Out San Diego City Council member Marni von Wilpert is “horrified” to hear multiple reports about suffering from exhaustion, poor living conditions, and a mental health crisis aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. San Diego is the home port for service members and families of the USS Lincoln, whose 5,000 sailors and Marines have been in combat with Iran for five of their almost nine months at sea.

Von Wilpert, a bisexual Democrat, is running for the 48^th Congressional district seat being vacated by retiring MAGA Republican Rep. Darrell Issa, who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and supports Donald Trump’s war of choice with Iran.

“Trump’s war in Iran continues to have disastrous consequences for our country and our community here in San Diego,” von Wilpert told LGBTQ+ Freedom Fighters in her first public comment on the Lincoln situation. “As the daughter of a veteran, I am horrified by reports of the conditions our San Diego–based service members are facing on the USS Lincoln and call on Trump’s Department of Defense to answer why our troops are in this position.”

The Lincoln has been at sea since November and in the Middle East since January. That means, Military.com reported on Aug. 13, that the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier – flagship of Carrier Strike Group 3 and host to Carrier Air Wing Nine – “has spent 250 days in a row without making land—leaving those on board without the opportunity to see their families and friends.”

There have been reports of rotten food and supply shortages. Several sailors have tried to jump overboard; one 19-year-old sailor told his 19-year-old wife, a new mother: “The boat is finally getting to me.”

Trump has claimed the sailors’ family members are not concerned about conditions on the ship (many have made clear they are) and that the deployment has not gone on “nearly long enough.” Sec. of Defense Pete Hegseth has been similarly dismissive. Now, finally, the USS George Washington is on its way to relieve the Lincoln.

Von Wilpert is running in a district that is one of several whose boundaries were redrawn in California last year. The redistricting was intended to favor Democrats, coming in response to Texas’s redistricting that favored Republicans. Issa, a longtime anti-LGBTQ+ politico, decided not to run in the newly drawn district, which includes parts of San Diego and extends to the liberal, heavily LGBTQ+ desert city of Palm Springs.

In the June primary, von Wilpert and Republican Jim Desmond, a San Diego County supervisor, won the most votes in California’s “jungle primary,” where the top two advance to the general election, regardless of party.

Von Wilpert has an impressive backstory and résumé. She grew up in San Diego but went east to attend Fordham University School of Law in New York City; she graduated at the top of her class and was editor of the law review. She was a Peace Corps volunteer in Botswana, caring for children with HIV whose parents had died of AIDS complications.

She went on to fight the epidemic domestically when she received a fellowship to work for the Mississippi Center for Justice. There, she established a legal clinic to assist people with HIV or AIDS. She then clerked for a federal appellate court judge, after which she became an attorney with the National Labor Relations Board, served as counsel on the House Education and Labor Committee, and worked with U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, a Virginia Democrat.

Returning to San Diego, she became a deputy city attorney before being elected to the City Council in 2020, flipping one of the most conservative districts in the city from Republican to Democrat. She hopes to do another such flip in her run for Congress.

“I want to take our country back from the chaos and corruption of the Donald Trump administration,” von Wilpert said.

“People are struggling; our rights are being taken away,” she added. “I want government to work for the people.”

One of von Wilpert’s priorities would be passing the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, which she helped draft with Scott and Democratic U.S. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington State. It would strengthen workers’ rights to organize unions—they often face retaliation for doing so—and allow the NLRB to fine companies for violations of labor law. Known as the PRO Act, it has been introduced in Congress every year since 2019. It passed the House in 2021 but has never passed the Senate.

Unionizing is “one of the best ways to address income inequality,” she said.

Von Wilpert also wants to pass the Equality Act, which would ban anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination nationwide in employment, housing, public accommodations, and more. The LGBTQ+ community shouldn’t have to depend on the whims of the Supreme Court, she said.

Von Wilpert’s outrage at Trump’s treatment of the military goes beyond the situation with the USS Lincoln.

