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Samantha Power confirmed as next USAID administrator

Former U.N. ambassador a vocal LGBTQ rights champion

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Samantha Power speaks at a Council for Global Equality luncheon in D.C. on Oct. 14, 2015. (Photo by Laurie DeWitt/Pure Light Images)

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed Samantha Power as the next U.S. Agency for International Development administrator.

“Thank you everyone for your support these last months,” tweeted after the Senate confirmed her by a 68-26 vote margin. “I’m so grateful for this bipartisan vote of confidence from the Senate, and so energized to be joining the incredible @USAID team to get big things done.”

“The agency’s work around the world has never been more vital,” added Power.

Confirmed! Thank you everyone for your support these last months—I’m so grateful for this bipartisan vote of confidence from the Senate, and so energized to be joining the incredible @USAID team to get big things done. The Agency’s work around the world has never been more vital. pic.twitter.com/bUuDZQgFZC — Samantha Power (@SamanthaJPower) April 28, 2021

Power was the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. during the Obama administration’s second term. The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist is also a vocal champion of LGBTQ rights.

“People are suffering terribly around the world simply because of who they love and who they are,” Power told the Blade during a 2017 interview before Obama left office. “Their own horizons are bounded. Their own travel plans are constricted because these rights are violated so blatantly and so brutally around the world.”

Acting USAID spokesperson Pooja Jhunjhunwala in a statement said Power’s ceremonial swearing-in will take place on Monday.

“Today, the Senate voted to confirm Ambassador Samantha Power as the 19th administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID),” said Jhunjhunwala. “USAID looks forward to her ceremonial swearing-in, scheduled to occur Monday, and the vast experience she will bring to the role as administrator.”

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California

California’s youngest Assistant District Attorney is only 18

Park turned age 18 in late November and was sworn in yesterday in Visalia as one of California’s youngest practicing attorneys and prosecutors

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Law clerk Peter Park being sworn in as the youngest member of the Tulare County District Attorney's office by Tulare County District Attorney, Tim Ward on December 6, 2023. (Photo Credit: Office of the Tulare County District Attorney, Tim Ward)

VISALIA, Calif. –  Peter Park can safely be categorized as a child prodigy and academic wunderkinder having entered high school at age 13, passing the rigorous California State Bar exam at 17, and just this past week becoming the youngest practicing prosecutor in California at age 18.

On Wednesday, December 6, Tulare County District Attorney, Tim Ward swore Park in. According to the biography furnished by the Office of the Tulare County District Attorney;

In a legal history making moment, Tulare County District Attorney law clerk Peter Park passed the rigorous California bar exam on his first attempt making him the youngest person to ever pass the exam at age 17. According to research, the previous record holder was 18 years old. Park received his test results on November 9 after taking the exam in July.

At the age of 13 in 2019, Park began high school at Oxford Academy in Cypress, CA. Simultaneously, Park enrolled in a four-year juris doctor program at Northwestern California University School of Law utilizing a state bar rule that allows students to apply to law school through the completion of College Level Proficiency Exams (CLEPS).

After graduating high school in 2021 by taking the California High School Proficiency Exam (CHSPE), Park focused on law school and graduated in 2023. Park became a law clerk with the Tulare County District Attorney that August.

“It was not easy, but it was worth it. It required discipline and strategy to pass the Bar, and I made it in the end. I am extremely blessed to have discovered this path, and my hope is that more people will realize that alternative paths exist to becoming an attorney,” Park said. “I aspire to become a prosecutor because I am driven by a moral obligation to uphold liberty, equality, and justice in society. I admire how prosecutors keep our community safe and bring closure to victims.”

Park turned age 18 in late November and was sworn in yesterday in Visalia as one of California’s youngest practicing attorneys and prosecutors.

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Texas

New Study: anti-abortion, LGBTQ policies impact state economies

State-level shifts in social & legal rights for women & LGBTQ individuals may have negative impacts on states’ economies and workforces

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The crowds gathered in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on June 24, 2022 as it was announced that the Court had overturned Roe v. Wade. (Blade photo by Josh Alburtus)

By Bryan Luhn | HOUSTON, Texas – Researchers at the University of Houston say major, state-level shifts in social and legal rights available to women and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) individuals are affecting interstate migration attitudes and may have negative impacts on states’ economies and workforces.

