Female transgender athletes who transitioned after male puberty will no longer be able to compete in women’s races, world cycling governing body the UCI said Friday.
The decision came after American rider Austin Killips became the first openly transgender woman to win an official cycling event earlier this year.
“From now on, female transgender athletes who have transitioned after (male) puberty will be prohibited from participating in women’s events on the UCI International Calendar — in all categories — in the various disciplines,” the international federation said in a statement.
The UCI said the ban, starting on Monday, was necessary to “ensure equal opportunities.”
Killips rode to victory in the fifth stage of the Tour of the Gila, one of the marquee U.S. stage races. Her victory provoked a negative reaction by some cycling fans and former racers despite the 27-year-old athlete having adhered to a policy put in place by the UCI last year requiring transgender athletes to have serum testosterone levels of 2.5 nanomoles per liter or less for at least 24 months before competing in women’s events.
The UCI said Friday it “has taken note of the state of scientific knowledge, which does not confirm that at least two years of gender-affirming hormone therapy with a target plasma testosterone concentration of 2.5 nmol/L is sufficient to completely eliminate the benefits of testosterone during puberty in men.”
It also noted the difficulty to “draw precise conclusions about the effects” of gender-confirming hormone therapy.
“Given the current state of scientific knowledge, it is also impossible to rule out the possibility that biomechanical factors such as the shape and arrangement of the bones in their limbs may constitute a lasting advantage for female transgender athletes,” the UCI added.
Despite the ban, UCI president David Lappartient said “the UCI would like to reaffirm that cycling — as a competitive sport, leisure activity or means of transport — is open to everyone, including transgender people, whom we encourage like everyone else to take part in our sport.
It also noted the difficulty to “draw precise conclusions about the effects” of gender-confirming hormone therapy.
“Given the current state of scientific knowledge, it is also impossible to rule out the possibility that biomechanical factors such as the shape and arrangement of the bones in their limbs may constitute a lasting advantage for female transgender athletes,” the UCI added.
Despite the ban, UCI president David Lappartient said “the UCI would like to reaffirm that cycling — as a competitive sport, leisure activity or means of transport — is open to everyone, including transgender people, whom we encourage like everyone else to take part in our sport.
A formal sexual harassment complaint against Rep. Fabián Basabe has now been filed with the House. Two male staffers, Nicolas Frevola and Jacob Cutbirth, detailed many of the accusations already described in a lawsuit filed against Basabe in Leon County. Those include accusations the Miami Beach Republican told both men he wanted to have anal sex with them, and expressed he wanted to be a “bottom” while they could be “tops.”
In the new complaint Cutbirth said on Dec. 15, he drove Basabe to a hotel after an event, and the lawmaker groped and tried to kiss the intern. The complaint says the same evening, Basabe “attempted to entice Cutbirth to come up to his hotel room with him to have sex.” Cutbirth refused. The complaint also said Basabe encouraged Cutbirth to break up with his fiancée, now his wife, to explore sex with men.
My first report on the separate sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the two staffers is here.
Basabe first appeared here in May 2023 when he was heckled at Miami Beach Pride for voting for the “Don’t Say Gay” bill despite campaigning as an openly gay man and supporter of LGBTQ rights.
According to the Miami New Times, Basabe has in fact been married to a clothing heiress since 2005. Fashioning himself of a nightlife high roller, also in 2005 he appeared in the short-lived reality series Filthy Rich: Cattle Drivealongside Kourtney Kardashian.
That same year the New York Post reported that he was ejected from a Hamptons nightclub after allegedly hurling the N-word at black bouncers. The “controversies” section of his Wikipedia entry is really something and includes multiple arrests on a range of charges.
The LGBTQ+ community is under siege, facing an onslaught of attacks across our nation. Underscoring the urgency of this crisis, the Human Rights Campaign declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ Americans for the first time in its history. Discriminatory policies and the looming threat of violence have forced many transgender individuals to flee their homes.
Behind this assault on LGBTQ+ rights lies a relentless wave of far-right Christian messaging. Despite claims that these policies aim to protect children or safeguard the integrity of women’s sports, the truth is that this surge of hate is rooted in the belief that being LGBTQ+ is somehow ungodly.
As a Black queer reverend who hails from a small town in Texas, I am intimately familiar with this messaging. It permeates every aspect of society, making it impossible to confront the anti-LGBTQ+ movement without addressing this fundamental belief head-on.
Years of rigorous religious study have led me to a profound realization: The Bible does not explicitly discuss homosexuality or transgender people. Rather, every discriminatory interpretation targeting the LGBTQ+ community is a product of cultural biases and historical conditions. In fact, the more I delved into scripture, the clearer it became to me that Jesus, in essence, was queer.
