John Casey

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Rudy Giuliani’s daughter Caroline opens up on how to mend fences with family after the election

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One of the most consequential outcomes of the 2024 election has nothing to do with who won or lost; rather, families that were torn asunder because of their political beliefs. I know in my own family, I’ve had to keep at arm’s length with some who have been enthusiastic about former President Donald Trump. For me, I think what Trump did was put a magnifying glass on negative issues or personality traits that were ever-present in some family members. They were there all along, but for some reason, their support for Trump made them especially glaring. His refusal to accept blame, […]

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In a critical election, the Washington Post and Los Angeles Times endorse fascism

Over 30 years ago, I met Katharine Graham, at the time the publisher of The Washington Post, and only later did I realize what an honor that was. Now, as a late–blooming journalist, I can truly appreciate her place in history. After taking over the newspaper following her husband’s death in 1963, she grew the Post into one of the most influential publications in the world. Graham made bold editorial decisions, such as supporting the reporting of the Pentagon Papers and uncovering the Watergate scandal, which cemented the Post’s role in holding power accountable. Her emphasis on journalistic integrity and fearlessness in exposing the truth […]

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Pittsburgh’s gay police chief is stopping crime and living proud

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Pittsburgh in the late 1980s and 1990s wasn’t known as an LGBTQ+ stomping ground — regardless of what you might have seen on Queer as Folk. After I graduated from college, I worked briefly in the Pittsburgh area and usually met my friends in downtown Pittsburgh for happy hours. I would get drunk, I’d sneak away from them, and go to a gay bar. I have no idea how I found what I think was the only gay bar in the city. I couldn’t remember the name of the bar until recently. But I do know one night, I went down the wrong way […]

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‘Never Seen a Vagina’: Lindsey Graham’s Sexuality Is a Joke

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Because I’ve been writing this column for several years, and get to talk to lots of amazing people, my friends, mostly the straight ones, like to quiz me about who’s gay, who’s not, and who’s in the closet. This fishing expedition is mostly generational, since it’s mostly my contemporaries who inquire about the sexuality of celebrities and politicians. Those of us who are LGBTQ+ and over 50, still look on with low-level shock when someone we know announces they are queer. For straight people in this demographic, being gay, or being in the closet is still something that they sensationalize. […]

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Providing Help & Hope to LGBTQ+ Elders Struggling With Suicide

This is National Suicide Prevention Week, which technically means that during this week we are to raise awareness for suicide prevention. Next week is, among other things, National Child Passenger Safety Awareness Week, and the last week in September is International Deaf Awareness Week. Since I’m partially deaf, that week means something to me, but by the time we get to the week of October 9 and National Fire Prevention Week, will anyone remember the awareness raised a month before for suicide prevention? We’ve filled so many weeks up in the calendar that we skip from one issue to another […]

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Be Warned: Gay Marriage and Gay Sex Are in SCOTUS Crosshairs

I’ve been around long enough in politics and corporate America to recognize overt signs of power grabs and people who would stampede over their mothers to get what they want. Oftentimes, it’s done abruptly, while in other instances, it’s done stealthily and slowly, chip, chip, chipping away until they finally get what they want — regardless of who has to pay the price. When I worked on the Hill, the annual visit to congressional offices by pro-life forces on January 22, which was the anniversary of the passage of Roe v. Wade, was always a day to be dreaded if you […]

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A Gay Doctor on Convincing Doubters to Get Vaccinated

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I’ve been teaching at a New York City college for almost five years, and I’m still in touch with a number of my former students. Many reach out for career advice, or help on getting a job, or wanting a letter of recommendation, and I’m always happy to oblige. However, I was caught off guard recently when a former student told me that he decided not to get the COVID-19 vaccine. This person reads my column and knows that I’ve written a lot about the pandemic during the last year, including speaking to a number of medical experts including Dr. Fauci, […]

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For First Time Ever, Three National LGBTQ Orgs Have Black Leaders

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The election of Kamala Harris as the first female, Black, South Asian vice president was a joyous and noteworthy event. Indeed, the Biden administration has already shown itself to be the antithesis of the blatant racism of the previous four years. New leadership demands new ways of operating, new ways of governing, and new ways to confront systematic racism. We can say in our own community that we’ve only recently begun to address bigotry within our ranks, and that includes Black executive leadership in the LGBTQ+ movement. For the first time in history, three of the national legacy LGBTQ equality organizations (National LGBTQ Task […]

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