National
Ros-Lehtinen is first GOP member of Congress to back marriage equality
Fla. lawmaker co-sponsors DOMA repeal effort
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen supports marriage equality (Blade file photo by Michael Key)
A Republican congresswoman from Florida known for holding pro-LGBT views said earlier this week she supports marriage equality, making her the first GOP member of Congress to hold that view.
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the only Republican co-sponsor of legislation to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, confirmed on Tuesday she supports same-sex marriage after remarks she delivered at the launch of Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry at the Capitol Hill Club in D.C.
Asked by the Washington Blade whether she’s a supporter of same-sex marriage in addition to backing DOMA repeal, Ros-Lehtinen initially expressed confusion about why the question was being asked, saying, “I don’t know why you’re asking that. It’s such a weird way.” But she later affirmed she’s a supporter of marriage equality.
“Oh, yeah, I am,” Ros-Lehtinen said. “I thought you were trying to get some tricky thing here. No I am.”
Her office did not respond to Blade inquiries following up on the remarks. Ros-Lehtinen’s decision to co-sponsor the DOMA repeal legislation, the Respect for Marriage Act, received significant media attention when she signed on in support in September. But supporting DOMA repeal isn’t the same as supporting marriage equality.
Michael Cole-Schwartz, spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, commended Ros-LehtinenĀ for speaking out in favor of marriage equality and said it would help other Republicans do the same.
āIleana Ros-Lehtinen is a champion in the fight for full LGBT equality,” Cole-Schwartz said. “Her willingness to be a leader in the Republican Party on LGBT issues, including becoming the first Republican member of Congress toĀ embrace marriage equality, is opening the way for other Republican officials to speak out.ā
While holding pro-LGBT views, Ros-Lehtinen endorsed presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney early on. Romney has endorsed a U.S. constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and has pledged to resume defense of DOMA in court.
Speaking to the Blade, Ros-Lehtinen said she backs Romney because of his positions on economic issues while acknowledging the two may hold differing positions on other issues.
“Well, I support him because of his views on the business issues and the economy,” Ros-Lehtinen said. “There are a lot of issues in which I disagree with Mitt Romney, but there are a lot of issues in which I disagree with members of my family. But I love them all the same.”
Ros-Lehtinen has suggested before that she favors marriage equality, although whether she personally identified as a supporter of same-sex marriage is less than clear.
In September 2011 remarks before Log Cabin Republicans political action committeeĀ prior to organization’s annual dinner, she commended New York lawmakers for passing marriage equality, saying, “As Republicans, we are committed to ensure that the federal government play its proper role.Ā Defining marriage is not part of that role.”
At the time she announced her co-sponsorship of DOMA repeal, Ros-Lehtinen said in a statement, “Iām pleased to join the Log Cabin Republicans in our fight for marriage equality.”
R. Clarke Cooper, executive director of National Log Cabin Republicans, offered remarks on Ros-Lehtinen’s support of marriage equality that were similar to what he said when she signed on as a co-sponsor of DOMA repeal.
āMarriage is a fundamental right of all Americans,” Cooper said. “The so-called Defense of Marriage Act (āDOMAā) is an offense to the core conservative principles of liberty and federalism. It has been repudiated by its author, former Congressman Bob Barr, and is rejected by a growing majority of Americans, including conservative voters. It is time that our law respected all marriages. There is much work to be done to make that dream a reality, but with Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinenās leadership, the freedom to marry for all American is on the horizon.ā
A transcript of the exchange between the Washington Blade and Ros-Lehtinen follows:
Washington Blade: Just to be clear, are you a supporter of same-sex marriage?
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: Well, I co-sponsored the repeal of DOMA.
Blade: But does that make you a supporter of same-sex marriage?
Ros-Lehtinen: I don’t know why you’re asking that. It’s such a weird way.
Blade: President Obama for a long time didn’t support same-sex marriage, but supported DOMA repeal.
Ros-Lehtinen: Oh, yeah. I am. I thought you were trying to get some tricky thing here. No I am.
Blade: We’re in the midst of a presidential election. You endorsed Mitt Romney early in the primary. Do you think he’ll be a friend to the LGBT community?
Ros-Lehtinen: Well I support him because of his views on the business issues and the economy. There are a lot of issues in which I disagree with Mitt Romney, but there are a lot of issues in which I disagree with members of my family. But I love them all the same.
State Department
State Department travel advisory warns of potential anti-LGBTQ violence
FBI issued similar warning this week
The State Department on Friday issued a worldwide travel advisory that warns of potential violence against LGBTQ people and LGBTQ-specific events.
“Due to the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations, or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests, the Department of State advises U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution,” reads the advisory. “The Department of State is aware of the increased potential for foreign terrorist organization-inspired violence against LGBTQI+ persons and events and advises U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution.”
