News
SERVE Act seeks to aid trans troops discharged under Trump ban
Gay troops expelled under ‘Don’t Ask’ also covered
In the wake of the Trump administration implementing its ban on transgender military service, Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) has introduced legislation in the U.S. House that seeks to ensure service members discharged under the policy are eligible for care from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Securing the Rights our Veterans Earned Act, or SERVE Act, requires the VA to provide health benefits to these troops if they obtain an āOther Than Honorableā or āEntry-Level Separationā discharge because of their gender identity.
Further, the legislation ensures coverage to gay veterans expelled under the now defunct policy of āDonāt Ask, Donāt Tellā who havenāt had their discharge papers corrected.
Pappas, who’s gay and a co-chair of the LGBT Equality Caucus, said a statement the legislation would aid LGBT veterans as LGBT advocates continue the fight to lift the transgender ban and expedite the process for upgrading the papers for discharges under āDonāt Ask, Donāt Tell.ā
āAs we work to improve care for veterans and combat the national crisis of veteran suicide, we cannot forget the more than 15,000 transgender service members and veterans whose benefits may be at risk because of this administrationās discriminatory transgender ban and those left behind by āDonāt Ask, Donāt Tellā in years past.ā Pappas said. āAs we fight to reverse this Administrationās backwards ban, I am proud to introduce legislation that will help protect our LGBTQ veterans and ensure they are able to access the care they need. Itās the least we can do given their selfless service to our country.ā
The original co-sponsors of the bill are Reps Joseph Kennedy III (D-Mass.), chair or the Congressional Transgender Task Force, Reps. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), Gil Cisneros (D-Calif.), Anthony Brown (D-Md.), Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.) and Mike Levin (D-Calif.).
āThe bias and bigotry of this president should not be used to deny health care to any LGBTQ veteran who has served this nation,ā Kennedy said in a statement. āBy passing the SERVE Act, we will protect transgender veterans until the day we overturn this cruel, misguided ban on transgender troops.ā
The Department of Veterans Affairs currently has a policy against payment for gender reassignment surgery. A Democratic aide said the SERVE Act wouldnāt change the care VA currently offers, but instead simply extend those benefits to those being denied that care because of their discharge status.
Andy Blevins, executive director of the newly formed Modern Military Association of America, commended lawmakers for introducing the SERVE Act in a statement.
“Introduction of this Act signals to our nation’s LGBTQ veteran community that our nation’s Congressional leadership stands alongside them and their honorable service,ā Blevins said. āWe applaud Congressman Pappas and the cohort of leaders that signed on to co-sponsor this tremendous piece of legislation; we look forward to working alongside each of them as we solidify equitable treatment and conditions for all of our nation’s deserving veterans.”
A Senate companion to the legislation isnāt yet introduced.
District of Columbia
Billy Porter, Keke Palmer, Ava Max to perform at Capital Pride
Concert to be held at annual festival on June 9
The Capital Pride Alliance, the group that organizes D.C.ās annual LGBTQ Pride events, announced this week the lineup of performers for the Sunday, June 9, Capital Pride Concert to be held during the Capital Pride Festival on Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. near the U.S. Capitol.
Among the performers will be nationally acclaimed singers and recording artists Billy Porter and Keke Palmer, who will also serve as grand marshals for the Capital Pride Parade set to take place one day earlier on Saturday, June 8.
The Capital Price announcement says the other lead performers will be Ava Max, Sapphira Cristal, and the pop female trio ExposƩ.
āThe beloved pop icons will captivate audiences with upbeat performances coupled with their fierce advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights, echoing the vibrant spirit of this yearās theme, āTotally Radical,āā according to a statement released by Capital Pride Alliance.
āWith Billy Porter and Keke Palmer leading the parade as Grand Marshals, weāre not only honoring their incredible contributions to the LGBTQ+ community but also amplifying their voices as fierce advocates for equality and acceptance,ā Capital Pride Alliance Executive Director Ryan Bos said in the statement.
āThe concert and festival serve as a platform to showcase the diverse array of LGBTQ+ talent, from the chart-topping hits of Ava Max to the iconic sounds of ExposĆ© and the electrifying performances of Sapphira Cristal,ā Bos said in the statement. āCapital Pride 2024 promises to be a celebration like no other.ā
The concert will take place from 12-10 p.m. on the main stage and other stages across the four-block long festival site on Pennsylvania Avenue.
The White House
Jane Rigby awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom
Sitting among a diverse and venerable group of Americans from every walk of life on the dais in the East Room of the White House on May 3 was lesbian and NASA astrophysicist Jane Rigby, awaiting her turn to be honored by President Joe Biden who would bestow the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nationās highest civilian honor, on her.
Rigby, an astronomer who grew up in Delaware, is the chief scientist of the worldās most powerful telescope who alongside her team operating NASAās James Webb Space Telescope, studies every phase in the history of the universe, ranging from the first luminous glows after the Big Bang, to the formation of solar systems capable of supporting life on planets like Earth, to the evolution of the solar system.
