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Michael Lavers

Michael K. Lavers is the international news editor of the Washington Blade.

Markey, Lowenthal to Reintroduce Bill Requiring US to Promote LGBTQ Rights Abroad

Two lawmakers on Wednesday announced they will reintroduce a bill that would require U.S. to promote LGBTQ rights abroad through its foreign policy. California Congressman Alan Lowenthal and U.S. Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) made the announcement [...]

Carmen Vázquez, Longtime LGBTQ Activist, Dies at 72

Carmen Vázquez, a longtime LGBTQ activist, died on Wednesday from coronavirus complications. She was 72. A press release that the National LGBTQ Task Force and SAGE released on Thursday notes Vázquez was born in Puerto Rico and grew up in New York [...]

Biden Inauguration Attendees See Promise in New Day for LGBTQ Americans

From the vantage point of the U.S. Capitol, attendees at the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States saw tremendous potential in the new administration, including change for LGBTQ people after four years of Donald [...]

LGBTQ Groups Condemn Capitol siege, Back Trump Removal From Office

LGBTQ rights groups on Wednesday were quick to condemn the siege of the U.S. Capitol. "Today's violence is revolting and nothing short of insurrection, a coup instigated by Donald Trump and abetted by cowardly Republicans who have put party over [...]

Trump Supporters Storm U.S. Capitol

Thousands of President Trump's supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday as lawmakers were beginning to certify the Electoral College results. The siege began shortly after President Trump spoke to his supporters who gathered on the Ellipse [...]

Prominent Transgender Activist in Colombia Dies

A prominent transgender activist in Colombia died on Saturday. Laura Weinstein, director of Fundaci√≥n Grupo de Acci√≥n y Apoyo a Personas Trans (GAAT), a trans rights group based in the Colombian capital of Bogotá, passed away four days after she [...]

Bhutan Lawmakers Vote to Decriminalize Homosexuality

Lawmakers in Bhutan on Thursday voted to amend portions of the country's Penal Code that have been used to criminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations. An OutRight Action International press release says Articles 213 and 214 of the Bhutanese [...]

Presidential Election Results Still Too Close to Call

The results of the presidential election as of Wednesday afternoon remained up in the air. The New York Times reports Joe Biden as of 11:30 a.m. was ahead of President Trump in the Electoral College by a 227-213 margin. The final vote counts in the [...]

Gina Ortiz Jones Loses Texas Congressional Race

Gina Ortiz Jones on Tuesday lost to her Republican challenger in Texas' 23rd congressional district. The New York Times reported Republican Tony Gonzales defeated Jones, who was an Air Force intelligence officer during the second Iraq war, [...]

Chris Pappas Wins Reelection in New Hampshire

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) on Tuesday won reelection. The Associated Press declared the gay Democrat the winner of his race against Republican Matt Mowers in New Hampshire's 1st congressional district at 12:40 a.m. on Wednesday. The [...]

Jon Hoadley Loses Michigan Congressional Race

Jon Hoadley on Tuesday lost to U.S. Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.). The Associated Press declared Upton the winner early Wednesday morning. Hoadley, the former president of the now-defunct National Stonewall Democrats, is a member of the Michigan House [...]

Downtown D.C. Storefronts Boarded up Ahead of Election Day

A growing number of businesses in downtown D.C. have boarded up their windows in anticipation of potential unrest after Election Day. The Washington Blade on Sunday morning recorded two videos near Black Lives Matter Plaza, which is immediately [...]