Before exploring the texts, it is crucial to recognize that extremist Christianity lies at the core of nearly every anti-LGBTQ+ effort. For example, a prominent pastor in my home state of Texas, known for protesting LGBTQ+ events, declared that those who practice such lifestyles are opposed to God and will face eternal damnation. Likewise, State Rep. Randy Fine of Florida, a key figure behind the banning of gender-affirming care for minors, asserted that God does not make mistakes with our children.
An investigation by the Associated Press recently revealed that a significant number of anti-trans bills originate from far-right groups rooted in Christianity, such as the Family Research Council.
It is astounding that the actual Bible text provides no solid support for the generally held anti-LGBTQ+ viewpoint. It is only an extrapolation that influential people have used to further their own agendas.
In my biblical exploration, I discovered that Jesus embodies queerness. Queerness extends beyond gender and sexuality; it is fundamentally about being at odds with the world around you. This resonates strongly with Jesus, who was consistently cast out and demonized by society.
Consider when Jesus returned to his hometown of Nazareth and preached in the synagogue. Those who initially embraced him turned against him and even attempted to cause him harm. Jesus also frequently clashed with religious leaders who eerily resemble those who currently assert with unwavering certainty that being LGBTQ+ is a sin. On one occasion, the Pharisees sought to destroy him after he healed a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath.
Furthermore, the Bible teaches us that Christ encompasses all things. If this holds true, then Christ is also trans, gay, straight, Black, white, and much more. In this light, queerness is not just something to be accepted—it is divine.
Ultimately, the Bible does not provide a clear and universal directive on matters of sexuality. However, it does unequivocally instruct us to love everyone, particularly the vulnerable and marginalized.
Therefore, it is incumbent upon us, as people of faith, to challenge the prevailing narratives that seek to marginalize and harm the LGBTQ+ community. We must reclaim the true gospel—love, life, and the pursuit of justice.
In the face of adversity, we should stand as allies and advocates for the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals. It is time to dismantle the harmful interpretations and cultural biases that have been erroneously associated with our religious texts. We must reject the misguided notion that being LGBTQ+ is somehow incompatible with our faith. On the contrary, embracing diversity and celebrating the uniqueness of every individual is a reflection of the divine within us.
In this critical moment, we have an opportunity to reclaim and redefine the narrative. Let us recognize the LGBTQ+ community as beloved children of God, deserving of dignity, respect, and equal rights. Together, we can create a society that affirms the inherent worth of every individual, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
It is in this pursuit that we honor the true essence of our faith and create a world where every individual can live authentically, free from fear and prejudice.
Rev. Karmen Michael Smith is the Director of the Center for Community Engagement and Social Justice at Union Theological Seminary.
History! That’s what this U.S. Supreme Court accomplished last Friday with its most recent decision toward the LGBTQ+ protected class. It’s the first time in history that a Supreme Court, despite the composition of its members, has restricted rights and benefits to a protected class instead of granting them more. The Supreme Court, throughout history, has been a tent to extend the interpretation of federal laws to give more rights and include more protected classes within them. Despite the immobility of Congress and the difficulties of getting new bills to become federal law, the Supreme Court has always found a way to create more jurisprudence to benefit vulnerable populations. Until now, unfortunately.
Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, for example, states that no person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. Even though the original text of Title VI didn’t include protections for individuals with Limited English Proficiency (LEP), on Aug. 11, 2000, the president signed Executive Order 13166, “Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency,” extending national origin protections to LEP individuals. This extension occurred after several Supreme Court decisions where individuals from other nationalities with limited English proficiency couldn’t access the same benefits.
Another example was the first case where Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg brought to the attention of the Supreme Court the unconstitutionality of a law that limited women’s rights in Idaho. In Reed v. Reed (1971), the first time gender discrimination was recognized as a direct violation of the Constitution and became the basis for future decisions. For the first time in history, the Supreme Court decided that gender/sex equality was classified as a protected class under the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. In 2015, Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. 644 (2015), the Supreme Court ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Finally, in 2020, in Bostock v. Clayton County (Ga.), No. 17-1618, in a historic decision, the Supreme Court extended sex protections under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act to sexual orientation and gender identity from job discrimination. As we can see, throughout history, the Supreme Court has tentatively extended protections to protected classes instead of restricting them.
Title II of the Civil Rights Act 42 U.S.C. §2000a states that all persons shall be entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages and accommodations of any place of public housing, as defined in this section, without discrimination on the ground of race, color, religion, or national origin. This title was challenged several times after its approval by different businesses in the United States. However, in several decisions from the Supreme Court was resolved that Congress didn’t exceed its power under the Constitution’s Commerce Clause to regulate the commerce between states and deny the discrimination against black individuals in their right to equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of any place of public housing, under Title II of the Civil Rights Act. The Supreme Court decided in several cases that discriminatory actions against black people during the offering of services affected the economy of the United States and the commerce between the states.
