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Kameny in context

How will the trailblazer be remembered? And what is his rightful place in the pantheon of gay rights legends?

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Frank Kameny among his colleagues in Los Angeles in 1998 to honor Jim Kepner and the 50th anniversary of the gay rights movement. First row from left are Lisa Ben, the late Harry Hay, the late John Burnside, Jose Sarria, the late Del Martin, Phyllis Lyon; (second row) Fred Frisbie, the late Bob Basker, Kameny, Florence Fleischman, the late Hal Call, Robin Tyler; (third row) the late Philip Johnson, Eddie Sandifer, the late Vern Bullough, Malcolm Boyd; (fourth row) the late Barbara Gittings, Kay Tobin Lahusen, the late Jack Nichols, Mark Segal, unidentified; (fifth row) the late Cliff Anchor, Leo Laurence, Eldon Murray, John Oā€™Brien and Jerome Stevens. (Photo by Fred Camerer; reprinted with permission)

News outlets over the past week ā€” both LGBT and mainstream ā€” have reported the death of Frank Kameny, the legendary Washington-based activist universally regarded as one of the most influential pre-Stonewall homophile movement leaders.

Kameny died Oct. 11 at age 86 at his home in Northwest Washington and the news accounts have relayed oft-noted biographical facts that have taken on increasingly mythic proportions over the years: his firing from the Army Map Service in 1957 for being gay, the 1961 founding of the D.C. Mattachine Society, the ā€œgay is goodā€ slogan he coined, his role in convincing the American Psychiatric Association in 1973 to stop classifying homosexuality as a mental disorder, the Clinton-signed presidential executive order that permitted gay people to be given security clearances, the repeal of D.C.ā€™s anti-sodomy law, his decades of work with the local Gay Activists Alliance (GAA; later GLAA) and more.

But once the dust settles ā€” memorial services are planned for Washington and San Francisco on Nov. 15, the 50thĀ anniversary of the founding of the D.C. Mattachine chapter ā€” what will Kamenyā€™s legacy be? Never one to shy away from taking credit, might his bluster and longevity have created a sense of myth about him? Or could his D.C. home base over so many years (he arrived here in 1956 and never left) have skewed perceptions of his efforts among local activists who may not be aware of the contributions of Kameny’s peers in other cities, especially on the West Coast? And where does Kameny fit in among other pioneering activists of his era? The Blade spoke to several gay historians, Kameny peers ā€” both here and around the country ā€” and friends to find out.

Kameny among peers

Kamenyā€™s World War II-era generation is, of course, reaching its later years and many of the pre-Stonewall homophile activists ā€” legendary figures such as Barbara Gittings, Harry Hay, Del Martin, Jim Foster, Jim Kepner, Jack Nichols and Hal Call ā€” have died.

San Franciscoā€™s Phyllis Lyon, who married her late partner Del Martin in 2008 after more than 50 years of joint activism, says sheā€™s doing well (she’ll be 87 next month), still drives and has ā€œno intentionā€ of leaving her home, though life, obviously, has been a lot different since Martinā€™s 2008 death, just two months after they got married. She speaks highly of Kameny but admits to being fuzzy on specifics.

ā€œWell, I think he did a lot of very good things, definitely,ā€ she says. ā€œI do remember Frank and I was very sorry to hear that he had died but it was different in those early days. I guess you could say the lesbians and gay men werenā€™t always buddy buddy buddy buddy back then. We worked together some, but in essence we also worked mostly with our own sexes.ā€

Things were somewhat different in Washington. Though she eventually moved on and did other things with her life, Lilli Vincenz, 73, was an early Washington-based activist who was in the Mattachine Society here and joined Kameny in his legendary White House protest in April 1965. She also knew ā€” as did Lyon ā€” the late Harry Hay, who started the first Mattachine Society in Los Angeles in 1950, which Kameny regarded as the start of the modern gay rights movement in the U.S. (a 1920s Chicago-based group was quickly shut down by police though a gay ā€œemancipation groupā€ started in 1897 in Berlin and lasted decades before being shut down by Hitlerā€™s Nazi regime).

Two gay rights icons, now both gone. Harry Hay, left, and Frank Kameny. (Blade file photo)

ā€œWell, they had a slightly different approach,ā€ Vincenz says of Hay and Kameny. ā€œFrank was here taking advantage of Washington and being close to all the big government agencies, so that was his focus.ā€

Paul Kuntzler, who was just 20 when he met Kameny at the Chicken Hut in early 1962, was always ā€œthe kidā€ of the group. He says, as was Kamenyā€™s contention, that the D.C. Mattachine Society was accomplishing things gays in other U.S. cities ā€” chapters also existed in New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Los Angeles at the time ā€” werenā€™t doing.

