Biden’s powerful legacy
In historic first, president grants exclusive interview to the Blade, PAGE 08
West Hollywood City Council candidate Zekiah Wright arrested on felony charges
West Hollywood City Council candidate Zekiah Wright, 38, was arrested on felony charges on Thursday at the West Hollywood Sheriff’s station
By TROY MASTERS
West Hollywood City Council candidate Zekiah Wright, 38, was arrested on felony charges on Thursday September 12, 2024 at the West Hollywood Sheriff’s station.
Wright, who uses they/them pronouns, is facing charges of identity theft and fraud, with potential additional perjury charges.
Arrest
details and allegations
The arrest occurred at 10 a.m., and Wright was released on citation at 10:45 a.m., according to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Inmate Information Center. The release on citation requires Wright to appear in court at a future date, likely Nov. 11 at the Los Angeles County Superior Court, LAX location, according to an unnamed source.
WeHoOnline, a blog owned in part by perennial WeHo City Council candidate Larry Block, reports that the arrest stems from allegations that Wright altered LLC documents, replacing their name with Mayor John Erickson’s without his knowledge. This incident, WeHoOnline
alleges, is part of an ongoing dispute between Wright and their ex-partner, Patricia Betzner, also known as Jackie Steele.
Investigation and official statements
The arrest follows an investigation that is said to have involved Erickson and a former West Hollywood Public Safety Commissioner. Erickson, who is seeking reelection, provided a statement to WEHO TIMES:
“My understanding is that there is an investigation into this matter and if you have further questions, please get in touch with the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Department. I am confident they are handling this matter appropriately.”
Attempts to get more information from the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station have been unsuccessful as of the time of this report.
Personal disputes and legal confrontations
According to WeHoOnline, Wright and Betzner’s February breakup has escalated into
Bisexual boss moves
legal confrontations, with both parties alleging misconduct. The situation has cast a shadow over Wright’s campaign for the upcoming city council election.
Los Angeles Blade has so far been unable to reach Wright.
Wright’s background
Wright is a labor and employment litigator in Los Angeles. They relocated to Los Angeles in 2017 and started their own law firm, the Wright Firm, specializing in labor and employment law for employees and small business owners.
Wright’s involvement in West Hollywood politics began in 2019 when then-Council member John D’Amico appointed them to the Lesbian and Gay Advisory Board (LGAB). They were the LGAB’s first nonbinary member.
Later, Council member Sepi Shyne appointed Wright as chair of the West Hollywood Rent Stabilization Commission. However, they were abruptly removed from this position in June 2024 for undisclosed reasons. Shyne has made
Jurado goes head-to-head against De Leon for LA city council in November
By GISSELLE PALOMERA
Ysabel Jurado, 34, a lifelong community member of Highland Park, and openly out candidate, is running against current Councilmember Kevin De Leon for Council District 14, the most powerful city council in Los Angeles County.
Her campaign slogan is ‘Ysabel For The Community.’
Earlier this year, Jurado made history in the primary, using her perspective as a historically underrepresented person in the hopes of bringing new leadership to the district after De Leon was called to resign in 2022, following a scandal.
The live voting results earlier this year highlighted Ysabel Jurado at 24.52%, with 8,618 votes, while De Leon fell behind by nearly 400 votes, with 23.39% in the primary.
Jurado is a tenants rights lawyer and housing justice advocate from Highland Park who has built her reputation in the community with support from social activist Dolores Huerta, L.A. City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez and L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis.
“I’m the daughter of undocumented immigrants, a public transit rider, a former teen mom, and a working class Angeleno who has navigated the challenges of poverty. I have held the line on countless strikes and defended truck drivers against the same wage theft my father faced,” said Jurado in her candidate statement
De Leon secured the second spot and will go head-to-head against Jurado in November. Jurado rose to the top of the polls, while her opponents spent more money on their campaigns, including De Leon. Miguel Santiago raised the most money
for his campaign and also spent the most to secure support. De Leon came in second with both money spent and money raised. While Jurado came in fourth in the amount of money spent and raised for her campaign.
Jurado is running to become the first queer, Filipina to represent CD-14. Among the list of issues she aims to tackle while in office are; homelessness, climate action, safer streets and economic justice that uplifts small businesses.
“I will bring the institutional knowledge of a legal housing expert and the lived experience of a queer, immigrant-raised, working class, woman of color – a battle-tested representative for and from the community,” said Jurado.
Though this is her first time running for office, she has already made it as far as political pioneer Gloria Molina in 2015.
De Leon might be facing an uphill climb after he was caught saying homophobic, racist and anti-sematic remarks in a leaked audio recording that rocked his political career. Even President Joe Biden called for his resignation.
The conversation that rocked L.A politics is said to have started because of redistricting plans and gerrymandering. According to a report by the Los Angeles Times, De Leon had his hopes set on running for mayor of Los Angeles. Since the audio was leaked, protests erupted, calling for his resignation. De Leon continued in his position after an apology tour and is now running against Jurado on the November ballot.
The recording of a conversation between De Leon, Ron Herrera, Nury Martinez and Gil Cedillo.
no comments on the current situation.
Political aspirations and endorsements
Wright joined the City Council race just before the Aug.15 filing deadline. They came close to joining the council in 2022, placing fourth in a crowded field.
Recently, the West Hollywood Chamber’s West Hollywood Political Action Committee (WEHO PAC) endorsed Wright in their run for West Hollywood City Council. The WeHo PAC also selected candidate George Nickle, citing their “commitment to addressing critical issues facing the West Hollywood area community, including homelessness, affordable housing, and public safety.”
As of now, Wright has not responded to requests from Los Angeles Blade for comment — their campaign website remains active.
The story was first reported by Rance Collins of Beverly Press and is a developing story.
Jurado’s statement on her campaign website calls out the leaders of CD-14 that betrayed the communities in the district. “Between FBI raids, backroom gerrymandering, racist rants, and corruption charges, our needs have been chronically ignored,” says the statement. “City government has failed us. We deserve better.”
If she wins, she would join a progressive bloc of leaders in city council that include Nithya Raman, Hugo Doto-Martinez and Councilmember Hernandez. The leadership would have a pendulum swing toward city affairs that has not been seen before.