Is race, color, religion, or national origin protected classifications more important than sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, and age? Colorado law prohibits discrimination in places of public accommodation, C.R.S. § 24-34-601 et seq. Like Title II of the Civil Rights Act, Colorado law classifies public accommodations as any place of business engaged in any sales to the public and any site offering services, facilities, privileges, advantages or accommodations to the public. The same law considers it discriminatory to refuse or deny any service against a person because of disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, national origin and ancestry. Colorado law doesn’t go against the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It’s more comprehensive and extensive. The constitutional right of occupied field doctrine stems from Art. VI, Sec. 2 of the Constitution establishes that in the event of a conflict between a state law and a federal law, the federal law shall prevail if it has been validly approved. The intention to occupy the field can arise explicitly, from the precise letter of the law, or implicitly, according to its structure and purpose. The Supreme Court has repeatedly pointed out that the preemption case law doctrine applies only when Congress expressly occupies the field or when it is evident that Congress intended to exclude state legislation on a given affair. The Supreme Court has constantly expressed that state legislation is not superseded when the interest to be protected locally differs from those covered by federal law.
How is denying public accommodation against people because of their race unconstitutional, but not on the grounds of sexual orientation? It’s clear that Colorado’s law is constitutional since Congress hasn’t occupied the field of limiting the protected class under Title II of the Civil Rights Act, and the Supreme Court has extended its benefits to other types, including orientation and gender identity.
According to the Human Rights Campaign, we live in a state of emergency. More than 400 bills nationwide have been presented against the LGBTQ+ community. It’s not a causality that in the middle of all of this and a significant anti-LGBTQ+ movement, the Supreme Court has taken a historic step against minorities and vulnerable populations. However, when we analyze the reasons behind these cases against the LGBTQ+ community and their right to get married, we can undoubtedly conclude that our fight for obtaining the right to get married hasn’t ended yet. With or without cakes and websites, we will continue to enforce, enjoy and use our freedom to get married. No matter how many legal cases are presented against our right to enjoy a life of equality, we will still get married. But now, more than ever, we will keep fighting for our rights.
Champion runner Caster Semenya won a potentially landmark legal victory on Tuesday when the European Court of Human Rights decided she was discriminated against by sports rules that force her to medically reduce her natural hormone levels to compete in major competitions.
The ruling by the Strasbourg, France-based court questioned the “validity” of the contentious international athletics regulations in that they infringed Semenya’s human rights.
But the two-time Olympic champion’s first legal success after two failed appeals in sports’ highest court and the Swiss supreme court came with a major caveat. Amid her bid to be allowed to run again without restriction and go for another gold at next year’s Olympics in Paris, Tuesday’s judgment, while major, did not immediately result in the rules being dropped.
That might still take years.
The South African athlete’s challenge against the testosterone rules began in 2018.
It has gone from the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport to the Swiss supreme court and now the European rights court. The 4-3 ruling in Semenya’s favor by a panel of human rights judges merely opened the way for the Swiss supreme court to reconsider its decision.
That might result in the case going back to CAS in Lausanne. And only then might the highly controversial rules enforced by World Athletics be possibly removed.
The 32-year-old Semenya, who has been barred by the rules from running in her favorite 800-meter race since 2019 and has lost four years of her career at her peak, has only 13 months until Paris.
In a statement soon after the European rights court’s decision was published, World Athletics showed no sign of budging and said its rules would “remain in place.”
“We remain of the view that the … regulations are a necessary, reasonable and proportionate means of protecting fair competition in the female category as the Court of Arbitration for Sport and Swiss Federal Tribunal both found,” World Athletics said.
World Athletics also said it would be “encouraging” the government of Switzerland to appeal the ruling. Switzerland was the respondent in the case because Semenya was challenging her last legal loss in the Swiss supreme court. Switzerland’s government has three months to appeal.
The Swiss government was also ordered to pay Semenya 60,000 euros ($66,000) for costs and expenses.
There was no immediate reaction from Semenya or her lawyers in South Africa.
While Semenya has been at the center of the highly emotive issue of sex eligibility in sports and is the issue’s figurehead in challenging the rules, she is not the only athlete affected. At least three other Olympic medalists have also been impacted by the rules that set limits on the level of natural testosterone female athletes may have if they want to compete. World Athletics says there are “a number” of other elite athletes who fall under the regulations.
There are no testosterone limits in place for male athletes.
Semenya’s case is not the same as the debate over transgender women who have transitioned from male to female being allowed to compete in sports, although the two issues do have crossover.
Semenya was identified as female at birth, raised as a girl and has been legally identified as female her whole life. She has one of a number of conditions known as differences in sex development, or DSDs, which cause naturally high testosterone that is in the typical male range.
Semenya says her high natural testosterone should be considered a genetic gift in the same way as a basketballer’s height or a swimmer’s long arms.