ā€œA lot of them were just content to do more research and education,ā€ Kuntzler says. ā€œOriginally I thought Harry Hay was very brave and I think originally they were very active, but they kind of got disinvolved.ā€

Kuntzler says it started with Hayā€™s group in 1950, the second wave was in Washington in the early ā€˜60s, then Stonewall, the 1969 New York riots that catapulted gay rights issues into the mainstream consciousness.

In Kuntzler’s estimation, Kameny is ā€œthe most influential and most important person in the history of the gay rights movement. The only other person Iā€™d put in that league would be Barbara Gittings who died in February 2007. She was an intellectual heavyweight, but not quite up there with Frank. But she was very powerful and influential.ā€

San Francisco-based activist Michael Petrelis, who in 2009 launched an effort to have Kameny awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor, agrees. He lived from 1990-1995 in Washington and, though they sometimes clashed on issues of AIDS activism, saw Kameny as a grandfather of sorts.

ā€œSome of my pushy personality, my pushy activism, comes from Frank,ā€ Petrelis says.

Historical assessments

But how does Kamenyā€™s legacy sit with gay historians? Depends whom one asks.

Gay scholar John Lauritsen, who wrote two essays for the 2002 anthology ā€œBefore Stonewall: Activists for Gay and Lesbian Rights in a Historical Context,ā€ says Kameny should certainly be admired for his contributions but that he was only one type of activist whose efforts should be put in context. Lauritsen, during a phone chat from his Boston home, says he was active in the homophile movement since 1960 and knew Kameny and Gittings in the ā€˜70s when they would meet at various conferences.

ā€œOur politics were much different,ā€ Lauritsen says. ā€œI was much more radical. But Frank was always friendly to me ā€¦ I would say I admired Kameny. He was a very good public speaker ā€¦ but I think one has to give credit to the scholars and Kameny was not a scholar ā€¦ I think he was more a good publicist perhaps. Iā€™m not sure he really did invent the saying ā€˜gay is good,ā€™ thatā€™s been debated, but at least it was a catchy slogan and it played a role in the movement at the time.ā€

Kameny could be a polarizing figure. Though even his detractors in the gay world eventually came to mostly acknowledge his accomplishments, in the early years there was much debate about the appropriate plan to gain traction with the movement.

ā€œIn those days, people felt he was rather reckless and far too militant,ā€ says writer David Carter who interviewed Kameny about 45 times over the last several years for a biography he hopes to publish. ā€œItā€™s funny though, after Stonewall, he was held up as a symbol of not being militant enough but that was more of a caricature of Frank.ā€

Frank Kameny (Blade file photo by Doug Hinkle)

Michael Bronski, whose book ā€œA Queer History of the United Statesā€ came out in May, teaches women, gender and LGBT studies at Dartmouth. He praises Kamenyā€™s work but agrees, Kameny wasnā€™t working alone and itā€™s important to remember others.

ā€œItā€™s vitally important to remember Frank and to give him credit for all this, but the ā€˜50s were really an incredible time ā€¦ Itā€™s unfair, I agree, to try to rank people mostly, unless the ranking happens by simply looking at the facts, but does the average gay person reading the Advocate really know who Harry Hay was or who Harvey Milk was? They think of Sean Penn or they might say, ā€˜Harvey Milk, wasnā€™t he married to Madonna in the ā€˜80s?ā€™ Not knowing about Frank is a huge loss and itā€™s a loss that needs to be corrected. But I donā€™t think this is just an LGBT problem, itā€™s an American problem in general.ā€

Bronski is quick to point out, though, that Kameny is part of a small list of pre-Stonewall iconoclasts.

ā€œHarry Hay, Del and Phyllis, Barbara Gittings ā€” there arenā€™t many whose names come to the forefront because a lot of the work (others) did was very quiet, so somebody like, say, Randy Wicker, who founded the Oscar Wilde bookstore and the Mattachine Society in New York before Stonewall, that was a different kind of a thing.ā€

Paul Boneberg, executive director of the San Francisco-based GLBT Historical Society, is more unequivocal.

ā€œThere is no greater gay activist than Frank Kameny,ā€ Boneberg says. ā€œHe is one of the heroic founders of the modern era.ā€

Boneberg agrees with Bronski ā€” the pre-Stonewall movers and shakers list is quite small.

