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LGBTQ Veterans USA Pardons Fall Short

Last June President Biden used his clemency authority to pardon many former LGBTQ service members wrongly convicted under the former Uniform Code of Military Justice Article 125. This article criminalized sodomy between consenting adults between 1951-2013 & until rewritten by Congress resulted in convictions of an estimated 2,000 individuals. This is a significant move recognizing & righting the wrongs inflicted upon our LGBTQ service members who faced discrimination & unjust convictions under policies such as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) but unfortunately it falls a bit short. There are still many of the 100,000 vets pushed out for their sexuality still waiting for justice. To ensure that justice is served swiftly & effectively Modern Military Association of America the LGBTQ+ Military & Veteran org called upon the individual departments of the armed services to exercise their capacity to approve these pardons & subsequently approve their discharge upgrades en masse. What’s confusing in this action is that Biden’s clemency action was bestowed upon a group of unnamed people. Such mass pardons are rare but not unheard of. For instance President Jimmy Carter in 1977 pardoned hundreds of thousands of Vietnam War draft dodgers. Another catch is that only those convicted in a military court of non-forcible sodomy qualify for a pardon & neither the White House nor the Defense Department could define how many veterans that includes or why it excludes so many others. With veteran’s benefits on the line it is crucial that this is resolved ahead of the upcoming presidential election. 
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Red Sox Jarren Duran LGBTQ Hate Slur

During Sunday night’s horrendous Red Sox 10-2 loss to the Houston Astros, Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran launched the ultimate LGBTQ slur at a fan. This ugly slur comes just a week after the death of Billy Bean who was an executive in the MLB front office & dedicated his life to ensuring MLB is a welcoming space for LGBTQ athletes. We believe that not only should Duran go through an educational program about his usage of this awful language but MLB commissioner Rob Manfred should suspend him for at least 20 games. In 2017 Oakland Athletics outfielder Matt Joyce was suspended by MLB for two games after directing a similar epithet toward a fan & the same year the Toronto Blue Jays suspended former Red Sox & outfielder Kevin Pillar for 2 games without pay after directing a homophobic slur toward an opposing pitcher. Though Duran apologized for his behavior stating, “During today's game, I used a truly horrific word when responding to a fan. I feel awful knowing how many people I offended & disappointed. I apologize to the entire Red Sox organization, but more importantly to the entire LGBTQ community. Our young fans are supposed to be able to look up to me as a role model, but tonight I fell far short of that responsibility. I will use this opportunity to educate myself & my teammates & to grow as a person.” This is a horrendous incident needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. This is Massachusetts where marriage equality began 20 years ago & we need to send a powerful message that any hate language or action will not be tolerated in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
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Coloradans Support Transgender Victory

In Colorado a coalition of more than 100 advocacy groups, religious & business leaders & philanthropies are celebrating the failure of 30 ballot measures that would have put the lives of transgender Coloradans in danger. These measures failed to gather enough signatures to qualify for the 2024 Colorado General Election ballot in November. The measures in question would have required school officials to “out” any student questioning their gender identity & stopped transgender youth from participating in sports. Mardi Moore, Executive Director Rocky Mountain Equality stated, “These measures are out of step with the values of Coloradans. They were put forward by right-wing extremists & would have threatened our collective freedom. The fact that they could not get enough signatures to be placed on the ballot shows they lack support from everyday Coloradans.” Nadine Bridges, Executive Director One Colorado’s Executive Director added, “We are under no illusions that extremists will stop their assaults on the transgender community. While today is a significant win, our work continues. We are committed to upholding Colorado values to ensure our communities are protected & will thrive. We have established the Freedom for All Coloradans coalition & are ready & united to defend against any threat.” Susy Bates, Freedom for All Coloradans Campaign Director concluded, "While we have successfully prevented these measures from moving forward, there is still work to be done to fully protect LGBTQ+ people in our state. This November, Coloradans will have the opportunity to vote to remove the ban on marriage for same-sex couples from our state constitution. We urge all Coloradans who value equality & inclusion to vote ‘yes’ on this important measure." 
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Provincetown Family Week 30th Year

Family Equality welcomed around 600 LGBTQ families & more than 1,500 individuals to Provincetown, MA for the celebration of the 30th anniversary of Family Week. Since 1994 it’s grown to include LGBTQ families from 33 states & Washington D.C. & 8 countries outside of the U.S including Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Mexico & Sweden. This year’s festivities featured family-friendly programming that celebrated, supported & connected LGBTQ families at a time when many are facing threats from the school board to the state house. Dejon Campbell, Senior Manager of Program Events stated, “Family Week 2024 was an unforgettable week of joy, community & connection. Looking out onto a field of hundreds of families who are unafraid to live & love freely, donning their brightest rainbow gear & making friends that will last a lifetime is the definition of what we’re working towards every day, all year-round at Family Equality: A world where everyone can experience the unconditional joy & belonging of family. I am so grateful for all the staff, volunteers, board members, sponsors & families who made this event possible. Now, our team walks into the second half of this year feeling renewed & ready to continue advancing equality for this special community.” Family Equality is creating a world where everyone can experience the love, safety & belonging of family. As the leading national organization for current & future LGBTQ families they work to ensure that everyone has the freedom to find, form & sustain their families by advancing LGBTQ equality through advocacy, support, storytelling & education. 
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LGBTQ Catholics Outreach Conference