While track authorities can’t challenge Semenya’s legal gender, they say her condition includes her having the typical male XY chromosome pattern and physical traits that make her “biologically male,” an assertion that has enraged Semenya. World Athletics says Semenya’s testosterone levels give her an athletic advantage that is comparable to a man competing in women’s events and there needs to be rules to address that.
To do that, track has enforced rules since 2019 that require athletes like Semenya to artificially reduce their testosterone to below a specific mark, which is measured through the amount of testosterone recorded in their blood. They can do that by taking daily contraceptive pills, having hormone-blocking injections, or undergoing surgery under the rules. If athletes choose one of the first two options, they would effectively need to do it for their entire careers to remain eligible to compete regularly.
Semenya has railed against the regulations, and refused to follow them since 2019, saying they discriminated against her because of her condition.
On Tuesday, the European Court of Human Rights agreed. It also found for Semenya on another point of her appeal, that she wasn’t given “effective remedy” against that discrimination when the Court of Arbitration for Sports and the Swiss supreme court both denied her appeals.
There were “serious questions as to the validity” of the testosterone rules, the court said, including with any side effects of the hormone treatment athletes would have to undergo, the difficulties in them remaining within the rules by trying to control their natural hormone levels, and the “lack of evidence” that their high natural testosterone actually gave them an advantage anyway.
That last point struck at the heart of the regulations, which World Athletics has always said is about dealing with the unfair sports advantage Semenya has over other women.
The European rights court also found Semenya’s second legal appeal against the rules at the Swiss supreme court should have led to “a thorough institutional and procedural review” of the rules, but that did not happen.
The rules have been made stricter since Semenya launched her case at the European rights court, with World Athletics announcing in March that athletes would have to reduce their testosterone level to an even lower mark. The updated regulations also apply to every event and not just Semenya’s favored range between 400 meters and one mile, which they did previously.
Governors across the country have taken part in GLSEN’s Rise Up campaign, releasing proclamations affirming the safety of LGBTQ+ youth in their communities.
GLSEN is a nonprofit organization that works to create safe spaces for LGBTQ+ students in schools.
At least 15 mayors also joined the call in pledging to rise up for LGBTQ+ youth in their communities, a press release said.
“Attacks against LGBTQ+ youth have become more frequent and more vicious, and we can’t wait to take action,” said GLSEN Executive Director Melanie Willingham-Jaggers. “We’re grateful for the leaders who have pledged to rise up in support of LGBTQ+ youth and policies that promote safe and inclusive schools.”
They added, “We stand in solidarity with LGBTQ+ youth and supportive parents and educators across the country, and we’re never going to stop fighting for safe, inclusive, and affirming learning environments for all students.”
Despite Republican and far-right extremist attacks on educators and school systems that claim the institutions are sexualizing kids, GLSEN recently found that LGBTQ+ students rarely receive instruction in matters of sexual orientation or gender identity.
“Attacks against LGBTQ+ youth have become more frequent and more vicious, and we can’t wait to take action,” said GLSEN Executive Director Melanie Willingham-Jaggers. “We’re grateful for the leaders who have pledged to rise up in support of LGBTQ+ youth and policies that promote safe and inclusive schools.”
They added, “We stand in solidarity with LGBTQ+ youth and supportive parents and educators across the country, and we’re never going to stop fighting for safe, inclusive, and affirming learning environments for all students.”
Despite Republican and far-right extremist attacks on educators and school systems that claim the institutions are sexualizing kids, GLSEN recently found that LGBTQ+ students rarely receive instruction in matters of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Researchers and experts in children’s development say that providing young LGBTQ+ people with spaces to discuss matters important to their identity significantly decreases the risk of suicidal ideation.
Maryland’s Democratic Gov. Wes Moore said, “Leaving no one behind requires a community approach and relies on all of us working together.”
He continued, “On behalf of the Moore-Miller administration and the people of Maryland, I want all young Marylanders in the LGBTQIA+ community to know that you are not alone and have my full support, always.”
Before he was elected, Moore toldThe Advocate that the rights of LGBTQ+ Marylanders would be at the forefront of his decision-making as the state’s first Black governor.
“On behalf of the people of Maine, I write this letter in support of GLSEN’s Rise Up for LGBTQI+ youth campaign,” Maine Governor Janet Mills also wrote in a letter supporting GLSEN’s Rise Up for LGBTQ+ Youth campaign.
“Schools in Maine — and all over the country — must be free of the violence of racism, transphobia, homophobia, sexism, ableism, and all forms of systemic oppression,” Mills wrote. “To that end, we must do everything in our power to ensure that all students have an equal educational opportunity, free of bullying, harassment, and discrimination.”
Lesbian soccer legend Megan Rapinoe said in a press conference Saturday that she plans to retire at the end of 2023, which means the upcoming World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, which starts later this month, will be her last one.
