National
Should Atlantis Events come with a warning label?
Circuit party cruises, drugs, and obfuscation-you worried?
Another Atlantis Events cruise is underwayāthis one an 11-day cruise from Auckland, New Zealand to Sydney, Australia.
All that bad press about the death of popular Storm Chasers star Joel Taylor last month has simply faded from memory as the gayest circuit party on the high seas returns to cruising as usual. No more PR finger-pointing and the myopic moralism from social media commentators about āpersonal responsibilityā pretty much assures there will be no accountability for the suspected drug overdose death of a gay man so many say they loved.
Taylor was buried on Jan. 29 in his hometown of Elk City, Oklahoma with his family, best friend and former Storm Chasers co-star Reed Timmer and apparently his other best friend, the Dominator 1āthe black armored storm-chasing beast Taylor drove on the Discovery Channel seriesāattending his funeral.Ā
No doubt unspoken during the somber service was how protected Taylor was during his dangerous career, only to die alone in his cabin after partying with seafaring friends aboard Harmony of the Seas, an 18-deck ocean liner, the largest of Royal Caribbeanās fleet, chartered by West Hollywood-based Atlantis Events.
TMZ broke the story onĀ Jan. 24, reporting that Taylor ādied from a suspected overdose on a cruise shipāthis according to passengers on the boat. Passengers on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line Harmony of the Seas tell TMZādrugs on the party boat were plentiful, and they say 38-year-old Taylor was partaking.ā TMZ updated the story, reporting that āLaw enforcement sources tell TMZ, āIt appears the death could be an overdose and Joel Taylor was consuming controlled substances.ā A passenger who interacted with Joel tells TMZ, Joel had consumed enough GHB on the dance floor Tuesday that he was rendered unconscious and taken off the dance floor by 2 people and back to his room.ā
That information is critical because it appears that TMZ is the only media outlet with a law enforcement source saying the cause of death might be a drug overdose. The Institute of Forensic Sciences of Puerto Rico conducted the autopsy after Taylorās family identified him. But as of Feb. 18, there appears to be no public toxicology resultsāhence, no official report of how, exactly, Joel Taylor died. And with no confirmation of a drug overdose, neither Royal Caribbean nor Atlantis Events has yet officially explained how Taylor could have ODed on a ship with a zero tolerance policy for illegal drugs.Ā
They can also obfuscate when asked whether their medical staff is trained to handle reactions to bad drugs or drug overdoses sinceāCatch 22 alertāthey have a zero tolerance for drugs. Itās like prison officials refusing to comment on rape in prison because rape in prison is illegal.
Royal Caribbean issued a statement without acknowledging Taylorās name. āAs is our standard procedure, law enforcement was notified and responded to the ship when it arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Tuesday, January 23,ā Owen Torres, manager of global corporate communications for Royal Caribbean Cruises, said in a statement to PEOPLE and other news outlets. āWe extend our most sincere and heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the 38-year-old male guest from the United States who died while onboard Harmony of the Seas. A member of our Care Team is providing support and assistance to his family.ā
Atlantis Events released no statement of condolence or explanation and took down its website page advertising the ‘all-gay Caribbean Cruise on Harmony of the Seas’ running from January 20-27, with an ‘Error 404’ message in its place,Ā TMZ did not disclose which branch of law enforcement gave them the information but there are several with at least a tangential association with the cruise.
Torres said the cruise lines works closely with the US Coast Guard and Customs and Border Patrol which acts like the TSA scanning passengers before boarding. Several Atlantis passengers confirmed this on social media noting that some passengers had been arrested for drug possession or prevented from boarding at the Ft. Lauderdale port before departure.
Several media outlets subsequently reported that the FBI was investigating Taylorās death. But FBI Miami representative James P. Marshall told the Los Angeles Blade that āFBI Miami is not involved in this matterā and FBI San Juan representative Carlos Osorio said that since no violent crime had been committed, his FBI office was not involved. He said jurisdiction for drug overdoses rested with the San Juan police.
However, no one answered at police headquarters in San Juan when both the Los Angeles Blade and Washington Blade reporter Michael Lavers (who speaks Spanish) repeatedly called. Only one of the four local newspapers reported the death at the time.
Lavers, who has recently filed several in-depth reports from Puerto Rico, offers this perspective. āThe Puerto Rico Police Department is overwhelmed because of the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. A lack of resources, increased crime and the devastation itself have combined to create this situation,ā Lavers says. āI quite frankly would not expect the Puerto Rico PoliceĀ Department to conduct a swift investigation into Joel’s death.ā
Nonetheless, Royal Caribbeanās Owen Torres insisted there was no drug-related story to report until the San Juan police finish their investigation and the toxicology report identifies the cause of death.
In a roughly 30 minute (tape recorded) sometimes testy phone interview, Torres hammered away at his main talking points that seemed more geared to protect the company from liability than acknowledging a situation fraught with contradictions.
For instance, when the Los Angeles Blade attempted to interview Atlantis Events President & CEO Rich Campbell, an assistant politely but firmly said āwe wonāt commentā on Taylorās death. When pressed to answer other drug-related policy questions, the man said, āThatās all I can tell you. You have to contact the cruise line. Theyāre doing PR.ā No one picked up when the Los Angeles Blade tried again.
However, Torres told the Los Angeles Blade: āI cannot speak on behalf of Atlantis charter. You need to contact them in regards to their policies.ā
But several times Torres insisted that Royal Caribbeanās policy applies to Atlantis, as well as all of RCCIās fleet of cruise shipsāāall the same rules ally.ā Royal Caribbean has āa zero tolerance for illegal drugs, periodā whether a charter or a guest.ā The āclear listā of banned drugs are on their website and in cruise documents. āAnd we hold our charter responsible the same way as we do [sic] and we involve law enforcement should we find any violation, whether youāre a charter and our guest.ā
And again: āOur rules and regulations apply to charters and we hold them accountable. I canāt speak to what Atlantis doesāwe need to touch base with them. But we hold them accountable,ā Torres said, though he refused to say how Royal Caribbean would hold Atlantis Events accountable for one or more violations of corporate drug policy. But, he added, āas of right now, we are definitely evaluating the situation and will take it from there.ā
Though Torres noted that no one knows the facts, he said TMZās reporting was wrong. āIām telling you right now you need to look into what the local law enforcement [says] to see what exactly is the cause of death because as far as I knowāyou and I donāt know what the cause of death is. Youāre just speculating from what TMZ said and that kind of stuff and that is not correct. Weāre not in the business to speculate [sic] and that is for law enforcement to finalize their investigation,ā Torres told the Los Angeles Blade.
