For more than half a century, Outfest: The LGBTQ Film Festival has been a major cultural institution in the LGBTQ community in Los Angeles. However, Outfest has disappeared without even a farewell or a “thank you.” The community learned of the organization’s implosion via a recent article in the “Los Angeles Times,” which announced UCLA’s “Queer Rhapsody,” a de facto L.A. LGBTQ film festival that seemingly came out of nowhere, had no LGBTQ community input, and was programmed to occur at five non-LGBTQ spaces across the city.

Three weeks ago, I conducted a quick survey of 14 gay/queer people in L.A. who are culturally and politically attuned to what is happening in the LGBTQ community. The disappearance of Outfest was shocking news to all of them, who heard it from me for the first time.

How could this happen?

I have written about the problems numerous times in various outlets. Be patient with me as I repeat the reasons again for the sake of newcomers and puja, a Sanskrit-derived word meaning “remember.”

The dominant political ideology in the LGBTQ community in L.A. and throughout the U.S. is assimilation, sometimes called “hetero imitation,” practiced particularly by the neo-homophile (1985-2010) and parts of the queer generations (2010-present). If assimilation is taken to its logical conclusion, that ideology will gradually and imperceptibly result in the disappearance of the LGBTQ community and the dilution of identity. It is happening all around us, with Outfest as the most recent example.

The paradox is that while other groups are desperately trying to create real community, where people assume responsibility for each other, LGBTQ people are blindly and unconsciously letting their community slip through their fingers.

Since about 1985, beginning with the AIDS pandemic, the evolution of the LGBTQ community has been hijacked by an elite group. This elite capture has led to a radical change in the community’s power structure, shifting from a grassroots, community-based effort where LGBTQ people were creative participants to a situation where they have become apathetic and disengaged spectators. Elite capture represents a hierarchy and values based on wealth, elite education, race, and certain sex and gender determinants — with lots of empty words and tokenism.

Recently, outstanding investigative reporting by the “New York Times” revealed how elite capture looks day-to-day at GLAAD, an important national LGBTQ media advocacy organization. This elite capture, to a greater or lesser degree, is happening throughout LGBTQ communities.

As a result of elite capture, gay-centered journalism has largely disappeared. LGBTQ news sites on social media “curate” news, often at a shallow and sensational level. Local news, like Outfest’s disappearance, has vanished, intellectually and spiritually impoverishing all of us. Incredibly, no investigative reporting occurs anywhere by the LGBTQ media, depriving LGBTQ people of critically vital information about what’s really happening in their communities. This is a historically singular type of new technology censorship.

Gay men and lesbians over 55 have disappeared at a time when they should be assuming the role of tribal elders, providing community stability, tending to our spiritual well-being, and transmitting lived learning and tribal history to our youth.

Feedback from LGBTQ people about Outfest’s implosion

A shorter, different version of this article, titled “Outfest: Call Home,” about Outfest’s mysterious disappearance, ran a week ago on Danny Battista’s and my MailChimp site called “Gay Tribal Elder,” which has been published almost weekly since 2015. Astonishingly, of the 200 articles ever published there, this one garnered the most responses from readers. Intelligent, insightful community feedback was received, which appears below without attribution since there was not enough time in the day to track down all the senders for permission.

One individual keenly observed that it was interesting Ms. Ha Duong of the UCLA Film and Television Archive, and a central organizer of “Queer Rhapsody,” talked about the importance of the LGBTQ community and then listed five non-LGBTQ spaces where the films would be shown. Does this sound like hypocrisy to you? For more than half a century in LGBTQ cultural life in Los Angeles, Outfest played a unifying community role of great historical and political importance. Does screening “Queer Rhapsody” in five non-LGBTQ film sites sound like more disunity and fragmentation to you?

Another reader linked me to two important articles that suggest labor union organizing by Outfest workers was involved somehow in its demise. One article in the Hollywood Reporter (Sept. 26, 2023) by Mia Galuppo reported that 11 Outfest staff members announced plans to unionize with the Communication Workers of America Local 9003 as Queer Filmworkers United. QFU requested that the Outfest board voluntarily agree to the unionization so that a vote supervised by the National Labor Relations Board would not be necessary.

A second article, titled “Outfest Board to Voluntarily Recognize New Union After Laying Off 5 Employees,” by Brian Welk appeared on *IndieWire* (Sept. 29, 2023.) The five laid off were union organizers, a common anti-union tool used by union busters. The laid-off workers were Martine McDonald, director of creative development, the only Black Outfest staff member; Gabi Grossman, senior programming coordinator, the only trans worker; Alex Gooter, development coordinator; Hanson Bursic, marketing manager; and Daniel Crooke, senior programmer.

CWA and QFU stated that the union agreement was not valid until the board signed the QFU mission statement, which, at that time, had not been done. CWA filed a labor grievance with the NLRB in this matter.

The Outfest board said the layoffs were planned before the union organizing began. The board had been planning to downsize the organization for financial reasons. In all fairness to the board, the COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating to the income of nonprofit cultural organizations. The important questions are: Why was the LGBTQ community not informed about this crisis? Does the leadership of LGBTQ organizations, characterized as quasi-corporate and under the control of elite capture, lack the skills, experience, and community consciousness needed to sustain those groups, such as Outfest, that started out as grassroots, community-based endeavors?