The LGBTQ Catholic Ministry Outreach Conference took place at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. August 2nd to 4th bringing together more than 400 LGBTQ Catholic laypeople, clergy, scholars, artists, educators, students & family members from all over the U.S. & abroad for more than 10 panels, moments of prayer, spirituality & social hours. Outreach 2024 LGBTQ Catholic Ministry Conference featured 3 keynote addresses, several timely & compelling panels & multiple opportunities for worship as well as time for community building. Speakers, panelists & worship leaders include Cardinal Wilton Gregory, archbishop of Washington, Mark Bosco, S.J., Ph.D., Vice President for Mission & Ministry, Georgetown University, Amy-Jill Levine, Ph.D., Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament & Jewish Studies at Hartford International University for Religion & Peace, Rev. William Hart McNichols, renowned iconographer & artist & James Martin, SJ, founder of Outreach & editor-at-large of America. For the first time since the Outreach conferences began in 2022 a cardinal celebrated a Mass for the attendees. Fr. James Martin wrote to the Pope Francis asking if he would like to send his greetings to the conference. Pope Francis sent a brief response saying he was pleased by the fact that Cardinal Gregory would be celebrating Mass for them. The Pope also stated he is “united in prayer” with those participating in the conference: “May Jesus bless you & the Holy Virgin care for you.” I talked with Father James Martin, SJ the founder of Outreach & editor-at-large of America a few years ago in this exclusive podcast. LISTEN  
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Stonewall National Museum Topeka Visit

Stonewall National Museum, Archives & Library executive director Robert Kesten visited Topeka, Kansas to see the Rainbow House & meet with the house owner Planting Peace Founder Aaron Jackson. The famous Rainbow House also known as the Equality House located in Topeka is an incredible monument to love, acceptance & LGBTQ rights in the state. The colorful house resides across the street from the infamous Westboro Baptist Church known for their cruel protests against LGBTQ Americans, Veterans & Jewish citizens among others. Robert Kesten stated, “I’ve known of the Rainbow House, but nothing fully prepares you for seeing it & seeing how close it is to the church across the street. The Equality House is now partnered with a house next-door that is painted the colors of the Trans Flag, promoting even greater tolerance in our nation's heartland. No matter what threats he has received, Jackson has continued to persevere, keeping in mind just how important this work is. I look forward to working with Aaron & his organization to bring Stonewall National Museum, Archives & Library resources to the state of Kansas!” Robert & Aaron discussed ideas to reach out to the greater Midwest & help others learn about the invaluable contributions our LGBTQ community has made to American history & culture. The Stonewall National Museum, Archives & Library located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida is one of the largest LGBTQ libraries & archives in the world. Last June I talked to filmmaker Kristen Lovell about the historic Stonewall Riots Reenactment where she plays Marsha P. Johnson that took place at the Stonewall National Museum, Archives & Library. LISTEN
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Title IX New LGBTQ Student Protections

Just in time for the new school year the U.S. Department of Education has updated Title IX with new regulations which have officially gone into effect marking a significant milestone in the fight for safe & inclusive learning environments for our LGBTQ students. Melanie Willingham-Jaggers, Executive Director of GLSEN stated, "Today's implementation of the updated Title IX regulations is a crucial step toward ensuring that every LGBTQ+ student feels safe, supported & respected in their schools. These protections are not just about policy—they are about the real lives of students who deserve to learn in environments free from bullying & harassment. If a child does not feel safe in school, they simply will not learn. These urgently needed updates to Title IX remain the minimum legal obligation for schools in supporting their student populations. Despite the legal battles & resistance, we must continue to advocate for inclusive education that goes above & beyond what is legally require to truly honor and protect all students." The need for these protections is underscored by data from GLSEN's 2021 National School Climate Survey which revealed that 83% of LGBTQ students reported being victimized in school yet 62% never reported these incidents to school staff. Further FBI data from early 2024 indicates a significant increase in hate crimes on K-12 campuses in states with anti-trans policies. Enumerating sexual orientation & gender identity within Title IX’s scope can help bridge the trust gap & ensure more effective reporting & handling of harassment cases. GLSEN is the nation’s largest advocate for LGBTQ issues in K-12 education & has been dedicated to establishing inclusive schools & learning environments for over 34 years. 
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