WORLDPRIDE D.C. KICKS OFF AMID RENEWED LGBTQ+ RIGHTS BATTLE
As WorldPride kicks off in D.C., coinciding with Capital Pride’s 50th anniversary, the celebration is tinged with urgency due to a renewed assault on LGBTQ+ rights. The Trump administration’s policies, notably the transgender military ban, highlight this critical moment.
Ryan Bos, Capital Pride Alliance Executive Director, emphasizes Pride as both a celebration and resistance. WorldPride, a global InterPride initiative, embodies this dual purpose, rooted in post-Stonewall protest for equality. The event aims to foster defiant joy and community against those denying LGBTQ+ existence.
FORTUNE 500 COMPANIES WITH LGBTQ+ DIRECTORS OUTPERFORM PEERS
Research from Northeastern University indicates that Fortune 500 companies with LGBTQ+ representation on their boards demonstrate superior performance in both financial and non-financial areas compared to their counterparts.
According to Ruth Aguilera, a professor at Northeastern University, these companies tend to excel in sustainability, financial results, long-term risk management, and various organizational outcomes.
She emphasizes that incorporating diverse perspectives, including those of LGBTQ+ individuals, can reduce risks and foster innovative solutions when effectively integrated into board operations.
ARIZONA GOV. HOBBS VETOES TRIO OF ANTI-TRANS BILLS
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs (D) has vetoed three anti-transgender bills passed by the state’s Republican-controlled legislature. Despite party-line votes, Republicans lack the two-thirds majority needed to override these vetoes.
The rejected bills included H.B. 2438, which would have blocked gender marker changes on birth certificates; S.B. 1694, which aimed to defund colleges teaching “gender identity”; and H.B. 2062, which sought to end all legal recognition of transgender people in Arizona. These bills reflect recent executive orders signed by the Republican president.
OUT REPS. ANGIE CRAIG, CHRIS PAPPAS ANNOUNCE SENATE RUNS
Out Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) has announced her bid for the U.S. Senate. In her campaign announcement video, she criticized the president for “trampling our rights and freedoms” and Elon Musk for attempting to “take over our government and burn it to the ground.” If successful in both the primary and general elections, Craig would become the second out LGBTQ+ senator, joining Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI).
Separately, out gay Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH) also announced a Senate run last month. If he wins, he would be the first out gay man elected to the Senate.
GOV SLAMS DEMOCRATS BLAMING LOSSES ON DEFENSE OF TRANS KIDS
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker recently criticized “do-nothing” Democrats who “blame our [election] losses on our defense of Black people, of trans kids, of immigrants.” Speaking at the New Hampshire Democratic Party dinner, he urged Democrats to “fight” the current administration “everywhere and all at once,” endorsing “mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption.” Pritzker declared, “America’s house is not on fire, even as the flames were licking their faces today, as the blaze reaches the rafters,” rejecting timid approaches.
