Latest news with #LGBTQ2S+
CTV News
2 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Trump once opened the door to the LGBTQ2S+ community. Now activists say he's their top threat
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a summer soiree on the South Lawn of the White House, Wednesday, June 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) WASHINGTON — When he first ran for office, Donald Trump appeared to be a new kind of Republican when it came to gay rights. Years earlier, he overturned the rules of his own Miss Universe pageant to allow a transgender contestant to compete. He said Caitlyn Jenner could use any bathroom at Trump Tower that she wanted. And he was the first president to name an openly gay person to a Cabinet-level position. But since returning to office this year, Trump has engaged in what activists say is an unprecedented assault on the LGBTQ2S+ community. The threat from the White House contrasts with World Pride celebrations taking place just blocks away in Washington, including a parade and rally this weekend. 'We are in the darkest period right now since the height of the AIDS crisis,' said Kevin Jennings, who leads Lambda Legal, a longtime advocacy organization. 'I am deeply concerned that we're going to see it all be taken away in the next four years.' Trump's defenders insist the president has not acted in a discriminatory way, and they point to public polling that shows widespread support for policies like restrictions on transgender athletes. 'He's working to establish common sense once again,' said Ed Williams, executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans, which represents LGBT conservatives. Harrison Fields, the principal deputy press secretary at the White House, said, 'the overall MAGA movement is a big tent welcome for all and home to a large swath of the American people.' 'The president continues to foster a national pride that should be celebrated daily, and he is honored to serve all Americans,' Fields said. Presidential actions were widely expected Trump made anti-transgender attacks a central plank of his campaign reelection message as he called on Congress to pass a bill stating there are 'only two genders' and pledged to ban hormonal and surgical intervention for transgender minors. He signed an executive order doing so in January. His rally speeches featured a spoof video mocking transgender people and their place in the U.S. military. Trump has since banned them outright from serving. And although June is recognized nationally as Pride month, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters this week that Trump has 'no plans for a proclamation.' 'I can tell you this president is very proud to be a president for all Americans, regardless of race, religion or creed,' she added, making no mention of sexual orientation or gender identity. Williams described Pride activities as a progressive catch-all rather than a civil rights campaign. 'If you're not in the mood to protest or resist the Trump administration,' he said, 'Pride is not for you.' Trump declined to issue Pride Month proclamations in his first term, but did recognize the celebration in 2019 as he publicized a global campaign to decriminalize homosexuality headed by Richard Grenell, then the U.S. Ambassador to Germany and the highest-profile openly gay person in the administration. (Grenell now serves as envoy for special missions.) 'As we celebrate LGBT Pride Month and recognize the outstanding contributions LGBT people have made to our great Nation, let us also stand in solidarity with the many LGBT people who live in dozens of countries worldwide that punish, imprison, or even execute individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation,' Trump posted on social media. Times have changed where Trump is concerned This time, there is no celebrating. The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which Trump named himself chairman of after firing members of the board of trustees, canceled a week's worth of events celebrating LGBTQ2S+ rights for this summer's World Pride festival in Washington, D.C., at one of the nation's premier cultural institutions. Trump, who indicated when he took up the position that he would be dictating programming, had specifically said he would end events featuring performers in drag. The exterior lights that once lit the venue on the Potomac River in the colors of the rainbow were quickly replaced with red, white and blue. Multiple artists and producers involved in the center's Tapestry of Pride schedule, which had been planned for June 5 to 8, told The Associated Press that their events had been quietly canceled or moved to other venues. Inside the White House, there's little second-guessing about the president's stances. Trump aides have pointed to their decision to seize on culture wars surrounding transgender rights during the 2024 campaign as key to their win. They poured money into ads aimed at young men — especially young Hispanic men — attacking Democratic nominee Kamala Harris for supporting 'taxpayer-funded sex changes for prisoners,' including one spot aired during football games. 'Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you,' the narrator said. Jennings flatly rejected assertions that the administration hasn't been discriminatory. 