Additional reader feedback stated that Outfest folded due to a power struggle between the board and its executive director, David Navarro. The quick progression of events in September 2023 does make a person wonder and question. On Sept. 26, 2023, the 11 workers petitioned the board to unionize; on Sept. 28, 2023, the board seemingly agreed to the union provisionally but not legally; then, on Sept. 28, 2023, Executive Director Navarro announced “an unanticipated leave of absence for at least 45 days”; then board member Zachery Alexander Stephens, declaring how much the board loves unions, resigned from the board and was appointed acting executive director; and then silence. Anyone who knows about nonprofit governance knows the board legally has the apex power, and the executive director serves at the discretion of the board. Was it a power struggle that wiped out one of the major LGBTQ cultural institutions in Los Angeles without a bang or a whimper?

One of the items that caught my eye was the admission by the Outfest board president, Dr. Nii-Quaterlai Quartey, that the board was having difficulty reaching a “quorum,” the minimum number of board members needed to legally transact its affairs. This is sometimes a dodge, or it more likely meant the organization was divided and in big trouble. Why was there no local community news about this precarious situation in the LGBTQ community in Los Angeles?

UCLA, which helped to feed my intellectual growth in a doctoral program in 1968 and 1969, has grown into an elitist institution and is extremely wealthy. Does the fact that the UCLA Film and Television Archive is now programming “Queer Rhapsody,” the de facto LGBTQ film festival in Los Angeles at five non-LGBTQ locations without any community involvement, mean that assimilationist ideology and elite capture have taken over another community institution, tearing it from its community roots? Anything torn from its roots will wither and die.

Don Kilhefner, Ph.D., 86, is a pioneer gay liberationist, a founder of the LA LGBT Center, the Van Ness Recovery House, and the international Radical Faeries movement. He now spends his time working, writing, eldering, and dancing to dirty music.

BY ZEKE STOKES | Let me say up front that no one from GLAAD asked me to write this, and I did not run its content by them or coordinate in any way. These are my independent observations based on my experience as Vice President and Chief Programs Officer under the leadership of Sarah Kate Ellis for five years. I was there for much of what is detailed in the recent New York Times story, and I feel compelled to provide a counterpoint to the imbalanced — and perhaps libelous — story put forward by the Times. 

Before I get into the content of the piece, it’s incredibly relevant to point out that the writer of this piece, Emily Steel, signed an open letter last year criticizing GLAAD and more than 100 other organizations and leaders who spoke out against The New York Times’ coverage of transgender people. That alone should have disqualified her from investigating and writing this story. I won’t speculate about her motives or those of her editors, but the fact that she had taken a public position against GLAAD’s work speaks volumes. 

Beyond that, the piece is riddled with bad reporting, innuendo, lies, mistruths, facts out of context, and misinformation. I know because I was there — but no one at the New York Times bothered to call any of us (and there are many) who could have instantly debunked this nonsense. 

So let’s get into it — facts first. 

Sarah Kate Ellis’s salary is not $1 million per year. It’s not even close. It’s easily searchable and publicly available on GLAAD’s IRS 990 forms, which are filed annually. The most recent documents indicate a salary of roughly $575,000 and a bonus of about $27,000 — a lot of money, yes, but a far cry from $1 million and very much in line with the leadership of nonprofit organizations with similar budgets. 

Much has been made of GLAAD’s work at Davos, so let me offer some context there as well. The World Economic Forum meets in Davos each year and is composed of leaders from government, business and international organizations, civil society, academia, and media to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges. Until GLAAD entered the frame in 2017, LGBTQ issues were not on the agenda. Today, they are a centerpiece. 

While I did not attend any of GLAAD’s trips to Davos, I was privy to the strategy, logistics, and other details related to those activations. Here’s the truth. Those trips are funded by a donor who specifically designated those funds for that purpose in order to provide GLAAD an opportunity to have a seat at the table with world leaders, Fortune 100 CEOs, and global influencers in order to make progress on criminalization of LGBTQ identities, HIV medication access, and reform in the Catholic Church. You don’t do that with events and meetings at the local Hampton Inn. If you want to have a seat at the table with world leaders, you go where they are. 

GLAAD is not a direct services organization — it is an agent of culture change, and culture change is a long and expensive game. When you show up to Davos, Cannes Lions, the Emmys, Sundance, and other places of elite influence, you must show up as their equal in order to earn a place in the conversation and be trusted to co-create the change we are advocating for. And what is the change that has happened, exactly, from GLAAD’s presence in Davos? 

A simple Google search will produce a laundry list of impact for the LGBTQ community from GLAAD’s work there, especially critical at a time when DEI and other inclusive programs are under attack in the corporate world. It’s also worth noting that GLAAD’s fingerprints are all over many things that never are acknowledged publicly because to do so would damage the work and the end goal. 

Nonetheless, here are just a few headlines tell the tale: 

Washington Blade: GLAAD, HRC Presidents Attend World Economic Forum

Associated Press: Pope Approves Same-sex Blessings For Couples

Associated Press: Pope Says Homosexuality Not A Crime

World Economic Forum: What Davos Taught Me About Supporting My Transgender Child Partnership for Global LGBTQIA+ Equality: Davos Promenade Lights Up Rainbow 

New York Times: Vatican Says Transgender People Can Be Baptized and Become Godparents Here’s the bottom line. 

