Local
Gay man recounts ‘vicious’ hate crime
‘I was on the ground bleeding’
A 29-year-old gay man said he was knocked to the ground and beaten by two male attackers who called him anti-gay names while punching and kicking him as he was walking home this month from a Georgia Avenue bus stop.
Francisco Martin, a makeup artist who describes himself as openly gay, said one of the two attackers struck him in the face and head July 6 with a nine-inch wide sheet of plywood while the other knocked him to the ground and kicked him in the head and body.
D.C. police have listed the incident as a bias-related crime and are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying suspects. The department’s Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit is assisting in the investigation. Police said the attack took place along the 600 block of Emerson St., N.W.
“I just tried to cover my face; I just started yelling, ‘stop, stop,’ and they just wouldn’t stop,” Martin told the Blade in a phone interview. “They just [kept] beating me until they ripped my shirt off. I was on the ground bleeding.”
Martin said he managed to walk about three blocks to his home after the attackers stopped beating him and left the scene.
He said he called 911 and police and paramedics arrived at his home within minutes. According to Martin, he declined an offer by the paramedics to take him to a hospital after the paramedics examined him and determined his injuries were not life threatening.
Martin said the attackers made no attempt to rob him, a development that leads him to believe they singled him out because they believed him to be gay.
“They were saying like ‘faggot’ or all these derogatory things,” said Martin, who is Latino.
Capt. Edward Delgado, commander of the police’s Special Liaison Unit that includes the GLLU, said Latinos have been targeted in a rash of street robberies in recent weeks in Petworth, the neighborhood where Martin was attacked.
Delgado released information about the incident involving Martin in an e-mail to community activists, calling it a “vicious” attack that appears to be the first LGBT-related hate crime in the Petworth area in recent years. He did not disclose Martin’s name.
Martin later contacted the Blade about the attack, saying he wanted to speak out about the “terrible problem of hate crimes” in D.C.
Gays & Lesbians Opposing Violence has pointed to statistics showing D.C. having the nation’s highest rate of reported hate crimes against LGBT people in a major metropolitan area.
Martin said he is cooperating with police and is hopeful that the investigation will result in the arrest of the two men who attacked him.
He said the incident began around 8:30 p.m. when he noticed a group of young men staring at him and laughing as he was walking along Emerson Street from the Georgia Avenue bus stop.
He said he began running after he noticed two men were following him. The two chased after him and caught up to him on the 600 block of Emerson Street where they started beating him, he recalled.
Martin described the man who struck him with the plywood board as black with a dark complexion, and appearing in his mid to late 20s, about 5 feet, 7 inches, weighing about 150 pounds, having an athletic build, a light mustache and goatee with short hair, and wearing a yellow Polo shirt and jeans.
Martin said the second attacker was black with a dark complexion and appeared to be in his mid 30s. He described him as being about 5 feet, 11 inches, weighing about 180 pounds, having an athletic build, a short haircut and no facial hair, and wearing a white tank top with large blue shorts.
Anyone with information about the incident should call the Fourth District police detective’s office at 202-715-7506 or the police department’s hotline at 1-800-673-2777.
District of Columbia
Blade welcomes fall intern
Alexis McLean is student at University of North Florida
The Washington Blade this week welcomed Alexis McLean as its fall intern.
Alexis is studying political science at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla. She is interning with the Blade as part of a continued partnership with the Washington Center.
“I am looking forward to spending my time in the fall with the Washington Blade, as this is a new experience for me,” said Alexis. “I have not experienced any journalist jobs in the past so this would be my first time, and I am excited to better my writing and communications skills with this internship.”
Alexis’s internship with the Blade ends in early December.
Rehoboth Beach
SUNFESTIVAL takes center stage as Rehoboth Beach closes out summer
Labor Day Weekend bustling with events, including David Archuleta performance
Labor Day Weekend marks the unofficial end of summer in Rehoboth Beach, but there will be no shortage of LGBTQ events, with CAMP Rehoboth’s annual SUNFESTIVAL taking over town this weekend.
Thursday (9/3)
Get your Labor Day Weekend started early Thursday night with happy hour from 5-7 p.m. at Diego’s Bar & Nightclub, followed by Naughtee Bingo hosted by Magnolia Applebottom at 8:30 p.m.
After bingo, the party continues with Dancing at Diego’s from 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.
Aqua Bar & Grill will also kick off its Labor Day Weekend festivities Thursday with a DJ spinning from 9 p.m.-1 a.m.
Friday (9/4)
The weekend ramps up Friday night at Aqua, where DJ Matt Bailer will keep the dance floor moving from 9 p.m.-1 a.m.
Over at Diego’s, DJ Steve Sidewalk will then take over Diego’s for Freedom Friday from 9 p.m.-1:30 a.m.
Saturday (9/5)
The main event of the weekend arrives Saturday with the opening night of CAMP Rehoboth’s SUNFESTIVAL.
Billed as the ultimate party to close out the summer, SUNFESTIVAL has become one of Rehoboth’s signature Labor Day Weekend events. The annual celebration sells out each year, with proceeds benefiting CAMP Rehoboth.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with refreshments available at the cash bar while attendees are invited to socialize and find their seats.
Saturday night will feature local singer Ashley Williams as the opening performer, followed by headliner David Archuleta. The event will also feature a live auction.
Back across town Saturday, Aqua will continue its Labor Day Weekend DJ lineup from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Diego’s will also have plenty happening, with ‘Splash Party’ hosted by Magnolia Applebottom at 5 p.m., followed by a Saturday Dance Party with Brett Oosterhaus from 9 p.m.- 1:30 a.m.
The Blue Moon hosts its popular Legends Show at 9 p.m. It’s an all-live singing show by the Blue Moon cast of celebrity impersonators.
Etienne Pilon has taken Rehoboth by storm this summer. Check out the talented singer/pianist at The Pines from 7-10 p.m.
Sunday (9/6)
Sunday’s SUNFESTIVAL event will shift the focus to the dance floor, with globally renowned DJs Robbie Leslie and James Anthony scheduled to perform. Doors open at 7 p.m., with dancing continuing until 1 a.m.
On Sunday, Aqua will throw its annual White Party, with DJs spinning from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Guests are encouraged to dress in white for the holiday weekend celebration.
Diego’s will host its Sunday High T-Dance with Pamala Stanley at 5 p.m. Later that evening, DJ Tannr will be spinning at 9 p.m.
John Flynn is on the piano from 6-8 p.m. at the Blue Moon.
Monday (9/7)
The final day of Labor Day Weekend brings one last chance to hit the dance floor before summer officially winds down.
Aqua will close out its five-day Labor Day Weekend celebration with DJ Biff from 3-7 p.m.
Maryland
Anne Arundel schools now need parent permission to call trans students by preferred names
Conservative groups challenged system’s policy
By JESSICA CALEFATI | Anne Arundel County Public Schools staff cannot use transgender students’ preferred names if their parents oppose it, according to an internal document reviewed by the Banner, a change that comes after conservative groups challenged the school system’s approach to gender identity.
Teachers union president Kristina Korona told members in an Aug. 20 email that the new guidance undermines district policy on acceptance and inclusivity and “will begin harming affected students immediately.”
Previously, the district didn’t require parental permission to use a high school student’s chosen name and pronouns corresponding to their gender identity, the internal document says. Now it does. The change comes as parents challenge the suburban school system’s gender identity policy and regulation in court and the Trump-Vance administration threatens the district’s funding.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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