NewsVoicesArts & EntertainmentCrimeEducationHealthLove & SexPeoplePoliticsSports
    OUTPrideOut TravelerPLUSADVOCATE CHANNEL
    Support UsSubscribeSubscriber ServicesEmail Newsletter Signup
    CONTACTAbout UsCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
    © 2025 Equal Entertainment LLC.
    All Rights reserved
    Advocate.comAdvocate.com

    Meet the Uniformly Anti-LGBT House Leadership Candidates

    Trudy Ring

    Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.
    Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.
    Read Full Bio
    Trudy Ring
    10/01/15
    trudestress

    Scroll To Top

    By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

    Accept
     
    BOEHNER
      • Share using fb
      • Share using tw
      • Share using pt
      • Share using tl
      • Share using em
    • Close sharing options
    • Show sharing options

    &nbsp

    House Speaker John Boehner hasn’t been any friend to LGBT Americans, but the Ohio Republican’s successor is likely to be just as bad or worse.

    Boehner, who’s leaving the speaker’s position — and Congress altogether — at the end of October, was considered too moderate by his party’s far right wing, but he was in tune with that faction on LGBT issues. He refused to bring employment nondiscrimination legislation to a vote — he deemed such a law “unnecessary” — and he and other Republican congressional leaders hired a private lawyer to defend the now-defunct Defense of Marriage Act after the Obama administration refused to do so.

    The speakership is a pivotal position. The speaker generally does not vote on or sponsor legislation but does set the agenda for each congressional session. He — and with the exception of Nancy Pelosi, it’s always been a he — is the leader of the House and of the majority party. The speaker is also second in line (after the vice president) to succeed the president if the president should die or become unable to perform the duties of the office. The next most powerful position in the House is that of majority leader, who is the primary representative of the majority party on the House floor, controls the schedule, and is a key fundraiser for the party.

    The potential replacements for Boehner are all male, white, and conservative. (One woman, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, was mentioned as a candidate but declined to run.) The Republicans are scheduled to choose their speaker candidate Thursday, then present him to the full House at the end of the month. Here’s a look at the LGBT-related records of the top candidates to replace Boehner — and to replace current Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the front-runner for the speakership.

    Grid Icon
      
    trudestress
    close button
    PoliticsGOPSlideshow
    trudestress

    More Galleries

    The incomparable Lady Bunny and her unnamed date
    Drag

    Drag Me to the Catskills: A weekend of camp and comedy in the woods

    May 29 2025 8:30 PM
    Boys! Boys! Boys! podcast: A new voice in queer culture
    Art

    Boys! Boys! Boys! podcast: A new voice in queer culture

    May 01 2025 5:03 PM
    Cobblestones, castles, and culture: Your LGBTQ+ guide to Edinburgh
    Travel

    Cobblestones, castles, and culture: Your LGBTQ+ guide to Edinburgh

    April 30 2025 12:44 PM
    French Polynesia: LGBTQ+ inclusivity beyond expectations
    Travel

    No Pride flags needed in French Polynesia

    April 07 2025 11:16 AM
    Karan Soni stars in "A Nice Indian Boy," in theaters starting April 4
    film

    Out and About with Karan Soni

    April 04 2025 8:00 AM
    Edie © Jane Hilton; Justin Anz, Ranch Hand, Olney, Texas © Jane Hilton; Mirage © Jane Hilton; Pate Meinzer, Cowboy, Benjamin, Texas © Jane Hilton
    Photography

    Jane Hilton's 'Cowboys & Queens' captures the modern American dream

    March 28 2025 6:27 PM