Spencer Macnaughton | Uncloseted Media Weekly Newsletter
We are only nine days out from the election and it has been a whirlwind.
Families and friends are divided and angry with each other. Psychiatrists are advising LGBTQ people to avoid Trump-supporting relatives over the holidays. The Trevor Project, a leading LGBTQ youth suicide prevention organization, has reported a 700% increase in calls, texts and chat messages. There has been infighting among democrats about whether the party’s position on transgender rights is part of the reason Harris lost.
Many LGBTQ people—especially those in the transgender community—are afraid for their lives as President-Elect Trump—who has vowed to crackdown on “transgender insanity”—gets set to take office for a second term.
In the last week, Trump has nominated Kristi Noem, who disagreed with the Obergefell decision to legalize same-sex marriage, for Homeland Security secretary. He also nominated Marco Rubio, who scored a 0 out of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s Congressional Scorecard, in part because he has called the Respect for Marriage Act—which requires the federal government to recognize same-sex and interracial marriages— a “stupid waste of time.” Other appointees include Fox News host Pete Hegseth as Defense Secretary and—most controversially—Florida Representative Matt Gaetz, who has been investigated over allegations of sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl—a federal probe that ultimately did not yield criminal charges.
All of this is happening alongside the beginning of Transgender Awareness Week, a seven-day event leading up to the Transgender Day of Remembrance, which memorializes victims of transphobic violence.
At Uncloseted Media, we are working extremely hard to provide you with crucial journalism that examines America’s anti-LGBTQ ecosystem and holds people and power accountable. We welcome all our new subscribers and hope you’ll continue to spread the word.
I hope everyone has a great rest of their week. As always, do reach out with tips, leads, or just to say hello.
Thanks!
Spencer Macnaughton | Editor-in-chief, Uncloseted Media
According to exit polls, 86% of LGBTQ people and 91% of Black women voted for Harris. In our latest story, Sam Donndelinger and I spoke with six queer women of color from different pockets of the U.S. They share their immediate reactions to the election results and reflect on America, a country where a man has held the seat of president for 248 years since the nation was founded in 1776. One of the most salient quotes came from 88-year-old Mary Midgett, a Black lesbian in San Francisco.
“A whole lot of youngsters [of color] are thrown in jail because they're felons, but there’s this white politician, he's a felon and he's going to run the country.”
Crisis Calls from LGBTQ Youth Spiked by 700 Percent after Election Day (Originally published in The 19th)
Trump Loses Ground With LGBTQ Voters (The Hill)
Unlike many other demographic groups, LGBTQ voters shifted away from former President Trump at the polls this year, casting their ballots overwhelmingly for Vice President Harris and in higher numbers than for President Biden in 2020, according to exit polls.
Some Democrats Blame Party’s Position On Transgender Rights In Part For Harris’ Loss (NBC News)
Republicans spent millions attacking Democrats on transgender rights. Some say that’s one reason why Harris lost.
What Trump's Win Means for LGBTQ+ Rights (TIME)
As the reality of President-elect Donald Trump’s victory begins to settle, LGBTQ+ rights groups and individuals are grappling with the realities of what that means—especially now that he has a GOP-majority Senate to back him on his policies.
LGBTQ Candidates Saw Big Election Wins, With Several Historic Victories (NBC)
Historic firsts include a transgender candidate elected to Congress, a Black gay man elected to the Georgia legislature and a trans person elected to the Hawaii House.
We passed the 2,000 subscriber threshold. We are so grateful to all the new subscribers who are pouring in, as we’re just a little more than two months post-launch. We’re especially grateful to our paid subscribers for supporting our work. The need for rigorous LGBTQ-focused journalism is more important than ever and some of you are saying that in your messages to us:
This weekend, be on the lookout for new Uncloseted reporting:
🆕 “The 13%” – According to exit polls, at least 13% of LGBTQ people voted for Trump. Abbie Thompson and I interviewed six of them from across the country to learn about why they feel President-elect Trump can truly “Make America Great Again.”
🆕 Republicans spent nearly $215 million in ads targeting the trans community this election cycle. Why was this an effective strategy in pushing Trump to victory? Hope Pisoni and I speak to policy experts, Trump voters, and Trump’s former Deputy Press Secretary to understand why the Trump campaign spent more on anti-trans ads than any on any other issue. We explore if and how this strategy helped him win.
Thanks for reading! And feel free to email me with questions, complaints, tips and story ideas!
Spencer Macnaughton, Editor-In-Chief
spencer@unclosetedmedia.com
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