Kyle Duncan has an extensive record combatting civil rights including being the opposing counsel in Gavin Grimm’s case and working to undermine marriage equality

NEW YORK – GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, today voiced outrage after the Senate confirmed anti-LGBTQ lawyer Kyle Duncan for a lifetime appointment to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit which covers Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Duncan has a long ideologically-driven record seeking to undermine civil rights including fighting to undermine marriage equality and targeting transgender rights by defending North Carolina’s infamous anti-transgender law HB2 and serving as the opposing counsel in Gavin Grimm’s case.

“The U.S Senate is standing idly by as President Trump fills multiple branches of the U.S. government with people like Kyle Duncan, whose ideologically-driven record displays that he is a direct threat to LGBTQ Americans,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD. “Voters are watching and will not forgive Senators who allow President Trump to stack the courts with judges united in dismantling civil rights and rolling back our hard-fought progress.”

Throughout his career, Duncan has relied on the unscientific arguments of anti-LGBTQ hate groups in an attempt to undermine transgender rights, trying to delegitimize transgender identity by calling being transgender a “delusion” and advocating for parents not to support trans kids. This hate-mongering language is a strategy the Trump administration has also adopted in their ongoing efforts to ban open transgender military service. 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Kyle Duncan’s Anti-LGBTQ Record

• Represented the Gloucester County, VA school board in its fight to prevent transgender teen Gavin Grimm from using the bathroom that matches his gender identity; Duncan argues that the matter is “really to let gender identity trump all other considerations of sex and privacy.”
   
• In a 2016 speech to Heritage Foundation, reportedly bemoaned that “Our federal government is telling us—not merely what it thinks the law is—but what “is a man” and what “is a woman.” Something has gone wrong” (Note: Heritage has since deleted this event from its archives; it was here).
   
• Wrote an essay arguing that the Supreme Court’s 2015 marriage decision “swept away the value of the democratic process” in states that had put civil rights up to a ballot.
   
• As a special counsel represented Louisiana in challenges against the state’s discriminatory marriage ban.
   
• Prior the Supreme Court’s marriage ruling claimed such a ruling would “do incalculable damage to our national civic life.”
   
• Authored amicus brief arguing against marriage equality.
   
• Defended North Carolina’s notorious anti-transgender law, HB2.
   
• Represented a birth mother who wished to deny visitation to a same-sex spouse.
   
• In making an anti-trans case as a lead counsel in in Carcano v. McCrory, he and his team relied on testimony from anti-trans doctor Quentin Van Meter who insisted that the “ethical and logical” course for trans children is for the “patient and family to rear the child in conformity with natal sex” (pg 211), insisted that “gender identity that does not match natal sex is a mental disorder (pg 215), and advocates for “recovery and a healthy, productive life” for transgender patients referred to him (pg216).

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NEW YORK – GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, today denounced the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for approving President Trump’s dangerous nomination of Mike Pompeo for the position of Secretary of State. This result comes after Sen. Rand Paul flipped his vote to favor Mike Pompeo at the last minute.

“The fact that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved someone with ties to an anti-LGBTQ hate group that supported Uganda’s efforts to punish and execute LGBTQ people to serve as our nation’s top diplomat is sickening,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD. “Together we must fight to prevent Mike Pompeo confirmation and ensure that anti-LGBTQ hate and extremism do not become one of our nation’s major exports.”

This fight is far from over. Mike Pompeo’s nomination now advances to a Senate-wide vote. GLAAD is urging all U.S. Senators to rebuke this dangerous nomination and vote against the confirmation of Mike Pompeo.

Mike Pompeo’s anti-LGBTQ record goes far beyond his personal beliefs opposing marriage equality and the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. Pompeo has worked closely with the Family Research Council (FRC), an anti-LGBTQ group which openly supported Uganda’s efforts to punish and execute LGBTQ citizens – known as the “Kill the Gays Bill,” promotes and defends the dangerous practice of conversion therapy, and actively opposed overturning laws that criminalize being gay. Meanwhile, Pompeo earned Family Research Council’s endorsement and praise, appearing on their anti-LGBTQ radio program at least six times, and personally consulting with their president, Tony Perkins, while serving the United States as CIA Director.

Since Mike Pompeo’s nomination was first announced, GLAAD has been fighting to expose his anti-LGBTQ records and urging Senators to come out in opposition to his confirmation. The week before his Senate Foreign Relations Committee nomination hearing, GLAAD campus ambassador Tony Hernandez hand-delivered research about Pompeo’s ties to anti-LGBTQ hate and extremism to all 21 members of the committee asking them to question Mike Pompeo about his extensive anti-LGBTQ record. This research was also hand-delivered to the offices of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin along with a letter from GLAAD’s President, Sarah Kate Ellis, calling on them to lead Democrats in opposition to Pompeo’s confirmation.

