WASHINGTON – Sam Brinton, the first openly genderfluid person appointed to a senior government post, was served with a felony arrest warrant Friday following a second incident in which they were accused of stealing luggage from an airport.

New charges accuse Brinton of grand larceny of property valued between $1,200 and $5,000, for stealing luggage from the Harry Reid International Airport. They were previously charged with a felony for lifting a suitcase from baggage claim at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport on Sept. 16.

Brinton joined the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) this year as deputy assistant secretary for spent fuel and waste disposition. The New York Post reported they were put on leave following the first incident.

The agency did not immediately return a request for comment or clarification on the status of Brinton’s employment.

On Dec. 7, a group of 16 Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives including far-right GOP Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Andy Biggs (Ariz.), and Louie Gohmert (Texas), called on Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to demand Brinton’s resignation.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Census Bureau last week released a report that detailed that there were about 1.2 million same-sex couple households in the United States in 2021. Data also revealed that roughly 710,000 of the same-sex couple households were married and about 500,000 were unmarried.

Since 2005 the number of same-sex households in the U.S. has steadily increased, with about 540,000 reported in 2008 and then in 2019, the last year the Census reported data, there were about 980,000 same-sex households in the country.

The data, based on American Community Survey (ACS), which shows estimates from 2005 through 2021, was not released in 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19 on ACS data collection.

Other highlights from the release:

• The average age of householders in same-sex married couples (48.9 years) was lower than in opposite-sex married couples (52.8 years). But the average age of householders in same-sex unmarried couples (42.0 years) was higher than in opposite-sex unmarried couples (39.9 years).
• The share of female-female and male-male couples with both partners employed did not differ significantly, though median household income in female same-sex couple households ($92,470) was lower than in male same-sex couple households ($116,800).
• Both partners had at least a bachelor’s degree in a larger share of same-sex (29.6%) than opposite-sex (18.1%) unmarried couples.
• A larger share of same-sex (31.6%) than opposite-sex (18.4%) married couples were interracial.
• The District of Columbia (2.5%) had the highest percentage of same-sex couple households of any state or state equivalent. California has the most same-sex households at 163,964.
• States with the highest number of same-sex households include Washington, D.C., Hawaii, Delaware, Oregon, California, Florida and New York, all of which include more than 1 percent of same-sex households in the total household population.

This is the second time the Census Bureau has released ACS estimates of same-sex couple households since revising the survey’s relationship to householder question to more accurately capture same-sex relationships.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a terror threat bulletin today warning that domestic extremists have posted online praise for the fatal shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado earlier this month. and have called for copycat attacks.

In its bulletin, DHS officials noted that several recent attacks, plots, and threats of violence demonstrate the continued dynamic and complex nature of the threat environment in the United States:

“Some domestic violent extremists who have conducted attacks have cited previous attacks and attackers as inspiration. Following the late November shooting at an LGBTQI+ bar in Colorado Springs, Colorado—which remains under investigation—we have observed actors on forums known to post racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist content praising the alleged attacker. Similarly, some domestic violent extremists in the United States praised an October 2022 shooting at a LGBTQI+ bar in Slovakia and encouraged additional violence. The attacker in Slovakia posted a manifesto online espousing white supremacist beliefs and his admiration for prior attackers, including some within the United States,” DHS warned.

DHS also asked that Americans report potential threats:

• Listen to local authorities and public safety officials.
• If You See Something, Say Something® Report suspicious activity and threats of violence, including online threats, to local law enforcement, FBI Field Offices, or your local Fusion Center. Call 911 in case of emergency.
• If you know someone who is struggling with mental health issues or may pose a danger to themselves or others, seek help.

WASHINGTON – The Department of Energy replaced a nonbinary senior official who had served as the agency’s deputy assistant secretary for spent fuel and waste disposition after they were charged with a felony over an incident at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Sept. 16.

Sam Brinton, whose departure from the Energy Department was confirmed by a spokesperson to the New York Post, did not immediately respond to the Washington Blade’s request for comment via Facebook Messenger.

Brinton, who has dual degrees from MIT and years of experience in nuclear waste management and climate change work, is also an LGBTQ activist who made history this year with their appointment as the first openly gender-fluid person to serve in a senior government post.

A 2018 column in the Los Angeles Times argued there was a cultural shift afoot towards greater acceptance of transgender and gender fluid people — using, as an introductory anecdote, Brinton’s appearance at the Academy Awards. According to the author, Brinton spoke passionately about their suicide prevention work for the Trevor Project and was embraced by Hollywood icons like Jane Fonda.

