News
Cicilline touts Equality Act as House’s new senior gay member
Cicilline talks Equality Act in new role as senior LGBT House member
Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) will become the most senior openly gay member of the U.S. House as Democrats take the majority this week. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) will become the most senior openly gay member of the U.S. House as Democrats take the majority this week, but he’s more excited about the growing ranks of openly LGB people who will serve in Congress alongside him and finally being able to move long-awaited legislation to ban anti-LGBT discrimination.
Asked by the Blade during an interview in his office Dec. 20 about his new distinction as the most senior out gay member of the House with outgoing Rep. Jared Polis leaving to become governor of Colorado, Cicilline said he’s “very proud” the chamber will have a net gain of two out LGB members in the 116th Congress and talked about the Equality Act.
“It’s a great privilege to be a part of that group,” Cicilline said. “I think this year will be an opportunity for us to finally move forward on the Equality Act, which I think is the single most important piece of legislation to our community in terms of, once and for all, prohibiting discrimination against members of the LGBT community as a matter of federal law. And so, I’m honored to be the senior most member and really excited about the new colleagues that are joining this caucus.”
(Although Cicilline is now the most senior openly gay person in the House, he’s not the most senior openly gay person in Congress. That distinction belongs to Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin who was first elected to the House in 1998, but moved to the Senate and won re-election last year.)
The Equality Act would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Fair Housing Act to ban anti-LGBT discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, jury service, education, federal programs and credit.
The bill also seeks to update federal law to include sex in the list of protected classes in public accommodation in addition to expanding the definition of public accommodations to include retail stores, banks, transportation services and health care services. Further, the Equality Act would establish that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act — a 1994 law aimed at protecting religious liberty — can’t be used to enable anti-LGBT discrimination.
Although the ongoing government shutdown will likely be the first priority for the Democratic majority, Nancy Pelosi said advancing the Equality Act would be a personal goal and the legislation will receive a bill number between 2 and 10.
And the lawmaker who’ll spearhead that legislation is Cicilline, who introduced the comprehensive non-discrimination measure in the previous two Congresses with Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.). For the first time, Democrats will introduce the Equality Act while controlling at least one chamber of Congress, which presents an opportunity for a floor vote on the legislation.
Cicilline said the timing for introduction for the Equality Act in the 116th Congress is yet to be determined, although it’ll definitely coincide with Merkley’s introduction of the legislation in the Senate. The Rhode Island Democrat said conversations with Democratic leadership on the timing for the legislation haven’t yet taken place “other than knowing we’re moving forward on it.”
“I know that the incoming speaker had made public statements about our intention to make the Equality Act a priority, which I’m delighted to hear,” Cicilline said.
Cicilline said he expects committees with jurisdiction over the Equality Act — such as the Judiciary Committee and the Education & the Workforce Committee — to hold hearings on the legislation before moving forward in accordance with regular order before the floor vote.
The next iteration of the Equality Act will have “pretty much” the same language as its previous iterations, Cicilline said. He added every time he reintroduces a piece of legislation “it’s another occasion to kind of look at the bill and see if there’s anything to change.”
“So we’ll go through that process, but it’ll be essentially the same bill,” Cicilline added.
Asked whether he had anything in mind that would make the Equality Act not the same in the 116th Congress, Cicilline replied, “No.”
In the previous Congress, all members of the Democratic caucus were co-sponsors of the legislation, except for two lawmakers: Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.), whom LGBT groups sought (unsuccessfully) to oust during the Democratic primary last year for not backing LGBT rights, and Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio).
Cicilline said he expects the same level of support in the Democratic caucus as it takes the majority in the 116th Congress.
“I’ve talked to a number of my new colleagues about the Equality Act, a number of them have already contacted me about wanting to be co-sponsor, so I expect will have the same kind of overwhelming Democratic support,” Cicilline said. “Hopefully, every Democrat will be a co-sponsor.”
Republicans however, are a different story. Only two Republicans co-sponsored the Equality Act in the last Congress. One of them is Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), known for being the most pro-LGBT House Republican, who retired after 24 years in Congress. The other Republican co-sponsor, Rep. Scott Taylor (R-Va.), was voted out of office in the Democratic “blue” wave.
Cicilline said he’s had conversations on the Republican side of the aisle about the Equality Act and is “going to continue those because I want to do everything I had to make it bipartisan.
“I think it’ll be really important to have some of our Republican colleagues, but I don’t have any yet that are committed to it,” Cicilline added.
Asked whether there were any Republican possibilities he could name, Cicilline demurred.
“If I name them, they become less possible,” Cicilline said. “I’m going to explore with as many Republican colleagues as I can and get them on board.”
But the Equality Act also faces concerns among civil rights supporters. Many civil rights groups, including the Leadership Council on Civil & Human Rights, have said they support the goals of the Equality Act, but have stopped short of a full endorsement of the bill.
Fudge, who was considering a leadership challenge to Pelosi after Democrats won their majority, has expressed concerns about opening the Civil Rights Act to amendments on the House floor, where the landmark legislation could be watered down.
“What I opposed was including the Equality Act in the current Civil Rights Act,” Fudge said in a statement. “The Civil Rights Act is over 50 years old and isn’t even adequate to protect the people currently in it. I want us to do a new and modern civil rights bill that protects the LGBTQ community and updates protections for this era. I do not believe it is appropriate to open and relitigate the current Civil Rights Act.”
Cicilline said the Leadership Council on Civil & Human Rights made “a very strong statement of support of equality for our community” in regards to the Equality Act. As for Fudge’s concerns, Cicilline said he understands them, but doesn’t share them.
“I understand the argument advanced by Congresswoman Fudge,” Cicilline said. “I disagree with it. I think that we can’t have full equality by having a separate but equal civil rights bill.”
Cicilline said barring discrimination against LGBT people by amending the Civil Rights Act of 1964 has significant benefits that a different bill couldn’t accomplish. Among these benefits is applying more than 50 years of jurisprudence of the landmark law to anti-LGBT discrimination.
“Really the only way to do it is to include it in the existing civil rights architecture, so you have the benefit of all that jurisprudence whenever exemptions exist, whenever other kinds of tests need to be applied,” Cicilline said. “There’s significant jurisprudence on it, and so it saves kind of litigating all these things again. So, I think there’s real value legally and real value in terms of making a strong statement that we need for equality.”
Cicilline pointed out that every other member of the Congressional Black Caucus was a co-sponsor of the Equality Act, including civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), whom Cicilline said was “one of the early champions of the bill, and he’s a respected leader in that community.”
After the Equality Act passes the House, the game changes. Instead of a new Democratic majority, the U.S. Senate under Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has an expanded Republican majority. Moreover, President Trump would need to sign any legislation for it to become law.
But Cicilline denied passage of the Equality Act in the House is the end of the story. In fact, he called it the “beginning of the story” because the campaign to pressure Republicans to support LGBT rights will begin.
“We will work hard to get it passed in the Senate,” Cicilline said. “I think this is one where it’s very critical for outside groups to play a role in identifying who are the key senators who are at least willing to consider supporting the Equality Act and that they hear from constituents in their districts from the LGBT community and allies about the importance of this, and we begin a real campaign to persuade them to do it.”
Referencing polls showing the American public opposes discrimination against LGBT people, Cicilline said the issue “is one where the American people are way ahead of us overwhelmingly.”
“I think part of our challenge is to catch up to where the American people are,” Cicilline said. “They understand fundamentally that discrimination is wrong. It’s antithetical to the fabric that is this country. And when you give them the examples of the kind of discrimination we’re talking about they’re opposed to it. So I think this is about kind of Congress basically catching up to where the rest of the country is and making certain that qualified people cannot be fired from their jobs, cannot be kicked out of housing.”
Cicilline also wouldn’t rule out Trump supporting the Equality Act, recalling an interview Trump gave in 2000 to The Advocate in which he said he likes the idea of adding sexual orientation to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Trump hasn’t said whether he still holds that position.
“It’s hard to know that he’ll continue to maintain that position, especially when you think of the ways the administration has behaved, but if we bill pass the bill soon, that’s our next effort,” Cicilline said.
The third branch of the U.S. government may also have a chance to weigh in on anti-LGBT discrimination. Two petitions are pending before the Supreme Court calling on justices to affirm anti-gay discrimination amounts to sex discrimination under current law, and another petition seeks clarification on whether anti-trans discrimination is sex discrimination.