“It’s abysmal the way that Donald Trump is treating our troops,” she said, noting the ban on transgender service members and the firings of women and people of color. “He’s pushing the best and the brightest out of our military.” Her father, an immigrant from Germany, served in the U.S. Army, and her grandfather fought in World War II.

Von Wilpert’s also a major advocate for expanding access to health care. She had a health crisis in the spring—a diagnosis of breast cancer. She had successful surgery while she balanced medical appointments in between her duties on the City Council and campaign events. She realizes she has access to care that some people don’t have.

“Health care is getting more and more out of reach for everyday Americans,” she said, noting that 32,000 people in her congressional district will lose access to Medicaid because of Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” Planned Parenthood, which provides cancer and STD screenings in addition to reproductive care, can no longer bill to Medicaid and has closed at least five clinics in California.

Her other priorities in Congress include holding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) accountable, getting dark money out of politics, protecting the environment, defending reproductive freedom, and fighting gun violence. She supports a two-state solution to bring peace to Israel and Palestine, stands with Ukraine against Russian aggression, and will work to defend and expand the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), an immensely successful program that provides treatment and prevention services in poor countries and has been gutted by Trump.

Von Wilpert’s accomplishments on the San Diego City Council include: authoring California’s first ban on untraceable “ghost guns,” securing funding for a new program to help the city’s homeless population, coauthoring a reproductive freedom resolution after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, helping to create the nation’s first child care center for police officers, and environmental measures including an updated zero-emissions Climate Action Plan, a citywide Styrofoam ban, and major investments in electric vehicle charging stations.

She also protested the removal of a Pride Month display of LGBTQ-themed books from the public library branch in her neighborhood, Rancho Peñasquitos, in 2023. Residents who opposed the display checked out all the books so they’d be unavailable and said they wouldn’t return them until the library agreed to remove them permanently.

After local media reports, supportive residents bought books to replace those taken out and donated a total of $15,000 to the library, which the city matched, for more LGBTQ+ materials and drag queen story hours.

Von Wilpert officially came out in a front-page New York Times story about the issue. She had always identified as bisexual but hadn’t made it part of her political life until then.

Now her identity is clearly part of her political life; her campaign website describes her as “a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community” and notes that she will fight bans on gender-affirming care, as well as book bans, “defend full Title IX protections,” “protect the freedom to build a family through marriage, adoption, or assisted reproductive care,” and “lead the fight to end conversion therapy.”

She is endorsed by the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, Equality PAC, LPAC, Equality California, many current and former members of Congress and California elected officials (both gay and straight), numerous labor organizations, gun control groups, and more.

Marriage is in von Wilpert’s future; she is engaged to Sarah (she prefers to keep Sarah’s last name private), a lieutenant in the San Diego Police Department. They’re planning to marry in October 2027.

Von Wilpert expects her congressional race to be close – in the primary, she received 20 percent of the vote to Desmond’s 41 percent. But there were only two Republicans in the race—Desmond and the other GOPer combined for 48 percent of the vote—while the nine Democrats, including von Wilpert, combined for 51 percent. The district has more registered Democrats than registered Republicans.

She describes Desmond as MAGA to the core, and he’s been endorsed by Trump and Issa. Polling has her and Desmond neck and neck.

“I know it’s going to be a tight race,” she said, adding, “I’ve beaten Republicans before.”

Karen Ocamb contributed to this report.

This is a cross-post from Karen’s LGBTQ+ Freedom Fighters Substack.

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.

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 25^th 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.

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. 

Pride season may be largely in the rearview mirror, but Equality California is gearing up for a busy fall. On August 3–4, we’ll convene our annual LGBTQ+ Leadership Summit in Sacramento, bringing together LGBTQ+ elected and appointed officials from across California to discuss the challenges facing our communities, develop strategies for the future, and hear from distinguished leaders, including former U.S. Senator Laphonza Butler.

Just one week later, we’ll return to the state Capitol for our final Leadership Academy of the year. This special Gender Equity Edition will help prepare lesbian, bisexual and queer women, as well as transgender and nonbinary people, to run for office and serve their communities.If you’re interested in applying or know someone who’d be a great fit, learn more!

