Local
New leader takes helm of Virginia Partisans
The new president of Virginia’s LGBT Democratic group says reaching out to other organizations and raising money to elect pro-gay candidates will be the main priorities for the organization.
Terry Mansberger, 48, a gay resident of Annandale, Va., was announced as the new president of Virginia Partisans on Saturday. The group selects new leaders — as well as other officers — every two years through a mail-in vote.
Mansberger, a product manager for AT&T, said that when he takes office Jan. 1 he wants to start work on building membership and will reach out to other LGBT organizations to accomplish that goal.
“I want to grow membership and I want to grow access to the state — beyond where we’ve been traditionally in Northern Virginia,” he said.
The goal of building membership, Mansberger said, “goes hand-in-hand” with the goal to support the Democratic candidates Virginia Partisans wants to elect.
Still, Mansberger predicted that 2010 would be somewhat of a breather for his organization, noting that only congressional seats in Virginia will be up for grabs. Elections for offices within Virginia will next occur in 2011.
Mansberger said Virginia Partisans would play a role in policy-making in Richmond by influencing Democratic officials. Even with more limited Democratic influence following Republican wins in the 2009 election, Mansberger pointed to some areas where progress can be made.
“There’s some areas around workplace equality and non-discrimination, things like that, that I think would have a broader appeal than that hot-button marriage issue,” he said.
Despite its losses on the ballot this year, Mansberger said the Democratic ticket for the most part did a good job in embracing LGBT Virginia residents. He noted that Democratic gubernatorial nominee Creigh Deeds reached out early to LGBT people in his campaign and attended some Virginia Partisans events.
“We had a good relationship with Creigh Deeds,” he said. “I talked to him quite a bit and his campaign was certainly supportive, [and] wanted our support.”
By comparison, Mansberger said Steve Shannon, the Democratic candidate who sought to become Virginia attorney general, didn’t embrace the state’s LGBT population until later in the campaign cycle.
“I would have liked to seen him go after [Virginia attorney general-elect Ken] Cuccinelli’s radical positions on GLBT [issues] a bit earlier, but he waited to the 11th hour and it was too late,” he said. “His campaign is the only one that really didn’t seriously reach out to us.”
Mansberger said he was frustrated by the lack of enthusiasm among Democrats in this year’s races. He acknowledged that Deeds voted twice for the constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, but said he had “come a long way on the issue” and “was willing to help and support us.”
“Given the alternative, I really don’t understand why people would sit on the sidelines the way they did,” he said.
While saying he wants to reach out to other LGBT groups, Mansberger noted a distinction between Equality Virginia and Virginia Partisans. He said Equality Virginia serves a more educational role, while Virginia Partisans is geared toward electing candidates and influencing the Democratic Party.
“We support Democrats first and foremost and we make sure that we hold the Democratic Party to the fire on our issues and make sure that we’re not just getting lip service, but we actually have candidates that embrace and work for us,” he said.
In recent years, there has been some occasional friction between Equality Virginia and Virginia Partisans. The groups sometimes support different candidates in state House races. And tensions rose last year when Equality Virginia honored former Republican Del. Vince Callahan at its annual dinner.
Callahan had supported some pro-LGBT legislation, but sometimes during his political career voted against pro-gay measures and voted twice in favor of the constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. Virginia Partisans criticized the choice, while Equality Virginia defended the decision as advancing its non-partisan role.
Mansberger said “certainly it’s important” to make differences of opinion known when they exist between the two organizations, but noted that he doesn’t think such differences have caused a “real rift” between the two groups.
Virginia Partisans elected a number of officers Saturday. Tiffany Joslyn, an Arlington, Va., resident, was as elected as vice president; Alexandra Beninda, a transgender Arlington, Va., resident, was elected as treasurer; Brian Cook, a gay Arlington, Va., resident, was elected as secretary; and Clifton Taylor, a Falls Church, Va., resident, was elected as assistant secretary.
Virginia
Black transgender woman murdered in Va.
Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-McCray killed in Petersburg on March 13
A Black transgender woman was murdered in Petersburg, Va., on March 13.
Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-McCray, who was also known as Mable, was a drag queen who won the Miss Mayflower EOY pageant in 2015. Reports also indicate she was a well-known community activist in Virginia and in North Carolina.