They also encountered some hateful backlash from anti-LGBTQ figures on the right, which was renewed on Monday with the news about Brinton’s dismissal pursuant to the felony charges filed against them, which conservative-leaning outlets were among the first to report.

Extreme right-wing Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) published an offensive tweet yesterday targeting Brinton and their nonbinary identity:

Stealing women’s purses and identity.
Classic. https://t.co/yCVhMfLaQX

— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) November 28, 2022

According to reporting in the New York Post, during an initial conversation with police, Brinton allegedly denied that they had stolen another passenger’s suitcase. Subsequently, Brinton told investigators they accidentally grabbed the wrong bag at the luggage carousel by mistake out of exhaustion.

Court filings indicate that Brinton, upon realizing they had mistakenly taken someone else’s bag, emptied its contents into dresser drawers in their hotel room, anxious about the prospect of facing accusations of property theft.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation, (DOT) announced Monday that six U.S. air carriers, targeted by the DOT paid more than half a billion dollars to people who were owed a refund due to a canceled or significantly changed flight.

In a press release, the DOT noted that these fines are part of DOT’s ongoing work to ensure Americans receive the refunds they are owed from airlines. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, DOT has received a flood of complaints from air travelers about airlines’ failures to provide timely refunds after they had their flights canceled or significantly changed. 

“When a flight gets canceled, passengers seeking refunds should be paid back promptly. Whenever that doesn’t happen, we will act to hold airlines accountable on behalf of American travelers and get passengers their money back.” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “A flight cancellation is frustrating enough, and you shouldn’t also have to haggle or wait months to get your refund.” 

In addition to the more than $600 million in refunds airlines have paid back, the Department announced today that it is assessing more than $7.25 million in civil penalties against six airlines for extreme delays in providing refunds.

With today’s fines, the Department’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection has assessed $8.1 million in civil penalties in 2022, the largest amount ever issued in a single year by that office. A majority of the assessed fines will be collected in the form of payments to the Treasury Department, with the remainder credited on the basis of payments to passengers beyond the legal requirement.

The Department’s efforts have helped lead to hundreds of thousands of passengers being provided with more than half a billion dollars in required refunds. The Department expects to issue additional orders assessing civil penalties for consumer protection violations this calendar year. 

The fines assessed today and required refunds provided are: 

• Frontier – $222 million in required refunds paid and a $2.2 million penalty 
• Air India – $121.5 million in required refunds paid and a $1.4 million penalty 
• TAP Portugal – $126.5 million in required refunds paid and a $1.1 million penalty 
• Aeromexico – $13.6 million in required refunds paid and a $900,000 penalty 
• El Al – $61.9 million in required refunds paid and a $900,000 penalty 
• Avianca – $76.8 million in required refunds paid and a $750,000 penalty 

Under U.S. law, airlines and ticket agents have a legal obligation to refund consumers if the airline cancels or significantly changes a flight to, from and within the United States, and the passenger does not wish to accept the alternative offered. It is unlawful for an airline to refuse refunds and instead provide vouchers to such consumers.  

The fines announced today are one of the many steps the Department is taking to protect consumers. Below are additional actions DOT has taken: 

• During the summer, the Department rolled out a new airline customer service dashboard to help consumers determine what they are owed when a flight is cancelled or delayed because of an airline issue. Previously, none of the 10 largest U.S. airlines guaranteed meals or hotels when a delay or cancellation was within the airlines’ control, and only one offered free rebooking. However, after Secretary Buttigieg called on airlines to improve their service and created this dashboard, nine airlines now guarantee meals and hotels when an airline issue causes a cancellation or delay and all 10 guarantee free rebooking. The Department will continue to work to increase transparency so Americans know exactly what the airlines are providing when they have a cancellation or delay. 
   
• The Department’s proposed rule on Airline Ticket Refunds, if adopted, would: 1) require airlines to proactively inform passengers that they have a right to receive a refund when a flight is canceled or significantly changed, and 2) define a significant change and cancellation that would entitle a consumer to a refund. The rule would also 3) require airlines to provide non-expiring vouchers or travel credits when people can’t travel because they have COVID-19 or other communicable diseases; and 4) require airlines that receive significant government assistance in the future related to a pandemic to issue refunds instead of non-expiring travel credits or vouchers when passengers are unable or advised not to travel because of a serious communicable disease.
   
