex facilities in the building will be reserved for “individuals of that biological sex.” The effort presages the challenges McBride is likely to face after she is seated alongside House GOP lawmakers who are committed to both anti-trans policies and anti-trans politics.

#2 Washington Blade interviews President Biden in exclusive first and Vice President Harris in Pride exclusive

Vice President Harris sat down for an exclusive Pride month interview with the Blade. (Washington Blade photo by Jono Madison/Jono Photography)

In September, the Washington Blade sat down with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office, marking his first interview with an LGBTQ outlet for a discussion about his legacy of advancing rights and protections for the community during his presidency and over his decades of public service as vice president and U.S. senator. And Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with the Blade in June for an exclusive interview focused on the stakes of the election for LGBTQ communities as well as her record of fighting for LGBTQ equality, beginning with her first elected role as district attorney of San Francisco.

#1 Trump wins the presidency after Biden drops out and Harris runs atop the ticket

After surviving two assassination attempts and a campaign cycle in which his opponent dropped out of the race to make way for Vice President Kamala Harris to run against him with just a few months before Election Day, Donald Trump was elected president in 2024. Support for Harris among LGBTQ voters was even greater than the margin by which President Joe Biden had an edge over Trump in 2020, signaling the extent to which America’s LGBTQ communities are anxious over the status of their rights and freedoms under Trump 2.0.  

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U.S. Supreme Court

Supreme Court to consider bans on trans athletes in school sports

27 states have passed laws limiting participation in athletics programs

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U.S. Supreme Court (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear two cases involving transgender youth challenging bans prohibiting them from participating in school sports.

In Little v. Hecox, plaintiffs represented by the ACLU, Legal Voice, and the law firm Cooley are challenging Idaho’s 2020 ban, which requires sex testing to adjudicate questions of an athlete’s eligibility.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals described the process in a 2023 decision halting the policy’s enforcement pending an outcome in the litigation. The “sex dispute verification process, whereby any individual can ‘dispute’ the sex of any female student athlete in the state of Idaho,” the court wrote, would “require her to undergo intrusive medical procedures to verify her sex, including gynecological exams.”

In West Virginia v. B.P.J., Lambda Legal, the ACLU, the ACLU of West Virginia, and Cooley are representing a trans middle school student challenging the Mountain State’s 2021 ban on trans athletes.

The plaintiff was participating in cross country when the law was passed, taking puberty blockers that would have significantly reduced the chances that she could have a physiological advantage over cisgender peers.

“Like any other educational program, school athletic programs should be accessible for everyone regardless of their sex or transgender status,” said Joshua Block, senior counsel for the ACLU’s LGBTQ and HIV Project. “Trans kids play sports for the same reasons their peers do — to learn perseverance, dedication, teamwork, and to simply have fun with their friends,” Block said.

He added, “Categorically excluding kids from school sports just because they are transgender will only make our schools less safe and more hurtful places for all youth. We believe the lower courts were right to block these discriminatory laws, and we will continue to defend the freedom of all kids to play.”

“Our client just wants to play sports with her friends and peers,” said Lambda Legal Senior Counsel Tara Borelli. “Everyone understands the value of participating in team athletics, for fitness, leadership, socialization, and myriad other benefits.”

Borelli continued, “The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit last April issued a thoughtful and thorough ruling allowing B.P.J. to continue participating in track events. That well-reasoned decision should stand the test of time, and we stand ready to defend it.”

Shortly after taking control of both legislative chambers, Republican members of Congress tried — unsuccessfully — to pass a national ban like those now enforced in 27 states since 2020.

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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

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U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon (Screen capture: C-SPAN)

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.

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New York

Two teens shot steps from Stonewall Inn after NYC Pride parade

One of the victims remains in critical condition

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The Stonewall National Memorial in New York on June 19, 2024. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

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.”

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