Local
Maryland groups launch campaign to promote same-sex marriage, Dream Act
Activists joined politicians and undocumented LGBT immigrants at CASA de Maryland’s offices in Hyattsville
A coalition of LGBT and Latino advocacy organizations on Tuesday formally unveiled a new campaign designed to garner additional support for Marylandās same-sex marriage law and in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants.
āFor all those who work on achieving equality for LGBT Marylanders, it is imperative that we work for all LGBT Marylanders, including those who are undocumented,ā said Carrie Evans, executive director of Equality Maryland, during a press conference at CASA de Marylandās offices in Hyattsville. āWe must speak up for what is right and what is fair.ā
Montgomery County Councilmember Nancy Navarro referenced her gay younger brother Pedro, who came out to her and her sister 17 years ago.
āI am here for my brother Pedro… and for all the brothers and sisters, the daughters, the sons, the cousins, the uncles, the aunts, everybody who we call family. I am here to urge our Latino community to never forget that,ā she said. āWe have an opportunity to stand up and give a gift ā the gift of dignity and pride and respect and civility to our loved ones. So I am here, very proud to support marriage equality, very proud to stand up for Question 6.ā
Gay state Sen. Rich Madaleno (D-Montgomery County) shared a similar message as he stood alongside Navarro, lesbian state Del. Anne Kaiser (D-Montgomery County) and other advocates.
āThis November, we have a big opportunity as voters in the state of Maryland to truly embrace the future of our state, to understand where we are going, to make sure that every family has a chance to have equality under the law and that every young person who weāre educating has a chance to realize their dreams,ā he said. āWe have an opportunity to embrace a future that means respect and dignity for all families. We have an opportunity to embrace a future that says every person has a responsibility and opportunity to get an education.ā
A Gonzales Research and Marketing poll in January found that 48 percent of Marylanders support the stateās Dream Act, while a Hart Research Associates survey last month shows that 54 percent of Marylanders would vote for the same-sex marriage law in November. An Arcus Foundation-funded survey that the National Council of La Raza and Social Science Research Solutions commissioned in April indicates that 54 percent of Latinos support nuptials for gays and lesbians.
Ivette Roman came to the United States from PerĆŗ with her brother when she was 10. The Silver Spring resident said she planned to go to college after graduating from Northwood High School last year, but could not afford it because her immigration status prevented her from receiving financial aid. Roman, 20, also noted that her mother did not speak to her for months after she came out to her as a lesbian.
āShe asked me to forgive her,ā she said, referring to how her mother eventually came to accept her sexual orientation. āFrom that day on, she was going to support me in all the decisions I made, no matter what they were. Thatās why Iām here today, trying to change and fight for my future and many other undocumented LGBT students to have the same rights as any other Marylander. And I am here to encourage the LGBT community to stand with me as i pursue my dream.ā
George Boe Ramirez and German Roa of Rockville met in New York City 17 years ago. They told the Blade before the press conference that they would like to get married in Maryland once same-sex couples can legally tie the knot in the state.
āItās our home,ā said Ramirez. āIād like the opportunity to invite my brother and sister from New York to come down and share it with us.ā
He further described the Dream Act as the ānatural next stepā towards equality.
āWe want the Latinos in our community to get the same education everyone else can and become productive parts of society,ā said Ramirez.
Rehoboth Beach
Former CAMP Rehoboth official sentenced to nine months in prison
Salvator Seeley pleaded guilty to felony theft charge for embezzlement
Salvator āSalā Seeley, who served as an official with the Rehoboth Beach, Del., CAMP Rehoboth LGBTQ community center for 20 years, was sentenced on April 5 by a Sussex County Superior Court judge to nine months in prison and to pay $176,000 in restitution to the organization.
The sentencing took place about five weeks after Seeley pleaded guilty to a charge of Theft in Excess of $50,000 for allegedly embezzling funds from CAMP Rehoboth, a spokesperson for the Delaware Department of Justice told the Washington Blade.
Seeley’s guilty plea came shortly after a grand jury, at the request of prosecutors, indicted him on the felony theft charge following an investigation that found he had embezzled at least $176,000 from the nonprofit LGBTQ organization.
āSalvatore C. Seeley, between the 27th day of February 2019 and the 7th day of September 2021, in the County of Sussex, State of Delaware, did take property belonging to CAMP Rehoboth, Inc., consisting of United States currency and other miscellaneous property valued at more than $50,000, intending to appropriate the same,ā the indictment states.
āThe State recommended a sentence of two years of incarceration based on the large-scale theft and the impact to the non-profit organization,ā Delaware Department of Justice spokesperson Caroline Harrison told the Blade in a statement.
