Local
Ray stays out of interim Council race
12 seek temporary appointment to Kwame Brown’s seat
Clark Ray, the gay candidate who lost his race for an at-large D.C. Council seat in the September primary, has chosen not to enter a preliminary contest for another at-large seat that will become vacant on Jan. 1.
The 82-member D.C. Democratic State Committee is scheduled to vote Jan. 6 to appoint an interim replacement for Council member Kwame Brown (D-At-Large), who won election Nov. 2 as Council chairman.
Ray did not file as a candidate for the State Committee appointment process by the Nov. 6 deadline. He did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Some political observers say the winner of the State Committee appointment for interim Council member will have the advantage of incumbency and greater name recognition in a special citywide election expected to take place in spring of 2011. Twelve candidates filed papers to compete for the interim appointment, including former Ward 5 Council member Vincent Orange, who is considered the frontrunner.
Earlier this year Ray said he would consider running for Brown’s seat in the 2011 special election if he lost his race in September for the seat held by Council member Phil Mendelson.
Mendelson, who has a strong pro-LGBT record, won the primary with 63 percent of the vote, beating Ray in precincts with high concentrations of gay voters. D.C. Shadow Sen. Michael D. Brown came in second, with 27 percent of the vote. Ray finished third with 9 percent of the vote, losing in every precinct.
Gay Democratic activist Peter Rosenstein, who served as a Ray campaign adviser, said Ray would have a decent chance of winning in the special election despite his poor showing in the September primary. Rosenstein noted that special elections are known for yielding a low voter turnout. He said Ray could win with 10,000 votes — which he received in the primary — in a multi-candidate contest.
“He could pull this off if the gay vote unifies behind him, which I think it will,” Rosenstein said.
At least two other candidates said to be considering entering the race for the special election have strong pro-gay records and could take LGBT votes away from Ray. Adam Clampitt received gay support as an at-large candidate in the 2008 Democratic primary before withdrawing from the race and backing Michael A. Brown, who won the primary and general election.
Republican Patrick Mara, an early supporter of same-sex marriage, stunned the political establishment when he defeated longtime Council member Carol Schwartz in the 2008 GOP primary. Mara lost in the general election to Michael A. Brown but came back to win a seat on the D.C. school board in Ward 1 earlier this month. Mara is said to be weighing whether to run in the special election for the at-large Council seat.
“Clark spent over $200,000, ran for two years, knocked on doors throughout the city, hung signs everywhere and got less than 10 percent of the vote,” said gay activist Bob Summersgill, who campaigned for Mendelson in the September primary.
Summersgill noted that Ray and several candidates competing for the interim appointment for the vacant at-large seat, who also ran and lost in Council races this year, “need to explain why we should give them any consideration in the special election.”
Maryland
Evan Glass is leaning on his record. Is that enough for Montgomery County’s top job?
Gay county executive candidate pushing for equitable pay, safer streets, and cleaner environment
By TALIA RICHMAN | During a meet-and-greet at Poolesville Memorial United Methodist Church, Evan Glass got his loudest applause of the night with a plan he acknowledged was decidedly unsexy.
“Day one, I’ll hire a director of permitting services,” the county executive candidate said.
Doing so, he added, is a step toward easing the regulatory burdens that can stifle small businesses in Montgomery County.
The only problem? At least one of his fiercest competitors is making a similar pledge.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
District of Columbia
D.C. bar, LGBTQ+ Community Center to mark Lesbian Visibility Week
‘Ahead of the Curve’ documentary screening, ‘Queeroke’ among events
2026 Lesbian Visibility Week North America will take place from April 20-26.
This year marks the third annual Lesbian Visibility Week, run by the Curve Foundation. A host of events take place from April 20-26.
This year’s theme is Health and Wellness. For the Curve Foundation, the term “lesbian” serves as an umbrella term for a host of identities, including lesbians, bisexual and transgender women, and anyone else connected to the lesbian community.
The week kicks off with a flag-raising ceremony on April 19. It will take place in New York, but will be livestreamed for the public.
“Queeroke” is one of the events being held around the country. It will take place at various participating bars on April 23.
As You Are, an LGBTQ bar in Capitol Hill, is one of eight locations across the U.S. participating. Their event is free and 21+.
On April 24, the D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center will hold a screening of “Ahead of the Curve,” a documentary about the founder of Curve, Franco Stevens. The event is free with an RSVP.
April 25, is Queer Women in Sports Day. And on April 26, several monuments in New York will be illuminated.
Virtual events ranging from health to sports will be made available to the public. Details will be released closer to the start of Lesbian Visibility Week. Featured events can be found on the official website.
Some ways for individuals to get involved are to use #LVW26 and tag the official Lesbian Visibility Week account on social media posts. People are encouraged to display their lesbian flags, and businesses can hand out pins and decorate. They can also reach out to local lawmakers to encourage them to issue an official Lesbian Visibility Week.
District of Columbia
Whitman-Walker Health to present ‘Pro Bono Excellence’ award to law firm
Health center set to celebrate 40th anniversary of legal services program
Whitman-Walker Health, the D.C.-based community healthcare center that specializes in HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ-related health services, announced it will present its annual Dale Edwin Sanders Award for Pro Bono Excellence to the international law firm McDermott Will & Schulte at a May 6 ceremony.
“This year’s award is especially significant as it coincides with the 40th anniversary of Whitman-Walker Health’s Legal Services Program, marking it as the nation’s longest running medical-legal partnership,” a statement released by Whitman-Walker says.
“As a national leader in public health, Whitman-Walker celebrates our partnership with McDermott to strengthen the health center and to enable Whitman-Walker to reach more medical and legal clients,” the statement adds.
“McDermott’s firm-wide commitment to Whitman-Walker’s medical-legal partnership demonstrates a shared vision to serve those most in need,” Amy Nelson, Whitman-Walker’s director of Legal Services, says in the statement. “Our work protects individuals and families who face discrimination and hostility as they navigate increasingly complex administrative systems,” Nelson said.
“Pro bono legal services – like that of McDermott Will & Schulte – find solutions for people who have no place else to turn in the face of financial and health threats,” she added.
“Our partnership with Whitman-Walker Health is a treasured commitment to serving our neighbors and communities,” Steven Schnelle, one of the law firm’s partners said in the statement. “We are deeply moved by Whitman-Walker’s unwavering dedication to inclusion, respect, and equitable access to health care and social services,” he said.
The statement notes that the award for Pro Bono Excellence honors the legacy of the late gay attorney Dale Edwin Sanders. It says Sanders’s pro bono legal work for Whitman-Walker clients “shaped HIV/AIDS law for more than four decades by securing key victories on behalf of individuals whose employment and patient rights were violated.”
It says the Whitman-Walker Legal Services program began during the early years of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s at a time when people with AIDS faced widespread discrimination and often needed legal assistance. According to the statement, the program evolved over the years and expanded to advocate for transgender people and immigrants.
Whitman-Walker spokesperson Lisa Amore said the presentation of the Dale Edwin Sanders Pro Bono Excellency Award will be held at the May 6 fundraising benefit for Whitman-Walker’s Legal Services Program. She said the event will take place at the offices of the DC law firm Baker McKenzie and ticket availability can be accessed here: https://www.whitman-walker.org/gtem-2026/
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