Local

Va. guv addresses anti-gay bias in directive

Published

16 years ago

March 11, 2010

Virginian Gov. Bob McDonnell has issued an executive directive saying that discrimination based on sexual orientation in state employment will not be tolerated.

The directive, which is different from an executive order in that it cannot be similarly enforced, comes after state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli advised Virginia colleges and universities to strike any policies that bar discrimination based on sexual orientation. It also comes after the governor failed to renew his predecessor’s executive order barring discrimination based on sexual orientation in all state employment decisions.

“Employment discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated by this administration,” says the directive. “Discrimination based on factors such as one’s sexual orientation or parental status violates the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution.”

The directive issued March 10 appeared to countermand — at least in part — Cuccinelli’s advice to state universities and colleges. But it was not immediately clear whether McDonnell’s directive would legally trump Cuccinelli’s advice on the matter.

McDonnell’s directive was silent on the matter of discrimination against students based on sexual orientation.

Martin Kent, the governor’s chief of staff, explained the shift in a message to state employees.

“While the separation of powers doctrine precludes the governor from changing the Virginia Human Rights Act via executive order, he wants to be clear that discrimination in state employment will not be tolerated,” he said. “Independent agencies and state supported colleges and universities should likewise adopt a similar standard of conduct.”

In a statement, Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese said McDonnell’s directive was a step in the right direction, but noted that it’s insufficient to fully protect gay state employees.

“No one should be fooled by the governor’s directive,” he said. “While it is a positive step to acknowledge that employment discrimination is a challenge faced by LGBT Virginians, public employees remain vulnerable without an inclusive executive order or law passed by the legislature.”

Equality Virginia CEO Jon Blair also called the directive a “major positive step forward,” but expressed concern that it was silent on discrimination based on gender identity.

“Equality Virginia applauds his implementation of a ‘standard of conduct’ that recognizes that discrimination based on sexual orientation is unconstitutional and establishes a strict prohibition against such discrimination in the state workforce,” Blair said in a statement.

Saying that more work needs to be done, Blair urged McDonnell and state lawmakers to work with Equality Virginia to codify workplace protections for all LGBT state employees. He also called for legislation protecting Virginians from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the areas of employment, housing and public accommodations.

“Equality Virginia sincerely hopes that the attorney general agrees that the governor’s action today is within his authority and that he will defend the governor’s enforcement of Executive Directive #1.”

David Lampo, vice president of the Log Cabin Republican Club of Virginia, also praised the governor’s intervention and called for the directive to be codified in law.

“This is certainly a step in the right direction and certainly puts some meat on the bones of his stated policy of employment non-discrimination,” Lampo said. “[Codifying this directive] is the only fair and just outcome to this controversy, and it would end once and for all the attorney general’s disgraceful attempts to intimidate state colleges and universities into dropping their entirely justified employment non-discrimination policies.”

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District of Columbia

D.C. journalist, video producer Sean Bartel dies at 37

Beloved member of Gay Flag Football League found deceased on hiking trail in Argentina

Published

3 hours ago

March 17, 2026

Lou Chibbaro Jr.

Sean Christopher Bartel, 37, played a key role in the D.C. Gay Flag Football League. The League posted this message to social media on Monday. (Image via Facebook)

Sean Christopher Bartel, 37, who 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, was found deceased on a hiking trail near a glacier in Argentina on or around March 15, according to a report by an Argentine newspaper.

The newspaper Clarín reports no foul play was suspected regarding his death, and other local media reports indicate authorities believe he suffered some sort of accident while on the hiking trail.

The Clarín report says Bartel arrived in Argentina on March 3 and visited Buenos Aires and the city of El Chaltén, which is near Argentina’s Los Glaciares National Park and a glacial lagoon popular with hikers. It says his body was found on the trail leading to the glacier.

“The D.C. Gay Flag Football League is heartbroken to learn of the passing of Sean Bartel, one of the most devoted members this league has ever known,” the organization said in a statement. “The story of DCGFFL could not be told without Sean.”