Torres also insisted that information about the onboard medical center is adequately addressed in ship documents and that the medical staff is trained to handle any contingency. āOur hospital and medical staff provide treatment for anyone for anything of that matter,ā Torres said. Asked specifically about whether the staff is prepared to handle drug overdoses (drug interactions can be fatal, as well), Torresā had a strange reaction āNo, no, no, no! Youāre misquoting me right there,ā he said. āIām not saying anything youāre saying about what youāre just now saying.ā
Finally, Torres said that if a passenger shows up and is overdosing, āthereās a procedure our medical team deals withā but he is not aware of what it is. Additionally, the ship will medically evacuate serious medical cases.
Towards the end of the interview, Torres was exasperated by the questions culled from comments on websites and social media about rampant drug use on that trip.
āThe drug use on this cruise was the worst we had ever seen. Out in the open as it was widely accepted and no one had shame. We had never seen people do GHB, Coke and Meth all while dancing but we did on this cruise. It was so widespread that we choose to go back to our rooms because it was really getting to us seeing it,ā Anthony, for example, who commented Jan. 29 on Jim Walkerās Cruise Law News. āIt was so accepted that it became the joke of all the shows. ā
āIf youāre saying things are rampant, Iām trying to figure out what it is our crew did not do in? Of not reporting it, because then thatās a different story because we have security guards all over our ship,ā Torres said. But ājust coming to me with āhe said, she saidāāthatās not the business weāre in.ā
āSo nothing can be reported about what the cause of death is or what happened on board because right now, we are working with law enforcement, period,ā Torres continued. āAt the end of the day, Royal is Royal but [Atlantis CEO] Rich Campbell is who you need to touch base withā¦.I have made it very clearāI donāt speak on behalf of Atlantis. Never.ā
The veracity of this is difficult to determine, considering what the Puerto Rican Police Department is experiencing. As of Feb. 13, more than 400,000 customers still didnāt have electricity and intermittent blackouts are common in the wake of Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 storm with 155-mph winds that devastated the island on Sept. 20. At least 64 people died, thousand were left homeless and thousands more were left with no electricity or clean water for months.
And as the Associated Press reported, the police have been stretched to the limit with 32 people killed in the first 11 days of the new year and a reign of lawlessness as policeācomplaining they havenāt been paid overtimeāstaged a walkout in January that took about 2,000 officers off the street each day.
“The police and people in government are focused right now on solving immediate needs that emerged with the hurricane so they are not as focused on watching crime rates or fulfilling typical duties, like public security, as they would under normal circumstances,” expert Monica Caudillo told the New York Daily News.Ā
Additionally, for all the repeated messages about how drugs are not allowed, at least one person didnāt get the message. On Jan. 30, Sam commented on maritime attorney Jim Walkersā website: āYou know what is something is that when AIDS took front and center and the gay community grew up and realized what was causing it, the community took the situation seriously and it curbed the effects. The community stood behind one another and saved one each other from what was a certain death. But when it comes to drugs it is a personal responsibility. Where is our responsibility coming into play? I hold myself to the same level of moral decency as I expect Atlantis Events to be held to the same. These drugs were being used in plain view of the security and staff of Atlantis and not once was someone told to put it away. YET we were told that smoking cigarettes was prohibited on most of the ship except…… But never once was drugs prohibited., Not a single message. There was a message about sex in the open take it to your room but never mentioned about drugs YOU Know why because it comes down to dollars and sense. Atlantis is more about the profits than the safety. They have stooped to the corporate level of making money at the client’s expense and we are fueling it for them. Unfortunately, they bought out the only other gay cruise line to monopolize the industry in such a way that we have no other choices if we want to cruise on our own. At least when RSVP was not affiliated with Atlantis we had a choice now we are left with none and the brand RSVP has been dwindled done to worthless.ā
Such lack of communal response and apparent obfuscation by Royal Caribbean and Atlantis Events also concerns LGBT advocates such as Jim Key, former Chief Marketing Officer at the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Key is concerned that by not squarely addressing the issue of drug use at sea, more people could die.
āI can certainly understand why Royal Caribbean has a policy against drug use. Itās a huge travel company, not a nightclub promoter. But the time for Royal Caribbeanās president and the president of Atlantis to pretend people arenāt using drugs should have stopped after the first drug-related death (that I know of), nine years ago,ā Key told the Los Angeles Blade. āThe only question is how will they care for people who have overdosed? Telling passengers Royal Caribbean has zero tolerance for drug use wonāt stop people from using, but it does make it even less likely theyāll seek medical care on the ship.ā
On Jan. 29, Key posted an open letter to Royal Caribbean International President Michael Bayley on Towleroad calling for responsibility and action.
āDear Mr. Bayley,ā Key wrote, āSince Atlantis Events refuses to take responsibility to protect the lives of passengers on Royal Caribbean-chartered and operated ships, youāand the heads of other cruise lines that do business with Atlantisāmust take action.ā
Taylorās tragic death wasnāt the first death on an Atlantis cruise āresulting from an accidental overdose of party drugs. In recent years, at least two other people on Royal Caribbean shipsāand perhaps many moreāhave died similarly. One of them was my friend Spencer Yu, in 2009,ā Key wrote. āIf three people had died from drug overdoses at a nightclub on land, that club would be shut down, but on Atlantis-chartered ships, the parties continue and the number of deaths keep growing.ā
Key aimed his ire at Atlantis Events president Rich Campbell, with whom he and Center COO Darrel Cummings had met to suggest ways to protect other passengers from Spencerās fate.ā He disclosed that The Center had used donated cruise packages for silent auctions.