ā€œHeā€™s part of a very small group,ā€ Boneberg says. ā€œHe and a few of the early activists really founded the GLBT movement and the community is what it is because of people like Frank and whatā€™s extraordinary is that his work in the ā€™50s and ā€˜60s continued right up until this year. It was really a lifetime of service to the queer community. ā€¦ What weā€™re seeing is the passing of the queer communityā€™s greatest generation. That World War II generation that he was part of. He was just an extraordinary individual and itā€™s a great loss to the community.ā€

Malcolm Lazin, executive director of the Equality Form and executive producer of the PBS documentary “Gay Pioneers, unequivocally this week called Kameny “the father of the LGBT civil rights movement” in a press release. The term hasn’t been widely used but may become more common as Kameny’s contributions are assessed.

And where might LGBT rights be today if Kameny hadnā€™t done what he did?

ā€œI think on one level, what Frank did moved us ahead incredibly far,ā€ Bronski says. ā€œBut if Frank didnā€™t exist, would somebody else have done it? Possibly. You know Frank wasnā€™t the only person to get arrested and lose his job. Itā€™s conceivable and actually likely that somebody else would have had the courage to do that, but in no way do I say that to diminish what he did, but did the movement depend on Frank? I donā€™t think so. Did Frank move the movement forward? Sure.ā€

Kameny on Kameny

And what did Kameny himself think of his place in the history books? Outtakes from an Aug. 16 interview pertaining to the push for a presidential Medal of Freedom for him, found him waxing nostalgic for several of his peers.

ā€œJust about all these people are gone,ā€ Kameny said. ā€œOne of the first I would name would be Barbara Gittings, whom I miss very, very much. Another would be Jack Nichols. One by one they have all gone.ā€

Kameny also mentioned several activists whose work has been more D.C.-centric.

ā€œOn much less a level, but still someone who goes all the way back would be Craig Howell and coming much later onto the scene and I first got to know him in college in the ā€˜70s and ā€˜80s, but I would also say Rick Rosendall. Thatā€™s just off the top of my head. Many of them have just all died off one after another and Iā€™m very, very sorry to see some of them go, but that happens.ā€

Kameny phoned the next morning to say he was ā€œembarrassed I overlooked Paul Kuntzler. He goes back to the very beginning of my involvement in 1961 right after we formed the Mattachine Society ā€¦ he was perhaps the last one going back to the ā€˜60s whoā€™s still around.ā€

Comparing Kamenyā€™s life and work to Harvey Milkā€™s ā€” the first openly gay man to be elected to public office when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors ā€” is apples and oranges, many say. If Milkā€™s story is more widely known, itā€™s undoubtedly because itā€™s been told several times, most memorably, perhaps, in a 2008 Academy Award-winning film. That he died young (he was murdered at age 48) perhaps gave him a JFK-like stature among gays that captured their consciousness.

ā€œThey were just from very different times,ā€ Boneberg says. ā€œHarvey is separated almost a whole generation and he would have acknowledged that. ā€¦ Itā€™s hard for people today to imagine how difficult it was to stand up and be out back then. Time is such a huge factor. That first generation stood alone and said, ā€˜I will not take this.ā€™ Frank did that. [Drag legend] Jose [Sarria] did that. Itā€™s just something later people have not had to do because there were already other people standing. Itā€™s very hard for people to grasp. There were profound legal consequences and people who were gay were literally destroyed.ā€

Even Cleve Jones, a friend and contemporary of Milk and an activist in his own right, says their lives are too different to warrant much comparison.

ā€œHarvey and all of us who came after the Stonewall rebellion, all of us were marching down a road that had already been paved by people like Frank, Barbara [Gittings], Phyllis and Del ā€¦ the Stonewall generation was still in the closet when Frank was doing his work, so you canā€™t really compare them.ā€

Choices made

Milk, of course, suffered. But those close to him say Kameny suffered in other ways ā€” less dramatic, but also difficult.

ā€œHe lived in poverty,ā€ Kuntzler says. ā€œHe got some inheritance money from his mother and he eventually bought [his] house, but it was a struggle. I gave him money for his fax machine. People helped him out, but he lived basically in poverty, thereā€™s no question about it.ā€

Marvin Carter, a local gay volunteer with Helping Our Brothers and Sisters whoā€™d known Kameny for years, started helping him the winter before last during several extreme blizzards the region suffered.