For decades, courts have more or less consistently found anti-trans discrimination is sex discrimination. Court rulings finding anti-gay discrimination is sex discrimination are a relatively new development, but a growing number of them are reaching that conclusion.
In the event the Supreme Court decides to take up these cases, Cicilline said either way justices would come down, it wouldn’t change the need for the Equality Act.
“It’s one tiny piece of this bill,” Cicilline said. “So it would answer that question, but if it was answered and said it is covered that would be great because we have some partial coverage, partial protection against discrimination for one part of the community but it doesn’t solve the problem and it would still, I think, wouldn’t in any way undermine the necessity of passing and enacting the Equality Act. If they rule against it, then it just affirms the emergency of passing the Equality Act. So, I don’t know that it has a big impact.”
The Equality Act isn’t the only LGBT issue Cicilline has spearheaded. Last year, when the nation was horrified over the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy that separated asylum-seekers from their children, Cicilline pointed out the LGBTQ youth in immigration detention facilities have no legal protections.
Cicilline said “there may, in fact, be some implications of the Equality Act” in the context of immigration detention in terms of if there were educational facilities or it was considered a public accommodation.
“They did not have in place any protocols or systems,” Cicilline said. “They acknowledged that when issues arise related to the sexual orientation or gender identity of youth they deal with it on a case-by-case basis, whatever that means. But it was clear there aren’t established protocols that protect this vulnerable population. This is one of many, many shortcoming in the current immigration detention proceedings.”
The treatment of LGBT youth in immigration detention facilities, Cicilline said, will be the subject of congressional oversight with the House under Democratic control.
“I think you’ll see a lot of oversight hearings on this when we take the majority in January,” Cicilline said.
That isn’t the only LGBT issue facing expected congressional oversight for Cicilline, who identified other areas he predicts will come under scrutiny.
“The same things that exist in the immigration system context exist in the criminal justice system, so protections are in place for the people in our community who are incarcerated,” Cicilline said. “There’s lots of work that needs to be done in terms of protecting students, particularly with Betsy DeVos’ rollback of some key protections.”
One LGBT issue that has reemerged is reports of anti-gay human rights abuses, including the extrajudicial killing of gay people in concentration camps, in the Russian semi-autonomous Republic of Chechnya. Last month, the State Department promoted a report from the Organization for Security for Cooperation in Europe corroborating those reports and finding Russia “appears to support the perpetrators rather than the victims.”
Cicilline said the report “confirmed what we suspected from the beginning” and found an earlier Russian investigation that found no abuse “was not legitimate.”
“We have attempted in a variety of different ways to raise that issue both by introducing and passing a resolution in Congress condemning that action as well as leading a letter to the president and secretary of state urging him to raise this issue with — abuse of LGBT people in Chechnya — with the Russian officials,” Cicilline said. “So this confirms what we have attempted to do and sadly is just another example of people from our community suffering violence and discrimination and brutality and really unforgiveable circumstances.”
The Trump administration has sanctioned Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov under the Magnitsky Act and supported the OSCE report, but Trump himself has said nothing about the abuses, unlike other world leaders such as Justin Trudeau, Theresa May, Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel.
Asked what the Trump administration or new House majority should do, Cicilline said “we just have to continue to press for human rights,” raising the possibility of legislation and sanctions.
“I think there’s some legislative stuff we can do,” Cicilline said. “I think we should continue to bring attention to these issues, continue to express condemnation when appropriate with sanctions, etc. So I think there’s a whole range of options available to us, but raising our voices and making sure that America continues to be a country that speaks out against violence against the LGBT community is really important.”
Asked what would need to happen to trigger sanctions, Cicilline said “we have current mechanisms,” but other proposals are in the works through the legislative process.
With a Democratic majority taking control of the House, Cicilline said the distinction between Democrats and Republicans on LGBT rights will exemplify the new tone in Washington.
“I think the contrast is really stark and, I think people have a right to expect that the Democrats who take the House back that LGBT equality and protecting the LGBT community from discrimination will be an important priority for us and, I think, the community should be excited about having at least one chamber that fundamentally respects who we are and is committed to fighting for our equality,” Cicilline said.
Although the House is just one chamber of Congress and Trump still occupies the White House, Cicilline said the distinction between Democrats and Republicans on LGBT rights will shine a light for the American public in time for the 2020 election.
“So this is a big change and we’re either going to get the Equality Act passed in the Senate after it passes the House and have equality, or we’re not,” Cicilline said. “And we’re going to be able to demonstrate who stopped our fight for equality, and those people will be on the ballot in two years.”
Cicilline added, “Our community will work to elect people who do support equality, so this is an important one, but the work isn’t done, so we got a lot of work ahead of us. Fights for equality are never easy, even though they seem obvious to us.”
Politics
DEI, LGBTQ+, women and workers win big in Tuesday’s Democratic Primaries
“For months now, I’ve been telling you this campaign is about the ‘many versus the money.’ Well, guess what? The ‘many’ just won.” – Minnesota Democratic Senate Nominee Peggy Flanagan
Tuesday, Aug. 11, saw primary elections in five states, some shocking, some featuring out LGBTQ+ candidates, others with progressive versus moderate contests, and one with a closely watched special election. But behind stories on how polls pitting democratic socialists versus the Establishment were shockingly unpredictable are the more nuanced, people-oriented throughlines about turnout, electability, DEI identity, and post-primary unity.
In Minnesota, for instance, the fact that two Democratic women vied for an open U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Democrat Tina Smith startled no one. Nor did the glaringly anti-Project 2025 fact that out moderate married lesbian U.S. Rep. Angie Craig had the backing of out Establishment heavyweights Sen. Tammy Baldwin and former US Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg, while Native American progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan had the enthusiastic backing of OG fellow democratic socialists Sen. Bernie Sanders and Bronx working-class heroine Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
With 95% of the vote in on Wednesday morning, Flanagan defeated Craig 59% to 39%. The race was rough, with Craig criticized for voting for the pro-ICE, anti-immigrant Laken Riley Act – which she regretted. Meanwhile, as we reported as part of our story on Craig, Republicans are salivating over challenging Flanagan for her administrative part in the fraud scandal that forced Gov. Tim Walz to forgo a third term
But with post-primary unity, Flanagan could generate a voter-enthusiasm blowout. Flanagan and Craig combined received 685,978 votes, while the Republican primary yielded 308,983 votes.
And then there’s the money. According to MPR News, more than $25 million was spent on this race, with Craig taking corporate PAC money and raising $12.7 million as of July 22, while Flanagan raised $6.5 million.
“For months now, I’ve been telling you this campaign is about the ‘many versus the money.’ Well, guess what? The ‘many’ just won,” Flanagan said at her victory celebration, telling her supporters that Craig called with congratulations and full support.
Craig also called for unity in defeating Trump fan and former TV sportscaster Republican Michele Tafoya – who decisively bested nine other candidates.
“This election was a choice between two women – and it’s a great damn day to see women running – even against each other,” said Craig. “I am confident that both of us will continue to work to improve the lives of our neighbors in Minnesota. To every person that supported me – I ask you tonight to support and elect Peggy Flanagan as the next U.S. Senator from Minnesota. Donald Trump is a threat to our democracy – and Michele Tafoya would be nothing more than a rubber stamp to his dangerous agenda.”
The Minnesota governor’s seat is up for grabs as well, as Democrat Tim Walz isn’t running again. Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota’s other U.S. senator, easily won the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. If she wins in November, she’ll have to resign her Senate seat, and an appointee will fill it until a special election can be called (Klobuchar’s Senate term goes to 2031).
On the Republican side, My Pillow pitchman Mike Lindell, a staunch ally of Donald Trump, lost the gubernatorial primary to Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth. Minnesota hasn’t elected a Republican governor since Tim Pawlenty in 2006, and Klobuchar is popular, so look for the seat to stay in Democratic hands.
Like the Senate squeaker in Michigan, the pundits believed polls in the Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial primary showed Democratic Socialist Francesca Hong with a grassroots-based victory. But backlash over calling for cancelling Thanksgiving in 2020 made her unelectable, and Establishment candidate Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley pulled out a super-narrow 39.8% vs 39.3% win. New polls now show Wisconsin going from “toss-up” to “lean Democrat” against Trump-backed Republican election denier Tom Tiffany.