To read more stories, join our mailing list, and sign up for the weekly Equality Brief, visit eqca.org/equalitybrief.

• Governor Newsom Signs Budget That Includes Funding for Trans Healthcare, Uncompensated Care, LGBTQ+ Centers:
  On Monday, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a pro-equality budget that specifically seeks to preserve access to healthcare for transgender Californians in addition to monies for Uncompensated Care and LGBTQ+ community center support. With the federal government threatening to withhold Medicare and Medicaid funding for hospitals and providers that offer transition-related care, Equality California and a coalition of civil rights, LGBTQ+ and healthcare organizations had lobbied for $26 million to set up a state pathway for such care. Read our statement alongside reactions from our coalition partners, as well as our list of thank-yous to the legislators who championed our ask.
  
• 6-3 Supreme Court Ruling Lets Transgender Athlete Bans Stand:
  The conservative majority court ruled on Tuesday that state bans on transgender girls participating in school sports do not violate the Constitution, and may be enforced. However, as disappointing as the ruling is, the decision was limited to the specific questions before the Court and does not resolve broader questions about protections for transgender people. Schools and states can continue to adopt inclusive policies that ensure every student is treated with dignity and respect. Read our statement here.
  
• California AG Releases Hate Crimes Report; LGBTQ+ Numbers a Mixed Bag:
  On Monday, July 6, California AG Rob Bonta’s office released the 2025 Hate Crimes in California report, tracking hate incidents throughout the state. While overall reported hate crimes decreased by 3.4%, and those with a sexual orientation bias fell by more than 35%, anti-transgender incidents saw a 23.4% increase. There is absolutely no place for hate in California. Transparent and accessible data is a critical part of understanding where we are and how we can end hate crimes in our communities,” said Attorney General Bonta.
  
• Merck Enlists Seven Drugmakers for Generic Version of New PrEP Drug:
  Pharmaceutical company Merck has announced that it will license seven generic drugmakers to produce a low-cost alternative to a new PrEP medication, alimatravir. The move is meant to make stockpiles of the drug available pending the anticipated positive outcome of two late-stage clinical trials occurring next year. UNAIDS reported 1.2 million new HIV infections in 2025; efforts to decrease transmissions have taken a hit in the wake of Trump administration decisions to pull American funding from global HIV/AIDS initiatives.
  
• Trump HHS Department Ends Rule Protecting LGBTQ+ Foster Children:
  The Department of Health and Human Services, led by Secretary RFK, Jr., has formally rescinded a hard-won Biden era rule that protected LGBTQ+ foster youth throughout the placement and reunification processes. The rule ensured that LGBTQ+ foster children would be placed in affirming homes, help them report mistreatment, request alternate placements, and prohibit so-called conversion therapy. LGBTQ+ foster youth are overrepresented in the system due in part to family rejection and fears for their safety. LGBTQ+ minors are also less likely to be reunified with their families of origin, adopted, or placed permanently with relatives.
  
• Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Parental Rights Case Next Term:
  The conservative majority Supreme Court will take up a case in its next term involving parental rights and the ability of youth to access certain services independent of parental consent. The lawsuit, International Partners for Ethical Care v. Ferguson, brought by a Chicago-based Christian nonprofit, challenges Washington state laws that allow minors to access shelter services, mental health and gender-affirming care without parental consent. The Ninth Circuit Court had refused to hear the case, stating the parents lacked standing because none of their teenagers had actually run away and sought state shelter.
  
• Pete Buttigieg Targeted by False CPS Report, Resulting in Temporary Parental Separation:
  After a false anonymous complaint was filed against Buttigieg accusing him of putting his children at risk, the former Secretary of Transportation and Presidential candidate was separated from his children temporarily while law enforcement and CPS completed an investigation. After the report was determined to be false, Buttigieg and husband Chasten were reunited with their 4-year-old twins Gus and Penelope. On his Substack, Buttigieg wrote about what he called “every parent’s nightmare,” noting he believed it was no coincidence that the events transpired during Pride Month.
  
