National Briefs
Gallup data a downer
Since 2001, the Gallup polling organization has traced USA citizens’ satisfaction with life in the USA. The satisfaction rating has been traditionally low, with a low of 11 percent of citizens in 2021 expressing satisfaction. This January, 20 percent say they are satisfied. “The Military” and “Overall Quality of Life” score the highest individual marks. Satisfaction of “the Nation’s acceptance” of gay and lesbian people has steadily risen since 2013, getting as high as a 62 percent positive rating. That started to change in 2022, and has dropped 11 points to 51 percent in 2025. As in all things anymore, there is a partisan divide, with 55 percent of self-identified Republicans and 43 percent of Democrats expressing satisfaction. When asked about transgender acceptance, 38 percent expressed satisfaction, which is slightly up from the year before. Thirty-one percent of Dems are satisfied, and 42% of Repubs are satisfied. The survey does not ask what factors cause satisfaction. Here’s the complete survey: bit.ly/stateofthenation25
Ins and Outs of Michigan Senate Race
One of two “Outs many make it In,” as former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel lead in early polls to replace retiring senator Gary Peters. Mayor Pete of South Bend, Indiana, moved to Michigan to be nearer his husband’s family. Before AG, Nessel was a civil rights attorney who got marriage equality approved by the Michigan Supreme Court, which was combined with an Ohio case in Obergefell v. Hodges. Seventy-seven percent overlook Mayor Pete’s carpetbagging and report positive feelings for his candidacy. The attorney general gets 72 percent favorable approvals. The Het with the most mention, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, gets a 45 percent favorable rating. Forty percent of Dem Voters say they will vote for Mayor Pete, and 39 percent favor Nessel if Buttigieg decides not to run.
Google Calendar drops ‘special interest’ months
The Google Calendar app has stopped posting icons for various cultural observances, like LGBTQ+ Pride Month, Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, and Indigenous Peoples Month. This does not affect the home page banners and wallpaper on Google Chrome. Google says it is responding to the needs of its worldwide calendar usage and made the changes to show only national observances from “timeanddate.com” in 2024. Critics on a Google support forum accused the tech giant of “kissing butt,” of the recently elected foe of DEI. Other hysterical twaddle called the removals an “embarrassing … example of the fast descent into fascism,” and another commented, “They are trying to erase anyone who isn’t a cis white male.”
Kennedy Center topped by gay man
The board of the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington D.C was replaced by supporters of the current president, who appointed himself board chair of KCPA. The president’s all-around go-to, utility-Gay man, Ric Grennell, was named the center’s president. A social media post announced Grennell’s appointment, promising there would be “NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA.” KCPA has mounted shows that have some theatrical legitimacy, like “Drag Salute to Divas” and a critically acclaimed one-actor play by drag performer Kris Andersson, “Dixie’s Tupperware Party.” The big sin was, “Dragtastic Dress-up,” which invited LGBTQ+ youth under 18 to “learn the history of drag” and watch “incredible performers strut their stuff.” The KCPA “fired” board issued a statement, “There is nothing in the center’s statute (ed: 1958 Congressional legislation) that would prevent a new administration from replacing board members; however, this would be the first time such action has been taken with the Kennedy Center’s Board.” The move sparked a demonstration at KCPA, which was complete with always-effective drag performances and glitter bombs.
Layoffs in LGBTQ industrial complex
Another news report from “Debbie Downer”: GLSEN and the Human Rights Campaign both recently announced major layoffs. HRC will lose 50 employees, or 20 percent of its workforce, and GLSEN will lay off 18 people, 60 percent of its staff. Both vow to soldier on by focusing on core missions. GLSEN announced redoubling local efforts with public schools and higher education, “We’re not doing the work of 42 people with 17 people, but will be more focused and directed to areas that will have more impact.” HRC made similar noises about the layoffs, with HRC president Kelley Robinson saying the mission to raise as much money as possible remains the same: “We need to stay laser-focused on how we can create change. We’re sharpening our focus on where we can make the most impact.”
Lesbian Out at WWE?
Is she “IN or OUT?” Right now, Sonya Deville, the first openly (and we emphasize “openly”) lesbian in World Wrestling Entertainment history, is Out. She leaves the stable of performers after 10 years of chewing the scenery in the ring. Insiders report WWE will not renew Deville’s contract, making her a free agent without the standard 90-day non-compete clause. Deville first rose to prominence in 2015 as a contestant on “WWE Tough Enough.” She won the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship in 2023. She has regularly represented WWE at GLAAD events. Some see the move as a marketing feint by the notoriously feinting WWE. The organization hasn’t made any announcement. The wrestler’s Instagram account has been scrubbed to just the statement, “To Be Continued.” The change comes as WWE starts streaming its passion plays on Netflix. WWE officials may be waiting for the right moment to build clicks by delighting its straight male audience with the return of the most famous lesbian wrestler this side of “Only Fans.”
Fed website scrubs “T and Q” from “L G B”
A variety of executive orders issued on January 20 related to transgender rights and “gender ideology.” The most impactful executive order declared, “The United States will recognize only two sexes, male and female, and that they are determined at birth and unchangeable.” The order directs federal agencies to remove “all statements, policies, regulations, forms, communications, or other internal and external messages that promote or otherwise inculcate gender ideology.” The order has had an immediate impact on the Departments of Defense, Education, and Health and Human Services with the prohibitions on trans-people in sports and enlisting in the military and gender change-related therapies. The Order also has had an immediate effect on U. S. Federal Government communications.
Stonewall National Monument: The National Park Service has removed the “TQ+” and any references to transgender people from the official Stonewall National Monument website supporting the 7.7-acre national landmark in and around the Stonewall Bar in Greenwich Village in NYC. The revisions sparked swift condemnations from across the political spectrum. The National Parks Conservation Association, a bipartisan nonprofit, published a response slamming the erasure.
State Department: A page on the department’s website offering travel advisories to “LGBTQI Travelers” now addresses only “LGB Travelers.” Similarly, a State Department web page providing “Resources for LGBTQI+ Prospective Adoptive Parents,” now just says “LGB Prospective Adoptive Parents.”
Dept. of Justice: Removed all information about an LGBTQ+ working group at the Justice Department.
Commerce and Labor: Removed the Department’s page dedicated to LGBTQ programs and resources about avoiding sexual orientation discrimination from the website.
Social Security: The page about “Social Security for LGBTQI+ People” has now been updated to “LGBQ People.” Odd straight wannabes are still recognized by SSS.
CDC: Content about tobacco use among LGBTQ people on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website has been removed. The “Youth Risk Behavior Survey,” which included some of the only federal data on LGBTQ youth, has been removed. The top of the web page for the survey results reads, “CDC’s website is being modified to comply with President Trump’s Executive Orders.”
Census Bureau: Questions about sexual orientation, gender identity, and changes to queries about race and ethnicity are on track to be asked in the American Community Survey in 2027. It’s still early.