In a study published in Population Research and Policy Review, researchers surveyed more than 1,000 people from varying backgrounds after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last year that ended the constitutional right to an abortion and assessed their views on the desirability of moving to a state with restrictions on access to abortions, gender-affirming medical care, participation in team sports for transgender individuals, teaching about gender and sexuality in schools, same-sex marriage and protections from employment discrimination based on sexual orientation.

“The majority of people who responded to our survey, regardless of their political orientation, indicated they would be less willing to move to states with these policies or that the policies wouldn’t affect their decision to do so,” said Amanda Baumle, lead author and sociology professor at UH. “These policies are much more of a deterrent to migration than an incentive.”

The study found that women, and their partners, gay men, lesbians and those with LGBT family members may choose to avoid states with policies suggesting an unfriendly political environment. The findings also suggest that those in higher-earning occupations, or those who are invested in work or education opportunities, could be discouraged from moving to states with these policies.

“Migration attitudes provide an important benchmark for understanding how abortion and LGBTQ laws and policies influence opinions about the desirability of states as potential destinations,” Baumle said. “If the policies are deterring people from moving to a certain state, there could be negative economic and workforce impacts.”

According to The New York Times, 21 states now ban or restrict abortions. In several other states, there is an ongoing legal battle over abortion access. And the American Civil Liberties Union says state legislatures advanced more than 500 anti-LGBTQ bills this year, more than double the number of similar bills introduced last year.

The UH study found most people are averse to moving to states that enacted highly restrictive abortion laws, such as bans on traveling to other states for abortions or policies allowing people to report abortion seekers to authorities. They were the least averse to moving to states with restrictions related to gender-affirming care for children, transgender children playing on sports teams different than their assigned sex at birth and education-related restrictions such as “don’t say gay” laws.

“I think that fits in with a lot of prior research that people perceive children as in need of being sheltered from anything that falls outside of the gender binary or heterosexuality,” said study co-author Elizabeth Gregory, professor of English and director of Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies at UH. “Something that was somewhat surprising was that restrictions on participation in sports for transgender youth was viewed less negatively for migration and more as a potential draw than any of the other policies.”

One of the key takeaways of the study, Baumle says, is that states continuing to enact these laws and policies may do so at considerable risk of diminishing their state’s attractiveness, or pull, as a potential migration destination.

“Our findings suggest these restrictive laws and policies have implications for migration attitudes beyond women and LGBTQ individuals,” Gregory said. “States, including legislators and business owners, should consider potential social and economic effects of these actions as an important part of their policy deliberations.”

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Bryan Luhn is the Interim Director of Media Relations at the University of Houston. Luhn is an award-winning storyteller and content creator.

The preceding piece was previously published by the University of Houston and is republished with permission.

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Southern California

Parts of SoCal under Red Flag Fire Weather Conditions alert

The winds will taper off by Sunday evening and into Monday, paving the way for warm temperatures to start the week

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National Weather Service LA/Los Angeles Blade graphic

OXNARD, Calif. – Widespread Red Flag Fire Weather conditions are expected for areas of Ventura and Los Angeles Counties as dry, moderate to strong Santa Ana winds continue into Sunday.

These conditions mean fires can become ignited easily, spread rapidly, & exhibit extreme fire behavior. Report fires to the authorities, and avoid any work that could create a spark. Never park vehicles on dry grasses. Residents near wildland interfaces should be prepared to evacuate if a wildfire breaks out.

According to the National Weather Service, the windiest conditions will be felt in Los Angeles and Ventura County valleys on Saturday.

“Expect winds to continue to increase through sunrise to the mid-morning hours, with damaging wind gusts [of up to] sixty miles per hour becoming more widespread,” NWS said. “There will likely be some gusts over seventy miles per hour in the windiest locations of the Los Angeles County mountains, the Santa Susana Mountains, and the western Santa Monica Mountains.” 

As of 5:30 a.m. Saturday, NWS recorded the gustiest winds at the Magic Mountain Truck Trail (65 miles per hour); Boney Mountain (63 miles per hour); Deer Creek Canyon (62 miles per hour) and Cal State San Bernardino (61 miles per hour). 

