National
Pelosi endorses executive order against LGBT job discrimination
Democratic leader calls workplace protections ‘long overdue’
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Blade file photo by Michael Key)
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) endorsed on Thursday the idea of President Obama issuing an executive order barring federal contractors from engaging in anti-LGBT job discrimination.
Asked by the Washington Blade if she’d back an executive order providing job protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity, Pelosi replied, “Yes, and yes. I think it is all long overdue.”
“And I have long in my time in Congress supported ending discrimination in the workplace for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders,” Pelosi said.
The potential executive order has been seen as an alternative to passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act while Republicans remain in control of the U.S. House.
Pelosi joins a chorus of other lawmakers who’ve said they’d support an executive order mandating that federal contractors have non-discrimination policies protecting LGBT workers. Other who’ve voiced support for this potential directive are gay Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) as well as Sens. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore). Mary Kay Henry, the lesbian head of the Service Employees International Union, has also backed the potential directive.
The White House hasn’t said one way or the other whether Obama would be open to issuing the executive order. The president has supported ENDA as a means to end workplace discrimination against LGBT people.
Shin Inouye, a White House spokesperson, reiterated Obama’s commitment to pass ENDA as he maintained he couldn’t speak to the president’s position on taking administration action to confront LGBT workplace discrimination.
“The administration continues to examine steps the federal government can take to help secure equal rights for LGBT Americans,” Inouye said. “While I can’t speak to this specific proposal, we’ve already taken steps such as extending benefits to the same-sex domestic partners of federal employees and ensuring equal access to HUD programs, and we hope to continue making progress. The president has long supported an inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act.”
Advocates hailed Pelosi’s endorsement of the executive order as a further step from her in the advocacy that she has sustained for LGBT people over the course of her time in Congress.
Richard Socarides, president of Equality Matters, was among those commending Pelosi for articulating support for the potential directive.
“While she has probably supported it in principle before, it’s exciting to see Nancy Pelosi today join the growing list of leaders who are calling on President Obama to put his words into action and issue a non-discrimination executive order which would apply to federal contractors, as President Clinton’s applies to direct federal employees,” Socarides said.
“It’s time the government stopped doing business with businesses that discriminate against LGBT Americans,” Socarides said. “We all agree, so why not put some teeth behind it.”
Tico Almeida, a civil rights litigator who served as a lead counsel for ENDA in the House Education & Labor Committee, also said Pelosi’s endorsement helps in the effort to encourage Obama to issue the executive order.
“During my time in the U.S. House working as ENDA’s lead counsel, it was clear from every meeting that I attended with Rep. Nancy Pelosi that she believes strongly and passionately that LGBT Americans should have the freedom to work without fear of harassment or discrimination on the job,” Almeida said. “Her endorsement of the ENDA Executive Order for federal contractors builds momentum for this common sense policy that will save money for the U.S. taxpayers who should not have to subsidize discrimination.”
An executive order prohibiting LGBT job discrimination could complement ENDA even after the legislation is passed. Having both the order and law in place would provide two avenues for LGBT people seeking remedies for discrimination they feel they’ve experienced in the workforce.
The directive would provide recourse through the Department of Labor while ENDA would provide recourse through the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Other workers — including racial minorities and women — currently have both remedies to protect them.
Watch the video of Pelosi’s endorsement here (via Think Progress):
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.
PHOTOS: Fairfax City Pride
EXCLUSIVE: Pelosi reflects on four decades of LGBTQ advocacy
D.C. prepares to party as Pride celebrations kick off Saturday
David Archuleta, Monroe Alise named D.C. Pride parade marshals
