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Park Police seek help in P Street Beach robbery & more
Park Police seek help in P Street Beach robbery
U.S. Park Police are asking for help in their investigation into a May 5 robbery in P Street Beach of a victim who might have met the robber inside a gay bar in the Dupont Circle area.
A Park Police spokesperson said an investigation found that the victim and robber most likely met in one of the nearby clubs and walked together into P Street Beach about 2:30 a.m. P Street Beach is recognized as a gay male cruising area where men meet for sexual liaisons.
Park Police Sgt. David Schlosser said the robber reportedly picked the pocket of his victim and took his wallet but did not assault the victim or use a weapon. Schlosser noted that the robber used a credit card he stole from the victim to make purchases in a number of stores in the Dupont Circle area, including the CVS drug store located on Dupont Circle.
Schlosser said the suspect is described as being a Latino male sporting a thin beard. On the night of the incident, the suspect was wearing black pants, a blue T-shirt, a black striped hat and carrying a black backpack with a Nike logo and black string shoulder straps. The suspect is believed to be a regular at the gay clubs in the P Street area near Dupont Circle.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Park Police tip line at 202-610-8737.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.
Poll shows Graham leading in Ward 1
A poll commissioned by gay D.C. City Council member Jim Graham’s re-election committee shows him far head in the Ward 1 race, with 68 percent support from likely voters in the Sept. 14 Democratic primary.
The poll shows Graham’s two opponents, Bryan Weaver and Jeff Smith, receiving 8 percent and 7 percent, respectively. Seventeen percent of the respondents in the poll said they were undecided.
Lake Research Partners, a national public opinion and political strategy research firm, conducted the poll, which included responses from 300 likely Democratic voters living in Ward 1 who were contacted between June 28 and July 1.
The poll also showed Graham receiving a 77 percent favorability rating among the respondents, with 71 percent rating his job performance as “excellent/good,” according to a statement released by the Graham campaign.
In addition, the poll found that among the participating Ward 1 respondents, 43 percent said they support Mayor Adrian Fenty in his re-election bid; 37 percent support Fenty’s main rival, D.C. City Council Chairman Vincent Gray; and 2 percent support challenger Leo Alexander.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.
New liquor law bill affects clubs displaced by stadium
D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty has introduced legislation that would raise the fee for maintaining liquor licenses for gay and straight nightclubs displaced by the Washington Nationals baseball stadium that have yet to reopen.
The Omnibus Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Amendment Act of 2010 would assess a special fee of 25 percent above the annual liquor license renewal cost for every six months that a nightclub or bar retains its license while the bar or club is closed and the license is held in “safe keeping” with the city. If a club or bar remains closed for two years, the special fee would increase to 50 percent of the annual renewal cost of the license every six months.
The annual license renewal cost for a nightclub with a capacity of between 500 and 999 patrons is $4,550, according to a spokesperson for the city’s Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration.
The special “safe keeping” fee would apply to all clubs and bars, not just those displaced by the stadium. But LGBT activists have expressed concerns that the city has failed to take sufficient steps toward helping clubs displaced by the stadium find new locations. Some of the displaced clubs offered nude dancing, a status that limits their ability to relocate due to zoning restrictions against adult entertainment.
Some activists have said they are considering asking the Council to add new language to the mayor’s bill that would ease restrictions on the relocation of adult clubs and ease some of the restrictions for clubs currently operating.
Gay Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) chairs the committee with jurisdiction over the bill. Graham is expected to hold a public hearing on the bill within the next month or two.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.
Gay congressman endorses Fenty
Gay U.S. Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) delivered a ringing endorsement of D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty’s re-election bid June 30 at the Logan Circle gay bar MOVA, where Fenty held an LGBT community reception.
With more than 150 people packed into the bar’s upper floor lounge, Polis praised Fenty for what the congressman said was a “tremendous” improvement in the city’s public schools and efficient and “great” overall city services during Fenty’s first term as mayor.
Polis also praised the mayor for his support for LGBT rights and for helping bring about “gay marriage in Washington, D.C.”