• The Department has proposed a rule that would significantly strengthen protections for consumers by ensuring that they have access to certain fee information before they purchase their airline tickets. Under the proposed rule, airlines and travel search websites would have to disclose upfront – the first time an airfare is displayed – any fees charged to sit with your child, for changing or cancelling your flight, and for checked or carry-on baggage. The proposal seeks to provide customers the information they need to choose the best deal. Otherwise, surprise fees can add up quickly and overcome what may look at first to be a cheap fare. DOT encourages members of the public and interested parties to submit comments by December 19, 2022. 

The Department has proposed a rule to refund passengers for services they paid for that aren’t actually provided (e.g., broken WiFi). 

The Department invites the public to submit comment on this rulemaking by December 16, 2022. The Department’s Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee will publicly deliberate on the Department’s proposed rule on Airline Ticket Refunds and decide on recommendations to make to the Department at a virtual meeting on December 9, 2022. To register and attend this virtual meeting, please use this link:

 https://usdot.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_V2zwVF3RQfuoOkyYFVqvdA. 

For information about airline passenger rights, as well as DOT’s rules, guidance, and orders, the Department’s aviation consumer website can be found at:

https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer. 

Editor’s note: The following statement from the Office of the Attorney General of the United States is provided as a public service.

WASHINGTON – The Justice Department announced today its plans to monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws in 64 jurisdictions in 24 states for the Nov. 8, 2022 general election.

Since the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Civil Rights Division has regularly monitored elections in the field in jurisdictions around the country to protect the rights of voters. The Civil Rights Division will also take complaints from the public nationwide regarding possible violations of the federal voting rights laws through its call center. The Civil Rights Division enforces the federal voting rights laws that protect the rights of all citizens to access the ballot.   

For the general election, the Civil Rights Division will monitor for compliance with the federal voting rights laws on Election Day and/or in early voting in 64 jurisdictions: 

• City of Bethel, Alaska;
• Dillingham Census Area, Alaska;
• Kusilvak Census Area, Alaska;
• Sitka City-Borough, Alaska;
• Maricopa County, Arizona;
• Navajo County, Arizona;
• Pima County, Arizona;
• Pinal County, Arizona;
• Yavapai County, Arizona;
• Newton County, Arkansas;
• Los Angeles County, California;
• Sonoma County, California;
• Broward County, Florida;
• Miami-Dade County, Florida;
• Palm Beach County, Florida;
• Cobb County, Georgia;
• Fulton County, Georgia;
• Gwinnett County, Georgia;
• Town of Clinton, Massachusetts;
• City of Everett, Massachusetts;
• City of Fitchburg, Massachusetts;
• City of Leominster, Massachusetts;
• City of Malden, Massachusetts;
• City of Methuen, Massachusetts;
• City of Randolph, Massachusetts;
• City of Salem, Massachusetts;
• Prince George’s County, Maryland;
• City of Detroit, Michigan;
• City of Flint, Michigan;
• City of Grand Rapids, Michigan;
• City of Pontiac, Michigan;
• City of Southfield, Michigan;
• City of Minneapolis, Minnesota;
• Hennepin County, Minnesota;
• Ramsey County, Minnesota;
• Cole County, Missouri;
• Alamance County, North Carolina;
• Columbus County, North Carolina;
• Harnett County, North Carolina;
• Mecklenburg County, North Carolina;
• Wayne County, North Carolina;
• Middlesex County, New Jersey;
• Bernalillo County, New Mexico;
• San Juan County, New Mexico;
• Clark County, Nevada;
• Washoe County, Nevada;
• Queens County, New York;
• Cuyahoga County, Ohio;
• Berks County, Pennsylvania;
• Centre County, Pennsylvania;
• Lehigh County, Pennsylvania;
• Luzerne County, Pennsylvania;
• Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania;
• City of Pawtucket, Rhode Island;
• Horry County, South Carolina;
• Dallas County, Texas;
• Harris County, Texas;
• Waller County, Texas;
• San Juan County, Utah;
• City of Manassas, Virginia;
• City of Manassas Park, Virginia;
• Prince William County, Virginia;
• City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and,
• City of Racine, Wisconsin.

Monitors will include personnel from the Civil Rights Division and from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices. In addition, the division also deploys monitors from the Office of Personnel Management, where authorized by federal court order. Division personnel will also maintain contact with state and local election officials.

