News
Heitkamp, Donnelly come out for same-sex marriage
Support caps off week of string of announcements
![Joe Donnelly, Heidi Heitkamp, Indiana, North Dakota, United States Senate, Democratic Party, gay news, Washington Blade](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2013/04/Joe_Donnelly_and_Heidi_Heitkamp_split_thumb_public_domain.jpg)
![Joe Donnelly, Heidi Heitkamp, Indiana, North Dakota, United States Senate, Democratic Party, gay news, Washington Blade](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2013/04/Joe_Donnelly_and_Heidi_Heitkamp_split_insert_public_domain.jpg)
Sens. Joe Donnelly and Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) have come out for same-sex marriage (Photos public domain)
A pair of newcomers to the Senate Democratic caucus who hail from what are considered “red” states have become the latest in ongoing trend of U.S. senators coming out for marriage equality.
In separate statements on Friday morning, Sens. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) and Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) made their announcements in support for same-sex marriage.
Heitkamp, who issued a statement on her website, based her new support for same-sex marriage on the belief that the federal government shouldn’t be able to discriminate against gay couples.
āIn speaking with North Dakotans from every corner of our great state, and much personal reflection, I have concluded the federal government should no longer discriminate against people who want to make lifelong, loving commitments to each other or interfere in personal, private, and intimate relationships,” Heitkamp said. “I view the ability of anyone to marry as a logical extension of this belief. The makeup of families is changing, but the importance of family is enduring.ā
In an announcement via Facebook, Donnelly also said he’s concluded that same-sex couples should be able to marry while touting his LGBT record in his previous role as a U.S. House member as well as opposition to constitutional amendments ā within Indiana and at the federal level ā banning same-sex marriage.
“With the recent Supreme Court arguments and accompanying public discussion of same-sex marriage, I have been thinking about my past positions and votes,” Donnelly said. “In doing so, I have concluded that the right thing to do is to support marriage equality for all.ā
But Donnelly has a less than stellar voting record on LGBT issues. On one hand, He voted for “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal in May 2010 even before the Pentagon issued its report on open service. On the other, Donnelly voted for a version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in 2007, but only after voting “yes” on the motion to recommit, which would have killed the bill. DonnellyĀ voted against hate crimes protection legislation in 2010.
Heitkamp and Donnelly’s support means only four Democratic senators haven’t made announcements in favor of marriage equality: Sens. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and Tim Johnson (D-S.D.). Virtually the entire Republican caucus hasn’t made any announcements in favor of marriage equality ā with the exception of Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), as we reported previously.
Their announcements also cap off a week in which a total of six U.S. senators have announced their support for marriage equality. Heitkamp and Donnelly are joining Kirk,Ā Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.).
District of Columbia
Fire by arson forced temporary shutdown of Glorious Health Club
Spa and art gallery catering to gay
men expects to reopen in August
![](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2019/03/Glorious_Health_Club_logo_social_media_via_Facebook.jpg)
In a little noticed development, D.C.ās Glorious Health Club, which bills itself as a spa, art gallery, and community center catering to gay men, was forced to close on May 19 after one or more unidentified suspects ignited a fire inside the club that D.C. fire department officials have ruled an act of arson.
Robert Siegel, the clubās owner, told the Washington Blade that he and investigators with the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department believe one or more yet unidentified suspects broke into the kitchen of the former warehouse building where the club is located at 2120 West Virginia Ave., N.E.
According to Siegel, investigators with the fire departmentās arson squad believe a flammable liquid was used to start the fire in the kitchen and in two other locations within the building.
āThree separate fires were started,ā Siegel said. āThey started one on a staircase and one on the upstairs storage area,ā he said in addition to the one in the kitchen. He said about 40 patrons were in the club at the time the fire started, and all were able to leave without injury.
Siegel said the fire caused $500,000 worth of damage to his building, with some of the damage caused ā understandably he said ā by fire fighters who had to rip open doors and break through the roof to gain access to the flames that engulfed parts of the interior of the building. He said he arranged for repair work to begin after the fire was extinguished.
āI expect weāll be reopening in about a month from now,ā he said. āAnd weāll be a bigger and better place.ā
Fortunately, Siegel said, most of the artwork and art exhibits located in the club were not damaged.
āIt was basically the kitchen, patio, and the roof,ā he said, adding that much of the solar panels he had on the roof were destroyed by the fire or by firefighters seeking to gain access to the building.
āAnd the fire was so hot it did structural damage to the roof,ā he said. āIt actually melted steel. Weāre talking about 50-foot steel beams that have to be replaced,ā he told the Blade. āThatās $100,000 right there.āĀ
Vito Maggiolo, a spokesperson for the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, said the fire was āruled incendiary/arsonā and isĀ āunder active investigation.āĀ
It could not immediately be determined if one or more people responsible for the fire targeted the Glorious Health Club because itās a gay community establishment.