Key and Cummings asked Campbell to have onboard medical staff experienced in caring for passengers who might accidentally overdose, common at all-night circuit-type parties.
āI was stunned when he refused our request, saying āthatās news to meā in regard to my comments about the wide use of drugs on his cruises,ā Key wrote. āWe were prepared with a number of recommendations to help protect passengers, but by refusing to even acknowledge the truth, he had no interest in hearing our suggestions.ā After all, a friend of Campbellās āwas arrested on your Allure of the Seas in 2011 for dealing drugs.ā
Key explained that he had enjoyed his three times on Atlantis cruises. āUnfortunately, the cruises are also the perfect storm for potential tragedy,ā he wrote. āOn cruises, where there are no security personnel, people are able to quickly go back and forth to their cabin during parties, night after night, increasing the likelihood theyāll take more drugs than their bodies can handle. And when that happens, there are no nearby hospitals.ā
Since Campbell profits while dodging culpability, Key wrote, āif Royal Caribbean continues to operate ships for Atlantis, youāand the head of Holland America and other cruise lines chartered by his companyāmust take action to prevent any more needless deaths. If you remain complicit, youāll have on your hands the blood of those who die on future cruises.ā
Itās not a brain twister: medical staff must know how to treat distressed guestsāand āpassengers must know how to recognize the signs someone has overdosed and how to quickly get them the treatment they need, without fear of prosecution or discrimination,ā Key wrote.
Dr. Travis Cosban, an ER doctor and passenger aboard Taylorās cruise, also responded to critics holding Atlantis blameless and touting each passengerās āpersonal responsibility,ā ignoring that partygoers may not know the strength of the drugs theyāre taking or how they might react to combinations of drugs.
In his letter to Bayley and Atlantis talked about the āfearā of coming forward. āRumors were flying on social media that if anyone was caught with or under the influence of drugs they may be detained, arrested or removed from the boat. Consequentially, it does not surprise me that passengers would be hesitant to bring anyone to the appropriate medical facility on board. This culture of fear was created by Atlantis,ā Cosban wrote. āProviding staff and medical treatment locations that are safe spaces is essential to healthcare delivery and passenger safety. This is true on land and it is true on waterā¦. Atlantis cannot claim ignorance now.ā
āThe best step forward,ā Cosban continued, āis taking reasonable actions to ensure prevention is a priority for future cruises. This requires a change in attitude and a change in culture. No one should ever fear seeking help when they most need it and Atlantis should put resources in place to ensure that doctors can be the safety net they are trained to be.ā
For some people, the controversy over the Royal Caribbean/Atlantis Events drug-fueled party scene is out of line. But for others, it hits home.
āAs a survivor of dance floor drugs and a serious meth addiction that nearly killed me, I was once one of the bodies carried from a dance floor and into an ambulance,ā longtime AIDS activist Mark S, King, writer at MyFabulousDisease.com, tells the Los Angeles Blade. āFortunately for me, this occurred on land, in a city where medical personnel and a hospital were nearby. I barely escaped becoming a statistic myself. So I have empathy for the gay men who believe they are having the times of their lives.ā
Kingās revelry blinded him to his naivetĆ© about mixing drugs. āThat’s where my heart goes out to the clueless party boys aboard the Atlantis cruises,ā he says. āExcept, when they dose themselves into oblivion, there are no experienced EMT people at the ready, no ambulances, no hospitals. Their relative experience has deadly consequences.
āIf we learned anything from HIV activism, it is that moral judgments get us nowhere when addressing a public health crisis, which this certainly is,ā King continues. āNone of us should sentence anyone to a death āthey deservedā because they were careless, when they were trying to find a tribe with which to belong. I get that. It’s easy for others to pass judgment. I would rather demand that these cruise lines have the guts to address this issue and quit hiding behind their soft porn marketing campaigns. They must address this.ā
And what if they donāt?
Congress
Senate braces for anti-LGBTQ+ attacks with incoming Republican majority
Republicans to regain control of chamber in January
Particularly since Republicans took the U.S. House of Representatives in 2023, legislative attacks against the LGBTQ+ community, at least at the federal level, have been blunted by U.S. Senate Democrats exercising their narrow majority in the upper chamber, along with President Joe Biden’s promise to veto any discriminatory bill that should reach his desk.
Next month, however, Republicans will take control of both chambers of Congress as President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House, marking the first time since 2018 that the GOP has governed with a trifecta in Washington.
“We expect the Trump administration and House and Senate Republicans to continue their anti-LGBTQ+ attacks on all aspects of life, especially against trans kids,” Josh Sorbe, a spokesperson for Senate Majority Whip and Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), told the Washington Blade.
Durbin is among the Democratic senators who spoke out this week against a policy rider added to the National Defense Authorization Act by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson (La.), which would prohibit the military’s health provider Tricare from covering transgender medical treatments for the children of U.S. service members.
“In his first term, Donald Trump enabled LGBTQ+ workplace discrimination, banned trans service members, and vilified trans kids,” Sorbe said, while “The Biden-Harris administration and Democrats codified same-sex marriage, declared mpox a national emergency, and built up the LGBTQ+ movement.”
He added, “Democrats will continue to hold the line against misguided, anti-freedom legislation that we anticipate will be introduced.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee, one of the most powerful in Congress, exercises broad legislative jurisdiction and is responsible for oversight of the Executive Branch as well as the initial stages of confirming the presidentās nominees for vacancies on the federal bench, including those picked to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.
In the 117th Congress, control of the Senate was a 50-50 split, with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris casting tie-breaking votes. Democrats won another Senate seat in the 2022 midterms and for the past two years Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has led a 51-49 majority.