The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section enforces the civil provisions of federal statutes that protect the right to vote, including the Voting Rights Act, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act and the Civil Rights Acts.

The division’s Disability Rights Section enforces the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to ensure that persons with disabilities have a full and equal opportunity to vote.

The division’s Criminal Section enforces federal criminal statutes that prohibit voter intimidation and voter suppression based on race, color, national origin or religion. 

On Election Day, Civil Rights Division personnel will be available all day to receive complaints from the public related to possible violations of the federal voting rights laws by a complaint form on the department’s website https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by telephone toll-free at 800-253-3931. 

Individuals with questions or complaints related to the ADA may call the department’s toll-free ADA information line at 800-514-0301 or 833-610-1264 (TTY) or submit a complaint through a link on the department’s ADA website, at https://www.ada.gov/.

Complaints related to disruption at a polling place should always be reported immediately to local election officials (including officials in the polling place). Complaints related to violence, threats of violence or intimidation at a polling place should be reported immediately to local police authorities by calling 911. These complaints should also be reported to the department after local authorities have been contacted.

The Justice Department recently announced its overall plans for the general election to protect the right to vote and secure the integrity of the voting process through the work of the Civil Rights Division, Criminal Division, National Security Division and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices. 

More information about the federal civil rights laws is available on the Civil Rights Division’s website at https://www.justice.gov/crt.

WASHINGTON — Deputy U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Paloma Adams-Allen during a recent interview with the Washington Blade highlighted USAID’s efforts to promote LGBTQ+ and intersex rights in the Caribbean, Latin America and around the world.

Adams-Allen on Oct. 24 noted USAID has “invested” in programs that seek to fight gender-based violence against LGBTQ+ and intersex people in Honduras and Guatemala. 

She, like Vice President Kamala Harris and other U.S. officials, acknowledged violence based on gender identity and sexual orientation is among the “root causes” of migration from the two countries and neighboring El Salvador.

“Migration is a human right,” said Adams-Allen. “Folks are allowed to migrate, but what we’ve discovered, particularly with the LGBTQI+ population is that, not surprisingly, violence against this community is a driver.”

Adams-Allen noted USAID in Guatemala through its Electoral Governance and Reforms Project provides what she described as “technical assistance to help advance LGBTQI+ rights through legal reforms initiatives.” Adams-Allen also told the Blade that USAID in Guatemala supports efforts to invest “more directly in local organizations as implementing partners” for election observation and in other areas.

“We’re looking to strengthen local LGBTQI+ organizations to enhance their capacity,” she said.

USAID continues to support the implementation of Colombia’s peace agreement that specifically includes LGBTQ+ and intersex people through the Youth Resilience Activity, a program that works with vulnerable young people across the country. USAID also works with the U.N. Development Program’s Being LGBTI in the Caribbean initiative that seeks to promote LGBTQ and intersex rights in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica and Barbados.

USAID Senior LGBTQI+ Coordinator Jay Gilliam last week announced during the initiative’s second National LGBTI+ Dialogue in the Dominican Republic that USAID will donate an additional $2 million for economic programs for Transgender women.

Adams-Allen noted USAID supports the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice’s Multi-Donor LGBTI Global Human Rights Initiative that supports efforts to decriminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations in countries throughout the Caribbean and to reduce stigma, discrimination and violence against LGBTQ+ and intersex people. Adams-Allen also highlighted CuéntaNos, an initiative in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras that provides information about access to safe housing, health care and other basic services for LGBTQ+ and intersex people and other vulnerable groups who are fleeing from natural disasters.

“It helps guide them to where safe places are,” said Adams-Allen.

Adams-Allen, who was born in Jamaica, was previously the president and CEO of the Inter-American Foundation. Adams-Allen was a deputy assistant USAID administrator and a senior advisor in the Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean from 2010-2016. 

Jamaica is among the countries in the Caribbean in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain criminalized.

Then-President Barack Obama in 2015 applauded Angeline Jackson-Whitaker, a prominent Jamaican LGBTQ+ and intersex rights activist, during a town hall meeting in Kingston, the country’s capital. Adams-Allen referenced the trip to the Blade, noting there was “definitely pushback, even against him.”

The Blade spoke with Adams-Allen a few days after Fox News reported USAID gave a $20,600 grant to a cultural center in the Ecuadorian city of Cuenca that hosts drag shows.