'Are you kidding me? You're throwing trans people out of the military. That's example No. 1.' He points to the cancellation of scientific grants and funding for HIV/AIDS organizations, along with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's 'petty and mean' order to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, which commemorates the gay rights activist and Navy veteran. Jennings also said it doesn't help that Trump has appointed openly gay men like Grenell and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to high-profile positions: 'I would call it window dressing.' Less tolerance for the issues as time passes Craig Konnoth, a University of Virginia professor of civil rights, compared the U.S.' trajectory to that of Russia, which has seen a crackdown on gay and lesbian rights after a long stretch of more progressive policies. In 2023, Russia's Supreme Court effectively outlawed LGBTQ2S+ activism. Williams said Trump has made the Republican Party more accepting of gay people. First lady Melania Trump, he noted, has hosted fundraisers for his organization. 'On the whole, we think he's the best president ever for our community. He's managed to support us in ways that we have never been supported by any administration,' Williams said. 'We are vastly accepted within our party now.' Trump's approach to LGBTQ2S+ rights comes amid a broader shift among Republicans, who have grown less tolerant in recent years. While overall support for same-sex marriage has been stable, according to Gallup, the percentage of Republicans who think marriages between same-sex couples should be recognized as valid with the same rights as traditional marriage dropped to 41 per cent this year. That's the lowest point since 2016, a year after the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right, and a substantial decline from a high of 55 per cent in 2021. There's been a similar drop in the share of Republicans who say that gay and lesbian relations are morally acceptable, which has dropped from 56 per cent in 2022 to 38 per cent this year. Democrats, meanwhile, continue to overwhelmingly support same-sex marriage and say that same-sex relations are morally acceptable. An AP-NORC poll from May also found that Trump's approach to handling transgender issues has been a point of relative strength for the president. About half (52 per cent) of U.S. adults said they approve of how he's handling transgender issues — a figure higher than his overall job approval (41 per cent). Douglas Page, who studies politics and gender at Gettysburg College, said that 'trans rights are less popular than gay rights, with a minority of Republicans in favor of trans rights. This provides incentives for Republicans to speak to the conservative side of that issue.' 'Gay people are less controversial to Republicans compared to trans people,' he said in an email, 'so gay appointees like Secretary Bessent probably won't ruffle many feathers.' Colvin reported from New York. Linley Sanders and Fatima Hussein contributed to this report. Chris Megerian And Jill Colvin, The Associated Press
CTV News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Police consider whether ‘King of the Hill' actor's sexual orientation played a role in his killing
In this image taken from video, Jonathan Joss, talks to reporters following a fire at his San Antonio, Texas, home on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (KSAT via AP) HOUSTON — Investigators are looking into whether the sexual orientation of 'King of the Hill' voice actor Jonathan Joss played a role in his shooting death in Texas, authorities said Thursday, walking back a previous statement about the potential motive. Joss' husband has claimed the person who killed the actor yelled 'violent homophobic slurs' before opening fire outside his home in San Antonio on Sunday night. A day after the shooting, San Antonio police issued a statement saying they had found 'no evidence whatsoever to indicate that Mr. Joss' murder was related to his sexual orientation.' But during a news conference on Thursday, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said the statement was 'premature' and that whether Joss' sexual orientation played a role in the shooting 'is part of the investigation.' 'I will own that and simply say again that we simply shouldn't have done that. It was way too early in the process for any statement of that nature to be issued,' McManus said. The police chief said many in the LGBTQ2S+ community 'are feeling anxious and concerned' after Joss' shooting and that 'a lot of it has to do with that premature statement.' 'The loss of Jonathan Joss was tragic, most heavily felt by the LGBTQ+ community,' McManus said. Texas does not have separate hate crimes charges. But if homophobia is found to have been a motive in the shooting, that could result in a harsher sentence at trial under the state's hate crimes law. 'We gather the facts, and we give those facts to the district attorney's office. And then that hate crime designation is determined at sentencing,' McManus said. The actor's home burned down in January. Joss' husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, has said that they were checking mail there Sunday when a man approached them, pulled out a gun and opened fire. In a statement, de Gonzales said he and Joss had previously faced harassment, much of it 'openly homophobic.' Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, who is a neighbor of Joss, is charged with murder in the shooting. Ceja Alvarez has been released on a US$200,000 bond. Ceja Alvarez's attorney, Alfonso Otero, did not immediately return an email seeking comment Thursday. McManus said police had been called to Joss' home and his neighborhood about 70 times over the past two years related to 'neighborhood type disturbances.' 'Sometimes (Joss) was the caller. Other times, the neighbors were calling on him,' McManus said. The San Antonio Police Department's mental health unit as well as a unit known as SAFFE that works with residents to help prevent crime 'had extensive engagements with Mr. Joss, making repeated efforts to mediate conflicts and connect him with services that he may have needed,' McManus said. The January fire at Joss' home is still being reviewed by arson investigators, McManus said. Joss lost all his belongings in the blaze and his three dogs were killed. Actors who worked with Joss, along with friends and fans have honored Joss' memory with tributes. 'His voice will be missed at King of the Hill, and we extend our deepest condolences to Jonathan's friends and family,' the show's creators and producers — Mike Judge, Greg Daniels and Saladin Patterson — said in a statement on the animated series' Instagram page. ___ Juan A. Lozano, The Associated Press
