National & World Briefs
A SCOTUS stall for bathroom ban
In a 6 to 3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court continued a stay on the South Carolina 2024 state budget rider denying funds to SC school districts that allow transgender students access to restrooms consistent with their declared identity. The justices did not overrule the lower court’s block on South Carolina’s bathroom ban law. There is a case working its way to SCOTUS. The state wanted to enforce the regulation while the case moved forward, but SCOTUS said, “No.” The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Virginia, blocked the law on precedent that bathroom bans targeting transgender students violate both Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause. SCOTUS has sidestepped similar bathroom controversies before. The plaintiff will graduate from high school before this issue is decided.
RIP: Michael Seltzer, HIV fundraising pioneer
Michael Seltzer was one of the people in the early 1980s who professionalized fundraising for HIV services. He died at age 78 in Connecticut. In the early 80s, HIV was raging through the gay community. Services were few, and fundraising for them was haphazard. Seltzer got involved and took the case to foundations, corporations, and the media. He served on many boards and helped create organizations to increase philanthropy towards HIV and gay causes. He was cochair of Lambda Legal’s board of directors during the 1980s. “In a time when most LGBTQ+ philanthropy professionals were in the closet, Michael was out and proud,” Lambda Legal CEO Kevin Jennings said. “In the 80s and 90s, mainstream philanthropy simply did not prioritize LGBTQ+ people or those living with HIV, and Michael wouldn’t accept that.”
Even WeHo goes half-staff
In the emotional aftermath of the assassination of a political provocateur in Utah, the current president ordered flags to fly at half-staff. This honor is usually accorded to mark the death of a valued public servant or an event of national note. Some jurisdictions have refused to lower flags because the honoree was a partisan political commentator. The gay mecca of West Hollywood has complied by lowering some flags at City Hall. City officials lowered the Progress Pride flag and transgender flag to half-staff. Those flags represent groups that the assassinated provocateur regularly criticized. City officials proclaimed, “The City’s action should not be interpreted as an expression of alignment with, or endorsement of political views or actions. Rather, the action was undertaken in accordance with the direction of the President in determining when flags in the City are flown at half-staff.”
Odd Couple
Virginia’s 2025 statewide race features a striking contrast in party tickets. Republicans have an odd couple: Winsome Earle-Sears, the state’s Black lieutenant governor, is running for governor, while John Reid, a white, gay conservative radio host, seeks the lieutenant governorship. Earle-Sears began her political career in 2004, opposing LGBT rights, including same-sex adoption and hate crime protections. Though she’s since softened her stance on marriage equality, she maintains ties with conservative Christian groups that support excluding LGBT students from private religious schools. She’s also faced criticism for misgendering transgender state officials. Reid, meanwhile, drew attention for explicit dating app content and profile statements. His partner serves on Virginia’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Board. The Democratic ticket is running a historic, all-female ticket with shared progressive values. Abigail Spanberger, a sitting congresswoman and former CIA officer, is the gubernatorial nominee. Ghazala Hashmi, an India-born state senator and longtime educator, is running for lieutenant governor. Both emphasize education, healthcare, and civil rights. Early polling shows the Democratic ticket leading the GOP duo in the 2026 bellwether race to succeed outgoing Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin.
Conversion therapy back in court
A licensed professional counselor sued Colorado over its ban on gay and lesbian conversion therapy for minors, arguing the law violates First Amendment rights to free speech and religious exercise. Both the Colorado Supreme Court and the Tenth Circuit upheld the ban. The conservative Alliance Defending Freedom convinced the U.S. Supreme Court to hear Chiles v. Salazar in October 2025. Ironically, the arguments giving states some power over therapies made in U.S. v. Skrmetti, which okayed Tennessee’s ban on transgender medical therapies for minors, may provide a rationale to leave gay conversion therapies in place in Colorado. That case sets a precedent for how courts may interpret laws that reference sex or gender identity — especially in cases involving youth, healthcare, or state authority. Twenty-nine U. S. states or territories and 100 municipalities currently ban gay and lesbian conversion therapy.
