National
National news in brief: May 6
N.Y. murder not a hate crime, R.I. marriage advocates not giving up and more
N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo says same-sex marriage is a priority. (Photo by Pat Arnow; courtesy of Wikimedia)
Cuomo ‘optimistic’ N.Y. will legalize marriage
ALBANY, N.W. — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, closely allied with the Senate Republican majority that once blocked gay marriage, said Tuesday he’s now optimistic it will be legalized in New York, the AP reported. “I know it’s failed before, but I think this is a different day,” Cuomo was quoted in the AP story as saying. “I’ll bring more urgency in the next few weeks.” The Democrat says he believes the Senate will produce the 32 votes needed for passage in the six weeks remaining in the legislative session. The GOP majority in the Senate has strongly supported Cuomo’s fiscal platform, including cutting state spending, a 2-percent cap in the growth of property taxes and rejection of tax increases. Now Cuomo needs help to pass what he has identified of his highest priority policy goals, the AP said. Cuomo said talks with legislative leaders as well as the rising public poll numbers for gay marriage are among his reasons for optimism. Both sides are girding for a showdown after the bill’s surprising defeat in 2009, the AP wrote.
R.I. gay marriage advocates not giving up
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Advocates of gay marriage delivered a message to Rhode Island state lawmakers who blocked a same-sex marriage bill this year, informing them they’re being targeted for defeat in the next election, the Associated Press reported this week. Hundreds of Rhode Islanders rallied at the Statehouse Tuesday in favor of gay marriage — despite legislative leaders who say they’ll consider a compromise measure to create civil unions instead. Those at the rally vowed political revenge on those lawmakers who opposed making Rhode Island the sixth state to recognize gay marriage, the AP reported. “The 2012 election cycle starts now,” Kate Brock, executive director of the group Ocean State Action, told a cheering crowd on the Statehouse steps. “We start recruiting candidates now. We start building our war chests now. Don’t get mad. Get elected.” Meanwhile, House lawmakers introduced civil union legislation designed to give gay couples the same state rights afforded to married couples. Rep. Peter Petrarca, D-Lincoln, the bill’s sponsor, said he supports gay marriage but that it has no chance of passing this year. He said the rights granted through civil unions are a better than none at all.
Gay alumni group of religious college forms
CHICAGO — A group of LGBT alumni of conservative evangelical school Wheaten College in Illinois have formed a group that bucks the school’s theology and says gays don’t have to be celibate to be in good standing with their faith. OneWheaten members told the Chicago Daily Herald they felt isolated as students there and are trying to help current students who feel the same. The report says after launching a website last weekend with about 100 members, the number has quickly quadrupled. They’re not trying to convince the school to change its teaching but want LGBT students to realize they can “lead vibrant lives while remaining true to who they are.” A Wheaton rep said it’s trying to respond “with truth and grace.”
New York gay murder not a hate crime: police
ELMIRA, N.Y. — Police aren’t disclosing a possible motive for the murder of a gay nightclub owner in Elmira, N.Y., but it does not appear to be a hate crime, the Corning Leader reported this week. Louis Duffy, 20, of Horseheads, is charged with second-degree murder for allegedly shooting Clinton “Billy” Lewis, 53, early Sunday morning at Lewis’ apartment on North Main Street in downtown Elmira, the Leader reported. Lewis owned Chill, a gay bar at the corner of West Fifth and North Main streets, and had organized events in the gay community. Lewis previously owned another gay bar, Angles, now closed. Duffy and Lewis were acquaintances, police told the Leader. “I really can’t disclose the actual motive, but I will say it was a personal issue,” said Capt. Joseph Kain of the Elmira Police Department. “The victim was not killed as a direct result of being gay, it does not appear to be a hate crime. Police found Lewis shortly before 4 a.m. Sunday. He was found shot and died while receiving medical attention at a nearby hospital.
Dallas gay couple found murdered inside burned apt.
DALLAS — Two men found dead inside a burned Northeast Dallas apartment last week were an interracial gay couple, Dallas police confirmed to the Dallas Voice, a gay paper there. Michael Humphrey, 59, and Clayton Capshaw, 61, were found inside their first-floor unit at the Villa Joya Apartments on Woodmeadow Parkway. After responding to a fire call at about 4:10 a.m., Dallas Fire-Rescue crews extinguished the flames before finding the victims inside the apartment. Authorities say the men appeared to have died in a violent attack before the fire was set in an attempt to destroy evidence from the murders. Sr. Cpl. Kevin Janse, a spokesman for Dallas Police Department, said detectives have no reason to believe the murders were a hate crime, but he added that the motive is unknown, the Voice reported. It’s not being investigated as a hate crime.
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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