Sarah Kate Ellis has taken the organization from literal bankruptcy to the stages at Davos, the Emmys, Cannes Lions, the Super Bowl, and countless other places to represent our community and make change. She has made GLAAD a juggernaut with a place at the table at the world’s most influential cultural moments and among the globe’s leading decision makers and culture shapers. That’s why Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2023 and why she commands the respect of the team she leads at GLAAD, the board of directors who hired her, and the leaders of the industries in which she is making change every day. On a personal level, she is one of the most honorable, visionary, judicious, and impactful leaders I have ever worked with. 

It’s a shame to see the New York Times stoop to petty vindictiveness and shoddy reporting for clicks and revenge. It’s not just an attack on Sarah Kate Ellis — it’s an attack on all of us who have been a part of turning GLAAD around and making it a leading global voice for equality and acceptance. My only demand of GLAAD’s leadership would be to go even bigger, even louder, even harder, and even faster. Stay the course. The world needs you now more than ever. 

Zeke Stokes is former Vice President and Chief Programs Officer at GLAAD and an executive producer of the award-winning documentary ‘TransMilitary.’

The Los Angeles Blade has published Fallon Fox’s Facebook post with permission.

Yesterday was proof positive that some women are absolute chumps in combat sports. Olympic boxer Angela Carini flat out just gave up from a single punch to the face. No KO or injury, which would happen from an “extraordinary punch.” She just quit.

“I got into the ring to fight. I didn’t give up. But one punch hurt too much and so I said, ‘Enough.’ I’m going out with my head held high,” Carini said after literally quitting the match — that she didn’t “quit.” LOL 

Let’s break this down. First off, a real boxer, one that’s actually any good, isn’t going to quit because a punch stings. No. You’d get KO’d first. And let’s not forget that Olympic boxers wear headgear for crying out loud! I know most of you reading this have never boxed with padded headgear. But, it doesn’t “hurt” as much as one might think, no matter if it’s a far stronger opponent in your weight class or not. 

It’s less of a matter of how painful the punch is, and more about having your brain smack against the inside of your skull from the force of impact. Stopping a fight from a punch with headgear on? No, injuries. No concussion from punches, not even a bruise. Not a solitary scratch. Just, “it hurt bad” is the most pathetic excuse I’ve heard from a so called “seasoned fighter” ever. 

Some women like Angela Carini are just embarrassments. Instead of actually earning respect from being a tough athlete, they’d rather rely on the prospect of the audiences unwarranted sympathy for them to make their name when dominated. And you’ll never see these “Riley Gaines” type of women reaching the highest levels of their sport. Although you may hear some complaints from some top level athletes in women’s sports who have NEVER been bested by someone with an “unfair advantage.” 

We don’t even know what test the International Boxing Association gave the formerly disqualified women’s boxer. Was it a genetic test? If so, we don’t even know if she had intersex genetic characteristics, or some other non-XX chromosome characteristics. But, opponents of inclusion are calling her a trans woman, or woman with “male genetic characteristics.” Genetic differences may be true. But let’s not jump the gun. We don’t know. And she was assigned female at birth which makes her cisgender. 

And, if she were to be trans, or a woman with “male genetic characteristics,” only higher than average testosterone without reduction of said testosterone over a waiting period, would be the factor for disqualification. 

Angela Carini can cry harder. She’s nothing, and she’ll never be anything of any relevance outside of the fame received from crying like a baby over getting tagged in the face, and walking away without a scratch in the Goddamn Olympics for crying out loud. Some people just don’t belong in the ring.

While the Biden administration announced positive policy shifts for some immigrants last month, he simultaneously nearly closed the door to asylum and set a new record for the number of immigrants in detention. Currently, there are over 13,200 people jailed in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention in the U.S. — a record for the Biden administration that has been steadily climbing. As a queer, Black migrant who fled persecution in Nigeria — where homosexuality is illegal and punishable by up to 14 years in prison — this shameful and continuing record reminds me of my days in ICE detention and the right to due process I was denied.

In 2017, I fled my home in search of America’s promise of refuge and freedom, after being subjected to violent attacks due to rising LGBTQ+ persecution in Nigeria. Upon landing in Atlanta, without being able to consult a lawyer, I was shackled and caged in ICE detention for three months. I quickly learned that there is no right to a public defender for people navigating the U.S. immigration system who can’t afford to hire their own lawyers. I called countless organizations for help; one of the groups even told me they don’t assist queer refugees. 

Facing these realities alone in detention was devastating — as it is for thousands of others like me who have endured the indignities of detention and lack of legal counsel. It is nearly impossible to win an immigration case without a lawyer while in detention: Only six percent of people without representation in deportation proceedings initiated since 2001 have had successful case outcomes, compared to 45 percent of people with representation. Immigrants with attorneys are five times more likely — and detained immigrants with attorneys are 10.5 times more likely — to obtain relief from deportation than those without representation.

The stakes are even higher for Black and queer immigrants like myself, who are significantly more likely to be targeted for deportation, detention, and abuse. While only seven percent of non-citizens in the U.S. are Black, they make up a full 20 percent of those facing deportation. In a recent letter to the White House, my organization, the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI), and other advocates condemned the Biden administration’s ballooning, punitive immigrant detention system, in which “LGBTQ individuals … suffer homophobic and transphobic harassment and abuse … [and] Black immigrants face unaffordable bonds and violence at disparately high rates.” 