CD-14 covers Eagle Rock, El Sereno, Boyle Heights and parts of Lincoln Heights and downtown L.A., which includes skid row and other points of interest.
Those points of interest make CD-14 seats particularly difficult when it comes to dealing with polarizing issues like homelessness and street safety measures.
According to the latest demographic data by L.A City Council, 61% of the population is Latin American, while the second highest population is white, at 16%, followed by Asian, at 14% and Black at 6%.
If elected, Jurado aims to tackle homelessness in a district that has one of the highest unhoused populations in the city. Jurado is now gearing up for the November election by continuing to campaign at various events across Los Angeles, including ‘Postcarding with Ysabel,’ at DTLA Arts District Brewing and The Hermosillo.
West Hollywood City Council candidate ZEKIAH WRIGHT, 38, was arrested on felony charges on Thursday at the West Hollywood Sheriff’s station. (Photo from Wright campaign material)
Queers clean up at 76th annual Emmy Awards
Jodie Foster, Richard Gadd, and Greg Berlanti among LGBTQ honorees
By ROB SALERNO
It was a banner night for queer performers and television creators at the 76th annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, with Jodie Foster, Richard Gadd, and Greg Berlanti among the night’s big winners.
Lesbian icon Jodie Foster took home her first Emmy in the category Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for her role in “True Detective: Night Country.” Foster thanked her wife and kids in her acceptance speech, telling her kids to remember that “Love and work equals art.” Foster has previously been nominated for her work behind the camera, directing “Orange is the New Black,”and producing “The Baby Dance” and AMC Film Preservation Classics.”
The Net ix drama Baby Reindeer,” Richard Gadd’s autobiographical miniseries about his experiences with sexual assault and a stalker, was a big winner at this year’s ceremony. The show took home the award for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, while Gadd took home awards for writing and lead actor, and his co-star Jessica Gunning took home the award for supporting actress in the category. The show also took home honors for casting and picture editing at the Creative Arts Emmys earlier in the week.
Peacock’s “The Traitors” won in the Outstanding Reality Competition category, earning an Emmy for producer and host Alan Cumming. Cumming also won Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Show at the Creative Arts Emmys, ending an 8-year streak of wins by “RuPaul’s Drag Race” host
RuPaul. Cumming, who is openly bisexual, has been nominated four times before three times for his role on The Good Wife” and once as the host of the Tony Awards broadcast. He has also been nominated for a Daytime Emmy for his work on Arthur Show ff.”
Longtime writer and producer Greg Berlanti was honored with the Governor’s Award in recognition for his work depicting underrepresented communities on screen across his nearly 25-year-long career. Berlanti’s career has written, directed, and produced dozens of television shows, including such milestones as the first on-screen kiss between two gay characters on his first show, Dawson’s Creek.”
He later achieved acclaim creating and producing shows like “Everwood,” “The Flight Attendant,” and the CW’s various “Arrowverse” shows, and set a record with producing 18 shows that were on air during the same television season in 2019-2020. His shows frequently broke ground in LGBTQ representation, including the first transgender recurring character on Dirty Sexy Money” and shows that put gay characters in leading and title roles, like “Batwoman,”“Brilliant Minds,” and “Freedom Fighters: The Ray.”
In his acceptance speech, the 52-year-old Berlanti spoke of the impact of the lack of LGBTQ representation in television when he was a kid.
“There wasn’t a lot of gay characters on television back then, and I was a closeted gay kid, and it’s hard to describe how lone-
Behind the scenes at the Emmys
Alan Cumming ‘very happy’ this year’s ceremony was so LGBTQ-inclusive
By SUSAN HORNIK
At the Creative Arts Emmy awards last weekend, actor/ LGBTQ activist Alan Cumming won the award for Outstanding Host of a Reality Series for the much-loved Peacock series, “The Traitors.” While at the Primetime Emmys on Sunday night, the series also won for Outstanding Competition Series.
Thanking the audience, Cumming said: “We are so grateful because we are a new show, and you guys, when you like something, you tend to stick to it, which is a good quality, so we appreciate it all the more.”
During Emmys night, Cumming wore a Trans Pride pin on the lapel of his jacket, which featured the colors of the transgender Pride ag blue, pink and white. Attached to the ribbon was a medal, which read, “For Military Merit.”
Speaking to him Saturday at the GBK Brand Bar event, Cumming said he was “very happy” the Emmys were so very LGBTQ-friendly this year.
“There are lots and lots of queer people being celebrated, and that is a very positive thing,” Cumming told the Los Angeles Blade. “Especially because we are at a time in America’s history where queer people are under threat and there is a lot of violence around. So I think it’s very beautiful that the entertainment industry is showing their love and support for us.”
There were many stylish LGBTQ couples on the Emmys red carpet. Caroline Joyner, who is the director and co-head of inclusion at William Morris, was with Brittani Nichols, a writer and producer for “Abbott Elementary,” which was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series this year. Looking lovely as well
was Sarah Paulson, who was right by Emmy nominee Holland Taylor’s side. Singer Jessica Betts accompanied her wife, Niecy Nash-Betts, who was part of a fun segment about television cops.
Other well dressed celebrities were queer actor Devery Jacobs, who stars in “Reservation Dogs,” which was up for Best Comedy; Ayo Edebiri, nominated for “The Bear,” Kirsten Kish was nominated for “Top Chef” and Kali Reis, who was nominated for acting in True Detective Night Country.”
LGBTQ “Baby Reindeer” stars Jessica Gunning — nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series — and Richard Gadd, who also wrote/created the series, both received accolades for their fascinating Net ix series, which won four Emmys.
This is the stuff of dreams,” Gadd said after winning his first Emmy in writing, as well as outstanding limited or anthology series and lead actor.
In the pressroom, Gunning complimented Gadd’s writing, saying that her character was “so unique and unusual” in the dialogue she read. “It was all really there in the script for me and I just connected with her. I never saw her as a villain. I saw her as a kind of a complicated, lonely character, as was Richard’s character Donny. It was all there in the work. I was just very lucky to be able to play the part.”
Gunning said that she was unable to put the script down once she received it.
