Local
Capital Pride board member dies
Bill Miles, 52
Bill Miles, 52, a board member and longtime organizer for Capital Pride, D.C.’s annual LGBT Pride event, died April 10 from complications associated with cancer, according to the group’s president, Michael Lutz.
Miles served as a leader of the volunteer committee that organized Capital Pride events when the events were produced by the Whitman-Walker Clinic. He was a founding board member of the Capital Pride Alliance, the non-profit organization that now produces the 10 days of events each year associated with Pride.
“Bill was a key part to our start-up success,” said Lutz. “He served for years as the main stage manager and co-chair of security, and most recently as a trusted adviser on non-profit organization and development.”
A native of Connecticut, Miles moved to the D.C. area more than 20 years ago and became active in LGBT community causes and projects, Lutz said. He had a doctorate degree in education from Columbia University’s Teachers College and worked until the time of his death as director of programs for the National Education Association Foundation.
He received his bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and earned his master’s degree in education from Harvard University.
Prior to joining the NEA Foundation, Miles served as director of policy and programs at the National Public Education Network, a national network of local education groups. He also served as a consultant on educational programs and development. He began his career as a middle and high school teacher and administrator.
In addition to his involvement with Capital Pride, Miles was an active volunteer with AIDS Walk Washington, one of the Whitman-Walker Clinic’s main fundraising events.
Lutz said Miles also designed and managed lighting for local venues and parties, including the annual Cherry Fund dance party and shows at the D.C. LGBT nightclub Ziegfeld’s-Secrets.
“His passion for the community, and especially for Pride, was contagious,” said Lutz. “He brought stability and balance when we needed it most. We have lost a much-valued part of our program, our community, and our lives … but I also know Bill will want us to carry his passion forward, and that we will do.”
Information about a memorial service will be announced later this month on the Capital Pride web site, capitalpride.org.
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Congratulations to Yadiel Meléndez, on their new role as Community Associate, with the Wanda Alston Foundation. Meléndez is piloting a new role as a Community Associate at the Wanda Alston Foundation, where they support queer and trans young people in finding their footing, building independence, and experiencing a housing community where they are seen, valued, and affirmed. They are coming into this role with more than a decade of experience as a community organizer and operations specialist, supporting diverse communities through service, advocacy, and program coordination.
Previously they worked for Right Proper Brewing Shaw as a server and bartender and at Sephora, Washington, DC, and at FreshFarm, DC, in bilingual food access. They also worked freelance to build foundational structures for local queer BIPOC performance art coalitions, producing variety shows to curate space for marginalized performance artists in the community. They were a production manager for Haus of Hart Productions, a BIPOC centric performance art production. They also worked as field staff with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in Stafford, Va.
Meléndez is bilingual, Spanish and English. Their work is guided by a commitment to dignity, safety, and trauma-informed engagement, particularly within LGBTQ and BIPOC communities.
Congratulations also to Ben Rosen LICSW, on his new role as program director, with the Wanda Alston Foundation. Rosen previously worked with Fountain House’s OnRamps program, helping to build a new, innovative outreach program for individuals considered chronically homeless, and living with serious mental illness, in the Times Square area of New York. Rosen is a Psychotherapist, having worked with SG Psychotherapy, and as the psychotherapist with the Nest Community Health Center (URAM).
Rosen has a B.F.A. in Theatre Arts: Musical Theatre, Minor in Psychology (Cum Laude) from Malloy University Conservatory; and his M.S.W. in Clinical Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups, from The Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College, N.Y. He is independently licensed in New York and Washington, D.C.
Rehoboth Beach
BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
Attendees encouraged to wear appropriate gear
Diego’s in Rehoboth Beach hosts a monthly leather happy hour. April’s edition is scheduled for Friday, April 10, 5-7 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to wear appropriate gear. The event is billed as an official event of BLUF, the free community group for men interested in leather. After happy hour, the attendees are encouraged to reconvene at Local Bootlegging Company for dinner, which allows cigar smoking. There’s no cover charge for either event.
District of Columbia
Celebrations of life planned for Sean Bartel
Two memorial events scheduled in D.C.
Two celebrations of life are planned for Sean Christopher Bartel, 48, who was found deceased on a hiking trail in Argentina on or around March 15. Bartel began his career as a television news reporter and news anchor at stations in Louisville, Ky., and Evansville, Ind., before serving as Senior Video Producer for the D.C.-based International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union from 2013 to 2024.
A memorial gathering is planned for Friday, April 10, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the IBEW International Office (900 7th St., N.W.), according to a statement by the DC Gay Flag Football League, where Bartel was a longtime member. A celebration of life is planned that same evening, 6-8 p.m. at Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.).
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