• Federal Judge Questions Pentagon on Blatant Double Standard Around Testosterone:
  Judge Ana Reyes, currently overseeing a legal challenge to the Trump administration’s transgender military ban, ordered the government to address Secretary Pete Hegseth’s recently-announced “testosterone screening and treatment” policy and explain how it is any different from hormone therapy prescribed to transgender servicemembers. At the heart of Reyes’ order is the fundamental question: Why can testosterone be treated as a “tool of health and readiness” for cisgender troops, but serve as “evidence of unfitness” when prescribed to transgender men?

STATE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

Equality California’s priority sponsored legislation continues to move through the legislative process. As we come out of summer recess in August, we will update you on the status of these critical LGBTQ+ bills. To view our entire 2026 state legislative package, visit eqca.org/legislation

UPCOMING EVENTS

Our premier event of the year, the Los Angeles Equality Awards, is happening on Saturday, October 17, 2026 from 6:00-10:00 PM at the gorgeous Fairmont Century Plaza. And this year, we’re making Monét moves — Drag Race All-Stars winner, comedian, actor, and presenter Monét X Change will serve as emcee! We’ll also honor Asm. Rick Chavez Zbur with the Equality Leadership Award. More details will be announced soon, but tickets are on sale now! Don’t miss out!

Between caring for his newborn and running the popular GYM Bar WEHO sports bar, Jonathan Cottrell is also juggling his campaign for West Hollywood’s city council in the upcoming November general election.

Cottrell, who has lived in WeHo for over a decade, is running on a campaign of increasing government trust, neighborhood safety, and more affordable housing.

He is running because he believes in a government that “listens, acts with compassion, and works for all people,” according to his campaign website. 

“I’m a software engineer by trade, so I love big ideas, taking big swings, and I think that pragmatic approach that I bring to my work can carry over,” Cottrell, 36, said. 

Cottrell has been involved with the city in various ways over the years. Since March of last year, he’s been on the public facilities, recreation and infrastructure commission. Alongside being a business owner, he’s also a renter and helps run his HOA.

“Through the course of all those things, I’ve gotten to know the people that work at City Hall, the staffers, the council, the agencies that are county-run like fire, sheriff’s office, the health department,” Cottrell, 36, said. “All that together, I’ve gotten to see what works great about our city, but also what we can improve.”

He hopes to improve the city’s government trust by increasing transparency and accountability policies and building them up.

“If we have easy-to-use, transparent technology, that doesn’t require you to drill down through PDFs and download things and search and find dates of disclosures that exist within our government,” Cottrell said. “If we have systems where things aren’t buried in endless files, that’ll increase government trust.”

He hopes to increase this “lack of ease of accessibility” that bars people from knowing where to go to find city government information.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jonathan Cottrell (@cottrell4weho)

Prioritizing community safety is another big goal of Cottrell’s.

“As a bar owner and restaurant owner, I see it every day, all the issues we have,” Cottrell said.

Some issues he’s seen include street fights, an increase in the unhoused population, and recent issues like the waterline burst that led to a large sinkhole. He said issues like these “affect the whole community.”

If voted in, he’d like to focus on recruitment and retention of West Hollywood’s law enforcement, which he says will improve safety of the neighborhood.

He’d like to increase the number of deputies in the city and “find a path to increase public safety and better night shifts that are permanent.”

“I’d like us to increase our investment in public safety, but in a way that actually increases being safe and feeling safe,” he added. “We need to beef up the budget but also use those dollars wisely and make sure that they are actually providing safety on our blocks that we can feel.”

In 2022, West Hollywood voted to cut the sheriff budget, replacing four deputies with unarmed security ambassadors.

Since then, the budget has continued to increase sheriff and protective services (one category) and public safety budgets. In 2022, these two groups’ costs were around $22 million. By fiscal year 2028, the projected budget for public safety and sheriff and protective services is just shy of $40 million, according to WeHo’s two-year city operating budget.

WeHo’s serious crimes dropped more than 13% in the first half of 2026, according to WeHo Times, despite increases in auto thefts, shoplifting, and burglaries in residential areas.