“I read all the seven episodes in one go and I just kind of fell
ly that was at the time,” Berlanti continued. “There was no Internet to connect with other queer kids, no LGBTQ+ advocacy groups in schools. Back then, the only way to tell if another kid might be gay was if he also watched ’Dynasty,’ ‘Dallas’ and could name all four of the Golden Girls.”
He said it wasn’t until the AIDS crisis in the 1980s that he saw gay men on television “holding hands with other men, marching and fighting for their rights.”
“They gave me hope that I might one day have their courage to come out and share my truth with the world,” Berlanti said. A queer creator also made history at the Creative Arts Emmys last weekend.
Benj Pasek, who is openly gay, together with his songwriting partner Justin Paul, who is straight, became the 20th and 21st people to achieve EG T status winning an Emmy, Grammy, scar, and Tony with their win for Best riginal Song for “Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It” from the Hulu series “Only Murders in the Building.” The pair have previously won the Grammy and Tony Awards for their musical “Dear Evan Hansen,” and the Oscar for writing the song “City of Stars” from the movie “La La Land.”
in love with the story and the writing and the character of Martha,” she noted. When we were filming, I just was so proud of Richard and this story. And so when we made it, I think we just all thought it was gonna be this kind of indie slow-burning hit that people might watch.”
Trans Latina “Baby Reindeer” actress Nava Mau was also nominated in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie category, making her the fourth trans person nominated at the award show and the first in the category.
I think that what we’ve been fighting for as a community is to be able to tell stories that come from the heart and that are based from a human foundation,” Mau told “Live from E!” host Laverne Cox, who was the first trans actress to be nominated for an Emmy. “Because that’s who we are as trans people, we are humans first and foremost.”
(Public domain photo)
GREG BERLANTI a e ts the Governor’s Award at the 76th annual Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 15, 2024. (Los Angeles Blade photo by Susan Hornik)
Local LGBTQ+ Media Giving Day
October 8th!
Celebrating 100 years of local media for and by our community.
The first gay publication in America was 100 years ago this year—1924’s Friendship & Freedom, produced by Henry Gerber. It was shut down by police after just two issues. Through the years, LGBTQ+ media faced similar censorship and hardships. But 100 years later, there is a chance to revitalize this journalism and make it stronger to face the anti-LGBTQ+ backlash, providing critical coverage of this vital part of the U.S. media landscape.
This first year, with one donation, you can support six of the top LGBTQ+ outlets serving our community: n Bay Area Reporter n Dallas Voice n Philadelphia Gay News n Washington Blade n Windy City Times n Tagg Magazine
This project is a program of News Is Out, a collaboration of six of the top local LGBTQ+ media across the country, supported by Local Media Foundation, a 501(C)(3) organization. Tax-deducible donations can be made anytime from now until Oct 8th.
Learn more here: givebutter.com/LGBTQequityfund
The Blade interviews President Joe Biden
By CHRISTOPHER KANE | ckane@washblade.com
Writing about President Joe Biden’s legacy is difficult without the distance and time required to assess a leader of his stature, but what becomes clear from talking with him is the extent to which his views on LGBT rights come from the heart.
Biden leads an administration that has been hailed as the most pro-LGBT in American history, achieving major milestones in the struggle to expand freedoms and protections for the community.
Meanwhile, conservative elected officials at the local, state, and national levels have led an all-out assault against LGBT Americans — especially those who are transgender, and especially transgender youth, who face an uncertain future with Donald Trump promising to strip them of their rights and reverse the gains of the past four years if he is elected in November.
Biden shared his thoughts and re ections on these subjects and more in a wide-ranging sit-down interview with the Washington Blade on Sept. 12 in the val ffice, which marked the first time in which an LGBT newspaper has conducted an exclusive interview with a sitting .S. president.
Looking back on the movement, the president repeatedly expressed his admiration for the men and women who broke the back of the prejudice, or began to break the back” starting with those involved in the nascent movement for gay rights that was kicked off in earnest with the 1969 Stonewall Riots. They took their lives in their own hands,” Biden said. Not a joke. It took enormous courage, enormous courage, and that’s why I’ve spent some time also trying to memorialize that,” first as vice president in 2016 when President Barack bama designated a new national monument at the site of the historic uprising, and again this summer when speaking at the opening ceremony of the Stonewall National Monument isitor Center.
I think it set an example,” Biden said, not just in the .S. but around the world.
Stonewall became the site of a call for freedom and for dignity and for equality,” he said, and at a time when, imagine — if you spoke up, you’d be fired, or you get the hell beat out of you.”
The president continued, I was really impressed when I went to Stonewall. And I was really impressed talking to the guys who stood up at the time. I think the thing that gets underestimated is the physical and moral courage of the community, the people who broke through, who said enough, enough,’ and they risked their lives. Some lost their lives along the way.”
Through to today, Biden said, most of the openly gay people that have worked with me, that I’ve worked with, the one advantage they have is they tend to have more courage than most people have.”
No, I’m serious,” he added, I think you guys underestimate that.”
The president has spoken publicly about his deep respect and admiration for LGBT people, including the trans community, and trans youth, whom he has repeatedly said are some of the bravest people he knows.
A record-breaking number of LGBT officials are serving in appointed positions throughout the Biden-Harris administration. Among them are Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the first openly gay Senate-confirmed Cabinet member; Rachel Levine, the highest-ranking transgender appointee in history,
who serves as assistant secretary for health at the .S. Department of Health and Human Services; the first out White House communications director and press secretary, Ben LaBolt and arine Jean-Pierre; and 11 federal judges the same number of LGBT judicial nominees who were confirmed during the bama-Biden administration’s two terms .
Even though everyone was nervous,” Biden said, I wanted an administration that looked like America,” adding, all the LGBT people that have worked for me or with me have reinforced my view that it’s not what your sexual preference is, it’s what your intellectual capacity is and what your courage is.”
I never sat down and said, it’s going to be hard, man, she’s gay, or he’s gay,’ or she’s a lesbian’” he said, and likewise, it wasn’t like the people I work with, I went, God, I’m surprised they’re competent as anybody else.’”
