Happy Saturday,
š¢ President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Scott Bessent, a billionaire investment manager who is gay, as secretary of the Treasury. Bessent, if confirmed by the U.S. Senate, would be the first out member of the LGBTQ+ community to be Treasury secretary and one of only a few ever to hold a Cabinet or Cabinet-level position. Previous out Cabinet members include Richard Grenell and Pete Buttigieg. Buttigieg, secretary of Transportation in the Biden administration, was the first out Senate-confirmed Cabinet official.
š“ Bessent lives in South Carolina with his husband, John Freeman, a former prosecuting attorney in New York City. They have two children.
š As our senior politics editor Trudy Ring points out, just because Trump is nominating a gay man to his cabinet doesn't mean his administration will be LGBTQ-friendly. Many of his selections have negative or mixed records when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights. Several also have connections to Project 2025, which would erode protections for LGBTQ+ people.
Onward and upward,
Alex Cooper
Editor-in-chief, Advocate.com
P.S. Want to support The Advocate's journalism? Find out how you can contribute here.
š° In other news...
- Here's how queer couples can protect their marriage under a new Trump administration
- U.S. cities score big in LGBTQ+ equality despite wave of discriminatory state laws
- Los Angeles becomes a sanctuary city for LGBTQ+ youth and immigrants as officials reject Project 2025
- No, HHS Assistant Secretary Rachel Levine isn't performing pagan rituals in the woods
- U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas introduces bill to deny transgender identity
- Former Jersey City aide fired over support for right-wing extremist sister sues Democratic mayor
Trump nominates investment manager Scott Bessent, a gay man, as Treasury secretary

Screen shot via Fox News
U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas introduces bill to deny transgender identity

Office of U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall
What is U.S. v. Skrmetti, the Supreme Court case that could change gender-affirming care forever?

Bob Korn/Shutterstock
No, HHS Assistant Secretary Rachel Levine isn't performing pagan rituals in the woods

Courtesy Admiral Rachel Levine via x.com; footage still via instagram @selenafox
Former Jersey City aide fired over support for right-wing extremist sister sues Democratic mayor

paperwork via x.com @Jonathan_Goomez; portrait via Institute of Global Politics, Columbia University
Here's how queer couples can protect their marriage under a new Trump administration

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Who is Pam Bondi? Trump's new attorney general pick has a mixed history on LGBTQ+ issues

MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
Los Angeles becomes a sanctuary city for LGBTQ+ youth and immigrants as officials reject Project 2025

Gerry Matthews/Shutterstock
š Look, the answer!Ā š
Every week The Advocate has a bit of LGBTQ+ trivia in our newsletter. Today, you'll get the answer.
This week's question: What year did same-sex marriages become legal in the U.S.?
This week's answer: 2015. Full marriage equality became the law of the land on June 26, 2015, after the Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges. In the landmark 5-4 ruling, same-sex married couples in the U.S. were granted equal recognition under the law.
⨠Email us the right answer and you might get a shoutout in a future email newsletter. āØ
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- Watch Jeff Goldblum gush over Jonathan Bailey's muscular legs & ask him to 'release the Kraken' (Pride)
- 12 essential bops from Khalid to celebrate his coming out (Out)
- Wicked's viral meme: Yes, queer people are 'holding space' for 'Defying Gravity' (Out)
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