Rapinoe has been a fixture on the U.S. women’s soccer team since she joined it in 2006. The 38-year-old made the comments during an appearance ahead of a U.S. game against Wales in California, The New York Times reports.
“I could have just never imagined where this beautiful game would have taken me,” Rapinoe said. “I feel so honored to have represented this country, this federation for so many years.”
She added, “It’s truly been the greatest thing I’ve ever done.”
The Times notes that Rapinoe has had several injuries while playing for the national team.
The player has been a vocal activist for LGBTQ+ rights and pay equity.
Soccer star and teammate Alex Morgan said, according to the Times, that Rapinoe texted the team’s group chat letting them know about her decision.
“Well, now we have to win the whole damn thing,” Morgan said.
Earlier this year, the athlete was named one of Time’s 12 Women of the Year this year. She dedicated her win to transgender people.
“I am only here because of them,” Rapinoe said at the Women of the Year gala, held at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in March, Timereports. “We all know what’s going on in our country with the attempted erasure of trans people.”
“The way they refuse to live their life any other way than completely whole is so inspiring. I’m inspired by the invitation to be completely myself,” Rapinoe said. “They offer us a full view of what it means to be a human in the world. A whole opportunity to be the crazy-ass human beings that we are. That’s a great gift.”
Chick-fil-A is one of the top 10 largest fast-food chains in the U.S. with a widely loved offering of chicken sandwiches and an estimated 2022 revenue of $6.4 billion, according to Zippia.com. However, the company has also had a long history of supporting anti-LGBTQ+ causes.
Here’s an overview of its queerphobic actions and how social pressure has caused the company to shift its attention away from anti-LGBTQ+ efforts in recent years.
A history of Chick-fil-A’s controversial actions
Since 2003, the WinShape Foundation, a charity co-founded by Chick-fil-A’s now-deceased founder S. Truett Cathy and his wife Jeanette Cathy, has donated over $1 million to groups that actively oppose same-sex marriage, including Phyllis Schlafly’s Eagle Forum; the anti-LGBTQ Christian group Focus on the Family; the SLPC-certified hate group Family Research Council; the now-defunct ex-gay therapy group Exodus International; the exclusively for-heterosexuals-only Marriage & Family Legacy Fund; and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), a religious groups whose “sexual purity policy” prohibits any homosexual acts.
In 2009, Chick Fil-a doubled that amount to $2 million. In January 2011, Chick-fil-A co-sponsored a marriage conference with the Pennsylvania Family Institute, a group that opposes expanded LGBTQ+ civil rights. In 2012, Chick-fil-A executives promised to stop supporting anti-LGBTQ organizations.
However, The Chick-fil-A Foundation’s IRS filings from 2015 revealed that the foundation donated $1 million to the FCA; $200,000 to the Paul Anderson Youth Home, a Georgia-based residential home for troubled youth which said that child abuse causes homosexuality; and $130,000 to the Salvation Army, a religious international charity that has long opposed same-sex marriage and anti-LGBTQ housing discrimination protectionswhile supporting religious exemptions from LGBTQ+ anti-discrimination laws. In 2017, Chick-fil-A’s donations to these groups equaled nearly $2 million.
Dan Cathy’s statements against same-sex marriage
In 2012, Chick fil-A’s then-president and chief operating officer Dan Cathy made repeated comments against same-sex marriage. On June 16, 2012, Cathy said on The Ken Coleman Show that the United States was “inviting God’s judgment” upon it by redefining marriage to include same-sex spouses. “I pray God’s mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to define what marriage is about,” Cathy said.
In a July 2, 2012 interview with Biblical Recorder, Dan Cathy said he was “guilty as charged”when asked about Chick-fil-A’s “support of the traditional family.” In June 2013, the day the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Section 3 of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), Cathy tweeted (and quickly deleted), “Sad day for our nation; founding fathers would be ashamed of our gen. to abandon wisdom of the ages re: cornerstone of strong societies.”
By 2014, Cathy said it was a “mistake” to involve his company in the public debate against same-sex marriage. Nevertheless, even into 2021, Cathy — who still serves as the company’s chairman — continued using his money to fund the National Christian Charitable Foundation and its “dark money operations” supporting anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.
Chick-fil-A’s corporate policies and employee treatment
Chick-fil-A’s current statement on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) says that the company doesn’t allow employment discrimination or harassment based on “sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression,” or other personal characteristics, like religion.
Despite this, in 2002, a Muslim employee of a Houston location sued the chain, alleging that he had been fired for refusing to pray to Jesus with other employees — the company settled the suit out of court. In 2022, a transgender female Chick-fil-A employee sued the restaurant chain after her co-worker allegedly began making violent, racist, and queerphobic threats.
