Gay DC Libertarian Party leader resigns as nat’l chair – Washington Blade
The Washington Blade, the nation’s oldest LGBTQ newspaper, has filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking the emails of Richard Grenell, the face of LGBTQ outreach for President Trump, regarding his work on a global initiative to decriminalize homosexuality.
The complaint was filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the State Department and contends the continued delay in responding to a request under the Freedom of Information Act for the emails violates the law, which requires an expeditious process in responding to requests.
Chris Johnson, White House reporter for the Washington Blade, is a named plaintiff and said the lawsuit is intended to aid in efforts to learn more about the Trump administration’s initiative, which some highlighted as evidence that former President Trump supported LGBTQ people.
“Our litigation goals are obtaining the information sought in our FOIA request to educate the public on the extent the Trump administration was committed to the initiative to decriminalize homosexuality,” Johnson said. “Our readers are interested in knowing how the initiative Grenell led was received in the Trump administration and any support he found or opposition he encountered.”
Although the request was made in September 2020, the State Department has said the process for finding and handing over the emails would not be complete until August 2023. FOIA requires the U.S. government to respond to a request within a matter of weeks, not months or years.
“This marks the second time in a year the Blade has filed suit to force our government to comply with the law and respond in a timely manner to FOIA requests,” said Blade Editor Kevin Naff. “We expect the State Department to respond to this action in a timely manner so we can get answers to these important questions.”
An estimated 69 countries still have laws on the books making homosexual acts a criminal offense. International LGBTQ advocates have made efforts in recent years to convince these nations to repeal the laws and for the global community to increase penalties and limit access to economic opportunities if these laws remain in place.
Defenders of the Trump administration’s entre into this area said it was evidence the Republican Party was moderating on LGBTQ issues, but critics contended it was a facade with little substance and wasn’t transgender inclusive. At least two countries — Sudan and Gabon — made progress in recent years to decriminalize homosexuality, but there’s no evidence that was because of the efforts under the Trump initiative.
Grenell, a Republican political strategist who helped in the initial phases with Trump’s effort to challenge the 2020 election results, has been the subject of speculation about a run for governor of California. Grenell opted not to enter the gubernatorial recall in California, but has left the door open for a future candidacy.
Representing the Washington Blade in the lawsuit on a pro bono basis is the law firm Davis Wright Tremaine, which has expertise in communications as well as media and entertainment.
Dan Fiedler, an attorney with Davis Wright Tremaine, said the Blade’s lawsuit is important to uphold the principles of the First Amendment.
“We all rely on the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of the press to let the Blade play its essential role in American Democracy: Keeping people informed of the most relevant topics of the day, especially topics having to do with our governing officials,” Fieldler said. “The State Department cannot continue to ignore its duties under the Freedom of Information Act, and we are proud to represent the Blade in this suit so it can obtain the simple relief to which it is entitled — access to the government records it requested nearly a year ago.”
Read a copy of the Blade complaint here. All contact information in this version is redacted.