āThe defense cited Seeleyās lack of a record and gambling addiction in arguing for a probationary sentence,ā the statement says. āSeeley was sentenced in Superior Court to a nine-month prison term and to pay a total of $176,000 in restitution for the stolen funds,ā Harrison says in the statement.
Neither Seeley nor his attorney could immediately be reached for comment.
At the time of Seeleyās indictment in February, CAMP Rehoboth released a statement saying it first discovered āfinancial irregularitiesā within the organization on Sept. 7, 2021, āand took immediate action and notified state authorities.ā The statement says this resulted in the investigation of Seeley by the state Department of Justice as well as an internal investigation by CAMP Rehoboth to review its āfinancial control policiesā that led to an updating of those policies.
āAs we have communicated from day one, CAMP Rehoboth has fully cooperated with law enforcement,ā the statement continues. āAt its request, we did not speak publicly about the investigation while it was ongoing for fear it would jeopardize its integrity,ā according to the statement. āThis was extremely difficult given our commitment to transparency with the community about day-to-day operations during the recent leadership transition.ā
The statement was referring to Kim Leisey, who began her job as CAMP Rehobothās new executive director in July of 2023, while the Seeley investigation had yet to be completed, following the organizationās process of searching for a new director. It says Seeley left his job as Health and Wellness Director of CAMP Rehoboth in September of 2021 after working for the organization for more than 20 years.
āMr. Seeleyās actions are a deep betrayal to not only CAMP Rehoboth but also the entire community we serve,ā the statement says.
Maryland
Christian Siriano to serve as grand marshal of Annapolis Pride Parade
Fashion designer is an Annapolis native
BY JOHN-JOHN WILLIAMS IV | Heās conquered fashion week. His designs have slayed the red carpet during award season. And now Christian Siriano is coming home.
The Annapolis native will serve as grand marshal and keynote speaker June 1 for the annual Annapolis Pride Parade and Festival,Ā which is a major coup as the event enters its fourth year.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
District of Columbia
As You Are bar closes temporarily, citing problems with building
Shutdown comes two months after fundraising appeal brought in $170,000
As You Are, the LGBTQ cafĆ© and bar located in the Barracks Row section of Capitol Hill near the Eastern Market Metro station, has announced on its Instagram page that problems associated with its building at 500 8th St., S.E., forced it to ātemporarilyā close on April 8.
āAs you may be aware, As You Areās location in Eastern Market has been closed since April 8, when we began to have concerns about the physical condition of the building,ā the Instagram message states. āWe worked quickly to alert our landlord, and they have assessed the building with their engineers,ā the message says.
āWe understand that certain repairs need to be made to ensure the safety of our staff, patrons, and community,ā the message concludes.
In one of two more recent videos posted on Instagram on April 17 and 26, As You Are co-owners Jo McDaniel and Rachel Pike said they did not have any update on when they can reopen. āThe engineers and contractors have all come into the space, and weāre just waiting on a plan and a timeline from our landlord,ā McDaniel said in the video.
Pike mentioned in one of the videos that As You Are has a Venmo app set up, and said they appreciate the support they have been receiving from the community. McDaniel added, āWeāre really interested in supporting our team through this, as this is an unexpected loss of income for all of us.ā
McDaniel didnāt immediately respond to a request from the Washington Blade for a further update on where things stand with the building repair project and the specific nature of the problems with the building. An earlier message posted on the As You Are website said, āHeavy rain damaged the back wall of our building, and we are closed to assess and repair.ā
The message added, āRegular updates and ways to support can be found on our Instagram page @asyouaredc.ā
The April 8 shutdown came a little over two months after As You Are issued a GoFundMe appeal on Feb. 5 seeking emergency financial support to prevent it from closing in February due to a $150,000 debt. In a display of strong community support, its $150,000 fundraising goal was reached in less than a week. By the following week, the GoFundMe appeal had pulled in more than $170,000 from more than 3,000 individual donations.
Many of the donors left messages on the GoFundMe page for As You Are expressing their strong support for the bar and cafƩ, saying it served as a uniquely supportive space for all members of the LGBTQ community.
In the GoFundMe message, McDaniel and Pike said their goal in opening their business in March 2022 was to offer community center type programming beyond just a bar and cafƩ.
āAYA is a cafĆ©, bar and dance floor that hosts diverse programming nearly every night of the week, including social sport leagues, Queer youth socials, weekly karaoke, book clubs, open mics, Queer author events, dance parties, and much more,ā the two said in their message.
The buildingās owner and the As You Are landlord, Rueben Bajaj, who is the principal operator of the Bethesda, Md., based real estate firm White Star Investments, couldnāt immediately be reached for comment. The Washington Post reported that he contributed $500 to the As You Are GoFundMe appeal, saying, āI personally want to see As You Are succeed.ā