Mayor Pete Buttigieg talks historic campaign for LGBTQ History Month

By : Mark Segel
October 24, 2019
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Pete Buttigieg, who has served as mayor of South Bend, Indiana since 2012, came out as a gay man in a self-penned essay published by the South Bend Tribune on June 16, 2015. In April of this year, he declared his candidacy for president of the United States.

Buttigieg spoke with Philadelphia Gay News publisher Mark Segel by phone ahead of the Human Rights Campaign’s LGBTQ-focused presidential town hall which aired on CNN Oct. 10. The interview was conducted exclusively for The LGBT History Project, a coalition of LGBTQ print and web publications including Watermark which span coast-to-coast.

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Baldwin recognizes Stonewall riots, Marsha P. Johnson on Senate floor

By : Chris Johnson OF THE WASHINGTON BLADE, COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL LGBT MEDIA ASSOCIATION
June 28, 2019
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ABOVE: Sen. Tammy Baldwin (Photo by Chris Schmitt Photography)

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), the first out lesbian elected to Congress, recognized the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in a speech on the Senate floor June 27 that reflected on major progress of the LGBT rights movement.

“When we look back at the Stonewall uprising and activism that grew out of that moment, even the most basic progress seemed like it would take a revolution to achieve,” Baldwin said. “So we had one.”

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AP-NORC poll: Still some extra hurdles for LGBTQ candidates

By : Wire Report
June 26, 2019
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ABOVE: 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg speaking at a 2019 HRC event in Las Vegas May 2019. (Screenshot from YouTube)

NEW YORK (AP) | A sizable number of U.S. voters say they’d have some hesitancy about supporting an LGBTQ candidate for president, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. In fact it’s an issue for many more than a candidate’s race or gender.

In the poll, 32% of registered voters said they would be less excited about supporting a presidential candidate who was gay, lesbian or bisexual; 42% said that about a transgender candidate. By contrast, only about 1 in 10 voters expressed such hesitance in regard to a candidate’s gender or race.

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Senate confirms anti-LGBT judicial nominee who stood up for Kim Davis

By : Chris Johnson OF THE WASHINGTON BLADE, COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL LGBT MEDIA ASSOCIATION
June 20, 2019
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ABOVE: The U.S. Senate has confirmed anti-LGBT judicial nominee Matthew Kacsmaryk (First Liberty Institute publicity photo)

Flouting the recognition of June as Pride Month, the U.S. Senate approved a Trump judicial nominee on June 19 who has a long anti-LGBT record, including defense of Kim Davis for refusing to give marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

The Senate confirmed Matthew Kacsmaryk to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas by a vote of 52-46.

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Tyler Clementi Act reintroduced to prohibit anti-LGBTQ bullying

By : Chris Johnson OF THE WASHINGTON BLADE, COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL LGBT MEDIA ASSOCIATION
May 16, 2019
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With the goal of seeking to draw attention to anti-LGBT bullying at colleges and universities, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) reintroduced legislation Wednesday seeking to require higher education facilities to adopt policies against harassment.

The legislation, called the Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act, which is named for a gay college student who died by suicide in 2010 by throwing himself from the George Washington Bridge after he experienced cyberbullying during his first semester at Rutgers University. 

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Cicilline touts Equality Act as House’s new senior gay member

By : Chris Johnson OF THE WASHINGTON BLADE, COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL LGBT MEDIA ASSOCIATION
January 3, 2019
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Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) will become the most senior openly gay member of the U.S. House as Democrats take the majority this week, but he’s more excited about the growing ranks of openly LGB people who will serve in Congress alongside him and finally being able to move long-awaited legislation to ban anti-LGBT discrimination.

Asked by the Blade during an interview in his office Dec. 20 about his new distinction as the most senior out gay member of the House with outgoing Rep. Jared Polis leaving to become governor of Colorado, Cicilline said he’s “very proud” the chamber will have a net gain of two out LGB members in the 116th Congress and talked about the Equality Act.

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29 Senate Democrats call on OPM to restore trans employee guidance

By : Chris Johnson OF THE WASHINGTON BLADE, COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL LGBT MEDIA ASSOCIATION
December 20, 2018
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A group of 29 Senate Democrats led by Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) is calling on the U.S Office of Personnel Management to restore to its website guidance ensuring fair treatment of transgender federal employees, which was deleted during the week of Thanksgiving.

In a letter dated Dec. 19 to Acting OPM Director Margaret Weichert, the senators write “to express our serious concern” about removal of the guidance from the website.

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Tammy Baldwin wins re-election to U.S. Senate

By : Chris Johnson OF THE WASHINGTON BLADE, COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL LGBT MEDIA ASSOCIATION
November 7, 2018
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Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) won re-election Nov. 6 to her seat representing Wisconsin in the U.S. Senate, becoming the first out lesbian and openly LGBT person to win re-election to the upper chamber of Congress.

CBS News declared Baldwin, a Democrat, the winner over her Republican opponent, State Sen. Leah Vukmir, shortly after polls closed in Wisconsin at 8 pm local time. 

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Jared Polis becomes first out gay person to win election as governor

By : Chris Johnson OF THE WASHINGTON BLADE, COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL LGBT MEDIA ASSOCIATION
November 7, 2018
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The LGBT community achieved a major first on Nov. 6 when Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) became the first openly gay person to win election as governor in the United States.

NBC News declared Polis, a Democrat and five-term member of Congress, the winner over his Republican opponent in the Colorado gubernatorial race, State Treasurer Walker Stapleton, shortly after polls closed in Colorado at 7 pm local time.

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Poll: Tammy Baldwin in dead heat with GOP opponent in Wis. Senate race

By : Chris Johnson OF THE WASHINGTON BLADE, COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL LGBT MEDIA ASSOCIATION
August 23, 2018
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A new poll from Marquette University shows Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) in a dead heat with her Republican challenger Leah Vukmir, showing a tightening race as Election Day approaches.

The poll from Marquette University Law School finds a plurality of 49 percent likely Wisconsin voters supporter, but Vukmir is two points behind in the race at 47 percent.

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Senate Dems object to removal of LGBTQ health data from gov’t websites

By : Chris Johnson OF THE WASHINGTON BLADE, COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL LGBT MEDIA ASSOCIATION
April 17, 2018
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ABOVE: Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key.

A group of 17 Senate Democrats led by Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) have expressed “serious concerns” with the Trump administration about the removal of LGBTQ health data from government websites and are calling for the restoration of the information.

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Speaker Ryan becomes latest Republican to announce retirement

By : Chris Johnson OF THE WASHINGTON BLADE, COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL LGBT MEDIA ASSOCIATION
April 12, 2018
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With Republicans fretting about losing control of Congress in the mid-term elections, U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) has announced he won’t seek re-election, leaving an uneven record on LGBTQ rights and the door open for another Republican to take his place as leader of his caucus.

The 10-term member of Congress, who has served as speaker since 2015, announced during a news conference Wednesday he wouldn’t seek re-election to represent Wisconsin’s 1st congressional district in order to spend more time with his family, confirming news reports about his intended plan earlier in the day.

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