LGBTQ+ Chick-fil-A employees have variously spoken out for and against the company. One anonymous gay worker discouraged boycotts, noting that they would mostly harm the chain’s LGBTQ+ employees, but also accused the restaurant’s anti-gay and Christian supporters of being self-righteous, arrogant, and blind to LGBTQ+ suffering.
Several gay employees said some customers offered homophobic words of support for the business while other people yelled at employees for supporting a homophobic company. Others said that their Chick-fil-A co-workers and supervisors didn’t tolerate homophobic behavior from colleagues.
Chick-fil-A’s philanthropy shifts show the power of consumer advocacy
Chick-fil-A’s supporters have encouraged the company to embrace its anti-gay social stances, while its critics have urged the company to turn away from its anti-LGBTQ+ practices.
In 2012, gay activists and allies staged a national boycott of the chain after one location donated food to a seminar hosted by the anti-gay Pennsylvania Family Institute. To combat the boycotts, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) declared August 1, 2012 as Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day.
In support of the day, Huckabee wrote, “Let’s affirm a business that operates on Christian principles and whose executives are willing to take a stand for the godly values we espouse…. Too often, those on the left make corporate statements to show support for same-sex marriage, abortion, or profanity, but if Christians affirm traditional values, we’re considered homophobic, fundamentalists, hate-mongers, and intolerant.”
The chain said the day’s resulting sales helped set a record for profits.
On August 3, 2012, however, gay rights activists around the nation held kiss-in protests in opposition to the restaurant’s anti-LGBTQ+ donations and Dan Cathy’s views against same-sex marriage. Some of the protests occurred inside and outside of the restaurants. Other LGBTQ+ allies encouraged people to donate money that they would’ve spent at the restaurant to queer organizations like GLAAD.
Chick-fil-A announced in 2017 that that would be the last year in which it would donate to the Paul Anderson Youth Home. In a November 18, 2019 interview, Chick-fil-A president Tim Tassopoulos said the company would no longer donate to the FCA and The Salvation Army. Tassopoulos also said Chick-fil-A would continue to donate to “faith-based [and] non-faith-based” groups.
In response to Tassopoulos’s announcement, the Christian consumer organization 2nd Vote denounced and boycotted Chick-fil-A for pledging not to donate to anti-LGBTQ+ organizations. The American Family Association also circulated a petition which stated, “It looks like you (Chick-fil-A) are abandoning Christian values and agreeing with homosexual activists who say believing the Bible makes you a hater. Please clarify that you still hold to biblical teachings regarding human sexuality, marriage, and family, and reinstate these Christian ministries.”
In a statement released in 2020, the Chick-fil-A Foundation announced that it would donate $9 million equally to promote youth education through Junior Achievement USA, combat youth homelessness via the LGBTQ+-inclusive charity Covenant House International, and fight hunger by giving to local food banks in cities where it opened new locations.
The anti-LGBTQ+ Family Research Council (FRC) criticized Chick-fil-A for publicly withdrawing its support from the FCA and Salvation Army and announcing its support for Covenant House International, something the FRC called “an endorsement of an LGBT agenda.”
Assessing Chick-fil-A’s progress & its potential for change
While Chick-fil-A’s donation strategy has changed for the time being, it still carries an image of being anti-gay. This image has led city airports and college campuses to protest the openings of new Chick-fil-A restaurants. In response, conservative politicians have continued to defend the company’s Christian beliefs.
Apart from rehabbing its public image, the company could do more to welcome its own LGBTQ+ employees.
In 2019, the LGBTQ+ rights organization the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and the queer media watchdog group GLAAD both said that they wanted Chick-fil-A to implement fair hiring practices, transparency about donations, and proof that Chick-fil-A has actually stopped donating to anti-LGBTQ+ organizations.
The company could certainly do more to become more LGBTQ+-inclusive. The company has never participated in the HRC’s Corporate Equality Index measuring the company’s own queer-inclusive workplace policies. The company also has no internal employee resource groups for addressing the needs of LGBTQ+-identified team members. It’s unclear if the company offers LGBTQ+-inclusive anti-discrimination training or equal employee benefits, like parental leave and domestic partner benefits, regardless of workers’ sexual orientations or gender identities.
Other businesses have contrasted themselves with Chick-fil-A to highlight their own inclusive business practices and the importance of informed consumption and supporting LGBTQ+-friendly businesses.
In June 2021, for instance, Burger King launched the Ch’King sandwich, which closely resembled Chick-fil-A’s trademark chicken sandwich. In a June 3, 2021 tweet, Burger King wrote, “The #ChKing says LGBTQ+ rights!” It also announced that it would donate 40₵ to the HRC for every Ch’King sandwich sold (with a maximum donation of $250,000).