To change these devastating outcomes, I joined a campaign advocating for universal legal representation through the Fairness to Freedom Act and its recently introduced companion bill, the SHIELD Act, which together would build the nationwide infrastructure needed to provide access to legal representation for every person facing deportation, whether or not they can afford an attorney. While I managed to eventually find an attorney to help secure my freedom and make my asylum case before a judge, others are not so fortunate. Fairness to Freedom would help provide attorneys for anyone facing deportation, regardless of circumstance, identity, nationality, or ability to pay.

In the face of expanding immigrant detention and as people like myself continue to seek safety in the U.S., I urge federal lawmakers to take a stand against detention and for due process by establishing the right to legal representation for all people facing deportation. Everyone should have a fair shot at asylum or other forms of relief with a legal advocate by their side to help them make their case and secure their freedom. This is the promise of America I had imagined — the opportunity to thrive in safety, freedom, and dignity. 

Uchechukwu Onwa (he/him) is a Nigerian-born organizer, trainer, abolitionist, and movement strategist. As a high-impact voice for the LGBTQ+ community, he is a steering committee member of the Black LGBTQIA+ Migrant Project (BLMP) with over 10 years of experience working in community outreach, public health, and human rights. Before joining the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) team, he worked as the Co-Director/Organizing Director for the Queer Detainee Empowerment Project (QDEP). Uche’s work has been featured in the Windy City Times, Shondaland, Plus Magazine, Buzzfeed, the Advocate, Vogue, PoliticsNY, AMNY, Pulitzer Center, the Washington Blade, and more. 

Sen. JD Vance presented a “questionnaire” last year to career State Department nominees for ambassador to intimidate them — or thwart their nominations. It was recently leaked without comment from Vance. More than a neutral questionnaire, this was a loaded invitation to rumble on the far right of the Republican Party from a senator who does not serve on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The Washington Post headline de-gayed the story, “Leaked memo shows JD Vance’s anti-woke ideology…”.  In fact, the questionnaire was focused solely on LGBTQ issues.

Professionally nurtured and funded with a $15 million donation by gay billionaire Peter Thiel, vice presidential candidate Vance is caught up in the contradiction between having a billionaire gay business and political mentor while launching a searing, anti-gay questionnaire targeting career State Department nominees for ambassadorial posts worldwide. A political contortionist, Sen. Vance became in the last year the single largest obstacle to confirming career ambassadors in the Senate. 

The Vance questionnaire is a stunning, obsessive document harkening back to the Eisenhower-era investigations of suspected homosexuals, State Department diplomats (“twisted twerps in pinstripes”) and “Fellow Travelers” of the Lavender Scare. It is written in the icy language of investigators —“Please provide a discreet response to each question.” Like FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover’s insistence that suspected “sex deviates” be reported to him using a “green pencil,” the Vance questionnaire obsesses over really small things like “gender neutral bathrooms” intended to stigmatize and inflame. But for this questionnaire it is “The Progress” flag, over and over. Will you fly “the Progress Flag?” When would that be “appropriate?” Should “the Progress Flag” be displayed? “If confirmed, on what basis would you determine when and where raising the Progress Flag….”, Vance, the questioner, presses. What the heck is the “Progress Flag?,” I wondered as a gay man in my 70s. Oh, right, it is the banner known worldwide as the rainbow Pride flag, itself something of a cliché, with some new stripes to include transgender people and people of color.

The questioner asks nominees, “how would you explain ‘human rights for LGBTQ people?” where they are neither respected nor exist, in states where imprisonment or execution may be possible. You can feel the questioner doing an eye-roll as though “human rights for LGBTQ people” is a crazy oxymoron. I am reminded of U.S. Civil Service Commission attorney John Steele’s memorandum in the early 1960s discussing why homosexual Americans can have no such rights. “Although there are dissenting voices, our society generally regards homosexuality as a form of immoral conduct … uniquely nasty,” he wrote in a document the Mattachine Society discovered in a file labeled “Suitability” at the National Archives.

It is surprising that recipients of Vance’s questionnaire, the folks whose appointments were put on hold by Vance, did not leak the document sooner. We do have gay ambassadors who have led the way, ably representing our country and its values, even in places like authoritarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Hungary. U.S. Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman hosted in 2023 at the embassy in Budapest a Family Pride picnic attended by several hundred guests and their families, including Ambassador Pressman, his husband and their two children. 

In his remarks Ambassador Pressman said, “It has become abundantly clear that right now in Hungary — as leaders call for new laws to “protect children;” as books are wrapped in cellophane; and bookstores fined for displaying books; as rainbow benches are defaced — now is also the right time for the U.S. to celebrate you and your families by hosting what I am told is one of the largest LGBT family gatherings in Hungary’s history.” This is the great soft-power of American example, a force worldwide. During Ambassador Pressman’s confirmation hearing a rubber boat on the Danube River carried a sign that said, “Mr. Pressman, don’t colonize Hungary with your cult of death.” I understand a photo of that protest is proudly displayed behind Ambassador Pressman’s desk. 

LGBTQ historians and archive activists should be grateful to whomever leaked the questionnaire. First, because it so well reveals JD Vance’s character in hot pursuit of anything LGBTQ with the small-bore criticism of displaying the Pride flag during regional Pride celebrations. Most important, in the larger context of targeting State Department nominees, we owe remembrance to the LGBTQ Americans who came before us — those “twisted twerps” who were interrogated and left with stalled careers in ruins.