KTLA reported that video footage shows the blustery winds whipping across the San Fernando Valley, toppling everything from outdoor Christmas decorations to basketball hoops and parking lot signs.

“If fire ignition occurs, conditions may be favorable for extreme fire behavior which would threaten life and property,” weather officials said. 

High Wind Warning is also in effect for communities in the western San Gabriel Mountains until 3 p.m. Saturday.

The winds will taper off by Sunday evening and into Monday, paving the way for warm temperatures to start the week, NWS said.

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Maryland

Bomb threat during drag show shuts down Maryland businesses

Drag artist Tara Hoot was delivering a holiday brunch performance at the MotorKat when the evacuation order came in

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Tara Hoot was performing at MotorKat in Takoma Park, Maryland on Dec. 9, 2023, when a bomb threat forced the business' evacuation. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

By  Philip van Slooten | TAKOMA PARK, Md. – Police cordoned off a popular strip in Takoma Park, Maryland on Saturday after a bomb threat shut down businesses, including a holiday performance by drag artist Tara Hoot.

MotorKat General Manager Mike Rothman told the Washington Blade that Takoma Park police notified them of a bomb threat to their business around noon.

Tara Hoot was delivering a holiday brunch performance at the MotorKat when the evacuation order came in. Rothman said they were notified “five minutes into her final performance.” Tara Hoot herself told the audience to leave for their safety.

Police proceeded to tape off the area and evacuated all businesses between Eastern and South Carroll Avenues, including TakomaBevCo, which is co-owned by MotorKat Wine Director Seth Cook.

Cook told the Blade that police brought in “bomb-sniffing dogs” to clear the area before allowing businesses to reopen around 2 p.m. “The timing is unfortunate as this is one of the busiest weekends before the holidays,” Cook said.

Rothman was also disappointed by the lost revenue due to what ultimately was a false threat, but he was firm that the Takoma Park LGBTQ community is resilient and would continue to thrive despite this setback.

“Takoma Park is a pretty proud and resilient community,” he said. “I don’t expect people to lay down and be scared by this.”

MotorKat and TakomaBevCo reopened for business around 3 p.m.

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Philip van Slooten is a frequent contributor to the Washington Blade and the Los Angeles Blade.

Van Slooten’s work has been featured at WJZ-TV (Baltimore, MD), Yahoo News, U.S. News & World Report, the Baltimore Sun, the Capital Gazette, Pride Source, Capital News Service, among other media outlets.

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West Hollywood

City of WeHo Arts installs new public art by Rebekah Rose

“The gender expansive they/she/hes who are breaking boundaries and busting binaries every day in a society that threatens to erase them”

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WeHo Arts Installs New Public Art by Rebekah Rose - WEHO TIMES

By Paulo Murillo | WEST HOLLYWOOD – The City of West Hollywood’s Arts Division has installed a new temporary public artwork, Rebekah Rose’s Peaches and Tea. It is on the ground floor of the West Hollywood Park Five-Story Parking Structure, located at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard. This 9’-by-9’ vinyl mural installation is planned to be on display through April 2025.

“This one is for the queens,” said Rebekah Rose in an artist statement. “The gender expansive they/she/hes who are breaking boundaries and busting binaries every day in a society that threatens to erase them. It is a wish for the queer community to enjoy simple pleasures and experience ease everywhere they go. These three queens have chosen each other as family and are enjoying a gay day in the park. They serve up tea and eat peaches in broad daylight, and no one bothers them as they enjoy each other’s company. They represent the joy and love that everyone under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella deserves to experience every day.”

Rebekah Rose is a queer non-binary illustrator, muralist, and trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness teacher. In addition to their work as an artist and as a teacher, they work as the Program Manager for a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization, the Arts for Healing and Justice Network. They have a BFA in illustration from California State University Long Beach. Their artwork centers on issues related to queerness, consent, body image, mental health, and social justice. They firmly believe that the path towards collective liberation is only possible by centering the needs of those most impacted by oppressive systems and actively working on healing the subsequent trauma that gets stored in the body through movement and creative expression.

