National
Pentagon pledges to retain trans troops regardless of Trump policy
‘DOD will still comply with federal court rulings’
The Pentagon has pledged to retain transgender troops regardless of any new Trump policy.
(Public domain photo by Master Sgt. Ken Hammond)
The White House made no announcement on transgender military service by 5 p.m., but a Pentagon spokesperson insists transgender people will be able to remain in the armed forces whatever President Trump decides.
Maj. David Eastburn, a Pentagon spokesperson, told the Washington Blade late Friday the Defense Department will comply with court orders on the issue, which each unanimously ruled the U.S. military must allow transgender military service.
“DOD will still comply with federal court rulings and continue to assess and retain transgender service members,” Eastburn said.
News was expected from the White House today on a new policy on transgender military service. The target date was consistent with Trump’s August memo implementing his ban on transgender military service and prohibition on U.S. military payment for gender reassignment surgery.
As of the time of this posting, the White House had no news about his policy and it was unclear whether it would keep to the target date. The Blade has heard various third-party rumors about the nature of a new policy, but they varied and none was verified and able to report.
As the Pentagon notes, any new policy would be moot because federal courts have determined that transgender people must be allowed to enlist and serve in the armed forces as a result of litigation filed against Trump’s ban by LGBT legal groups. Those court determinations would remain in place even if the ban were changed or lifted. Any new policy inhibiting transgender service — even to a small degree — would almost certainly face continued challenges by LGBT legal groups.
The Pentagon has announced it has already allowed at least two openly transgender people to enlist in the armed forces, contrary to Trump’s policy, in the aftermath of court rulings against his ban.
Defense Secretary James Mattis last month made a recommendation to the president on transgender military service in accordance with Trump’s August memo. Neither the White House, nor Pentagon officials, would disclose the nature of the recommendation, but major media outlets reported Mattis recommended allowing transgender people to stay, which is different from the expected policy.
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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