And then there is Sarah McBride, the Delaware state senator who is favored to win her congressional race in November, which would make her the first transgender .S. member of Congress, a sign that we’re on the right track,” Biden said.
A close friend of the Biden family, McBride worked for the president’s eldest son, Beau, who died from cancer in 2015. As the Blade reported on Friday, Biden called to congratulate her on winning the Democratic primary race last week.
While the president’s close personal and professional relationships with LGBT friends and aides has often been highlighted in the context of Biden’s leadership on efforts to expand freedoms and protections for the community, he credits first and foremost the values he learned from his father.
I think my attitude about this, from the very beginning, was shaped by my dad,” Biden said. ou think I’m exaggerating, but my dad was a well-read guy who got admitted to college just before the war started” and in addition to being well educated was a decent, decent, decent, honorable man.”
My dad used to say that everyone’s entitled to be treated with dignity,” the president said, recalling a story he has shared before about a time when, as a teenager, he was surprised by the sight of two men kissing in downtown Wilmington, Del., and his father responded, Joey, it’s simple. They love each other.”
As a consequence of that, most of the things that I’ve done have related to just what I think is basic fairness and basic decency,” Biden said.
In his 2017 memoir, Promise Me, Dad,” Biden writes that the country was too slow to understand the simple and obvious truth” that LGBT people are overwhelmingly good, decent, honorable people who want and deserve the same rights as anyone else.”
Plus, It’s not like someone wakes up one morning says, you know, I want to be transgender,’ that’s what I want to do,” he said. What do they think people wake up, decide one morning, that’s what I wanted’ — it’s a lot easier being gay, right ”
As vice president, Biden had pushed for the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and for the designation of a national monument to honor Stonewall, but he took a lot of heat — along with a lot of praise from the LGBT community — for voicing his support for same-sex marriage before bama had fully come around to embracing that position.
His remarks came in the heat of the 2012 reelection campaign during an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press.” Biden told the Blade he had just visited two guys who had children”
and if you saw these two kids with their fathers, you’d walk away saying, wait a minute, they’re good parents.’”
At the event, a reception hosted by Michael Lombardo, an HB executive, and Sonny Ward, an architect, Biden pointed to the children and said, Things are changing so rapidly, it’s going to become a political liability in the near term for someone to say, I oppose gay marriage.’”
Nevertheless, I remember how everyone was really upset, except the president,” Biden said, when he told David Gregory, I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men and women marrying women and heterosexual men and women marrying men and women are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties and, quite frankly, I don’t see much of a distinction beyond that.”
It was a watershed moment. bama would pledge his support for marriage equality three days later. And 10 years later, as president, Biden would sign the Respect for Marriage Act, a landmark bill codifying legal protections for married same-sex and interracial couples, rights that conservative .S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has expressed an interest in revisiting.
The president glanced at a print-out with bullet points, presumably a list of the various ways in which he and his administration have advanced LGBT rights over the past four years. I forgot half the stuff I had done,” he said. But you know, I’m just really proud of a lot of things we did.”
Ticking through some highlights, Biden started with the Respect for Marriage Act. I was very proud” to sign the legislation, he said, with a ceremony in December 2022 that included ice President amala Harris, first lady Jill Biden, and second gentleman Doug Emhoff.
Biden pointed to several advancements in health equity, such as the FDA’s decision to change the law so that you could no longer discriminate against using the blood of a gay man or a gay woman,” progress in the national strategy to end HI by 2030, an initiative coordinated by HHS, and a push to expand access to prophylactic drug regimens to protect against the transmission of HI .
He added, I directed the administration to promote human rights for LGBT people everywhere, particularly, for example, ganda — they want help from us; they’ve got to change their policy, in terms of the discrimination.”
President JOE BIDEN and Blade White House reporter CHRISTOPHER KANE in the a e on Se t. . a e hoto i hae e
Leaders of terrorist group targeted ‘Black, immigrant, LGBT, Jewish people’
FBI arrests two leaders of ‘Terrogram Collective’
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
In a little-noticed development, the FBI and the .S. Department of Justice announced on Sept. 9 that federal prosecutors obtained indictments against two leaders of a U.S.based terrorist group that allegedly was arranging for the murder of federal government officials and soliciting others to commit hate crimes against “Black, immigrant, LGBT, and Jewish people.”
The Sept. 9 announcement says Dallas Humber, 34, of Elk Grove, Calif., and Matthew Allison, 37, of Boise, Idaho, who are leaders of the Terrorgram Collective, a transnational terrorist
organization, were charged in a 15-count indictment for “soliciting hate crimes, soliciting the murder of federal officials, and conspiring to provide material support for terrorists.”
It says the two men were arrested on Sept. 6, but it does not say where they were at the time of their arrest.
“Today’s indictment charges the defendants with leading a transnational terrorist group dedicated to attacking America’s critical infrastructure, targeting a hit list of our country’s public officials, and carrying out deadly hate crimes all in the name of violent white supremacist ideology,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in the announcement.
“This indictment charges the leaders of a transnational terrorist group with several civil rights violations, including soliciting others to engage in hate crimes and terrorist attacks against Black, immigrant, LGBT, and Jewish people,” Assistant U.S. Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in the announcement. “Make no mistake, as hate groups turn to online plat-
forms, the federal government is adapting and responding to protect vulnerable communities,” Clarke said.
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California, Phillip A. Talbert, one of the prosecutors in the case, added in the announcement, “The defendants solicited murders and hate crimes based on the race, religions, national origin, sexual orientation, and gender identity of others My office will continue to work tirelessly with our partners in law enforcement and in the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute those who commit such violations of federal criminal law.”
The announcement also says federal investigators determined Hunter and Alison helped to develop a “hit list” of targets for terrorist attacks and hate crimes that included “U.S. federal, state, and local officials, as well as leaders of private companies and non-government organizations, many of whom were targeted because of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity.”
talks LGBTQ legacy in exclusive Blade interview
President Yoweri Museveni in May 2023 signed a law that carries a death penalty provision for “aggravated homosexuality.” The U.S. subsequently imposed visa restrictions on Ugandan officials and removed the country from a program that allows sub-Saharan African countries to trade duty-free with the U.S. The World Bank Group also announced the suspension of new loans to Uganda.