Local media reports indicate police officers found Sanchez-McCray, 42, shot to death inside a home in Petersburg. These initial media reports also misgendered her.
“My heart is shattered and heavy with grief at the news of Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-McCray’s murder — the first trans life stolen from us this year,” said Victoria Kirby York, director of public policy and programs for the National Black Justice Coalition, in a statement.
Kirby York in her statement also criticized the media coverage of Sanchez-McCray’s murder.
“The early reports of Shyyell’s death stripped her of her identity by misgendering her, a deeply damaging and persistent failure by law enforcement and media that haunts these cases again and again,” she said. “Misgendering doesn’t just erase a person’s truth — it can derail justice entirely, or worse, bury a case in silence as investigators chase the wrong identity, the wrong face, the wrong name.”
Authorities have not made any arrests.
The Petersburg Bureau of Police has asked anyone with information about Sanchez-McCray’s murder to call Petersburg-Dinwiddie Crime Solvers at 804-861-1212.
District of Columbia
Trans Day of Visibility events planned
Rally on the National Mall scheduled for Saturday
The Christopher Street Project has a number of events planned for the 2026 Trans Day of Visibility, including a rally on the Mall and an “Empowerment Ball” at the Eaton Hotel. Plenaries, panel discussions and meetings with members of Congress are scheduled in the three days of programming.
Announced speakers include N.H. state Rep. Alice Wade; Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Precious Brady-Davis; activist and performer Miss Peppermint (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”); Lexington, Ky. Councilwoman Emma Curtis; Rabbi Abby Stein; D.C. activist and host Rayceen Pendarvis; Air Force Master Sgt. Logan Ireland; among other leaders, advocates and performers.
Conference programming on Thursday and Friday includes an educational forum and a Capitol Hill policy education day. Registration for the two-day conference has closed.
The “Trans Day of Visibility PAC Reception” is scheduled for Thursday, March 26 from 7:30-9 p.m. at As You Are (500 8th St., S.E.). Special guests include Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nevada) and Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.). Tickets are available at christopherstreetproject.org starting at $25.
The National Council of Jewish Women and the Christopher Street Project host a “Trans Day of Visibility Shabbat” on Friday, March 27 from 7-8 p.m. at Sixth & I (600 I St., N.W.). The service is to be led by Rabbi Jenna Shaw and Rabbi Abby Stein.
The “Now You See Me: Trans Empowerment Social & Ball” is scheduled for Friday, March 27 from 6-11 p.m. at the Eaton Hotel (1201 K. St., N.W.). The trans-themed drag ball is hosted by the Marsha P. Johnson Institute with support from the D.C. Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs, the Capital Ballroom Council, the Christopher Street Project, the Center for Black Equity, Generation for Common Good, and Parenting is Political. RSVP online at christopherstreetproject.org.
The National Transgender Day of Visibility Rally is scheduled for Saturday, March 28 on the National Mall at 11 a.m. The rally will include speakers and performances. Following the rally, attendees are encouraged to participate in the “No Kings” rally being held at Anacostia Park.
Virginia
Virginia General Assembly’s 2026 legislative session ends
Voters in November will consider repealing marriage amendment
The Virginia General Assembly’s 2026 legislative session ended on March 14.
Lawmakers have yet to approve a budget, but they did pass a resolution that paves the way for a referendum on whether to repeal the state’s constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Lawmakers also advanced House Bill 60, which would protect PrEP users from insurance discrimination.
Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger has until April 13 to decide to pass, amend, or veto legislation before it goes back to the House of Delegates on April 22.
Spanberger on Feb. 6 signed the bill that sets the stage for the marriage amendment referendum. Voters will consider whether to “remove the ban on same-sex marriage; (ii) affirm that two adults may marry regardless of sex, gender, or race; and (iii) require all legally valid marriages to be treated equally under the law?”
Equality Virginia has been working during this legislative cycle to urge lawmakers to allocate funding towards LGBTQ rights. The budget would expand funding for schools, competency training for the 988 suicide hotline, and funding to provide gender affirming care to LGBTQ youth.
“As the budget moves through conference and the Reconvene Session approaches on April 22, Equality Virginia remains focused on ensuring our victories this session translate into durable protections,” Equality Virginia Executive Director Narissa Rahaman told the Washington Blade in a statement. “Progress on marriage equality, nondiscrimination protections, and HIV care funding was essential, but Virginia must do more.”
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