A member of Penn Stateās Class of 2000, Rigby graduated with a bachelorās degrees in physics and astronomy. She also holds a masterās degree and a PhD in astronomy from at the University of Arizona. Her work as the senior project scientist for NASAās Webb Telescope includes studies on how galaxies evolve over cosmic time and she has published more than 140 peer-reviewed scientific papers.
Rigby was named to Nature.comās 2022 list of 10 individuals who shaped science and to the BBCās list of 100 inspiring and influential women in the same year. Rigby had postdoctoral fellowships at Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena, Calif., before landing her job at Goddard Space Flight Center. In 2013 Rigby was awarded the Robert H. Goddard Award for Exceptional Achievement for Science.
A founding member of the American Astronomical Societyās Working Group on LGBTQ Equality in January 2012, now called the Committee for Sexual Orientation and Gender Minorities in Astronomy, Rigby serves as its Board Liaison until her term expires this June.
The lesbian astrophysicist in an interview for SGMAās website spoke about her experiences including coming out:
āIāve been out since 2000. My storyās simple ā I fell in love with a fellow grad student in the department. It was a close-knit department, so hiding would have been ludicrous. Nor did I want to hide the best thing in my life! So, we were out as grad students. I certainly heard people say awful homophobic things at work there. They werenāt directed at me, and they werenāt said by people with power over me. If I recall, I was much less afraid of homophobic discrimination at work, than I was afraid of the two-body problem, and the lack of support we would receive as a same-sex couple in astronomy. That fear turned out to be justified. Iāve seen numerous different-sex couples get a wide range of support in solving the two-body problem, which was never offered to us,ā she told the interviewer.
She reflected on American astronaut and physicist Sally Ride, her childhood role model who had an impact on her career:
āOne of my biggest role models when I was young was Dr. Sally Ride. A few years ago, on her deathbed, Dr. Ride chose to write in her obituary that her life partner had been a woman. Dr. Ride was the most influential woman scientist when I was growing up ā the person that made me say, āI want to do THAT when I grow up.ā It was because of her that I realized that astrophysics was a profession, that physics was a subject girls could study, that NASA needed astrophysicists. So Iām so ā¦ amused, I suppose, that Sally Ride was this influence on my lifeās path, at a time when I was completely unaware that it was even possible to *be gay* ā and at the same time, she was gay, in love, and deeply closeted to keep her job.ā
The interviewer noted that āfor some women being gay is a cause for concern at the work place. Some say they were unsure about how to turn their sexual orientation into a positive aspect of their work persona.ā Then asked Rigby what is your view on this?
āMy experience is that absolutely I am a *better* astronomer because Iām queer. For a few reasons. First, I see things different than my colleagues. On mission work, as we weigh a decision, my first thought is always the community impact: ‘If we do things this way, who benefits, and who gets left out in the cold?’ Will this policy create inclusion, or marginalization? I think about science in terms of community-building. What team do we need to tackle a given science problem, with skills that are different from mine? Absolutely I think that way because Iām an outsider, because Iāve been marginalized. And because community-building is central to LGBTQ culture,ā she said.
Editorās note: You can read Rigbyās complete SGMA interview here: (Link)
Married to Dr. Andrea Leistra, Rigby, her wife and their young child reside in Maryland not far from her workplace at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in suburban Washington and when not studying the universe is often found on the neighboring Chesapeake Bay wind boarding, a favored pastime.
Also honored in the ceremony Friday were a former U.S. vice president, a civil rights worker and martyr, two former Cabinet secretaries ā one a former U.S. secretary of state, a speech writer for the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., an Olympian and gold medalist, and one of the most powerful woman political leaders and the speaker emeritus of the U.S. House of Representatives, among others, and LGBTQ advocate Judy Shepard.
WATCH
Arts & Entertainment
Washington Bladeās Pride on the Pier and fireworks show returning June 8
The annual Pride on the Pier Fireworks Show presented by the Leonard-Litz Foundation will take place on Saturday, June 8 at 9 p.m.
The Washington Blade, in partnership with LURe DC and The Wharf, is excited to announce the 5th annual Pride on the Pier and fireworks show during D.C. Pride weekend on Saturday, June 8, 2024, from 2-10 p.m.
The event will include the annual Pride on the Pier Fireworks Show presented by the Leonard-Litz Foundation at 9 p.m.
Pride on the Pier extends the cityās annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Southwest waterfront with an exciting array of activities and entertainment for all ages. The District Pier will offer DJs, dancing, drag, and other entertainment. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older. Local DJās Heat, Eletrox and Honey will perform throughout the event.
3 p.m. – Capital Pride Parade on the Big Screen
3:30 p.m. – Drag Show hosted by Cake Pop!
9 p.m. – Fireworks Show Presented by Leonard-Litz Foundation
The event is free and open to the public. The Dockmasters Building will be home to a VIP experience. To learn more and to purchase tickets go to www.prideonthepier.com/vip. VIP tickets are limited.
Event sponsors include Absolut, Buying Time, Capital Pride, DC Brau, DC Fray, Burney Wealth Management,Ā Infinate Legacy, Leonard-Litz Foundation,Ā Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, MISTR, NBC4, The Wharf. More information regarding activities will be released at www.PrideOnThePier.com