National
Delaware Senate committee advances marriage bill
Senate Bill 75 passed Senate Executive Committee by 4-2 vote margin
Equality Delaware President Lisa Goodman (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
The 4-2 vote in the Senate Executive Committee took place eight days after the Delaware House of Representatives approved House Bill 75.
“I consider same-sex marriage to be an important step towards equal justice under the law in Delaware and in the United States of America,” state Sen. David Sokola (D-Newark,) who sponsored HB 75 in the Senate, said as he spoke in support of the proposal.
Bishop Wayne Wright of the Episcopal Church of Delaware agreed.
“Our families, our communities and our state will be stronger, healthier and better places when all receive equal dignity and respect under the law,” he said.
Pastor Edward J. Lasko, Sr., of Middletown Baptist Church is among those who testified against HB 75 during the 90 minute hearing.
“I want to urge you to defend the traditional definition of marriage,” he said. “History verifies that the traditional man, woman relationship of marriage has brought stability and strength to society.”
Nicole Theis, president of the Delaware Family Policy Council, reiterated her previous claims the state’s civil unions law that took effect in 2012 affords same-sex couples all of the benefits heterosexuals receive through marriage. She said lawmakers would say “gender doesn’t matter” if they support HB 75.
“You’re saying two moms are equal to a dad and two dads are equal to a mom,” Theis said.
Pastor Chris Rue of the World of Life Christian Center in New Castle said the state would throw monogamy and fidelity “out of the window” if lawmakers allow nuptials for gays and lesbians in the state.
Linda Sapienza described how sexual abuse “leads our youth to same-sex identity confusion.” Judy Mason of Agape Love Outreach Ministry in Felton had a more ominous message for lawmakers as she cited scripture she claims condemns homosexuality.
“Please don’t reject God, his great love, his protection and his provision and remember the warning from Ezekiel,” she said as HB 75 supporters in the gallery began to audibly laugh. “Today consider yourselves warned.”
Richard Smith, president of the Delaware State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP,) criticized the homophobic rhetoric some HB 75 opponents used during their testimony as he spoke in support of the bill.
“This isn’t about saying we will get AIDS or we will become drug addicts,” he said. “This is about two people who love each other.”
Neighboring Maryland is among the nine states and D.C. in which same-sex couples can legally marry.
A Global Strategy Group poll that Equality Delaware commissioned in February shows 54 percent of Delawareans back nuptials for gays and lesbians. A survey that ABC News and the Washington Post released in March indicates 58 percent of Americans now support same-sex marriage.
Nine of the state’s 21 senators have either co-sponsored HB 75 or publicly said they will vote for the measure.
Equality Delaware President Lisa Goodman told the Washington Blade last week she remains confident HB 75 will have the necessary 11 votes to pass in the Senate when it votes on the measure on Tuesday.
Gov. Jack Markell has said he will sign HB 75 into law if lawmakers approve it.
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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