Fenty thanked Polis for the endorsement and told the crowd he believes his record on LGBT issues — as well as citywide issues — is strong and he hoped people attending the event would consider voting for him in the Sept. 14 Democratic primary.
The mayor then waded through the crowd, agreeing to requests by supporters wearing Fenty campaign stickers on their shirts to pose with them for photos.
“This is the actual LGBT community folks who will turn out and vote for the mayor,” said gay activist John Fanning, a Fenty supporter. “We’ve been hearing a lot from a few vocal activists who aren’t supporting the mayor … but I think this event tonight shows the rank-and-file people are with him.”
Some people in the crowd said they had yet to make up their mind on who to vote for in the D.C. mayor’s race, saying they came to the event because it was billed as a “meet and greet” session rather than a campaign rally.
Fenty said he plans to host more campaign events in the LGBT community.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.
D.C. releases first gay health report
Although they smoke at a higher rate than the overall population, a higher percentage of D.C.’s gay, lesbian and bisexual residents rated their overall health as good or better compared to straight residents, according to a new city report.
The report, prepared by Mayor Adrian Fenty’s Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Affairs and released last month, is said to be the first document assessing the overall health of the city’s lesbian, gay male and bisexual residents.
The report’s findings were taken from data collected in 2005 and 2007 as part of an ongoing Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey coordinated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and conducted in D.C. and all 50 states.
According to the D.C. report, 6,218 D.C. residents were surveyed by phone, with 90 percent identifying as straight, 4.5 percent identifying as gay or lesbian, and 2.3 percent identifying as “bisexual/other.” All findings are based on self-reporting by the respondents.
The 2005 and 2007 data for transgender residents was too small to yield meaningful results, but improved data for transgender residents would be sought for future reports, said a source familiar with the report.
Among the report’s findings of the city’s gay, lesbian and bisexual respondents:
• 93.4 percent of gay and lesbian respondents rated their health as good, very good or excellent compared to 86.9 percent of straight and 86.3 percent of bisexual respondents;
• 39.5 percent of gay and lesbian and 37.9 percent of bisexual respondents had a flu shot in the past year compared to 32.4 percent of straight respondents;
• 68.6 percent of gay and lesbian respondents reported having a routine check up in the past year compared to 85.2 percent of bisexual and 73.6 percent of straight respondents;
• 93.3 percent of gay and lesbian respondents reported having health care coverage as compared to 90.0 percent of bisexual and 91.1 percent of heterosexual respondents;
• and 39.8 percent of gay and lesbian and 45.7 percent of bisexual respondents reported having one or more days of bad mental health in the 30 days prior to the survey compared to 31.3 percent of heterosexual respondents.
A copy of the report is available online at http://glbt.dc.gov/DC/GLBT.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.
Mitchell Gold, Timothy Scofield wed
Mitchell Gold, co-founder and chairman of the Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams home furnishings company, married his partner, Timothy Scofield, on June 19 in Des Moines, Iowa.
The two have been together for three years. Polk County District Judge, Robert B. Hanson, who issued the first ruling in favor of same-sex marriage in Iowa, performed the ceremony for about 100 guests.
The couple said in a statement that they chose to wed in Iowa because of the symbolism of getting married in the heartland.
“Judge Hanson, I am here to tell you that I know you did not start out to be a hero when you issued your initial ruling, but for 14-year-old kids in Iowa and everywhere in America and in the world, you have said to them, you are a part of society, you are whole, you are wonderful. You can have anything and everything – especially love,” Gold said during his speech at the wedding.
Gold is also the founder of a non-profit organization called Faith in America that works to combat religion-based discrimination. Scofield is the founder of the Velvet Foundation, which is working to establish a national museum of LGBT history in D.C.
The couple honeymooned in Italy and will reside in Conover, N.C. and New York City.
STAFF REPORTS
District of Columbia
JR.’s hosts meet & greet for mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George
Event organized by Capital Stonewall Democrats, Queers for Janeese
D.C. mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George spoke to a crowd of LGBTQ supporters on June 1 at a meet & greet event held at JR.’s on 17th Street in the Dupont Circle neighborhood.