Previous artworks installed at this location include Travion Payne’s Heteronormative Death of the Golden Child; Mei Xian Qui’s Let A Thousand Flowers Bloom; Yuri Boyko’s The Persona, and Rajab Sayed’s Partition.

The City of West Hollywood’s Arts Division delivers a broad array of arts programs including Art on the Outside (temporary public art), City Poet Laureate, Drag Laureate, Drag Story Hour, Free Theatre in the Parks, Grants, Holiday Programming, Human Rights Speaker Series, Library Exhibits, National Poetry Month, One City One Pride LGBTQ Arts Festival, Summer Sounds + Winter Sounds, Urban Art (permanent public art), and WeHo Reads.

For more information about City of West Hollywood arts programming, please visit www.weho.org/arts.

For more information about this artwork, please contact Marcus Mitchell, the City of West Hollywood’s Public Art Administrator, at (323) 848-3122 or at [email protected].

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Paulo Murillo is Editor in Chief and Publisher of WEHO TIMES. He brings over 20 years of experience as a columnist, reporter, and photo journalist.

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The preceding article was previously published by WeHo Times and is republished with permission.

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Los Angeles

The Hollywood sign is officially a century old

Originally intended to last just a year and a half, the Sign has endured more than eight decades – and is still going strong

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A survey crew laying out the upscale residential real estate development neighborhoods circa 1924 a few months after the erection of the now globally recognized billboard sign. (Photo Credit: The Los Angeles Public Library system archives/photographs collection)

LOS ANGELES – The iconic symbol marking Los Angeles as the entertainment capital of the world marked its 100th birthday on Friday, Dec. 8. Universally recognized across the globe, the sign began its sojourn as a literal billboard sign to advertise an upscale residential real estate development. The sign was first illuminated on Dec. 8, 1923, originally saying “Hollywoodland.”

According to the sign’s official preservation website:

Hollywood, which by now represented not just a city, but also an industry, a lifestyle and, increasingly, an aspiration, was officially crowned when the “Hollywoodland” sign was erected in 1923. Built by Los Angeles Times publisher Harry Chandler as an epic $21,000 billboard for his upscale Hollywoodland real estate development, the Sign soon took on the role of giant marquee for a city that was constantly announcing its own gala premiere.

Dates and debates swirl about when the Hollywoodland Real Estate development – and the massive electric sign that advertised it – actually came into being. But a review of local newspapers from the era (i.e., The Los Angeles Times, Holly Leaves, Los Angeles Record, Los Angeles Examiner and the Hollywood Daily Citizen) clears up any confusion. For instance, a Hollywoodland ad in the Los Angeles Times (June 10, 1923) states that the real estate development launched in late March of that year and that by June, 200 men were employed, 7 miles of road had been cut and 300,000 cubic yards of dirt had been moved.

And while some sources still cite that the Sign was born in 1924, the correct date is indisputably 1923. The earliest found mention of the Sign appeared on December 14, 1923 in a Holly Leaves article about the Mulholland Highway soon to be built, which would extend from “…from the western end of the (Griffith Park) road, under the electric sign of Hollywoodland, around Lake Hollywood and across the dam.”

Just two weeks later another Los Angeles Times article (December 30, 1923) with the headline “Hollywood Electric Sign Reached by Car,” reported on actor Harry Neville’s epic, experimental trip to test whether a motorcar could reach the Sign on the unpaved grade, and whether the car’s brakes would work on the precipitous path down. According to the article, “A motley crowd of hillclimbers, workmen, salesmen and curiosity thrill-seekers …stood by with fear and trembling as the loose dirt began to give way but Neville stuck by the ship…” to make it safely back to the “wide smooth roads of Hollywoodland.”

Photo Credit: The City of Los Angeles

There has also been debate about whether the Sign was originally erected without lights (with the thousands of bulbs added later). However, historic photos from the Bruce Torrence Hollywood Photograph collection, taken just as the Sign was being erected, show workers carrying parts of the Sign that include the original lights in frames or “troughs.” Bruce Torrence, curator of the photo collection, notes that the shape of the light boxes indicate that these sections were probably part of the letter “A” and possibly the “L.”