Despite the party’s narrow margin of control and starting with less than half the number of vacancies than were available for Trump to fill when he took office in 2017, Sorbe noted Senate Democrats are expected to confirm Biden’s 234thĀ and 235th judicial nominees ā surpassing, by one, the number of confirmations under the previous administration and also, by one, the record setting number of LGBTQ+ jurists appointed by President Obama over two terms.Ā
These āhighly qualified, diverse candidatesā will āhelp ensure the fair and impartial administration of the American justice system,ā Sorbe said. Many will decide legal questions with broad implications for LGBTQ+ communities, including challenges brought against anti-LGBTQ+ legislation at the local, state, and federal level, or anti-LGBTQ+ policies enacted by the Trump-Vance administration.Ā
Sorbe highlighted some of the other work Durbin has done to āprotect civil rights for all Americansā over the past four years in the majority, pointing to the Judiciary Committeeās 2021 hearing on the Equality Act, legislation that would codify LGBTQ+-inclusive nondiscrimination protections; a 2023 hearing that celebrated āthe historic progress made in protecting the right of LGBTQ+ Americansā; the first hearing since 1984 about the Equal Rights Amendment that would āenshrine gender equality into the Constitutionā; floor speeches in which the majority whip denounced āthe harmful anti-LGBTQ+ legislation being introduced across the countryā; and the senatorās co-sponsorship of the Respect for Marriage Act, which solidified the legal rights of interracial and same-sex married couples.Ā
White House
Biden establishes national monument for first female Cabinet secretary
Frances Perkins may have been the first lesbian Cabinet pick
President Joe Biden on Monday signed a proclamation to establish a national monument in Newcastle, Maine, that will honor Frances Perkins, who became the first woman named to a Cabinet-level position when she was chosen by FDR to serve as secretary for the U.S. Department of Labor.
The move highlights the Biden-Harris administration’s record of advancing women’s rights and strengthening the labor movement while also commemorating Perkins’s achievements, including the establishment of pensions, unemployment, and workers’ compensation, the minimum wage and overtime pay, the 40-hour workweek, and child labor laws.
Perkins is also credited with helping to lay the blueprint for legislation like the Social Security Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the National Labor Relations Act.
Research suggests she may have been a lesbian, perhaps even the first LGBTQ+ Cabinet secretary.
According to the National Park Service, “Perkins’ relationship with one roommate, Mary Harriman Rumsey,” who was a close friend of Eleanor Roosevelt, “was very intimate,” though an entry for the late labor secretary on the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project quotes her biographer Kirsten Downey’s assertion that āit is probably impossible to know whether Francesās relationship with Mary was also sexual or romantic.ā
White House
Trump appoints Richard Grenell to his administration
Former US ambassador to Germany will be special missions envoy
President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday named former U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell to his administration.
Grenell will serve as special missions envoy.
āRic will work in some of the hottest spots around the world, including Venezuela and North Korea,ā Trump said on Truth Social, according to the Associated Press.
Grenell, 58, was U.S. ambassador to Germany from 2018-2020.
The Trump-Pence administration later named him acting director of national intelligence, which at the time made him the highest-ranking openly gay presidential appointee in American history. Grenell was also the previous White Houseās special presidential envoy for Serbia and Kosovo peace negotiations.
The Trump-Pence administration in 2019 tapped Grenell to lead an initiative that encouraged countries to decriminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations. Grenell and then-U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Kelly Knight Craft later that year organized an event on the sidelines of a U.N. Security Council meeting that focused on decriminalization efforts.
Many activists around the world with whom the Washington Blade has previously spoken questioned whether this effort had any tangible results. Grenell also faced sharp criticism when he told Breitbart News shortly after he arrived in Berlin that he wanted to āempowerā the European right.
Grenell was among those who the president-elect reportedly considered to nominate to become the next secretary of state. Trump instead tapped U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).
āWorking on behalf of the American people for (Trump) is an honor of a lifetime,ā said Grenell on X on Saturday. āPresident Trump is a problem solver who keeps Americans safe and prosperous.ā
Working on behalf of the American people for @realDonaldTrump is an honor of a lifetime.
President Trump is a problem solver who keeps Americans safe and prosperous.
We have so much to do.
Letās get to work. https://t.co/xGpTLr1QHy— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) December 15, 2024
Log Cabin Republicans President Charles Moran and Amir Ohana, the openly gay speaker of the Israeli Knesset, are among those who congratulated Grenell.
National
Colleagues, politicos mourn death of Los Angeles Blade publisher
āA trailblazing journalist, publisher, and tireless advocateā
Troy Masters, publisher of the Los Angeles Blade, died on Wednesday Dec. 11, according to a family member. He was 63. The LA County Coroner said the cause of death was suicide.
Masters was a well-respected and award-winning journalist and publisher with decades of experience, mostly in LGBTQ media. In 2017, he became the founding publisher of the Los Angeles Blade, a sister publication of the Washington Blade.
Praise for Mastersās work and dedication to LGBTQ equality and journalism poured in throughout the day.
Equality California released the following statement from Executive Director Tony Hoang: āWe at Equality California are heartbroken by the unexpected passing of Troy Masters, a trailblazing journalist, publisher, and tireless advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. Troyās remarkable career spanned decades, during which he used his voice and platform to amplify the stories of our community and champion the fight for equality.
āHis passion for storytelling and relentless pursuit of social justice left an indelible mark on the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. Over many years, Equality California and the Los Angeles Blade have worked hand in hand to ensure LGBTQ+ stories are accurately represented and shared within the Los Angeles community and throughout California.
āOur thoughts are with his family, friends, and the Los Angeles Blade and Washington Blade teams during this difficult time. We stand in solidarity with them as we honor Troyās life, legacy, and unwavering dedication to our community. His passing is a profound loss, and he will be deeply missed.
āRest in power, Troy. Your work will forever live on in the hearts and lives of those you fought so fiercely for.ā
California state Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, (D-Los Angeles) said in a statement: āI am terribly saddened to hear of the passing of Troy Masters, a pillar in the LGBTQ+ community. In his many roles, he has covered life in our community and the challenges of our fight for civil rights and social justice.ā
L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, in a statement on X, said she would miss Mastersās humor, wit and huge heart and praised his journalistic pursuits and dedication to uplifting the LGBTQ+ community.