“He was not only a dedicated teammate and a model league member – he was our storyteller and our champion, honoring the competitive greatness, the radiant humor, and the beautiful bonds that make our community so special,” the statement says.

It adds that for years, Bartel served as “our man behind the camera, he drew our community tighter by portraying us with the skill of a professional and the care of a family member.”

Bartel’s LinkedIn page shows he most recently worked for 12 years as Senior Video Producer for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which is described as North America’s largest labor union.

Matt Spense, a spokesperson for the union, told the Washington Blade that Bartel resigned from his job there in 2024 to pursue other career endeavors, but he didn’t know what he did career wise after that time.

Bartel’s LinkedIn page shows he served as a video producer and account supervisor at the Edelman global communications firm based in D.C. from 2010-2013. Prior to that, he worked as a reporter for Sirius XM Radio, Inc. from 2007 to 2012. It shows that from a little over a year — from 2009 to 2010 — he worked as video producer and account executive for the firm North Ridge Communications, but it doesn’t give the company’s location.

He began his career in journalism, his LinkedIn page shows, as a reporter and news and sports anchor at the WHAS TV station in Louisville, Ky., from January 2005 through January 2008.

It says he received a bachelor’s degree in Sports Marketeing and Management in 1999 from Indiana University in Bloomington and a master’s degree from the School of Media and Public Affairs from D.C.’s George Washington University in 2010.

The Blade couldn’t immediately obtain information about surviving family members or funeral arrangements.

Cameroon

Gay Cameroonian immigrant will be freed from ICE detention — for now

Ludovic Mbock’s homeland criminalizes homosexuality

Published

4 days ago

March 13, 2026

Baltimore Banner

Competitive gamer Ludovic Mbock, left, with his sister, Diane Sohna. (Photo courtesy of Diane Sohna)

By ANTONIO PLANAS | An immigration judge on Friday issued a $4,000 bond for a Cameroonian immigrant and regional gaming champion held in federal immigration detention for the past three weeks.

The ruling will allow Ludovic Mbock, of Oxon Hill, to return to Maryland from a Georgia facility this weekend, his family and attorney said.

“Realistically, by tomorrow. Hopefully, by today,” said Mbock’s attorney, Edward Neufville. “We are one step closer to getting Ludovic justice.”

The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.

District of Columbia

Bowser appoints first nonbinary person to Cabinet-level position

Peter Stephan named Office of Disability Rights interim director

Published

5 days ago

March 12, 2026

Lou Chibbaro Jr.

The Wilson Building (Bigstock photo by Leonid Andronov)

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bower has named longtime disability rights advocate Peter L. Stephan, who identifies as nonbinary, as interim director of the D.C. Office of Disability Rights.

The local transgender and nonbinary advocacy group Our Trans Capital and the LGBTQ group Capital Stonewall Democrats issued a joint statement calling Stephan’s appointment an historic development as the first-ever appointment of a nonbinary person to a Cabinet-level D.C. government position.

“This milestone appointment recognizes Stephan’s extensive expertise in disability rights advocacy and marks a historic advancement for transgender and nonbinary representation in District government leadership,” the statement says.

The statement notes that Stephan, an attorney, held the position of general counsel at the Office of Disability Rights immediately prior to the mayor’s decision to name him interim director.

The mayor’s office didn’t immediately respond to a question from the Washington Blade asking if Bowser plans to name Stephan as the permanent director of the Office of Disability Rights. John Fanning, a spokesperson for D.C. Council member Anita Bonds (D-At-Large), said the office’s director position requires confirmation by the Council.

Stephan couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

“At a time when trans and nonbinary people ae under attack across the country, D.C. continues to lead by example,” said Stevie McCarty, president of Capital Stonewall Democrats. “This appointment reflects what we have always believed that our community is always strongest when every voice is represented in government,” he said.

“This is a historic step forward,” said Vida Rengel, founder of Our Trans Capital. “Interim Director Stephan’s career and accomplishments are a shining example of the positive impact that trans and nonbinary public servants can have on our communities,” according to Rangel.