Confusion solved: by the end of 1923, the Hollywood Sign was fully erected, a high-profile beacon – lights ablaze – for the fast-growing Los Angeles metropolis.

The “billboard” was massive. Each of the original 13 letters was 30 feet wide and approximately 43 feet tall, constructed of 3×9′ metal squares rigged together by an intricate frame of scaffolding, pipes, wires and telephone poles.

All of this material had to be dragged up precipitous Mt. Lee by laborers on simple dirt paths.

Few know that a giant white dot (35 feet in diameter, with 20-watt lights on the perimeter) was constructed below the Sign to catch the eye. The Sign itself featured 4,000 20-watt bulbs, spaced 8 inches apart.

At night the Sign blinked into the Hollywood night: first “Holly” then “wood” and finally “land,” punctuated by a giant period. The effect was truly spectacular, particularly for pre-Vegas sensibilities.

Originally intended to last just a year and a half, the Sign has endured more than eight decades – and is still going strong.

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Texas

Texas’ highest court temporarily halts woman’s emergency abortion

After a district judge ruled Kate Cox could terminate her pregnancy, AG Ken Paxton petitioned the state’s highest court to halt the ruling

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Kate Cox of Dallas is asked a Travis Co. district judge to grant a temporary restraining order against the state abortion ban so she can terminate her pregnancy then on Friday evening, the state Supreme Court temporarily halted the lower court's order. (Photo Credit: Courtesy of Kate Cox)

By Eleanor Klibanoff | AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has asked the state Supreme Court to intervene and stop a Dallas woman from having an abortion.

Paxton’s office petitioned the high court just before midnight Thursday, after a Travis County district judge granted a temporary restraining order allowing Kate Cox, 31, to terminate her nonviable pregnancy. Paxton also sent a letter to three hospitals, threatening legal action if they allowed the abortion to be performed at their facility.

On Friday evening, the state Supreme Court temporarily halted the lower court’s order but did not rule on the merits of the case. The court said it would rule on the temporary restraining order, but did not specify when.

“While we still hope that the Court ultimately rejects the state’s request and does so quickly, in this case we fear that justice delayed will be justice denied,” said Cox’s lawyer, Molly Duane, in a Friday evening statement.

This is the first time an actively pregnant adult woman has gone to court to get an abortion since before Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973. A similar case was filed in Kentucky on Friday.

In the petition, Paxton asked the Texas Supreme Court to rule quickly, saying that “each hour [the temporary restraining order] remains in place is an hour that Plaintiffs believe themselves free to perform and procure an elective abortion.”

“Nothing can restore the unborn child’s life that will be lost as a result,” the filing said. “Post hoc enforcement is no substitute, so time is of the essence.”

The Texas Supreme Court is currently also considering a similar case, Zurawski v. Texas, in which 20 women claim they were denied medically necessary abortions for their complicated pregnancies due to the state’s new laws. The state has argued those women do not have standing to sue because, unlike Cox, they are not currently seeking abortions.

In the initial lawsuit, Cox’s attorneys with the Center for Reproductive Rights argued she cannot wait the weeks or months it might take the Texas Supreme Court to rule.

Now, the high court must consider many of the same arguments as those in Zurawski v. Texas, but on a much tighter timeline.

The central question is whether a lethal fetal anomaly qualifies a pregnant patient for an abortion under the narrow medical exception to the state’s near-total abortion ban. Cox’s lawyers argue that continuing this nonviable pregnancy poses a threat to her life and future fertility, thus necessitating an abortion.

Travis County District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble agreed, saying it would be a “miscarriage of justice” to force Cox to continue the pregnancy. The state disagreed, telling the Supreme Court that Guerra Gamble’s ruling “opens the floodgates to pregnant mothers procuring an abortion” beyond the scope of the medical exception.

Separately, Duane sent a letter to Guerra Gamble, asking her to bring Paxton in for a hearing on his letter threatening legal action against hospitals that allow Cox to have an abortion.

“The repeated misrepresentations of the Court’s [order], coupled with explicit threats of criminal and civil enforcement and penalties, serve only to cow the hospitals from providing Ms. Cox with the healthcare that she desperately needs,” Duane wrote. “Plaintiffs respectfully request the Court hold a hearing so Defendant Paxton can explain to Your Honor why he should not be sanctioned.”