“$40 million may seem like we’re spending a lot, but it is a smaller budget than some of our neighbors,” Cottrell said. “Increasing it will allow more presence on the street and, for example, a permanent night shift that is there at the high-risk times, at high-risk places.”

Housing and affordability in WeHo remain a common topic for many city council campaigns.

For Cottrell, a focus for long-term fixes for the city’s housing shortage is imperative.

“We need to continue to have a great housing policy here, a decade of rent control policies that were implemented by people that founded the city,” Cottrell said.

He thinks there’s a way to increase economic opportunity while also addressing the affordability crisis that impacts renters, homeowners, small businesses, and workers.

“I really believe we have to be bold about where we’re going, but also very thoughtful and strategic about how we get there,” he said. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by GYM Bar WeHo – West Hollywood Sports Bar (@wehogymbar)

He hopes that with a city full of creatives and the city’s reputation for being unique, some solutions can be found.

“In addition to our rent control and rent stabilization ordinances, I think we can get more creative about looking at creative zoning, such as light industrial residential,” Cottrell said. “I picture, say, an artist who lives and works in their studio, but also part of the space can be a gallery.”

“There’s actually a lot of spaces in West Hollywood that could be mixed-use, where we need to figure out what is the path to make that viable,” he added. “We have to continue being very thoughtful in our approach, but we can also shoot for the stars.”

Investing in more creative housing options will lead to vibrancy and growth in economic opportunity for WeHo, he said.

“Let’s invest in our people, invest in our community, and be innovative,” Cottrell said. “I have a lot of excitement for the future. There’s a lot of scary stuff happening federally, but let’s build a gold standard for the country for what a city can be in the modern world.”

For more information, head to Cottrell4Weho.com.

Florida may elect two Black gay Democrats to the U.S. House of Representatives this year—and one of them is in one of the most complicated races in the nation, due to the state’s redistricting.

In addition to Shevrin Jones in Florida’s 24^th Congressional District, Elijah Manley is seeking a seat from the state’s 20^th Congressional District. It’s a majority minority, plurality-Black, heavily LGBTQ+ and heavily Democratic district in the southeastern part of the state. The district is centered on Broward County and includes several areas with high concentrations of same-sex couples, including Fort Lauderdale’s Victoria Park neighborhood and suburbs such as Wilton Manors and Oakland Park.

But because of redistricting by the state’s Republican-led government, a longtime Democratic congresswoman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, is running in the 20^th District instead of the 22^nd, where she lives (members of the House don’t have to live in the district they represent, just the state). Wasserman Schultz currently represents the 25^th District, but changes to the map put her in the 22^nd District, which is Republican-leaning, hence her decision to run in the 20th. The 20^th District has long been represented by a Black Democrat, and that has led to criticism of Wasserman Schultz’s decision to run there, as she is white. Redistricting is threatening Black representation in several states, plus Florida’s redistricting reduced the number of safe Democratic congressional districts from eight to four.

Also, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who resigned the 20^th District seat this year, is running to reclaim it. She resigned after her fellow representatives found her guilty of ethics violations, and she faces criminal charges of stealing federal disaster relief funds and directing them to her 2021 congressional campaign. She has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges.

Into this mix comes Manley, along with two other Black candidates: Dale V.C. Holness, a former Broward County mayor, and Luther Campbell, a.k.a. Uncle Luke, from the hip-hop group 2 Live Crew. The Democratic primary will be held August 18, and given the makeup of the district, the winner will most likely go on to beat the Republican nominee in November.

“We need fresh ideas, a new generation of leadership, not just career politicians,” Manley, a 27-year-old middle school history teacher, told LGBTQ+ Freedom Fighters. That doesn’t mean pushing out all older elected officials, but the nation would benefit by putting younger people with bold stances into the mix, he said.

“I think people are tired of the same old thing,” he said. “They want people who are going to fight back.”

He became deeply concerned about the future of the U.S., especially its young people, after the 2024 election, he said. He thought the Democratic leadership wasn’t meeting the moment, and that inspired his congressional run.