Several of the administration’s pro-LGBTQ accomplishments and ongoing work address Republican-led efforts to restrict rights and freedoms. For instance, the president noted the importance of protecting in-vitro fertilization treatments, which are threatened by Trump “and his buddies” who were involved in Project 2025, the 900+ page governing blueprint that was drafted in anticipation of the former president’s return to the White House. The document contains extreme restrictions on reproductive healthcare and provisions that would strip away LGBTQ-inclusive non-discrimination rules.
“Fighting book bans” is another example, Biden said, adding, “I mean, come on, these guys want to erase history instead of make history.”
Last year, the president appointed an official to serve in the Education Department for purposes of advising schools on instances where their restrictions on reading material, which have been shown to disproportionately target content with LGBTQ characters or themes, may run afoul of federal civil rights law.
Before “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was repealed, Biden said, “I spoke up when they were dismissing people, discharging people in the military because they were gay.” In 2021, just a few days after his inauguration, the president issued an executive order reversing the Trump administration’s ban on military service by transgender service members.
Lowering his voice for emphasis, Biden added, “They can shoot straight. They can shoot just as straight as anybody else.”
Other major pro-LGBTQ moves by the Biden-Harris admin-
istration include:
• Issuance of a new Title IX policy prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools, educational activities, and programs;
• A proposed rule from HHS that would protect LGBTQ youth in foster care;
• Expansion of mental health services, including the establishment of a 988 suicide and crisis lifeline, which provides the option for callers to be connected with LGBTQ-trained counselors;.
• Legal challenges of anti-trans state laws, such as those restricting access to health treatments;
• Repeated pushback against these bills by the president and other officials like Jean-Pierre;
The president’s remarks reaffirming his support for the LGBTQ community, including in all of his State of the Union addresses;
• The administration’s work tackling the mpox outbreak;
• Expanded non-discrimination protections in the healthcare space;
• Issuance of new guidelines allowing for changes to gender markers on official government-issued IDs;
Efforts to bring justice to veterans who were discharged other than honorably under discriminatory military policies, and;
• ‘The biggest Pride month celebrations ever held at the White House.
“But the one thing I didn’t get done was the Equality Act,” Biden said, “which is important. important.”
The president and his administration pushed hard for Congress to pass the legislation, which would codify LGBTQ-inclusive nondiscrimination protections in areas from housing and employment to lending and jury service.
Biden raised the issue again when the conversation turned to his plans to stay involved after January 2025. Look,” he said,
“when a person can get married” to a spouse of the same sex but might “show up at a restaurant and get thrown out of the restaurant because they’re LGBTQ, that’s wrong.”
“That’s why we need the Equality Act,” Biden said. “We need to pass it. So, I’m going to be doing everything I can to be part of the outside voices, and I hope my foundations that I will be setting back up will talk about equality across the board.”
Lawmakers, aides, and advocates say that significant obstacles to progress on the Equality Act remain, including polarized views on how to protect the rights of religious institutions that condemn homosexuality and Republicans’ increasing reliance on transgender rights as a wedge issue,” the Washington Post wrote in 2021, after the bill was passed by the House but left to languish in the Senate.
On LGBTQ issues more broadly, Biden said, “I think there are a lot of really good Republicans that I’ve served with, especially in the Senate, who don’t have a prejudiced bone in their body about this but are intimidated.”
“Because if you take a position, especially in the MAGA Republican Party now, you’re going to be — they’re going to go after you,” he added. Trump is a different breed of cat. I mean, I don’t want to make this political, but everything he’s done has been anti, anti-LGBTQ, I mean, across the board.”
Project 2025, the president said, “is just full of nothing but disdain for the LGBTQ community. And you have Clarence Thomas talking about, when the decision was made [to overturn] Roe v Wade, that maybe we should consider changing the right of gays to marry — I mean, things that are just off the wall — just pure, simple, prejudice.”
“What I do worry about is I do worry about violence,” Biden said. “I do worry about intimidation. I do worry about what the MAGA right will continue to try to do, but I’m going to stay involved.”
“I’m going to remain involved in all the civil liberties issues that I have worked for my whole life.”
The FBI and Justice Department arrested two men in connection with a terror plot targeting LGBT people, among others. (Photo by BILLPERRY/Bigstock)
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GLENN D. MAGPANTAY
is a member of the United States Commission on Civil Rights, an independent, bipartisan federal agency that advises the White House and Congress on federal civil rights policy. He is former executive director of NQAPIA. The views expressed herein are Commissioner Magpantay’s own and does not represent the entire commission. Magpantay may be reached at: Glenndmagpantay@gmail.com.
U.S Commission on Civil Rights reveals racial disparities among crime victims
For first time acknowledges violence against trans women of color
I don’t think President Eisenhower ever thought of transgender people when the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights was founded in 1957. But today the horrifi c killings of transgender women of color is too much to be ignored. In 201 , 2% of recorded transgender homicides were of women of color.
So it was critical that the Commission examine the violence against transgender women of color as part of its larger investigation of racial disparities among crime victims.
n Wednesday Sept. 1 , as a Commissioner, I am proud to present to Congress and the White House our fi ndings and my recommendations to address the rising violence and killings of transgender women of color.
The Commission’s report, and its documentation of this violence, recognizes transgender women of color under federal law. They are entitled to all of the protections of the Constitution and federal civil rights laws.
ver the past year, the .S. Commission on Civil Rights investigated racial disparities in crime victimization as violent crime rose from 2017-2021. The Commission’s investigation did not fi nd diff erences in the risk of victimization for diff erent races at a national level, as some might have suggested. But the data shows that LGBTQ+ and transgender communities of color are at a higher risk of violent crime.
Transgender people, especially transgender African Americans face persistent and pervasive discrimination and violence.
ierra Johnson, the Executive Director of the National LGBT Task Force, 1 testifi ed in how transgender individuals are victimized four times more often than non-trans people, with young Black and Latina transgender women at the highest risk. It was historic for the .S. Commission on Civil Rights to recognize that sexual and or gender minorities face increased risk for violent victimization. Still, we must more accurately capture the rates of violent victimization against LGBT people. There are inadequate data collection measures of gender and sexuality. A large percentage of Black transgender deaths are unaccounted for.