GLAAD has also created an action center where followers can find out where their Senators publically stand on Mike Pompeo’s nomination along with their office phone numbers and a sample script to use in order to call on their representatives to come out against this dangerous nomination.

Read more about Mike Pompeo’s anti-LGBTQ record and ties with FRC below via GLAAD’s Trump Accountability Project:

Mike Pompeo’s Connections to Family Research Council:

Consulted with Tony Perkins while serving as CIA Director: “Pompeo has consulted with Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, an organization that the Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled an anti-gay hate group.” [The Washington Post; 8.24.17].

Has made (at least) six appearances on Family Research Council’s anti-LGBTQ radio show. Live with Tony Perkins: October 6, 2016; March 22, 2016; July 26, 2016; September 3; 2015; July 22, 2015; May 5, 2014.

Family Research Council endorsed Mike Pompeo during his re-election to the U.S. House in 2014, specifically citing his “support for marriage” and “traditional family values” as reasons behind their support: The culture has been challenged beyond all reasonable limits. The strong, conservative men and women elected in 2010 and 2012 need reinforcements…The votes you have cast on the life issue reflect your concern for mother and child and your support for marriage as between one man and one woman.” [Pompeo for Congress, 3.5.14]

One of thirty House of Representative members to join the Family Research Council on an amicus brief challenging the Affordable Care Act in the case National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius. [FRC; 10.27.11]
 

Anti-LGBTQ Record of the Family Research Council (FRC):

Actively lobbied against a congressional resolution denouncing Uganda’s “kill the gays bill:” “The blog Joe. My. God.,working with a reporter from Gay City News, reported that the conservative Family Research Council spent $25,000 “to lobby Congress against approving a resolution denouncing Uganda’s plan to execute homosexuals. The site posted three screencaps from the Family Research Council’s lobbying report; they suggest $25,000 was spent on lobbying what FRC described as “Res.1064Ugandan ResolutionPro-homosexual promotion.” [CBS News; 6.4.10]

Claimed the Ugandan bill that aimed to punish and execute LGBTQ people “upholds moral conduct:” The President [Obama] criticized Ugandan leaders for considering enhanced penalties for crimes related to homosexuality…The President said that “We may disagree about gay marriage, “but surely we can agree that it is unconscionable to target gays and lesbians for who they are.” Mr. President as long as you characterize efforts to uphold moral conduct that protects others and in particular the most vulnerable, as attacking people, civility will continue to evade us.” [Family Research Council via the Internet Archive; 2.4.10]

Opposed overturning Texas “Homosexual Conduct” law, which criminalized consensual sexual intimacy between same-sex couples: “To extend homosexual sodomy the same protections given to the marital union would undermine the definition of marriage and could open the door for homosexual marriage. The court should demonstrate judicial humility and decline to deconstruct in radical and revolutionary ways the bedrock social institution of marriage.’” [Family Research Council via the Internet Archive; 6.25.03]

Spent over $75,000 to lobby to keep “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” in place: “The Traditional Values Coalition and the Family Research Council, have each spent more than $75,000 so far on their overall lobbying expenditures this year. Both groups support keeping the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in place.” [Open Secrets; 11.3.10]. Family Research Council President, Tony Perkins, also claimed there is “blood of young marines” on hands of legislators who voted to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. [YouTube, Right Wing Watch; 11.20.10]

Lobbied against LGBTQ-inclusive hate crimes legislation: “Social conservatives said the hate crimes bill would violate the First Amendment, and would be a step toward a larger gay rights agenda they oppose. ‘Expanding hate crimes puts America in lock step with the stated agenda of homosexual activists who will turn next to the so-called Employment Non-Discrimination Act, followed by the repeal of the ban on homosexuality in the military and then the Defense of Marriage Act,’ the Family Research Council warned on its Web site.” [The Washington Post; 10.23.09]

Printed and disturbed flyers defending the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion therapy: “Although much attention has been focused on counseling techniques or therapies for unwanted same-sex attractions and on the work of “ex-gay” ministries, there is startling evidence that considerable numbers of people experience significant change in some aspects of sexual orientation, particularly their behavior, quite spontaneously, without therapeutic intervention.”[Family Research Council via the Internet Archive; 7.5.10]

Testified in favor of anti-LGBTQ conversion therapy before legislative bodies in New Hampshire, Washington D.C., Maryland, Massachusetts, and Vermont: “Testimony by Peter Sprigg in Opposition to New Hampshire House Bill S. 587-FN” [Family Research Council; 2.21.17], “FRC’s Peter Sprigg Testifies before D.C. Council on Proposed Sexual Orientation Change Efforts Ban” [Family Research Council; 6.27.14], “FRC’s Peter Sprigg Testifies Before MD State House in Opposition to Bill Prohibiting Sexual Orientation Therapy for Minors” [Family Research Council; 3.2.18], “Family Research Council Expert Testifies Before Massachusetts General Court” [Family Research Council; 6.7.17], Testimony by Peter Sprigg in Opposition to Vermont Bill S. 132 [Family Research Council; 2.26.16]