Journalist and Blade contributor Jasmyne Cannick also praised Masters, describing him as a mentor.
āThrough the years, he was supportive of my work, giving me space and a voice as a columnist and reporter for the Blade newspapers when it mattered most,ā she said in on X. āTroy understood the importance of covering the Black LGBTQ+ community and made it a point to ask me what stories they needed to be telling.ā
Michael Yamashita, publisher of the Bay Area Reporter, in a statement said, āI have known Troy as a fellow publisher and friend for over 20 years. He was smart and accomplished. More than a few times, he started gay publications ā in New York City and Los Angeles. I will miss working with him.ā
Dana Piccoli, managing director of News Is Out, a queer media collaborative, wrote: āTroy was a fierce advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and pioneer in queer media. We were lucky to work with him as a member of News Is Out and will forever be grateful for the barriers he broke down for the queer community. Our hearts are with our colleagues at the Los Angeles Blade and the Washington Blade.ā
āIt has been a tough day for all of us at the Blade,ā said Washington Blade editor Kevin Naff. āTroyās love of queer media and the city of Los Angeles is well known and he will be missed by so many. In his spirit, we will carry on with our mission and we are planning a celebration of his life in the coming months.ā
Montana
Montana Supreme Court blocks ban on healthcare for trans youth
āTodayās ruling permits our clients to breathe a sigh of reliefā
The Montana Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that SB 99, a 2023 Montana law that bans life-saving gender-affirming care for transgender youth, is unconstitutional under the Montana Constitutionās privacy clause, which prohibits government intrusion into private medical decisions. This ruling will allow Montana communities and families to continue accessing medical treatments for transgender minors with gender dysphoria, the ACLU announced in a statement.
āI will never understand why my representatives are working to strip me of my rights and the rights of other transgender kids,ā Phoebe Cross, a 17-year-old transgender boy told the ACLU. āJust living as a trans teenager is difficult enough, the last thing me and my peers need is to have our rights taken away.ā
āFortunately, the Montana Supreme Court understands the danger of the state interfering with critical healthcare,ā said Lambda Legal Counsel Kell Olson. āBecause Montanaās constitutional protections are even stronger than their federal counterparts, transgender youth in Montana can sleep easier tonight knowing that they can continue to thrive for now, without this looming threat hanging over their heads.ā
āWe are so thankful for this opportunity to protect trans youth, their families, and their medical providers from this baseless and dangerous law,ā said Malita Picasso, Staff Attorney for the ACLUās LGBTQ & HIV Project. āEvery day that transgender Montanans are able to access this care is a critical and life-saving victory. We will never stop fighting until every transgender person has the care and support they need to thrive.ā
āTodayās ruling permits our clients to breathe a sigh of relief,ā said Akilah Deernose, Executive Director of the ACLU of Montana. āBut the fight for trans rights is far from over. We will continue to push for the right of all Montanans, including those who are transgender, to be themselves and live their lives free of intrusive government interference.ā
The Court found that the Plaintiffs were likely to succeed on the merits of their privacy claim, holding: āThe Legislature did not make gender-affirming care unlawful. Nor did it make the treatments unlawful for all minors. Instead, it restricted a broad swath of medical treatments only when sought for a particular purpose. The record indicates that Provider Plaintiffs, or other medical professionals providing gender-affirming care, are recognized as competent in the medical community to provide that care.[T]he law puts governmental regulation in the mix of an individualās fundamental right āto make medical judgments affecting her or his bodily integrity and health in partnership with a chosen health care provider.ā
Two justices filed a concurrence arguing that the Court should also clarify that discrimination on the basis of transgender status is a form of sex discrimination prohibited by Montanaās Equal Protection Clause, the ACLU reported.
Congress
Protests against anti-trans bathroom policy lead to more than a dozen arrests
Demonstrations were staged outside House Speaker Mike Johnsonās (R-La.) office
About 15 protestors affiliated with the Gender Liberation Movement were arrested on Thursday for protesting the anti-trans bathroom policy that was introduced by U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) and enacted last month by U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).
Whistleblower Chelsea Manning and social justice advocates Raquel Willis and Renee Bracey Sherman were among those who were arrested in the womenās bathroom and the hallway outside Johnsonās office in the Cannon House Office Building.
Demonstrators held banners reading āFLUSH BATHROOM BIGOTRYā and āCONGRESS: STOP PISSING ON OUR RIGHTS!ā They chanted, āSPEAKER JOHNSON, NANCY MACE, OUR GENDERS ARE NO DEBATE!ā and āWHEN TRANS FOLKS ARE UNDER ATTACK WHAT DO WE DO? ACT UP, FIGHT BACK!ā
Protests began around 12:10 p.m. ET. Within 30 minutes, Capitol Police arrived on the scene, began making arrests, and cleared the area. A spokesperson told Axios the demonstration was an illegal violation of the D.C. code against crowding, obstructing or incommoding.
Mace and her flame-throwing House GOP allies have said the bathroom policy was meant to target Sarah McBride, the Delaware state senator who will become the first transgender member of Congress after she is seated in January.
LGBTQ groups, elected Democrats, and others have denounced the move as a bigoted effort to bully and intimidate a new colleague, with many asking how the policyās proponents would enforce the measure.
Outside her office in the Longworth House Office Building, the Washington Blade requested comment from Mace about the protests and arrests.
āYeah, I went to the Capitol Police station where they were being processed, so Iāll be posting what I said shortly,ā the congresswoman said.
U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) (Washington Blade photo by Christopher Kane)
Using an anti-trans slur, Mace posted a video to her X account in which she says, āalright, so some tranny protestors showed up at the Capitol today to protest my bathroom bill, but they got arrested ā poor things.ā
āSo I have a message for the protestors who got arrested,ā the congresswoman continued, and then spoke into a megaphone as she read the Miranda warning. āIf you cannot afford an attorney ā I doubt many of you can ā one will be provided to you at the governmentās expense,ā she said.
āEveryone deserves to use the restroom without fear of discrimination or violence. Trans folks are no different. We deserve dignity and respect and we will fight until we get it,ā Gender Liberation Movement co-founder Raquel Willis said in a press release.