Charles Francis is president of the Mattachine Society of Washington, D.C. and author of “Archive Activism: Memoir of a ‘Uniquely Nasty’ Journey.’“

We are facing difficult choices in the next 14 weeks. Democrats will decide formally who will replace Joe Biden on the Democratic ticket. We already know Republicans have chosen Donald Trump and J.D. Vance. I agree with President Biden and support Kamala Harris, with either Sen. Mark Kelley (D-Ariz.), or Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, as her running mate.

But, whoever it is, to those of you thinking of not voting, or voting third party, my questions to you are simple: Can you live in a world in which Donald Trump is president, and his MAGA cult runs the country? Can you live in a world where the president of the United States is a climate denier? Can you live in a world where the president of the United States continues to give tax deductions to the rich, while the poor and middle class, are suffering? Can you live in a world where the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is eliminated, and if a bank goes under your account is no longer insured? Can you live in a world where women no longer control their own health care, and abortion is illegal? Where doctors who dare to perform an abortion to save the life of a woman, can be jailed? Where Vance said, when asked whether anti-abortion laws should have exceptions for rape and incest exceptions, “Two wrongs don’t make a right.” Can you live in a world where transgender persons can no longer get healthcare? Can you live in a world where the president thinks it’s OK for 37 states to allow members of the LGBTQ community to be thrown out of their job, and home, just for being who they were born to be? Can you live in a world where the president can call out the army to quell a demonstration, like he did for the one supporting Black Lives Matter? Can you live in a world where the president openly says he will protect anyone who is a white Christian, and end all diversity programs in schools and colleges? Can you live in a world where it will be OK to have Bible classes, and prayers, in every public school across the nation? Can you live in a world where America spends billions to build up our military, attempts to build an iron dome over our country, but refuses to help the rest of the world? Can you live in a world where we say it’s OK for Putin to take Ukraine? Can you live in a world where there is no chance for the Palestinian people to ever be free, or have their own state? 

I ask these questions because that is what you will get if Trump and Vance are in the White House. How do I know? Because they have said so. Both in the Republican platform, which has now been approved, and in Project 2025, which Trump’s closest advisers in the Heritage Foundation have set as the blueprint for his administration. I haven’t made these things up. They are real, and to me, very frightening. I am older, and won’t live that long with the ravages of climate change, but young people will suffer their whole lives. I am not a woman, but women will continue to see options to control their own healthcare eroded. I am not Black, so I will not see my voting rights eroded. I am not an immigrant, so will not be looking over my shoulder every minute wondering if I am next to be deported. But I am gay, and will also suffer under Trump and Vance. The bottom line is, we will all suffer. 

The only way to fight this fascist pig, who has been held liable for sexual assault, convicted of 34 felonies, is a proud misogynist, sexist, racist, and homophobe, is at the ballot box. We must never condone violence of any kind. We must all call that unacceptable, and call out anyone who would consider it. So, it is at the ballot box we can win, and defeat Trump and Vance. We can only do that by voting for whoever the Democratic candidate will be. Voting for a third party is throwing away your vote, in essence aiding Trump. No third party candidate has won since 1865, and in the last 36 years, none has ended up with more than 5% of the vote. None will in 2024.

So, I plead with you: Think about the world you want to live in. If you do, I am confident on Nov. 5, 2024, you will vote for the Democrat, whoever that is.

Peter Rosenstein is a longtime LGBTQ rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.

President Joe Biden not seeking re-election isn’t just good for Democrats looking to stave off a second Donald Trump presidency, but it’s good news for all the other candidates on the ballot who were at serious risk of millions of Democratic voters sitting out November altogether.

This unexpected, but much needed, turn of events has generated a wave of reactions across the nation, but one thing is clear: Vice President Kamala Harris’s entry into the presidential race is going to provide a significant boost to down-ticket races for the Democratic Party.

Before Biden’s delayed departure from the election, the Democratic Party was doing an excellent job at ignoring the increasing number of voters of all ages who were not willing to compromise their morals or values in November for Biden to vote in the lesser of two evils — which to them is still evil. From the administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas War, immigration, the economy, and more — these Democrats were okay with dealing with the consequences of Biden losing understanding that they will struggle under Republicans, they will struggle under Democrats. No matter who is in office, they will struggle. Why should their conscience be in conflict as well? And that was before Biden’s “Weekend at Bernie”’s debate performance.

Biden staying on the ticket wasn’t just going to hurt our chances to keep the White House and democracy alive in the U.S., but it was going to hurt all the local and state candidates and propositions that had the luck of being on the same ballot had Democratic voters sat this one out.

Now, I am not really under the illusion that his decision not to seek re-election had anything to do with the millions of Democratic voters who were set to watch the chips falls where they may. I am pretty sure it had to do more with hard to have conversations about the millions of dollars that were not going to go to the Democratic Party had Biden stayed the course. And now that Harris is in and will be the presumptive nominee, the spigots are on again and the money is flowing. I haven’t seen this much excitement for a candidate since a then-Senator Barack Obama earned the nomination of the Democratic Party back in 2008.

Whether you like her or not, for millions of Democrats, Kamala Harris represents a new era of leadership, one that is more inclusive and reflective of America’s diverse population. Within 24 hours, her candidacy has galvanized a broad coalition of voters, including women, people of color, and young people. This renewed enthusiasm at the top of the ticket is going to have a ripple effect, energizing the base and increasing voter turnout, which is crucial for down-ticket candidates.

For states like California and counties like Los Angeles, the largest in the U.S., this is a game changer.