Lobbied against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) proposed legislation that would prohibit discrimination in hiring and employment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. [Open Secrets; bills FRC lobbied, 2013]
 

Mike Pompeo’s Personal Anti-LGBTQ Record:

Vowed to continue to fight against abortion, marriage equality, and related matters “each and every day:” As a Kansan, I hold a deep reverence for the sanctity of life, the solidarity of family, and the solemnity of marriage. I will continue the fight to uphold these fundamental ideals each and every day…I also fully support the traditional institution of marriage. Strong families are the most important building block of our Republic, and we must preserve them for the sake of our community and our culture. [Vote Smart; 1.1.13]

Insists families with same-sex parents are less “ideal”: “I think as you look back at civilization, look back at history, you find the strength of these families having a father and a mother is the ideal condition for childbearing,” Pompeo said. “Doesn’t mean there aren’t great families with single parents, great young men and women raised without either parent. If you’re asking for what is ideal, I think it’s being raised by a man and a woman.” [Vote Smart; 10.22.14]

Opposed the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, suggesting that “when you enter the army you give up a few of your rights, there’s a few things that you can’t do that we get to do a civilians, so I would not a have supported that policy—or would.” [YouTube; September 23, 2010 District 4 Congressional Debate; 9.14.10]

Called the US Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling granting marriage equality to all fifty states as “a shocking abuse of power:” “Creating, out of nowhere, a federal right to marry, flies in the face of centuries of shared understanding of our Constitution,” Pompeo said in an email Friday. “It is a shocking abuse of power. It is wrong. I will continue to fight to protect our most sacred institutions; Kansans and our nation deserve no less.” [Vote Smart; 6.26.15]

Lights. Camera. Take Action.

Frameline, the world’s longest-running and largest showcase of queer media, is pleased to announce its first slate of high-profile programs and pre-sales—including Opening and Closing Night films and Centerpiece selections — for Frameline42: San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival, which takes place June 14-24, 2018 in San Francisco, Berkeley, and Oakland. The complete Frameline42 program will be unveiled on Tuesday, May 22.

“Frameline is thrilled to return for our 42nd year, serving as a platform for the world’s finest in LGBTQ content, and a lightning rod for fresh, radical ideas and stories,” says Frameline Executive Director Frances Wallace. “Film has always been used as a vehicle of change and our tagline this year — Lights. Camera. Take Action. — speaks directly to our mission to change the world through the power of queer film.

Frameline42 will open with TRANSMILITARY, a powerful documentary which shines a light on transgender people who currently serve in the U.S. military, now under very precarious conditions. Frameline has always prided itself to be at the forefront of LGBTQ social change, and the strength of this film — which was supported by the Frameline Completion Fund — goes to the very heart of our work.” Paul Struthers, Frameline’s new Director of Exhibition & Programming, selected 10 films to announce early and begin pre-sales to Frameline Members and the public. “I’m thrilled with this year’s diverse and enriching slate that our exceptional Programming team has curated, for my first festival as Director of Exhibition and Programming.”

Struthers says. “These ten features offer an exciting glimpse into the exceptional program for Frameline42, which will present over 150 stories representing the breadth of the queer communities’ experience with Bay Area audiences in June.”

OPENING & CLOSING NIGHT FILMS & GALA:

TRANSMILITARY – Thursday, June 14
● First feature from directors Fiona Dawson and Gabriel Silverman
● West Coast Premiere
● The U.S. military is the nation’s largest employer of transgender people. But now, the careers of some 15,000 transgender military personnel are in peril. This captivating documentary—fresh off its premiere at the SXSW Film Festival where it won the Audience Award—tells the inspiring stories of four transgender troops who are the visible front lines of America’s fight for LGBTQ rights. Supported by the Frameline Completion Fund, TransMilitary is also the first feature film to receive funding from the GLAAD Media Institute.

Immediately following TRANSMILITARY, Frameline42’s festivities continue at the
Opening Night Gala at Terra Gallery in SoMa. Enjoy signature cocktails and snacks,
take star-studded selfies, and talk up everything in store for Frameline42.

STUDIO 54 – Sunday, June 24
● Directed by Matt Tyrnauer
● Bay Area Premiere
● You’ve heard of Studio 54. But do you know what went on behind the velvet rope? Strap on your dancing shoes, feather your hair, and prepare to get down with this electrifying documentary, which premiered at Sundance, about the most famous disco of all time. Featuring never-before-seen archival footage and photos as well as candid interviews with co-founder Ian Schrager.

