National
Gay soldier, vet seek trial for White House arrest
U.S. Army Lt. Dan Choi and Army veteran Jim Pietrangelo, who were arrested for handcuffing themselves to the White House fence in a protest against “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” pleaded not guilty Friday in court.
During separate arraignments in D.C. Superior Court, the two gay men requested a trial and rejected an offer by the D.C. Attorney General’s office that they pay a $100 fine to end the case in a plea bargain arrangement known as post-and-forfeit.
The two were charged with failing to obey a lawful order to disperse after they handcuffed themselves to the White House fence Thursday along Pennsylvania Avenue. Lesbian activist Robin McGhee, who joined Choi and Pietrangelo in the White House protest, was arrested on the same charge after refusing to leave the area near the fence.
McGehee agreed to a post-and-forfiet plea and was released Thursday evening. U.S. Secret Service officers, who arrested her outside the White House, brought her to the First District D.C. police station, and D.C. police processed her arrested and extended the post-and-forfiet offer.
U.S. Park Police, who arrested Choi and Pietrangelo, processed their arrest at a Park Police facility and held both men overnight at the D.C. Central Cellblock until they were arraigned Friday.
A Park Police spokesperson said the decision to hold both men overnight was based on procedures related to their residence and identification documents. Spokesperson Dave Schlosser said Pietrangelo did not have any identification in his possession, and noted both men were from outside the D.C. metroplitan area: Choi from New York and Pietrangelo from Ohio.
Choi and Pietrangelo’s decision to request a trial came as a surprise to about a dozen activists who attended the proceeding. The activists, some of whom were arrested Thursday during a separate protest at the U.S. Capitol in the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, each agreed to the accept post-and-forfeit pleas, which has become the standard practice of most arrested Washington protestors.
Choi and Pietrangelo’s decision places the D.C. government in the position of having to prosecute the two men in what has become a highly publicized LGBT rights case. Under D.C. law, the city attorney general’s office prosecutes most misdemeanor cases under the direction of D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles.
Nickles received praise from LGBT activists this year for filing strongly worded court briefs defending the city’s same-sex marriage law against lawsuits brought against the law by a Maryland minister.
Although post-and-forfeit pleas are not considered guilty pleas, defense attorneys say the move amounts to not contesting a charge. The practice benefits both sides in the courtroom equation: prosecutors avoid the costs associated with trial, and defendants need not fear being found guilty during trial.
“I knew there’s no reason for me to say that I’m guilty,” Choi said after the court hearing. “I don’t think that I should feel guilty and I don’t think I should say I’m guilty. I want to have my day in court.”
The White House protest drew national attention and seemed to overshadow a separate rally against “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” at Freedom Plaza, just blocks from the White House. The Human Rights Campaign and comedian Kathy Griffin organized the rally and said they were unaware of plans for the White House action until Choi, who spoke at the rally, called on the crowed to march with him to the White House.
Judge Jose Lopez released Choi and Pietrangelo on their own recognizance, and set an April 26 court date for either a trial or pre-trial hearing in their cases.
He told both men that although the maximum sentence for the charge they face is a $1,000 fine, the two men could be subjected to imprisonment if they fail to show up for scheduled court appearances.
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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