Transgender homicides are likely undercounted for because of misgendering and deadnaming” in police and media reports. Audacia Ray at the New ork City Anti- iolence Project, explained that transgender individuals often do not
share their legal names so when they are reported missing under their known name, their loved ones do not know what happens. 2
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 only considers sex” and does not look at gender” or sexual orientation.” So as the Commission advises Congress and the federal agencies on the enforcement of modern civil rights, we must incorporate race” and gender” under our civil rights purview. The FBI’s niform Crime Reporting Program should include disaggregated data on sexual and gender identity.
Transgender and gender-diverse victims of crime are unable to access crucial assistance and vital services. The Commission’s investigation formally documented how LGBT overall, and especially those of color or transgender experience, continued to face discrimination and harassment by law enforcement. The .S. Transgender Survey, found that 61% of Black respondents experienced some form of mistreatment by police, including being verbally harassed, or physically or sexually assaulted.
ictim service providers testifi ed that LGBT survivors hesitate to seek help because of fear of being blamed themselves; distrust or discrimination by the police; and expectations of indiff erence. Survivors of violence -- of any race, sexual orientation, gender, or gender-identity -must be able to receive essential services and assistance to help them heal from the trauma of violence. Mandatory and proper training for law enforcement and victim service providers can help victims can feel safe when reporting incidents.
ueer and trans Americans often fear retaliation by a world where they are living their true selves. The intersectional experiences of race exacerbates this fear. ur federal government needs to do more to ensure that all marginalized communities are better protected in our society.
I never would have imagined that a federally authorized report to Congress would have the powerful statement on its public record Black Trans Lives Matter ” That was until ierra Johnson of the National LGBT Task Force said, I am here to say that Black Trans Lives Matter ” I am proud of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights’s report to Congress and the country on the rise of violent crime in America and is highlights of the violence against transgender women of color.
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is a longtime LGBTQ rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.
an ‘independent’ voter?
And why are they calling themselves that?
We should know what it is about the various parties that keep some who call themselves ‘independent’ from registering as a member. Are they so unhappy with the Democratic, Republican, Green, Workers, or other parties in their state? Each state may recognize different parties, and have different requirements to get a ballot line for a particular party. So, the questions may be slightly different depending on where the voter, who claims to be an independent, lives.
The media are doing a poor job of dealing with the detail when they focus on those who call themselves independents. They need to ask different questions than they now do. They need to get to the bottom of why a person would rather call themselves an independent, instead of joining a political party. One thing we would want to know is do they have a set of principles and positions so different from any existing party, that they would want to make up a new party? Would they be willing to do the work to get that new party on the ballot in their state?
If the answer is no, they would not be willing to work to get a new party in their state, then the first question to ask the voter is, What does being an independent mean to you ” They should ask them what they believe that stops them from joining an existing political party What are the principles they have that aren’t represented by any existing party Then the follow up questions should include Is there a party they lean to Is there a party they currently would not consider supporting under any condition?
We are living in interesting times to say the least. Intelligent people should realize there will never be one candidate of any party, who meets all their expectations. So today when any independent is interviewed on T , or in newspapers, the first question they are asked should be, is there any candidate running today who has a set of positions you could never vote for ” The second question should be is there any candidate today whose personal history makes him her one you could never vote for ” Their answers to those questions would then lead to the next ones, giving the viewer of a T interview, or reader of a news-
paper interview, a greater understanding and potential to make sense of what the person being interviewed is really thinking.
If the independent voter says he/she can’t vote for Trump, then you focus on what they want to hear from Harris to get their vote. What she needs to say to them that she hasn’t. Then maybe ask if they have read the Democratic platform which Harris endorses, or looked at her website. Ask them what in the administration she has been a part of, and the votes she actually cast in the Senate, both as senator, and as vice president to break ties, they disagree with Then, the follow up to that might be, would you consider not voting ” If they say yes, the interviewer might suggest to them if you don’t consider Trump acceptable, and you don’t vote for Harris, are you in essence helping Trump? Would that make a difference to you Getting answers to these questions may be a better way to understand what it means to some to be independent.
There is an initiative on the ballot in D.C. to allow independents” to vote in party primaries. They would not have to indicate they are a member of the party to vote. In D.C., the questions being asked of independents who support this is why should they help choose the person who will represent a party in the general election, if they don’t even believe in the party enough to join it ”
In D.C. it’s easy to join a party even just to vote in its primary. If you are a registered voter, but haven’t chosen a party, you can register to join a party up to 21 days before the primary. Anyone listening to the candidates debate the issues will know by then if they want to cast a ballot for one of them. Unfortunately, this initiative has been paired with another proposal giving D.C. ranked choice voting. So there won’t be a clear outcome on whether people like either one of the proposals and because of their being joined, the initiative will most likely be defeated.
Independents are here to stay. We all need to better understand what each person means when calling themselves that.
rans star att es re i e in n hta e’ o
A harrowing, heartbreaking, inspiring portrait of Alana McLaughlin
By JOHN PAUL KING
It’s no surprise that the fall movie landscape finds an unusually large number of films most of them documentaries about trans people and the challenges they face in trying to achieve an identity that matches their own sense of self. Transgender rights or even acceptance have never been in such a precarious place within the American political landscape since queer rights were acknowledged at all in the mainstream conversation. After eight years of ramped-up efforts by anti-trans activists to essentially legislate them out of legal existence, trans people find themselves facing a divisive and uncomfortably close election that will likely have an existential impact on their future, accompanied by persistent and vocal efforts by the conservative right-wing crowd to ostracize and stigmatize them within public perception. They’re not the only target, but they are the most vulnerable one especially within the evangelical strongholds that might swing the election one way or the other and that means a lot of conservative crosshairs are trained directly on them.
