Local
Restructuring credited with Whitman-Walker revenue gains
Agency in the black for first time in a decade
Whitman-Walker Clinicās ability to operate with a positive cash flow last year for the first time in nearly 10 years ā and its expectation of remaining in good financial shape for the foreseeable future ā 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 Clinicās 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 Clinicās 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 Clinicās 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 donāt 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.
āWe began this journey a little more than five years ago and it has not been without its hardship, sacrifice or public debate,ā Blanchon said. āThrough 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.ā
Virginia
Va. House committee approves resolution to repeal marriage amendment
Two successive legislatures must approve proposal before it goes to voters
A Virginia House of Delegates committee on Wednesday approved a resolution that seeks to repeal a state constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.
The Privileges and Elections Committee by a 16-5 vote margin approved state Del. Mark Sickles (D-Fairfax County)’s resolution that he introduced earlier this year. State Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) sponsored an identical resolution in the Virginia Senate.
Ebbin and Sickles are gay.
Voters approved the Marshall-Newman Amendment in 2006.
Same-sex couples have been able to legally marry in Virginia since 2014. Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin earlier this year signed a bill that codified marriage equality in state law.
The General Assembly in 2021 approved a resolution that seeks to repeal the Marshall-Newman Amendment. It must pass in two successive legislatures before it can go to the ballot.
“Virginia is for lovers,” said the Virginia House Democratic Caucus on X after Wednesday’s vote. “Today, we advanced a Constitutional Amendment to overturn Virginiaās ban on same-sex marriage. Itās time our laws reflect our values of equality, inclusion, and dignity for all.”
The committee on Wednesday also approved resolutions that would enshrine reproductive rights and restore formerly incarcerated people’s right to vote in the state constitution.
Maryland
At Salisbury University, an alleged hate crime shakes LGBTQ studentsā sense of safety
Authorities have charged 12 men in connection with attack
BY ELLIE WOLFE | Gigi Levin said she wasnāt particularly shocked when she heard a group of her classmates had been accused of luring a gay man to an apartment and attacking him.
āThis is a problem rooted in our campus culture,ā said Levin, a 24-year-old Salisbury University student from Montgomery County. āThe administration can help, but ultimately we are responsible for our safety as LGBTQ+ students.ā
Levin was one of the first to arrive at a vigil on Monday afternoon, planned by an LGBTQ faculty group after University President Carolyn Ringer Lepre announced inĀ an email to the campus last week that several students been arrested.Ā The Salisbury Police Department chargedĀ 12 men, all students between 18 and 21,Ā with first-degree assault, false imprisonment, reckless endangerment and associated hate crimes.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
District of Columbia
Two D.C. LGBTQ rights advocates stepping down from jobs
Crenshaw leaving Alston Foundation; Czapary departs mayorās office
Longtime D.C. LGBTQ rights advocate June Crenshaw announced she is stepping down from her position for the past nine years as executive director of the Wanda Alston Foundation, the local organization that provides housing and support services for homeless LGBTQ youth.
Around the same time, fellow LGBTQ rights advocate Salah Czapary announced he is stepping down from his position for the past two years as director of the D.C. Mayorās Office of Nightlife and Culture.
Meanwhile, a third longtime local LGBTQ rights advocate, David Meadows, was unanimously confirmed on Nov. 1 by the D.C. Council for an appointment by Mayor Muriel Bowser as a member of the cityās Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board, which is responsible for administering, enforcing, and adjudicating the cityās alcoholic beverage and medical marijuana laws.
Neither Crenshaw nor Czapary disclosed in announcing their departure from their jobs what their future career plans are, and the two didnāt immediately respond to a question from the Washington Blade asking about career plans going forward.
Crenshaw currently serves as co-chair of the committee organizing D.C. World Pride 2025, the international LGBTQ Pride celebration expected to draw a million or more visitors to the city for a wide range of World Pride events in late May and early June 2025.
āAfter over nine years of unwavering dedication and visionary leadership, our beloved Executive Director, June Crenshaw, has decided to step into her next chapter,ā a statement released by the Wanda Alston Foundation board of directors says. āWhile we will miss Juneās daily presence, we are grateful that she will stay on through the transition to ensure a warm, seamless handover as we actively search for our next executive director,ā the statement says.
It adds, āHer unwavering commitment to our mission, clients, and team has helped build a foundation of compassion, resilience, and excellence. This transition reflects her readiness to explore new paths and her belief in the bright future of the Wanda Alston Foundation.ā
In his own statement, Czapary said he appreciated the opportunity his job gave him to serve the city and its residents and visitors.
āOctober marked my last month in the Mayorās Office and Iām grateful to Mayor Bowser for giving me the opportunity to serve as the Districtās Nightlife and Cultural Director, supporting our hospitality sector ā the sector that makes the city a great place to live and visit,ā he said.
āIām proud of positioning the office as a responsive entry point for industry and residents to interact with government,ā he said in his statement. āThe role deepened my understanding and love for D.C. in ways I couldnāt have imagined two years ago.ā
Czapary added, āAs for me, Iām excited about whatās next.ā But he gave no indication of his future career plans.
In the past 20 years or longer D.C. mayors have appointed an LGBTQ member of what used to be called the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board or ABC Board before its role was expanded to include marijuana regulations. It currently still uses the name ABC Board to denote Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board.
LGBTQ rights advocates have called for at least one LGBTQ member of the board to provide representation for the important role that gay bars and other LGBTQĀ establishments licensed to sell or serve liquor have historically played in the community.
The boardās previous gay member, Edward Grandis, left the board earlier this year. In a statement released at the time of his confirmation by the Council, the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration, which works with the ABC Board on liquor and cannabis related regulations, issued a statement introducing Meadows as its new board member.
āMr. Meadows is a long-time Ward 8 LGBTQIA+ community advocate with 30 years of extensive experience serving in leadership roles in District government and civic organizations,ā the statement says. āMost recently, Mr. Meadows ran day-to-day operations in the Office of At-Large Councilmember Anita Bonds as her Chief of Staff and Senior Adviser,ā the statement continues.
It says Meadows previously has served as executive director of the D.C. Democratic Party and notes he began his career in the hospitality industry, including serving as events manager for the D.C.-based National Democratic Club. His appointment on the ABC Board is for a four-year term.
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