But Manley had run for office before. When he was just 19, he ran for the Broward County School Board, and later he ran for the Florida House of Representatives. He didn’t win either time, but he’s glad to have had the experience. Also, in the wake of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, he became active in the March for Our Lives movement for gun control.

He says his combination of lived experience and his positions on the issues make him the best candidate in the race. His family lost everything in the financial crisis of 2008, and they were homeless for a time. He’s confronted racism and homophobia. “I understand discrimination,” he said. “I’ve experienced it firsthand.” He’s held working-class jobs and is a survivor of sexual assault.

“I refuse to believe that to serve in government, you have to have this elite profile,” Manley said. “In Congress, we need people who’ve been through some stuff.”

He denounces the Trump administration’s hostility to diversity, equity, and inclusion. That’s played out in the Department of Defense—something that hits close to home for him, as he participated in Navy Junior ROTC in high school—and elsewhere in the federal government.

“All this talk about DEI comes down to they hate progress,” Manley said. To the current administration, being pro-DEI and being “woke”—aware of inequities and willing to fight them—is a bad thing, but certainly not to him, he said. “I’m completely for woke and completely for DEI,” he noted.

The diversity of the U.S., he added, has helped it understand and aid other countries.

Some of that aid has been taken away now, with the destruction of the U.S. Agency for International Development at the hands of onetime Trump ally Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). “I have talked to dozens upon dozens of federal workers … I’ve seen the federal government fire them and treat them like garbage,” Manley said. Restoring humanitarian aid would be one of his priorities if he’s elected, he said.

Among Manley’s other priorities are health care reform, including Medicare for all; investment in public education, including universal pre-kindergarten and child care; civil rights measures, including the Equality Act; criminal justice reform; support for Ukraine; a two-state solution in Israel; and abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), replacing it with a more humane immigration policy.

To accomplish this, “we’re going to have to use the power of the purse the same way Republicans do,” Manley said. That includes not voting for budgets that defund health care, housing, and other necessities, he said.

In addition, “we need to be willing to impeach and remove people from office who aren’t following the Constitution,” he said. Among them would be Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, federal judges, and even Supreme Court justices such as Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh. He would love to have seen Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem impeached, he said, but Trump fired her before that could happen.

He is for expanding the Supreme Court—nine justices aren’t enough to represent the entire country, he said—and for expanding the number of federal court circuits.

Another priority is the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which has stalled in Congress. It’s named for the late, esteemed congressman and civil rights activist, who was honored over the July 17-19 weekend in a series of events called the Weekend of Action. Manley counts Lewis as one of his heroes. “I miss him every day,” Manley said. “His spirit just blew me away, and it still does.”

While the 20^th District is unlikely to elect a Republican, one of the GOP aspirants recently made headlines with his homophobia. Rod Joseph told the South Florida Sun Sentinel, “You cannot be born gay. That’s impossible biologically.” He claimed that people are often turned gay by being sexually abused.

“He’s wrong and ignorant,” Manley said. “I love when Republicans use science to justify their bigotry, and it never works out. It’s not going to work in this district.”

Manley has received some high-profile endorsements. One is from Congressman Ro Khanna of California, who called Manley “the only progressive in this race” and one who “understands this district’s economic struggles firsthand, as an educator who works with its kids and who grew up homeless after his family lost their home in the global financial crisis.”

Other endorsers include the Florida Young Democrats, College Democrats of America, Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida, and Peace Action.

However, Equality PAC, the political arm of the Congressional Equality Caucus—which is made up of LGBTQ+ members and allies—has endorsed Wasserman Schultz. It cited her record of supporting Florida’s working families and “defending fundamental freedoms.” She has consistently had perfect scores on the Human Rights Campaign’s Congressional Scorecard.

But Wasserman Schultz failed to win the endorsement of the Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus. When the caucus met recently, she received 53 percent of the vote and Manley 40 percent—but it takes a two-thirds majority to get the endorsement.

Earlier in the race, there was talk that some of the Black candidates might drop out so the electorate would coalesce behind one, but that hasn’t happened, and Manley doesn’t think it will. “Everybody has the right to run,” he said.

