Local
Restructuring credited with Whitman-Walker revenue gains
Agency in the black for first time in a decade
Whitman-Walker executive director Don Blanchon (Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Whitman-Walker Clinic’s ability to operate with a positive cash flow last year for the first time in nearly 10 years – and its expectation of remaining in good financial shape for the foreseeable future – is due to its transformation from a volunteer-based AIDS service group to a full-service community health center, according to executive director Don Blanchon.
In a briefing for the Washington Blade, Blanchon displayed charts and graphs showing what he called a dramatic change in the Clinic’s sources of revenue.
At a time when other community clinics providing services to the LGBT community and other communities are facing financial hardship due to diminishing government funding and a drop in private donations, Whitman-Walker has become far less reliant on both government funds and revenue from private donors, Blanchon said.
He noted that in 2005, Whitman-Walker received 51.5 percent of its total revenue from government grants. That same year, the Clinic received 38.4 percent of its revenue from fundraising efforts seeking contributions from the public or businesses. Just 8.7 percent of its revenue came from third-party entities such as patient health insurance carriers or patients covered by Medicaid, Blanchon said.
In 2010, after the Clinic completed its transformation into a health center, 21.1 percent of its revenue came from third-party entities, with many more clients covered by private health insurance or Medicaid. He noted that 31.5 percent of the Clinic’s revenue in 2010 came from its operation of a pharmacy on its premises.
At the same time, its revenue from government grants dropped to 15.8 percent of total revenue, and revenue from private fundraising dropped to 15.8 percent of total revenue.
According to Blanchon, Whitman-Walker continues to rely on private donors and looks forward to its annual D.C. AIDS Walk fundraiser in October. But he said the new structure decreases the Clinic’s reliance on government and private donor revenue at a time when the national recession has forced government agencies and many donors to drastically cut back on giving money to charitable groups like Whitman-Walker.
As a financially stable institution, compared to its near financial collapse five years ago, the Clinic is now taking on more patients in need, especially low-income patients with HIV, Blanchon said. At the same time, it is seeing a growing number of LGBT patients who don’t have HIV but prefer to use Whitman-Walker as their primary care provider, he said.
Data that Blanchon pointed to for 2010 show that the Clinic saw about 13,000 patients that year, 22 percent of whom were HIV positive. Although the total number of HIV patients appears to be dropping, he noted that 60 percent of all medical visits to the Clinic in 2010 were HIV-related, showing that HIV remains the main area of service for the Clinic.
The 2010 data show that 49 percent of all patients self-identify as being LGBT; 69 percent were male, 29 percent female, and 3 percent transgender. In terms of ethnicity, 47 percent were black, 35 percent white, 15 percent Latino, and 3 percent falling into another category.
“We began this journey a little more than five years ago and it has not been without its hardship, sacrifice or public debate,” Blanchon said. “Through it all our board of directors, employees, volunteers, donors and public and private funders remained steadfast to our mission of caring, especially our longstanding commitment to the LGBT community and persons living with HIV/AIDS.”
Maryland’s legislative caucuses outlined their legislative priorities heading into the final weeks of the 2026 General Assembly during a joint press conference on March 24.
The press conference was titled “We are Maryland,” where a representative for each of the legislative caucuses outlined priorities.
State Del. Kris Fair (D-Frederick County) of the LGBTQ+ Caucus opened the press conference with a statement on the unity of Maryland’s caucus.
“Together we can show our state and our community a different world, one where we mutually support one another and through that support uplift every Marylander,” he said.
In a press conference on March 5, the LGBTQ+ Caucus outlined its top legislative priorities. Fair highlighted two of those bills again during the “We are Maryland” press conference.
The first of the two highlighted pieces of legislation was Senate Bill 626 and House Bill 1589.
The bills would simplify the process of updating an individual’s birth certificate and align the Department of Health and DMV systems to reflect those changes. The bill is being led by state Sen. Clarence Lam (D-Anne Arundel and Howard Counties) and state Del. Ashanti Martinez (D-Prince George’s County).