It’s a position they’re used to, unfortunately, which is precisely why there are so many erudite and artistic voices within the trans community emerging, prepared by years of experience and education gained from dealing with persistent transphobic dogma in American culture, to illuminate the trans experience and push back against the efforts of political opportunists by letting their stories speak for themselves. Surely there is no weapon against hatred more potent than empathy once we recognize our own re ection in those we demonize, it’s hard to keep ourselves from recognizing our shared humanity, too and perhaps no more potent way of conveying it than through the most visceral artistic medium of all filmmaking Particularly timely, in the wake of an lympics marked by controversy over the participation of Algeria’s Imane helif and Taiwan’s Lin u-ting in the women’s competition, is nfightable,” from producer director Marc J. Perez. ffering up a harrowing, heartbreaking, and ultimately inspiring portrait of Alana McLaughlin a .S. Army Special Forces sergeant who, following gender transition, turned female MMA fighter only to face resistance and transphobic prejudice within the rarified cultural microcosm of professional sports while also taking a deep dive into the world of Mixed Martial Arts and the starkly divided attitudes of those who work within it, it aims to turn one person’s trans experience into a metaphor for the struggle of an entire community to be recognized and accepted on its own terms. For the most part, it succeeds. nlike many such biography-heavy documentaries, nfightable” allows its subject the charismatic and outspoken McLaughlin, whose presence rightly dominates the film and leaves the most lingering impression to narrate her own story, without interpretation or commentary from talking head” experts. From the grim-but-all-too-familiar story of her upbringing in a deeply religious family and yes, conversion therapy” was involved through her struggle to define her identity via a grueling military career, her eventual transition, and her emergence as only the second transfeminine competitor in the professional MMA arena and beyond, Perez treats most of the movie’s narrative thrust like an extended one-on-one interview, in which McLaughlin delivers the story as she experienced it. This one-on-one honest expression is effectively counterpointed by the rhetoric of other MMA personalities who participated in the film, some of which is shockingly transphobic despite protestations of having nothing against” trans people.
MMA, whose efforts to bring McLaughlin into the fold were not only successful, but ultimately led to her victorious 2021 match against French fighter Celine Provost. It’s a tale that hits all the touchstone marks of queer trans experience for those whose lives can’t really begin until they break free of their oppressive origins, and whose fight to claim an authentic life for themself is frequently waged against both the families who ostensibly love them and the prejudices of a society eager to condemn anything that deviates from the perceived norm”. Naturally, as a story of individual determination, self-acceptance, and success against the odds, its main agenda is to draw you in and lift you up; but it does so while still driving home the point about how far the road still stretches ahead before trans athletes and by extension, trans people in general are afforded the same legitimacy as everyone else.
To ensure that reality is never forgotten or taken lightly, we are offered some pretty egregious examples; from prominent fighters who insist they have no problem” with trans people as a preface for their transphobic beliefs about trans athletes, to McLaughlin’s long wait before finding another MMA pro who was willing to fight her we are confronted with a pattern of prejudice blocking her path forward. And though it documents her triumph, it reminds us that three years later, despite her accomplishments, she has yet to find another MMA pro willing to give her another bout.
If nothing else, though, nfightable” underscores a shift in attitudes that re ects the progress however slow or maddeningly hard-won it may be of trans people carving out space for themselves in a social environment still largely hostile to their success or even their participation. As McLaughlin’s journey illustrates, it takes dogged persistence and a not-insignificant level of righteous anger to even pierce the skin of the systemic transphobia that still opposes the involvement of people like her in sports; her experience also bears witness to the emboldened bigotry that has doubled-down on its opposition to trans acceptance since the 2016 election of a certain former president who is now seeking a second chance of his own highlighting the dire consequences at stake for the trans community and, let’s face it, the entire queer community alongside every other group deplored and marginalized by his followers should his efforts toward a comeback prove successful.
et as grim an outlook as it may acknowledge, nfightable” doesn’t leave viewers with a belief in sure defeat; in the toughness of its subject who is, as it proudly makes clear, a veteran of combat much more directly dangerous than anything she will ever encounter in the ring and her refusal to simply give up and go away, it kindles in us the same kind of dogged resistance that fueled her own transcendence of a toxic personal history and allowed her to assert her identity triumphantly so, despite the transphobia that would have kept her forever from the prize.
That’s a spirit of determination that we all could use to help drive us to victory at the polls come November. Like Alana McLaughlin, we have neither the desire nor the ability to go back to the way our lives were before, and Perez’s documentary helps us believe we have the strength to keep it from happening.
At the same time, the film acknowledges and amplifies supportive voices within the
nfightable” opened for a limited release in New ork on Sept. 13 and begins another in Los Angeles on Sept. 20. It will air on i , the leading Spanish-language streaming service in the world, and in English on Fuse T , following its theatrical run.
rans hter ALANA MCLAUGHLIN stars in n hta e.’
Author rails against racism and desire, politics, loss
Rage’ explores being ueer, Black, Brilliant’
By TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER
Somewhere up in the clouds.
That’s where your blood pressure is, right there as high as it’s ever been. Hoo, boy, are you angry. Your teeth are clenched, your eyes are slits, and you can’t trust yourself to speak in more than a growl. You’re plenty steamed and, as in the new book “Rage” by Lester Fabian Brathwaite, it shouldn’t have to be this way.
When he came with his family to America from Guyana at just four years old, Brathwaite couldn’t believe what his new home country offered. Malls, new kinds of food, cable television? Shirtless white men on TV and in magazines? Yes, please!
He’s always had crushes on white men, but he loves being a gay Black man – even though racism, overt and subtle, can be an aggravation. When Brathwaite is on a dating app, white men sometimes dismiss him with a racial comment. He’s heard and seen the “n-word” more than once and he doesn’t tolerate it. Wouldn’t a greeting and a no thanks be less rude?
He is bothered by unnecessary meanness. He is bothered in a different way by bodybuilding. Hot, muscular bodies, to be exact and he’s sure that whoever created the sport was a genius. Brathwaite participates in bodybuilding himself sometimes it’s expensive and he does it for himself, not for other men – though he believes that gay men are bodybuilding’s biggest subset. For sure, he’s payed homage to his share of bodybuilders, superheroes in movies, and hot shirtless boys on TV.
There were many times, years ago, that Brathwaite ended up drunk and in a stranger’s bed or looking for an old hook-up, and he was arrested once. Nearing 30, though, he realized that that life wasn’t what he wanted anymore. His knees couldn’t take it. Besides, he liked who he was and he liked his blackness. He realized that he didn’t need anyone else to be a hero of his tale. He could do it better himself.