As the primary approaches, he said, “I feel pretty strong. I feel I’m getting my message out there.”

This is a cross-post from Karen Ocamb’s LGBTQ+ Freedom Fighters Substack.

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday rejected an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would have codified a ban transgender servicemembers in the military.

The bipartisan vote was 212-217.

The NDAA is for the 2027 fiscal year and sets policies for the Defense Department programs and activities and the national security programs of the Department of Energy.

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) proposed the amendment on July 21. It stated that all personnel are required to serve in accordance with their biological sex, citing military readiness and discipline.

Human Rights Campaign Senior Director of Government Affairs Jennifer Pike Bailey stated that she is grateful for the bipartisan vote that rejected President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s “dangerous and discriminatory policy that has kicked brave transgender servicemembers out of the military and weakened our national security.”

“Everyone who meets the same rigorous standards should be able to serve their country. We should honor that patriotism, particularly in this moment where we are witnessing brave servicemembers making the ultimate sacrifice for our country, instead of ending their careers and politicizing their existence. We’re grateful that a permanent extension of this ban failed, and we will keep fighting to reverse this senseless policy,” Bailey said.

Mark Takano, chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, stated that he and his members put in countless hours of work to kill the amendment.

“When Americans know they or their families are going to be targeted by or not supported by the military, that leads them to avoid signing up to serve or staying in the service — making it harder to keep the ranks of the armed services full and our nation safe. My colleagues in the Equality Caucus and I will continue working to prevent these attacks on our servicemembers and their families from becoming law,” Takano said.

According to the Congressional Equality Caucus, two other bills could potentially be passed that would also target the transgender community, both of which were proposed by U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.).

The first was a bill that would have prohibited gender-related medical care under TRICARE and to prevent TRICARE from covering certain gender-related medical procedures and treatments, which was approved in a vote of 219-208.

The second was a bill that would have prohibited male participation in female sports at DoDEA schools. DoDEA schools are Department of Defense Dependents Schools, which is a network of primary and secondary schools.

The amendment was approved in a vote of 221-203. 

Uncloseted Media published this article on July 16.

By SPENCER MACNAUGHTON | On Sunday, the office of Lindsey Graham reported that the Republican senator and Trump ally from South Carolina died “from a brief and sudden illness.” The office said that the preliminary cause of death was a rupture of his aorta due to a hardening of his arteries.

Since then, many folks in the LGBTQ+ community, including a large number of Uncloseted followers, have — for better or worse — celebrated the senator’s death. When we posted the news on our Instagram page on Sunday, our followers commented:

• “Maybe he rest in hell”—this one got 194 likes.
• “She made sure to wait until Pride was over.”
• “And just like that the world is a better place.”

These responses are fueled by allegations that the senator lived as a closeted gay man while supporting policies that would roll back LGBTQ+ rights. In 2006, he voted in support of a constitutional amendment that would have restricted marriage to only being between one man and one woman. After gay marriage became legal across the U.S. in 2015, he said “I am a proud defender of traditional marriage.” And in 2022, he told CNN he would oppose the Respect for Marriage Act and later reiterated that states should decide the issue of marriage.

Outside the Washington rumor mill, there wasn’t much evidence that Graham could be gay until 2020, when adult video performer Sean Harding wrote on Twitter that “There is a homophobic republican senator who is no better than Trump who keeps passing legislation that is damaging to the lgbt and minority communities. Every sex worker I know has been hired by this man. Wondering if enough of us spoke out if that could get him out of office?”

Harding followed up with another post, writing “If you’d be willing to stand with me against LG please let me know,” and, “So far I have two individuals who would be willing to go public and support my claims. Anyone else?”

A few days later, another anonymous sex worker came forward and made similar allegations.

But after that, there was silence, with some believing these sex workers were slapped with non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). And while at least one lawyer took to Twitter saying that he’d “be more than happy to read the NDAs and look for loopholes. For free!” nobody else came forward.