Adams-Allen declined to specifically comment on the report, but she did say USAID does “support the full richness of the LGBTQI+ community in Latin America and the Caribbean and that may include folks that Fox may not be interested in working with.” Adams-Allen further stressed that President Joe Biden’s 2021 memo that committed the U.S. to promoting LGBTQ and intersex rights abroad as part of his administration’s overall foreign policy is “a North Star for our work to advance LGBTQI+ programming, but also just our broader, truly development.”

USAID co-hosted 2022 Hispanic Serving Institutions/LatinX Conference in Miami

Adams-Allen on Oct. 20 delivered the keynote address at the 2022 Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs)/LatinX Conference in Miami that USAID co-hosted with Florida International University.

USAID in a readout notes Adams-Allen’s speech highlighted “the importance of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in USAID’s recruiting, programming and partnerships.” Adams-Allen noted the conference is the second such event that USAID has organized “to really to start to gin up more interest among Hispanic and Latino-serving institutions in working at USAID as well as being implementing partners, potentially, of USAID.”

“I wanted to go down and really to try to put some more energy into just underscore, now that we’re coming out of the virtual world, I wanted to do this in person, to really underscore quickly to this population … that there’s a place for Hispanic Americans, Latino Americans, Latinx Americans, at USAID if they’re interested, particularly in international careers, but even if they’re not,” she said.

“I think students tend to think that they have to be technical experts in global health issues and maternal and child health or emergency response. And they don’t realize necessarily that we need everyone, we need writers, we need lawyers, we need communicators,” added Adams-Allen. “That particularly this community has certain, what I would say, cultural competencies that makes them particularly aligned with USAID’s whether it be experience living in Latin America in the Caribbean, or family from those regions, experience navigating several languages at home or in school, in the workplace. So they already have some inbuilt some inbuilt strengths, that makes them particularly well suited to consider careers at USAID. And I really wanted to just bolster folks’ confidence and let them know that there’s a place for them if they’re interested in their support for them if they’re interested. And so that was really the thrust of my participation.”

Adams-Allen noted LGBTQ+ and intersex people were among those who participated in the conference, which took place at Florida International University’s Miami campus.

“LGBTQI+ issues are sort of crosscutting of the ethnic group that we are engaging,” she said. “We are always engaging with full diversity of that ethnic group, in that ethnic community. We definitely had participation from folks representing the LGBTQI+ community at FIU and among the Hispanic-serving institutions, so we’re always thinking about that population as part of our diversity efforts, our retention efforts, our inclusion and equity efforts with the workforce, as well as looking at our programming.” 

“It’s so crucial to have that voice,” she said. “As we are thinking about our programming … it’s important to have people with the lived experience of the populations for which you’re designing, whether they be long term development programs, short term projects, or responding to humanitarian crisis, who really understand that experience. So, we need them, we need that population as a part of our team and we also do quite a bit of programming focused on protecting the human rights, the civil rights, defending the equal rights of LGBTQI+ populations in Latin America and the Caribbean.”

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced a major policy change last week closing a gap in survivor benefits for certain survivors of LGBTQ+ Veterans — specifically, for those who were unable to wed until the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision, and who, therefore, were not married to their now-deceased Veteran spouses for long enough to qualify for survivor benefits.

This extension of survivor benefits is effective immediately.

“VA is closing a gap in benefits for surviving spouses of LGBTQ+ Veterans, righting a wrong that is a legacy of the discriminatory federal ban on same-sex marriages,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “It is VA’s mission to serve all Veterans – including LGTBQ+ Veterans – as well as they’ve served our country, and this decision is a key part of that effort.”

Due to bans on same-sex marriages, many LGBTQ+ Veterans were unable to get married until Obergefell v. Hodges (6/26/2015) despite being in “marriage-type” relationships long before that.

According to a statement from the VA this wrongly precluded many survivors of those LGBTQ+ Veterans from becoming eligible for survivor benefits because their Veteran spouse died before the marriage met VA’s length-of-marriage requirements (one-year for survivor benefits, eight-years for a higher rate of benefits).

This decision addresses that problem by counting the duration of marriage from when the surviving spouse can establish a “marriage-type” relationship — such as a commitment ceremony, joint banking account, or joint purchase of a house. Importantly, these benefits are not retroactive.

The VA also noted in its statement that it is committed to delivering world-class care and benefits to LGBTQ+ Veterans. As a part of this effort, last year, VA began providing benefits to Veterans who were given “Other Than Honorable” discharges due to their sexual orientation.

