Local
‘Worldwide’ marches set for D.C., Baltimore
no mainline national or DC-area LGBT organizations have committed to support
A screen shot of the group's Facebook page
D.C. and Baltimore are slated to be among at least 30 cities in the United States, Europe and Asia in which a “Worldwide LGBT Civil Rights March” is scheduled to take place on April 21.
The marches were initiated and are being organized by a Facebook group called “Let’s Reach 1 Million People Campaign…It’s a Start! LGBT Equality.”
Richmond, Va., gay activist Curtis Sledge, who was named lead organizer of the D.C. march, told the Blade this week that participants are scheduled to assemble for a kick-off rally at 10:45 a.m. at Upper Senate Park, located at Constitution and Delaware avenues across the street from the U.S. Capitol.
Sledge said he recently obtained permits arranging for the march to begin about 1 p.m. from Upper Senate Park, where it will travel west on Constitution Avenue, N.W., to 15th Street, N.W. The march will turn right on 15th Street and head toward Pennsylvania Avenue, Sledge said. He said it will turn right on Pennsylvania Avenue and continue along Pennsylvania Avenue to Third Street, N.W., near the Capitol, where it will end.
A website set up by organizers says the Baltimore march is scheduled to begin at 11:45 a.m. on April 21 at War Memorial Park and travel to its destination at the Inner Harbor via Fayette, North Gay, Pratt, and Conway streets. The website doesn’t say whether a rally is planned for the Baltimore march.
High school student and Dundalk, Md., resident Brian Rohrbaugh is listed as the lead organizer of the Baltimore march.
With the exception of the national LGBT direct action group Get Equal, which has said it would provide an as-yet-undisclosed role of support for the marches, no other mainline national or D.C.-area LGBT organization has said it is taking part in the marches.
“Our core mission is to achieve full LGBT equality mainly through proper and peaceful channels employing many different vehicles among the way,” Worldwide March organizers say in a statement posted to their website.
“Strong emphasis is placed on enlightening and educating society in order to achieve the ample understanding and acceptance that is necessary to garner the support we need to win at the polls and in Washington,” the statement says.
Further details of the marches and a list of cities in the U.S. and abroad where organizers say marches will take place can be found at letsreachonemillionpeople.com/locations_36.html.
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Congratulations to Yadiel Meléndez, on their new role as Community Associate, with the Wanda Alston Foundation. Meléndez is piloting a new role as a Community Associate at the Wanda Alston Foundation, where they support queer and trans young people in finding their footing, building independence, and experiencing a housing community where they are seen, valued, and affirmed. They are coming into this role with more than a decade of experience as a community organizer and operations specialist, supporting diverse communities through service, advocacy, and program coordination.
Previously they worked for Right Proper Brewing Shaw as a server and bartender and at Sephora, Washington, DC, and at FreshFarm, DC, in bilingual food access. They also worked freelance to build foundational structures for local queer BIPOC performance art coalitions, producing variety shows to curate space for marginalized performance artists in the community. They were a production manager for Haus of Hart Productions, a BIPOC centric performance art production. They also worked as field staff with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in Stafford, Va.
Meléndez is bilingual, Spanish and English. Their work is guided by a commitment to dignity, safety, and trauma-informed engagement, particularly within LGBTQ and BIPOC communities.
Congratulations also to Ben Rosen LICSW, on his new role as program director, with the Wanda Alston Foundation. Rosen previously worked with Fountain House’s OnRamps program, helping to build a new, innovative outreach program for individuals considered chronically homeless, and living with serious mental illness, in the Times Square area of New York. Rosen is a Psychotherapist, having worked with SG Psychotherapy, and as the psychotherapist with the Nest Community Health Center (URAM).
Rosen has a B.F.A. in Theatre Arts: Musical Theatre, Minor in Psychology (Cum Laude) from Malloy University Conservatory; and his M.S.W. in Clinical Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups, from The Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College, N.Y. He is independently licensed in New York and Washington, D.C.
Rehoboth Beach
BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
Attendees encouraged to wear appropriate gear
Diego’s in Rehoboth Beach hosts a monthly leather happy hour. April’s edition is scheduled for Friday, April 10, 5-7 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to wear appropriate gear. The event is billed as an official event of BLUF, the free community group for men interested in leather. After happy hour, the attendees are encouraged to reconvene at Local Bootlegging Company for dinner, which allows cigar smoking. There’s no cover charge for either event.
District of Columbia
Celebrations of life planned for Sean Bartel
Two memorial events scheduled in D.C.
Two celebrations of life are planned for Sean Christopher Bartel, 48, who was found deceased on a hiking trail in Argentina on or around March 15. Bartel began his career as a television news reporter and news anchor at stations in Louisville, Ky., and Evansville, Ind., before serving as Senior Video Producer for the D.C.-based International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union from 2013 to 2024.
A memorial gathering is planned for Friday, April 10, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the IBEW International Office (900 7th St., N.W.), according to a statement by the DC Gay Flag Football League, where Bartel was a longtime member. A celebration of life is planned that same evening, 6-8 p.m. at Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.).
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