Local
GLAA releases primary rankings
D.C. Council incumbents Graham, Mendelson get highest figures
Gay Ward 1 D.C. Councilmember Jim Graham and gay ally Phil Mendelson, the straight At-Large Democratic Councilmember, got perfect scores from the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance (GLAA) this week while mayoral hopeful Leo Alexander, a Democrat who didn’t return the group’s questionnaire, got the lowest ranking of -3.
The group, a volunteer, non-partisan, non-profit founded in 1971, ranks candidates from a range of -10 to +10. Members met Tuesday in the National Press Club building for a three hour-plus discussion meeting in which the 17 candidates who returned questionnaires were evaluated along with several who did not. The group says its rankings are not endorsements.
Council Chair and mayoral hopeful Vincent Gray, who’s straight, outranked incumbent Adrian Fenty, also straight, in the group’s rankings. Gray earned +8.5 while Fenty trailed with +4.
In its written explanations (see the full text here), the group said Gray’s score “reflects his agreement with GLAA on all issues and his efforts in leading the Council in support of equal marriage rights, setting a tone and leading hesitant councilmembers by his example.”
The group said it disagrees with Fenty on a number of issues, such as a domestic partnership parenting act, appointments for chief of police and director of the Office of Human Rights and protections for transgender residents. Members did, however, praise Fenty for leading “the exceptional legal fight to keep and defend our marriage rights.”
“For nearly every positive step, we found a negative,” wrote Rick Rosendall and Bob Summersgill, GLAA members who crafted the evaluation prose.
They noted Gray and Fenty both deserve some credit for naming the 1600 block of 17th Street N.W. “Frank Kameny Way.” Kameny, one of GLAA’s founders, was at Tuesday’s ranking discussion meeting.
Alexander’s -3 ranking came for his “explicitly anti-gay and anti-marriage-equality campaign,” members said.
Council chair hopefuls Kwame Brown, Vincent Orange and Dorothy Douglas, all straight, earned positive scores. Brown’s +5.5 came from his agreement with GLAA on nearly every issue though members said he offered limited substance on his questionnaire.
Orange got +4.5 and was cited as “most improved candidate.” The group said it had a thorny relationship with Orange during his previous eight years on Council when he regularly ignored the group’s questionnaire. Douglas, who sits on the board of education, got a +2 but “showed a poor grasp of substance in her questionnaire responses.”
In the At-Large Council race, Mendelson outranked his closest opponents by four points. His perfect score came, members said, because he “is our greatest champion on the Council.” He was praised for writing the marriage recognition bill and other accomplishments the group praised.
Green candidate David Schwartzman got a +6. Clark Ray, who’s gay, got a +5.5. Members said his alliance with Rev. Willie Wilson, a local anti-gay minister, troubles the group.
“Ray agrees with GLAA on most issues but his questionnaire does not demonstrate a solid understanding of the duties and function of the Council,” members said.
All the Ward 1 Council hopefuls earned positive rankings with Graham by far in the lead with a perfect score. Democrat Bryan Weaver and Republican Marc Morgan got +5.5 and +3 respectively.
For the Ward 3 seat, incumbent Mary Cheh got a +7.5 and “has been a strong advocate for LGBT rights,” the group said.
Ward 5 incumbent Harry Thomas got a +6. He was praised for supporting same-sex marriage in D.C. but criticized for opposing a bill that would have helped gay clubs displaced by the Nationals stadium to relocate.
His opponents’ scores ranged from -2 to +2 for having little known record on LGBT issues. Democrat Hunter Delano for his association with the anti-gay group National Organization for Marriage (NOM).
Ward 6 incumbent Tommy Wells earned a solid +8.5 and was praised as a “consistent leader on our issues.” Democrat Kelvin Robinson also received a negative score for his association with NOM.
GLAA members Craig Howell, Ron Swanda, Geri Hughes, Cartwright Moore, Barrett Brick and Miguel Tuason joined Rosendall, Summersgill and Kameny at Tuesday’s ranking meeting.