Eligible survivors can apply for these benefits here, and more information about this announcement can be found here.

LGBTQ+ Veterans can learn more about VA’s current health offerings on the LGBTQ+ Health Program website.  

CHICAGO – In a letter sent Monday to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, the American Medical Association joined with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and Children’s Hospital Association asking the Department of Justice investigate [the] increasing “threats of violence against physicians, hospitals and families of children for providing and seeking evidence-based gender-affirming care.”

The AAP and AMA collectively represent more than 270,000 physicians and medical students and CHA represents more than 220 children’s hospitals across the country. The groups wrote to Garland urging “swift action to investigate and prosecute all organizations, individuals, and entities responsible.”

The AMA letter highlighted one instance where a mother was prevented from seeing her newborn premature infant because the NICU was locked down due to a bomb threat. These attacks on children’s hospitals have effects on so many people who aren’t even involved in gender affirming care.

Attacks on American hospitals providing trans healthcare, especially those with clinics treating trans youth have been targeted by anti-Trans extremists led by the Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh and Brooklyn, New York-based Chaya Raichik, a former real estate agent whose ‘Libs of Tik-Tok’ have spread misinformation and lies about gender-affirming surgery which has fostered attacks on those healthcare facilities by far-right extremist elements.

“Whether it’s newborns receiving intensive care, children getting cancer treatments or families accessing compassionate care for their transgender adolescents, all patients seeking treatment deserve to get the care they need without fear for their personal safety,” wrote AAP President Moira Szilagyi, MD, PhD, FAAP. “We cannot stand by as threats of violence against our members and their patients proliferate with little consequence. We call on the Department of Justice to investigate these attacks and social media platforms to reduce the spread of the misinformation enabling them.”

In addition to the letter to the Department of Justice, the groups call on Twitter, TikTok and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, to do more to prevent coordinated campaigns of disinformation. The organizations ask the platforms to take bolder action when false information is shared about specific institutions and physicians. They also urge social media companies to enforce safety and hateful conduct policies to stop the endangerment of patients, families, physicians and health care staff.

“The medical organizations have raised an alarm because this is a safety issue, not a political issue. No one should be allowed to encourage violence against medical providers or anyone else,” Shannon Minter, the Legal Director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, (NCLR) told the Blade in an emailed statement.

Raichik who has been suspended from Facebook and also Twitter for inflammatory lies and propaganda about Trans youth healthcare, pledged to redouble her attacks on hospitals providing trans people with health care, she wrote in a rant on her Substack in which she called gender-affirming care “mutilating the body.” 

Libs of TikTok has reportedly been suspended multiple times on multiple platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Raichik’s last Twitter suspension came for accusing LGBTQ people of “grooming” children, which Twitter confirmed violates its policies against hateful conduct.

Today as her latest suspension was lifted by Twitter, Raichik attacked the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in Maine as documented on Twitter by Alejandra Caraballo, Clinical Instructor at Harvard Law School’s Cyberlaw Clinic.

Just this past week, inspired by the Daily Wire’s Walsh, Tennessee lawmakers and Governor Bill Lee who provided Walsh with a statement, sent a letter Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Pediatric Transgender Clinic demanding gender-affirming surgeries cease.

“We are committed to providing safe, supportive and inclusive health care environments for each and every child and family, and the clinicians and staff who are dedicated to caring for children,” said CHA President Amy Wimpey Knight. “Threats and acts of violence are not a solution, nor a substitute, for civil dialogue about issues of a child or teen’s health and wellbeing. At CHA, we are committed to working across sectors to prevent misleading and inflammatory comments that result in threats to those caring for patients.”

The groups wrote in their letter to Attorney General Garland, “Our organizations are dedicated to the health and well-being of all children and adolescents. We are committed to the full spectrum of patient care—from prevention to critical care. We stand with the physicians, nurses, mental health specialists, and other health care professionals who provide evidence-based health care, including gender-affirming care, to children and adolescents.”

Two months ago anti-LGBTQ+ far right extremists targeted Boston Children’s Hospital, threatening its employees and medical staff after falsehoods and disinformation was spread online about the healthcare facility’s treatment of transgender youth by Libs of Tik-Tok, Walsh, and conservative journalist and anti-LGBTQ+ activist Christopher Rufo.

The United States Department of Justice launched an investigation into the Boston Children’s threats according to an announcement by the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, Rachael Rollins.

