News
Pence responds to criticism from Pete Buttigieg, says he ‘knows better’
Pence touts having ‘fully implemented’ Obergefell decision
Following remarks in which 2020 hopeful Pete Buttigieg in defense of his same-sex marriage criticized Mike Pence, the vice president responded by saying the South Bend mayor “knows better,” ignoring his own longtime opposition to LGBT rights.
“I worked very closely with Mayor Pete when I was governor of the state of Indiana,” Pence said. “We had a great working relationship, and he said some things that are critical of my Christian faith and about me personally, and he knows better, he knows me.”
Pence made the remarks during an interview Wednesday with Joe Kernen on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that was set to air Thursday morning.
The vice president suggested he thinks Buttigieg made the remarks to stand out amid the field of Democratic candidates vying for the 2020 presidential nomination.
“They got 19 people running for president on that side, and the party is sliding off to the left, and they’re all competing with one another for how much more liberal they can be,” Pence said. “I get that.”
Alluding to polls showing a supermajority of the American public now backs same-sex marriage, Kernen asked Pence whether he has evolved on LGBT rights.
“Look, the Supreme Court has made their decision,” Pence responded. “When I was governor of Indiana we fully implemented that decision into law.”
But Pence concluded with additional comments indicating his opposition to LGBT rights hasn’t changed.
“I have my Christian values,” Pence said. “My family and I have a view of marriage that’s informed by our faith, and we stand by that. That doesn’t mean that we’re critical of anyone else that has a different point of view.”
Drew Anderson, a spokesperson for the LGBT media watchdog GLAAD, said on Twitter Pence was lying about his remarks when he asserted he “fully implemented” the 2015 Obergefell decision in favor of same-sex marriage.
“Mike Pence claimed he helped implanted marriage equality in Indiana in 2015,” Anderson said. “Spoiler: It’s Because had had to.”
Anderson also pointed out Pence as Indiana governor backed a state constitutional amendment that sought to prohibit same-sex marriage in the Hoosier State. The measure ultimately failed in the state legislature.
Buttigieg invoked Pence during his speech before the LGBTQ Victory Fund brunch in D.C. on Sunday in a emotional speech in which the South Bend mayor talked about his personal struggle accepting being gay.
Reflecting on the Pence’s notorious anti-LGBT history, Buttigieg had a message with respect to his marriage for the Vice President, saying his marriage to his spouse, Chasten Buttigieg, has made him closer to God.
“I wish the Mike Pences of the world could understand, that if you have a problem with who I am, then your problem is not with me, your quarrel is with my Creator,” Buttigieg said.
The right-wing media had a field day with the remarks, asserting Buttigieg was unfairly criticizing the vice president.
Among those expressing indignation with Buttigieg was conservative commentator Ben Shapiro.
“You have not pushed back honestly against Pence’s policies,” Shapiro said on Twitter. “You have maligned his religious beliefs and character.”
The right-wing response ignores Pence’s long anti-LGBT history, which includes promoting as U.S. House member a Federal Marriage Amendment that would have banned same-sex marriage, signing as Indiana governor a “religious freedom” bill enabling anti-LGBT discrimination and defending as vice president his wife for teaching at a Christian school that refuses to admit LGBT student or employ LGBT teachers.
LGBT advocates have asserted Pence supports widely discredited “ex-gay” conversion therapy and engineered the transgender military ban, although spokespersons for Pence have denied that.
It should be noted that in 2015 when Buttigieg came out as gay, Pence as governor of Indiana had good things to say about the South Bend mayor.
“I hold Mayor Buttigieg in the highest personal regard,” Pence told WSBT-TV. “We have a great working relationship, and I see him as a dedicated public servant and a patriot.’
A Buttigieg campaign spokesperson referred the Washington Blade back to Buttigieg’s remarks and Pence’s anti-LGBT history in response to Pence’s remarks.
Cuba
Trans parent charged with kidnapping, allegedly fled to Cuba with child
Cuban authorities helped locate Rose Inessa-Ethington
Federal authorities have charged a transgender woman with kidnapping after she allegedly fled to Cuba with her 10-year-old child.
An affidavit that Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Jennifer Waterfield filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Utah on April 16 notes the child is a “biological male who identifies as a female” and “splits time living with divorced parents who share custody” in Cache County, Utah.
Waterfield notes the child on March 28 “was supposed to be traveling by car to” Calgary, Alberta, “for a planned camping trip with his transgender mother, Rose Inessa-Ethington, Rose’s partner, Blue Inessa-Ethington, and Blue’s 3-year-old child.”
The affidavit notes the group instead flew from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Mexico City on March 29. Waterfield writes the Inessa-Ethingtons and the two children then flew from Mérida, Mexico, to Havana on April 1.
The 10-year-old child called her biological mother on March 28 after they arrived in Canada. The custody agreement, according to the affidavit, required Rose Inessa-Ethington to return the child to her former spouse on April 3.
“Interviews of MV [Minor Victim] 1’s family members provided significant concerns for MV 1’s well-being, as MV 1 was born a male, however, identifies as a female child, which is largely believed to be due to manipulation by Rose Inessa-Ethington,” reads the affidavit. “Concerns exist that MV 1 was transported to Cuba for gender reassignment surgery prior to puberty.”