The event, organized by Capital Stonewall Democrats, which has endorsed Lewis George for mayor, with support from a group called Queers for Janeese, was followed by a “get out the vote” canvassing endeavor in which several of those attending the meet & greet visited the homes of nearby residents known to be Lewis George supporters.
The purpose of the canvassing was to remind Lewis George supporters to return their mail-in ballots or go to the polls on June 16 to elect Lewis George as the city’s next mayor, according to Matthew Kavanagh, one of the leaders of Queers for Janeese who attended the meet & greet event at JR.’s.
Local political observers consider Lewis George, a Ward 4 D.C. Council member, and former At-Large D.C. Council member Kenyan McDuffie, to be the two leading candidates in this year’s race for mayor. The two are among seven mayoral candidates competing in the city’s June 16 Democratic primary.
Lewis George told those attending the meet & greet, which was held on the JR.’s outdoor patio, that she has a long record of advocating for and initiating city polices and laws in support of the LGBTQ community. She said large corporate donors were backing her opponents and urged her LGBTQ supporters to help raise funds for her in the remaining days of the campaign.
Among those attending the meet & greet was gay longtime Dupont Circle civic activist Randy Downs who last November opened a nearby eatery called Protest Pizza. “I am queer and I am a Janeese supporter,” Downs told the Blade.
Stevie McCarty, president of Capital Stonewall Democrats, who also spoke at the meet & greet event, said his group would organize events in support of Lewis George in the remaining days of the campaign. Among them, he said, was an LGBTQ bar crawl in which supporters of Lewis George, including the candidate herself, would visit LGBTQ bars to promote her candidacy.
Virginians for Marriage Equality on Monday launched a campaign in support of repealing Virginia’s constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.
Equality Virginia Executive Director Narissa Rahaman, former state Sen. Adam Ebbin, former state Del. Mark Sickles, and American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia Executive Director Mary Bauer are among those who spoke at the launch that took place in Richmond. State Del. Kirk McPike (D-Alexandria), who co-chairs the campaign, also participated.
“This amendment is about making clear that the government has no business deciding which marriages or which families are worthy of recognition,” said Bauer. “The ACLU of Virginia has been fighting for Virginians’ right to marry who they love since the landmark case, Loving v. Virginia, which struck down the ban on interracial marriage. Now we are proud to carry that legacy forward by standing with our coalition partners in the fight to pass this amendment and finally enshrine the right to marriage equality in the commonwealth’s constitution.”
Voters in 2006 approved the Marshall-Newman Amendment.
Same-sex couples have been able to legally marry in Virginia since 2014. Former Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who is a Republican, in 2024 signed a bill that codified marriage equality in state law.
Two successive legislatures must approve a proposed constitutional amendment before it can go to the ballot.
Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger in February signed a bill that finalized the referendum’s language.
The referendum will take place on Nov. 3.
Rehoboth Beach
CAMP Rehoboth’s new director shares plans for busy summer
Dr. Robin Brennan on joyful approach to leadership role
Dr. Robin Brennan, CAMP Rehoboth’s new executive director, has been getting adjusted to her role and connecting with the Rehoboth community.
In March of this year, Brennan took on the role of executive director of CAMP Rehoboth, an LGBTQ+ community center in Delaware working to Create A More Positive (CAMP) environment, following the retirement of Kim Leisey.
When asked about her first few months with CAMP, Brennan said that she’s “in the listening and learning phase.”
“The first few months have been overwhelmingly beautiful, with such warm wishes from so many really diverse groups,” said Brennan.
“The more time that I’ve been at CAMP, it’s almost like I have more questions and more admiration for the solid foundation that it has,” said Brennan. She explained that she is taking her time to listen and connect with the Rehoboth community during these crucial first months.
She spoke to the stressful nature of this work, saying, “This work takes a lot of resiliency, especially being in a front-facing position as executive director of an organization. There’s so much pressure on this to be successful.”
Brennan is no stranger to high-pressure work environments, having worked in the public health field during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Brennan earned a doctorate in public health from Drexel University and has spent nearly two decades working in higher education, which she says greatly influences her approach to her work.
