National
National news in brief: Jan 27
Anchorage anti-bias measure faces opposition, Boy Scouts join ‘no name-calling’ week, Minn. court revives marriage case, and more

Anchorage anti-bias measure faces opposition
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — An initiative adding gender identity and sexual orientation to the Anchorage non-discrimination rules is up for vote a vote on April 3, but interference from larger national anti-gay groups may make the fight tougher for supporters.
The Anchorage Daily News reports that the Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund, which has intervened in pro-LGBT ballot measures across the country for many years, has begun weighing in on the measure.
“The ultimate concern with enacting something like that is that it infringes on religious freedoms,” said ADF lawyer Holly Carmichael. “There’s a huge constitutional concern here.”
But Anchorage employment lawyer Thomas Daniel is defending the expansion of protections, saying that religious institutions should remain confident that exemptions in the law will allow faith groups shelter from frivolous litigation.
Boy Scouts join ‘no name-calling’ week
NEW YORK — Despite a history of policies barring gay men from participation, Boy Scouts of America may be signaling a change this week by signing on to support a national gay group’s anti-bullying effort, according to the Huffington Post.
A contributor to the Scouts’ official blog published an editorial introducing readers to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network’s “No Name-Calling Week,” an annual anti-bullying event.
“I’m delighted the Boy Scouts of America’s official publication is calling on its adult leaders to join with the tens of thousands of educators and other youth-serving professionals who are currently observing No Name-Calling Week in order to improve the lives of millions of youth,” said GLSEN executive director Dr. Eliza Byard.
Minn. court revives marriage case
MINNEAPOLIS — After a Hennepin County District Judge threw out a lawsuit brought by same-sex couples seeking marriage, the Minnesota Court of Appeals has revived the case.
The three-judge panel unanimously ruled that District Judge Mary Dufresne inappropriately relied on a 1971 Minnesota Supreme Court decision, and sent the case back to the trial court, according to New York’s Gay City News.
The decision in the 1971 case, Baker v. Nelson — brought by two men seeking to marry in Minnesota — was deemed faulty in this week’s appeals court decision, because it failed to take into consideration the state constitution in its analysis, as is required. The United States Supreme Court refused the case, saying it lacked any federal impact.
The decision, written by Judge Renee L. Worke, asserts both that the courts must apply an additional level of scrutiny in questions of due process and equal protections, and that constitutional law has evolved significantly since 1971, which merits a fresh analysis of the question.
“Appellants claim that the government cannot deprive them of their fundamental right to marry without showing that this denial is narrowly tailored to serve a compelling state interest,” Worke wrote. “But even if the right to marry is not considered a fundamental right, appellants should have been granted an opportunity to show that MN DOMA is not a reasonable means to its stated objective –– to promote opposite-sex marriages to encourage procreation. The district court failed to conduct an appropriate analysis under the Minnesota Constitution.”
Both sides will now decide whether to appeal this decision to the Minnesota Supreme Court or to return to district court.
Gay strategist runs for Maine state house
Matt Moonen, former political director for EqualityMaine, announced that he is running for an open seat in the Maine House of Representatives representing Portland, according to Maine progressive blog, Dirigo Blue.
Having spent many years working on LGBT issues, Moonen worked with Mass Equality during the first successful push for same-sex marriage in America in Massachusetts, as well as the Fair Wisconsin campaign to defeat a ballot measure barring same-sex marriage in that state. Most recently he worked with Maine Citizens for Clean Elections, and is the vice chair of the Portland City Democratic group.
“I am looking forward to a positive campaign,” Moonen said in a statement. “Working together with the people of Maine, we can find innovative and effective solutions to the problems we face, and ensure that Maine continues to be the best place to live, work and raise a family,”
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

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.
New York
Two teens shot steps from Stonewall Inn after NYC Pride parade
One of the victims remains in critical condition

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.”
New York
Zohran Mamdani participates in NYC Pride parade
Mayoral candidate has detailed LGBTQ rights platform

Zohran Mamdani, the candidate for mayor of New York City who pulled a surprise victory in the primary contest last week, walked in the city’s Pride parade on Sunday.
The Democratic Socialist and New York State Assembly member published photos on social media with New York Attorney General Letitia James, telling followers it was “a joy to march in NYC Pride with the people’s champ” and to “see so many friends on this gorgeous day.”
“Happy Pride NYC,” he wrote, adding a rainbow emoji.
Mamdani’s platform includes a detailed plan for LGBTQ people who “across the United States are facing an increasingly hostile political environment.”
His campaign website explains: “New York City must be a refuge for LGBTQIA+ people, but private institutions in our own city have already started capitulating to Trump’s assault on trans rights.
“Meanwhile, the cost of living crisis confronting working class people across the city hits the LGBTQIA+ community particularly hard, with higher rates of unemployment and homelessness than the rest of the city.”
“The Mamdani administration will protect LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers by expanding and protecting gender-affirming care citywide, making NYC an LGBTQIA+ sanctuary city, and creating the Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs.”
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