ā€œThereā€™d been a few calls here and there before, but thatā€™s when we really started to see the extent of the situation,ā€ Carter says. ā€œHe was snowed in and had no groceries. ā€¦ It was really a bad situation.ā€

But was some of that by choice? Obviously in recent years Kameny was elderly, but why didnā€™t he work much ā€” at least for income ā€” in the ā€˜70s and ā€˜80s? Couldn’t he have secured a position doing the work he loved for an organization like Human Rights Campaign or National Gay & Lesbian Task Force?

Kuntzler says Kameny was ā€œvery stubbornā€ and single minded in his activist philosophies.

ā€œHe was very independent, very much his own person. It would have been very hard for him to acquiesce to someone elseā€™s vision,ā€ Kuntzler says. ā€œHe absolutely sacrificed.ā€

Bronski agrees, but with a caveat.

ā€œYes, he made that sacrifice, but itā€™s important to remember that he made it on his own. There wasnā€™t a vote on it. We should all be thankful and we canā€™t expect other people to do the same. Itā€™s a matter of self sacrifice, but yes, from what Iā€™ve heard he did actually live in fairly impoverished conditions.ā€

(Blade file photo)

Time, of course, has a way of putting individualsā€™ contributions into perspective. In the meantime, Kamenyā€™s colleagues are remembering him fondly.

ā€œIn my opinion, his legacy is already established,ā€ Vincenz says. ā€œHe was a tutor to me and I was very thrilled to work with him. ā€¦ I saw him as a zealot, very effective. He also had such a kind heart. I was reading not long ago his lovely eulogy to Barbara and it was just beautiful.ā€

Kuntzler remembers a rabble-rouser who ā€œdelighted in antagonizing.ā€

ā€œHe was never violent, it was all intellectual,ā€ he says. ā€œAnd he was very self assured. He didnā€™t question it at all. He truly felt that he was right and they were all wrong.ā€

 

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Miscellaneous

Stephen Miller’s legal group sues Fairfax County schools

Lawsuit challenges policies for transgender, nonbinary students

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(Bigstock photo)

Former Trump administration official Stephen Miller’s legal group on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the Fairfax County School District over its policies for transgender and nonbinary students.

America First Legal in a press release notes it filed the lawsuit against the school district on behalf of a female, “practicing Roman Catholic” student “for allowing teenage boys to use the female restrooms and for forcing a radical, government-sponsored gender indoctrination and approved-speech scheme that discriminates against students on the basis of sex and religion and violates their free speech rights under the Virginia Constitution.”

The lawsuit was filed in Fairfax County Circuit Court.

The Virginia Department of Education last July announced new guidelines for trans and nonbinary students for which Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin asked. Equality Virginia and other advocacy groups claim they, among other things, would forcibly out trans and nonbinary students. 

Fairfax County schools are among the school districts that have refused to implement the guidelines. 

ā€œFairfax County Public Schools appears to believe that its policies and regulations can override the Virginia Constitutionā€™s protections for religious beliefs, speech and from government discrimination on the basis of sex and religious beliefs,” said America First legal Senior Advisor Ian Prior in a press release. “It is well past time for FCPS to stop sacrificing the constitutional rights of its students so that it can implement a state-sanctioned ideology that demands compliance in speech, beliefs and conduct.”Ā 

FCPS Pride, a group that represents the Fairfax County School Districtā€™s LGBTQ employees, described the lawsuit as “abhorrent.”

“We are confident that the school board and the superintendent will strongly and firmly oppose this specious suit and continue to support all students, including transgender and gender expansive students,” said the group in a press list.

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Miscellaneous

More than a dozen LGBTQ candidates on the ballot in Va.

Control of the state Senate hangs in the balance

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Virginia state Del. Danica Roem (D-Manassas) speaks at the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund National Champagne Brunch in D.C. on April 23, 2023. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

More than a dozen openly LGBTQ candidates are on the ballot in Virginia on Nov. 7.

State Del. Danica Roem (D-Manassas) is running against Republican Bill Woolf in the newly redistricted Senate District 30 that includes western Prince William County and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.

Roem in 2018 became the first openly transgender person seated in a state legislature in the U.S. after she defeated then-state Del. Bob Marshall, a prominent LGBTQ rights opponent who co-wrote Virginiaā€™s constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman. Roem would become Virginia’s first out trans state senator if she defeats Woolf.