One thing’s for certain: “Rage” lives up to its title.
At times, author Lester Fabian Brathwaite rails against so many things: racism and desire, club society, being a writer and editor, the generational differences between gay men, politics, and loss. At other times, he’s outRAGEous and hilarious, writing to readers as though he’s holding court in a cafe somewhere and you’d better listen up.
You should know that that means honesty – poking in the corners, calling things out for what they are, chastising people who need schooling on how to behave in a way that doesn’t leave room for nonsense. This arrives unabashed and raw, accompanied by plenty of profanity.
You’ve been warned.
And yet, Brathwaite’s candor and his blunt talk is fresh and different. This gay man doesn’t pussy-foot around, and getting his opinions without uff feels good and right. Readers will appreciate that, and they might come away educated.
Generally speaking, this ain’t your Grandma’s book, unless Grandma likes real talk laced with profanity. If that’s so, then get “Rage.” You’ll both be mad for it.
“Rage:
On Being Queer, Black, Brilliant... and Completely Over It”
By Lester Fabian Brathwaite
c.2024, Tiny Reparations Books | $28 | 288 pages
Hauling sass: beauty and the beast Reviewing Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 and Mercedes E-Class Wagon
By JOE PHILLIPS
Ritzy versus rugged: you choose.
Like forlorn lovers, two iconic vehicles showcase the strengths—and weaknesses—of growing up on different sides of the track.
The revered Jeep Wrangler, first introduced in 19 6, traces its roots to the rugged Jeeps of World War II. Believe it or not, one Jeep—dubbed “Old Faithful”—was actually awarded a Purple Heart after surviving the Guadalcanal beach landing.
Then there’s the refined Mercedes E-Class wagon, a high-society hauler. The German automaker debuted its first modern station wagon in 1977 but can boast lineage dating back to arl Benz’s first patented car in 1 6. Ritzy doesn’t begin to describe today’s sensuous ride. So, beauty or the beast Trust me, it’s not an easy choice.
JEEP WRANGLER RUBICON 392 FINAL EDITION
$102,000
MPG: 13 city/16 highway 0-to-60 mph: 4.2 seconds
Cargo capacity: 72 cu. ft.
PROS: ick-ass power. Butch cred. Collector’s edition.
CONS: High ground clearance. High price. Highly impractical.
IN A NUTSHELL: Wranglers are known for their all-terrain prowess, but the rough-andtumble Rubicon trim is the most off-road-capable Jeep ever produced. This Wrangler arrived in 2003, the year Angelina Jolie drove a Rubicon in her second Lara Croft action ick, which led to a special-edition Tomb Raider” model. Jeeps also played a role in MASH,” Clueless” and Jurassic Park,” as well as Gilmore Girls,” Band of Brothers” and Dukes of Hazzard” cue Daisy Duke’s beloved Dixie” .
But now you can star in your own life with the most wicked Jeep of all the Wrangler Rubicon 392 Final Edition. The renowned Hemi engine—the heart of muscle cars like the Dodge Charger and Challenger—is being phased out, and the Hemi-powered Rubicon is next on the chopping block. But instead of sunsetting later this year, the in-your-face Final Edition has proved so popular that its exit has been extended through 2025.
It’s easy to see why Press the ignition button and a thunderous roar from the dual-mode exhaust system is enough to wake the dead. With 470 horsepower, this beast screeches from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.2 seconds.
Bronze 17-inch wheels are paired with thick 35-inch tires, boosting ground clearance to 13.3 inches. That’s more than twice as high as most S s, which means climbing—and I do mean climbing—in and out of this vehicle can be a challenge. It was a source of pride to finally step up into this Jeep without looking like a complete klutz.
Inside the no-nonsense cabin are 12-way power seats with gold stitching and an exclusive
medallion on the shifter. A commemorative plaque is on the Mopar swing gate, which has a built-in table for roadside picnics. There’s also an 3-piece toolkit. And if you de ate the tires for heavy-duty off-roading, an optional on-board air compressor will in ate the tires back up again.
But my fave feature is the automatic retracting roof, which is just as classy—but much quicker to operate—than fancy-schmancy tops on most high-end convertibles.
MERCEDES E-CLASS STATION WAGON
$76,000
MPG: 22 city/31 highway
0-to-60 mph: 4.6 seconds
Cargo capacity: 64 cu. ft.
PROS: Sleek styling. Cushy cabin. Heavenly handling.
CONS: Lotsa S competitors. Irritating infotainment system.
IN A NUTSHELL: The Jeep Wrangler may be all brawn, but the Mercedes E-Class station wagon is a complete brainiac. Think nerd chic,” with loads of high-tech wizardry hidden beneath shapely sheet-metal.
Promoted as an all-terrain vehicle, with air suspension to raise and lower the chassis, this wagon deftly wends its way over rutted backroads or rolling meadows. And the 360-degree surround-view system includes a transparent” view, which relays images from various camera angles to the dashboard monitor so that you can see what you’re driving over in real time.
But the elegant E-Class is finest on city streets. A long wheelbase—over 16 feet—ensures smooth sailing in what is truly a land yacht, with plenty of legroom and rear cargo space. And the 375-horsepower 6 turbo is no slouch, proving to be almost as fast as the Hemi-infused Wrangler. The Mercedes engine positively purred during normal driving but growled when I stomped on the gas.
An exquisite cabin showcases the latest electronics, including a 12.3-inch gauge cluster, 14.4-inch infotainment touchscreen and optional 12.3-inch front-passenger display. The 21-speaker Burmester stereo is mic-dropping amazing, putting concert-hall acoustics to shame. And this wagon can become a 5G wireless hotspot, which really boosts connectivity.
My only beef The less-than-intuitive entertainment system, which left me struggling as I repeatedly swiped back and forth to try and land on my preferred Sirius stations. In the end, it was easier to use the very capable voice-activation system instead.
verall, both the Mercedes wagon and Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 boast plenty of power and panache. They just haul your ass in very different ways.
JEEP WRANGLER RUBICON 392
MERCEDES E-CLASS WAGON
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