Texas Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, on behalf of President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign, condemned Paxton’s comments Friday.

“A Texas woman was just forced to beg for life-saving health care in court and now any doctor who provides her the care she urgently needs is being threatened with punishment including a lifetime prison sentence,” Escobar said in a statement. “This story is shocking, it’s horrifying, and it’s heartbreaking.”

William Melhado contributed to this story.

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Eleanor Klibanoff is the women’s health reporter, based in Austin, where she covers abortion, maternal health care, gender-based violence and LGBTQ issues, among other topics. She started with the Tribune in 2021, and was previously with the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting in Louisville, where she reported, produced and hosted the Peabody-nominated podcast, “Dig.”

Eleanor has worked at public radio stations in Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Missouri, as well as NPR, and her work has aired on “All Things Considered,” “Morning Edition” and “Here & Now.” She is conversational in Spanish. Eleanor was born in Philadelphia and raised in Atlanta, and attended The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

The preceding article was previously published by The Texas Tribune and is republished by permission.

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Kentucky

The Williams Institute at UCLA study: Kentucky is pretty queer

In the study they discovered Kentucky has the second highest percentage of adults that identify as LGBTQ+ in the nation

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Louisville Pride (Photo Credit: Louisville Pride Foundation)

LOS ANGELES – Researchers at The Williams Institute of The University of California, Los Angeles School of Law recently released their findings from the data contained in the 2020-2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

In the study they discovered Kentucky has the second highest percentage of adults that identify as LGBTQ+ in the nation, 10.5%, with the highest percentage reported in the District of Columbia,14.3%.

The Williams Institute, which conducts independent research on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy, found that in terms of the number of adults identifying as LGBTQ — 359,500 in Kentucky — the commonwealth ranks No. 13.

“Combining 2020-2021 BRFSS data, we estimate that 5.6% of U.S. adults identify as LGBTQ,” according to the study. “Further, we estimate that there are almost 14.1 million (14,090,400) LGBTQ adults in the U.S.”

The study identified estimates of percentages and numbers of adults who identify as LGBTQ by age group in the country.

  • 18 to 24-year-olds: 15.4% (4,707,800)
  • 25 to 34-year-olds: 9.2% (4,130,900)
  • 35 to 49-year-olds: 4.2% (2,567,400)
  • 50 to 64-year-olds: 2.8% (1,752,800)
  • 65 years and older: 1.8% (931,400)

The study also divided the country by region and gave an estimate of percentages and numbers of adults in the group of states in each one — Kentucky is in the South region.

  • Northeast: 18.3% (2,574,900)
  • Midwest: 20.6% (2,902,700)
  • South: 36.9% (5,203,200)
  • West: 24.2% (3,406,600)
STATESPERCENT OF LGBTQ ADULTSNUMBER OF LGBTQ ADULTS
United States5.60%14,090,400
Alabama4.6%173,000
Alaska5.9%32,600
Arizona5.9%317,200
Arkansas5.3%121,900
California5.1%1,549,600
Colorado6.8%294,500
Connecticut6.0%170,500
Delaware7.5%56,600
District of Columbia14.3%81,400
Florida5.4%898,000
Georgia5.1%402,900
Hawaii5.1%56,900
Idaho5.3%68,100
Illinois4.5%446,600
Indiana5.4%277,100
Iowa4.7%113,600
Kansas5.9%129,800
Kentucky10.5%359,500
Louisiana5.7%202,600
Maine6.5%69,900
Maryland5.4%252,700
Massachusetts6.5%356,200
Michigan5.5%428,400
Minnesota6.3%267,600
Mississippi4.1%93,300
Missouri6.0%282,000
Montana5.1%41,800
Nebraska5.5%78,700
Nevada6.6%150,100
New Hampshire7.2%78,400
New Jersey5.3%367,300
New Mexico5.5%87,600
New York5.5%853,600
North Carolina4.4%353,100
North Dakota4.9%28,400
Ohio6.2%557,600
Oklahoma5.5%164,600
Oregon7.8%253,300
Pennsylvania5.8%586,500
Rhode Island6.5%54,800
South Carolina4.9%192,800
South Dakota5.3%34,500
Tennessee6.3%328,900
Texas5.1%1,071,300
Utah6.1%133,000
Vermont7.4%37,600
Virginia5.9%390,700
Washington6.9%398,700
West Virginia4.1%60,000
Wisconsin5.7%258,400
Wyoming5.9%26,300
Adult LGBT Population in the United States
THE WILLIAMS INSTITUTE