South America
Chilean capital Pride parade participants, activists attacked
Men wearing hoodies disrupted June 29 event in Santiago
![](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2024/07/20240629_hooded_men_attack_Pride_in_Chile_insert_courtesy_Movement_for_Homosexual_Integration_and_Liberation.jpg)
A group of hooded men on June 29 attacked LGBTQ activists and others who participated in the Chilean capital’s annual Pride parade.
Witnesses said the men punched and kicked activists and parade participants, threatened them with a skateboard, threw stones and paint at floats and damaged parade infrastructure. The men also broke a truck’s headlight.
The Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation, a Chilean LGBTQ rights group known by the acronym Movilh, strongly condemned the acts of violence, calling them deliberate attempts to disrupt a peaceful and safe demonstration.
āVandalism that seeks to transgress the peaceful trajectory of our demonstrations and that is only useful to the interests of the homo/transphobic sectors,” denounced Movilh.
The attack occurred when the hooded men tried to break through the security fence protecting the participants and the truck that was at the beginning of the parade.
“As we do every year, we fence the truck with our volunteers to prevent anyone from being run over or hurt by the wheels,” said Movilh. “The hooded men approached the fence to break it, hitting our volunteers and people outside of our organization with their feet and fists who, in an act of solidarity, tried to dissuade them.”
The motives behind this attack seem to be related to previous calls on social networks to boycott the event, although the organizers stressed that violent acts are alien to the parade’s inclusive and celebratory purpose.
Movilh spokesperson Javiera ZĆŗƱiga told the Washington Blade that “after the attack that we faced during the Pride March, we published in our social networks the few images that were available from that moment.”
“What we are basically asking is that anyone who has seen something and can recognize any of the aggressors write to our email or (contact us) through our social networks so that we can file complaints and do whatever is necessary to find those responsible.”
ZĆŗƱiga stated that “not only was there aggression against people, but there was also damage to private property because they broke one of the truck’s headlights.”
“So for these two reasons we are looking for anyone who may have information to contact us,” she said.
The incident has generated widespread condemnation within the LGBTQ community and outside of it. They say it highlights the need to protect human rights and diversity and promote respect for them.
National
House Republicans propose steep cuts in federal AIDS budget
Advocacy groups say move would eliminate āEnding HIV Epidemicā initiative
![](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2024/07/20160221_Donald_Trump_insert_by_actionsports_via_Bigstock.jpg)
The Republican-controlled U.S. House Subcommittee on Labor, Health, and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies approved a spending bill on June 26 that calls for cutting at least $419 million from federal AIDS programs that AIDS activists say would have a devastating impact on efforts to greatly reduce the number of new HIV infections by 2030.
The subcommitteeās proposed bill, which includes billions of dollars in cuts in a wide range of other federal health, education, and human services related programs, is scheduled to be considered by the full House Appropriations Committee on July 10. Officials with AIDS advocacy groups say they are hopeful that the full committee, like last year, will refuse to approve the proposed cuts in the AIDS budget.
The proposed GOP cuts would eliminate $214 million from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventionās HIV prevention programs, $190 million from the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, and $15 million from the Department of Health and Human Services Secretaryās Minority HIV/AIDS Program.
Activists say the impact of those cuts would kill the federal governmentās Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative, which among other things, calls for reducing the number of new HIV infections in the U.S. by 75 percent by 2025 and by 90 percent by 2030. The activists point out that ironically the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative was launched during the administration of President Donald Trump.
āInstead of providing new investments in ending HIV by increasing funding for testing, prevention programs, such as PrEP, and life-saving care and treatment, House Republicans are again choosing to go through a worthless exercise of cutting programs that the American people depend on and will never pass,ā said Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV + Hepatitis Policy Institute.
āWhile we vigorously fight these cuts, we look forward to working with the entire Congress in a bipartisan fashion on spending bills that can actually become law,ā Schmid said in a statement.
Schmid noted that the bill also includes provisions known as āpolicy ridersā that would take away rights and protections from women, such as access to birth control and abortion, and for minorities, including LGBTQ people.
According to a statement released by the office of Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), who is the ranking minority member of the House Appropriations Committee, one of the policy riders would āblock the Biden administrationās policies to ensure nondiscrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.ā The statement says another policy rider would āprevent policies or programs intended to promote diversity, equality, or inclusion.ā
Most political observers believe the Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate would also kill the GOP proposed policy riders and cuts in the AIDS budget if the full Republican-controlled House were to approve the budget bill passed by the appropriations subcommittee.
Rep, Tom Cole (R-Okla.), who serves as chair of the full House Appropriations Committee, released a statement on June 27 defending the subcommitteeās bill and its proposed spending cuts. āThe bill provides appropriate and fiscally responsible funding to ensure these departments can continue to perform their core missions while also acknowledging the fiscal realities facing our nation,ā he said.
āImportantly, the bill pushes back on the Biden administrationās out-of-touch progressive policy agenda, preventing this White House from finalizing or implementing controversial rules or executive orders,ā Cole said in his statement. āIt also preserves long standing bipartisan policy provisions protecting the right to life.ā
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