News
O’Malley to lay out comprehensive vision for LGBT rights
2016 hopeful set to address Iowa Safe Schools event
Martin and Katie O’Malley (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
The Washington Blade obtained from his campaign prepared remarks the candidate intends to make at the Iowa Spirit Awards in Des Moines, an event hosted by Iowa Safe Schools that celebrates LGBT youth and educators in the early caucus state.
“I am proud to say that we are finally — and rightfully — having a real debate about how to ensure equality for all LGBTQ Americans, in every part of public life,” O’Malley says. “But as you know, we owe you more than words. We owe you action.”
O’Malley’s speech has two major components: Touting his record on LGBT rights and laying out his plan for the future with a strong emphasis on anti-bullying efforts and federal non-discrimination protections.
The candidate recalls as mayor of Baltimore signing the state’s first transgender non-discrimination ordinance and in 2014 adding transgender protections to the state’s civil rights law. But O’Malley adds “what I’m most proud of is standing up for marriage equality as a human right.”
“And almost exactly three years ago today, we won that fight — becoming the first state to successfully defend marriage equality at the ballot box,” O’Malley says.
Critics of O’Malley on LGBT issues say he wasn’t on board with marriage equality until later during his tenure as governor and initially favored civil unions at a time when LGBT advocates were pushing for full marriage rights.
On the issue of bullying, O’Malley invokes statistics on the challenges faced by LGBT students and says “often the most frequent victims of bullying are transgender kids.” The candidate pledges to require all schools to implement anti-bullying policies and to face penalties when they don’t provide safe environments.
“Schools that allow for unlawful discrimination should risk losing federal funding — and students who experience harassment, bullying, intimidation, and violence should have a legal cause of action under the law,” he says.
O’Malley will deliver the speech following news a panel on the Republican-controlled state legislature would investigate the host organization of the event for teaching LGBT youth about safe-sex practices. The candidate rejects the effort as a “witch hunt.”
“The leaders of Iowa Safe Schools came together to educate students and teachers,” O’Malley says. “They joined hands to promote diversity, equality, and social justice. And now, they’re being attacked for trying to make Iowa a more welcoming and inclusive place. In a nation where all of us are entitled to equal rights and protections, this cannot be tolerated.”
On the federal non-discrimination protections, O’Malley takes note he was the first presidential candidate to endorse the Equality Act, saying “first and foremost we must fight” to pass the legislation.
“I was proud to be the first presidential candidate to endorse this critical legislation because I saw how important our comprehensive non-discrimination legislation had been in Maryland,” O’Malley says. “It is time to end discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations and education, credit and more as a nation once and for all.”
O’Malley also decries the recent wave of anti-transgender violence, the treatment of LGBT undocumented immigrants in detention and the high rate of LGBT homeless youth. Among his other pledges are improving the Runaway & Homeless Youth Act to include LGBT youth, eliminating abstinence-only sex education programs, banning “ex-gay” conversion therapy, ending immigration detention and repealing HIV criminalization laws.
Following a dispute that erupted last week after Hillary Clinton called the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act a “defensive” act against worse discrimination and Bernard Sanders criticized her for rewriting history, O’Malley seeks to rise above the disagreement.
“The other candidates might talk about who supported DOMA when – but I’m talking about what we must do, together, tomorrow,” O’Malley said.
But in the very next line, O’Malley makes a veiled criticism of the candidates for their histories, saying he’s “actually gone to the mat for LGBTQ rights.”
“I didn’t just believe in marriage equality, I achieved marriage equality,” O’Malley said. “And when I tell you today that we need to provide better and more equitable healthcare to our transgender neighbors, that we must fight for the Equality Act – it’s because I’ve done it, as an executive, and I know that it is necessary and that it is possible.”
The candidate faces an uphill battle in winning the Democratic nomination — let alone the White House in 2016. Many national polls indicate O’Malley has support from 1 percent of Democrats, although polls for the Iowa caucuses alone peg him slightly higher at around 3 percent.
O’Malley seems to acknowledge the challenge of his campaign toward the end of his remarks, describing the “tough fight” ahead for progressive values at large in a way that could easily reflect his presidential aspirations.
“I kind of like the tough fights,” he said. “I’ve always been drawn to the tough fights. Perhaps the toughness of the fight is the way the hidden God has of telling us we are fighting for something worth saving. The American Dream is worth saving. Our children’s future is worth saving. Our country is worth saving. It’s time to join the fight. Together, you and I can and will rebuild the American Dream.”
The White House
Trump proclamation targets trans rights as State Dept. shifts visa policy
Recent policy actions from the White House limit transgender rights in sports, immigration visas, and overarching federal policy.