Meanwhile, despite persistent punditry from political strategists like James Carville that Democrats stay away from identity politics – especially anything to do with transgender rights – Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford, a trans woman, won the Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 76, besting four other candidates for the seat being vacated by Francesca Hong. The district, centered on Madison, the state capital and a progressive university town, is overwhelmingly Democratic, so her election in November is likely, making her Wisconsin’s first trans state legislator. She plans to confront transphobic Republicans.
“I thought I’d rather they look at me and know me and be able to talk to somebody and have a relationship with somebody who’s trans so that they can hopefully find it in their heart to protect us instead of trying to remove all of our rights,” she recently told LGBTQ+ Freedom Fighters. She’ll also fight for workers’ rights, affordable housing, criminal justice reform, and other progressive causes. Republican Nina Chat was unopposed in her primary for the seat, but she’s unlikely to win.
“I am so honored that all of you came here,” Dina Nina said at her victory party. “Tonight, District 76 said we believe in a future where we take care of each other, and we can afford to live in the cities that we love. Tonight, District 76 said that our trans siblings belong here.”
A food service worker who experienced homelessness and is now without health care, Dina Nina told the crowd: “I don’t just see the challenges our neighbors face — I live them.”
And she added, referring to GOP gubernatorial candidate and U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany: “ We have a lot of work to do to beat Tom Tiffany, to beat the fascist agenda of our federal government right now. But I believe together we can. Definitely, together we will.”
In another potentially history-making race, JoCasta Zamarripa, a bisexual Latina, was unopposed in the Democratic primary for secretary of state, so in November she could become Wisconsin’s first out LGBTQ+ statewide official. Jay Schroeder won a four-way Republican primary for the post, and the Green Party’s Pete Karas will also be on the ballot in November. Zamarripa has made history before; she was the first Latina and first out bisexual member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, and the first Latina and first out LGBTQ+ member of the Milwaukee Common Council.
Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, a gay man, easily won the Democratic primary in the Second Congressional District, and with no Republican on the November ballot, he’s expected to coast to his eighth term representing the Madison-area district.
In one of the nation’s most closely watched races, South Carolina held a special primary to choose the Republican nominee for U.S. senator after the death of incumbent Lindsey Graham, who had won the regular primary in June, a month before he died. His sister, Darline Graham, was appointed by Gov. Henry McMaster to serve the remainder of Lindsey’s term, and she ran in the special primary with sights set on a full term.
But while she’s endorsed by Trump, she still has a hurdle to clear for the nomination: No candidate won more than 50 percent of the vote, as required by South Carolina law, so she’ll be up against Ralph Norman, currently a U.S. House member, in a runoff on August 25. With most of the vote counted, she had 33 percent, Norman 24 percent.
Either Darline Graham or Norman will be as anti-LGBTQ+, anti-choice, and generally right-wing as Lindsey Graham; despite the gay rumors, he was publicly straight, homophobic, and transphobic. Darline Graham’s first campaign ad attacked transgender athletes, and Norman has a string of zeroes on the Human Rights Campaign’s Congressional Scorecard.
The Democrats have already chosen their nominee, Annie Andrews. She’s generally an LGBTQ+ ally, but when Lindsey Graham was living, she ran a campaign ad that was criticized as homophobic for implying he was gay. South Carolina is solidly Republican, but with divisions in the party, there’s an outside chance Andrews could flip the seat.
In Vermont, Democratic U.S. Rep. Becca Balint, a lesbian, was unopposed in the Democratic primary. In November, she will face Gerald Malloy, an Army veteran and defense contractor, who won the Republican primary Tuesday. Balint, a staunch progressive, is running for her third term as Vermont’s sole U.S. House member. The state is so heavily Democratic, she’s pretty much assured of reelection. She “has defeated her last two Republican opponents by more than 30 percentage points,” Vermont Public Radio notes.
Vermont Treasurer Mike Pieciak, a gay man, was likewise unopposed in the Democratic primary. In November, he’ll be up against H. Brooke Paige, unopposed for the Republican nomination. Vermont media describe Paige as a “perennial candidate,” known for his bow ties and boater hats. He lost to Pieciak in 2022 and will probably lose again this year.
Another gay and Democratic state treasurer, Erick Russell of Connecticut, was unopposed for reelection, so his primary was canceled. First elected in 2022, he’s Connecticut’s first Black gay statewide official. The Republican primary was also canceled, with state legislator Fred Wilms unopposed. Russell will most likely be reelected in the largely Democratic state.
Alabama chose Democratic and Republican nominees in four congressional districts in a special election called after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the state to use a redrawn map that favored Republicans. The nominees are Republican Jerry Carl and Democrat Clyde Jones, First Congressional District; Republican Rhett Marques and incumbent Democrat Shomari Figures, Second District; incumbent Republican Gary Palmer and Democrat Maurice Mercer, Sixth District; and Republican Ammie Akin and incumbent Democrat Terri Sewell, Seventh District.
Other nominees for federal and state offices were chosen in the regular primaries in May, including Alabama’s only out-of-state legislator, Neil Rafferty, a gay Democrat seeking his fourth term in the Alabama House.
The existential but hopeful November 3 midterms are fast approaching.
Written by Karen Ocamb and Trudy Ring
Check out Karen Ocamb’s LGBTQ+ Freedom Fighters Podcast.
This is a cross-post from Karen’s LGBTQ+ Freedom Fighters Substack.
Netherlands
Tens of thousands take part in World Pride March
Event capped off two weeks of celebrations in Amsterdam
AMSTERDAM — Tens of thousands of people on Saturday participated in the World Pride March in Amsterdam.
Outright International Executive Director Maria Sjödin and Paolo Rondelli, who in 2022 became the world’s first openly gay head of state when he became Captain Regent of San Marino, are among those who participated alongside Massachusetts state Rep. Jack Lewis and Olena Shevchenko, chair of Insight, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group in Ukraine, and others.
Members of D66, the centrist Dutch political party that Prime Minister Rob Jetten heads, also marched.
Jetten in February became the Netherlands’ first openly gay prime minister. He participated in the opening of the World Pride Human Rights Conference on Aug. 5 and spoke on a panel with Rondelli, former Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, and other gay and lesbian current and former heads of government.
(Washington Blade video by Michael K. Lavers)
(Washington Blade video by Michael K. Lavers)
The march took place a week after hundreds of thousands of people lined Amsterdam’s canals for the city’s annual Amsterdam Pride Canal Parade.
A terrorist attack at Berlin’s Christopher Street Day on July 25 left one person dead and more than two dozen others injured.
The incident overshadowed World Pride, which began hours earlier and ended on Saturday.
Dutch authorities increased security measures in the aftermath of the July 25 attack. No incidents were reported during World Pride.
Politics
A Michigan Muslim shakes up American politics while WorldPride 2026 makes counter-culture history
“My commitment to Jewish safety is the same as my commitment to the safety of my own kids.” – Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed
The Communists Are Coming! The Communists Are Coming! No, this isn’t an anniversary tribute to the 1966 Cold War comedy The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming. It’s actually the best Red Scare McCarthyism addled 80-year-old Donald Trump could imagine to demonize his enemies.
But even young people celebrating WorldPride 2026 in Amsterdam can spot the fatal flaw in Trump’s latest Big Whine: Trump loves Russian Communist Vladimir Putin!
Nonetheless, the MAGA faithful are parroting Trump’s prattle. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz flaunted his ignorance with Fox News host Jesse Watters, dissecting Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary. Progressive candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed consistently led moderate establishment candidate Rep. Haley Stevens in an intensely competitive race to challenge Trump-endorsed Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers for a critical open Senate seat in the Nov. midterm elections.
“Is that where the energy is at? They want to cancel Thanksgiving?” Watters asked Cruz.
Cruz nodded. “They’re crazy enough, yes. They want to cancel Thanksgiving; they want to cancel Christmas. Look, these communists hate America; they hate capitalism,” he said.
“You see the green-red convergence,” Cruz said, “where the communists and the Islamists – they want Sharia Law. They hate Jews, they hate Christians, they hate capitalism, they hate America. All of this is coming together in a way that is really a toxic stew.”