Rick Rosendall, left, and Bob Summersgill at Tuesday's meeting. (Blade photo by Joey DiGuglielmo)
Maryland
Parents sue Anne Arundel schools, allege officials hid child’s gender transition
America First legal Foundation filed lawsuit on July 8
By CODY BOTELER | Two parents, backed by a conservative nonprofit group, are suing Anne Arundel County Public Schools over the school system’s policies related to transgender children.
The suit, filed Wednesday in Maryland’s U.S. District Court, accuses staff at an unidentified county high school of lying to the parents, identified as John Doe and Jane Doe, about their child, identified as Mary Doe.
The Does allege the school “socially transitioned” their child without notice or their consent by using a masculine name and masculine pronouns for Mary Doe.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
District of Columbia
Campaign launched to elect more LGBTQ candidates to ANC seats
Capital Stonewall Democrats behind Queering ANCs effort
The Capital Stonewall Democrats, D.C.’s largest local LGBTQ political group, announced on July 7 it has launched a campaign to help elect large numbers of LGBTQ candidates to the city’s Advisory Neighborhood Commissions.
The D.C. local government is believed to be unique among U.S. cities in currently having 46 Advisory Neighborhood Commissions consisting of 345 single-member districts in neighborhoods throughout the city in which unpaid Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners are elected for two-year terms.
The commissions are charged with considering a wide range of policies and programs impacting their neighborhoods, including traffic, parking, recreation, street improvements, liquor licenses, zoning, economic development, police protection, sanitation and trash collection, and D.C.’s annual budget, according to the ANC website.
Although the ANCs do not have authority to set or reject policies or proposals, such as applications for liquor licenses, city agencies are required to give “great weight” to ANC recommendations, according to the law creating the ANCs.
Kent Boese, a gay former ANC commissioner, currently serves as executive director of the D.C. Office of ANCs.
“We are launching the most ambitious hyperlocal LGBTQ+ candidate pipeline initiative in the country,” said Stevie McCarty, the Capital Stonewall Democrats president, in a July 7 statement that announced the Queering ANCs campaign.
“As an ANC member, I know firsthand how these seats shape our neighborhoods, from housing and public safety to sanitation,” McCarty says in the statement. “I’m proud to lead this effort to ensure more LGBTQ+ Washingtonians see themselves as leaders in their communities,” he said.
The ANC Rainbow Caucus, which was created by LGBTQ ANC members, shows on its website that there are currently 38 caucus members consisting of elected LGBTQ ANC commissioners serving in the current 2025-2026 two-year term.
The website shows there are LGBTQ commissioners who are caucus members in each of the city’s eight wards, with six in Ward 1, eight in Ward 2, one in Ward 3, six in Ward 4, five in Ward 5, three in Ward 6, eight in Ward 7, and one in Ward 8.
The Washington Blade couldn’t immediately determine how many of them will be running for re-election in D.C.’s general election in November. But McCarty said Capital Stonewall Democrats hopes to recruit many more LGBTQ candidates to run for ANC seats.
The D.C. Board of Elections website shows the deadline for filing 25 required petition signatures to be placed on the ballot is Aug. 5.
A Queering ANCs website launched this week by Capital Stonewall Democrats provides details on how to run for an ANC seat and offers help for those interested in running.
“Think of someone in your building, neighborhood, friend group, community organization, or professional network who cares deeply about D.C. and would make a strong leader,” McCarty says in his statement. “Send them QueeringANCs.org and personally ask them to consider running,” he said.
The website can be accessed at QueeringANCs.org.
Baltimore
Ron Singer, owner of popular Mount Vernon gay bar Leon’s, dies
66-year-old’s funeral to take place Friday
By CAYLA HARRIS | Ron Singer, the owner of Baltimore’s popular gay bar Leon’s Backroom, died Tuesday, the venue announced in a social media post. He was 66.
“For more than 20 years, Ron made Leon’s a place so many people were proud to call home,” the post reads. “He will be deeply missed.”
The Mount Vernon bar, typically open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily, is still open Thursday, but doors will close at midnight so staff can attend his funeral Friday morning. Services are scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. at Sol Levinson’s Chapel.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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