Florida crosswalks at crossroads
A battle over Pride crosswalks is intensifying in Florida. Following a directive from the U. S. Transportation Secretary urging governors to remove rainbow crosswalks, Florida became the first to comply, painting over Orlando’s Pulse memorial’s rainbow stripes. The site honors 49 LGBT lives lost in the 2016 massacre. LGBT activists restored the colors with chalk and paint, only for road crews to erase them again. The state has since deployed police to guard the crosswalk, citing “safety concerns.” Some other Florida cities are resisting the state’s dictum. Miami Beach officials vowed to protect a Pride crosswalk made of colored bricks, and new chalk murals appeared in Ybor City. One resident noted, “Rainbow crosswalks don’t kill children. But unlit bus stops do.”
Closet crumbles for bakery founder
Sawyer Hemsley, founder and Chief Branding Officer of Crumbl Cookies, publicly came out as gay, following online speculation about his sexuality. In his post, Hemsley shared that accepting his identity had been a long, emotional journey, shaped by the values he grew up with in Southeastern Idaho. He expressed gratitude for the peace and authenticity he’s found, writing, “It has brought me peace, joy, and authenticity that I wouldn’t trade for anything. “Hemsley’s background includes serving as student body president at Preston (Idaho) High School and later at Utah State University, followed by a mission in Mexico for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 2017, he co-founded Crumbl Cookies, opening the first store in Logan, Utah. Unlike some other LDS entertainment figures who have exploited their coming out for career purposes, Helsley’s gayness was revealed by two TikTok “vloggers,” of whom one has apologized for the outing. Hemsley concluded his post by thanking those who support him and emphasizing the importance of living authentically, hoping that kindness and empathy will guide public response. Disappointingly, he did not say, “That’s the way the cookie crumbles.”
Gays in federal government
The New York Times ran a lengthy — some say scathing — profile of seven gay men in the current presidential administration. Typically, Republicans make headlines for being caught in flagrante delicto in a tea room or posing shirtless on a magazine cover. But these seven are affluent, conservative, and firmly embedded in the president’s inner circle. The article also sketches a MAGA-friendly A-list gay culture thriving in Washington, D.C. Those profiled argue that the battle for gay rights is essentially won, and that no Republican has ever been as friendly to “the gays” as the current president. The most prominent names include: Peter Thiel, billionaire tech investor; Charles Moran, GOP strategist and former Log Cabin Republicans president; Tony Fabrizio, veteran pollster; Trent Morse, White House personnel deputy; Richard Grenell, foreign policy hand and first openly gay Cabinet-level official; Jacob Helberg, investor and tech policy advisor. Most powerful of all is Scott Bessent, Secretary of the Treasury — arguably the most influential figure in government after the president. The seven face sharp criticism from gay media. The Advocate recently called them “a grotesque display of hypocrisy, delusion, and self-importance.” They’re not part of D.C.’s legacy gay establishment — mostly Democrats — who’ve sashayed through the corridors of power for decades. That group has a quaint but venomous term for them: “Quislings.” But as Liberace once told TV host Jack Paar, after winning a libel suit, they “cry all the way to the bank.”
Leaving the USA
Two more gay and lesbian celebrities are joining Rosie O’Donnell, Ellen DeGeneres, and Ellen’s spouse, Portia de Rossi, in leaving the USA. The three left after the 2024 presidential election when someone they didn’t like was elected. Rosie moved to Ireland. DeGeneres and de Rossi established residency in the Cotswolds in England while on an extended vacation after the election. Now, Monica Helms, the creator of the transgender pride flag, is leaving the U.S. due to the changes in the treatment of transgender people since the election. She and her wife haven’t said where they are going, but launched a GoFundMe to fund their move away from the state of Georgia. Olympic gold medalist Greg Louganis announced his move to Panama. He is not moving for political reasons; his finances have taken a dive due to bad investments. He has had to sell his Olympic medals and his California home to fund the move.
Charlie Sheen
Seeking to boost clicks for a Netflix documentary and boost his just-published autobiography, Charlie Sheen opens up about his past relationships with men. He describes the experience as “liberating,” but uses the age-old excuse that drug use sparked his sexual experimentation. Sheen discusses addiction, HIV diagnosis, and years of extortion attempts. He says, “I flipped the menu over… I’m not going to run from my past.” Now eight years sober, Sheen shares his story uncensored, embracing both the chaos and clarity of his journey. “Some of it was weird. A lot of it was fun. Life goes on.” Some critics have responded with “TMI.”