El-Sayed, 41, an epidemiologist and former health director for Detroit who won LGBTQ+ support last Oct., is a Michigan-born son of Egyptian immigrants who identifies as a capitalist, not a socialist, though he holds similar positions as the Democratic Socialists of America, such as Medicare for All, getting money out of politics, having a democracy powered by the people and abolishing an unaccountable ICE.
But the Michigan race – which could also determine control of the Senate and thus confirm Supreme Court nominees – is also brightly illuminating the role money plays in politics.
“Abdul’s victory was, in my opinion, the most extraordinary victory that I can think of in modern American politics,” Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an early El-Sayed supporter, said after El-Sayed’s incredibly narrow victory.
Sanders predicted that the race would “show the nation whether AIPAC and other billionaire-funded Super PACs can buy a U.S. Senate seat or whether the people of Michigan can prevail.”
“Money out of politics/money in your pockets” became a central tenet of El-Sayed’s campaign.
“What we’re doing is building a movement of the many against the money,” El-Sayed said on the campaign trail. He overcame more than $60 million in outside spending for his opponent – much from establishment Democrats plus $32 million from the ardently pro-Israel American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, which has now pledged to fund Rogers, who already holds $45 million in reserves for the midterms.
After the UN-backed International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former defense minister Yoav Gallant and a former Hamas commander, citing allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Gaza Strip and Israel after Oct. 7, lawmakers started backing away from AIPAC.
“The victory in Michigan is a political earthquake,” said Beth Miller, Political Director at Jewish Voice for Peace Action. “Voters in one of the most consequential states for the 2028 Presidential race have just sent a clear message: they want candidates who will fight for working families at home while unapologetically speaking out for Palestinian freedom. This cycle, AIPAC is being relegated to the dustbin of history.”
“AIPAC never runs on AIPAC. They never even talk about Israel and Palestine,” former Rep. Andy Levin told AP. AIPAC spent millions opposing Levin, who is Jewish. “If you’re just a voter and you see a million ads, you don’t know who paid for it.”
Some of AIPAC’s money went specifically into disinformation ads and mailers asserting that El-Sayed is disrespectful to women.
Sarah Jukaku, El-Sayed’s wife, suggested that he was being targeted because he is running to be the first Muslim in the Senate.
“There’s such a subtle way of otherizing someone. When you’re like a brown guy or Muslim guy, you know, the easiest thing to tack on to you is sexism, right?” Juaku told the Washington Post. “That’s not how he is…It feels so unfair.”
El-Sayed’s blunt critique of Israel deserves a second look, Jay Michaelson wrote Aug. 5 in the Jewish Independent outlet Forward.
“Yes, like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, El-Sayed is a young, Muslim progressive. But his views are markedly different — and, to my mind, more sophisticated and more nuanced. In fact, I agree with them,” Michaelson wrote.
The columnist cites El-Sayed’s interview with New Yorker editor-in-chief David Remnick, who asked: “Does Israel have a right to exist?…[W]hat is your hope for a resolution in the Middle East?… What underlies your sense of the situation there?”
Michaelson was taken with El-Sayed’s response, “which, itself, should inspire confidence….After noting that in Michigan, ‘there are communities where the median income is fourteen thousand dollars a year. And those kids go without good schools, and those kids go without functional infrastructure,’ El-Sayed continued:
‘I believe in equal rights to peace, dignity, and self-determination, for Palestinians and Jewish Israelis alike. And I believe that it is not my job as an American policymaker to decide what the ultimate peace should be. But it is my job to make sure that our resources are stewarded correctly for the people I’m responsible for: those kids going to those broken schools.’”
El-Sayed continued, noting the “kind of hypocrisy” of how the “very same people who tell you you have to believe in a two-state solution are constantly aiding, arming, and abetting an Israeli government that has been dead set on foreclosing on the possibility of a Palestinian state since we’ve been funding them.”
So, El-Sayed says, he’s “not going to play the cosplay thing, where I allow the money that should be spent taking care of our kids to be sent to a military that has done a genocide — at baseline, does apartheid, and is now attempting the annexation of southern Lebanon — to foreclose on the possibility of Palestinian self-determination.”
El-Sayed’s job now is to unify Democrats to defeat Rogers, who has already unleashed Islamophobic attack ads using El-Sayed’s whole name as if it was a slur.
“They want to use my whole name against me,” El-Sayed said in response. “Mike, listen, man. If you can’t say the name, it’s Abdulrahman; keep the name out your damn mouth.”
In response to Trump blasting him during a campaign stop in Las Vegas, El-Sayed told MS NOW: “My commitment to Jewish safety is the same as my commitment to the safety of my own kids. We have a responsibility to take on antisemitism in all of its forms, wherever we see it. It’s the same responsibility we have to take on Islamophobia.”
Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow told MS NOW’s Nicole Wallace that El-Sayed called her immediately after she ended her campaign on July 5. They had a good, hard conversation and “found a shared ‘why’ in our daughters.” She endorsed him quickly, as did his opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens, who hugged El-Sayed at Wednesday morning’s Unity Breakfast.
Meanwhile, appearing onstage with Trump, Mike Rogers said the next senator must be “somebody who doesn’t obstruct the President’s agenda.”
“The stakes couldn’t be higher,” McMorrow said. “It’s Michigan vs MAGA. That’s it. That’s the fight we’re fighting.”
She also noted that 1.5 million Democrats turned out to vote in the primary. “The only way we win is together,” said McMorrow, adding that Michigan Democrats are showing that unity “doesn’t have to be hard. We don’t have to tear each other down. We can lock arms, and we can take our country back.”
Meanwhile, almost 4,000 miles east of Detroit, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, International News Editor Michael K. Lavers and Photo Editor Michael Key covered WorldPride 2026 for the Washington Blade and the Los Angeles Blade. (See a compilation of photos here.)
Highlights included Queen Máxima, Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema and several drag queens participating in the World Pride opening ceremony on July 25 in Amsterdam’s Vondelpark.
But the ceremony happened on the same day as an “Islamist terrorist attack” on thousands attending the annual Christopher Street Day, a major Pride festival in Berlin, Germany, that is among the biggest in Europe. The attack left 1 dead and 29 injured. A memorial service and rally took place in Berlin on Sunday, Lavers reported, after the Pride festival was cancelled. The primary suspect was later killed in a confrontation with police.
Security measures were bolstered for WorldPride 2026, and dignitaries and activists expressed their anger.
“This is an attack on our society,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz wrote on X early Sunday morning, the New York Times reported.
In an email, Lavers wrote that “the attack in Berlin was definitely on folks’ minds, but to our knowledge there were no security incidents. There were a lot of expressions of solidarity among folks in Amsterdam.”
Lavers also said he felt there was more solidarity towards Americans fighting for democracy.
“There was, IMHO, a definite feeling among folks at Amsterdam Pride that they are aware of what’s happening in the U.S. and are unhappy about it,” he said. “It’s important to note that things in Europe vary in terms of LGBTQ rights, depending upon the country. All that said, there was a real sense of celebration of diversity at Saturday’s parade (with Netherlands’ out gay Prime Minister Rob Jetten on one of the boats)…and joy at the Madonna set that I was fortunate enough to attend. I suppose that can equate to defiance.
Lavers also noted, “I have traveled to Europe several times with Trump in office, and not once did anyone treat me badly because I am an American. Folks definitely make the distinction between Americans and the government.”
West Hollywood showed up for WorldPride, too. The Pink Pony Club sign is a reference to the popular song by Chappell Roan, says Michael Key. Roan says that “Pink Pony Club” was inspired by a “transformative” night at The Abbey in West Hollywood.
Madonna, who headlined World Pride Music Festival, appeared at The Abbey in April. Tristan Schukraft bought the famous spot from founder David Cooley for a reported $27 million in 2023. Since then he also developed MISTR, a telehealth platform that offers free access to PrEP, Doxy PEP, STI testing, and long-term HIV care, according to Lavers. MISTR has organized Madonna’s Club Confessions shows in the U.S. and the U.K.
“’Mother is here, and this is gay heaven,’ said Madonna when she took the stage inside Amsterdam’s AFAS Live concert hall that can hold up to 6,000 people,” Lavers reported. She was later joined by Kylie Minogue.
“Throughout my career, I’ve always supported efforts to fight HIV and AIDS, and that fight begins with education and access,” said Madonna in a MISTR press release. With MISTR is “helping preserve and strengthen LGBTQ+ spaces while investing in the communities and culture that have long sustained us.”