Last month D.C.’s Children’s National Hospital became the target of threatening phone calls, email messages and social media postings after Libs of Tiktok posted an incorrect report claiming the hospital routinely performs hysterectomies on transgender patients under the age of 18.

WASHINGTON – The Department of the Interior today announced the Board on Geographic Names (BGN) has voted on the final replacement names for nearly 650 geographic features featuring the word squaw, bringing an end to hundreds of years of the offensive term being used in an official capacity.

The term has been used throughout history as an offensive ethnic and sexist term, particularly against Indigenous and Native women.

“I feel a deep obligation to use my platform to ensure that our public lands and waters are accessible and welcoming. That starts with removing racist and derogatory names that have graced federal locations for far too long,” said U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, who is the nation’s first Native American to serve as a presidential cabinet secretary.

“I am grateful to the members of the Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force and the Board on Geographic Names for their efforts to prioritize this important work. Together, we are showing why representation matters and charting a path for an inclusive America,” she added.

The effort to wipe the offensive term from both the federal and public lexicon has been an ongoing battle for generations, but has gained steam after Secretary Haaland established a task force to review and replace the term and ordered the federal body responsible for naming geographic places to no longer use it.

During the public comment period, the Task Force received more than 1,000 recommendations for name changes. Nearly 70 Tribal governments participated in nation-to-nation consultation, which yielded another several hundred recommendations. While the new names are immediately effective for federal use, the public may continue to propose name changes for any features — including those announced today — through the regular BGN process.

While the Secretary’s order for the Task Force considered only the squaw derogatory term in its scope. Haaland’s Order 3405 created a Federal Advisory Committee for the Interior Department to formally receive advice from the public regarding additional derogatory terms, derogatory terms on federal land units, and the process for derogatory name reconciliation. Next steps on the status of that Committee will be announced in the coming weeks.

The task force, comprised of representatives from the Department’s Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, National Park Service, Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Civil Rights, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, and the U.S. Geological Survey and the Department of Agriculture’s U.S. Forest Service, had to evaluate inconsistent spelling of Native languages and evaluate the diverse array of opinions of those making recommendations.

Ultimately, nearly 650 geographic sites, including the 80 in California, were renamed.

The California landmarks that will be renamed are below:

New Name	Previous Name	Feature Class	County or Equivalent	State
Habematolel Valley	Big Squaw Valley	Valley	Lake County	California
East Fork Sulanharas Creek	East Fork Squaw Creek	Stream	Shasta County	California
North Fork Waydalmem Creek	North Fork Squaw Creek	Stream	Shasta County	California
South Fork Waydalmem Creek	South Fork Squaw Creek	Stream	Shasta County	California
Ehluyeh Canyon	Squaw Canyon	Valley	Plumas County	California
Spruce Grove Creek	Squaw Creek	Stream	Humboldt County	California
K’ ohuy Cah	Squaw Creek	Stream	Mendocino County	California
Log Valley	Little Squaw Valley	Basin	Lake County	California
Bald Creek	Squaw Creek	Stream	Shasta County	California
Washeshu Creek	Squaw Creek	Stream	Placer County	California
Waydalmem Creek	Squaw Creek	Stream	Shasta County	California
Telegraph Creek	Squaw Creek	Stream	Humboldt County	California
Lolsel Creek	Squaw Creek	Stream	Colusa County	California
Grasshopper Creek	Squaw Creek	Stream	Humboldt County	California
Tip Top Ridge Creek	Squaw Creek	Stream	Humboldt County	California
Mayacmas Creek	Squaw Creek	Stream	Sonoma County	California
Papakum Pakan Flat	Squaw Flat	Flat	Placer County	California
Yét Atwam Flat	Squaw Flat	Flat	Shasta County	California
Grasshopper Creek Ridge	Squaw Creek Ridge	Ridge	Humboldt County	California
Sawabü Flat	Squaw Flat	Flat	Inyo County	California
Gates Opening	Squaw Opening	Flat	Mendocino County	California
Logan Flat	Squaw Flat	Flat	Glenn County	California
Table Hollow	Squaw Hollow	Valley	Tehama County	California
Milk Peak	Squaw Peak	Summit	Modoc County	California
Mudoim Peak	Squaw Peak	Summit	Plumas County	California
Pieta Rock Slide	Squaw Rock Slide	Slope	Mendocino County	California
Yét Atwam Creek	Squaw Valley Creek	Stream	Shasta County, Siskiyou County	California
Olympic Valley	Squaw Valley	Valley	Placer County	California
Oso Kum Spring	Squaw Valley Spring	Spring	Plumas County	California
Habematolel Creek	Squaw Valley Creek	Stream	Lake County	California
Delunga Peak	Squaw Valley Peak	Summit	Plumas County	California
Om Chatim Springs	Squaw Valley Peak Springs	Spring	Plumas County	California
West Fork Sulanharas Creek	West Fork Squaw Creek	Stream	Shasta County	California
Mat Kwa’rar Nemaaw	Squaw Canyon	Valley	San Diego County	California
Bull Spring Mountain	Squaw Mountain	Summit	San Bernardino County	California
Tenaja Mountain	Squaw Mountain	Summit	Riverside County	California
Xanyō Xamshré	Squaw Lake	Lake	Imperial County	California
Mat Puy Nah Achhuukaayp	Squaw Peak	Summit	San Diego County	California
Ho’toy Peak	Squaw Peak	Summit	Monterey County	California
Needle Spring	Squaw Spring	Spring	Inyo County	California
Mohave Peak	Squaw Tit	Summit	San Bernardino County	California
Arch Peak	Squaw Peak	Summit	San Bernardino County	California
S’ o”” Kuku Creek	Squaw Creek	Stream	Ventura County	California
Yokuts Basin	Squaw Valley	Basin	Fresno County	California
East Fork North Fork Sulanharas Creek	East Fork North Fork Squaw Creek	Stream	Shasta County	California
Paac Kü̱vü̱hü̱’k	Squaw Tank	Reservoir	Riverside County	California
Tubbe Paa Lake	Old Squaw Lake	Lake	Fresno County	California
Sulanharas Creek	Squaw Creek	Stream	Shasta County	California
North Fork Sulanharas Creek	North Fork Squaw Creek	Stream	Shasta County	California
Uti Flat	Squaw Flat	Flat	Placer County	California
Sulanharas Creek Arm	Squaw Creek Arm	Bay	Shasta County	California
Whichwo Creek	Squaw Creek	Stream	Trinity County	California
Mani’pa Gulch	Squaw Gulch	Valley	Placer County	California
Oak Hollow	Squaw Hollow	Valley	Calaveras County, Tuolumne County	California
Kapa Hollow	Squaw Hollow	Valley	El Dorado County	California
Deer Lick Flat	Squaw Flat	Flat	Trinity County	California
Stoveleg Gulch	Squaw Gulch	Valley	Trinity County	California
Hunchup Creek	Squaw Hollow Creek	Stream	El Dorado County	California
Nüümü Hu Hupi	Squaw Lake	Lake	Fresno County	California
Deer Hollow Creek	Squaw Hollow Creek	Stream	Tehama County	California
San Joaquin Butte	Squaw Leap	Cliff	Fresno County	California
Mo Bisipi Creek	Squaw Queen Creek	Stream	Plumas County	California
Washeshu Peak	Squaw Peak	Summit	Placer County	California
Damalusung Lake	Squaw Lake	Lake	Sierra County	California
Tamarack Peak	Squaw Peak	Summit	Siskiyou County	California
Corral Valley	Squaw Valley	Valley	Lassen County	California
Kahus Flat	Squaw Flat	Flat	Ventura County	California
Saputiwah Spring	Squaw Spring	Spring	Ventura County	California
Scratch Creek	Squaw Creek	Stream	Tulare County	California
Hukaht Canyon	Squaw Canyon	Valley	Los Angeles County	California
Inman Rock	Squaw Rock	Summit	Mendocino County	California
Beyem Seyo Valley	Squaw Valley	Valley	Plumas County	California
Leaning Pine Hill	Squaw Hill	Summit	Mariposa County	California
Mat Kwa’Kurr	Squaw Tit	Summit	San Diego County	California
Frog Woman Rock	Squaw Rock	Summit	Mendocino County	California
Panther Prairie	Squaw Prairie	Area	Humboldt County	California
Pkwo’-o-lo’ ‘ue-merkw	Squaw Tit	Summit	Humboldt County	California
Múmawet	Squaw Hill	Summit	Riverside County	California
Hayfork Spring	Squaw Camp Spring	Spring	Trinity County	California
Ehluyeh Canyon Springs	Squaw Canyon Springs	Spring	Plumas County	California

For a complete list of geographic sites across the country that will be renamed, click here. A map of the sites can be found here.