After the program, boogie on over to the disco-themed Frameline42 Closing Night Party at Oasis, where we’ll announce the Frameline42 Festival Awards and feature exciting performances.

CENTERPIECE PRESENTATIONS:

WILD NIGHTS WITH EMILY – Centerpiece US Feature – Wednesday, June 20
● Directed by Madeleine Olnek
● Bay Area Premiere
● With sly wit, Molly Shannon embodies poet Emily Dickinson as a driven writer, a target of obsessive envy, an ardent lover, and a woman who suffered no fools. This delightful account of creative passion and longing tells only the truth but tells it with an ingeniously subversive slant. Following its world premiere at SXSW, Wild Nights with Emily is the latest from Frameline alum Madeleine Olnek ( The Foxy Merkins, Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same ).

AND BREATHE NORMALLY – Centerpiece World Cinema – Tuesday, June 19
● First feature from director Ísold Uggadóttir
● West Coast Premiere
● Lara is a struggling single mom whose life unexpectedly collides with that of a female refugee in this intensely moving drama—a Sundance award winner—from Iceland. As the two women find themselves falling outside society’s safety nets, they turn to one another to find a way out of their predicaments. Winner of the Best Director – World Cinema prize at Sundance.

WHEN THE BEAT DROPS – Centerpiece Documentary – Monday, June 18
● Directed by Jamal Sims
● West Coast Premiere
● Famed and prolific choreographer Sims directs this bold, energetic documentary exploring “bucking,” a dance subculture popular within the black LGBTQ community in the South, from its beginnings at historically black colleges and universities, through its evolution at underground clubs, and on to fierce competitions at large venues.

BONDING – Centerpiece Episodic – Thursday, June 21
● Directed by Rightor Doyle
● North American Premiere
● First ever Episodic Centerpiece for Frameline42, in addition to the inaugural
Episodic Audience Award this year.
● Struggling to pay his rent, a shy, aspiring stand-up comedian teams up with his best friend—who moonlights as a dominatrix—in this hysterical, touching, and kinky new episodic. Bonding had its world premiere at the inaugural Cannes International Series Festival in April.

FRAMELINE42 STANDOUTS:

HIGH FANTASY – World Cinema – Sunday, June 17
● Directed by Jenna Cato Bass
● Northern California Festival Premiere
● Captured by four friends with smartphones, a camping trip deep in the South African wilderness takes a sharp turn toward the weird when they wake to discover they have switched bodies with one another, in this high-energy riff on sexuality, gender, and race.

MAN IN AN ORANGE SHIRT – World Cinema – Friday, June 15
● Directed by Michael Samuels
● U.S. Premiere
● Produced by the BBC, two connected love stories, set sixty years apart, explore the evolving challenges of gay life for men in England from the post–World War II era to the present day, in this well-crafted, sophisticated drama which stars Vanessa Redgrave, Julian Morris, Laura Carmichael, and Julian Sands.

MAPPLETHORPE – Showcase – Thursday, June 21
● Directed by Ondi Timoner
● West Coast Premiere
● Starring Matt Smith, this vibrant biography dramatizes the life and legacy of visionary photographer and sexual outlaw Robert Mapplethorpe—from the early days of his friendship with Patti Smith to his success as an artist and provocateur and then to his ultimate struggle with AIDS.

OF LOVE & LAW – Documentaries – Saturday, June 23
● Directed by Hikaru Toda
● West Coast Premiere
● With their Osaka law firm, openly gay life partners Fumi and Kazu blaze new trails, as they promote expanded human rights for outsiders suffering in Japan’s strictly conformist society while building their own family. An award winner at both the Tokyo and Hong Kong International Film Festivals.

Head to Frameline.org to see more information on the 10 films available for pre-sale.

About Frameline42:
San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival:
Lights. Camera. Take Action. Frameline42, San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival, takes place June 14-24, 2018 in the Bay Area. The 42nd Festival celebrates the spectrum and intersection of identities that make up LGBTQ communities worldwide. Join filmmakers and festivalgoers alike at the largest showcase of queer media on the planet. 

About Frameline:
Frameline’s mission is to change the world through the power of queer cinema. As a media arts nonprofit, Frameline’s programs connect filmmakers and audiences in the San Francisco Bay Area and around the globe. Frameline’s integrated programs provide critical funding for emerging LGBTQ filmmakers, reach hundreds of thousands with a collection of more than 250 films distributed globally, inspire thousands of students through Youth in Motion, which sends free films and curricula to schools across the nation, and create an international stage for the world’s best LGBTQ film through the San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival and additional year-round screenings and cinematic events. Learn more at www.frameline.org