Local
African-American LGBT charity group debuts
D.C.’s Kindred: An African American LGBT Giving Circle is scheduled to award its first grant
Aisha Moodie-Mills told the Blade that Kindred is scheduled to award its first grant or “gift” of $13,000 to D.C.’s Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League (SMYAL). (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
A newly launched LGBT charitable organization in D.C. called Kindred: An African American LGBT Giving Circle is scheduled to award its first grant on Monday, opening the way for what organizers say will be a unique new venue for philanthropy in the city.
“Kindred utilizes the power of collective giving to uplift the African American LGBT community in Washington, D.C.,” a statement announcing the group’s mission says.
“By pooling our time, talent, and treasure we empower our community from within, nurture ourselves as philanthropists, and honor organizations working to enhance the lives of black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the District,” the statement says.
Lesbian activist Aisha Moodie-Mills, who was among the lead organizers of the campaign to pass D.C.’s same-sex marriage law in 2009, is the spokesperson and member of the new group’s five-member “Guiding Circle” leadership team.
Moodie-Mills told the Blade that Kindred is scheduled to award its first grant or “gift” of $13,000 on Monday to D.C.’s Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League (SMYAL). She said Kindred selected SMYAL for the first award, among other things, because of SMYAL’s longstanding work in support of African-American LGBT youth.
According to Moodie-Mills, the Washington Area Women’s Foundation, a tax-exempt charitable group, is serving as Kindred’s fiscal sponsor, allowing all donations to Kindred to be tax deductible.
The group’s mission statement says organizers modeled Kindred on the African-American tradition of community giving and support.
“Our African American history is rich with individual philanthropists – people who provided warm meals for families in the community in need, and books and resources for young people trying to make it through school,” the statement says.
The statement says the group is recruiting inaugural members to what it calls its “giving circle,” which initially will consist of 12 to 25 people who each commit to donating $420 or more each year to Kindred.
Members of the giving circle are also asked to participate in the organization’s “collaborative grant-making process” to decide on the recipients of future grants, the statement says. It says the Gill Foundation, a Colorado based LGBT philanthropic organization, gave Kindred a $10,000 seed grant to help the group begin its work.
In addition to Aisha Moodie-Mills, the other founders of Kindred are Danielle Moodie-Mills, Aisha’s wife; who, along with Aisha, was a spokesperson and organizer for D.C.’s marriage equality campaign in 2009. Both also serve as advisers for LGBT Policy and Racial Justice at the at the D.C. based Center for American Progress.
Other founders include Anna Bavier, an event planner who assists with programs associated with the Moutner Project for Lesbian Health and D.C. LGBT Community Center; Nicole Cozier, a 13-year D.C. area resident who “has been professionally involved on issues affecting women and girls,” according to Kindred statement, and who is immediate past chair of the board for Funders for LGBTQ Issues; and Earl-Rodney Holman.
Kindred can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at 202-421-5755.
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.).
District of Columbia
D.C. Council member honored by LGBTQ homeless youth group
Doni Crawford receives inaugural Wanda Alston Legacy Award
About 100 people turned out Tuesday evening, April 7, for a presentation by D.C.’s Wanda Alston Foundation of its inaugural Wanda Alston Legacy Award to D.C. Council member Doni Crawford (I-At-Large) for her support for the foundation’s mission to support homeless LGBTQ youth.
Among those who attended the event was Japer Bowles, director of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, who delivered an official proclamation issued by Bowser declaring April 7, 2026 “A Day of Remembrance for Wanda Alston.”
Alston, a beloved women’s and LGBTQ rights activist, served as the city’s first director of the then newly created Office of LGBTQ Affairs under then-Mayor Anthony Williams from 2004 until her death by murder on March 16, 2005.
To the shock and dismay of fellow LGBTQ rights advocates, police and court records reported Alston, 45, was stabbed to death inside her Northeast D.C. house by a man high on crack cocaine who lived nearby and who stole her credit cards and car. The perpetrator, William Martin Parrott, 38, was arrested by D.C. police the next day and later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. He was sentenced in July 2005 to 24 years in prison.
Crawford was among those attending the award event who reflected on Alston’s legacy and outspoken advocacy for LGBTQ and feminist causes.
“I am deeply humbled and honored to receive this inaugural award,” Crawford told the Washington Blade at the conclusion of the event. “I think the world of Wanda Alston. She has set such a great foundation for me and other Council members to build on,” she said.
“Her focus on inclusivity and intersectionality is really important as we approach this work,” Crawford added. “And it’s going to guide my work at the Council every day.”
Crawford was appointed to the D.C. Council in January of this year to replace then Council member Kenyan McDuffie (I-At-Large), who resigned to run for D.C. mayor as a Democrat. She is being challenged by four other independent candidates in a June 16 special election for the Council seat.
Under the city’s Home Rule Charter written and approved by Congress, the seat is one of two D.C. Council at-large seats that cannot be held by a “majority party” candidate, meaning a Democrat.
A statement released by the Alston Foundation last month announcing Crawford’s selection for the Wanda Alston Legacy Award praised Crawford’s record of support for its work on behalf of LGBTQ youth.
“From behind the scenes to now serving as an At-Large Council member, she has fought fearlessly for affordable housing, LGBTQ+ funding priorities, and racial justice,” the statement says. “Council member Crawford’s leadership reflects the same courage and conviction that defined Wanda’s legacy.”
Organizers of the event noted that it was held on what would have been Wanda Alston’s 67th birthday.
“Today’s legacy reception was a smashing success,” said Cesar Toledo, the Alston Foundation’s executive director. “Not only did we come together to celebrate Wanda Alston on her birthday, but we also were able to raise over $10,000 for our homeless LGBTQ youth here in D.C.,” Toledo told the Blade.
“In addition to that, we celebrated and we acknowledged a rising star in our community,” he said. “And that is At-Large Council member Doni Crawford, who we named the inaugural Wanda Alston Legacy Award recipient.”
At the request of D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large) the Council voted unanimously on Jan. 20, 2026, to appoint Crawford to the Council seat being vacated by McDuffie.
Council records show she joined McDuffie’s Council staff in 2022 as a policy adviser and later became his legislative director before McDuffie appointed her as staff director for the Council’s Committee on Business and Economic Development for which McDuffie served as chair.
Calendar: April 10-16
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