Among several history-making moments was Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten’s Aug. 5 remarks opening the World Pride Human Rights Conference
Jetten, who became the country’s first openly gay prime minister in February, acknowledged that the terrorist attack at Berlin’s Christopher Street Day “filled me with anger and sorrow,” Lavers reported. He noted that 2026 marks the 25th anniversary of marriage equality in the Netherlands, the first country to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples. Last year marked Amsterdam Pride’s Canal Parade’s 30th year.
“More and more in recent years, we’ve seen hard-won progress being eroded,” Jetten said. “We’ve seen countries backsliding in equal rights legislation. We’ve seen homophobic hate speech becoming more overt and aggressive, and not only out in the real world, but online as well.”
Additionally, “online hatred is one of the biggest threats facing the LGBTQIA+ people today,” he said. “All around the world … misinformation and disinformation can be spread in the blink of an eye with a single mouse click, reaching much further and much faster than NGOs, youth workers and health organizations can.”
“This is always how hatred takes hold,” Jetten said, “First in the shadows, outside the spotlight of society, underestimated by everyone, until, having grown into a many-headed monster, it crawls out of the darkness.”
He announced a three-year investment of what amounts to US $8.64 million each year “in improving the safety of the queer community in our cities with an alliance of organizations committed to safety, both in the public space and in the workspace for LGBTQI+ people, and with a public information campaign to combat discrimination and disinformation.”
He also looked at LGBTQ+ rights globally. “Under the pretense of resisting so-called Western moral decadence, horrendous laws are enacted and promoted, laws that put the rights of free people under severe pressure,” Jetten said. “But in reality, many communities in these countries have a long history of diversity and freedom, and the laws that impose the restrictions were in fact put in place by the colonial powers.”
“No matter how hard those conservative forces try to pull the wool over people’s eyes, queer communities around the world know that equal rights are not a Western agenda,” added Jetten. “They are first and foremost a human agenda.” (See a complete transcript of Jetten’s remarks here.)
For Lavers, dancing to Madonna made him feel free: “For those few precious hours at AFAS Live, I did not think about the Trump-Vance administration and the myriad ways it is destroying the U.S. I did not think about the National Guard troops deployed to D.C. I did not think about the pointless wars that continue to ravage Ukraine and other countries around the world. I simply lost myself on the dance floor and celebrated an icon who has always stood with my community. Thank you, Madonna.”
Almost 4,000 miles between Amsterdam and Detroit – and yet the pain, loss, hope, joy, and promise of freedom feel like the dawning of a new counter-cultural movement.
Check out Karen Ocamb’s LGBTQ+ Freedom Fighters Podcast.
This is a cross-post from Karen’s LGBTQ+ Freedom Fighters Substack.
Palm Springs
Here’s Your Palm Springs Weekend: Aug 7 – 9, 2026 by LA Blade x Gay Desert Guide
Los Angeles was an amazing experience for me. Arriving in 2005, I was hired to manage the sales and operations for KTLK, the progressive talk station owned by Clear Channel (Now IHeartMedia). During my tenure, I was introduced to a number of organizations whom we helped promote and market with our airwaves.
One of those was GMCLA, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles. Having met then-Executive Director Hywel Sims, we struck a friendship, and I was invited to join the board of directors a year later. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my public service life.
GMCLA traveled to Amsterdam last week for the just-concluded World Pride celebration. I received their “love letters from Europe” email yesterday with photos that made me long to have been there and experience the moments.
Not only did they perform at the world-famous Concertgebouw, GMCLA was one of eight choruses performing in the “Queer Voices Unite” Choral Festival. Along the way, they did street corner (and canal corner) pop-ups.
Music has a universal healing power. Choruses like GMCLA and PSGMC bring audiences together for celebration and healing, but it does so much more for those who lend their voices and talents to share with the world.
My time leading the GMCLA board of directors were most rewarding when I sat in the audience and watched the magic happen. My eyes always teared up, but then I’d have moments of pure joy as a counterpoint.
The fact that GMCLA was able to go “across the pond” for this and other performances shows that our visibility as LGBTQ+ citizens is important and needed. The chorus continues their tour this weekend in London. And oh, how I wish I was there to experience it. But I take great pride in knowing that I had a small hand in their ongoing mission to expose new communities to their message of equality around the world.
Brad Fuhr, your K-Gay Desert Guide
Here’s what’s ahead in sunny Palm Springs!
Splash House Weekend 1
The desert’s ultimate summer escape arrives with Splash House held at The Saguaro, Renaissance Palm Springs, and Hilton Palm Springs from Friday–Sunday, August 7–9. This poolside music festival features a high-energy lineup headlined by Foster the People, KETTAMA, Layton Giordani, and The Chainsmokers. Guests will enjoy daytime sets, curated lounges, and signature resort experiences. Late-night shows at the Palm Springs Air Museum keep the momentum going after the sun sets. The party continues for Weekend 2 with a whole new lineup from Aug 14–16. More info
Premiere Screenings of Some Kind of Wonderful
The LGBTQ+ drama series Some Kind of Wonderful makes its debut with an exclusive premiere screening of Episodes 1 & 2 on Saturday, August 8 at Mary Pickford Theater in Cathedral City. Set against the vibrant backdrop of Palm Springs, the show follows best friends Sam, Steve, and Tony as they trade Los Angeles for desert life—only to discover a world of romance, reinvention, and unexpected connection. Join the cast and creators for two screenings (4:30 pm and 7 pm), Q&A sessions, and a lively reception with lite bites and a no‑host bar. Your ticket helps support the completion of season one and future LGBTQ+ stories that matter. More info
Neon Nostalgic – 80’s Music Television
Fans can travel back to the golden age of music television with Neon Nostalgic Presents – 80’s Music Television at The Show at Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa on Friday, August 7 at 8 pm. This live performance features Neon Nostalgic syncing their music in real time with original music videos from artists like Prince and U2. Original MTV VJs Mark Goodman and Alan Hunter host the evening, sharing inside stories from the decade that shaped pop culture. It is a full-sensory rewind to an iconic era. More info
Nominations Round Open: Best of Coachella Valley
CV Independent’s Best of Coachella Valley 2026–2027 nomination round is officially open, and now’s the moment to spotlight the local voices, stations, and personalities you love most. This early round determines who advances to the final ballot, so every nomination truly counts. Our contenders this year include KGAY 103.1, Sunny 106.5, and MeTV FM 92.1 for Best Radio Station; John Taylor, E.J. Tyler, Patrick Evans, and Chris Shebel for Best Local Radio Personality; and our powerhouse DJ trio — DJ Galaxy, DJ Eric Ornelas, and MODGIRL — for Best Local DJ. Nominations are open through Friday, August 28, so cast your picks and lift your favorites into the spotlight! Nominate Today
Lionel Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire
Legendary artists Lionel Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire take the stage at Acrisure Arena on Saturday, August 8 at 7:30 pm. As part of the Sing A Song All Night Long Tour, the performance promises a powerful blend of soul, pop, and funk that spans generations. More info
Billy L’Amour and the Love Notes
A night of vintage romance and soulful music awaits at Billy L’Amour and the Love Notes hosted by Agua Caliente Casino Palm Springs on Friday, August 7 from 7–8:30 pm. This week’s “Ladies Night” theme celebrates the stories and songs of strong women, featuring guest star Keisha D alongside Billy. Backed by the live band The Love Notes, the performance delivers a high-energy cabaret atmosphere with show-stopping vocals and dazzling costumes. More info
Taste of Summer / Rancho Mirage
Taste of Summer / Rancho Mirage is underway, running through August 16 — and now, the fun goes even further with the Passport Game. The annual program invites residents and visitors to explore specials, cool treats, and flavorful experiences while supporting restaurants and local nonprofits. Wristbands unlock exclusive offers throughout the season, and your official passport turns the whole adventure into a delicious scavenger hunt across thirty participating restaurants. More info
Gipsy Kings Featuring Nicolas Reyes
Global rhythms fill the air when Gipsy Kings Featuring Nicolas Reyes performs at The Show at Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa on Saturday, August 8 at 8 pm. Co-founder and lead singer Nicolas Reyes leads the group in a celebration of world-renowned flamenco, rumba, and Latin music. The Grammy Award-winning sound has sold over 14 million albums worldwide, making the group an international phenomenon. More info
Night Swim
An ultimate after-hours pool party takes place during Night Swim at The Palm Springs Surf Club on Saturday, August 8 from 6–10 pm. The evening features live DJs and cocktails served at the Island Bar under the night lights. Attendees have access to the iconic Island Pool and Lazy River for a unique nocturnal swimming experience. 21+ over only. More info
Star Party at the Monument
Enjoy a cosmic adventure during the Star Party at the Monument at the Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitor Center on Saturday, August 8 from 8–10 pm. The Astronomical Society of the Desert leads this twice-monthly gathering to showcase the spectacular desert sky after sunset. Guests can participate in guided “sky tours” and look through telescopes and binoculars for close-up views of planets, stars, and other celestial wonders. Experts are on hand to provide insights into the galaxy, making it an educational and fun experience for all ages. It’s a great way to support Friends of the Desert Mountains while marveling at the night sky. More info
Indio Second Saturdays Millennial Night
Music lovers can relive their favorite throwback hits during Indio Second Saturdays Millennial Night at Center Stage on Saturday, August 8 from 7–9 pm. This free, all-ages concert features the high-energy band Y2K2K performing a curated set list of millennial-era favorites. Part of a monthly community gathering in Downtown Indio, the evening offers a sensory feast with live music, mouthwatering food vendors, and family entertainment. More info
ALSO THIS WEEK
- A Queer Arcana: Art, Magic, and Spirit • This art exhibition brings together an intergenerational group of artists exploring how magic and esoteric knowledge shaped queer culture. Palm Springs Art Museum is open Thursday–Sunday.