Californians have 11 ballot propositions on their November ballot. Among them, a controversial ballot proposition to repeal parts of Proposition 47 (Prop 47) and increase drug crime and theft penalties and allow a new class of crime to be called treatment-mandated felony, which gives offenders the option to participate in drug and mental health treatment.

Prop 47 was a ballot measure passed by California voters on in 2014 that made some non-violent property crimes, where the value does not exceed $950, into misdemeanors. It also made some simple drug possession offenses into misdemeanors and provided for past convictions for these charges to be reduced to a misdemeanor by a court. Under Prop 47, offenders qualified for a reduction from a felony to a misdemeanor for certain crimes including: certain forgeries, commercial burglary, petty theft with priors, bad check, grand theft crimes, possession of stolen property, and possession of a controlled substance.

Realistically, there is very little that could happen to keep California’s 54 electoral college votes from going to Harris — assuming she’s the nominee — a low voter turnout of Democrats would favor this conservative backed proposition.

Even though local races are “technically” nonpartisan in California, a similar fate was projected in the Los Angeles County’s district attorney race that sees progressive prosecutor Democrat George Gascón fighting to keep his job against former Republican turned No-Party-Preference Nathan Hochman. Hochman has been endorsed by at least six of the nine people (excluding Gascón) that he ran against during the primary. Setting the stage for a second showdown between Gascón and seemingly everyone else who was on the ballot during the primary and has now lined up behind Hochman.

Harris’s historic candidacy as the first Black and South Asian woman on a major party’s presidential ticket holds immense symbolic value. Her presence has already mobilized minority voters who feel underrepresented in the political arena. Increased turnout among these demographics can significantly impact races at all levels which is going to be especially key for progressive candidates like Gascón and criminal justice reform measures on the November ballot whom these voters are more likely favor.

President Biden’s decision to step aside has opened the door for Kamala Harris to lead the Democratic ticket and give us a fighting chance to avoid another Trump presidency. The announcement of Harris as the potential nominee has raised more than $81 million in the 24-hour period since Biden’s announcement.

Facts. Harris’s candidacy has energized the base, already mobilized key voter demographics, and strengthened the party’s overall electoral chances. As we move towards the election, Harris is going to be a powerful catalyst for important down-ticket races. She was just the lifesaving move that had to happen in order to bring the Democratic Party back to life because all races on the ballot with Democrats were going to suffer had Biden stayed on the ticket. Now, on to November.

Jasmyne Cannick is a Democratic strategist and elected delegate to the Los Angeles County Democratic Party.

President Biden bowed out of the presidential race on Sunday after weeks of pressure following his debate performance in June. He leaves a long record of support for the LGBTQ community as a key part of his powerful legacy and he has raised the bar for future presidents when it comes to fighting for our community. 

We’ve never had a fiercer ally in the White House — a president who pledged to make LGBTQ rights his top legislative priority and described anti-transgender discrimination as the “civil rights issue of our time.” He has celebrated Pride month with us each year as well as the Trans Day of Visibility and taken criticism from the right for it. He includes us in the State of the Union Address and other high-profile speeches. 

Young voters mustn’t get complacent; such sentiments from a sitting president are not the norm. Biden’s leadership on LGBTQ equality means the next Democratic president has big shoes to fill. Vice President Kamala Harris would certainly continue Biden’s work toward equality, specifically by pushing for passage of the Equality Act, which Biden backed and which passed the House but died in a Senate filibuster in 2021.

Biden has changed the game in myriad ways, especially when it comes to LGBTQ inclusion in federal appointments. The country has never had a Senate-confirmed openly LGBTQ Cabinet member before (no, Ric Grenell doesn’t count as he was not confirmed). Pete Buttigieg’s tenure as Transportation Secretary has seen its challenges, but he has proven himself a capable, polished executive unafraid of taking on Fox News antagonists. As the Victory Fund noted this week, “LGBTQ+ people have received a record number of federal appointments, including Cabinet members, judges, and around 14% of the administration.” In addition to Buttigieg, he appointed Dr. Rachel Levine as the first out transgender person to hold an office that requires Senate confirmation. And Biden made more history, naming Karine Jean-Pierre, a Black lesbian, as his press secretary.

It’s outrageous that it took until 2021 for an out Cabinet secretary and thanks to Biden, we can look forward to many more.

Biden also led in advocating for marriage equality, endorsing the idea days before his boss President Obama in 2012 and just six months before the election. It was a bold and brave move that even LGBTQ advocates discouraged. As president, Biden fought successfully to preserve marriage equality in the increasingly likely event that the historic Obergefell ruling is overturned by our discredited MAGA Supreme Court. The Respect for Marriage Act ensures that the federal government and all U.S. states and territories must recognize same-sex and interracial marriages. Biden signed it and held a massive event on the White House lawn bringing together hundreds of LGBTQ advocates from around the country for a truly joyful celebration of the landmark legislation. 

In a historic move just last month for Pride, Biden pardoned veterans who were discharged from the military because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. 

“This is about dignity, decency, and ensuring the culture of our Armed Forces reflect the values that make us an exceptional nation,” he said.

Biden began his term on Jan. 20, 2021, and on that very day, issued an expansive executive order detailing workplace protections for LGBTQ Americans and prohibiting discrimination in education, credit, health care, and housing. And every month since, his administration has ushered in one pro-LGBTQ initiative after another, a list too long to fully recap here. Biden isn’t finished advocating for us. On Aug. 1, new Title IX rules go into effect protecting LGBTQ students from discrimination by expanding existing civil rights law.