The advisory further urges U.S. citizens to:
- Stay alert in locations frequented by tourists, including Pride celebrations and venues frequented by LGBTQI+ persons.
- Enroll in theĀ Smart Traveler Enrollment ProgramĀ (STEP)Ā to receive information and alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency overseas.
- Follow the Department of State onĀ FacebookĀ andĀ Twitter.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Homeland Security Investigations earlier this week issued a similar advisory.
The advisory notes June 12 will mark eight years since the massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla.
The White House
White House acknowledges IDAHOBiT, reiterates support for global LGBTQ rights
WHO on May 17, 1990, declassified homosexuality as a mental illness
The Biden-Harris administration on Friday used the annual International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia to reiterate its support of LGBTQ and intersex rights around the world.
“On the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, my administration stands in support and solidarity with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) people around the world as they seek to live full lives, free from violence and discrimination,” said President Joe Biden in a statement. “This is a matter of human rights, plain and simple.”
“The United States applauds those individuals and groups worldwide working to defend the rights of LGBTQI+ people wherever they are under threat,” he added. “We are grateful for the contributions that LGBTQI+ people make every day across our nation.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed Biden.
“On this day, we reflect upon the violence and discrimination lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) persons worldwide suffer and re-commit ourselves to opposing these acts,” said Blinken in his own statement. “This year, like every year, we state unequivocally: LGBTQI+ persons deserve recognition of their universal human rights and human dignity.”
IDAHOBiT commemorates the World Health Organization’s declassification of homosexuality as a mental disorder on May 17, 1990.
Blinken in his statement notes LGBTQ and intersex people around the world “continue to face insidious forms of stigma and discrimination.”
Dominica last month became the latest country to decriminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in May 2023 signed his country’s Anti-Homosexuality Act that, among other things, contains a death penalty provision for “aggravated homosexuality.”
“Even as more countries make meaningful advancements towards full equality; LGBTQI+ persons continue to be sentenced to death for daring to live their sexual orientation or gender identity, subjected to coercive conversion ‘therapies’ and ‘normalization’ surgeries, discriminated against while receiving health services, restricted from exercising fundamental freedoms, and denied the dignity of same-sex partnership and fulfillment of family,” said Blinken.
“As we reflect upon the injustices that LGBTQI+ persons and their allies endure, we must not forget that today is fundamentally a day of action,” he added. “On this day and every day, the United States stands with LGBTQI+ persons around the world. We will continue to advocate for the rights of LGBTQI+ persons not just because we have a moral imperative to do so, but because it helps to strengthen democracy, bolster national security, and promote global health and economic development.”
The Tonga Leitis Association is among the myriad LGBTQ and intersex rights groups around the world that acknowledged IDAHOBiT.
š Today, we honor IDAHOBIT with the Tonga Leitis Association. We celebrate love, advocate for equality, and strive for a more inclusive Tonga. Join us in supporting equal rights for all and the journey towards acceptance. #IDAHOBIT2024 #TLA š³ļøāš
— Tonga Leitis Association (@LeitisTonga) May 16, 2024
Federal Government
Biden-Harris administration takes major step toward reclassifying marijuana
New regulations could lessen criminal penalties for cannabis
The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday took a major step toward loosening the federal government’s regulation of marijuana by issuing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to the Drug Enforcement Administration, which outlines a proposal to reclassify it under the federal Controlled Substances Act.
The move comes pursuant to the Biden-Harris administration’s April 30 announcement of plans to recategorize cannabis as a Schedule III substance, which could substantially lessen the criminal penalties for those convicted of using, possessing, selling, distributing, or cultivating the drug.
A 60-day public comment period will begin after the NPRM is published on the Federal Register, along with a concurrent review of the proposed regulatory reforms by an administrative law judge assigned by the DEA.
Since the CSA was passed in 1971, cannabis has been listed under Schedule I, the category reserved for drugs that are considered to be the most dangerous and lacking any currently accepted medical use in the U.S.
In a press release, a senior administration official noted that “marijuana is currently classified higher than fentanyl and meth ā the drugs driving our Nationās overdose epidemic.”
President Joe Biden posted a video on X in which he said the proposal to house cannabis under the Schedule III regulatory regime constitutes “an important move towards reversing longstanding inequities.”
“Todayās announcement builds on the work weāve already done to pardon a record number of federal offenses for simple possession of marijuana,” the president said. “It adds to the action weāve taken to lift barriers to housing, employment, small business loans, and more for tens of thousands of Americans.”
“Look folks no one should be in jail for merely using or possessing marijuana,” Biden said. “Period.”
The president added, “Far too many lives have been upended because of a failed approach to marijuana and Iām committed to righting those wrongs. You have my word on it.”
Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana.
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 16, 2024
So today, the @TheJusticeDept is taking the next step to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug under federal law.
Here's what that means: pic.twitter.com/TMztSyyFYm
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