Woolf supports a bill that would require school personnel to out trans students to their parents. The Republican Party of Virginia has highlighted this position in ads in support of Woolf.

ā€œThank you for reminding me why I won three elections in this district in Prince William County, which is the most diverse county in all of Virginia and the 10th most nationally where we welcome everyone because of who they are, not despite it, no matter what you look like, where you come from, how you worship, if you do, or who you love because you should be able to thrive here because of who you are, never despite it,ā€ said Roem on Sept. 28 in response to a woman who heckled her during a debate with Woolf that took place at Metz Middle School in Manassas.

Gay state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) is running for re-election in Senate District 39. State Del. Mark Sickles (D-Fairfax County), who is also gay, is running for re-election in House District 43.

Former state Del. Joshua Cole, who identifies as bisexual, is running against Republican Lee Peters in House District 65. State Del. Kelly Convirs-Fowler (D-Virginia Beach), who came out as bisexual last year at Hampton Roads Pride, will face Republican Mike Karslake and independent Nicholas Olenik.

State Del. Marcia “Cia” Price (D-Newport News), a Black woman who identifies as pansexual, is running for re-election in House District 85. 

Adele McClure, a queer Democrat, is running to represent House District 2 that includes portions of Arlington County. Laura Jane Cohen, a bisexual woman who is a member of the Fairfax County School Board, is a House of Delegates candidate in House District 15.

Rozia Henson, a gay federal contractor who works for the Department of Homeland Security, is running in House District 19. Zach Coltrain, a gay Gen Zer, is running against state Del. Barry Knight (R-Virginia Beach) in House District 98.Ā 

LPAC has endorsed Jade Harris, a Rockbridge County Democrat who is running to represent Senate District 3. Harris’ website notes trans rights are part of their platform.

“Protecting trans rights, repealing right to work, strengthening unions and supporting our farmers are just a few of my legislative priorities,” reads the website. “I am dedicated to addressing the revitalization of our state’s infrastructure, fostering a favorable environment for job creation, and supporting our public education system.”

Republicans currently control the House by a 51-46 margin, while Democrats have a 21-19 majority in the state Senate.

Senate Democrats have successfully blocked anti-LGBTQ bills that Republicans have introduced since Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin took office in January 2022. 

The Virginia Department of Education in July released new guidelines for trans and nonbinary students that activists and their supporters have sharply criticized. They fear that Republicans will curtail LGBTQ rights in the state if they regain control of both houses of the General Assembly on Nov. 7.

“Time and time again, anti-equality lawmakers and the Youngkin administration have made it clear that they will continue to disrespect and disregard the lives and lived experience of LGBTQ+ people within Virginia,ā€ said Equality Virginia PAC Executive Director Narissa Rahaman in August when her organization and the Human Rights Campaign endorsed Roem, Ebbin and other “pro-equality champions.”

ā€œWe must elect pro-equality champions who will secure and strengthen our freedoms,” added Rahaman. “We have that chance as the eyes of the nation are on us this November.”

The LGBTQ+ Victory Fund has endorsed Fairfax County School Board Vice Chair Karl Frisch and Fairfax County School Board candidates Robyn Lady and Kyle McDaniel, who identify as lesbian and bisexual respectively. 

Michael Pruitt would become the first openly bisexual man elected to the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors if he were to win on Nov. 7. Blacksburg Town Councilman Michael Sutphin and Big Stone Gay Town Councilman Tyler Hughes, who are both gay, are running for re-election.

“Tyler will be a critical voice for equality as the only out LGBTQ+ person on the Big Stone Gap Town Council,” says the Victory Fund on its website.

Cal Benn contributed to this article.

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What it means to be an active ally to your LGBTQ+ co-workers TEST

Five easy tips to help you avoid common risks

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Be sure to install baby gates if you have stairs in your home with young children. (Photo by Kasia Bialasiewicz/Bigstock)

Your home is more than just a place to eat and sleep; it’s your safe haven. As much as you might cherish your home, you should probably also recognize the potential hazards within its familiar walls. Accidents can happen in an instant, yet with a little foresight and some simple adjustments, you can transform your house into a safer haven. 

Accidents can happen anywhere, and with a few simple tweaks, you can lower risks in your space. Below youā€™ll find five tips for each room in your home to help prevent injuries, falls, and other mishaps. In short, home safety. 