āIn the 2024 election, trans folks were left to fend for ourselves after nearly $200 million of attack ads were disseminated across the United States,ā she said. āNow, as Republican politicians, try to remove us from public life, Democratic leaders are silent as hell.ā
Willis continued, āBut we canāt transform bigotry and hate with inaction. We must confront it head on. Democrats must rise up, filibuster, and block this bill.ā
State Department
State Department honors Ghanaian LGBTQ+ activist
Ebenezer Peegan among Secretary of Stateās Human Rights Defender Award recipients
The State Department on Tuesday honored a Ghanaian LGBTQ+ activist and seven other human rights advocates from around the world.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken presented Rightify Ghana Executive Director Ebenezer Peegah with the Secretary of Stateās Human Rights Defender Award during a ceremony at the State Department.
āHeās been a prominent figure advocating for equality and justice,ā Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Enrique Roig told the Washington Blade on Tuesday during an interview.
The other human rights activists who received the award include:
ā¢ Mary Ann Abunda, a migrant workers advocate in Kuwait
ā¢ Permanent Human Rights Assembly of Bolivia President Amparo Carvajal
ā¢ Aida Dzhumanazarova, country director for the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law in Kyrgyzstan
ā¢ Mang Hre Lian, founder of the Chin Media Network in Myanmar
ā¢ Juana Ruiz of AsociaciĆ³n Asvidas, an organization that advocates for survivors of gender-based violence in Colombia
ā¢ Rufat Sararov, a former prosecutor who runs Defense Line in Azerbaijan
The State Department posthumously honored Thulani Maseko, a prominent human rights activist from Eswatini who was killed in 2023. His wife, Tanele Maseko, accepted the award on his behalf.
The ceremony took place on International Human Rights Day, which commemorates the U.N. General Assemblyās ratification of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on Dec. 10, 1948. Sararov did not attend because Azeri authorities arrested him before he could obtain a visa that would have allowed him to travel to the U.S.
Ghanaian Supreme Court to rule on anti-LGBTQ+ law on Dec. 18
Ghanaian lawmakers on Feb. 28 approved the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill that would, among other things, criminalize allyship. President Nana Akufo-Addo has said he will not sign the bill until the Supreme Court rules on whether it is constitutional or not.
The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the law on Dec. 18. John Dramani Mahama, the countryās president-elect, will take office on Jan. 7.
Ruig applauded Peegahās efforts to highlight the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill.
āFor us in the U.S. government, the work that heās done on this issue has also been instrumental in our own discussions with the current government as well as the incoming administration around the concerns that weāve expressed with regards to this legislation,ā Roig told the Washington Blade āHeās been an important partner in all this as well.ā
Peegah on Aug. 14 met with Pope Francis at the Vatican.
U.S. Supreme Court
Trans rights supporters, opponents rally outside Supreme Court as justices consider Tenn. law
Oral arguments in U.S. v. Skrmetti case took place Wednesday
At least 1,000 people rallied outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday as the justices considered whether a Tennessee law banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth is unconstitutional.
Dueling rallies began early in the morning, with protesters supporting trans rights and protesters supporting Tennesseeās ban on gender-affirming care each stationed with podiums on opposite sides.
Trans rights protesters, who significantly outnumbered the other group, held signs reading āKeep hate out of healthcare,ā and āRespect family medical decisions.ā On the other side, protesters carried signs with messages like āSex change is fantasy,ā and āStop transing gay kids.ā
Ari, a trans person who grew up in Nashville and now lives in D.C., spoke to the Washington Blade about the negative effects of the Tennessee law on the well-being of trans youth.
āI grew up with kids who died because of a lack of trans healthcare, and I am scared of that getting worse,” they said. “All that this bill brings is more dead kids.ā
The Tennessee law that is being challenged in U.S. v Skrmetti took effect in 2023 and bans medical providers from prescribing medical treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapies to trans youth.
A number of Democratic lawmakers, including U.S. Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), co-chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, and U.S. Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) addressed the crowd in support of trans rights.
In his speech, Merkley said Americans deserved freedom in accessing gender affirming care and criticized the law as political intervention in private medical decisions.
āAmericans should have the freedom to make medical decisions in the privacy of their doctor’s office without politicians trying to dictate to them,ā he said.
Robert Garofalo, a chief doctor in the division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at a Chicago childrenās hospital, emphasized the importance of trans youth having access to gender affirming care.
āWe [providers] are seeing patients and families every day, present with crippling fears, added stress and anxiety as they desperately try to locate care where it remains legal to do so,ā Garofalo, who is also a professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University, told the crowd. āTransgender children and adolescents deserve health care that is grounded in compassion, science and principles of public health and human rights. They must not be denied life saving medical care ā their lives depend on it.ā
Major U.S. medical associations, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, support gender affirming care.
Research has found gender affirming care improves the mental health and overall well-being of gender diverse children and adolescents. Those who are denied access to gender affirming care are at increased risk for significant mental health challenges.
An unlikely coalition came out to support Tennesseeās ban on gender affirming care. Far-right figures, such as U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Matt Walsh ā both of whom have a history of making homophobic statements ā were joined by groups such as the LGBT Courage Coalition and Gays Against Groomers.Ā
The groups questioned the quality of the research finding gender-affirming care to have a positive effect on the well-being of trans and gender nonconforming youth and argued that minors cannot consent to medical treatment. Ben Appel, a co-founder of the LGBT Courage Coalition, which he notes was āco-founded by gay, lesbian, bisexual, and trans adults who oppose pediatric gender medicine, which we know to be non-evidence-based and harmful to young gay people,ā said gender nonconformity is often part of the lesbian, gay, and bisexual experience and should not be āmedicalized.ā
āI care about the adult gay detransitioners who have been harmed ā¦ by these homophobic practice,ā he said āThey should have just been told they’re gay.ā
Claire, a Maryland resident who attended the rally in favor of the Tennessee law and claims to have detransitioned, described being prescribed testosterone and having a mastectomy at 14, medical treatments she says she was unable to consent to at that age. She doesnāt oppose gender affirming care for adults but is opposed to āmedical experimentation on children.ā
āI think that adults should be allowed to do whatever they want with their bodies. I think that it is if someone is happy with the decision that they made that’s great,ā she said. āI was not able to make that decision. I was a child.ā
But trans activists fear that a ruling in favor of Tennessee could pave the way for states to restrict access to gender-affirming care for adults.