- Palm Springs Certified Farmers’ Market • This indoor market features local produce and goods from various vendors during the summer months while staying cool inside the Palm Springs Pavilion, Saturday from 8 am–1 pm.
- Welcoming Yoga at The Center • Facilitator Marci Stonehedge leads a non-judgmental, slow basic practice focused on increasing circulation and improving flexibility, Saturday from 4–5:15 pm at The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert.
- Dance Ranch / Country Dance Saturdays • Featuring a Do Si Do line dance lesson by Kyle Young, this country western dance group welcomes all levels. The evening includes two-step, waltz, shadow, and swing dancing on Saturday from 7–9:30 pm at Step by Step Dance Studio.
- Don’t Look Back – The Boston Experience • Don’t Look Back brings Boston’s soaring vocals and arena-sized sound to the stage. The performance features favorites including “More Than a Feeling,” “Peace of Mind,” and “Foreplay/Long Time,” capturing the band’s legendary layered guitar sound, Saturday at 8 pm at Agua Caliente Casino Cathedral City.
- From Struggle to Strength • This meditation course explores how to respond to life’s challenges with patience and clarity. The session focuses on Using Difficulties to Grow, helping participants cultivate compassion and transform stressful situations into stepping stones, Sunday from 10–11:30 am at Dharmachakra Kadampa Buddhist Center.
- The Rack Pack: Weekly Men’s (Chinese) Mahjong Meet-Up • The Rack Pack hosts a weekly relaxed afternoon of Chinese Mahjong for men of all experience levels, Sunday from 4–6 pm at ACE Hotel & Swim Club.
National
HRC condemns DoE removal of LGBTQ+ bullying data from federal survey
Organization cites rise in homophobic, transphobic policies, worse mental health outcomes
The Human Rights Campaign is slamming the White House — and the Department of Education — following their removal of some LGBTQ+ bullying data from federal data collection.
The Civil Rights Data Collection is a mandated survey of all public school districts that collects figures on a wide variety of statistics about students — including demographics that include race, ethnicity, sex, disability status, and English learner status; course-level enrollment data, such as how many students are enrolled in advanced placement or honors classes; and school climate information, such as rates of bullying, harassment, suspensions, and expulsions.
That data collection has been ongoing since 1968 — nearly six decades — but now has a major change in what questions are being asked, or not asked, that advocates are largely attributing to the Trump-Vance administration’s culture war fight on LGBTQ+ children in the country.
Changes to the 2025-2026 survey questions — approved by the Office of Budget and Management in July — eliminated a space for schools to report how many students identify as nonbinary, how often those students are victims of harassment and bullying, and whether school districts have policies prohibiting gender identity-based incidents.
K-12 Dive, a publication that focuses its reporting on news related to K-12 education, first published a list of these data collection changes from 2024-2025 to 2025-2026.
These questions, as well as others that included LGBTQ+ student topics on treatment in schools, were added to the CRDC under the Biden-Harris administration. By including these questions, policymakers hoped this would lead to increased investigations into discrimination complaints, initiate compliance reviews, and provide policy guidance to districts, according to Education Department documents.
The CRDC also eliminated the mention of “gender identity” from the definition of rape and sexual assault. The prior collection of data (before the Trump-Vance administration changed it) defined rape as something that could be done to “all students, regardless of sex, or sexual orientation, or gender identity.” Now, the new data collection questions say, “All students, regardless of sex, or sexual orientation can be victims of rape,” removing “gender identity” from the new definition.
By removing and changing definitions, this could have a real-world impact on some of the school’s most vulnerable students. According to CRDC data from 2021-2022, more than 1,800 school districts reported enrolling one or more nonbinary students.
Additional data also shows that the changes to data collection is harming public school students. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee released a report in April finding that the Trump-Vance administration’s efforts to all but close the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights has left students facing discrimination and harassment throughout the country without the federal recourse they are entitled to under federal law.
The Williams Institute, a think tank that collects data and conducts research on issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity, has data indicating the true number of nonbinary and transgender children is much higher — they estimate that for children ages 13 to 17, nearly 724,000 identify as nonbinary or trans.
This is in line with a slew of policies pushed by the Trump-Vance administration since their federal takeover. Within his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14168, titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.” This directive attempts to make the federal definition of gender unchangeable, determined by sex assigned at birth alone.
Within his first month of his second term, Trump issued Executive Order 14187, titled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation.” The order directs federal agencies to restrict gender-affirming medical care — including puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgeries — for individuals under the age of 19.
He also pushed multiple anti-trans executive orders, including Executive Order 14201, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” and Executive Order 14183, “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness,” targeting trans athletes and military members, respectively.
These policies have a real-world impact on trans people.
The Trevor Project, a nonprofit dedicated to crisis and suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ people under 25, reported that, for the seventh year in a row, LGBTQ+ youth are at higher risk for suicide as a result of mistreatment and stigmatization.
Trevor Project data showed that nearly 60 percent of LGBTQ+ young people ages 13-17 said they were bullied in the past year, and that 36 percent of LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered suicide in the last year. The data shows a bigger discrepancy for trans youth, with that number hovering around 40 percent considering suicide.
HRC President Kelley Robinson issued a statement following the approval of the new data collection questions that leaves LGBTQ+ students’ bullying statistics under — if not completely unreported.
“If there was even a shadow of a doubt, this latest move by the Trump administration makes it abundantly clear they do not care about the safety of LGBTQ+ students, and trans students in particular,” Robinson said. “These are adults who should be protecting our kids. And instead, they are making sure bullying and harassment are not tracked. If they are not tracked, bullying and harassment cannot be prevented or stopped — which is exactly what the Trump administration wants. Parents deserve to know their kids are safe at school, and every single young person deserves dignity and safety at school. Anything less is plain evil.”
HRC has a “Welcoming Schools” initiative that they say is the “most comprehensive” bias-based bullying prevention program in the nation. The program includes LGBTQ+ and gender-inclusive resources for schools, help navigating special education and disability resources for LGBTQ+-identifying students, and other tools to help schools become more inclusive.
This program has been in effect for nearly two decades and, according to HRC, reaches nearly 750,000 students.
The Washington Blade reached out to both the Department of Education and Office of Management and Budget for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.
Netherlands
Dutch PM: More needs to be done to defend trans rights
Rob Jetten on Friday was on World Pride Human Rights Conference panel
Editor’s note: International News Editor Michael K. Lavers and Photo Editor Michael Key will be on assignment in Amsterdam until Aug. 10.
AMSTERDAM — Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten on Friday said more needs to be done to defend transgender people and their rights.