The affidavit indicates authorities found a note in the Inessa-Ethingtons’ home with “instruction from a mental health therapist located in Washington, D.C., including instruction to send the therapist the $10,000.00 and instructions on gender-affirming medical care for children.”
The affidavit does not identify the specific “mental health therapist” in D.C.
A Utah judge on April 13 ordered Rose Inessa-Ethington to “immediately” return the child to her former spouse. The former spouse also received sole custody.
“Your affiant believes that due to the extensive planning and preparation exhibited by both Rose Inessa-Ethington and Blue Inessa-Ethington to isolate MV 1 and take MV 1 to Havana, Cuba, without notifying or requesting permission from MV 1’s mother indicates they are likely not planning to return to the United States,” wrote Waterfield.
The affidavit notes Cuban authorities found the Inessa-Ethingtons and the child.
A press release the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah issued notes the Inessa-Ethingtons “were deported from Cuba” on Monday “with the assistance of the FBI.”
The couple has been charged with International Parental Kidnapping. The Inessa-Ethingtons were arraigned in Richmond, Va., on Monday. The press release notes a federal court in Salt Lake City will soon handle the case.
The New York Times reported the child is now back with their biological mother.
“We are grateful to law enforcement for working swiftly to return the child to the biological mother,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah in the press release.
The case is unfolding against the backdrop of increased tensions between Washington and Havana after U.S. forces on Jan. 3 seized now former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
President Donald Trump shortly after he took office in January 2025 issued an executive order that directed the federal government to only recognize two genders: male and female. A second White House directive banned federally-funded gender-affirming care for anyone under 19.
The U.S. Supreme Court last year in the Skrmetti decision upheld a Tennessee law that bans gender-affirming care for minors.
Cuba’s national health care system has offered free sex-reassignment surgeries since 2008.
Activists who are critical of Mariela Castro, the daughter of former President Raúl Castro who spearheads LGBTQ issues as director of Cuba’s National Center for Sexual Education, have previously told the Washington Blade that access to these procedures is limited. The Blade on Wednesday asked a contact in Havana to clarify whether Cuban law currently allows minors to undergo sex-reassignment surgery.
Rehoboth Beach
Rehoboth Summer Kickoff Party set for May 15 with Ashley Biden
The Washington Blade’s 19th annual Summer Kickoff Party is scheduled for Friday, May 15 in Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Ashley Biden, daughter of President Joe Biden, has joined the list of speakers, the Blade announced. She will accept an award on behalf of her brother Beau Biden for his LGBTQ advocacy work as Delaware attorney general. (Her appearance was rescheduled from last year.)
The event, to be held this year at Diego’s (37298 Rehoboth Ave. Ext.) from 5-7 p.m., is a fundraiser for the Blade Foundation’s Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which funds a summer position reporting on LGBTQ news in Delaware. This year’s recipient will be introduced at the event.
The event will also feature remarks from state Rep. Claire Snyder-Hall. New CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Dr. Robin Brennan and Blade editor Kevin Naff will also speak. The event is generously sponsored by Realtor Justin Noble, The Avenue Inn & Spa, and Diego’s.
A suggested donation of $25 is partially tax deductible and includes a drink ticket and light appetizers. Tickets are available in advance at bladefoundation.org/rehoboth or at the door.
District of Columbia
Curve magazine honors Washington Blade publisher
Lynne Brown named to 2026 Power List
Washington Blade Publisher Lynne Brown has been named to the 2026 Curve Power List celebrating LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary individuals in North America who are blazing trails in their chosen fields.
“From sports and entertainment icons to corporate leaders and lawmakers, these individuals are breaking barriers, challenging norms, and shaping the future,” Curve Foundation/Curve magazine said in announcing this year’s list, which includes ABC newscaster Robin Roberts, comedian/actress Hannah Einbinder, and singer/actress Renee Rapp, among others.
Brown has worked for the Washington Blade for nearly 40 years. She was named publisher in 2007 before becoming a co-owner in 2010.
“I am honored to be recognized by Curve magazine during Lesbian Visibility Week,” Brown said. “Receiving this Curve honor is twofold. I was an early subscriber to Curve. I enjoy the product and know its history. Its journalism, layout and humorous features have inspired me.
“As an owner/publisher, receiving recognition from a similar source acknowledges my work and efforts, with a sincerity I truly appreciate. Franco Stevens, the publisher of Curve, is a business person of duration, experience, and purpose. The fact that they are in the media business, and honoring me and my publication makes it a tiny bit sweeter.”
Nominations for the Curve Power List come from the community: peers, mentors, fans, and employers.
Curve explained the significance of the list in its announcement: “An annual, publicly nominated list of impactful LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary changemakers is crucial in current times to counter discrimination, legislative rollbacks, hostility, and the invisibility of queer women within mainstream and marginal spaces and endeavors. Such a list also fosters encouragement and solidarity, and elevates voices and achievements—from high-profile roles to under appreciated areas of life.”
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