āThere’s also broader implications for civil rights and trans rights, more broadly, for adults in the future. There are some states that have tried to ban some healthcare for adults ā they haven’t yet ā but I think that’s something we might also see if the Supreme Court rules that way,ā Ethan Rice, a senior attorney at Lambda Legal, one of the legal organizations representing the plaintiffs in U.S. v Skrmetti, said.
In the case, three Tennessee families and a physician are challenging the Tennessee law on the grounds that it violates the Equal Protection Clause in the 14th Amendment by drawing lines based on sex and discriminating against trans people. The statute bans medications for trans children while allowing the same medications to be used when treating minors suffering from other conditions, such as early-onset puberty.
A 2020 Supreme Court decision determined sex-based discrimination includes discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation. The key question in U.S. v. Skrmetti is whether this interpretation applies under the Equal Protection Clause.
āWe really hope that the Supreme Court recognizes their own precedent on sex discrimination cases and comes out the right way, saying this is sex discrimination by the state of Tennessee and thus is unconstitutional,ā Rice said.
Twenty-six states currently have laws or policies restricting minorsā access to gender-affirming care. If the court rules against Tennessee, similar bans in other states would also be unconstitutional, granting trans youth greater access to gender affirming care nationwide.
Edith Guffey, the board chair at PFLAG, expressed doubt the court will strike down the law, citing its sharp ideological turn to the right in recent years. But she said she remains hopeful.
āI hope that the court will ā¦ step outside agendas and look at the needs of people and who has the right to say what’s good for their children,ā she said.
Chase Strangio, an ACLU attorney representing the families, on Wednesday became the first openly trans lawyer to argue before the Supreme Court. He addressed the trans rights protesters after the hearing.
āWhatever happens, we are the defiance,ā Strangio said. āWe are collectively a refutation of everything they say about us. And our fight for justice did not begin today, it will not end in June ā whatever the court decides.ā
National
LGBTQ+ asylum seekers, migrants brace for second Trump administration
Incoming president has promised āmass deportationsā
Advocacy groups in the wake of President-elect Donald Trumpās election fear his administrationās proposed immigration policies will place LGBTQ+ migrants and asylum seekers at increased risk.
āWhat we are expecting again is that the new administration will continue weaponizing the immigration system to keep igniting resentment,ā Abdiel EchevarrĆa-CabĆ”n, an immigration lawyer who is based in Texasās Rio Grande Valley, told the Washington Blade.
Trump during the campaign pledged a āmass deportationā of undocumented immigrants.
The president-elect in 2019 implemented the Migrant Protection Protocols program ā known as the āRemain in Mexicoā policy ā that forced asylum seekers to pursue their cases in Mexico.
Advocates sharply criticized MPP, in part, because it made LGBTQ+ asylum seekers who were forced to live in Tijuana, Ciudad JuƔrez, Matamoros, and other Mexican border cities even more vulnerable to violence and persecution based on their gender identity and sexual orientation.
The State Department currently advises American citizens not to travel to Tamaulipas state in which Matamoros is located because of ācrime and kidnapping.ā The State Department also urges American citizens to āreconsider travelā to Baja California and Chihuahua states in which Tijuana and Ciudad JuĆ”rez are located respectively because of ācrime and kidnapping.ā
The Biden-Harris administration ended MPP in 2021.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in March 2020 implemented Title 42, which closed the Southern border to most asylum seekers and migrants because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The policy ended in May 2023.
Robert Contreras, president of Bienestar Human Services, a Los Angeles-based organization that works with Latino and LGBTQ+ communities, in a statement to the Blade noted Project 2025, which āoutlines the incoming administrationās agenda, proposes extensive rollbacks of rights and protections for LGBTQ+ individuals.ā
āThis includes dismantling anti-discrimination protections, restricting access to gender-affirming healthcare, and increasing immigration enforcement,ā said Contreras.
Trans woman in Tijuana nervously awaits response to asylum application
A Biden-Harris administration policy that took place in May 2023 says ānoncitizens who cross the Southwest land border or adjacent coastal borders without authorization after traveling through another country, and without having (1) availed themselves of an existing lawful process, (2) presented at a port of entry at a pre-scheduled time using the CBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) One app, or (3) been denied asylum in a third country through which they traveled, are presumed ineligible for asylum unless they meet certain limited exceptions.ā The exceptions under the regulation include:
- They were provided authorization to travel to the United States pursuant to a DHS-approved parole process;
- They used the CBP One app to schedule a time and place to present at a port of entry, or they presented at a port of entry without using the CBP One app and established that it was not possible to access or use the CBP One app due to a language barrier, illiteracy, significant technical failure, or other ongoing and serious obstacle; or
- They applied for and were denied asylum in a third country en route to the United States.
Biden in June issued an executive order that prohibits migrants from asking for asylum in the U.S. if they āunlawfullyā cross the Southern border.
The Organization for Refuge, Asylum and Migration works with LGBTQ+ migrants and asylum seekers in Tijuana, Mexicali and other Mexican border cities.
ORAM Executive Director Steve Roth is among those who criticized Bidenās executive order. Roth told the Blade the incoming administrationās proposed policies would āleave vulnerable transgender people, gay men, lesbians, and others fleeing life-threatening violence and persecution with little to no opportunity to seek asylum in the U.S. stripped of safe pathways.ā
āMany will find themselves stranded in dangerous regions like the Mexico-U.S. border and transit countries around the world where their safety and well-being will be further jeopardized by violence, exploitation, and a lack of support,ā he said.