In a proclamation issued by the Trump White House Thursday night, the president said he would, among other things, “restore public safety” and continue “upholding the rule of law,” while promoting policies that restrict the rights of transgender people.
“We are keeping men out of women’s sports, enforcing Title IX as it was originally written, and ensuring colleges preserve — and, where possible, expand — scholarships and roster opportunities for female athletes,” the proclamation reads. “At the same time, we are restoring public safety and upholding the rule of law in every city so women, children, and families can feel safe and secure.”
The statement comes amid a broader series of actions by the Trump administration targeting transgender people across multiple federal policy areas, including education, health care, and immigration. A nearly complete list of policies the current administration has put forward can be found on KFF.org.
One day before the proclamation was issued, the U.S. State Department announced changes to visa regulations that could impact transgender and gender-nonconforming people seeking entry into the United States.
The policy, published March 11 and scheduled to take effect April 10, introduces changes to the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, commonly known as the “DV Program.” The rule is framed by the department as an effort to strengthen oversight and prevent fraud within the visa lottery system, which allocates a limited number of immigrant visas annually to applicants from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States.
However, the updated language also standardizes the use of the term “sex” in federal regulations in place of “gender,” a change that LGBTQ advocates say could create additional barriers for transgender and gender-diverse applicants.
The policy states: “The Department of State (‘Department’) is amending regulations governing the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (‘DV Program’) to improve the integrity of, and combat fraud in, the program. These amendments require a petitioner to the DV Program to provide valid, unexpired passport information and to upload a scan of the biographic and signature page in the electronic entry form or otherwise indicate that he or she is exempt from this requirement. Additionally, the Department is standardizing and amending its regulations to add the word ‘shall’ to simplify guidance for consular officers; ensure the use of the term ‘sex’ in lieu of ‘gender’; and replace the term ‘age’ in the DV Program regulations with the phrase ‘date of birth’ to accurately reflect the information collected and maintained by the Department during the immigrant visa process.”
Advocates say the shift toward using “sex” rather than “gender” in federal immigration rules reflects a broader push by the administration to roll back recognition of transgender identities in federal policy.
According to the National Center for Transgender Equality, an estimated 15,000 to 50,000 undocumented transgender immigrants currently live in the United States, with many entering the country to seek refuge from persecution and hostile governments in their home countries.
Ecuador
Adolescentes trans en Ecuador podrán cambiar datos en su cédula, pero con condicionamientos
Pueden modificar el campo de género en su documento de identidad con requisitos
Por VICTOR H. CARREÑO | En una sentencia del 5 de febrero de 2026, la Corte Constitucional declaró inconstitucional el requisito legal de mayoría de edad para modificar el campo de sexo o género en la cédula de identidad y fija lineamientos para que adolescentes trans puedan cambiar estos datos.
El máximo organismo de control e interpretación constitucional incorpora dos requerimientos: que la persona adolescente se presente al procedimiento administrativo con sus padres y que informes psicosociales acrediten un grado de madurez.
El fallo resuelve una consulta de constitucionalidad de una unidad judicial que lleva una acción de protección contra el Registro Civil presentada por la familia de un adolescente trans que solicitó, en junio de 2023, modificar el campo de género en la cédula.
La institución se negó porque la Ley Orgánica de Gestión de la Identidad y Datos Civiles establece que la rectificación de sexo o género es un procedimiento para personas mayores de 18 años.
El adolescente, cuya identidad se protege en la sentencia, cuenta con el apoyo de sus padres en su transición, que inició en 2020. En una audiencia, su madre expuso que si bien en el ámbito familiar y en el sistema educativo se respeta la identidad de su hijo, fuera de estos hay situaciones, como en consultas médicas en el Seguro Social, en que debe presentar la cédula de él y quienes la reciben preguntan si es el documento equivocado.
En el desarrollo de la sentencia, la Corte expone por qué el requisito de tener mayoría de edad para acceder a la modificación de datos en la cédula es inconstitucional.
Entre varios motivos, explica que restringe los derechos al libre desarrollo de la personalidad e identidad, que la edad no puede exigirse como “criterio determinante y único” para determinar la madurez de un adolescente, y que la medida puede generar impactos negativos en el bienestar psicológico y emocional.
Por ello, indica que existen mecanismos alternativos como la evaluación individualizada, el acompañamiento técnico y la consideración del contexto familiar.
En ese sentido, la Corte dispone al Registro Civil que debe proceder al cambio de los datos de adolescentes trans cuando acudan acompañades de sus representantes legales y con el respaldo de informes psicosociales.