In September 2022, Alexandre’s Bar in the Dallas gayborhood of Oak Lawn announced the sale of its own “Chick-fil-gAy” sandwich that was only available on Sundays (the day on which all Chick-fil-A locations are closed).
Recent polling shows that 70% of non-LGBTQ+ Americans believe that companies should publicly support the queer community through inclusive policies, advertising, and sponsorships — this belief held especially true for younger consumers. In short, Chick-fil-A could invest in its future by continuing to distance itself from its past anti-gay actions.
Diversity is delicious, homophobia is not
Chick-fil-A has given to groups that oppose LGBTQ+ identities and civil rights. Its current chairman, Dan Cathy, has also made several statements against same-sex marriage. This has tarnished the company’s image, even as it has gradually distanced itself from these positions.
While the company remains very successful, its recent changes in donation and anti-discrimination policies show the impact that consumers have made by advocating for LGBTQ+ rights and supporting inclusive business practices. LGBTQ+ people and allies support and remain loyal to companies that support their queer employees and the larger queer community. It pays to research and patronize such supportive businesses so we can all put our money where our mouths are.
As an undercover Colombian anti-drug agent during Pablo Escobar’s reign, Andrea Montanez has learned a thing or two about hiding her identity.
Of course, this was before she identified as trans or transitioned, which wouldn’t occur until after she sought refuge in Florida 24 years ago. You could say she has feared for her life on multiple fronts, but Montanez has never stopped worrying about her queerness putting her in danger.
When asked who is more capable of evil, the most infamous kingpin in history or Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R), she laughs at the loaded question.
“I think Ron Desantis is more diabolic,” she tells LGBTQ Nation. “You know, [Escobar] is directly bad, and the other one, you never know. To confront Escobar, you know what you have to do. But with this one, it’s so hard figuring out.”
In other words, it’s better to deal with the devil you know than the devil you don’t – especially when he is running for president of the United States. Escobar might have murdered in cold blood, but he owned it, even if the logic was drugs, money, or an eye for an eye. On the other hand, Desantis ascended the ranks as a puppet of blind hate, and Florida elected him their puppeteer.
America might’ve been founded as the land of the free, but the individualized governing power of states has created alternate realities for law and justice. LGBTQ+ communities governed by conservative extremists are living in textbook dystopias. Florida is one of them.
After stepping into her true self, Montanez began to help others harness their courage. She lives in Orlando, working at Hope Community Center, where she focuses on helping queer immigrants.
She says her parents are old (“viejitos”) and don’t understand trans identities. But they no longer argue. She has a good relationship with her sister but is estranged from her brother. For this reason, she understands some people have no physical or emotional sense of home. Part of her work is visiting and educating families with queer children.
Montanez fears the state is losing the battle for equality to ignorance. “I don’t know how people can think being transgender is contagious, that we want everyone to be trans,” she says, “This is not a recruitment team! To be trans, you really have to be so special because at this moment, with all this hate, with all these people against you, thinking it’s bad if you go to the bathroom, it’s bad if you play sports.”
And not to mention, doomsday for trans people is always a lousy piece of legislation away. But the worst-case scenario is already here. Nearly half of LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered attempting suicide last year, according to a survey from the Trevor Project.
Angel Nelson helps queer individuals access pivotal resources as program director for Miracle of Love, the oldest community-based minority HIV/AIDS organization in Central Florida. They tell LGBTQ Nation that they’ve recently been urging trans people to prioritize their needs as the political climate rapidly darkens in the Sunshine State.
“[Queer organizations] have been adamant about trying to get trans individuals connected to resources to get hormones, name changes, and gender marker changes just because we’re all gearing up for what could happen in Florida if Rhonda [Desantis] has his way and essentially strips our rights and privileges.”
As a Black nonbinary trans person, Nelson is triggered by Republican persecution. They say people tend to forget Florida’s tumultuous history of racism. Like Montanez, they know what it’s like to be rejected from both sides of your identity because your skin exists at the intersection.
Nelson says the individual experience of discrimination propels communities to advocate solely for their own causes. However, his duality makes them palpably aware you can’t pick and choose when it comes to morality. Regarding activism, the elephant in the voting booths is that some people will hate your identity – whether it be sexuality, ethnicity, or both – no matter how much science or data you show them.
Perhaps that’s what radical conservative leaders are counting on when they take their stances; it’s what empowered a now criminally-convicted Donald Trump to abandon decorum, crown himself king, and incite a deadly Capitol riot.
Nelson tries to decipher between people with hate in their hearts and uneducated folks who are susceptible to manipulation and widespread Internet misinformation. They say they didn’t meet their first trans person until they were 21 years old, which helped them solve the mystery of who they were.
“I grew up in Brevard County, so I was pretty suburban and sheltered. I came out at 15, but I definitely was more than just a gay male. Like, I just didn’t know how I was going to manifest that and express it at the time,” Nelson says.