It’s a staggering record of support and the LGBTQ community owes Biden and his team a tremendous debt of gratitude. Biden will be remembered fondly and revered by history for taking down Donald Trump, rebuilding our economy, leading us out of a pandemic, and for showing future presidents how to fully embrace and empower the LGBTQ community. He has more than earned our thanks — and a long, healthy retirement in Rehoboth Beach.

Kevin Naff is editor of the Washington Blade. Reach him at [email protected].

Editor’s note: Outright International has allowed the Washington Blade to republish this op-ed from its website.

On the heels of the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States held in Antigua and Barbuda in May 2024, Caribbean countries are confronted with a historic event. Described as the earliest Category 5 hurricane to develop in the Atlantic, Hurricane Beryl tore through the Caribbean during the first week of July 2024. Hurricane Beryl caused catastrophic damage in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, and Jamaica, as well as varying degrees of damage in St. Lucia and Barbados. Hurricane Beryl follows an increased number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes in the region, the most recent being Category 4 Hurricane Ian (2022), Category 5 Hurricane Dorian (2019), Category 5 Hurricane Maria (2017), and Category 5 Hurricane Irma (2017), and Category 5 Hurricane Matthew (2016). These hurricanes resulted in the loss of lives, displacement, disruption in livelihoods, destruction of vegetation and infrastructure, uninhabitable areas, and grave economic loss. For lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people in the Caribbean, climate-related disasters exacerbate the vulnerabilities and pre-existing inequalities that they face.

Survival and viability of Caribbean islands threatened

Caribbean countries are experiencing the effects of climate change (Caribbean Community Climate Change Center, 2021). Climate change is predicted to increase the frequency of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes in the region by 25-30 percent (U.S. Agency for International Development, 2018). As indicated by the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, Category 4 and 5 hurricanes cause the most devastating impacts. The “increased frequency and ferocity of extreme weather events,” as evidence of the “rapid and adverse impacts of climate change,” represent the “greatest threats to the survival and viability” of small island states in the Caribbean (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, 2018, p. 83; United Nations Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States, 2024, para 27.)

USD billion in damages

The financial toll of these disasters is distressing. The International Monetary Fund highlights that the Caribbean is “the most exposed region to climate-related natural disasters, with estimated adaptation investment needs of more than $100 billion, equal to about one-third of its annual economic output” (IMF, 2023). Despite this vulnerability, the Caribbean receives minimal private climate financing (IMF, 2023). The Caribbean has the highest average estimated disaster damage as a ratio to GDP globally, with some instances of damage exceeding the size of the economy (IMF, 2018). For example, Hurricane Maria resulted in $1.2 billion in damages to Dominica, totaling 226 percent of GDP (IMF, 2021). Hurricane Dorian resulted in $3.4 billion in damages to the Bahamas (estimated at 25-30 percent of GDP) (Inter-American Development Bank and Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, 2022).

LGBTQ people are among those who are disproportionately impacted

LGBTQ people in the Caribbean continue to struggle with an unrealized vision of equality (Myrie, 2024). They are among the most marginalized in the region. They often experience discrimination, economic and societal exclusion, violence, and the threat of violence, mainly due to the criminalization of same-sex sexual relations and the stigma associated with being LGBTQ. 

As a consequence of Hurricane Beryl, affected LGBTQ people in the Caribbean face increased housing and food insecurity, disruption in economic livelihoods, reduced access to community support structures, and increased exposure to harassment and violence. Recognizing the exacerbated vulnerabilities of LGBTQ people does not mean that they are at a greater risk of experiencing climate-related disasters. Rather, it is about appreciating that “in times of crisis those most marginalized tend to suffer disproportionately compared to the broader population” (Outright International, 2020). Further, where societal discrimination is strong, LGBTIQ people may have to conceal their sexual orientation or gender identity to remain safe, making their suffering invisible to those providing assistance (Outright International, 2024). 

In the post-disaster context, LGBTQ people in the Caribbean may experience “discrimination in accessing emergency and social protection services and in emergency shelters” and “challenges integrating into their communities and earning a livelihood” (UN Women Caribbean, 2022). In the Bahamas, for example, post-Hurricane Dorian, some displaced LGBTQ persons were reluctant to stay in shelters for fear of violence. For those with sufficient resources, Hurricane Dorian was a catalyst for them to migrate (Internal Displacement Monitoring Center, 2020). 

In Haiti, LGBTQ people grappled with a heightened sense of insecurity during and after the 2010 earthquake. They reported being blamed for the earthquake and were at an increased risk of harassment and violence (International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission and SEROvie, 2011). Lesbians and bisexual women reported incidences of sexual violence and corrective rape, while gay and transgender men reported harassment and denial of access to healthcare, housing and food (IGLHRC and SEROvie, 2011). Affected LGBTQ persons shared that the earthquake “decimated the already limited physical spaces, social networks and support services available to them” (IGLHRC and SEROvie, 2011). 

Although LGBTQ people in the Caribbean tend to be disproportionately impacted in the response to their “recovery, reconstruction and livelihood needs and experience “poor recovery outcomes,” they are “largely absent from climate and mobility strategies in the Caribbean” (Bleeker et al., 2021).