The second piece of legislation is Senate Bill 950 and House Bill 1209, which would update and modernize laws and regulations around so-called conversion therapy. The bills have failed to pass either chamber thus far. They are being led by state Sen. Cheryl Kagan (D-Montgomery County) and state Del. Bonnie Cullison (D-Montgomery County).
(The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled against a Colorado law that bans so-called conversion therapy for minors. Maryland is among the U.S. jurisdictions that prohibit the widely discredited practice for anyone under 18.)
Martinez and Lam have introduced bills in their respective chambers that would expand PrEP access in Maryland. Martinez did not attend the press conference, and Fair did not mention it when he spoke.
State Del. N. Scott Phillips (D-Baltimore County) represented the Black Caucus during the press conference. State Del. Dana Jones (D-Anne Arundel County) spoke on behalf of the Women’s Caucus, State Del. Teresa Woorman (D-Montgomery County) represented the Latino Caucus, and State Del. Lily Qi (D-Montgomery County) represented the Asian-American and Pacific Islander Caucus. State Del. Jared Solomon (D-Montgomery County) represented the Jewish Caucus, and state Del. Sean Stinnett (D-Baltimore County) represented the Muslim Caucus during the press conference.
Solomon ended the press conference by explaining the importance of all the caucuses coming out together.
“We are stronger when we’re together, and many of these issues that we have talked about, again, impact all of us,” said Solomon.
District of Columbia
Blade contributor, husband exchange vows in D.C.
Yariel Valdés and Kevin Vega held ceremony at Jefferson Memorial on March 23
Washington Blade contributor Yariel Valdés and his husband, Kevin Vega, exchanged vows at the Jefferson Memorial on March 23.
The couple married in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Nov. 24, 2025. The Jefferson Memorial ceremony — which Blade International News Editor Michael K. Lavers and Samy Nemir Olivares officiated — coincided with the third anniversary of Yariel and Kevin’s first date.
Yariel in 2019 asked for asylum in the U.S. because of the persecution he suffered as a journalist in his native Cuba. He spent nearly a year in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody before his release on March 4, 2020.
Yariel wrote a series of articles about his time in ICE custody that the Blade published. The series was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award in 2022.
Yariel and Kevin live in South Florida.
District of Columbia
‘Out for McDuffie’ event held at D.C. gay bar
Mayoral candidate cites record of longtime support for LGBTQ rights
More than 100 people filled the upstairs room of the D.C. gay bar Number 9 on Thursday night, March 26, to listen to D.C. mayoral candidate Kenyan McDuffie at an event promoted as an “Out for McDuffie” meet and greet session.
Several local LGBTQ activists who attended the event said they support McDuffie, a former D.C. Council member, in his run for mayor while others said they had not yet decided whom to vote for in the June 16 D.C. Democratic primary election.
As of March 27, eight other Democrats were competing against McDuffy in the June 16 primary, including D.C. Council member Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4), considered McDuffie’s lead opponent. Lewis George also has a record of strong support on LGBTQ issues.
Most political observers consider McDuffie and Lewis George the two lead candidates in the race, with the others having far less name recognition.
The two lead organizers of the Out for McDuffie event were LGBTQ rights advocates Courtney Snowden, a former D.C. deputy mayor in the administration of Mayor Muriel Bowser, and Cesar Toledo, a local LGBTQ youth housing services advocate.
“I’m a candidate for mayor of Washington, D.C. and I’m running for mayor because I love this city,” McDuffie told the gathering after being introduced by Snowden. “And now more than ever we need leadership to take us to the future,” he said, adding that he and his administration would “stand up and fight” against President Donald Trump’s efforts to intervene in local D.C. affairs.
“Our strength is in the 700,000 beautifully diverse residents of Washington, D.C.” he told the gathering. “And as Courtney said, I didn’t just show up and run for mayor and then start saying that I’m going to be an ally for the queer community, for the LGBTQ+ community,” he said, “I’ve lived my entire professional life fighting for justice and fighting for fairness.”
Following his speech, McDuffie told the Washington Blade, “We’re going to fight to protect our LGBTQ+ community every single day. That’s what I’ve spent my career doing, making sure we have a beautifully diverse and inclusive city.”
He remained at Number 9, located at 1435 P St., N.W., for nearly an hour after he spoke, chatting with attendees.
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