They emphasize there’s a stereotype society pushes on the nonbinary realm to be this hybrid of masculine and feminine traits. You cannot tell a person how to present themselves or self-identify. Cis-presenting doesn’t negate someone’s identity.
Many of Nelson’s peers have already left or made plans to leave Florida, but the population who doesn’t have that choice keeps them motivated to stay. As a veteran who served in Iraq, they question if the LGBTQ+ community abandons the state, who will fight for those left behind or born tomorrow?
“The people in power have noticed that millennials and Gen Z’s mindsets are changing from the traditional ideology,” says Nelson, “And by banning books and education, and by limiting their access to resources, I feel like they’re trying to lay the blueprint for forcing their hateful ideology.”
Beyond censorship, one can look at the disconnect between the concerns Republican leaders advocate on their platform and the legislation being implemented. Most infamously, their cries of “What about the children?!” materialized as a strategic facade to gain the support to cage LGBTQ+ adults. And like the overturn of Roe vs. Wade, poor communities will suffer the consequences.
Daniel J. Downer, executive director of the Bros in Combo Initiative, tells LGBTQ Nation the most urgent issue in Florida is the extreme legislation banning best practice medical care for transgender or gender non-conforming/nonbinary youth and adults on Medicaid or uninsured.
Although a judge ruled it unconstitutional, Downer says resources in Central Florida, where he is based, have dwindled. Providers are jumping the gun to avoid harassment or repercussion for aiding queer individuals.
“I had a call yesterday from someone at a local college, and they’re trying to get affirmative care. And literally, in our conversation, while doing the research, I realized that three medical providers I had on the list were no longer providing care to uninsured individuals or on Medicaid,” says Downer.
That fear is not unlike why so many gay Black and Latino Floridians, in particular, have refrained from getting their Mpox vaccine. Their culture makes them believe it’s better to endanger their health to protect themselves from stigma.
But Downer says it’s not as easy as education. Organizations need to create awareness while understanding the nuance of identity. They must understand these communities’ limited power and privilege and their hesitancy to engage. He explains there’s always been some form of implicit or conscious bias on the part of medical providers regarding Black and brown bodies.
“[People of color] have to wake up in the morning wondering about their safety,” says Downer, “If when they go outside the door, someone’s going to hurt them and then blame them for it. And I even think of it from the lens of our undocumented and immigrant siblings. Not only are they being hit with these anti-LGBTQ+ attacks, they’re also being hit with anti-immigrant legislation.”
Downer points to his own privilege as a gay cis-male and how that further emboldens him to show up for trans and nonbinary folks.
Allyship cannot be thrown around without merit; solidarity cannot be used interchangeably with merely personally supporting the letters LGBTQ. Both stem from taking action. Downer suggests researching and physically going to local smaller organizations and asking what they need. They don’t receive the financial support or volunteers typically given to the large metropolitan ones.
Montanez adds there have been moments of celebration amid the gloom, which echoes the history of a community that has always reached for a silver lining. Even when their only reason to smile was each other. Hope Community Center just hosted Pride in Apopka, and Montanez took it upon herself to also invite women and immigrants helped by her organization, along with mariachis.
After all, unity among every oppressed person makes the opposing side seem fewer in numbers. Montanez jokes, “If Escobar couldn’t kill me, neither will Ron Desantis.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. The Trans Lifeline (1-877-565-8860) is staffed by trans people and will not contact law enforcement. The Trevor Project provides a safe, judgement-free place to talk for youth via chat, text (678-678), or phone (1-866-488-7386). Help is available at all three resources in English and Spanish.
Newport Mayor Dean Sawyer [photo] resigned Monday, three days after OPB revealed he has been posting offensive content in a private Facebook group for current and former law enforcement officers. Sawyer notified City Manager Spencer Nebel and City Council President Jan Kaplan of his resignation in an email just before 9 a.m.
“I am sorry – in its simplest and sincerest form,” the email opens. Since at least 2016, Sawyer has shared memes and posts denigrating women, immigrants, non-English speakers and the LGBTQ+ community in 39,000-member Facebook group.
Many of Sawyer’s most recent posts specifically targeted the transgender community. Over the weekend, Newport Oregon Pride organized a protest that brought more than 100 people to City Hall demanding Sawyer resign.
The mayor of Baker City in Eastern Oregon announced his resignation late Tuesday after heated controversy over an offensive meme he posted last month that depicted four pride flags rearranged to form a swastika.
Mayor Matt Diaz did not address the controversy when he resigned at a city council meeting, telling residents only that he would be moving out of the city of 10,000 people and therefore could no longer serve.
After Diaz compared pride flags to Nazi symbolism, he told residents in a statement June 20 that the post was “meant to illustrate how the DEI or ‘woke’ ideology is being propagandized and militantly forced on American society.”