CTV News
6 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Concerns that led 2019 Pride parade to be canceled still unresolved: local LGBTQ2S+ group
Edmonton police officers are seen on bicycles at the city's pride parade on Saturday, June 9, 2018. With the Edmonton Pride parade returning to city streets, one local LGBTQ2S+ group says it still has the same concerns that led to the cancellation of the event in 2019. Adebayo Katiti with RaricaNow, a non-profit that houses BIPOC trans people and refugees, says he was surprised to hear the parade was coming back, alleging the parade isn't fully inclusive. In 2019, the parade was canceled over internal politics, including issues like allowing police and military to march. Edmonton Police Service (EPS) told CTV News Edmonton it has not confirmed whether it will participate in the Pride parade this year or not. 'The society that ran the parade and festival completely dissolved, in part due to conversations within the community about how that parade should look, who should be involved, who should make those decisions and how that parade should be paid for,' said Rob Browatze with the Edmonton Queer History Project. The festivities planned this year are being organized by a new group, Edmonton PrideFest Association, which took over in 2022. A spokesperson for the organization says it was not involved in the decision to cancel the parade or the discussions with RaricaNow regarding their concerns of BIPOC involvement at Pride events. Browatze says the city and the LGBTQ2S+ community has been missing the parade but the direction of Pride parades has changed from its origins. 'The origins of pride are in protest, so there's a lot of concern and conversation around having something that is too focused on celebration and a party rather than that political protest,' Browatze told CTV News Edmonton. 'We've been isolated' That protest is what Katiti wants front and centre at the parade, specifically trans people and marginalized groups. 'We have issues that are happening in the community, it has to be a trans march. The other issue which still stands is the inclusion of safe spaces for people in Pride,' Katiti said. He says having safe spaces for trans people is important to honour the history of the Pride parade and the political climate surrounding trans legislation in Alberta. Katiti says in order to have a fully-inclusive event, some non-negotiables for RaricaNow are food and security and no police or military presence in the parade. As a trans man, Katiti says he's been a personal victim of police brutality and many trans people have been arrested for having identification that doesn't align with their gender identity. 'We've been isolated by people who are supposed to protect us, serve us.' — Adebayo Katiti, RaricaNow EPS says while police will be at Pride events throughout the summer, as is typical for major events, the service is 'committed to its ongoing work' to build a relationship with Edmonton's LGBTQ2S+ community. Some examples of community outreach include providing bias awareness training to officers, hosting a Chief's Pride Breakfast on Sunday and raising the Pride flag at all EPS divisions for Pride week. 'We are still having such conversations, that you can find Pride organizing without Black trans people on them, without BIPOC trans people on board,' Katitit said. 'Inclusive Pride for everyone' Edmonton PrideFest Associations told CTV News Edmonton it hasn't received a formal list of requests from RaricaNow for this year's parade. While it has an understanding about their concerns of police and military presence, they weren't aware about concerns over food and security for trans attendees. 'RaricaNow was invited to participate in this year's parade, including the opportunity to host RaricaNow-led initiatives at the parade site to support the trans refugee population in Edmonton,' said Megan Normandeau, a spokesperson for Edmonton PrideFest Association. 'We continue to await their decision and look forward to collaborating with them to create an inclusive Pride event for everyone.' The association says it reached out to all queer-led organizations that it was aware of to invite them to participate in the parade and planning discussions, with 13 applications received so far. As for who will be allowed to march in the parade, the association says parade applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis, in consultation with community members and local advocates to ensure the participants 'embody the spirit of Pride.' With the parade three months away, Katiti says there's still time for the city's LGBTQ2S+ community groups to come together and plan a festival and parade for everyone. Browatze says looking at the history of the event, it's possible to find solutions that work for everyone. 'Keep having the conversations, keep listening to, especially, the more marginalized voices in the community that have been historically misrepresented or underrepresented in the parade and Pride in general, and just keep those conversations happening.' With files from CTV Edmonton's Alex Antoneshyn
