Local
D.C. slaying of gay man is second in two weeks
On Jan. 10, police found 47-year-old Gordon Rivers along the 2600 block of Naylor Road, S.E., suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Police said Rivers, a resident of Brandywine, Md., was pronounced dead a short time later after being taken to an area hospital.
One of Rivers’ friends circulated an e-mail Tuesday saying Rivers was a regular patron of the D.C. gay bar Bachelor’s Mill. A source familiar with the case said the police homicide squad earlier this week informed the department’s Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit that Rivers was gay and invited the unit to assist in the investigation.
D.C. Police Capt. Edward Delgado, director of the department’s special liaison units, including the GLLU, circulated a police flyer with Rivers’ photo on Tuesday in an e-mail to local LGBT activists. He said detectives learned that Rivers was gay through their investigation of the case.
“There is no indication at this time that this homicide occurred as a result of a hate crime,” Delgado said.
Officer Helen Andrews, a police spokesperson, told DC Agenda on Wednesday that the homicide squad had no additional information on the case as of Wednesday, but police might release more details shortly.
Rivers’ murder came exactly two weeks after police found gay D.C. resident Anthony Perkins, 29, shot to death on Dec. 27 in his car near the intersection of Fourth and Oakwood streets, S.E. Police said they had yet to determine a motive and had no suspects in the Perkins case.
But homicide investigators said they were looking into a tip provided by Rev. Anthony Motley, a city minister and candidate for a seat on the D.C. City Council. Motley told DC Agenda that a mutual friend of his and Perkins informed him that Perkins may have been the target of an unidentified man believed to have committed a string of robberies in the neighborhood where Perkins was shot.
Perkins knew the robbery suspect and the suspect became “paranoid” that Perkins would report him to police, Motley recounted the mutual friend as saying.
Police said anyone with information about either of the two cases should call the police 24-hour hotline at 202-727-9099 or the homicide squad at 202-645-9600. The city offers a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of individuals charged with a homicide.
The police flyer released in the Rivers case calls on members of the community to contact these homicide detectives with information on that case: Det. Jed Worrell, 202-645-9618 (desk), 202-486-1596 (cell); Det. George Singletary, 202-645-4376 (desk), 202-487-9488 (cell).
A gay man was murdered in Petersburg, Va., on March 13.
Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-McCray, who was also known as Saamel and Mable, was a drag queen who won the Miss Mayflower EOY pageant in 2015. Reports also indicate Sanchez-McCray, 42, was a well-known community activist in Virginia and in North Carolina.
Local media reports indicate police officers found Sanchez-McCray shot to death inside a home in Petersburg.
Sanchez-McCray’s brother, Jamal Mitchell Diamond, in a public statement the Washington Blade received from Equality Virginia and GLAAD, said Sanchez-McCray was not transgender as initial reports indicated.
“Our family has always embraced the fullness of who he was. He used the names Saamel, Shyyell, and Mable interchangeably, and we honor all of them. There is no division within our family regarding how he is being represented — only a shared commitment to preserving his truth with love and respect,” said Diamond.
“He was also deeply committed to community work through Nationz Foundation, where he worked and completed multiple state-certified programs to support marginalized communities,” added Diamond. “That work meant a great deal to him.”
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.”
Gay man murdered in Va.
Trans Day of Visibility events planned
Virginia General Assembly’s 2026 legislative session ends
Polish court rules country must recognize same-sex marriages from EU states