That is until earlier this week, when author Jesse James Rose posted to her Instagram that Graham had paid her for sex work prior to her gender transition. Rose wrote that “Most of you know him as the homophobic senator from South Carolina but to me he will always be the man who paid a twinky pre-transition college student a fat stack of cash to do unspeakable things to him in a hotel room while he wore red lingerie.”

This dynamic has created a complicated question for LGBTQ+ people: Is it appropriate to posthumously celebrate the death of a man who railed against our community and used his position of power to make our lives less equitable and less safe? Is it even more fair to criticize him if he was living a secret queer life?

Or should we go high and give his track record on LGBTQ+ issues a positive spin now that he’s no longer with us?

In a time where social media feels like a breeding ground for angertainment, I’ll admit that the immediacy of the response to his death at first felt intense.

At the same time, I knew I didn’t want to send thoughts or prayers to a man who tried to rip my rights away.

If the alleged NDAs that Graham handed his sex workers were legitimate, they likely evaporated after his death. So now really may be the first time people can speak their truth and offer an accurate window into the absurd hypocrisy between Graham’s public and private life.

For that, I think it’s fair game to speak candidly about the story he may have worked hard to muzzle while he was here.

The U.S. military will begin testing and treating service members with hormone therapy despite banning similar medical care for transgender service members.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that troops ages 30 and older will be subject to annual testosterone screenings, while younger service members will have the option to voluntarily opt in. Some troops may then be recommended for hormone therapy, he explained in a video posted to social media.

“Under the supervision of our world-class medical professionals, warfighters age 30 and older are going to be tested annually as part of their periodic health assessment,” Hegseth said in a video posted to X, captioned “The High-T Department of War.”

This push to test testosterone levels, as the hormone is commonly referred to as “T,” runs counter to current medical guidelines. Physicians are generally advised to discuss testosterone therapy only with men who have symptoms consistent with low testosterone and documented low hormone levels on two separate blood tests.

Testosterone is a vital sex hormone that all humans naturally produce. It helps regulate muscle mass, bone density, and sex drive. In men, it is primarily produced in the testicles, while in women it is produced in the ovaries and adrenal glands.

Natural testosterone levels in men decline with age and have long been associated with issues such as erectile dysfunction, low libido, mood changes, and weight gain. However, experts continue to debate whether these conditions should routinely be treated with testosterone therapy.

Hegseth’s announcement aligns with other actions taken by the Trump-Vance administration — including efforts by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — to make testosterone therapy more accessible for men, particularly those assigned male at birth.

Last month, the Food and Drug Administration proposed easing prescribing restrictions on testosterone gels, pills, patches, and injections following a December advisory panel that recommended reducing regulatory hurdles to expand access to testosterone therapy.

Currently, FDA labeling specifies that these medications are approved only for men with hypogonadism, a medical condition that causes abnormally low testosterone levels.

The announcement came as a shock to many LGBTQ+ advocates because Hegseth and the Defense Department have cited the use of hormone therapy by trans service members as justification for their dismissal under President Donald Trump’s 2025 executive order, “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness.“

The Pentagon continues to pursue implementation of the trans military ban as litigation proceeds. As a result, many trans service members have had their gender-affirming medical care halted, even as similar hormone therapy is now being expanded for cisgender service members. Under the executive order, the military currently disqualifies individuals diagnosed with gender dysphoria and has begun formal administrative separation proceedings for trans personnel.

SPARTA Pride, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization made up of trans service members, veterans, and their allies, issued a statement to the Los Angeles Blade following Hegseth’s announcement.

“If hormone therapy helps warfighters perform at their best, then it cannot simultaneously be used as evidence that transgender service members are unfit to serve,” said Kara Corcoran, executive director of SPARTA Pride. “The same class of evidence-based medical treatment cannot be characterized as readiness-enhancing for one group and readiness-destroying for another.”

The legal fight over trans military service remains ongoing.

On June 1, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled that trans service members already serving in the military could continue to do so, while allowing the armed services to continue refusing to enlist new trans recruits.

The Blade reached out to the Pentagon to ask why cisgender service members could receive hormone therapy while trans service members could not, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.