Jennicet GutiĆ©rrez, co-executive director of Familia: TQLM, an organization that advocates on behalf of transgender and gender non-conforming immigrants, noted to the Blade a trans woman who has asked for asylum in the U.S. āhas been patiently waiting in Tijuanaā for more than six months āfor her CBP One application response.ā
āNow she feels uncertain if she will ever get the chance to cross to the United States,ā said GutiĆ©rrez.
She added Trumpās election āis going to be devastating for LGBTQ+ asylum seekers.ā
āTransgender migrants are concerned about the future of their cases,ā said GutiĆ©rrez. āThe upcoming administration is not going to prioritize or protect our communities. Instead, they will prioritize mass deportations and incarceration.ā
TransLatin@ Coalition President Bamby Salcedo echoed GutiƩrrez.
āTrans people who are immigrants are getting the double whammy with the new administration,ā Salcedo told the Blade. āAs it is, trans people have been political targets throughout this election. Now, with the specific target against immigrants, trans immigrants will be greatly impacted.ā
‘Weāre ready to keep fighting’
Trans Queer Pueblo is a Phoenix-based organization that provides health care and other services to undocumented LGBTQ+ immigrants and migrants of color. The group, among other things, also advocates on behalf of those who are in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers.
āWe refuse to wait for politicians to change systems that were designed to hurt us,ā Trans Queer Pueblo told the Blade in a statement. āThe elections saw both political parties using our trans and migrant identities as political pawns.ā
Trans Queer Pueblo acknowledged concerns over the incoming administrationās immigration policies. It added, however, Arizonaās Proposition 314 is āour biggest battle.ā
Arizona voters last month approved Proposition 314, which is also known as the Secure the Border Act.
Trans Queer Pueblo notes it āmakes it a crime for undocumented people to exist anywhere, with arrests possible anywhere, including schools and hospitals.ā The group pointed out Proposition 314 also applies to asylum seekers.
āWe are building a future where LGBTQ+ migrants of color can live free, healthy, and secure, deciding our own destiny without fear,ā Trans Queer Pueblo told the Blade. āThis new administration will not change our mission ā weāre ready to keep fighting.ā
Contreras stressed Bienestar āremains committed to advocate for the rights and safety of all migrants and asylum seekers.ā GutiĆ©rrez added it is ācrucial for LGBTQ+ migrants to know that they are not alone.ā
āWe will continue to organize and mobilize,ā she said. āWe must resist unjust treatments and laws.ā
National
Biden, other administration officials mark Transgender Day of Remembrance
āEpidemic of violence towards transgender peopleā
Democratic officials marked Transgender Day of Remembrance, which took place on Wednesday, honoring the lives lost to anti-trans violence and calling out rising anti-trans rhetoric and discrimination.
President Joe Biden in a statement said āwe mourn the transgender Americans whose lives were taken this year in horrific acts of violence.ā
āThere should be no place for hate in America ā and yet too many transgender Americans, including young people, are cruelly targeted and face harassment simply for being themselves. Itās wrong,ā he said. āEvery American deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, and to live free from discrimination. Today, we recommit ourselves to building a country where everyone is afforded that promise.ā
U.S. Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), and Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.), as well as U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), all members of the Congressional Equality Caucus, introduced a bicameral resolution commemorating the Transgender Day of Remembrance and ārecognizing the epidemic of violence toward transgender people and memorializing the lives lost this year.ā
āAs anti-transgender rhetoric and legislation has increased in the United States over recent years, unfortunately so has anti-transgender violence,ā Jayapal said in a statement announcing the resolution. āOn Transgender Day of Remembrance, this resolution stands as a symbol of the strength and resilience of the trans community and honors the lives of the trans people we have lost to horrific violence.ā
Jacobs also addressed President-elect Donald Trumpās anti-trans rhetoric.
āDonald Trumpās anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-trans agenda will likely fuel this anxiety and violence against queer communities,ā Jacobs said. āThat makes this yearās Transgender Day of Remembrance even more important. Our bicameral resolution is a powerful reminder that anti-trans rhetoric can cost lives.ā
A report by the Human Rights Campaign documenting anti-trans violence found at least 36 trans and gender-expansive people in the U.S. lost their lives to violence since last year.
Transgender Day of Remembrance was founded in 1999 by trans activist Gwendolyn Ann Smith to commemorate the one year anniversary of the murder of Rita Hester, a trans woman who was killed in Boston. The day has since grown into a national and international event.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement honored Transgender Day of Remembrance.
āTransgender individuals exist in every country, every culture, and every faith tradition,ā he said. ā The United States recognizes Transgender Day of Remembrance to affirm the dignity and human rights of transgender persons globally.ā
In a post on X, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) wrote, āOn this Transgender Day of Remembrance, we honor the trans and nonbinary lives lost to violence simply for being who they are. Every American deserves to live their truth and feel safe doing so. Hate has no place here.ā
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield noted the Biden-Harris administrationās advocacy for the trans community, which has included issuing a policy that prohibits discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation under the Title IX federal civil rights law this year.
āOn Transgender Day of Remembrance, we reaffirm there is no place for hate in America. The Biden-Harris Administration is proud to advocate for the safety of transgender and all LGBTQI+ Americans, including at the UN,ā she said in a post on X.
Victor Madrigal-Borloz, a former independent UN expert on LGBTQ+ and intersex rights, also on X, said trans peopleās human rights are questioned āfor reasons that have nothing to do with them and a lot with bigotry.ā
āSupport them actively,ā he urged.
Xavier Becerra, the secretary of health and human services, seemingly mixed up the day that was being observed, releasing a statement mistakenly commemorating Transgender Day of Visibility, which takes place on March 31.
āWe fight so that trans Americans can go to the doctor and receive the same treatment as any other patient ā¦ so that they feel welcomed at school and in their community for who they are,ā Becerra said.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, issued a proclamation recognizing Transgender Day of Remembrance, continuing the precedent he set last year as the first Maryland governor to issue such a proclamation.
Moore in May signed into law a bill that added gender-affirming care to Marylandās definition of legally protected health care, affirming its status as a sanctuary state for trans people and their healthcare providers.
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