Local
O’Malley headlines fundraiser for Equality Md.
Governor, elected officials pledge support for 2012 marriage bill
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley attended a fundraiser last week for Equality Maryland. He has pledged to introduce a marriage equality bill next year. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, and Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler were among more than a dozen state elected officials and more than 200 people who turned out on Sept. 7 for a fundraiser for Equality Maryland, the statewide LGBT advocacy group.
The event, held in the Chevy Chase, Md., Town Hall, pulled in $35,000 in cash and pledges that were expected to bring the total raised to $72,000, according to Equality Maryland board member Lisa Polyak.
Polyak and Equality Maryland board member Patrick Wojahn said the fundraiser was billed as a celebration to honor the state’s elected officials who support legislation to legalize marriage for state-sex couples.
O’Malley, Brown, Gansler, and Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett each reiterated their commitment to work hard for the approval by the Maryland Legislature in 2012 of a same-sex marriage bill, Polyak said.
“They were all waxing enthusiastically about how marriage equality has support in Maryland and how they’re going to put the authority of their respective offices behind it,” she said.
A same-sex marriage bill died in the Maryland Legislature earlier this year after it cleared the Senate but was withdrawn from the House of Delegates when backers determined it lacked the votes needed to pass.
Financial problems and disagreements among the board and staff following the marriage bill fight led to the dismissal of Equality Maryland’s executive director and the layoff of nearly all of the group’s staff. Polyak and Wojahn said on Friday, Sept. 9, that stepped up fundraising, a community outreach effort, and a planned expansion of the board has reinvigorated the organization.
According to Polyak, a new, full-time executive director will be hired in late October or early November following a nationwide search. Wojahn said the names of between 10 and 15 new members of the boards of Equality Maryland and the Equality Maryland Foundation would be announced this week.
In a related development, a coalition of groups working with Equality Maryland for the passage of a same-sex marriage bill announced on Sept. 9 that the Baltimore branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People became the newest member of the steering committee of the coalition, Marylanders for Marriage Equality.
“Having the NAACP on board is a welcome addition to the coalition working to win marriage equality in the Free State,” said Sultan Shakir, the campaign manager for Marylanders for Marriage Equality.
“The NAACP’s long history of working for equality and fairness for all will be instrumental in harnessing the supportive voices in the African-American community and throughout Maryland,” said Shakir, who also serves as a field organizer for the Human Rights Campaign.
“We believe gay and lesbian couples have the same values as everyone else,” said Tessa Hill-Alston, president of the NAACP’s Baltimore branch. “They want to make a lifetime commitment to the person they love and build a loving stable family. So it is only right that committed gay and lesbian couples be given the opportunity to marry as everyone else.”
District of Columbia
Gay D.C. police lieutenant arrested on child porn charges
Matthew Mahl once served as head of LGBT Liaison Unit
D.C. police announced on April 14 that they have placed one of their lieutenants, Matthew Mahl, on administrative leave and revoked his police powers after receiving information that he was arrested in Maryland one day earlier.
Although the initial D.C. police announcement doesn’t disclose the reason for the arrest it refers to a statement by the Harford County, Md. Sheriff’s Office that discloses Mahl has been charged with sexual solicitation of a minor and child porn solicitation.
“On Tuesday, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office contacted MPD’s Internal Affairs Division shortly after arresting Lieutenant Matthew Mahl,” the D.C. police statement says.
“The allegations in this case are extremely disturbing, and in direct contrast to the values of the Metropolitan Police Department,” the statement continues. “MPD’s Internal Affairs Division will investigate violations of MPD policy once the criminal investigation concludes,” it says.
“MPD is not involved in the criminal investigation and was not aware of the investigation until yesterday,” the statement adds.
Mahl served as acting supervisor of the MPD’s then Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit in 2013 when he held the rank of sergeant. D.C. police officials placed him on administrative leave and suspended his police powers that same year while investigating an undisclosed allegation.
A source familiar with the investigation said Mahl was cleared of any wrongdoing a short time later and resumed his police duties. Around the time he was promoted to lieutenant several years later Mahl took on the role as chairman of the D.C. Police Union, becoming the first known openly gay officer to hold that position.
NBC 4 reports that Mahl, 47, has served on the police force for 23 years and most recently was assigned to the department’s Special Operations Division.
Records related to Mahl’s arrest filed in Harford County District Court, show Sheriff’s Department investigators state in charging documents that he allegedly committed the offenses of Sexual Solicitation of a Minor and Child Porn Solicitation on Monday, April 13, one day before he was arrested on April 14.
The court records show he was held without bond during his first appearance in court on April 14. A decision on whether he would be released while awaiting trial or continue to be held without bond was scheduled to be determined during an April 15 bond hearing. The outcome of that hearing could not be immediately determined.
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.
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