National
South Dakota governor to meet with trans students
Meeting takes places as anti-trans legislation heads to his desk
Gov. Dennis Daugaard (R-S.D.) (Photo public domain)
Kelsey Pritchard, a Daugaard spokesperson, confirmed to the Washington Blade that meeting would take place and the governor’s staff is working on a time for the discussion, which was requested by the South Dakota LGBT group the Center for Equality. The meeting could take place as early as Thursday, Pritchard said.
The meeting is planned as legislation approved this week by the GOP-controlled state legislature, HB 1008, heads to the governor’s desk. The bill, approved in the Senate by a 20-15 vote and the House by a 58-10 vote, would prohibit transgender students from using the public restrooms in schools consistent with their gender identity.
In addition to meeting with transgender students, Pritchard said Daugaard, a Republican, also plans on meeting with lawmakers who sponsored the bill in the legislature.
Daugaard’s office makes plans for the meeting after the governor said in a news conference he hasn’t made a decision on whether he supportd HB 1008 and has never met a transgender person.
It wasn’t clear whether the meetings signal Daugaard plans on vetoing the legislation. Pritchard said it indicates he wants to hear both sides and said he still hasn’t taken a position on the bill.
If Daugaard signs the legislation, South Dakota would become the first state in the nation to enact a “papers to pee” law for transgender students.
The governor was expected to officially receive the bill Thursday. He must either sign or veto the bill within five business days of transmittal, or else it becomes law without his signature in a procedure known as “pocket pass.”
Alternatively, if he were inclined to veto it but didn’t want to take that step publicly, Daugaard could ask the legislature to go back and work on it. According to a source familiar with the South Dakota legislative process, that process occurred only once last year.
Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, praised Daugaard in a statement for his willingness to meet with transgender students, saying a veto of the bill should follow.
“Knowledge is power, and we hope that by learning about their experiences, the daily challenges they face, and the damage this bill will inflict on their lives, Gov. Daugaard will show true leadership and reject this measure,” Griffin said. “History has never looked kindly upon those who attack the basic civil rights of their fellow Americans, and history will not treat kindly those who support this discriminatory measure.”
National
Queen Jean is Tony’s first transgender winner
Designer/activist wins for work on ‘Cats: The Jellicle Ball’
It was a historic night at the 79th annual Tony Awards on Sunday as Queen Jean won the award for Best Costume Design of a Musical, making her the first out transgender person to win a Tony.
“This experience has been monumental. We are here for the legacy of queer people, trans people,” she said. “We are taking up space in ways we have to take up space. We have to shift the paradigm. So I just want to say, thank you all so much for this incredible honor. The world right now is deeply, deeply combating so many ailments, and we know as a society that when we come together, we can make real, permanent change.”
She won the award for her work on “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” and was also nominated for best costume design of a play for “Liberation.”
In addition to her stage work, Queen Jean is the founder of Black Trans Liberation, an organization that supports trans and gender-nonconforming people in New York City.
National
Madonna turns Times Square into massive dance floor
Pop icon celebrates Pride month with surprise performance
Pop icon Madonna celebrated Pride month with a pop-up performance in New York City’s Times Square on Thursday to the delight of 50,000 fans.
She performed for about 15 minutes high above street level, including several songs from her new album “Confessions II” due on July 3, along with a trio of songs from the first “Confessions on a Dance Floor.”
In addition to the brand new “Love Sensation,” she performed “I Feel So Free” and “Bring Your Love,” plus “Hung Up,” “Get Together” and “I Love New York.” She wished the crowd a happy Pride season; the event was shared with audiences through Grindr’s first-ever livestream.
National
Gallup finds LGBTQ support among Americans is dropping
Marriage equality support lowest since 2016
Gallup, one of the leading organizations in public opinion polling, has found that LGBTQ support among Americans is dropping.
The poll, whose data was collected using Gallup’s annual Values and Beliefs survey, was conducted in May and was published on Wednesday. The data was collected through telephone interviews from a sample of more than 1,000 adults living in all 50 states and D.C. using random digit dialing.
It highlights declining attitudes surrounding LGBTQ issues in multiple areas — from support for same-sex marriage to views on gender identity and the morality of one’s sexuality.
One of the most striking findings was that support for marriage equality fell six points from its 2022-2023 high.
The survey also found that 62 percent of Americans view gay and lesbian relations as morally acceptable, the lowest level since 2016 just after same-sex marriage was legalized nationwide by the U.S. Supreme Court.
One newer question on the poll found that the perceived morality of changing one’s gender has dropped eight points since 2021, indicating the American public is less supportive of transgender people.
The data attributes much of the decline to shifting Republican views alongside the party itself. Conservative leaders have pushed back against diversity, equity, and inclusion programs that were intended to foster greater acceptance of LGBTQ people and other historically disadvantaged groups.
President Donald Trump has been a guiding force behind waves of anti-LGBTQ sentiment, particularly when it comes to trans rights. The president has enacted multiple executive orders, including Executive Order 14168, “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” which mandates that gender be defined by one’s sex assigned at birth. He also signed Executive Order 14183, “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness,” which barred qualified trans applicants from joining the military and led to the removal of trans service members already serving in the armed forces.
Additionally, he signed Executive Order 14201, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” which prohibits trans female athletes from participating on women’s and girls’ sports teams.
In February, Gallup found that an estimated 9 percent of Americans identified as part of the LGBTQ community in some form.
The organization also found that 23 percent of adults under age 30 identify as LGBTQ, compared with 10 percent of those ages 30 to 49 and 3 percent or less among those ages 50 and older.
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