National
Boehner punts on ‘Don’t Ask’ certification bill
‘We’ll see what the committee recommends.’
U.S. House Speaker John Boehner (Blade photo by Michael Key).
U.S. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) deferred to House Armed Services Committee on Thursday when asked about his interest in legislation that would complicate efforts in implementing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal.
Asked by the Washington Blade whether legislation that would expand the certification requirement for repeal would see a vote in the 112th Congress, Boehner replied, “We’ll see what the committee recommends.”
Under the current repeal law signed by President Obama on Dec. 22, an end to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” will be achieved 60 days after the president, the defense secretary and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff certify that the U.S. military is ready.
Pending legislation before the U.S. House, sponsored by Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), would expand the certification responsibility to the military service chiefs: the Army chief of staff, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Marine Corps commandant and the Air Force Chief of Staff.
Many of the service chiefs have expressed concern about implementing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal, so the expanded certification requirement could delay an end to the military’s gay ban.
However, each of the services have been directed by Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel & Readiness Clifford Stanley to devise a procedure to implement an end to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
R. Clarke Cooper, executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans, said “there is no appetite” for preventing repeal because the mandate that American voters gave the Republican Party in the 2010 election was reigning in spending, reducing the national debt, balancing the budget and enabling job growth.
“There is much to be done this Congress,” he said. “Revisiting ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ would be an unnecessary distraction.”
Cooper said the Pentagon wouldn’t support any additional thresholds for certification because the repeal implementation team is already moving forward with implementing open service.
Drew Hammill, spokesperson for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), said the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal law was passed by Congress last year after careful consideration.
“The certification process contained in the bipartisan legislation passed by the Congress and signed by the President has the support of the Department of Defense,” he said. “The repeal law was carefully drafted and contains reasonable requirements for implementation.”
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.
Hundreds of thousands expected to attend D.C. Pride events
Queen Jean is Tony’s first transgender winner
PHOTOS: Pride Run
D.C.’s housing reality: Cautious optimism meets landlord strain
‘Mighty Real’ explores history of LGBTQ music
Leaving for a barge trip through canals of Burgundy
A vice president marches by our side
Ogles faces bipartisan backlash over anti-gay social media post
First gay underwear party? How to have fun nearly naked
