250^th Birthday, the gay way

As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, it’s worth remembering that gay and lesbian Americans have been part of the nation’s story from the beginning. Among the Revolution’s most influential figures was Baron von Steuben, General George Washington’s Prussian drillmaster, whom historians widely recognize as a gay man. His rigorous training regimen at Valley Forge helped transform the Continental Army into a disciplined, effective fighting force. Women also defied convention to serve. Deborah Sampson famously disguised herself as a man to enlist, while Mary Ludwig Hays and Anna Maria Lane took part in combat. In early 19th‑century Massachusetts, Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake lived openly as a committed couple, running a tailor shop and building a life together that their community treated much like a marriage. Both the British and Continental armies punished same‑sex relations, then labeled buggery or sodomy. In 1774, British Army chaplain Robert Newburgh was court‑martialed in Philadelphia on such accusations, defending himself with arguments about individual rights that echoed the era’s revolutionary rhetoric.

Mayor Pete Tops

It may not last, but the most nonthreatening gay man from the last Democratic Administration, Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, is Democratic voters’ top choice for the 2028 presidential nomination in a new Emerson College Polling survey. Eighteen percent of likely Democratic voters said they want Buttigieg as the nominee, placing him slightly ahead of California Gov. Gavin Newsom at 16%. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez (D‑NY) followed at 11%, with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and former Vice President Kamala Harris at 10% each. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear drew 9%, and 18% of respondents were undecided. Buttigieg’s national favorability in 2023–2024 averaged 36.3% favorable to 36.5% unfavorable across 19 polls. The Emerson survey, conducted May 24–25 among 432 likely Democratic voters, comes well before any formal 2028 announcements. Still, Buttigieg has hinted at interest, noting that campaigning in New Hampshire during his 2020 run “made me…a better public servant” by forcing national candidates to engage issues at a more immediate human scale. The survey brought a big sigh of disappointment from the “Bernie Bros.”

Ogles’ Pride comments rebuked by colleagues

Rep. Andy Ogles (R‑Tenn.) sparked bipartisan backlash after posting, and later deleting, an anti-Pride X message declaring, “Homosexuality has no place in America. Happy Nuclear Family Month.” The remark fit squarely within Ogles’ long record of anti‑LGBT rhetoric: he has called publicly available HIV and transgender‑related health information “a grave moral evil,” labeled the most recent Super Bowl halftime show “gay pornography,” claimed it “glorified sodomy,” and advocated overturning marriage equality. He received a zero rating on the Human Rights Campaign’s most recent Congressional Scorecard. What stood out this time was the pushback from within his own party. Rep. Mike Lawler (R‑N.Y.) condemned the post as “absolutely idiotic,” noting that LGBTQ+ people are Ogles’ own “family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, and constituents.” In a rare break from his long‑held positions, Sen. Ted Cruz (R‑Tex.) also rejected Ogles’ claim, saying that “for all of recorded history, homosexuals have been part of humanity,” and adding that the private behavior of consenting adults is “their business.”

Lesbian goes South in Episcopal Church

The Southern United States’ first out lesbian Episcopal bishop has been installed as the ninth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina, marking another milestone in the denomination’s decades‑long shift toward LGBT inclusion. The Rev. Sarah Fisher, 54, was elected last November on the third ballot. In her written responses during the selection process, she described herself as someone with “a heart that can sit with people in times of both joy and heartbreak.” Fisher said she ministers to “a very purple congregation,” united not by politics or preferences but by “our desire to see, know, and serve the Risen Christ.” Her approach, she wrote, centers on relationships, drawing close to those who differ from us to recognize “the inherent dignity and divinity” in every person. Fisher, who is married to the Rev. Mandy Brady, now oversees 66 parishes and two campus ministries across eastern North Carolina.

MLB punishes players and teams, asking, “Who does not want to wear the ribbon?

As the San Francisco Giants continue to face scrutiny over players’ Pride Night protests, an independent league team in Pennsylvania has taken a dramatically different path. The York Revolution — back‑to‑back champions of the Atlantic League — were preparing to host their annual Pride Night on Thursday, complete with rainbow‑themed uniforms. But on Wednesday, the club announced with “great disappointment” that it would forfeit the game after several players refused to wear the Pride jerseys. The team said hosting Pride Night was “more important than forcing players to wear jerseys they are not comfortable with,” adding that the players’ stance was “completely inconsistent with our vision as the Most Welcoming Place in York.” The Revolution pledged a $10,000 donation to a local LGBTQ+ group and will still hold a free community celebration before returning to play Friday. The contrast with the Giants has been striking. After three Giants players wrote Bible verses on their Pride hats and a fourth declined to wear one, the organization issued a single statement and declined interview requests. The controversy has only grown, fueled by MLB’s warning to the players for violating uniform rules and criticism from Republican politicians who framed the warning as a blow to religious expression. The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a civil rights investigation into alleged religious discrimination over the requirement that players wear Pride-oriented merchandise. Yes, Seinfeld fans, this is an episode that has come to life.

The Netherlands criminalizes conversion therapy

The same year the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a state ban on conversion therapy, The Netherlands voted to make the practice a crime nationwide. The Dutch Senate passed the bill on Tuesday, 57 to 15. The new law doesn’t play games with licensing like in U.S. state legislatures; it makes it a crime with fines and jail time. Once King Willem-Alexander signs it, anyone trying to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity faces up to two years in prison and a €27,500 fine. The Netherlands now joins Germany, France, Belgium, and a growing list of European countries heading in that direction, with the European Parliament backing a bloc-wide ban in April.

U. S. voters still prefer support for LGBT

States and cities across the country are rebranding June away from Pride Month, echoing anti‑Pride signals from the federal government. At the same time, new polling shows a widening divide in how different groups view LGBT rights. Public opinion among self‑identified Republicans has shifted rightward since the 2024 election, yet a new Data for Progress study finds that most likely voters still prefer candidates who openly support LGBT rights. By a +19‑point margin, voters say they would choose a pro‑LGBT candidate (51%) over one who vocally opposes such rights (32%). Support is strongest among Democrats (76%) and Independents (54%), but even one in four Republicans prefer the pro‑LGBT option. Women and voters under 45 express higher support than men and older voters, though pluralities across all groups favor the supportive candidate. While issues involving transgender youth—such as sports participation and medical care—remain divisive, many other LGBT‑related policies command broad backing. Majorities support anti‑bullying protections, expanded mental‑health services, and restoring federal funding for LGBT crisis lines. Voters also favor granting VA benefits to LGBT veterans discharged under past bans (58%) and prohibiting discrimination against LGBT parents in adoption and foster care (57%), with Independents supporting both by wide margins.

Censorious parents win one

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a major ruling in Mahmoud v. Taylor, a case brought by a coalition of Muslim, Jewish, and Christian parents in Montgomery County, Maryland. The dispute began in 2023, when the county school board eliminated parental notice and opt‑outs for a set of LGBT‑inclusive storybooks used in early‑elementary classrooms. Parents argued the policy forced their young children — some as young as three or four — to engage with material that conflicted with their religious teachings. Lower courts sided with the district, but the Supreme Court reversed in a 6–3 decision. The majority held that while public schools have broad authority over curriculum, they cannot require families to forfeit their religious convictions as a condition of attending public school. The ruling emphasized that parents retain the “primary role” in directing their children’s upbringing and that opt‑outs are constitutionally required when instruction “poses a meaningful burden” on sincere religious practice.