“Everywhere in the Western world, it’s definitely the group that’s the most vulnerable in the moment and it’s rather well-picked also by our advisories,” he said during a panel at the World Pride Human Rights Conference in Amsterdam that Ying Xin and Diego García Blum of Global LGBTQI+ Human Rights Program at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights Policy moderated. “They’ve chosen the smallest group within our broader community (trans people) to attack them, to ensure that we can strip their rights and if they’ve done with that, they’ll go after the next group within our community, so we shouldn’t be naïve about what’s behind it.”
“It’s very well-funded. It’s very well-organized and we have to organize as well to fight back and to win this fight,” added Jetten. “We also need to be more open in conversations that we are having within the community and also dive into it much deeper and maybe even have more difficult and annoying conversations.”
Jetten in February became the Netherlands’ first openly gay prime minister.
He appeared on the panel alongside former Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who in 2017 became his country’s first openly gay head of government, and former San Marino Captain Regent Paolo Rondelli, who was his country’s ambassador to the U.S. from 2007-2016.
Several other current former heads of government who are gay or lesbian also participated in the panel. They include former Icelandic Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, former Luxembourgish Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, and Andorran Prime Minister Xavier Espot Zamora. California Congressman Mark Takano, who chairs the Congressional Equality Caucus, and LGBTQ+ Victory Fund CEO Evan Low were among those who attended.
Jetten in his remarks said he was “very surprised” to learn that “not only in the U.S. but also in some European countries that we’ve let them decide what the gay group looked like.” The Dutch prime minister further pointed out that conservatives began “to attack the debate on toilets or starting this debate about trans people in Olympic games.”
“That is, of course, a ridiculous debate to start, but we’ve got distracted because we were so busy having this debate on Olympians, and then we actually forgot the real fight was about access to healthcare, just being yourself, being able to enlist in the army, or being able to be a young trans boy or girl in school,” said Jetten. “We got distracted by some fresh meat that was thrown into the area by some very conservative people.”
“We have to open our eyes and have very in-depth conservations within our community, and come up with a much better strategy to win this fight and to protect all our trans brothers and sisters, dolls, whatever,” he added. “Because if we don’t win this fight for trans people, we’re going to lose the bigger fight for all LGBTQ people in the world.”
Varadkar noted Ireland in 2015 passed a law that allows people to legally change their gender without surgery or other medical interventions.
He conceded there was “a liberal wind blowing across the world at the time, and it was largely uncontested.”
“It would be harder now, quite frankly, to do that legislation,” said Varadkar.
Scottish lawmakers in 2022 passed the Gender Recognition Reform Bill, which lowered the age for anyone to legally change their gender without medical intervention from 18 to 16. Then-British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government later blocked the measure from taking effect.
The U.K. Supreme Court in 2025 ruled the legal definition of a woman under the country’s Equality Act is limited to “biological women.” Author J.K. Rowling is among those who praised the decision that stemmed from a case that challenged the Scottish government’s decision to include trans women in its definition of women when it sought to increase the number of women on government boards.
The Trump-Vance administration on Jan. 20, 2025, the first day it was in office, issued a sweeping executive order that, among other things, declared the federal government would only recognize two genders: male and female. The White House earlier this year in its counterterrorism strategy said it “will also prioritize the rapid identification and neutralization of violent secular political groups whose ideology is anti-American, radically pro-transgender, and anarchist.”
“We have to stay united,” said Rondelli. “The strategy was, since the beginning, was a Nazi strategy to create groups, target groups, and to create maximum distractions to avoid discussion about some sort of policies.”
“Trans people are the target at the moment,” he added. “But after them it will probably be some others, so we have to stay united.”
Boris Dittrich, the Dutch Senate’s First Vice President and a member of Jetten’s D66 party who was previously global advocacy director for Human Rights Watch’s LGBTQ Rights Program, at the end of the panel asked about protecting intersex babies from what advocates maintain are unnecessary surgeries.
National
HRC files class action over federal ban on gender-affirming care coverage
Lawsuit filed Monday challenges White House effort to restrict care
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the nonprofit sister organization to the largest LGBTQ+ human rights lobbying and advocacy organization in the U.S., along with law firms Correia & Puth and Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, filed a class action lawsuit against the government as it attempts to restrict gender-affirming healthcare for federal employees.
The suit, filed on Monday, alleges that the Office of Personnel Management, run by Trump appointee Scott Kupor, is discriminating against LGBTQ+ federal employees (and their families and retired employees) by prohibiting health insurance coverage for gender-affirming care under the Federal Employees Health Benefits and Postal Service Health Benefits plans. There are five plaintiffs named in the complaint, but it extends to others who have those healthcare plans.
The document asserts that OPM’s prohibition on coverage for “gender transition” care in the FEHB and PSHB programs violates Title VII, the federal law that prohibits discrimination based on sex, race, color, religion, or national origin.
The policy, which was implemented on Jan. 1 following the 2025 issuing of Program Carrier Letter, mandated that insurance providers in these programs deny any coverage for gender-affirming care. In February, HRC filed a federal complaint with OPM over the change in healthcare policy, which was ultimately passed to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for review. That complaint is now an officially filed class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Research from the Williams Institute at UCLA Law, a think tank that collects data and conducts research on issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity, indicates that this policy denying gender-affirming care will impact healthcare access for at least 39,400 current and former federal employees and their dependents.
Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson released a statement following the lawsuit’s filing.
“Our message to the Trump administration is simple: we’ll see you in court,” said Robinson. “Healthcare access should never be weaponized to advance discrimination — and the denial of coverage for critical healthcare based simply on who you are blatantly violates the rights of all of us.”
Gender-affirming care has been under constant attack by the Trump-Vance administration since its return to the White House, despite the practice being considered as extensively evidence-based but also supported by nearly every major medical organization. This type of care is provided to all people—not just transgender people—and includes things such as social affirmation, including using correct names and pronouns and wearing clothing that matches a person’s gender identity; mental health support, such as counseling to reduce depression and anxiety; and, in some cases, medical interventions such as reversible puberty blockers or hormone therapy when deemed medically appropriate.
“Federal employees have been through the wringer with the Trump administration,” said Cathy Harris, partner at Correia & Puth. “We draw the line at blatant discrimination to deny healthcare to our nation’s dedicated civil servants.”
“This odious policy is the latest example of the Trump administration’s obsession with targeting transgender people, using shameful and cruel tactics to threaten their employment, their health, and the well-being of themselves and their families,” Robinson added. “OPM’s actions will not go unchallenged, and we’ll continue to fight so that federal employees and their families receive the dignity they deserve.”
This is not the first time the White House has directly attacked gender-affirming care.
In January 2025, the administration issued Executive Order 14187, titled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation.” The order directs federal agencies to restrict gender-affirming medical care — including puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgeries — for individuals under the age of 19.
For more information on how to get involved with the lawsuit, visit hrc.org.
Michigan
Progressives score victory as El-Sayed wins Mich. Senate primary
Democratic newcomer will face Rogers in November
Michigan held its primary on Tuesday, allowing the two major political parties to select their nominees to go head-to-head for the state’s U.S. Senate seat.
NBC News called the Democratic race early, giving the victory to physician Abdul El-Sayed over incumbent U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) in an extremely close primary. El-Sayed won 48.5 percent of the primary vote, with Stevens trailing by just one percentage point at 47.5 percent.
Both candidates have campagined on supporting the LGBTQ+ community through different avenues— for El-Sayed he focused on his past promoting HIV and PrEP funding and research. Stevens focused on her legislative history working to support transgender rights in the state.
This is a major win for progressive Democrats, who have been bearing the brunt of political attacks from President Donald Trump, the Republican Party, and centrist Democrats.
El-Sayed, a former health director in Detroit, ran his campaign largely on making life in the Great Lakes State more affordable amid rising costs. His policies include promoting “Medicare for All,” pushing health policy that targets the regressive efforts of the Trump-Vance administration that rolls back funding for both Women and LGBTQ+ people, minimizing the growing amount of money in politics, and he was very vocal in his criticism of Stevens for supporting aid to Israel. He was endorsed by two major progressives — U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.).
Stevens, the four-term congresswoman, is much closer to establishment Democrats on policy than El-Sayed.
During her time in the federal government, she has consistently supported the Equality Act, which would add sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. She has also emphasized supporting local manufacturing and lowering housing costs in the state.