Estos informes, agrega la sentencia, deben ser de profesionales acreditados o de órganos técnicos públicos competentes que sean considerados por el Registro Civil.
El fallo tiene efectos para este caso y otros similares. A diferencia de otras sentencias, la Corte no ordena una reforma a la legislación.
La organización Silueta X, que difundió el caso en un comunicado el 11 de marzo, calificó el fallo como histórico y explicó que este crea jurisprudencia de cumplimiento obligatorio.
🏳️⚧️🌈Un chico trans de 15 años le dijo al Estado ecuatoriano “yo sé quién soy”. Y la Corte Constitucional le dio la razón. 🏛️✊
Este fallo es nuestro. Es tuyo.
🔗 Lee la comunicado completa en nuestra bio.#DerechosTransEcuador #SiluetaX #CorteConstitucional #AdolescentesTrans pic.twitter.com/aXE4FU9VeS
— Asociación SILUETA 'X' (@SiluetaX) March 11, 2026
Sin embargo, otras organizaciones cuestionan los requisitos. Fundación Pakta indica que si bien la sentencia derriba la barrera etaria de la mayoría de edad, la inclusión de informes psicosociales contradice la tendencia global y regional hacia la despatologización.
Pakta menciona, por ejemplo, la Opinión Consultiva 24/17 de la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos, instrumento que reconoce la identidad autopercebida de las personas y los derechos patrimoniales de parejas del mismo sexo.
El documento, recuerda Pakta en un comunicado, establece que para el reconocimiento de la identidad de género no se debe exigir certificados médicos ni psicológicos. Además, que la Organización Mundial de la Salud reconoció que la identidad trans no es una patología psiquiátrica.
Mientras que la activista Nua Fuentes, de Proyecto Transgénero, considera que los requisitos impuestos por la Corte pueden ser problemáticos. Menciona que frente al desconocimiento y prejuicios, profesionales de salud patologizan la identidad trans.
La Sentencia 4-24-CN/26 sobre la inconstitucionalidad de negar a adolescentes trans cambio de su sexo o género en la cédula es un acto que entreabre la puerta para los derechos, pero también sostiene algunas barreras y es problemático para adolescentes trans #Ecuador
Abro hilo🧵 pic.twitter.com/aKBUlmnU1A— Nua Elizabeth Fuentes Aguirre (@NuaEliz) March 11, 2026
Además, señala que puede haber casos de que la familia y psicólogos expresen rechazo a la identidad trans y limiten los derechos de adolescentes trans. O también menciona casos de abandono de niñes y adolescentes trans y pregunta cómo reconocer su identidad si no cumplen con el requisito de acudir sin representantes legales.
Los condicionamientos para el cambio del campo de sexo o género en la cédula para adolescentes trans marcan también una diferencia con el procedimiento en personas trans de más de 18 años, pues estas —desde las reformas vigentes en 2024— no deben presentar requisitos. Solo su declaración expresa de ser una persona trans que desea que los datos de su cédula estén conformes a su identidad de género.
La madurez de niñeces y adolescencias ha sido un tema abordado en convenciones o instrumentos internacionales. La Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño de la ONU del 2009 es contundente al reconocerles como seres autónomos y capaces de formar sus propias opiniones a través de la experiencia, el entorno, las expectativas sociales y culturales.
Esta convención es mencionada en una sentencia de la Corte Constitucional en que reconoció la identidad de infancias y adolescencias trans en el sistema educativo.
En las Observaciones Generales del Comité de los Derechos del Niño, documentos de interpretación para los alcances de la mencionada Convención, se explica que la madurez es “la capacidad de comprender y evaluar las consecuencias de un asunto determinado”, lo cual debe considerarse en relación con su capacidad individual, contextos, entornos, experiencias de vida y familiar, desarrollo psicológico y no únicamente con su edad biológica.
Además, que la edad cronológica no determina la evolución de las capacidades de las niñeces y adolescencias porque estas crecen a lo largo del tiempo.
Cameroon
Gay Cameroonian immigrant will be freed from ICE detention — for now
Ludovic Mbock’s homeland criminalizes homosexuality
By ANTONIO PLANAS | An immigration judge on Friday issued a $4,000 bond for a Cameroonian immigrant and regional gaming champion held in federal immigration detention for the past three weeks.
The ruling will allow Ludovic Mbock, of Oxon Hill, to return to Maryland from a Georgia facility this weekend, his family and attorney said.
“Realistically, by tomorrow. Hopefully, by today,” said Mbock’s attorney, Edward Neufville. “We are one step closer to getting Ludovic justice.”
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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