“I am always giving back to and mentoring students, that’s always been a part of who I am,” said Brennan. She said that the adaptability and flexibility she practiced during her time as a professor influences her work, noting, “I think that to be flexible is a key to success.”
Aside from her tenure in academia, Brennan has worked for nonprofits, including with organizations such as Redeemer Health and Nemours Children’s Health.
Leslie Ledogar, president of CAMP’s board of directors, said that Brennan’s joyful approach to this work made her stand out in the search for a new executive director.
“I think that I’ve always naturally been positive and joyful because if I don’t, I will burn out,” said Brennan.
For Brennan, honoring CAMP’s legacy remains a top priority in her role at CAMP. “For me, legacy is so critical, so I want to honor the legacy that this foundation was built on.”
When asked about DEI funding cuts by the Trump administration, Brennan shared how she is navigating an administration that is targeting organizations like CAMP.
“This administration doesn’t open doors for opportunities. As a nimble nonprofit organization, we have always had to be creative,” said Brennan.
She said that she “would never want CAMP Rehoboth to rely on federal dollars, regardless of what type of political administration we’re in. I think relying on any kind of dollars or funding is problematic.”
“We need to stay creative and innovative, not chase money, and also our ears need to be listening to what our community needs,” said Brennan.
As younger members of the LGBTQ+ community grow disheartened by the growing attacks on queer rights, Brennan shared her thought process behind helping younger members of the community.
“I think my number one thing is to listen to them, to ensure that they know their voice is valuable. That’s the most important thing before giving advice is to listen to their concerns, their needs, their fears, their struggles,” said Brennan.
“They may not be your struggles, but ultimately, as a human being, they’re all of our struggles.”
Brennan brought up PRISM, CAMP’s social group for young LGBTQ+ adults to gather in community and experience new activities with likeminded young adults. This group offers a safe space where members can form connections with one another to build a sense of belonging.
Throughout the interview, Brennan reiterated her admiration for CAMP and the community it has brought to Rehoboth for decades.
“There is no place like CAMP Rehoboth, and what it has done for Rehoboth or what it has done for countless individuals who see it as an escape and a place of freedom, visibility, belonging, and hope,” said Brennan.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Brennan said that she first visited Rehoboth in 1996 as a young gay person. “I felt at home. I could breathe,” said Brennan. She said that she has been a frequent visitor ever since and bought a house in town three years ago.
Brennan shared how happy she is to have her teenage daughter growing up with Rehoboth in her life. She said that her ideal day in Rehoboth involves going to the beach, trying new food, and enjoying time with her friends and family that live in the area.
As the summer season commences, Brennan shared that there is a plethora of upcoming events for members of the community to attend and enjoy.
Brennan highlighted the CAMP Women’s Golfing League, which is getting started on June 4 with tickets on sale now for CAMP Rehoboth members.
The CAMP Rehoboth Chorus is singing to honor the 250th anniversary of the U.S. on June 19 with tickets on sale now.
This year also marks the 35th anniversary of CAMP, which will be celebrated with Pride in the Courtyard on June 26.
Brennan was excited to promote CAMP’s new partnership with Beebe Healthcare starting this summer. The partnership is designed to expand access to patient-centered health services in downtown Rehoboth Beach.
“Relying on this partnership will be critical to the success of the health of our community,” said Brennan.
Brennan also talked about SUNFESTIVAL, which will be held during Labor Day weekend and will feature David Archuleta as the headliner.
Lastly, Brennan highlighted CAMP’s annual Block Party, which is held each October. “We shut down several streets, we have 100 vendors, and it’s a beautiful way for the whole community to come together to wrap up the summer,” said Brennan.
JR.’s hosts meet & greet for mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George
Campaign to support Va. marriage amendment repeal launched
Why Michelle Visage needs you to get ‘PrEP Wise’
White House Correspondents’ Dinner rescheduled after shooting
CAMP Rehoboth’s new director shares plans for busy summer
Nine Russian LGBTQ groups deemed ‘extremist’ banned
‘The Stranger’ queers an existentialist classic
Ghanaian lawmakers approve anti-LGBTQ bill
Time travelers from the AIDS era