She was named to Advocates for Trans Equality’s 118th Congressional Champions list for her pro-trans policies and was endorsed by establishment heavy hitters Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
The contentious race boiled down not only to Michigan affairs but also extended to international conflicts — namely Palestine. (South Africa has filed a case in the International Court of Justice in The Hague that accuses Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip after Oct. 7.) This primary also acted as one of the first major races that pushed back against AIPAC, a lobbying group that works to promote pro-Israel candidates in U.S. elections. The group has been involved in domestic politics since 1954.
AIPAC devoted a massive amount of money to this race.
The Associated Press reported that the pro-Israel lobbying group spent more than $30 million on ads against El-Sayed because of his vocal denunciation of Israel and his continued criticism of its policies towards Palestine.
Michigan has a large Muslim and Arab American population, which could, in part, explain how El-Sayed was able to win.
The Republican side was far less competitive. Former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) ran unopposed and clinched the GOP nomination. He has consistently held anti-LGBTQ+ positions, going as far as voting multiple times for a federal constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, voting against repealing the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, and supporting efforts to directly target the attempted expansion of Title IX protections to include trans people.
El-Sayed will face off against Rogers in November for Michigan’s Senate seat — one that could have lasting impacts not only on the state’s politics but also on the Republicans’ narrow Senate majority and Trump’s political agenda.
Netherlands
Dutch prime minister opens World Pride Human Rights Conference
Rob Jetten is country’s first openly gay head of government
Editor’s note: International News Editor Michael K. Lavers and Photo Editor Michael Key are on assignment in Amsterdam through Aug. 10.
AMSTERDAM — Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten on Wednesday opened the World Pride Human Rights Conference in Amsterdam.
Jetten — who in February became the country’s first openly gay prime minister — began his remarks with an acknowledgment that the July 25 terrorist attack at Berlin’s Christopher Street Day that left one person dead and more than two dozen others injured “filled me with anger and sorrow.”
He started to speak after a group of activists began to shout at him over his government’s position on Palestine — the International Criminal Court, which is based in The Hague, has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leaders in connection with crimes against humanity it says they committed in the Gaza Strip and Israel after Oct. 7.
Jetten stood silently and allowed them to protest before security personnel removed them from the room.
View on Threads
Jetten in his speech acknowledged this year marks 25 years since the Netherlands became the first country to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples. He also pointed out 2025 marks Amsterdam Pride’s Canal Parade‘s 30th year.
“More and more in recent years, we’ve seen hard won progress being eroded,” conceded Jetten. “We’ve seen countries backsliding in equal rights legislation. We’ve seen homophobic hate speech becoming more overt and aggressive, and not only out in the real world, but online as well.”
Jetten pointed out “online hatred is one of the biggest threats facing the LGBTQIA+ people today.”
“All around the world … misinformation and disinformation can be spread in the blink of an eye with a single mouse click, reaching much further and much faster than NGOs, youth workers and health organizations can,” he said. “This is always how hatred takes hold. First in the shadows, outside the spotlight of society, underestimated by everyone, until, having grown into a many headed monster, it crawls out of the darkness.”
Jetten said his government this fall will launch “a social dialog on online discrimination and offering specific guidance on action to take.” This will include “training courses for municipalities and civil society organizations to help them deal with online hate speech.”
His government over the next three years will invest €7.5 million each year “in improving the safety of the queer community in our cities with an alliance of organizations committed to safety, both in the public space and in the workspace for LGBTQI+ people, and with a public information campaign to combat discrimination and disinformation.” Jetten also said the government will promote a campaign in Dutch schools that encourages students and teachers to wear purple as a way to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community.
’Equal rights are not a Western agenda’
Jetten in his speech also singled out “conservative forces” in Uganda, Senegal, and in other countries who are framing LGBTQ+ rights “developments as a neocolonial Western agenda.”
“Under the pretense of resisting so-called Western moral decadence, horrendous laws are enacted and promoted, laws that put the rights of free people under severe pressure,” he said. “But in reality, many communities in these countries have a long history of diversity and freedom, and the laws that impose the restrictions were in fact put in place by the colonial powers.”
“No matter how hard those conservative forces try to pull the wool over people’s eyes, queer communities around the world know that equal rights are not a Western agenda,” added Jetten. “They are first and foremost a human agenda.”
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema and Nayyab Ali, co-chair of the Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Alliance Pakistan, are among those who also spoke on Wednesday. Lady Phyll, co-founder of UK Black Pride, and Camiel Welling, supervisor of the Amsterdam Trans Clinic, are co-hosting the conference that ends Friday.
Politics
Buttigieg indicates he may run for president in 2028
Former Transportation Secretary was in Biden-Harris administration’s Cabinet
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told a podcaster he is considering throwing his hat in the ring for president once again.
“I don’t know,” Buttigieg told Steven Bartlett, the British host of The Diary of a CEO, the most popular top business and tech podcast on Spotify, which aired Monday. “I think I’m more inclined than not, but there’s so much we don’t know.”
“There’s so much I don’t even know about what’s going to happen this year, let alone … what we need to know later,” he added.
Buttigieg is no stranger to running for the Oval Office.
In 2019, the former South Bend, Ind., mayor was a serious contender in the Democratic primary for the 2020 presidential election but ultimately ended his campaign and endorsed Joe Biden.
In May, an Emerson College Polling survey found Buttigieg at the top of the list of potential presidential contenders, leading California Gov. Gavin Newsom, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, former Vice President Kamala Harris, and others.
In addition to discussing his future in federal politics, Buttigieg also discussed President Donald Trump’s handling of the Iran war — which reached its 5-month mark two weeks ago — the changing landscape of U.S. jobs due to the rise of artificial intelligence, and the growing national debt, all issues he could face if he ultimately returns to the White House.
Following his 2020 presidential campaign, Buttigieg gained prominence within the Democratic Party, eventually leading to his confirmation as Transportation Secretary. In February 2021, he became the first openly gay Cabinet member to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
In addition to his experience as an elected official, the 44-year-old served as a Navy intelligence officer in the reserves from 2009-2017, including a seven-month deployment to Afghanistan in 2014. Buttigieg came out as gay in 2015 and later married his husband, Chasten Glezman, in 2018. The couple now has two children: twins.
Buttigieg also has an extensive educational background.
He graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor’s degree in history and literature and later became a Rhodes Scholar, attending the University of Oxford, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, politics, and economics.
This is not the first time Buttigieg has made headlines this year.
In June, he went public about being falsely accused of posing a threat to his children’s safety. An anonymous police report claimed he was a danger to his 4-year-old twins and was not allowed to be with them until after police interviews were conducted.
The police report was later determined to be false. The Los Angeles Blade reached out to the Michigan State Police to ask what course of action, if any, would be taken against the woman who filed the false report, but the agency did not answer the question.
The Blade reached out to Buttigieg’s team for comment on his potential 2028 presidential bid, but did not hear back before publication.
DEI, LGBTQ+, women and workers win big in Tuesday’s Democratic Primaries
Micah Jesse wants you to invest in your authenticity
‘Good Guy with a Gun’ turns bad politics into a great musical
The Blade joins forces with StartOut Los Angeles
Housing rights groups slam Mayor Karen Bass over increase in LA homeless count
Jason DePuy dishes on his time on ‘Big Brother’ and how the community came out to support
What ‘Queer Eye for the Straight Guy’ can still teach us today
I got tricked into going to the Church of Scientology, and all I got was this lousy T-shirt: An evening diving into the shallow depths of Dianetics
The Blade joins forces with StartOut Los Angeles
Something’s off about Dad. When is it time to step in?
-
a&e features5 days agoJason DePuy dishes on his time on ‘Big Brother’ and how the community came out to support
-
a&e features5 days agoWhat ‘Queer Eye for the Straight Guy’ can still teach us today
-
Commentary4 days ago
I got tricked into going to the Church of Scientology, and all I got was this lousy T-shirt: An evening diving into the shallow depths of Dianetics
-
Business2 days agoThe Blade joins forces with StartOut Los Angeles
-
Books5 days agoSomething’s off about Dad. When is it time to step in?
-
Netherlands4 days agoTens of thousands take part in World Pride March
-
Books5 days agoNew book chronicles gay man’s life in hippie commune
-
Photos4 days agoPHOTOS: World Pride March
-
Human health studies & sciences3 days agoHousing rights groups slam Mayor Karen Bass over increase in LA homeless count
-
Theater1 day ago‘Good Guy with a Gun’ turns bad politics into a great musical