Meaningful inclusion of LGBTQ people is necessary for an effective and equitable disaster response

International, regional, and local stakeholders must secure the meaningful inclusion of LGBTQ people in the Caribbean for an effective and equitable disaster response. This can be achieved by ensuring that LGBTQ people actively contribute to the planning processes and are engaged in all stages of the disaster management cycle. Meaningful inclusion allows for the full appreciation of the unique vulnerabilities of those affected and is critical for humanitarian actors to respond to their needs effectively. There must also be adequate safeguards to eliminate increased security risks and protect against discrimination, particularly in the provision of services and the distribution of resources. 

Finally, “to ensure that the humanitarian sector does not reinforce or generate new forms of discrimination and harm, humanitarian actors must approach relationship-building with LGBTIQ organizations with sensitivity and commitment to safety, security, and confidentiality,” centering local knowledge and the voices of those most in need of life-saving assistance (Outright International, 2024).

By Sean Ebony Coleman
As the nation gears up for the upcoming Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where former President Donald Trump is expected to secure the nomination, the future of LGBTQ+ rights hangs in the balance.

Recent polls indicate Trump pulling ahead of President Biden, making the prospect of a second Trump administration increasingly plausible. Nowhere is this concern felt more acutely than among transgender individuals, who currently face significant implications from the existing Trumpist “Don’t Say Gay” policies spreading across conservative state legislatures.

2024 has already seen a record number of anti-trans policies introduced. As I write this, 112 anti-trans bills are currently active, potentially joining the 47 policies passed this year. Politicians are continuously attempting to restrict healthcare access, athletic participation, bathroom rights, and the overall safety of our transgender siblings.

The rise of Governor Ron DeSantis in Florida, largely on the back of his anti-LGBTQ+ crusade and expansive bans on gender-affirming care, drag shows, and books with gay characters, show us just how dangerous these “policies” are when used by a populist politician. The 2024 ban on trans athletes in New York’s Nassau County also proved that these policies can take shape even in the bluest states.

President Trump’s campaign, built on the rhetoric of tradition and “safety” for children, seeks to further codify violence against transgender folks into law beyond what we’ve already witnessed this year. While some have claimed the former president is more sympathetic to the LGBTQ+ community than others in his party, with one former cabinet official calling Trump the “most pro-gay president in American history,” we know the truth. Don’t be fooled.

His official GOP platform seeks to criminalize gender-affirming care for minors and affirms exclusion for transgender individuals in sports. The rhetoric used creates a permissive environment for both subtle and overt aggressions, enabling gender policing and demonization to occur on a larger scale.

The proposed Project 2025 details another level of harm, outlining the administration’s plans to enforce policies that target the community. This blueprint includes measures to erase LGBTQ+-inclusive language in federal agencies, impose a complete ban on transgender servicemembers in the military, and disregard the Supreme Court’s Bostock v. Clayton County decision, which extended Civil Rights Act protections to cover sexual orientation and gender identity.

The consequences of these policies are dire. Project 2025 will empower the most extreme factions within Trump’s circle to reverse decades of progress, fostering an atmosphere of hostility and discrimination. If enacted, these policies will strip away essential protections and endanger lives, especially those living at the intersection of other systemic biases.

As we take stock of the current political climate leading up to the election, it becomes increasingly clear how vital state-level protections are for vulnerable individuals. These protections serve as a crucial safeguard against potential threats posed by federal policies, particularly if the Trump administration secures another term. State policymakers must carefully deliberate on their strategies and readiness to counteract any adverse impacts on civil rights and marginalized communities.

I urge all states, regardless of their political leaning, to address the pressing issue of unchecked harassment happening within their boundaries. This includes taking proactive measures to ensure the safety and well-being of all civilians, regardless of their background or identity. Even the most progressive states, like California and New York, should reevaluate how to enforce protective policies for all individuals within their jurisdictions. By doing so, states can play a pivotal role in upholding fundamental rights and combating discrimination across the nation.

For examples of ways that lawmakers can support our community, I’d encourage people to look to the U.S. Congress. In 2023, Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) proposed a Trans Bill of Rights. The bill amended the 1964 Civil Rights Act to include gender identity as a protected status and lays out the rights to bodily autonomy, communal safety, and free expression for trans individuals. While this bill stalled in a narrowly divided House and Senate, control of Congress is a “jump-ball” in 2024. We must ensure voters know that this issue is on the ballot.

As a Black transgender man and lifelong advocate, I have witnessed both the strides and setbacks in our journey toward equality. When we opened the doors to our first LGBTQ+ community center, there were no LGBTQ+ health centers, and many community residents viewed our efforts with skepticism. Now, with three centers operating in the Bronx, Atlanta, and Washington D.C., I can confidently say our team has been embraced by our friends and neighbors, illustrating the power of grassroots efforts and community building. But as far as we’ve come, we still have so much more to do to ensure every member of the LGBTQ+ community is afforded the rights and safety granted to our cisgender peers.

In light of the challenges ahead, it is more important than ever for states to reaffirm their commitment to progressive and inclusive values. By enacting strong legislative protections and standing firmly against regressive policies, we can send a clear message that LGBTQ+ rights are human rights and must be defended at all costs.

As we face the prospect of Project 2025 and the potential return of a Trump administration, let us honor our history and continue to fight for a future where all individuals are treated with dignity and respect. This is an opportunity for states and policymakers to reclaim our nation’s role as a beacon for progressive values across the world.

Sean Ebony Coleman is CEO and founder of national LGBTQ nonprofit Destination Tomorrow