The top 10 states plus the District of Columbia by percent of LGBTQ adults

RANKSTATEPERCENT OF LGBT ADULTS
1D.C.14.3%
2Kentucky10.5%
3Oregon7.8%
4Delaware7.5%
5Vermont7.4%
6New Hampshire7.2%
7Washington6.9%
8Colorado6.8%
9Nevada6.6%
10Massachusetts6.5%
10Maine6.5%
10Rhode Island6.5%
Adult LGBT Population in the United States
THE WILLIAMS INSTITUTE

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Congress

Anti-LGBTQ provisions removed from NDAA

MAGA members of Congress tried to hijack the National Defense Authorization Act to advance their anti-LGBTQ+ agenda

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U.S. Defense Department Photo/Los Angeles Blade graphic

WASHINGTON – Anti-LGBTQ provisions submitted by House Republicans to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) have been removed from the defense spending bill, triggering outrage from conservative lawmakers and praise from LGBTQ groups.

The conference version of the bill was released on Thursday.

This week saw the revocation of two measures targeting gender affirming care along with the book ban and drag ban. Language stipulating the list of approved flags that can be flown at military bases was amended such that more flags can be added on a discretionary basis.

“MAGA members of Congress tried to hijack the National Defense Authorization Act to advance their anti-LGBTQ+ agenda, attempting to riddle it with discriminatory riders,” Human Rights Campaign National Press Secretary Brandon Wolf said in a statement to the Washington Blade.

His statement continued, “They failed and equality won. Anti-LGBTQ+ provisions, including efforts to restrict access to gender affirming care, were rejected. The anti-LGBTQ+ agenda continues to be deeply unpopular across the country and a failing political strategy.”

Wolf thanked U.S. Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) for “defending equality and defeating attacks on the community.”

Pledging to vote “no” on the bill, Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) said in a post on X, “I was appointed to the NDAA conference committee but NEVER got to work on the final version of the NDAA bc they made the deal behind closed doors and here are the horrible results.”

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California Politics

New Poll: Adam Schiff has a five-point lead in U.S. Senate race

The survey was conducted last month and involved 1,100 likely voters- While still relatively slim, it is Schiff’s largest lead to date

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Rep. Adam Schiff speaking at a private campaign event in Santa Barbara, California in August, 2023. ( Photo Credit: Adam Schiff for Senate/Louise Palanker Facebook)

SAN FRANCISCO – A new Public Policy Institute of California poll shows that U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) has a five-point lead in the race for the U.S. Senate seat that had been held by the late Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

The seat is currently occupied by Newsom-appointee, Democrat Laphonza Butler, the first Black lesbian to serve in the Senate. Butler, announced in October that she would not run for a full Senate term in 2024.

California’s 2024 senate race already has a crowded field that includes Democratic Reps. Barbara Lee of Oakland, Katie Porter of Irvine and former Dodgers Major League Baseball star Steve Garvey, a Republican, also running.

The survey was conducted last month from Nov. 9 to 16 and involved 1,100 likely voters and has a 3.2% margin of error.

PPIC found that 21% of those surveyed would support Schiff in the primary race while 16% would vote for Porter. Republican Garvey had 10% support, while Lee polled at 8%. 

As with other prior California Senate surveys, PPIC found a large percentage of voters are still undecided. While still relatively slim, it is Schiff’s largest lead to date.

KTLA 5 News noted that a November Inside California Politics/Emerson College poll showed several other candidates, James P. Bradley, Lexi Reese, Eric Early, Christina Pascucci, Jonathan Reiss and Sarah Liew with support in the low single digits. That same poll found Schiff with a three-point lead over Porter, while a June survey showed Schiff and Porter in a virtual tie.

The results of a Public Policy Institute of California on the 2024 U.S. Senate Race. (PPIC)
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