This article was inspired by a shower in a rental we managed that began leaking through the kitchen ceiling below. If only the landlord had installed grab bars, right!? Below, we’ll guide you through the steps to fortify your bathroom, making it a place of relaxation without the fear of slips and falls. Then, we’ll venture into the room where the magic happens, where proper planning can ensure great nights and peaceful mornings. We’ll show you how to prevent accidents while you experiment becoming the next Gordon Ramsey. And weā€™ll include a few surprising solutions for those other rooms that hold their own unique hazards, offering solutions to safeguard against unexpected mishaps.

Bathroom Safety

Install Grab Bars: Adding grab bars near the shower and toilet can provide essential support for family members of all ages. Not only can they help with getting in and out, but they can help provide stability when washing. Make sure they are securely anchored to the wall.

Non-Slip Mats: Place non-slip mats inside the shower and bathtub to prevent slips. They’re a small investment that can save you from falls and head injuries.

Adjust Water Temperature:  Ensure your hot water is set to a safe temperature to avoid scalding. The hot water heater should be set to around 120Ā°F (49Ā°C)l, the middle setting on many water heater settings. 

Medicine Cabinet Locks: If you have young children, use childproof locks on your medicine cabinet to keep harmful substances out of reach.

Proper Lighting: Ensure there’s adequate lighting in the bathroom to avoid trips and falls during nighttime visits. Nightlights can be a simple and effective solution. 

Bedroom Safety

Clear Pathways: Keep pathways in the bedroom clutter free to prevent tripping. Ensure there’s enough space to move around comfortably, particularly getting around the bed.  Be aware where all furniture is when walking around to avoid stubbed toes, particularly at night.

Secure Rugs: If you have throw rugs, use rug grippers or double-sided tape to keep them from slipping. Loose rugs are a common trip hazard. 

Bed Rails: For anyone at risk of falling out of bed, consider installing bed rails to provide extra support and prevent falls.

Nightstands with Drawers: Opt for nightstands with drawers to keep essential items.  This reduces the need to get out of bed at night, minimizing the risk of falls, as you race to grab what you need and not lose a momentā€™s rest.

Fire Safety: Install battery-operated smoke detectors in the bedrooms if there are none. Make sure to install them 36 inches away from an air vent or the edge of a ceiling fan.  Also six inches away from the joint between the wall and ceiling.  And test smoke detectors regularly.

Kitchen Safety

Non-Slip Flooring: Choose slip-resistant rugs in the kitchen, especially in areas where spills are common. Mats near the sink and stove can also help and you can often buy them fairly cheaply at Costco.

Childproof Cabinets: If you have little ones, use childproof latches on cabinets and drawers to prevent them from accessing potentially hazardous items.

Anti-tip brackets: Install an anti-tip bracket behind the range. These are often used when children are in the home. Although they are less likely to open the oven door and use it as a step stool to get to the stove-top, adults can also benefit from installing these. 

Adequate Lighting: Proper lighting is crucial in the kitchen to avoid accidents. Under-cabinet lighting can illuminate work areas effectively.

Secure Heavy Items: Ensure heavy pots and pans are stored at waist level to prevent straining or dropping them from high shelves.

Sharp Object Storage: Keep knives and other sharp objects in a secure drawer or block. And handle all sharp items with extreme care, even when washing and drying. These steps reduce the risk of accidental cuts.  

Other Safety Tips

Furniture Anchors: Secure heavy furniture, like bookshelves and dressers, to the wall to prevent tip-overs, especially if you have young children.

Adequate Outlets: Check for damaged outlets and replace them promptly. Avoid overloading circuits with too many devices. Install placeholder plugs in outlets to prevent young curious fingers (or tongues?) from going inside an electrical outlet.

Stair Gates: If your home has stairs, install safety gates at the top and bottom to prevent falls, especially if you have toddlers or pets to keep them off of the stairs when you cannot monitor them.

Emergency Escape Plan: Develop and practice an emergency escape plan with your family, including a designated meeting place outside.

Carbon Monoxide Detector:  If your home burns any fossil fuels for heating or appliances, install carbon monoxide detectors in common areas of your home to detect this odorless gas. The D.C. building codes require this if you use a fireplace or if you have an attached garage. In essence, if there is any potential source of carbon monoxide in the home, be sure to install these detectors.

Remember, a safer home not only prevents accidents but also provides peace of mind for you and your family. Implement these simple tips to create a secure environment in every room of your house.

With these practical tips and a few adjustments, you can significantly reduce the risk of injuries and falls in your home. Enjoy peace of mind in your now much safer haven.

Scott Bloom is owner and senior property manager of Columbia Property Management.

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